Welcome, everybody.
I know it seems hard that to think that it has been a year,
but it is, in fact, June 1st yet again.
And the most remarkable thing is this is really our
unofficial kick off to summer, the beginning of Pride month.
I want to thank you all for being here today.
And I want to get us started with
introducing our mayor for the city of Seattle, Mayor Bruce Harrell.
He has a long history of civil rights and social
justice activism and has been a real ally to our community.
And so for our mayor, thank you for joining us this early morning.
Mayor Bruce Harrell.
Thank you.
Senior Deputy Mayor.
I was the last one to arrive.
I was waiting for Senior Deputy Mayor Harrell
where she where she where she sits down there waiting for you.
I have some very profound words to say so profound that I wrote them down.
And I don't want to riff, but such an important event.
Many of you know me, know I will riff and get carried away.
Very excited with all of you to share.
Seattle's 11th Annual Pride Flag Raising Day
and to kick off the start of Pride Month with everyone here.
We all know that our community here,
and by that I'm saying LGBTQ+ our community is
a major part of what makes our city a unique, vibrant place to be.
And I say our community because the key is inclusivity.
Loving each other.
Pride is an opportunity to uplift the immeasurable contributions
and achievements
of this community and the present and honor the history
of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the past and work towards
the equitable future that we want to see the future that we have to fight for.
Pride is more than just a parade
or a festival or an opportunity to break bread with one another.
It's a year long experience that comes with many opportunities to support
the LGBTQ+ community from shopping at stores owned
by LGBTQ+ members, their businesses
donating or volunteering, community organizations and causes,
and sadly recognizing
in terms of homelessness youth as an example, the disparities
that the community still feels and endures.
Places seeking to erase
LGBTQ+ history from school curriculums are banning books to discuss
sexual orientation or gender identity, and restricting
transgender people from health care that they deserve.
Well, quite candidly, that will not happen here in Seattle.
That is not what we welcome when we celebrate.
We're just not doing that in Seattle
because we know that our diversity makes us stronger
and why we must send a clear message to our youth, to our adults.
And when I say
youth, I'm talking about me, not you old people, by the way,
because every month we see
and we read about the stories
where the discrimination is real.
We see you, we support you.
We support each other.
You belong here. You are part of our DNA.
We are one family.
When I talk about one Seattle, that's what exactly what it means.
In one Seattle, we stand as a welcoming city for all
and against the rising tide of hateful and discriminatory legislation
directly targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, families and children.
Not here
by leading with our values, we are ensuring Seattle is a place where
everyone's identity and contributions
to our community are valued and respected.
Our city will continue to fight to protect people's rights,
to live freely and as their authentic self.
I want to thank you all for being here.
I want to thank Councilmember Morales, members of the Office of Civil
Rights, the Seattle LGBTQ+ Commission, and many of you community leaders
here today.
As we recommit ourselves to making Seattle a place
where every neighbor can be their authentic selves.
And to me, that is Seattle at its best.
That is the spirit
and the letter of one Seattle.
Thank you for being here with me.
And now I'll turn it over to Councilmember Tammy Morales to proclaim
it Pride Month in Seattle.
Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor
He is way taller than I am.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Thank you so much for being here.
I'm honored to be here again to celebrate the flag raising today.
When I
started thinking about what I wanted to highlight this year.
I thought about how I stood here last year in this same spot
and gave a speech about the history of pride,
about the rootedness and resilience and in pride and in resistance.
At the time, the Supreme Court ruling banning abortion
had just been leaked and there were about 300 bills across the country
that were introduced attacking the LGBTQ community.
It feels bleak to start on that note,
but we saw almost 500 bills introduced this year.
And so this fight is not over.
We know that for sure.
This is specifically attacking the trans community and particularly trans youth,
from restricting health care access to outing kids to their families, banning
student athletes who are playing on teams that match their gender identity.
I know the past few years have been particularly demoralizing.
We're seeing a drastic rise in hate against marginalized communities
across the country, and it's important to note that here in Washington
and even in Seattle, we are not fully immune to this.
Just the other week, I was working with some neighbors
just a few blocks away from where I live who were reporting
homophobic crimes, a series of people who were beaten in my neighborhood,
who were assumed to be gay,
and they were taken to the hospital.
