SGN: Seattle Gay News

02/13/2025

🏳️‍🌈 Seattle Gay News has some Q***r Valentine's Day events to share with all of you!

🪩 Queen Mother Sasha Colby is gracing Q***r/Bar's MX stage from 9-10:55 p.m.

☕ Anchorhead Coffee is hosting an anti-Valentine's Day karaoke party at 7 p.m.

💘 Loves A Drag (King Show!) is happening at The Lumber Yard Bar from 9-10 p.m.

Visit our community calendar for more Gay V-Day events!

The Seattle Gay News (SGN) is one of the largest Gay/Le***an/LGBTQ newspapers in the world, serving the Washington and Pacific Northwest USA with arts, entertainment, local, international and equality news for over 45 years

02/13/2025

🏳️‍⚧️ Seattle is turning out to support Trans youth who need gender affirmation surgeries 🏳️‍⚧️

🗞 Last week Seattle Children's halted surgeries for Trans patients under 19 years during February. Community members have been protesting, calling on the hospital to stand up for Transgender youth rather than complying with Trump's harmful executive order that limits such care.

🏳️‍🌈 Seattle Gay News took pictures of today's protest. A Valentine's Day protest will be held from 4-5 p.m. and attendees will call on representatives, share resources, dance and celebrate Q***r joy.

Read the full article below for more information.

Photos courtesy of Emory Liu.

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=news&sc=local&id=337917

02/12/2025

🚨 Last week, Seattle Children's suddenly canceled all gender-affirmation surgeries for patients under 19 years of age during February.

🏳️‍⚧️ Community members have organized a protest for this Valentine's Day, calling on the hospital to stand up for Transgender kids, rather than complying with President Trump's harmful executive order limiting such care. 🏳️‍⚧️

🏳️‍🌈 The protest on Friday, Feb. 14 will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. at 4800 Sand Point Way NE, and will include calling representatives, resource sharing, writing valentines, dancing, and celebrating Q***r joy.

"Seattle Children's is supporting the Washington state attorney general's temporary restraining order (TRO) in response to President Trump's January 28th executive order directing federal agencies to revoke funding for institutions providing gender-affirming care to minors," a Seattle Children's spokesperson told the SGN.

Click below to read the full article👇

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=news&sc=local&id=337917

Community members have organized a protest for this Valentine’s Day, calling on Seattle Children’s Hospital to stand up for Transgender kids, rather than complying with President Trump’s harmful executive order limiting such care.

02/12/2025

✨ Winner of season 15 of RuPaul's Drag Race, Hawaiian icon Sasha Colby is set to take the stage at Q***r Bar in Capitol Hill this Valentine's Day 💘

"She's the favorite of all drag queens— everything she does is iconic," Jessie, a bartender there, told the SGN.

🌊 Hawaii's indigenous culture allows for more space for fluidity than in the mainland US, however. The Samoan concept of fa'afafine — a third-gender role that blends male and female energies — helped shape Colby's approach to performance and identity.

🏳️‍🌈 At Q***r/Bar, Colby's performances are part of a broader movement to spotlight diverse Q***r artistry. So turn off that sappy Valentine's Day movie and come say "aloYAS" to the flirty, fun, and fabulous show that Colby is sure to bring.

Read the full article below👇

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=arts__entertainment&sc=theater___stage&id=337654

Having won RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15, Hawaiian icon Sasha Colby is set to take the stage at Q***r/Bar in Capitol Hill this Valentine’s Day.

02/11/2025

🎤 Have you bought tickets to Jordana's concert at Madame Lou's tomorrow night?

More details about the indie artist and the show below ✨

Jordana Nye, an indie musician based out of Los Angeles known professionally as Jordana, incorporates a wide range of sonic influences into her work. Her most recent project, Lively Premonition, released last October,

02/11/2025

🏳️‍🌈 Our revamped newsletter went out this morning! Click the link below for the latest and Gayest news, and to subscribe 🏳️‍⚧️

02/10/2025

🚨 🏳️‍⚧️ On Friday WA, OR and MN Attorney Generals filed a federal lawsuit to stymie President Trump's executive order that seeks to end federal funding to medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care.

