SEATTLE — Friday kicked off Pride weekend in Seattle, but instead of taking over the streets of Capitol Hill and marching to the Seattle Center in the parade, events are being hosted online in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pride Month, which is is recognized in June, celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) communities and commemorates the Stonewall riots. This year, Pride is also turning 50.
The first Pride march took place on June 28, 1970. It happened a year after the 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, which were led by trans women of color.
This year, Pride also comes following weeks of protests and civil unrest in Seattle and across the world over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in Minneapolis police custody in May. Protesters have been demanding police reform and racial justice.
It's an issue Seattle Pride organizers said hits close to home and something they intend to highlight during this year's virtual events.
"The organizers of Seattle Pride wish to acknowledge and stand in solidarity with other regional LGBTQIA+ organizations to condemn the senseless murder of George Floyd, standing together against racism in all forms," read a statement on Seattle Pride's website. "The LGBTQIA+ community knows firsthand the feeling of marginalization, and the importance of compassion and standing together – especially in this time of need. As with other impactful movements, the LGBTQIA+ movement also began with a protest. Much of Seattle Pride’s programming will be centered on matters of activism and centering black and brown voices."
Seattle Pride, PrideFest and Gender Justice League are hosting Together For Pride 2020, a series of virtual events and performances this weekend.
All events are free, but people are required to register. Here are just some of the events:
Friday, June 26:
Trans Pride Seattle+ Online: 5-10 p.m. - Programmed by Gender Justice League
Pride weekend kicks off with Trans Pride Seattle+ hosting workshops, showing films, live streaming performances and more by and for the transgender and non-binary community.
Here are some of the events Friday evening:
- Virtual Spoon Tent for Adults (18 and up) 5-10 p.m.
- Community Discussions on Resistance to Police Violence 5-6 p.m.
- Trans Pride Seattle+ Performance Extravaganza! 6-10 p.m.
To learn more about any of these events and to register, click here.
Saturday, June 27:
All Day Pride Fest Live Stream: Noon-Midnight - Programmed by PrideFest
Here is the lineup of events you can see online during Saturday's all-day Pride festival:
- 12-1 p.m. Family Hour with Drag Queen Storytime with Aleksa Manila and Imagination Band
- 1-2 p.m. Queer Youth Pride (hosted by Gay City)
- 2-3 p.m. Preparing for Pride
- 3-4 p.m. "Looking Back at Prides Past", Beyond Pride Showcase curated by Eric Blu
- 4-5 p.m. "Celebrating Pride", Latinx Showcase curated by the Latin Rose, Ruth Soto
- 5-6 p.m. "Celebrating Pride", Mary Lambert Performs
- 6-7 p.m. "Looking Forward", BeautyBoiz performs
- 7-8 p.m. "Looking Forward", Xander Corbett and Purple Lemonade perform
- 8-9 p.m. "Pride Wrap Up", Adra Boo performs
- 9-Midnight "Virtual Dance Party" by Uniting Souls
In addition to these events, Trans Pride Seattle+ will also be hosting more workshops and listening sessions virtually, click here for more information.
Sunday, June 28:
Seattle Pride Virtual: Noon-6 p.m. - Programmed by Seattle Pride
The Seattle Pride weekend will culminate the three days with four program tracks supporting its Many Faces, One Pride focus – Speakers, Activities & Activism, Performance and Q&A/Interactive. The programming will be a mix of live and recorded 20 and 40-minute sessions, as well as brief intermissions between each session and a mid-day lunch break during which attendees will be encouraged to order food from a queer-owned business.
In addition to the program sessions, Sunday will also feature a Nonprofit Virtual Exhibition Hall and Vendor Virtual Village, in which online attendees will be able to visit a wide variety of vendor “booths” in a virtual version of Seattle Pride in the Park (formerly known as the Volunteer Park Pride Festival).
To register for any of the events over the weekend and to see the complete lineup, visit Together For Pride here.
All of the events are free, but organizers are asking people to register online.
You can also download the app to stay up to date on Seattle Pride events.