Seattle has a notably large LGBT community,[1] and the city of Seattle has protected gay and lesbian workers since the passage of the Fair Employment Practice Ordinance in 1973. Seattle's LGBT culture has been celebrated at Seattle Pride which began in 1977 as Gay Pride Week.[2] Gay cabaret traveled in a circuit including Seattle and San Francisco since the 1930s.[3] 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.[4][5]
Seattle's gay shopping and recreation area is centered on Capitol Hill with rainbow-painted crosswalks, bars, bookstores and other venues.[6] [7]
In 2013, Seattle overtook San Francisco as the United States city with the most households composed of gay or lesbian couples (2.6%), and was the only U.S. city with more than 1% of the households being lesbian couples.[8]
Notable LGBT events in Seattle include the Seattle Queer Film Festival (formerly known as the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival) and Seattle Pride. The Pride ASIA festival "draw[s] attention to the vibrant cultures that make up Seattle’s queer Asian American and Pacific Islander communities."[9]
Seattle Gay News is an LGBT newspaper. Waxie Moon is a documentary about the performer of the same name.
Notable LGBT organizations in Seattle include Equal Rights Washington, Gay City Health Project, Gender Justice League, Pride Foundation, and Lambert House LGBTQ youth center.
The renowned Seattle Women's Chorus and Seattle Men's Chorus together are among the largest community choral organizations in North America, and stand out among the largest LGBTQ-identified choruses in the world. They are among the Pacific Northwest's most vibrant music organizations, performing for an annual audience of more than 30,000 patrons across the Puget Sound.
The Northwest Network founded by lesbians in 1987 support survivors of abuse and foster empowerment in the LGBT community.[10]
Pride Place is an upcoming housing and social service development aimed at LGBTQ senior care.[11]
"Queer The Land is a collaborative project grounded in the self-determination of queer, trans, and two spirit Black/ indigenous/ people of color (QT2BIPOC) and the vision of collectively owning our land and labor."[12] Queer the Land is a cooperative housing organization that started in 2016 in Beacon Hill that provides housing for LGBTQ local residents.[13]
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See also: List of LGBT people from Seattle |
Notable drag queens from Seattle include BenDeLaCreme, Bosco, Irene Dubois, Jinkx Monsoon, Monikkie Shame, and Robbie Turner.
Two wellness centers housed within Seattle Public Schools provide gender affirming care. All centers follow legal state guidelines. Gender affirming care is one of many services students can receive through these health centers.[14]