And we are still investigating what happened there so that we make sure
that the people who did it are held to account.
And I will say this is really personal to me.
I don't talk about this much, but my sister and her wife
left Florida about 15 years ago
because they were afraid that they would not both be granted
parental rights for their daughter when only one of them carried her.
So this is real and it's still happening.
And we have to make sure that we are standing firm against this kind of hate
and make sure that we are protecting the legal rights of people
to their children and to their families.
My office and
I meet regularly with young people, in particular
in the South End who are already exhausted by this world.
We know that our young people are experiencing increased mental health
issues and anxiety, and I know many of us are also feeling this,
but then I remind myself and my community reminds me that hope is a discipline.
Hope isn't an emotion, as Mariame Kaba reminds us.
Hope is hard work and we have to practice it every day.
So for me, this means knowing our values.
It means acting in accordance with our values
and fighting like hell for the liberation of our neighbors.
The justice that Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera and Ms. Major
all held, and many others who fought before us.
This means acknowledging that queer and trans liberation is housing justice.
Queer and
trans liberation is economic justice,
and queer and trans liberation is health care Justice.
It's strong protection for workers.
Funding for culturally responsive youth
mental health access, access to shelter and housing without discrimination,
and it's a loud and vehement opposition to any attempts to further
stigmatize as are vulnerable populations for simply existing.
So today, I'm proud to be here in partnership with the LGBTQ
Commission, with Mayor Harrell, with the City Council,
in proclaiming This month, June 2023, Pride Month.
And now I want to invite to the podium
Lillian Williamson, a member of our Get engaged LGBTQ commissioner,
who will read the proclamation and present remarks as well.
Thank you very much for being here, everyone.
Thank you so much, Councilwoman.
Hello, my name is Lillian Williamson.
I use she/her pronouns and I'm here today on behalf of Seattle's LGBTQ Commission.
Our commission serves as a liaison between the concerns of LGBT,
Seattle's LGBTQ community
and the Mayor's office, the city council, and other forms of city government.
I am honored to be here today to read the City of Seattle's
LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation and then deliver some remarks.
Whereas, Seattle is home to some of the nation's most active
individuals and organizations working to ensure the full
and equal recognition and protection of the fundamental rights and liberties
of the transgender, lesbian, bisexual, gay, two spirit,
nonbinary, queer individuals, and their families. And
WHEREAS, the Seattle communities in Seattle are an integral and vibrant part
of the academic, economic and artistic social spheres in Seattle.
And. WHEREAS, the month of June was designated Pride Month
to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, a series of demonstrations
led by black and brown trans women occurring in June 1969
and generally recognized as the catalyst of the LGBTQ civil rights movement.
And. WHEREAS, over 45 years ago,
Seattle held its first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer
celebration, an iconic
event vital to our unified effort to forge a more open and just society.
And. WHEREAS, each June, Seattle encourages
its residents to celebrate the progress within our culture towards justice, equity
and full recognition for LGBTQ persons.
And join us in the fight to eradicate prejudice and discrimination everywhere.
And now, therefore, the Mayor and Seattle City Council hereby proclaim
June 2023 to be LGBTQ
Pride Month.
Thank you.
And now I’ll deliver some remarks.
This past year has seen an increasing amount of direct attacks on the LGBTQ+
community in the past year alone, there have been 540
anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures, which is a record
number of these, 220 specifically target transgender and non-binary people.
45 of these anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been enacted in laws
so far this year, and most of these legislative attacks
are centered on LGBTQ youth, especially youth of color and trans youth.
Nationwide, lawmakers are attempting to deny queer
you health care, attacking their ability to participate in their communities
and denying them their fundamental rights
to see themselves represented and to be affirmed for who they are.
And this isn't something that's just happening in Florida or Texas or Idaho.
Our communities are still under threat in Washington and in Seattle.
It is incredibly important
that we do not become complacent as a community and as a city.
I spent the last few years leading youth groups and serving
as a mentor to LGBTQ+ young people in Seattle,
and I can tell you firsthand
that we are not immune to the nationwide issues that the queer community faces.
I regularly work with young people who are homeless,
who can't access lifesaving healthcare, and who endure systemic violence
and who struggle with behavioral health issues that they can't find treatment for.
