https://www.sgn.org en-us 2026 Seattle Gay News 9/9/2026 EST https://www.sgn.org/rss https://www.sgn.org/story/169825/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169825/News/Seattle For many LGBTQIA+ people, the outdoors holds a complicated history. Outdoor communities often center cisgender, heterosexual norms, while cultural narratives frame Queer identities as unnatural. Queer Nature, a Washington state–based organization, was founded to interrupt that pattern. Created by Pınar and So Sinopoulos-Lloyd in 2015, Queer Nature originally started as an offshoot of LGBTQ+ lectures at a women’s outdoor recreational nonprofit in Colorado. According to the founders, they recognized that man Mon Aug 31 2026 10:12:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169712/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169712/News/Seattle If you were the child of a proud “redneck” family in the early 2000s (like I was), then professional wrestling was more likely than not playing on the television screen at your family gatherings. Summer barbecues at Grandma’s house, where my extended family congregated, were often interlaced with Stone Cold Steve Austin spit takes and monologues by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. For us, wrestling was not only a group pastime but also a cultural cornerstone of modern American life — one that celebrated at times Fri Aug 28 2026 08:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169711/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169711/News/Seattle Gaymers and Queer geeks, rejoice! The LGBTQIA+-centered dance party for the West Coast’s largest gaming convention, PAX West, is back, bringing the party to Neumos on September 4. The evening’s festivities will feature a cosplay competition, in which winners will receive limited-edition merchandise from the event’s sponsors. The event will also showcase a plethora of local talent from Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ music scene, including DJ CryGuy, DJ EirFlux, GRAZ, Daemon Chadeau, and Adora Blue, with live performance Thu Aug 27 2026 13:14:15 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169710/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169710/News/Seattle Revry’s flagship series King of Drag, the only game show dedicated exclusively to celebrating the joy and artistry of drag kings, is coming back for a second season on Sept. 20. This year’s judges will include RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 contestant Gottmik, Vico Ortiz, and Ginger Minj, among many others. The season will also see the introduction of a brand-new host: actor and comedian Cameron Esposito. With last year’s season notching 33 million minutes watched, 2.2 million viewers, 3.8 billion media impre Thu Aug 27 2026 13:00:41 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169709/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169709/News/Seattle Seattle is home to many fun and creative artists, but no scene is as colorful or multifaceted as indie burlesque. Led by some of the world's most talented Queer performers, Seattle’s scene boasts multifaceted icons who know how to put on a show, whose art is transcendent. Performances often encompass satire mocking serious topics, detailed outfits and costume changes, bawdy comedy, and striptease. With a history sometimes intertwined with drag, burlesque has always been Queer in nature. Many of Seattle’s be Thu Aug 27 2026 12:40:10 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169672/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169672/News/Seattle In the bustling streets of Pioneer Square, a new kind of bookstore has quietly transformed the local literary scene. Beguiled Books isn’t just a place to pick up a novel; it’s a vibrant space where love, passion, and authenticity are celebrated in all their forms. With its cozy ambiance and thoughtfully curated shelves, Beguiled has quickly become a beloved destination for romance readers of every stripe — whether they crave sweet stories, spicy tales, Queer narratives, or fantastical romances. At the heart Wed Aug 26 2026 11:40:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169671/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169671/News/Seattle Every August, one of the events I most look forward to covering is the Pacific Northwest Black Pride Awards ceremony and reception. There is something special about seeing community leaders, advocates, and trailblazers receive their flowers from the very people whose lives they have touched. This year, the awards were held Friday, August 21, at Seattle’s historic Washington Hall, providing a joyful opening to PNW Black Pride weekend. Hosted by the always-entertaining Miss Sophia, aka Joe Taylor, the evening Wed Aug 26 2026 11:24:06 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169669/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169669/News/Seattle The path to queerness isn’t always straight. That’s the message at the core of Seattle-based filmmaker Kaylie Connors’ upcoming project, Summer of Eden, a Queer coming-of-age feature film cowritten by Connors, made on location in Seattle and Bellingham and starring an impressive cast of local talent. “I want as many hands from the Pacific Northwest to touch it as possible. I feel like the Pacific Northwest doesn’t get its flowers, and I want this to be a big love letter for that,” Connors told the SGN. Ori Wed Aug 26 2026 10:44:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169553/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169553/News/Seattle Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson attended the Seattle LGBTQ Commission meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20 at City Hall, where she announced that her team was able to secure an additional $250,000 of city funding to be put toward addressing the plight of LGBTQIA+ refugees to the city. She also announced that $100,000 of that will be put toward a resource workshop this fall to help organizations and other mutual aid groups access the funds as quickly as possible. Mayor Wilson told a full conference room of city officials Fri Aug 21 2026 12:53:07 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169451/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169451/News/Seattle Seattle’s annual Leo Party roared back into Neighbours Nightclub on Sunday, Aug. 9, proving that 24 years in, the beloved event remains one of the city’s must-attend traditions. Hosted by longtime Seattle nightlife figures Joe Torres and Aleksa Manila, the party once again turned Joe’s birthday into a full-scale celebration of Queer performance and community, packing Neighbours with revelers ready for an evening of drag, dancing, and over-the-top entertainment, with Las Vegas go-go dancers, DJ Junior, and a Wed Aug 19 2026 09:28:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169211/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/169211/News/Seattle In an unanimous vote, Seattle City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 11 approved a budget amendment that will see $300,000 worth of city funding put towards local LGBTQIA+ organizations to address the influx of Trans and gender diverse refugees coming to the city. In addition, Seattle City Council voted 8-0-1 (with Councilmember Maritza Rivera disqualified from voting due to owning a rental property) to ban “junk” rental fees for tenants. The council chamber was filled with st Wed Aug 12 2026 07:07:58 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/169138/News/Regional https://www.sgn.org/story/169138/News/Regional Bryson Butler has filed a lawsuit against the Washington Department of Corrections and its contractor, American Behavioral Health Systems, for alleged homophobic harassment, discriminatory practices, and coercive religious materials he encountered while completing his mandatory WDOC substance use rehabilitation program. Butler, an HIV-positive Gay man and Washington resident, alleges he and other participants in the WDOC/ABHS program were subjected to repeated anti-Gay comments, homophobic slurs, false and Mon Aug 10 2026 12:59:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168966/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168966/News/Seattle Seattle City Council’s Finance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments Committee (Councilmembers Dan Strauss, Maritza Rivera, Joy Hollingsworth, Robert Kettle, Rob Saka) voted on Aug. 4 to approve a proposed budget amendment that would set aside $300,000 for local LGBTQIA+ organizations. Next week, City Council will decide on whether the proposed amendment should be enacted. Introduced by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, the proposed amendment would allocate money from the JumpStart Fund to Seattle’s H Tue Aug 04 2026 16:23:49 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168782/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168782/News/Seattle We are asking voters to choose “Yes” on City of Seattle Proposition 1! At a time when misinformation about and bans on LGBTQIA+ materials are accelerating across the country, the Seattle Public Library has served as a bastion of information, gathering, and archiving — and not just for Seattle residents. Despite what some may argue (Seattle Times editorial board, we’re looking at you), the proposed $480 million levy renewal for the Seattle Public Library is an overall straightforward matter in terms of what Tue Jul 28 2026 12:12:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168779/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168779/News/Seattle Our endorsement for the 7th Congressional District of Washington is Pramila Jayapal! The only incumbent in our endorsement guide, Rep. Jayapal has been one of the biggest champions to date for Trans and Queer rights (as well as progressive policies) in the US House of Representatives. With LGBTQIA+ protections being undermined left and right under President Trump, she has been defiantly standing up against it all. Although most of our 2026 endorsement guide has been oriented around progressive challengers s Tue Jul 28 2026 12:03:56 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168742/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168742/News/Seattle Our endorsement for the Washington State Senate 37th District is Tatiana Brown! As the underdog in a race against Rep. Chipalo Street, we chose Brown due to her unabashed commitment to environmental and social justice. With Rebecca Saldaña leaving to run for King County Council, her 37th District Senate seat is now up for grabs. Soon after Saldaña announced her intention to run, Rep. Street announced his bid for the newly opened position. Street’s campaign did not respond to our request for an interview, wh Mon Jul 27 2026 10:22:29 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168738/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168738/News/Seattle Our endorsement for the Washington Senate 43rd District is Hannah Sabio-Howell! Sabio-Howell has advocated and organized for the rights of working-class and marginalized people in our state. A Queer Filipina woman, she is looking to unseat Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen. Although she has not held office and is still relatively new to the political scene, her policy platform and campaign has tapped into the frustrations of younger people struggling to get by in the district. The popularity of her cand Mon Jul 27 2026 09:58:19 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168638/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168638/News/Seattle Our endorsement for Washington House of Representatives 29th District Position 2 is Erin Chapman Smith! Chapman-Smith has spent a decade as a housing advocate for Queer and Trans youth, and now hopes to enact policy as a state legislator to help tackle the issues that those struggling with housing and affordability face in her district. As a Transgender woman with a passion for community care, Chapman-Smith has worked for over ten years in shelters around the Puget Sound area, helping LGBTQIA+ people finall Thu Jul 23 2026 12:28:25 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168637/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168637/News/Seattle Our endorsement for Washington House of Representatives 37th District Position 2 is Jaelynn Scott! As a longtime LGBTQIA+ community activist and executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, Scott has shown time and again her commitment to tackling the systemic issues that marginalized communities face. She now intends to take that to the next level as a state legislator. Scott is an articulate and passionate civil rights advocate. As a community leader, she has been at the forefront of challenging the Thu Jul 23 2026 12:25:34 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) https://www.sgn.org/story/168630/News/Seattle https://www.sgn.org/story/168630/News/Seattle Our endorsement for King County Council District 2 is Rebecca Saldaña! Her decade of Washington State Senate experience, along with her commitment to coalition building and progressive policies, is ultimately what led us to choose her as the best option for the county council seat. As far as political track records are concerned, Saldaña has accrued an impressive résumé of policy achievements that would be hard for most to match. Since taking over the 37th District Senate seat in 2017 from Pramila Jayapal a Thu Jul 23 2026 08:55:23 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)