Seattle Pride

Last updated

Seattle Pride
Seattle Pride Fest 2024 main stage.jpg
PrideFest 2024 main stage at the Seattle Center
StatusActive
Genre Pride parade and festival
FrequencyAnnually
Location(s) Seattle, Washington
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1974
Attendance300,000+ [1]
Website seattlepride.org

Seattle Pride refers to a series of events which are held annually throughout the month of June to celebrate LGBTQ Pride in Seattle, Washington. Seattle Pride also refers to the nonprofit organization Seattle Out and Proud which coordinates and promotes LGBTQIA+ events and programs in Seattle year-round including the Seattle Pride Parade.

Contents

History

The first Gay Pride Week in Seattle was held from June 24 to 30, 1974, by the city's lesbian and gay community. It included an open house hosted by the Stonewall Recovery Center, a discussion on transsexuality at the University of Washington Hub Ballroom, and a memorial service for victims of the 1973 UpStairs Lounge arson attack in New Orleans. The city's Gay Community Center opened on June 28 and was followed the next day by a 200-person picnic at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. The picnic moved to Volunteer Park in the afternoon and returned to Occidental Park for an evening street dance with 150 people. [2] On June 30, Gay Pride Week concluded with a spontaneous and unplanned "Gay-In" at the Seattle Center's International Fountain. [3]

The local band Lavender Country, noted as the first known openly gay country music act, also performed during the 1974 festival. [4] The band also later performed a reunion show at Seattle Pride in 2000, following a resurgence of interest when their album was archived at the Country Music Hall of Fame. [5]

The city's first official Gay Pride Week was declared in 1977 by Mayor Wes Uhlman. With a broader acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community came a rise in organized "anti-gay forces" determined to repeal many ordinances that protected LGBTQ+ rights. During the 1978 Pride Week, more than 3,000 participants marched in protest on the parade route that ran from Occidental Square in Pioneer Square to Westlake Park by way of First Avenue. Voters defeated the initiative, preserving the many political gains of that decade. [6] The Parade route remained in place until the early 1980s when it began trading years with Capitol Hill, until it was "permanently" moved to Broadway. In 1992, Gay Pride week was expanded to include bisexual and transgender identities (LGBT). [7] In 2006, the Seattle Pride Parade moved from Capitol Hill back to Downtown Seattle where it originated. [8]

Seattle Pride

Seattle Pride is a nonprofit organization that coordinates and promotes LGBTQIA+ events and programs in Seattle year-round. The organization aims to create unity, honor diversity, and achieve equal human rights throughout the region and the world [9] through a variety of programs including its Pride Speaks speaker series, [10] Vote with Pride [11] voter engagement program, and its community grant and sponsorship program. [12]

The organization is best known as the producer of the Seattle Pride Parade, [13] held on the last Sunday in June to honor Stonewall, marking the start of the gay rights movement in the United States. The event attracts 300,000-plus spectators annually with more than 200 groups marching in support of LGBTQIA+ Pride [14] down 4th Avenue in Downtown Seattle.

The organization is also known as the producer of the Seattle Pride in the Park Festival held on the first Saturday in June in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. The free family-friendly event features performances by LGBTQIA+ performers, kids activities, booths, and food trucks. [15]

The 2013 Pride Parade was notable for the participation of uniformed members of the Boy Scouts of America, celebrating the recent decision by that organization to allow openly gay boys to join as Scouts. [16] In 2020 and 2021, the organization held virtual Pride Month celebrations in lieu of the Seattle Pride Parade and Seattle Pride in the Park Festival in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. [17]

PrideFest

Dyke March at 2017's PrideFest 2017 Dyke March at Seattle's Capitol Hill.jpg
Dyke March at 2017's PrideFest

Seattle PrideFest is held annually at the Seattle Center over Pride Weekend. The festival takes place on the last Sunday in June between noon and 8 pm, immediately following the Pride Parade. [18] This event formerly took place in neighboring Capitol Hill's Volunteer Park, but outgrew that residential location. It was decided in 2006 to move the annual parade to downtown and festival to the Seattle Center to better accommodate the growing attendance. [19]

In 2007, sponsor Seattle Out and Proud was threatened with bankruptcy because the downtown event had been so expensive. [20] [21] Egan Orion of One Degree Events took over the Seattle Pride Festival just six weeks before the event was held, in order to save the event and help preserve the move to the Center the year before. The event was compressed from three days to one, and organizers negotiated a plan with the city to pay an outstanding debt from the 2006 event. [22] The 2008 PrideFest had record numbers at the Seattle Center with over 50,000 people attending on a 95 degree day in June, with over 100 vendors and dozens of sponsors participating. The 2013 event featured more than 100 performers on five stages. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras</span> LGBT pride event

