Pictures from our booth at PrideFest and our marching group in the parade!
Tag: seattle pride
Seattle Pride 2023
We’re participating in two events this year!
On June 24th, we will have a booth at PrideFest on Capitol Hill. We’ll be booth O-29, on the east side of the street between Thomas and John, in front of 8 To 8 Dental. It’s about a block from the Capitol Hill Light Rail station and about two blocks from Cal Anderson Park or the end of the Streetcar line. We’ll be the booth with the purple top and ginormous aro and ace flags. Drop by for some swag or to say hi!
Then on the 25th, we’re marching in the Seattle Pride Parade for the fourth time! Bring your signs, flags, and other Aro and Ace Pride gear and come join us!
It’s free and doesn’t require any commitment other than time.
The parade is on Sunday, June 25th, starting around 11 AM. The Parade runs through downtown Seattle on the mostly flat 4th Ave, from around Westlake Center to Seattle Center. Distance is about a mile.
We are Contingent #11 on Block 2, between Union and University. This is several blocks south of Westlake Center, and only about a block away from the University St. Light Rail station. Our staging time is 10:30 to 11 AM. We are very early in the parade, so we will have to be ready to move shortly after the start of the parade at 11.
We will be staged between Gay City and the Space Needle, and alongside Pokemon. Look for the ace and aro flags and the sea of green and purple somewhere on the west side of the street.
You are more than welcome to make signs or wear aro and ace themed costumes. We’ll have flags for people to wave.
Check out the Facebook and Meetup Events for more details:
Meetup Event: https://www.meetup.com/seattle-and-surrounding-area-asexuals-seattle-aces/events/293070142/
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/6q24TEzbb
(RSVPing is encouraged, but not required. You can just show up on the day of the event and we’d love to have you!)
Seattle Pride 2022
The Seattle Aces and Aros marched in the 2022 Seattle Pride Parade, marking our third appearance in the parade. Thank you to everyone who joined us and everyone who cheered us on from the sidelines. We hope to see you all again next year!
Seattle Pride 2019!
The Seattle Aces & Aros will again be marching in the Seattle Pride Parade! We had such a blast last year that we’re doing it again! Come march with us! (It’s free and there’s no time commitment outside of the parade itself.)
The parade is on Sunday, June 30th, 2019, and runs through downtown along the mostly flat 4th Ave, from just south of Westlake Center up to Seattle Center.
We’re contingent #123, and our staging area is between Marion and Columbia on 4th Ave in Downtown Seattle. Our staging time is between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM. Here’s a map of the block with who is around us:
There will be a spectator group for those who want to watch the parade, but won’t be marching. Look for the flags somewhere between Pike and Bell along 4th.
Also, for the first time, we’re going to have a booth at the Capitol Hill PrideFest on June 29th. Stop by, say hi, grab some swag! We’re in the Purple zone, on Broadway between Mercer and Roy, booth P21.
Check out Facebook or Meetup for the latest updates or if you’d like to be involved.
Pride Parade March Photos
The Seattle Aces marched for the first time in the 2018 Seattle Pride Parade! It was an awesome experience! Here are some photos from the march:
Marching in Seattle Pride 2018!
The Seattle Aces will be marching in the 2018 Seattle Pride Parade! This will be the first time there has been a dedicated ace/aro group marching in Seattle. Come march with us! (It’s free and there’s no time commitment outside of the parade itself.)
The parade is on Sunday, June 24th, 2018, and runs through downtown along the mostly flat 4th Ave, from just south of Westlake Center up to Seattle Center.
We are contingent #148, and our staging area is located about halfway between Cherry and James along 4th Ave, below City Hall. We are located between the Cascadia Now and Kimpton Hotels groups and are next to the Fred Meyer Group. Our staging time starts at 1:00 PM.
Here is the map of our staging location:
RSVP on Facebook or Meetup, or stay tuned here for more details.
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/579306545763860/
Meetup Event: https://www.meetup.com/Seattle-and-Surrounding-Area-Asexuals-Seattle-Aces/events/247077790/
Discussion Group Notes 7/9/16
These are notes from the Seattle and Surrounding Aces Discussion Group meeting of July 9th, 2016. These are notes about what we talked about, relevant links, and other information about discussion topics. This is not meant to be a transcript and is not necessarily even meant to be a coherent recounting of the discussion.
Privacy of group members and keeping that room a safe and open place is important to me. I will try my best to not post personal information or individual stories without permission. If I write something that you’d rather not have on here, please let me know immediately and I will remove it.
Potential Screening of (A)sexual
We started the meeting by discussing a possible screening of the documentary (A)sexual. (A)sexual is a 2011 documentary about asexuality, featuring David Jay, founder of AVEN and Julie Sondra Decker, author of The Invisible Orientation, and including Seattle’s own Dan Savage as the film’s main villain. It is available on Netflix and other streaming services, and locally, Three Dollar Bill Cinemas has a copy.
It was suggested that we try to tie the screening into the TWIST Festival or Asexual Awareness Week, both of which are in October. Also floated was the possibility of using the screening as a fundraiser for the group (Likely to help raise the entrance fee for marching in the 2017 Pride Parade) and trying to get someone from the film to come to the screening. If we screen the documentary, we’ll probably pair it with a panel discussion afterward, to address some of the problems with the film, as well as to answer any questions that might come up.
