The Washington State Legislature has introduced House Bill 2112, also known as the “Keep Our Children Safe” act. This act would require all sex-positive commercial entities in Washington State to require that their users submit to digital age verification to prove they are over 18 before accessing their websites. According to language in the bill, our organization’s mission—to create spaces to celebrate, develop, and explore sexuality and sensuality amongst a supportive community—might be considered to be “designed to appeal to or pander to the prurient interest.” If so, we would need to implement such age verification on our entire website, not just checking proof-of-age with a valid government-issued ID at the door to our events.

According to the Electronics Frontier Foundation (EFF), age verification laws like this one mandate the use of identity verification services that are “deeply discriminatory.” Age estimation technologies have higher error rates for people of color, trans people, and people with disabilities. Additionally, third-party ID services have had their websites hacked and their data leaked, posing security and privacy risks for everyone required to use them.

This bill is being considered in committee this coming Friday, January 16th, 2026. If you’d like to testify at that meeting, submit written testimony, or state your position without testifying, you can do so at this link: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House?selectedCommittee=31640&selectedMeeting=33607

Additional Information:

Full contents of the bill itself

EFF’s Hidden Dangers of Age Verification

EFF’s Hack of Age Verification Company Shows Privacy Danger of Social Media Laws