"Louder Than Hate: Trans & Queer Joy as Resistance" — A Community United in Seattle

By Staff Reports

This Saturday, the Lavender Rights Project is spearheading a community celebration in Seattle's Central District. The event, titled "Louder Than Hate: Trans & Queer Joy as Resistance" is a collective effort by a group of community members and partners to "center joy, safety, and collective resistance in the face of hateful rhetoric.

Mataoe Nevils, the Communications Manager at the Lavender Rights Project, emphasized the event's importance, stating that it’s a response to rising anti-trans and anti-LBGTQIA rhetoric and violence, which has become "deeply entrenched inside of the area". Nevils noted that while Seattle is often seen as progressive, the city is not immune to these challenges.

More than just a gathering for the LGBTQIA community, Nevils described the event as "a call for everyone who believes that there are basic human rights and just existing". It aims to be a space for all allies, including "black people, brown people, immigrants, queer people, trans people, disabled folks, neurodivergent folks, houseless people, formerly incarcerated folks" to come together and declare that "enough is enough". The goal is to show what it looks like "when we stand together in unity and in community".

Saturday, August 30th - Washington Hall, at 153 14th Avenue in Seattle. Doors will open at 4:00 p.m., with programming starting at 5:00 p.m. The Lavender Rights Project is collaborating with numerous organizations, including Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center, the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, BUILD 206, and the NAACP state area conference.

Nevils hopes attendees will leave with the understanding that "our liberation is linked" and that collective action is a powerful force for change. In Nevils’ words, it only takes "one person to stand up and say enough is enough for people to feel protected and cared for".