Comments on Dept. of Unsubstantiated Rumors

If true, it's a step in the right direction. LGBT might be able to salvage their reputation with better leadership.

I loved Queerfest - to the above poster - leadership is investing in community, and often, controversial.

Good for Neighbours, and since when is sponsorship a bailout?

Is that a new term for all the events the Stranger sponsors? Bailouts?

wait til dan finds out they're replacing shannon with Mark 'Mom' Finley....

This is great news! Someone who is hell bent on dividing the community should not be running our LGBT Community Center. I hope the board chooses a future leader that will work with the greater community.

Completely off-topic (there should be some kind of wild card thread here or something every so often):

I just saw an ad from the Ad Council on the "truth about marijuana" I went to the site and the front page only had a link to the same thing: the "truth about marijuana." The rest of the front page was basically about Rx drugs.

But when I went to the "truth" page they had a fun little quiz.

You can check it out right over here. Kids who smoke pot are prone to have more sexual partners, I bet you didn't know that? I learned it at the AD COUNCIL!

Freddy @2 - Thomas wasn't investing in community, she was capitalizing on (and encouraging) a deep division in the community as a way to raise the profile of her organization. It was poor leadership for LGBT Ctr to get so enmeshed in the politics of it - she bet the reputation of the organization on which Pride events would reflect the desires of the community, and she chose the wrong pony.

The board of the LGBT Ctr should be looking for someone who will work hard to put this mess behind them.

above..
Do not agree. I think there were many permutations about Pride, when, where and what ... and Shannon decided to offer a viable alternative on a different date on C. Hill . with much backing, including her board.

It was a success. Now, with the C. Hill business money, it will go forward as the Sat. option for years.

So what is the divide? Big community, big Pride, more options... all quite OK and all a success. From what I heard every single Pride event, everywhere was a record, Baton Rouge, pancake feed to Wildrose-Cuff street parties.

What is the rub? It is like there is still a claque of professional clappers that decided there is only formula, better/must follow it, only downtown.

Sorry, Genvieve, lovely name, old news.

For the millionth time: the supporters of the downtown parade don't see the rub. They were happy to have both events. The Center and Shannon and the SGN wanted to kill the downtown event and move all pride activities back to the hill. It's hard to "get along" with people who are trying to kill you.

Dan nailed it.

And I'd have to add, it's ridiculous to give credit to the LGBT Ctr or anyone other than those businesses for the parties at the Cuff and/or the Wildrose. Those parties are privately run, have been around for years, and have always been popular. Moving the parade downtown was never going to affect them negatively, nor was that the intent.

I'm glad you liked Queerfest, though.

Perhaps - there is another way to say all of this.

After the shock of major changes was over, and it is over, a new concept has emerged - PRIDE WEEKEND - for the first time.

Do more, go more, lots of people, lots of money, lots of fun - and all else - open the vision and the concept to cover much more.

I think that is what happened this year, and all that fear and accusation about wanting to "kill the event" is foolish.

Pride money problems, unrelated to Shannon/ LGBT Center or the SGN or the Stranger almost played a very a big role.

Now, water under the bridge. Finally, Seattle PRIDE WEEKEND is fait accompli. Enjoy. And please give up the grudges.

Next year is the year of ejecting the Bush ultra right wing power elite - so much bigger than Pride.

I am so sad to see Shannon go. She is an amazing leader. I worked with her on the QueerFest project. There I said it. Dan... you want to know what the QueerFest committee wanted? We wanted to host an event for Pride. Why is that a crime? No one tried to kill anything. Shannon Thomas did nothing but pour her heart and soul into QueerFest. She set out to do something and didn't think it'd be right to back down, and not give every single person in this community to opportunity to celebrate Pride where ever they wanted. Genevieve, you need to get your facts straight and quit reading Dan's bullshit. It's clogged your brain.

PML! I'm pretty sure most of my comments on Slog over the however long it's been have been arguing against Dan's (and the Stranger's) position on things. But if it makes you feel better to lump every queer who thinks Shannon Thomas stepping down is a positive thing for the center as a blind Dan Savage groupie, knock yourself out.

Whoa... Everyone calm down. This is not about pride. Shannon has decided to move on and to take what sounds like a much needed hiatus after a very, very demanding four year tenure as executive director of the LGBT Community Center. Shannon has worked vigilantly to establish the center as well, a "center". Seattle does not have a strong LGBT community "CENTER" and all of Shannons efforts over the last four years have been toward establishing one. Let's not allow Pride/Queerfest to overshadow Shannon's departure, instead let her work over the last four years speak for itself. Shannon has brought us the "Fruitbowl Awards", a much needed and relevant annual recognition ceremony that brings LGBT commmunity organizations into the greater Seattle community spotlight to be recognized regionally for what they do year round. Thank you Shannon!

Mark Mom FInley is a MONSTER!

I hope Michael Strangeways was joking...