Over the past 50 years, Seattle Pride has been expanding, both in attendees and participants. This year, over 300,000 people were expected to attend the parade and festivities at Seattle Center. The parade route was less than a mile, but the thousands of participants meant the parade would take five hours to make it to the end. Led by the Dykes on Bikes, the throaty roar of motorcycles echoed off of downtown buildings as residents stood on balconies or looked out windows as the parade passed them by. The length of the route meant some areas near the stages were packed 15—20 people deep.
The crowd was entertained by drag queens and kings as emcees, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe as the parade grand marshals, and our own Managing Editor Rosette Royale as one of the intergenerational grand marshals. The parade was filled with floats, cars, and walkers representing organizations like Habitat for Humanity, National Park Service, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, Starbucks, and others, but several groups in the parade made sure attendees remembered that Pride is a protest: They held signs showing their support for Palestine. While the parade was a first for many of the younger generations, this was the 50th parade for some activists who made this dream a reality in 1974.
Alex Garland is a photojournalist and reporter. With a degree in emergency administration and disaster planning from the University of North Texas, Alex spent his early professional career as a GIS analyst for FEMA. Follow him on Twitter.
📸 Featured Image: Seattle Pride Parade marchers carry a giant rainbow flag on June 30, 2024. (Photo: Alex Garland)
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Before you move on to the next story …
The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.
If just half of our readers signed up to give $6 a month, we wouldn’t have to fundraise for the rest of the year. Small amounts make a difference.
We cannot do this work without you. Become a Rainmaker today!