Seattle Sounders and Sherman Alexie Among Seattle Pride Parade Marshals For 2017

Noted Native American author and Seattlite Sherman Alexie is a Grand Marshal for the 2017 Seattle Pride Parade.
Photo Credit: Lee Towndrow

There’s been no apparent press release about the marshals named for Seattle Pride’s 2017 parade happening Sunday, June 25. In past years, Seattle Pride (the group formerly known as “Seattle Out & Pride”) who put on Seattle’s annual LGBTQ Pride parade and a few other events (but not the Pride Day Festival at Seattle Center which is handled by a separate organization, Seattle PrideFest) would release that information earlier in the year.

Technically, as far as we’re aware, they still haven’t actually released any info via the normal channels of dispersing such news. There’s no announcement on their social media (just post after post after repetitive post thanking corporate sponsors over and over and over…) and a Google search turned up zero announcements from any other media. Seattle Pride does have the 2017 parade marshal info on their website but haven’t bothered to formally announce it.

Were they counting on official media partners KIRO TV or a radio station to do so?

Since no one else bothered to run with the ball, we’ll announce the 2017 Seattle Pride Parade Marshals…they are:

• Gender Justice League
• Seattle Sounders FC
• Sherman Alexie
• Q Center – University of Washington
• YouthCare

And, the 2017 Seattle Pride Parade is also honoring:

Anne Melle/PFLAG Seattle

Anne, a former Seattle Pride Board Member and LGBT Activist, passed away on December 26, 2016 at the age of 93. PFLAG Seattle will march in honor of Anne’s pioneering work for LGBT rights.

There’s some terrific choices here obviously…Gender Justice League which advocates for the transgender community; Q Center and YouthCare do valuable work serving LGBTQ youth communities; PFLAG has been an essential ally/community partner for decades.

We are a tad confused about the presence of a soccer/football club…even one that has raised money for LGBTQ causes. Lots and lots of groups raise money for LGBTQ causes. The Sounders are great but….

Also: why have them as marshals when they’re not even available to be IN the parade? They have an out of town game that day.

As for Sherman Alexie…he’s a terrific Seattle writer and one of our most respected Native American artists and his work has touched on LGBTQ issues and characters  but….aren’t there any out queer artists that could have been chosen? Allies are great but it’s like when The Advocate always used to slap famous straight allies on their cover (who were usually promoting some commercial project with an LGBTQ theme or interest) instead of less famous actual queer people who have contributed to our culture and society. Why not support our OWN community first and foremost?

Mr. Alexie does have a book to promote however…his memoir, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” is out June 13th. Which raises the question: “is he revealing something of LGBTQ interest in the book?”

The author will be marching with queer Native Americans from the Northwest Two-Spirit Society.

Here’s all the info from the Seattle Pride website:

Anne Melle/PFLAG Seattle

Anne, a former Seattle Pride Board Member and LGBT Activist, passed away on December 26, 2016 at the age of 93. PFLAG Seattle will march in honor of Anne’s pioneering work for LGBT rights. Deb Dahrling, PFLAG Seattle Board President, summarizes a passionate and compassionate ally, who stood by her two gay sons and became a loving fixture in our community. “Working alongside Anne for six years as a member of PFLAG taught me that you can never do too much to support the members of our LGBTQ family and community. Anne was a tireless, lifelong advocate for equal rights for her two gay sons and others beginning in the early 1970s when it could be dangerous to do so. Anne’s love for her sons and her PFLAG family was deep and unconditional — just like her hugs. Her spirit lives on and encourages us to continue her fight for social justice and equality for all.” For more information about PFLAG Seattle, please visit www.pflagseattle.org.

 

Gender Justice League

Based in Seattle, Gender Justice League is a gender and sexuality civil and human rights organization, focused on elevating civil and human rights for trans and gender diverse people. They build community through advocacy efforts, shared leadership development, and events like Trans Pride. The collective is comprised of many individual activists working to build the community’s power, resilience, and autonomy. Trans Pride Seattle will take place on Friday, June 23rd at 5:00 pm in Cal Anderson Park. For more information about GJL, please visit www.genderjusticeleague.org.

 

Seattle Sounders FC

More than 2016 MLS Cup Champion, Sounders FC is one of the leading sports franchises celebrating LGBT Pride. The club will host its third annual Pride Match on Wednesday, June 21, at CenturyLink Field against Orlando City SC. Team captains are expected to wear Pride-themed armbands to commemorate the event. A special ticket offer for the Pride Match is available where a portion of proceeds will benefit the GSBA Scholarship Fund, with Sounders FC contributing $7,000 to support GSBA Scholars. Though the team will be in Portland facing the Timbers on Parade Day, Sounders FC Alumni, the official team band Sound Wave, and Sounders FC fans will join the Grand Marshals for Seattle Pride’s central event. For more information about the Seattle Sounders FC, please visit www.soundersfc.com.

 

Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie has used his words to empower members of our community, young and old. Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award for Short Fiction, a PEN/Hemingway Citation for Best First Fiction, and the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Sherman Alexie is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and performer. He has published 26 books including his much anticipated memoir, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, available June 13. Sherman will march alongside the Northwest Two-Spirit Society during the Pride Parade. For more information about Sherman Alexie, please visit http://fallsapart.com.

 

 

 

Q Center – University of Washington

The Q Center is the professionally-supported resource, advocacy, and mentoring center for queer students and concerns at the University of Washington. It provides consulting for various departments on campus with regards to bolstering safety and respect for queer students and coordinates numerous programs, social organizations, and educational initiatives. The size and diversity of the Q Center’s services have grown significantly in the short time it has been operational, and this rate of growth has been matched by increasing interest in the Q Center’s mission throughout the campus community. For more information about Q Center, please visit http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/wordpress.

 

YouthCare

An untold number of youth become homeless after coming out, or for suspicion of being, LGBTQ. On the streets, LGBTQ youth are in particular danger of violence, sexual exploitation, stigma, substance abuse, and other atrocities. For more than 40 years, YouthCare has been a leader in providing services to homeless youth ages 12 to 24. Every day they meet youth who need shelter, housing, counseling, education, and employment training. YouthCare works to unleash the power, joy, and potential necessary for homeless youth to move forward with their lives and thrive. For more information about YouthCare, please visit www.youthcare.org.