Get out your finest attire for the first-ever "Ties and Tiaras" fundraiser for Trans Pride Seattle on Sunday, May 19 from 7 to 9 p.m., hosted at Sleight of Hand Cellars in SoDo. There will be live performances, a silent auction, and a plethora of wines, beers and desserts.

Mac S. McGregor, who fought hard for marriage equality and is author of Positive Masculinity Now, began the planning process about three months ago. The idea stemmed from a conversation he held with leaders at Gender Justice League (GJL) about the state of the world and attacks on the Transgender and gender-diverse communities.

"I'm a person that really believes in supporting one another and us collaborating, and when any of us in the community are going through a rough time, the rest of the community should step up and lift each other up," McGregor told the SGN.

With a history of pulling together fundraisers, GJL encouraged McGregor to pursue the black-tie type of event to support the work of GJL and Trans Pride.

"We're making it an annual event so that when we talk to our donors and our sponsors, we create relationships with them that are ongoing for this," McGregor said."

Entertainment
Ticket sales are flooding in, and McGregor expects at about a hundred attendees to fill the facility, which holds about 150. He's been asking businesses to provide donations, including desserts from Cupcake Royale and Deep Sea Sugar & Salt. McGregor mentioned that the Sleight of Hand manager is Gay and how he and his partner are doing everything to support the fundraising effort, like donating the venue for the two-hour event.

Attendees will have the opportunity to mingle with each other first, and entertainment will begin shortly after, with the first being a compilation video of the history of Trans Pride.

"The largest Trans Pride in the world [is] here in Seattle, [and] we're going to do a little video telling of [its] history," McGregor said.

Among the performers will be drag star Sylvia O'Stayformore and storyteller Melissa Reaves, who will describe her child's journey on coming out as Transgender.

"It's going to be really fun. We want it to be fun and festive, and try to celebrate the Trans and gender-nonconforming community," McGregor said.

Goals
McGregor is still in the process of collecting items for the silent auction, which will include an original $1,000 painting by Seattle artist Ryan Henry Ward, wine baskets, beer baskets, and gift certificates. He encourages those interested in donating items to the auction to contact him.

"Our goal is to raise $15,000. We probably will raise five of that through ticket sales and the rest through the silent auction. We're going to do an ask, of course," McGregor said.

Tickets are still available and start at $50 per person. Volunteers are still needed for setup and cleanup of the event.

"We're also still looking for sponsorship for the event," McGregor said, which start at $500. "Even $500 is a big help."

For more information or to become involved with "Ties and Tiaras," visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ties-tiaras-a-trans-pride-friendraising-event-tickets-876998625497