Woke Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson urges transgender 'refugees' to come to her city and says she'll use taxpayer cash to fund their cosmetic surgeries... after scaring off city's wealthiest taxpayers

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:34, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 15:35, 2 July 2026 Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's administration sparked backlash after setting up a transgender 'refugee' program for those fleeing other states.  The socialist mayor launched the Trans and Queer Interdepartmental Team (IDT) to offer help to 'refugee' trans people fleeing Republican policies.  The assistance provided through the taxpayer-funded program will reportedly include cosmetic and elective surgeries to transgender people who relocated to Seattle.  Those surgeries could include breast implants and gruesome 'facial feminization surgeries' where transgender women have facial bones sanded down and chopped out to make them look more ladylike.   Funds will also be handed out for housing and food for transgender 'refugees.'  Wilson has not detailed how large the fund will be or how she will pay for it, with Seattle already facing an estimated $175 million budget deficit.  The program was pushed by the Seattle LGBTQ Commission to address the 'trans relocation crisis', with the IDT holding its official launch meeting on June 9.  The move came after LGTBQ activists held protests and demonstrations across the city in the spring, to call on Wilson to declare a state of emergency over the 'crisis'.  The Chair of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, Chris Curia, claimed the city's resources were being strained by the demand from trans relocations, with some 'community organizations rapidly losing resources that could run out by the end of the summer', per Fox13.   The protests led Wilson to establish the IDT as an alternative to declaring a state of emergency, and she has put the program on an accelerated timeline to 'fortify critical services' by August.  Woke Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has urged transgender 'refugees' to come to her city from more conservative states - and plans to use taxpayer cash to find their cosmetic surgeries  A pro-trans rights sign at the Seattle Pride parade last month. The city has long been a byword for progressive politics The move to set up the IDT drew scrutiny from critics, with Republicans voicing their concerns at a city council meeting this month as the issue was raised.  One Republican, Victoria, was seen in footage shared by the city's GOP group Seattle 36ers urging lawmakers to halt the funds - fearing they could also go toward surgeries for minors.  'The clear intent of the IDT is to redirect public funds to pay for housing, food and elective and cosmetic medical procedures for trans individuals,' she said. 'We oppose the use of taxpayer money for these purposes.'  In the pressure campaign on Wilson, the Seattle LGTBQ Commission cited data that claimed 84 percent of transgender and non-binary people have made major life decisions - such as moving to a different state - due to LGBTQ policies.  But Victoria accused activists of basing their campaign on 'highly inflated numbers', and declared that 'no such emergency exists.'  'It is ironic to claim there is a genocide on the trans community, when the truth is that the trans movement is the genocide,' she continued, to some boos from the local audience. 'It is unconscionable to persuade a child to damage or destroy their reproductive organs before they've even reached the age of consent... yes, trans people have been victimized, but not by Republican policies.'  Earlier this year, a transgender activist group called on Katie Wilson to declare a state of emergency for trans Americans. She did not comply with that demand - but has now launched a commission to help  🚨 Mayor Katie Wilson has formed the Trans and Queer Interdepartmental Team (IDT) to establish funding for trans and queer refugees. Thanks to Victoria for speaking out at yesterday's Seattle City Council meeting. Help sound the alarm! pic.twitter.com/BqBwMR5iIq Seattle has long been one of the United States' most progressive cities, but in recent years it has also become a byword for woke politics run amok. Crime and homelessness soared during the Covid pandemic, with famous Seattle landmarks like the city's Space Needle now surrounded by squalid vagrant encampments. Meanwhile, Wilson has come under fire for gleefully waving the city's residents off after imposing a punitive new wealth tax on millionaires. Wilson, 43, still receives money from childcare from her parents and has been branded insufficiently qualified to oversee the finances of a tech capital that is home to businesses including Amazon and Microsoft.   Seattle has descended further into chaos and squalor since Mayor Katie Wilson took office in January. A homeless encampment is seen in front of the city's Space Needle earlier this year Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz quit the city for Florida shortly after, blaming its anti-business and pro-crime climate. Zillow founder Rich Barton also recently announced his departure for Las Vegas, whose tax policies are friendlier towards the self-made wealthy. Starbucks itself - which was founded in Seattle in 1971 - has begun moving thousands of jobs from its Seattle headquarters to Nashville. Bosses insist the Emerald City will always be their main base, but many locals are speculating that the coffee giant will soon depart for deep red Tennessee too. Wilson appears to have been spooked by the chaos she was so-far wrought and recently announced she has stopped boycotting Starbucks.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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