"This order is part of a larger political effort to strip away civil rights from entire communities. The president's cruelty is on full display with this dehumanizing executive order, along with his disdain for the Constitution," Brown said in a press release. "His actions are harming Washington's youth, parents, and healthcare providers."

Click below to read more🗞
https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=news&sc=local&id=337868

On February 7, Washington Attorney General Nick Brown filed a multistate federal lawsuit to stymie President Trump’s executive order that seeks to end federal funding to medical institutions that provide gender-affirming care.

02/10/2025

Seattle's original hot tub boats provide an opportunity for wet, hot, and steamy dates on Lake Union. Many book the luxurious experience in the summer, making winter the ideal time to hop aboard.

Golda Ferrez took the boats out for a spin with her gal pals for a girls' night out. "I liked that we could navigate ourselves," she told the SGN. Ferrez was surprised by how easy they were to drive but noted, "They don't go fast. No donuts."

Her favorite part was adding bath salts to the tub. However, she noted, "I wish I had known we could've brought outside food too."

Click below to learn more about Seattle's steamy hot tub boats 💘

Seattle’s original hot tub boats provide an opportunity for wet, hot, and steamy dates on Lake Union. Many book the luxurious experience in the summer, making winter the ideal time to hop aboard.

02/10/2025

There's plenty to talk about regarding the 97th annual Academy Award nominations, most of it the usual hullabaloo over perceived surprises. But the biggest news is France's Mexican-cartel, Trans-centered musical Emilia Perez, scoring a whopping 13 nods.

Something of a critical and awards darling ever since its May 2024 debut at the Cannes Film Festival, director Jacques Audiard's topical endeavor has still left some viewers — especially Trans and Mexican audiences — wondering what all the fuss is about.

To call it polarizing would understate things considerably. Some critics, like Danielle Solzman, have called the film "dangerous for transgender representation," while others, like Gabriela Meza, have labeled it "visually striking but culturally tone-deaf."

Click below to read the full film review.
https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=arts__entertainment&sc=film&id=337684

There’s plenty to talk about regarding the 97th annual Academy Award nominations, most of it the usual hullabaloo over perceived surprises (Jeremy Strong for Best Supporting Actor! Coralie Fargeat for Best Director! Nickel Boys and

02/08/2025

A Shoreline Community College staff member was harassed with hate speech in one of the facility's all-gender bathrooms.

Brian Ramos, VP of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility made the announcement on Feb. 3.

"On Thursday, January 30th, a staff member was approached in our all-gender bathroom in the 9000 Building and was harassed by a community member who expressed statements that were rooted in hate toward our LGBTQIA+ and immigrant communities. Security was immediately contacted, and the individual was escorted [out] and issued a verbal no-trespass order," Ramos stated.

Although officers from the Shoreline Police Department were dispatched, the person left before they arrived. The school's Office of DEIA will collaborate with the Human Resources Department to strengthen the Bias Response Team, which reviews these sorts of incidents and recommends training and college responses that are in sync with the community's needs and school's values, so as to rapidly respond to these types of incidents in the future.

"We ask all members of Shoreline Community College to stay aware of their surroundings and actively support efforts to report any observed or known bias. Shoreline Community College remains committed to our LGBTQIA+ community, our Latinx/e community, and all immigrant communities, who are a vital part of our diverse campus," Ramos said.

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=news&sc=local&id=337826

02/08/2025

💘With Valentine's Day a week away, some may be thinking about exploring dating apps- and oh do we have a Gay array of Seattle dating app experiences to share with you!

Over half of all LGBTQ+ people use dating apps, according to the Pew Research Center. In 2024, Tinder was the most common, followed by Bumble and Hinge. For LGBTQ+ apps in particular, Grindr was the most popular.

Despite their popularity, people are split on whether they make finding a partner easier.

For Torria Pace, Tinder is a minefield for strange encounters. They once met up with a match who was too into his Tesla. "I was teasing him about [the Tesla], and he got defensive and was like, 'It's a beautiful car,'" they recalled. "He kept going on about how it looked, which was weird."

Eventually, he started complaining about an injury he sustained from "working on his car."

