Pride Weekend has always and will always mean something different for me than it does for most people who participate every year. As a straight white guy I have zero claim to any part of the yearly festivities and I’m one hundred percent alright with that. The mark Pride left on me isn’t a celebration of who I am, but what a city can be. I first visited Seattle (sans family) the summer after graduating college on Pride weekend. I was visiting from Idaho, and my two friends generously let me stay on their floor (not for the last time). After decades of living in a state that was, at best, assholes to gay and non-white/religious/gun loving groups of people, pride weekend in Seattle was a revelation of what a city could be.
I was happy for the gay community, but I was selfishly more happy a city existed that shared my values as a human being. I went home after my trip and in less than two months I was back on my friends floor officially living in the Seattle. Last weekend marks my five year anniversary of knowing I wanted to live in the city. I’m forever in debt to Pride and the people who make the community and city a place I’m proud to call home.
This year I celebrated the weekend like I always do, by walking around the festivities enjoying people enjoying life. Also drinking entirely too much with friends. It was a hot nice weekend, so we didn’t just hang around at Pride. We also walked around the city and cooled off at the beach as well. Solid summer weekend all around!
Seattle Weekend Pictures
(June 25/26 16)
Locations:
Featuring:
Friends