Reading · Strong by Lisbeth Darsh

Edouard Touraine print showing the interior of a lesbian bar in Paris, ca. 1909.

It’s pride in Seattle this weekend, y’all.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we wait until the end of the month to celebrate — but really we celebrate Pride all year.

Seattle is very gay. Some would say it’s the 3rd gayest city in America (shhh, don’t tell Portland) but what exactly does that mean? Is Seattle pretty much ALL gay people plus some sad and lonely heterosexual bros typing on keyboards in tech ghettos?

According to some 2025 data, it means that Seattle has 3.28 same-sex households per ONE THOUSAND households.

3.28.

That’s a very small amount — but it’s more than most places in America — which means you see gay people in public here, holding hands and expressing affection like heterosexual couples do. (A 2025 Gallup poll concluded that 9.3% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+.) People don’t (normally) stare or yell things at us.

We get to just live.

(As opposed to trans people, who do get harassed some in Seattle during this Decade of Darkness. Buying a slushy at the gas station? Hello, idiots saying stupid shit. And worse. But it’s still better here than most places.)

Tonight, we’ll go the Seattle Storm Pride Night for our third year in a row as a couple. It’s fun and very gay — but the WNBA is very gay. (About 25% of the players openly identify as gay.) Pride Night is pretty much every night for women who love basketball.

But, mostly, it doesn’t matter to me if sports teams celebrate Pride.

I saw the recent kerfuffle over some San Francisco Giants writing bible verses on their SF Pride hats — and I just don’t care. Neither should those players. They should be concentrating on their pathetic record: second to last in their division and the National League! Pay attention to your pitching, boys, not Republican virtue-signaling.

So, I’m just here to say celebrate Pride if you want to.

Fly a flag or get creative like Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who gives her gay teammates a fabulous cake each year — they eyeroll but they also love her for it.

Or don’t celebrate Pride and just love us. Or let us be. We’re good with that, too.

And, no matter what your sexual orientation, I hope you are respected and safe.

BONUS! As my wonderful wife and I were finishing up our weekly Saturday morning writing session, we realized that we both wrote about Pride! (That’s a lot of “w” words!) So here’s her post — click it and read!

Related Reading: A plethora of pride posts!

Thanks for the Hug, Dad Man

July 2, 2024

I didn’t expect to feel anything from hugging a dad I had never met before.

But suddenly that hug felt like all I ever needed — like a warm blanket and puppies and chocolate chip cookies and a kiss on the forehead all rolled into one single moment there on a gritty downtown Seattle street in front of a firehouse, just a few blocks from the Space Needle.

It Gets Better

July 1, 2021

Ever since I came out, people have asked me all sorts of questions about my sexuality: the curious are (mostly) straight people but also include women who wonder if they’re gay. Often I’ve never met these people but I answer their emails and messages because no one gets smarter if we don’t talk to each other. Also, I know how lonely it is when you think you’re gay but you’re afraid to tell anyone.