Click below to learn how Pace's date sustained his injury and more on the Seattle Q***r dating app scene 🏳️‍🌈
https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=features&sc=&id=337686

Dating today isn’t what it used to be. While apps have made the experience manageable and safer for Q***r people, the depersonalization of the interface has left many feeling unfulfilled.

02/07/2025

🏳️‍🌈As feds rollback DEI initiatives, Seattle Pride launched the Seattle Pride Impact Fund, a spruced-up version of its long-standing grant and scholarship program that's pumped out over $500,000 in funding for organizations serving the LGBTQIA2S+ community since 2018.

"At a time when equity-focused funding and DEI initiatives are under attack, we remain steadfast in our commitment to resourcing the work that drives liberation, visibility, and justice for our communities. This is more than a grant program — it is a foundation for long-term investment in LGBTQIA2S+ organizing and leadership in Seattle and beyond," Nick Albritton, director of community development and programs, told the SGN.

For the past four years, Seattle Pride has worked to understand the program's potential and to adjust it meet evolving needs. Funding will focus on projects that uplift Q***r arts and culture, youth empowerment, BIPOC leadership, and Trans and Gender-Nonconforming people, while emphasizing the importance of intersectional, community-driven work.

The Impact Fund will have two grant categories:

- The Spark Grants category will award up to $3,500 and in-kind support for ongoing and emerging initiatives, so grassroots projects to have then resources needed in order to launch and sustain their work.
-The Partnership Grants will provide up to $15,000 for larger and more collaborative initiatives that grow capacity in the long term and strengthen local LGBTQIA2S+ environments.

Click below for more information 👇
https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=news&sc=local&id=337823

Seattle Pride recently launched the Seattle Pride Impact Fund, a spruced-up version of its long-standing grant and scholarship program, as DEI initiatives are being rolled back on the federal level.

02/07/2025

🪩 Mx. Pucks A'Plenty, a performer with a boisterous personality, goes by many titles, such as "the Michelle Obama of burlesque" and "the femme daddy your mother didn't even know to warn you about."

They are also a strong advocate for the inclusion of all body types in burlesque.

Through their own production company, aptly labeled Puckduction, Mx. Pucks has over the past few years founded and run both Fat Con and Fatlesque Fest Northwest. Despite its popularity within the community, 2024's Fat Con became the target of far-right harassment.

Pucks explained that before the event had begun, "a right-wing group found out about it online and lost their minds. Our Instagram page and email box were all inundated with fat hate."

The hateful targeting has only emboldened Pucks as an artist, driving them to host events that are opportunities for people to experience fat joy and find loving comfort as a radical act of defiance.

Click below to read the full article👇

Mx. Pucks A’Plenty, a performer with a boisterous personality, goes by many titles, such as "the Michelle Obama of burlesque" and "the femme daddy your mother didn’t even know to warn you about."

02/07/2025

🎭 Nationally known playwright Lauren Yee and the Rep are getting ready for the world premiere of her latest play, Mother Russia (or Periods of Collapse). Two of her previous works have premiered here, and years ago she would periodically visit Seattle to hang out with acclaimed director Desdemona Chiang, using her house as a kind of developmental Hedgebrook.

As for Mother Russia's plot: Two men find jobs surveilling a former pop star in 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union. As they bumble their way through the assignment, spy work and life under capitalism prove harder than they thought.

"At a time when Russia was in this great moment of change [toward] capitalism and democracy, this whole new system was being thrust upon them, and people were saying, 'You're free. Now you're free to buy a cheeseburger from McDonald's,'" Yee said. "I think the play interrogates these periods of great change. Many Western people would be saying, 'How, how did this not work out for you? How did Russia kind of fall back into [communism/dictatorship]?'"

Click below to read the full article ✨

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=arts__entertainment&sc=theater___stage&id=337651

Nationally known playwright Lauren Yee has a tight connection with Seattle, as she and the Rep get ready for the world premiere of her latest play, Mother Russia (or Periods of Collapse).

02/06/2025

🏳️‍🌈 Since 2003, RainbowWeddingNetwork has been putting together LGBTQ wedding expos across the nation. On February 16, it will return to Seattle for an afternoon that celebrates Q***r love — despite the new Trump administration, which has some fearing the rollback of marriage equality laws.