We also talked about alternative/additional things to feature. I mentioned a new documentary that’s being made by asexual people (The (A)sexual documentary was made about aces, but not by aces), but unfortunately that is not going to be released in time for TWIST/AAW this year. There is also the recent Telus short out of Canada, called Asexual: A Love Story, which features several people who come to our group!
Broaching The Subject
One thing I’ve seen over and over again is where someone thinks that a friend or partner might be asexual, but not know about asexuality. We came up with several tips for approaching this situation:
- Casually bring up asexuality. “Hey, there’s this thing I just learned about… Isn’t that interesting?” Mention that it’s a thing and a brief explanation of what it is.
- Start posting articles/websites/etc. about asexuality to your social media accounts.
- “So, there’s this documentary on Netflix that sounded interesting…”
- If you’re ace and out, talk about it. “I went to an asexuality meetup this weekend, and…”
- But don’t force it on them, don’t say “this is what you are”. It’s not your place to define others. Let them come to their own conclusions.
This again shows the importance of visibility. People can discover that they’re gay on their own because the possibility of being gay is common knowledge. It’s more difficult for people to discover that they’re asexual on their own, because people simply don’t know that it exists.
Glossary
Definitions of various ace-related terms came up. I have a glossary here, but it’s old, it’s missing some terms, and some of the definitions it does have are a problem. I’m working on revising that page, and I’ll get some pamphlets printed up when I’m done with that.
Headcanon Aces and Non-Romantic/Sexual Pairings
There are many, many lists of potential and confirmed aces in fiction. We talked about some characters who didn’t get it on.
- CSI NY: Mac and Stella
- Elementary: Joan and Sherlock
- Firefly: Mal and Zoe
- Winter Soldier: Cap and Black Widow
- Voyager: Capt. Janeway
- CSI: Grissom (Gimme my headcanon, dammit! He just stayed up all night with Lady Heather talking about dead philosophers, and just wore silly hats to bed with Sara.)
- Person of Interest: Shaw
Also mentioned were Bones and The X-Files, both of which had strong platonic relationships between the leads, and both of which were ruined when they were unnaturally forced into a romantic/sexual relationship.
Tidbits
The Huffington Post Infographic
Pacific Northwest Pride Events 2016
It’s Pride Season!
I often hear that Pride can be a lonely place for aces, so let’s get out there and be seen!
Rainbow Depot sells Asexuality Flags of several different sizes. I’ve been extremely happy with the quality of the flags I’ve bought from there. So, pick up a flag or two and wave around our black-gray-white-purple at whatever events you go to and make yourselves seen!
WhatIsAsexuality.com has a number of printable cards and pamphlets that would make good event handouts. They even have a little open space that’s just the right size for a sticker or stamp with your group’s contact information!
And if you go to a Pride event, take pictures! Post those pictures! Send them here and I’ll put them up on the site. Post them to the Seattle Aces or Northwest Aces Facebook groups. The best way to be visible is to be visible! Show everyone that we exist!
The Events
Obviously, in Seattle, the big event is the Seattle Pride Parade and PrideFest at Seattle Center. This year, it will be held on Sunday, June 26th. More events throughout the month of June and other information can be found at Seattle Pride.
Portland is also throwing a party. The Portland Pride Parade is on Sunday, June 19th, and the Pride Festival on the Waterfront is both Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th. More information and events can be found at Pride Northwest.
Vancouver waits until the end of July to keep the fun going through the summer. Their parade and festival are on July 31st. You still have time to get your passport or enhanced driver’s licence to get across the border!
But Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver aren’t the only place that’s having Pride events this year. Here’s some others that I found around the Pacific Northwest. (And be sure to visit the sites for more events, as there are often other parties or shows or events on various other dates. I’m only listing the main events from each city here.)
Around Washington
Spokane: Pride Parade and Festival are Saturday, June 11th. Details
Olympia: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, June 19th. Details
Seattle: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, June 26th. Details
Tacoma: Pride Festival is Saturday, July 9th. Details
Bellingham: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, July 10th. Details
Bremerton/Kitsap: Pride Festival is Saturday, June 16th. Details
Tri-Cities: Cancelled?
Around Oregon
Astoria: Pride Parade is Saturday, June 11th. Details
Portland: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, June 19th. Details PDX Aces will be attending this event, but not marching. Check out their Meetup group for information.
Bend/Central Oregon: Pride Festival is Saturday, June 25th. Details
Salem: Pride Festival is Saturday, August 6th. Details
Eugene/Springfield: Pride Festival is Saturday, August 13th. Details
Around BC
Nanaimo: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, June 12th. Details
Victoria: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, July 10th. Details
Vancouver: Pride Parade and Festival are Sunday, July 31st. Details
Further Afield
Boise, ID: Pride Festival will be Saturday, June 18th. Details
Anchorage, AK: Pride Parade and Festival are Saturday, June 25th. Details
Eureka, CA: The Humboldt Pride Festival will be held on Saturday, September 10th. Details
Asexual Representation At Pride!
I know of a handful of events where aces will get involved and march in the parade (or have in the past).
I’ve put together a list of ace groups who will be involved in their local Pride events in some way: http://redbeardace.tumblr.com/post/144840083925/aces-on-parade-2016
Please let me know if I missed any events!