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest LGBT festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the largest Pride event in Oceania. It includes a variety of events such as the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade and Party, Bondi Beach Drag Races, Harbour Party, the academic discussion panel Queer Thinking, Mardi Gras Film Festival, as well as Fair Day, which attracts 70,000 people to Victoria Park, Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Hill, Seattle</span> Neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States

Capitol Hill is a densely populated residential district and a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is immediately east of Downtown Seattle and north of First Hill. The neighborhood is one of the city's most popular nightlife and entertainment districts and is home to a historic gay village and vibrant counterculture community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Pride Festival</span> LGBT event in Salt Lake City, Utah

The Utah Pride Festival is a festival held in downtown Salt Lake City in June celebrating Utah's diversity and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community. The event is a program of the Utah Pride Center, and includes the state's second-largest parade, after the Days of '47 Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PrideFest (Denver)</span> Gay pride event in Denver, Colorado

PrideFest is an annual gay pride event held each June in Denver, honoring the culture and heritage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the State of Colorado. The first "Pride" event in Denver, known as Gay Pride Week, took place June, 1974 and included a "gay-in" in Cheesman Park attended by about fifty people. The first Gay Pride Parade took place in 1975 with approximately 200 people marching along sidewalks to the Civic Center Park unaware that they needed a permit. The first event resembling the present day Denver PrideFest occurred in 1976, the same year the local community center, now known as the Center on Colfax, was founded. The Center organizes and produces the festival and parade each year. The event currently consists of a two-day festival at Civic Center Park, the Pride 5K, and culminates with a parade along Colfax Avenue. Denver PrideFest now draws 525,000 guests annually, making it the third largest pride festival and seventh largest pride parade in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Pride (Washington, D.C.)</span> Annual LGBT event in Washington, D.C.

Capital Pride is an annual LGBT pride festival held in early June each year in Washington, D.C. It was founded as Gay Pride Day, a one-day block party and street festival, in 1975. In 1980 the P Street Festival Committee formed to take over planning. It changed its name to Gay and Lesbian Pride Day in 1981. In 1991, the event moved to the week prior to Father's Day. Financial difficulties led a new organization, One In Ten, to take over planning of the festival. Whitman-Walker Clinic (WWC) joined One In Ten as co-sponsor of the event in 1997, at which time the event's name was changed to Capital Pride. Whitman-Walker became the sole sponsor in 2000. But the healthcare organization came under significant financial pressures, and in 2008 turned over producing duties to a new organization, Capital Pride Alliance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Pride Parade</span> Annual LGBT event in Chicago

The Chicago Pride Parade, also colloquially called the Chicago Gay Pride Parade or PRIDE Chicago, is an annual pride parade held on the last Sunday of June in Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is considered a culmination of the larger Gay and Lesbian Pride Month in Chicago, as promulgated by the Chicago City Council and Mayor of Chicago. Chicago's Pride Parade is one of the largest by attendance in the world. The event takes place outside and celebrates equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, which is also known as the celebration of LGBTQ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Pride Parade</span> Annual LGBT event in British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival is an annual LGBT Pride event, held each year in Vancouver, British Columbia, to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies. It is run by the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS), a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization that seeks to "produce inclusive, celebratory events, and advocacy for LGBTQAI2S+". Vancouver's Pride Parade is the largest parade of any kind in Western Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NYC Pride March</span> Event celebrating the LGBTQ community

The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ community in New York City. The largest pride parade and the largest pride event in the world, the NYC Pride March attracts tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each June, and carries spiritual and historical significance for the worldwide LGBTQIA+ community and its advocates. Entertainer Madonna stated in 2024, "Aside from my birthday, New York Pride is the most important day of the year." The route through Lower Manhattan traverses south on Fifth Avenue, through Greenwich Village, passing the Stonewall National Monument, site of the June 1969 riots that launched the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Pride (Ottawa)</span> Annual LGBT pride week festival in Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa Capital Pride is an annual LGBTQ pride event, festival, and parade held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and Gatineau, Quebec, from mid to late August. Established in 1986, it has evolved into a 7 to 9-day celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, advocating for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the National Capital Region. The festival offers bilingual events in English and French, known as 'Capital Pride / Fierté dans la capitale', seamlessly blending local pride with national importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indy Pride Festival</span> Annual LGBT festival in Indianapolis

Indy Pride Festival is the annual week of LGBT pride events in Indianapolis. The week is organized by LGBTQ organization Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival. Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.