"RainbowWeddingNetwork has produced this ongoing national tour of LGBTQ+ wedding expos for 25 years," cofounder Marianna Puechl told the SGN. "Our team has experienced firsthand the tumultuous path toward the Obergefell decision. We do have insights to share as well as we all move together through this next chapter."

💐RainbowWeddingNetwork hosted its first Seattle event in 2007. This year's vendors will include local bakers, jewelers, DJs, photographers, and venues. The expo will also provide an opportunity to question industry experts, sample foods, and connect with other Q***r couples.

Learn more below 👇

https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=features&sc=&id=337675

Since 2003, RainbowWeddingNetwork has been putting together LGBTQ wedding expos across the nation. On February 16, it will return to Seattle for an afternoon that celebrates Q***r love — despite the new Trump administration, which has some fearing the

02/06/2025

Seattle Gay News and the city's LGBTQ+ community mourn the loss of Shelley Brothers, co-owner of the WildRose Bar, and she will be remembered as an LGBTQ+ legend.

As one of the last remaining Le***an bars in the entire country, the Wildrose reached a milestone last December when it celebrated its 40th anniversary party. Over the decades, the bar has consistently been a sanctuary for Le***ans and Q***rs, allowing patrons to build connections and taste the freedom of being their authentic selves.

Shelley is a beloved member of this community, and is intrinsically and everlastingly tied to the importance of keeping this profound space for Seattle's LGBTQ+. Both the Wildrose and Seattle LGBTQ+ community will carry Shelley's legacy forward in the years to come.

The Wildrose released a statement about Shelley's passing:

"It is with profound sadness that the Wildrose family shares the passing of our beloved Shelley, long-term family, friend, and co-owner of the Rose. She gave her life to this bar, ensuring that it remained a safe, welcoming space for generations of q***r people to gather, celebrate, and find communion.

"Shelley was always there, always available, always ready with a warm smile. She was a community presence in the truest sense—fiercely dedicated, endlessly generous, and deeply loved.

"A pillar of Seattle's LGBTQIA+ community, Shelley was a force. And a protector. Her impact is immeasurable, and her absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled. But her love, her kindness, and her unwavering commitment to this community will live on."

"A Celebration of Life will be held at the Rose on 2.16.25 from 2pm-9pm. If you have photos that you would like to be included in the celebration, please email them to [email protected].";

Seattle Gay News is deeply saddened by the loss of Shelley, and hopes to celebrate her life with the Wildrose on February 16.

Clink the link below for the obituary:

Seattle Gay News and the city’s LGBTQ+ community mourn the loss of Shelley Brothers, co-owner of the Wildrose Bar, and she will be remembered as an LGBTQ+ legend.

02/05/2025

🚨 Due to high demand, we've relaunched our newsletter! 🏳️‍🌈

📆 Each week, we'll give you a rundown on the latest and emerging LGBTQ+ news in Seattle and across Washington!

Click below to check it out and subscribe ✨

We are reintroducing our regular newsletter due to high demand! Stay tuned for the latest and emerging LGBTQ+ news in Washington.

02/05/2025

💘 February is the season of love, especially for Sonora Reyes, the best-selling author of The Le***ana's Guide to Catholic School and The Luis Ortega Survival Club.

📔After several successful YA novels, Reyes has recently released their first adult romance.

"[The Broposal] is still pretty true to my voice as an author," they told the SGN.

Ironically, it's inspired by one of the most iconic heterosexual rom-coms ever. "I love romance," Reyes said, "and so sometimes I watch a... cult classic like The Proposal... [I thought], 'Oh, what about me? Like, what if it was Mexican, and what if it was Gay?'"

The Broposal combines elements of humor and Q***r joy with some much darker realities. Click below to read the full article 🏳️‍🌈
https://www.sgn.org/story.php?ch=arts__entertainment&sc=books&id=337672

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February is the season for love, especially for Sonora Reyes, the best-selling author of The Le***ana’s Guide to Catholic School and The Luis Ortega Survival Club.