Happy Pride Month from the Seattle Dyke March! 

As the 2023 Pride season kicks off, legislation and attacks on the queer community have been escalating, with trans people of color particularly threatened. The Seattle Dyke March stands unequivocally against the anti-trans, anti-drag, and anti-queer sentiments. Moreover, we believe queer joy, community, and resistance is more essential than ever in the face of increased bigotry. However you celebrate Pride, from staying in with your cats to attending every Pride event in the Seattle area, we encourage you to take the time to reflect on and honor the activists past and present who have made Pride as we know it possible. 

The Seattle Dyke March also has a variety of events planned for the month – for more information of Dyke March events, as well as other events please find our calendar here. For more information on the June 2023 Dyke March, please read Jill Mullins’ previous update here. 

Community Events

June 9th – August 27th, various times: C.A.M.P. Q, hosted by Queer the Land and Made Space Seattle, is a queer summer camp-inspired series of events, including game night, speed dating, a beach day, maker date, writing workshops and open mics, and a Bainbridge Island field trip, with the goal of inspiring connection. Buy tickets here. 

June 10th, 7pm – 10pm: The Black Trans Comedy Showcase, a fundraiser show featuring T.S. Madison, Mx Dahlia Belle, KJ Whitehead, and Beyonce Black St. James. Proceeds go to the Lavender Rights Project. Get tickets here. 

June 10, 7pm: Reign Vs Kansas City Current Pride Match and fundraiser for the Seattle LGBT Center. Purchase tickets here. 

June 17th, 8pm-1am: ¡AZUQAR! A Queer Latinx Dance Party at Mosé Auto Garage. Both a pre-Pride kickoff and a fundraiser for Seattle’s LGBTQ Center, the party will feature a live band, music performances, and DJ sets.

June 23, 6-9:30pm: Trans Pride Seattle’s 10th anniversary, taking at the Volunteer Park Amphitheatre. Find more information here. 

June 23, 7:30pm: C.C. Presents Pride at the Sunset – Pole and Burlesque Performances and Dance Party, Featuring DJ Nightmere. Read Lauren Wagner’s review of a previous show below! Purchase tickets here.

June 24, 11am-1pm: Cherry Court Pride Brunch, an intimate supper club hosted by Chef Roni Davis. Buy tickets here. 

June 23-25th, various times: Wildrose’s weekend of Pride events, featuring a wide range of performers. Find more information and purchase tickets here.

Community Spotlight – Gemini (Pole Show & Dance Party) by Lauren Wagner

The place to be last Friday night was undoubtedly squished between strangers with fistfuls of singles, screaming yourself hoarse while watching performers dazzle you from a pole. And by this, of course, I mean the Gemini pole show at the Sunset Tavern in Ballard. This was the third show put on by CC Presents that I’ve had the privilege of attending, and each time has been even more titillating than the last.

The show comprised of an impressive variety of performers, with the theme of the night highlighting duality in honor of Gemini season. The dances showcased dichotomies such as dreams and nightmares, the sun and moon, and grace and vengeance. The most notable performance of the night was undeniably the “nightmare” performance by Andromeda – have you ever been simultaneously terrified, impressed, and horny?

Previous to these events, the most I had experienced of pole and burlesque performances were seeing the aggressively heterosexual ads aimed towards bachelor parties the one and only time I’ve been to Vegas. I was worried that I would feel out of place as a lesbian there with my partner, but I have never been a part of such an inclusive, invigorating, and intoxicating crowd – there is just something so electric about the celebration of bodies and the power they hold. I left the show feeling sexier than ever and aching for more.

For photos and videos of the event, check out the CC Presents instagram here, and photographer Anna Xu’s instagram here.

If this sounds enticing to you, make sure to snag tickets to the upcoming Pride at the Sunset: Pole and Burlesque show here before it sells out!

Read, Listen, Watch, Learn

Read — Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: 
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by author Malinda Lo focuses on the coming of age of Lily, a Chinese lesbian coming to terms with her identity and falling in love in 1950s San Francisco. While Lo does not shy away from the difficult realities of Lily’s life during the Red Scare nor under anti-queer laws, she also artfully weaves in moments of joy, love, and discovery. In addition to telling Lily’s story, Lo, who is a lesbian author, places the spotlight on historical butch/femme relationships and lesbian club culture through the eyes of Lily. She offers an introduction to lesbian history without ever lecturing or speaking down to the reader. As AAPI heritage month ends and Pride month begins, Last Night at the Telegraph Club is the perfect YA novel for readers interested in historical fiction and queer romance.