And as a young person myself, I see this play out in my community
as an LGBTQ community and as a city,
we have a responsibility to uplift and to protect our youth.
The LGBTQ commission applauds the city on its work this last year for
making our city safer and more accessible for the LGBTQ community.
Especially with its work in partnership with the King County's health
or Housing program, which works to make housing more accessible
to the LGBTQ community members who need it most.
But we still call for further action to protect our community and our youth.
We call on the city to invest in more affordable, high quality
and safe housing and to invest in community focused solutions
to address public safety in ways that actually keep our community safe.
This means partnering with community organizations, supporting basic
needs, funding for things like food banks and behavioral health support.
It also means not criminalizing homelessness.
It does not mean sweeping houseless communities
without providing them adequate housing resources.
We urge the city to focus on restorative, non punitive solutions
to the behavioral health care crisis, and we ask the city
to consistently and proactively partner with the
LGBTQ+ Commission, which would demonstrate real commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
Seattle has a responsibility to uplift and take care of its
LGBTQ community, especially it’s youth.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
And now it's my honor to introduce Taffy Johnson, executive director
of UTOPIA Washington.
Telofa lava.
Hello and Happy Pride Month to everyone joining us today.
My name is Taffy.
I am representing the United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance
here in Washington.
I hope that you are all feeling safe,
healthy, loved and supported.
While we're celebrating Pride Month.
We know there's still more work to do.
As we've grown, so has our culture.
A lot of changes.
A lot has changed.
And transitions have been difficult.
And we faced a lot of them these past years with uncertainty.
So Pride Month holds so many different things for many of us.
While it's a celebration for most and it should, right?
But it's also a crucial time for remembering
where we come from and all we have fought for.
And it's also about coming together to honor,
to celebrate, and support our
two spirit LGBTQIA+ community.
I know and I
recognize how difficult it has been for many of us during the pandemic,
especially our queer and trans youth.
That pandemic, the pandemic has altered our access to our loved ones,
access to our chosen family,
hosting our favorite events, our interest.
The reality is that many of us had to hide our identities
or suppress parts of ourselves for our own safety.
Many have had parts of our identity invalidated or not celebrated,
which contributed to issues like mental health.
And this, on top of everything else, have caused
emotional and familial problems.
Not to mention that it probably stressed
you out in new and terrifying ways.
Our trans youth lives have been disrupted
in ways that most adults cannot understand,
and for some leading to an increase
in anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts,
there is a lack of celebration for our trans youth.
A lack of affirmation, visibility and validation.
Friends, please do not underestimate the power of visibility.
There are still places in this country
where we are being legislated out of existence.
There are places where you can't say gay, which is really saying
that it is not okay for us to be. To our trans youth,
we love you. Despite every obstacle,
you did the best you could.
Even when you felt like you weren't, even when you were struggling
to focus or remain motivated.
I know being resilient can be exhausting, and I know
I hope that you all found support when you needed it.
And so everyone here, we will live loudly
so that every trans, every queer youth,
every LGBTQ member will know that there is a life ahead.
These institutions of oppression
may be able to deny the storm, but they cannot silence the wind.
They will build walls and put us in cages, but we will tear them down.
We are the future generations.
Our trans babies are the future.
Our queer babies need us.
They will need your support.
They will need you at
every march, every protest, every event, every fight.
But more than all of that, they need to see you.
They need to see us living loudly.
They need to see us thriving.
Because it matters.
Seeing you is a clear indicator to them
that there is life beyond their current circumstances.
They need to see us thrive.
365 days,
not just in June at Pride Month events, our queer and trans
babies need to see us live and so many LGBTQ family be visible.
Be loud.
Be exactly who you are and all of who you are because you are beautiful,
and it saves lives.
Happy pride everyone.
Please welcome my friend and colleague,
Executive Director Stephen Sawyer, of POCAAN.
Thank you, Taffy. Happy pride, everyone.
I want
to say thanks to the city of Seattle, to Mayor Harrell and his team to the Office
of Civil Rights, as well as to the Seattle LGBT Commission for this invitation.
The Pride Movement has been a long standing fight for equity and justice
for the LGBTQIA, Two Spirited + Community.
In the streets of New York.
