https://www.sgn.org en-us 2026 Seattle Gay News 9/9/2026 EST https://www.sgn.org/rss https://www.sgn.org/story/162747/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162747/ Harry Tanner says that, when he was a teenager, he thought he “was going to hell.” For years, he’d been attracted to men, and he prayed that it would stop. He asked for help from a lay minister, who offered Tanner websites meant to repress his urges, but they weren’t a panacea. It wasn’t until he went to college that he found the answers he needed and “stopped fearing God’s retribution.” Being Gay wasn’t a sin. Not ever, but he “still wanted to know why Western culture believed it was for so long.” Says Tan Sun Feb 01 2026 12:48:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162650/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162650/ Last Valentine’s Day, I had a bit of fun writing about ten LGBTQIA+ “romances” that I enjoy watching — not just in February but pretty much whenever the opportunity arises. This was a fun, eclectic, and wildly divisive list filled with idiosyncratic choices ranging from 1936’s Dracula’s Daughter to 1992’s Orlando to 2019’s Bit, none of which exactly fit the definition of your traditional love story. This year, I’m offering up ten Queer cinematic romances that are far more conventional (at least in their cen Thu Jan 29 2026 11:28:47 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162649/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162649/ When it opened its doors in October, The Ink Drinker signaled to book lovers across Seattle that if they need a place to read a book or sip a literary-inspired cocktail, it was the place to go. Located in the heart of Ballard, the literary bar screams dark academia, with its tall bookshelves, black leather chairs, dark blue walls, and low lighting. Whether meeting for a first date, catching up with friends, or simply curling up on the couch with a romance novel, it is a come-as-you-are kind of place. That w Thu Jan 29 2026 11:20:12 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162648/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162648/ 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/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162647/ 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/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162622/ 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/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162618/ “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/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162615/ 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/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162609/ 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/162575/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162575/ Al Pastries is an artist and curator who has long been part of Seattle’s Trans art spaces. A former board member of Ingersoll Gender Center and collector of artwork, Pastries founded the collective Queer Agenda Dot Gay on Capitol Hill as a way to help curate and support other Trans artists. Along with Jennifer Spektor of Collective Motion, another Capitol Hill–based Trans arts collective, the Pastries has brought over 50 local Trans artists as part of the “Sweethearts: a T4T art show” kicking off on Februar Tue Jan 27 2026 15:31:16 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162574/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162574/ Anthony D’Alto is nurturing a lively haven, nestled in the heart of Seattle, where humor and horticulture come together seamlessly. Known online as “Saint Planthony,” D’Alto, 31, has transformed a modest Capitol Hill plant shop into a viral sanctuary, drawing thousands with his infectious blend of wit, wisdom, and greenery. With a smartphone in one hand and a pothos plant in the other, he’s become a digital evangelist, showing how laughter and a bit of flora can be transformative. Tue Jan 27 2026 14:20:12 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162573/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162573/ While I’m not ready to say I liked 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple more than I did its magnificent predecessor, last summer’s 28 Years Later, I will state that director Nia DaCosta, writer Alex Garland, and producer Danny Boyle deliver one of the more ambitious, disturbing, thought-provoking, and all-around awesome sequels I’m likely to see in 2026 — and it’s only January. This masterfully calibrated entry in the 28 Days Later universe is an angelically abhorrent stunner, overflowing in astute, humanistic i Tue Jan 27 2026 14:12:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162572/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162572/ At its core, SHe Said, now playing at Intiman Theatre on Capitol Hill, is a love story — not the glossy, fairy-tale version but the kind forged through time, uncertainty, and deep emotional courage. Jen Ayers met Graham during college orientation. Both were musicians with dreams of being rock stars — creative free spirits who believed fiercely in love and music. They fell in love, built a life together, married, had a child, and stayed deeply connected to family (Jen’s parents live literally next door). Fro Tue Jan 27 2026 14:02:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162489/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162489/ The streets of South Minneapolis became the scene of tragedy on Saturday, January 24, when Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by federal immigration agents. The incident has sent shock waves through a community already reeling from heightened federal law enforcement activity, sparking outrage and demands for answers. Pretti, by all accounts, was an upstanding member of his community. A homeowner and University of Minnesota graduate, he dedicated his career to helping others, serv Sat Jan 24 2026 13:57:10 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162459/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162459/ For baritone Joseph Lattanzi and tenor Andy Acosta, Fellow Travelers is not just another operatic engagement. It is a piece that has grown alongside their own lives and careers. It was composed by Gregory Spears, with a libretto by Greg Pierce, and premiered in Cincinnati in 2016, but its history stretches back years earlier. Lattanzi first encountered it during an early workshop in 2013 or 2014, while he was a graduate student in Cincinnati. “That was the moment when the creators were still discovering wha Fri Jan 23 2026 10:13:51 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162383/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162383/ There’s something about watching two great actors in flawless synchronicity bouncing off one another with vivacious, freewheeling enthusiasm. Think William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally, or Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. Thanks to the charismatic, anything-goes star wattage of Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil, the jovial and lively French drama A Private Life makes a similarly striking impression. The two superstars are magic Wed Jan 21 2026 10:46:22 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162368/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162368/ In the residential neighborhood of Wedgwood sits Lovestruck in Seattle, a bookstore specializing in romance novels. This makes it unique in Seattle, as it’s one of the only brick-and-mortar businesses to focus exclusively on one genre. Upon entering, your eyes are immediately drawn to the dulcet tones of pink and white, reminiscent of sakura petals, with odes and tales of romance lining bubblegum-pink shelves. Of the many love stories, there is an extensive selection of subgenres to choose from, including t Wed Jan 21 2026 08:59:44 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162294/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162294/ “That question is well above my pay grade.” In one form or another, this was how Seattle Police Department East Precinct Capt. Jim Britt, joined by his deputy captain and the SPD’s LGBTQ liaison Haden Barton, among others, responded to most of the concerns brought up by community members during January’s SPD LGBTQ Advisory Council meeting. Without the SPD’s chief and deputy chiefs present — and able to directly address the sensitive, ongoing political issues on people’s minds, including current ICE activiti Mon Jan 19 2026 10:15:25 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/162201/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162201/ 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/162188/ https://www.sgn.org/story/162188/ This past month, I had the incredible privilege of seeing Nina West and a dazzling lineup of drag queens perform live at A Drag Queen Christmas in Seattle. The show was a breathtaking spectacle — glittering, glamorous, and overflowing with pure joy. Each queen took the stage with unforgettable performances, but for me, Nina was the undeniable highlight of the evening. As the host, she radiated warmth, humor, and boundless positivity, lighting up the stage with every word and gesture. By the end of the night Thu Jan 15 2026 15:44:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)