It was more a celebration and a remembrance of the struggles we’ve all gone through in the community,” she said. “We didn’t used to have a big advocacy component in any of our events. It may not be the same as the in-person experience, but Marx says the virtual celebrations have allowed the Seattle Pride organizers to offer a lot of elements that were missing from past years. You’re there, people around you are dressed up, the parade itself is a celebration of our community, there’s food nearby and everyone is saying, ‘Happy Pride,’ ” said Marx. “In person, you get to just be, and be surrounded by your community. Marx has no illusions that the virtual celebration will be the same as being in person with friends and community. There will be plenty of special guests, including mxmtoon and Mary Lambert, as well as several Seattle-area artists. Of course, there will be music, too! In fact, this year’s headliner will be Queen of Bounce music, Big Freedia. Although in the past there have been some advocacy events and talks the night before the parade, this year organizers are offering a virtual voter drive and panels on topics like “Reimagine Policing” and “Galvanizing a Global Movement to End ‘Conversion Therapy.’” Usually, the main events of Seattle Pride are the parade and music festival. That’s part of the reason this year’s theme is “Resilience.” Political representatives, sponsors and reps from different organizations will be available in video chatrooms like virtual “booths.” There will also be networking opportunities where an attendee can choose to be randomly matched with someone else for a video chat (a digital security team will be on hand to prevent or address any virtual attacks).Īfter feedback garnered from attendees of 2020’s virtual Pride indicated that community members strongly valued the advocacy events they held, this year’s organizers amped up the advocacy component.
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Marx described the virtual experience as “a sort of ‘choose your own adventure.’ ”įrom a central virtual lobby, through the online events platform Hopin, attendees can choose to go to different virtual stages to experience speakers, musicians or group activities, like “Bedroom Bing” with local drag personality Cookie Couture or styling tips for newbie drag artists from local drag artist Aleksa Manila. “This is going to be something you have to strap in for.” “It’s not going to be boring,” said Krystal Marx, Seattle Pride executive director. That said, Seattle Pride has learned a great deal from last year’s virtual pride and the organizers have a lot of new things in store for attendees. Jay Inslee’s recent announcement that the state will lift COVID-19 restrictions and open up 100% by June 30 (just a few days after Pride weekend on June 26-27) came a little too late for Seattle Pride’s organizers, who based their decision to hold Pride virtually on the state of the pandemic back in March. However, Pride will be held online again this summer. There’d be music and dancing, and the powerful, pervasive scent of SPF 50 sunscreen as the crush of a half-million people being out and proud took over the Capitol Hill neighborhood during the annual Seattle Pride festivities.įor many, the celebration commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion marks summer in Seattle, and after it went virtual last year due to the pandemic, the community was looking forward to an epic, in-person celebration this year. And at the end of June you’d find them papier-mâchéd on floats and painted on faces at the annual Seattle Pride Parade.
Pride Parade Photographs, 1993.In a normal June in Seattle, there’d be rainbows everywhere – chalked on sidewalks, printed on banners and posters.
#When is gay pride in seattle series
Box 61 folder 8, Mayor Uhlman Subject Files, Records Series 4287-02, Seattle Municipal Archives. Letter from Keith Luttenbacher to Mayor Uhlman, July 5, 1977. This year’s Seattle Pride Parade will be held in downtown Seattle on Sunday, June 24.
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Ultimately, Mayor Uhlman’s endorsement of Gay Pride Week gave added significance to the city’s first Gay Pride March, held in 1977. Bryant.” Local opponents of gay rights were incensed by the mayor’s proclamation, and reactions ranged from letter-writing campaigns to published threats of recall to picketing outside City Hall. Keith Luttenbacher, in his Jletter, was one of many who wrote thanking Mayor Uhlman for his support, “especially after the negative press due to Ms. Mayor Uhlman gave the event official endorsement in 1977, declaring June 25 to July 1 to be Gay Pride Week in the City of Seattle. Seattle celebrated its first Gay Pride Week June 24-30, 1974, with a variety of activities at private and public venues around the city.