2026 Pride Reading List: Queer history in Washington State

At YWCA, our commitment to peace, justice, freedom, and dignity includes equity and equality for our LGBTQ+ community. Learn about local queer history and fun facts that may surprise you!

From The Society for Human Rights to Stonewall to the legalization of gay marriage and beyond, the Gay Rights Movement in the United States has a long history, and Washington State has its own history to share!

On June 13, 1978, protestors stood outside the headquarters of Save Our Moral Ethics (SOME), which promoted Initiative 13. | Seattle Gay News — *On June 13, 1978, protestors gathered outside the headquarters of Save Our Moral Ethics (SOME), an organization that promoted Initiative 13. |* *Seattle Gay News*

Did you know?

Seattle had one of the first gay-owned gay bars in the United States.
Seattle's Lesbian Resource Center (established at the University YWCA in 1971 as the Gay Women's Resource Center) became the longest-running organization of its kind in the U.S.
The first successful lesbian mothers’ custody case in the U.S. was decided by the Washington State Supreme Court in 1978.
In 1978, Seattle voted against Initiative 13, which sought to close Seattle's Office of Women's Rights and repeal city ordinances that protected housing and employment rights for 'sexual minorities'. Voters rejected Initiative 13 by a margin of 63% to 37%, making Seattle the first city in the U.S. to defeat a challenge to an ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The first trans teenager to testify before the U.S. Senate was Stella Keating, a 16-year-old girl from Washington State, who in 2021 gave a speech on the necessity of the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Local queer icons

“2,000 Join Seattle’s Gay Rights March” by Dan Seligman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 26, 1977 — *2,000 Join Seattle’s Gay Rights March* *| Dan Seligman, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 26, 1977*

City & State LGBTQIA+ Timelines

Other

*Sisters of Struggle Lesbians of Color at Seattle Pride in 1988 |* *Come Out Seattle*

Want to learn more? Check out our previous Pride Reading List to learn more about the history of Pride, Stonewall, and the perspective of queer BIPOC women.

Ana Rodriguez-Knutsen

Ana Rodriguez-Knutsen is the Content Specialist for YWCA's Marketing & Editorial team. From fiction writing to advocacy, Ana works with an intersectional mindset to uplift and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.