On a late summer night in 1969, the first brick was thrown
that launched the Stonewall uprising, an uprising
that marked a new turning point in the LGBTQ activism
and liberation in the United States.
But few recognize that the black LGBTQ
community also has been a part and been at the forefront
of this pride movement throughout history, including Stonewall leaders like
Storme DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson,
Bayard Rustin, Gary (????)
Alvin Ailey,
James Baldwin all challenged societal norms and inspired
generations that followed to speak truth to power in our community.
Their contributions have often been erased and downplayed
in the mainstream narrative, but it's important for us
to acknowledge their bravery and their resilience
standing up against police brutality and discrimination
and despite the disadvantages that they've had, we've seen crucial
of the crucial fight advance in years, in these few years past,
in the intersections of race, gender and sexuality
has been made great movements and improvements.
But the reality of it is there still are so many
that are still plagued with injustice across the country.
It's movements like the Black Lives Matter and Black Pride
that have really come together to fight hate.
And many of these hate bills that have been created
that create more dangerous environments for our community.
We see how these strides toward equity
have not been shared by all of our members of the LGBT community.
And today there is a.
There is a rise in anti LGBT bills
for non-binary bathroom laws to anti-drag bills.
Racial disparities persist with black and brown LGBT individuals
too often facing additional layers of discrimination and marginalization.
As such, the new fight for equity in the LGBT
movement must center on the comprehensive
understanding of intersectionality.
This means recognizing how different aspects of identity,
overlap and impact individuals experience of oppression.
It is also, it also means that acknowledging
the ways in which white supremacy and anti-blackness
and the patriarchy have persisted in discrimination against LGBT
people, particularly for those who are black and brown and trans
pride, must be a celebration and a demonstration.
We must celebrate with the events like today's
flag raising and the upcoming Pride parade.
But we must continue to demonstrate and to unveil the
the need for a greater equity and equality in areas
such as employment, housing, healthcare, education.
Until we are all safe,
no one is safe. Until we, we are all free to be our true selves,
no one is free.
As we continue to push forward toward progress in this fight for LGBT rights,
it's critical that we center and uplift the voices from all communities,
but especially for those who have historically been silenced.
Thank you.
Listening to our speakers today,
I am reminded of the saying Love is a verb.
Love is a verb. It is an action.
It is an act.
It is something that we must do.
It is not passive.
When I think about Pride Month, what is the point of Pride Month?
It is
living your true selves, your authentic self, living out loud.
It is being forward with who you are
in all of your glory and your full identity.
In this year 2023.
We are going to stop giving out cookies.
Allies no longer get cookies
just for saying they stand with us.
This is the year where demonstration
and actions are what is important.
This is the year where it is no longer acceptable to sit on the sidelines.
We've had a couple of years where we've been knocked down.
We've dusted ourselves off.
And now is the time for action.
Love is a verb.
If we love ourselves, if we love our community,
this is where we take action.
So on this June 1st, this is not the moment
where we raise the flag and we let the symbol fly.
It is, What are we going to do
to put that love, that authenticity,
that authenticity into action?
How are we going to not just say to our youth,
we love you, we support you, but what are we going to do
to put boots on the ground to show them that they are worthy,
that they have a place to show our elders they are worthy.
They have a place to show that grace and demonstration to each other
that we are worthy and that we have a place.
This is our time for action.
We spend so much time being small
for a world that won't accept us how we are.
This month is where we get to be our authentic selves.
Be who you are.
Love who you love.
Support and value those around you.
We are human.
Embrace all that that humanity has to offer.
So thank you for joining us here on this day.
June 1st, the kick off the pride.
But remember, this isn't just rainbows and parties and fun.
This is love in action.
What are we going to do with and for each other
to ensure our future and our liberation?
For all of those who are working here, All of you out here.
I see your faces.
I know how hard you work.
I've been to a few bars
where I've seen how hard you play to.
And that's all right.
Because if you work hard, you got to play hard.
But now is the time that we put in that work together.
We cannot let them divide us.
It is only through our togetherness and our strength that we will be successful
and that we will take back what is ours, which is our full, authentic selves.
Thank you so much.
I want everybody
to have an opportunity to crank this flag, so I'm going to take the first crank.
But then let's line up and do it together.
Thank you.
All right.