Capital City Pride in Olympia, Washington is a non-profit organization that hosts LGBTQ events, the largest of which is the annual two-day Capital City Pride festival and parade, held in June. The festival draws about 15,000 people each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoenix Pride</span> LGBTQ+ Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix Pride is a parade and festival held each year in Phoenix, Arizona to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people and their allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis PrideFest</span> Annual event in Missouri

PrideFest St. Louis is an annual LGBT pride event in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is organized by Pride St. Louis, an LGBT non-profit organization in the Greater St. Louis area. Between 350,000-500,000 people attend the two day festival and grand parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in India</span>

India has a long and ancient tradition of culture associated with the LGBTQ community, with many aspects that differ markedly from modern liberal western culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonton Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Edmonton, Alberta

The Edmonton Pride Festival is a 2SLGBTQ+ pride festival, held annually in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chennai Rainbow Pride</span> LGBTIQA+ Pride March

The Chennai Rainbow Pride March has been held by members of Tamil Nadu LGBTIQA+ communities every June since 2009. The pride march is organised under the banner Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition, which is a collective of LGBT individuals, supporters, and organizations working on human rights and healthcare for the LGBTQIA community. The Pride March occurs on the final Sunday of June every year. The Pride March is usually preceded by a month-long series of events organized by NGOs and organizations to inculcate awareness and support for the LGBTQ community, such as panel discussions, film screenings, and cultural performances. The Chennai Vaanavil Suyamariyadhai Perani a.k.a. Chennai Rainbow Self-Respect March is known for being inter-sectional in nature as it addresses issues with multiple axes such as caste, class, religion coupled with gender discrimination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Lansing, Michigan

Michigan Pride is an annual LGBT Pride festival and parade held in Lansing, Michigan every August. The event was held in June from 1990 until 2011.

Seattle has a notably large LGBTQ community, and the city of Seattle has protected gay and lesbian workers since the passage of the Fair Employment Practice Ordinance in 1973. Seattle's LGBTQ culture has been celebrated at Seattle Pride which began in 1977 as Gay Pride Week. Gay cabaret traveled in a circuit including Seattle and San Francisco since the 1930s. Seattle had gay-friendly clubs and bars since the 1930s including The Casino in Underground Seattle at Pioneer Square which allowed same-sex dancing since 1930, and upstairs from it, The Double Header, in continuous operation since 1933 or 1934 until 2015, was thought to be the oldest gay bar in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Cities Pride</span>

Twin Cities Pride, sometimes Twin Cities LGBT Pride, is an American nonprofit organization in Minnesota that hosts an annual celebration each June that focuses on the LGBT community. The celebration features a pride parade which draws crowds of nearly 600,000 people. The parade was designated the Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade in honor of the late former parade organizer and transgender LGBT rights activist. Other Twin Cities Pride events include a festival in Loring Park and a block party spanning multiple days.

References

  1. ↑ "Thousands crowd into downtown Seattle for annual Pride parade". June 24, 2018.
  2. ↑ Lange, Greg (March 13, 2003). "Lesbians and gays celebrate Seattle's first Gay Pride Week from June 24 to 30, 1974". HistoryLink . Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  3. ↑ Paul, Crystal (June 30, 2024). "How Seattle Pride started 50 years ago, and what it means today". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  4. ↑ Murakami, Kery (June 24, 2004). "More doors open to gays today". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Gay community resources, organizations and events" Archived July 23, 2013, at archive.today . Kitsap Sun , June 25, 2000.
  6. ↑ Diltz, Colin (June 23, 2016). "1978: Seattle Gay Pride Week march and rally opposes Initiative 13". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ McDonald, Teddy (June 6, 2022). "Celebrating Pride at the Port of Seattle". Port of Seattle.
  8. ↑ Phair, Vonnai (June 24, 2021). "What Pride means to 5 Seattle-area residents". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ "About Seattle Pride". Seattlepride. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Pride Speaks". Seattlepride. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Vote with Pride is Back!". Seattlepride. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Grant & Sponsorship Opportunities with Seattle Pride". Seattlepride. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Seattle Pride Parade". Seattlepride. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Celebrate a landmark Pride at rainbow array of Seattle-area events". The Seattle Times. June 19, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Seattle Pride kicks off June with Pride in the Park, and more fun around Seattle". The Seattle Times. June 2, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Thousands turn out for 2013 Seattle PrideFest". KOMO News. June 30, 2013. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  17. ↑ Paul, Crystal (June 1, 2021). "Seattle Pride will be virtual again in 2021. But organizers have devised ways to make it more interactive". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Events". Seattle Pridefest. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  19. ↑ Toler, Lindsay (June 28, 2009). "Seattle Pride seeks to whittle 2006 debt during weekend fest". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Thousands gather for Seattle's Pride Fest". KOMO News. June 24, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  21. ↑ Turnbull, Lornet; Pian Chan, Sharon (April 24, 2007). "Seattle Pride organization disbanding, filing for bankruptcy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Seattle Center will host this year's Pride festival; event to be just 1 day". Seattle Times. March 3, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
Gay flag.svg

This article about a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ)-related festival or event is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.