Comments on Re: There Will Be a Pride Celebration at Seattle Center After All

But seriously why are you “confident that the parade downtown would be better attended with or without a post-parade party at Seattle Center.” It seems really logical to me at least that time and an after party could have really contributed to the last year’s success not just the location that you guys go on and on about?

I'm confident, CodyBolt, because I think the downtown parade speaks to gay and lesbian aspirations to live in a world where we are free everywhere, not just free in our neighborhoods or bars or ghettos. The downtown parade symbolically communicated something that gays and lesbians in Seattle--per capita the second gayest city in the country--already feel: this city is ours too, all of it, not just the "traditional" gay neighborhood.

I'm not against Capitol Hill. I live on Capitol Hill. I'm coming to you live right now from... Victrola on Capitol Hill. I think there should be, as Eli laid out in his Pride 2010 piece last week, a weekend's worth of celebrations on the hill and downtown. Those of us who think the parade is more meaningful and a better fit for downtown are not opposed to events and parties and celebrations on the hill.

And for the millionth time, the LGBT Center ran a rival event last year, and insisted that people would attend their Capitol Hill Queer Fest and shun the downtown events because the people--and the LGBT Center speaks for the people, you see--didn't want the parade to be downtown. That turned out to be a lie. People want the parade downtown; people also want parties on the hill. The hill and downtown are not mutually exclusive sites for pride events and parties -- it's too bad the SGN and LGBT Community Center refuse to recognize that*. Supporters of a downtown parade certainly do.

* I'm not buying the "we all support each other!" line of crap that emerged from the meeting at City Hall between the LGBT Community Discord Generator, SOaP and council members Clark and Rasmussen. The LGBT Community Center has attempted to thwart the downtown event at every step. They don't get the benefit of the doubt here.

Ok I can appreciate that. I just feel that your letting your happy feelings about having a parade downtown cloud the simple fact that us queer’s are going to go where the party is ^_- and as much as Id like to buy the “the downtown parade speaks to gay and lesbian aspirations to live in a world where we are free everywhere, not just free in our neighborhoods or bars or ghettos. “ I think the simpler explanation is we went to where the party was. That’s what I believe happened last year. If the LGBT Center was saying that we were going to shun the parade downtown last year because of the reasons you say they obviously didn’t get it either!

Thanks for the great response :)
Cody

Thanks, Cody.

One more point: Last year's parade downtown attracted 25% more people than the previous year's parade on the hill. So it wasn't just the party that brought people out, it was the location. It was what the parade downtown meant. Otherwise there wouldn't have been such a huge spike in attendance.

And let's not forget that the LGBT Community Discord Generator's parade on the hill attracted, at best, 5% of the number that headed downtown--and they promised a parade and a party too, but on there's was on the hill, which is where "the people" wanted it, according to the SGN and the LGBT Community Discord Generator. They predicted that downtown would be deserted on Sunday and their Saturday night Capitol Hill parade and party--don't people that prefer parties prefer them at night?--would dwarf SOaP's downtown parade and Seattle Center party.

They were wrong.

I hope this means that the Rat City Rollergirls event is still on for Sunday @ Key Arena. I want my gay beer fountain frolic screaming diva disco experience *and* hot wheeled girls smashing into each other.

I would argue that you could attribute 25% more to a bigger location that holds more people for said party. Honestly every one knows Saturday night is the night to go to bars and find a hottie. You don’t plan a party at a park when every ones already got plans to go clubbing.

So in closing LGBT’s claim that people would go to there party/parade was ill thought out and doesn’t make any sense if you understand queers and I still think that when you “The Stranger” claim that Queer’s went to the downtown parade only because they want to “live in a world where we are free everywhere,” is giving us a little too much credit and misrepresenting what probably happend.

Amen to THAT, Explorer.

One other very practical reason for having the parade downtown is parking.

Downtown is designed to house thousands of cars during the work week, and those parking spaces are empty (and cheap) on the weekend. Capitol Hill is basically a dense residential neighborhood, with little or no parking, regardless of what day you look. I've mostly skipped the parade since moving off the hill because I didn't want to deal with parking.

I imagine that strikes some as shallow, but since *we* do live all over the Puget Sound region, it is also practical.

This whole parade drama was staged. It's obvious at this point.

There was no chance of the parade not happening and now it's evident there was no chance of the rally at Seattle Center not happening.

Drama-whores.

It's time like these that I am so glad I am not very involved in the 'official' gay community much anymore.

If I am around on whatever day Pride happens, AND I am in the mood to go I will hopefully have enough information about where to go (In Seattle I am sure the information will be listed in that morning's Seattle Times). And then, I’ll just show up for the party.

For those of you who have spent countless hours wringing your hands, stepping up on soapboxes, pounding tables and getting headaches about this - I thank you.

So many of those that attend and watch the Pride Parade every year, whether it is on Broadway or downtown, do not go to the rally/festival, either Volunteer Park or Seattle Center so you cannot say that having a fastival at Seattle Center draws more people to the parade. It is really the opposite. Seattle Center felt empty on Saturday last year. Most will only go to the parade but the good thing about the Seattle Center is more people can participate in the event if they want, including gays that only do one event a year and have grown tired of Volunteer Park.

Dan @4: Too many variables changed last year to attribute the entire increase in attendance to downtown. I have been to many parades, and the biggest factor in attendance is the weather. Last year, as you might recall, it was 90 degrees and sunny. I would be a pessimist about this year's weather (just based on Seattle's law of averages when it comes to weather and Pride), but all of this global warming nonsense definitely has its own silver lining . . . .

"And let's not forget that the LGBT Community Discord Generator's..."

We laughed our asses off!

"Discord Generator" is the most brilliant and creative thing I have seen and heard in prose or poetry in my life. Dan, you ARE genius.

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It's a shame the fountain will not be used in the same way as last year as it was a magical experience and provided some iconic images of the 2006 event.