Honoring Seattle's History of LGBTQIA+ Pride, by Mia Alhambra

Celebrated throughout June, Pride Month honors and celebrates the history, culture, and lives of people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and/or Asexual (LGBTQIA+). Whether you identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community or are an aspiring ally like myself, it is important to learn about and share the events that led to the first celebrations of Pride Month in the Greater Seattle area and how it grew to become the largest parade in Washington State.

The Stonewall Riots in New York

Initiated by two transgender women of color, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, the 1969 Stonewall Riots sparked the beginning of the modern gay liberation movement. Before and during the 1960s, solicitation of same-sex relations was illegal in New York City. Gay bars and clubs became places of refuge for LGBTQIA+ individuals to openly socialize, but they also became places where police commonly raided and harassed those individuals. In the early hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Unlike other police raids where people retreated and scattered, the Stonewall patrons fought back and the riots continued for five days.

The following year, in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, thousands gathered for the first Pride March to commemorate the Stonewall Riots. 

Seattle Starts to Celebrate Pride Week

During the last week of June 1974, Seattle’s gay and lesbian community celebrated their first Gay Pride Week, though the city didn’t officially recognize it. The events throughout this week included discussions, celebrations, and shows aimed at increasing the visibility of Seattle’s gay community. In 1977, Seattle’s mayor, Wesley Uhlman, declared the first Gay Pride Week officially sanctioned by the city–Seattle’s first official Pride March. 

Even though Seattle was only the fifth U.S. city to start officially celebrating Pride Week and had achieved local political support, anti-LGBTQIA+ groups in the area continued to oppose ordinances that protected LGBTQIA+ rights and responded to Mayor Uhlman’s declaration with threats and letter-writing campaigns. Just one year later, one of these groups’ initiatives included giving voters the choice to remove “sexual orientation” from the text of the Fair Employment and Open Housing ordinances. That year’s Pride march grew to 3,000 participants who protested against it and Seattle voters defeated the initiative. 

Pride Week Expands and Becomes More Inclusive

In 1997, Pride Week began to include transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals—the first Trans Pride in the nation. Though this iteration of Trans Pride ended in 2000, it was restarted by Seattle’s Gender Justice League in 2013 and was the first Pride to be held since Washington State legalized same-sex marriage in 2012.

In 2018,  Daniel Quasar, a non-binary graphic designer and artist, designed the Progressive Pride Flag—symbolizing the importance of transgender people of color in the Pride Movement, especially in the Stonewall Riots; the LGBTQIA+ community’s recognition of the intersectionality between queer identities and race; and those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them. This iteration of the flag integrates black and brown to represent LGBTQIA+ people of color and the colors of the Transgender Pride Flag in a chevron shape to represent forward movement and progression and to emphasize what is important in our current climate. 

Seattle Pride in 2022

Today Seattle’s Pride Parade has become the largest parade in Washington with 500,000 parade-goers and 200 participating groups. The 2022 parade will take place on Sunday, June 26 from 11:00 am–3:00 pm in downtown Seattle along 4th Avenue. From brunches and mixers, to book talks and tours, there are many ways to celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride in the Greater Seattle Area. Head to Seattle Pride’s event page to learn more. 

Supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community Beyond the Month of June

During this month - and every month - we should be supporting and empowering the LGBTQIA+ community. Whether you’re walking, donating, posting, or all of the above, aspiring allies should continue to be open to listening, learning, and working to create safe and inclusive spaces where everyone can be their authentic selves. Happy Pride, everyone!