It’s Pride season, which is a time that I always take to reflect not just on where the LGBTQ+ community is heading, but where it’s been. Librarians in the Central Library History department have been working with HistoryLink and local storyteller Rosette Royale to create opportunities for our community to join us in those reflections. We were inspired by HistoryLink and Rosette Royale’s work on a self-guided walking tour of Pioneer Square’s most historically important locations to the LGBTQ+ community, complete with a listen-as-you-walk podcast and map, which you can take yourself and your loved ones on HERE: https://historylink.tours/tour/pioneer-squares-lgbtq-history/.
While Capitol Hill is widely known as Seattle’s iconic gay neighborhood, it was not the first hotspot for queer culture and community in Seattle. Before Capitol Hill, there was Pioneer Square. From the Gold Rush to the Progressive Era, to the AIDS crisis, it was the beating heart of LGBT activism, arts, and culture. In a time when “sodomy laws” were enforced, same-sex dancing was illegal, and nightclub owners had to pay off police to prevent raids, Pioneer Square offered a densely populated refuge for sexual minorities. The district provided space to work, play, party, love, and organize, and from many of the dimly lit bars and nightclubs emerged groups such as the Ebony Council, an organization for gay Black men; the Dorian Society, which advocated for gay rights; and the Queen City Business Guild, which is now known as the Greater Seattle Business Association.
This is just a peek at what you can learn from HistoryLink’s walking tour and our event, Pioneer Square’s LGBTQ+ History with Rosette Royale and Guests. We are thrilled to provide an opportunity for LGBTQ+ community members and allies to hear stories from those who lived and loved in Pioneer Square and to remember that Seattle’s LGBTQ+ legacy is right down the street from wherever you are.
Can’t make the program, or want to know more? There are other wonderful ways to learn about Seattle’s queer history:
- Watch this video of presenter Rosette Royale discussing the importance of Pioneer Square to the LGBTQ community: https://vimeo.com/772308607
- Listen to a podcast of a panel discussion with the Historic Seattle Preservation Foundation about preserving LGBTQ+ landmarks in Seattle, hosted by the Seattle Public Library in 2019: There Goes the Gayborhood
- Check out this map depicting significant spaces in Seattle’s LGBTQ+ history: Claiming Space, Seattle’s Lesbian & Gay Historical Geography, 2004
- Read the Seattle Gay News online archives, dating back to its first publication in 1977: Seattle Gay News
- For a quick overview of the history of LGBTQ+ activism, take a look at LGBTQ Activism in Seattle History Project – Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project
- Read Gay Seattle: Stories of Exile and Belonging, which is quickly becoming a classic work and essential reading for anyone who wants to do a deep-dive into Seattle’s LGBTQ+ history.
We are thrilled to present Pioneer Square’s LGBTQ+ History with Rosette Royale and Guests on June 17, 2023 from 2-3:30. The event will be held at the Central Library, Level 1 Auditorium. The event will have ASL interpretation and live captioning available.
Thank you to our partner HistoryLink for making this program possible, and to the Alliance for Pioneer Square for their support. You can also find other events hosted by the library this Pride season on this page: Celebrate Pride at the Library
~Posted by Billie B.
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