https://www.sgn.org en-us 2026 Seattle Gay News 9/9/2026 EST https://www.sgn.org/rss https://www.sgn.org/story/167602/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/167602/Features The Freedom Day Committee (FDC) was a unique, democratic grassroots coalition that organized Seattle’s Pride marches and rallies for almost two decades. We were all volunteers, and many of us represented groups or were individual activists committed to bettering life for Queer people. Some of us had roots in the social justice movements of the 1960s, and some were new to advocating for change. In the process, we all came to understand the power and the difficulty of coalition work, where we shared a goal bu Tue Jun 23 2026 19:05:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/167536/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/167536/Features Before Wayne Turner became a public interest attorney for HIV issues and Medicaid advocacy in Washington, DC, and taught LGBTQ+ health law and policy at Georgetown Law School, he was hard at work as a Queer and AIDS rights activist in Seattle. Turner was deeply involved in the Seattle chapter of ACT UP from 1989 to 1993. He also was part of the Freedom Day Committee, along with his partner Steve Michael; together they helped to put on the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Freedom Day March and Rally in 1992. Mon Jun 22 2026 08:51:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/167451/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/167451/Features Pride in Seattle today is mostly known for being a citywide celebration. However, before large corporations saw it as an opportunity to covet rainbow dollars, it was also a means for the LGBTQIA+ community to demand broader societal acceptance, raise awareness about community issues like HIV/AIDS, and advocate for legal protections. From the 1980s to late 1990s, a group of community- and politically minded organizers, called the Freedom Day Committee, were at the heart of making sure Pride even happened eve Thu Jun 18 2026 10:17:34 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/167401/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/167401/Features Nathan Benedict and husband Steve Nyman have been part of Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ community for over four decades. They are both owners of Union on Capitol Hill, founded in 2018; before that, they owned Thumpers from 1985 to 2006. The two men started Come Out Seattle as a historical preservation project to collect photographs and information on local Queer history. Its Pride Archive is a digitized collection of photographs taken during Seattle’s Pride marches and rallies from 1986 to 1992. Benedict spoke to the Wed Jun 17 2026 09:17:36 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/164569/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/164569/Features Some years ago — almost five precisely — having little or no money and nothing in particular to interest me in the midst of pandemic lockdown, I thought I would traverse the sandy shores of Lake Athabasca in the wilderness of northern Saskatchewan to be a cook’s assistant for a Canadian mining expedition. Little did I suspect then how much living and working there for the summer would put my newfound womanhood to the test and push me to both my physical and mental limits. We set out from Fort McMurray, Albe Wed Mar 25 2026 12:23:28 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/163828/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/163828/Features Tim Murray’s journey is as enchanting as his comedy. It begins in Sandusky, Ohio, a lakeside town better known for its amusement parks than for Queer culture or a vibrant comedy scene. Growing up as a closeted Gay kid in a conservative environment, Murray often felt like an outsider. Yet it was within the walls of his small-town home, surrounded by family and a persistent sense of not quite belonging, that the seeds of his comedic genius were planted. His early years were a delicate balance of challenges an Wed Mar 04 2026 06:40:19 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162648/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162648/Features Long before Sophie Lucido Johnson was an award-winning cartoonist for The New Yorker, back before she could ever even imagine herself as a published writer, she was a teacher in the New Orleans public school system, where her love of drawing seemed like more of a pastime than a potential career. “I never thought I could make art. I think I believed that I wasn't good enough at it to be allowed to make it,” she said. “About 15 years ago, I went through a breakup with an artist, and I felt so sad that his art Thu Jan 29 2026 11:11:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162647/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162647/Features A culture of impunity is often how victims of abuse at the hands of male romantic partners describe their experiences. And in the last few years of the post-#MeToo era, there has arguably been a lot of leeway for men of status, from Donald Trump to Joe Biden to all the prominent men in between, who’ve continued to not face proper repercussions for their actions. It seems that in the US today, more than ever, society’s message toward men is: “You can get away with anything as long as you’re rich and powerful Thu Jan 29 2026 10:39:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162622/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162622/Features Love is one of the most foundational human emotions. We are born to crave love from those around us, and spend all our lives seeking, grasping, or letting go of great loves. For many in the LGBTQIA+ community, real love stories don’t always look like the movies we grew up with; there isn’t a swelling of violins or an epic kiss at the airport, but there are small moments that mean more than words, pictures, or music could ever capture. There is also so much love in the act of celebrating everyday Queer frien Wed Jan 28 2026 12:06:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162618/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162618/Features “Okay, so my roommate got me to do this before I could talk myself out of it,” wrote No_Detective776 to the members of the r/Seattle subreddit last April. “How on earth does a North Seattle aro/ace girl meet other aro/aces not in like… Tacoma? I feel like I can’t be the only outdoorsy, nerdy ace person north of the Space Needle.” Finding