Saturday, June 26, at 5pm we will continue to celebrate and honor the talents of queer women and dyke-identified people across the gender spectrum through our 2021 Pride Virtual Showcase. We are excited to host Tracey Wong, 1st-generation Chinese-American (Gaginang) dancer, educator, and community event organizer who will captivate us with her moves. Also captivating us with her moves will be Luna Sol (a/k/a Stephy Styles) doing a Waacking Burlesque. If you’re not familiar with Waacking, check out this YouTube video linking the dance style to LGBTQ history and community. Delphine Elliott ushers in the next generation of singer-songwriters with an Indie/Pop sound, and Grae Violet is a singer-songwriter and spoken word artist who blends dreamy vocals with 80s style synth-pop beats for a trippy alt-pop sound that centers her unique black queer artist perspective on all of her work. Save Your Spot Now!Dyke March favorite, Naomi Ishisaka wrote an article about the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder.  Queer & Trans Pop-Up Market in White Center on June  12- Check out VietQ’s Facebook page for more info.  Century Ballroom OutDancing is venturing into the vaccinated events world by hosting the first OutDancing event in over a year. Vaccines required and it maxes at 50. Friday, June 11, 2021, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.   Seattle Pride will hold an online event during Pride Weekend (June 26-27, 11am-5pm).  Pacific Northwest Black Pride Theme in 2021: “Stronger Together Fighting: Anti-Blackness – Centering Black Trans Lives” – watch the website for details about a possible event possibly in October.  Pride Asia Fest was May 30 and the video is online.  Entre Hermanos is already advertising for their annual Día De Muertos Gala in October. Dyke Discussions – News, books, commentary, and more that has captured our attention Seattle Times article providing resources for mental health for BIPOC.  The ACLU-Wa series on policing in Washington, from budgets, overtime, and the war drugs and a new series to explore.  LGBT Allyship sent out an summarizing the recent Washington legislative session and continues to provide information and resources for renters.  LGBTQ Issues and stories captivating us  Making Gay History recent podcast honored Kay Lahusen, January 5, 1930 – May 26, 2021. Kay was a monumental figure in the LGBTQ civil rights movement with Barbara Gittings, her partner in life and activism. Her frustration with mainstream movements resonated with the Dyke March desire to always explore how we can do better than assimilation or the status quo.  Aisha Ibrahim, becomes the first female executive chef at Canlis and she’s joined by her partner, Samantha Beaird.

The Seattle Dyke March is looking for poets, musicians, and artists of all kinds to amplify the art and activism of queer women and dyke identified performers. If you, or someone you know, is interested in a spot on our virtual gallery, please contact us via email of fill out our google form at http://bit.ly/SeattleDykeMarchGallery

Community Spotlight – Hothouse Spa Long time Seattle Dyke March supporter and community creator, the Hothouse, has opened it’s doors on a limited basis. Prior to pandemic, Hothouse was a drop-in spa for cis and trans women. Recently it opened up for private rentals for up to four people. Dyke March organizer, Jill Mullins, and lover of the Hothouse was able to reserve some time at the Hothouse. It felt great to support this local queer-owned business – and most importantly, it felt safe. The spa was super clean. Masks are required to be worn while at the spa. Jill used her cloth face mask. Hothouse provides face masks and it was nice to use the disposable face mask they provided afterward (masks get damp and it was great to leave with a fresh mask).  Owner, Julio, helped with the check-in. He was delightful and chatted, answering all sorts of questions about what it’s like to keep the Hothouse open so that it will survive the pandemic. He also had a phone attachment for the audio system and Jill and her spa partner got to enjoy their own playlist while soaking, steaming, and enjoying the sauna. He creates a super safe feeling at the spa and provides a 15 minute notice through a doorbell sound so you can relax and not think about the time.  Go to https://www.hothousespa.com/ to book your visit!  Dyke March favorite, Naomi Ishisaka continues to publish interesting comments articles about race and social justice, continuing the conversation about Asian Americans discrimination and writing about a new Washington State Supreme Court holding Washington’s drug statute unconstitutional. Naomi and Anika Varty are creating a Seattle Times Equity & Inclusion Newsletter. Gal Pals Watch Podcast dropped a new podcast discussing Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt).  After attending a StopAsianHate Rally, the Seattle Dyke March has a new favorite dancer, Tracey Wong! She has several videos and details about some great work she does in community. Dyke Discussions – News, books, commentary, and more that has captured our attention It is hard to think of anything other than racialized violence. The murders of Asian women at spas, members of the Sikh community at the FedEx facility, and the endless police violence and murders of Black and Brown folks. We think one of the best things we can do to express our solidarity is to amplify the family, community, and people doing work to create change.  Black Lives Matter As the verdict came down, we have been captivated by the family of George Floyd and the way the horror of the death of their family member echoes Emmitt Till and his mother Mamie Till Bradley’s demand for an open casket to raise awareness.  We also continue to turn to Dr. Angela Davis and her lifelong history of fighting police violence, talking about important changes to – prison reform, defunding the police, restructuring the bail system.  We continue to support Black Voters Matter and pay attention to the Republican efforts to remake our democracy and radically extend the already discriminatory voting practices that exist in many states, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ended some of the Voting Rights Act protections in 2013 in Shelby County v. Holder.  We continue to say their names, most recently, Duante Writght, 20 and Ma’Khia Bryant, 16, and so many more that do not become as well know. The African American Policy Forum allows us to dig deep, with their most recent YouTube (4 hour) video, UCLA Law Review’s 2021 Annual Symposium (Day 1), Structural Inequality and the Law We’re also excited to explore some films at Seattle Black Film Festival. As avid listeners to NPR’s Code switch, back in February, we listened to a podcast about Black romance novels and discovered Beverly Jenkins historical fiction novels that are fun to read while also providing some historical information.  LGBTQ Issues and stories captivating us  The LeGALs podcast provides interesting discussions about the issues impacting LGBTQ community in the courts, with a recent podcast about expected cases to come to the Supreme Court. The ACLU At Liberty Podcast has so many good podcasts on all the issues, and in April they had a conversation with Chase Strangio about legislation attacking Trans youth.  There’s also the push to get the Equality Act passed, which will clarify that LGBTQ people cannot be discriminated against n employment, housing, credit, education, public accommodations (things like restaurants, hotels, and theaters), and jury service (on the state level, in Washington, this is already the law).  Inspired the by Seattle Lesbian Literature Meetup book club April read, we recently read, “Red at the Bone” by Jacqueline Woodson and loved the weaving of intergenerational stories and the way in which queerness has become a part of stories.