a community, especially one that matches your sexuality, is easier for some than others. If you’re a Gay man in the city, there’s likely a local bar or club that’s explicit Wed Jan 28 2026 11:46:47 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162615/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162615/Features Genitals — perhaps no other part of the body dictates our desires, capacities, and identities more as people on this earth. And from a very young age, we are conditioned — whether through family, friends, the media, the public education system, religions, etc. — to believe that our most intimate bits, no matter what we inherit, will immutably define who we can be and who we can love, for the remainder of our lives. Despite decades of efforts by the feminist and LGBTQIA+ movements to expand the narrow defini Wed Jan 28 2026 11:31:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162609/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162609/Features Jessa Davis is a Transgender woman and local Queer activist who, when she’s not volunteering as a member of Seattle’s LGBTQ Commission, advocates for legal protections for polyamorous people and alternative families in Washington state. On January 13, Davis’s organization, the Seattle Coalition for Family and Relationship Equity (SCFRE), alongside the Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-monogamy (OPEN), successfully put forward a bill to the Olympia City Council that would add “family or relationship Wed Jan 28 2026 10:46:57 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162201/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/162201/Features Forty-five years ago, the first major Gay dance club in Seattle that could legally serve hard liquor, opened at 315 Terry Ave. N. The Depot was a large entertainment complex, with over 10,000 square feet of indoor space. It stretched almost the entire block between Thomas Street to the south and Harrison Street to the north, in an old freight house, with railroad flat cars pulled alongside, left over from when South Lake Union was an important industrial area. (The entrance was mid-block approximately, in t Fri Jan 16 2026 09:39:24 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/161510/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/161510/Features Since the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling for marriage equality, the conservative right has struggled to weaponize hatred toward Gay and Lesbian communities for political gain, like it did in previous eras. Although favorable Republican views on the morality of Gay and Lesbian people have dropped significantly these past few years, going from a peak of 56% in 2022 down to 38% in 2025, according to Gallup, overall US public support (both morally and legally) for LGB people has remained high.  Mon Dec 22 2025 08:57:46 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/161270/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/161270/Features When you step into Doghouse Leathers on Capitol Hill, it’s clear this isn’t your average store. The air is rich with the unmistakable scent of leather, but what truly sets this place apart is the immediate sense of belonging — a warm welcome, a feeling of safety, and a vibrant network of people that wraps around you like an old friend. At the heart of it all is Dan Daniels. With a genuine smile and an easygoing charm, he’s the kind of person who makes you feel seen and valued the moment you meet him. His de Mon Dec 15 2025 09:26:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/161114/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/161114/Features If you ask anyone in Pittsburgh’s drag scene about Kierra Darshell, you’ll hear words like “icon,” “leader,” and “inspiration.” For decades, Kierra has been much more than just a performer — she’s a mentor, an activist, and a shining example of resilience. Her magnetic presence on stage and her unwavering dedication to the local Queer community have helped shape a legacy that reaches far beyond the spotlight. Her love for her hometown runs deep, and it shows in everything she does — from her performances to Wed Dec 10 2025 12:01:55 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/161061/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/161061/Features Like the 1996 film The Birdcage, in which a Gay couple running a Queer club must hide their queerness to appease their conservative in-laws, the former employees of Jake’s on 4th in Olympia reportedly found themselves in a similar predicament with the bar’s ownership. When it reopened in July 2025 after being closed for multiple years, not much was known about the new owners who decided to take over the beloved, historically Queer establishment. But after a Halloween night drag show gone awry — one in a Tue Dec 09 2025 11:21:59 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/161020/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/161020/Features In New York City’s vibrant culture, only a handful of names become truly synonymous with the city itself. For decades, Michael Musto has been one of them. He’s the decoder of its glitz, the interpreter of its grit, and the keeper of its gossip. You might recognize him as the sharp-tongued commentator from TV, but for New Yorkers, he’s something more fundamental: the ultimate insider that matters. Mon Dec 08 2025 08:49:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/159712/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/159712/Features When Chinese medical student Li Shiu Tong met Magnus Hirschfeld in Shanghai during Hirschfeld’s 1931 world tour, their relationship — in which Li accompanied and cared for the famed sexologist across continents and the final years of his life — fell quickly into place. Li attended St. John’s University, which ran classes in English and prepared students for life in the international sphere. Growing up in a wealthy family with a banker father who supported his academic pursuits, he had ambitions to study abr Wed Oct 29 2025 11:58:36 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/159515/Features https://www.sgn.org/story/159515/Features Bruce Harrell was irritated when we asked if he was a moderate. Not one of those quiet irritations born of our pet peeves though, like when your friend corrects your grammar or your roommate forgets their weekly chores. No, this felt like it had something to prove... Wed Oct 29 2025 10:32:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)