A crowd gathered in a parking lot of the Tacoma Dome in the pouring rain on March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility, as speakers provided remarks ahead of the raising of the Transgender Pride flag.
"Our community deserves to feel part of the cities, counties, state, and country, to see ourselves represented, celebrated, and protected," said Oliver Webb, executive director of the Diversity Alliance of the Puget Sound (DAPS). "And today, to fly a flag, to write a proclamation, to paint a crosswalk, to partner with an organization, you're not only making a statement of your values and beliefs as a city but also standing against the hatred and bigotry of the federal government."
The City of Tacoma first raised a Trans Pride flag over City Hall in 2021, after Webb advocated for it following the brutal murders of two Trans women in Washington state that year. He and another DAPS board member were planning events for Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) after 20-year-old Zooey Martinez was brutally murdered at the end of August and found in an alley in Greenwood, and Rikkey Outumuro was murdered in front of her son on Halloween. Webb said Transgender people in Washington state are not immune from loss, and DAPS wanted to honor these women.
Webb asked the City of Seattle, where Martinez was found, to raise a flag for TDOR, but that didn't happen. He then created a list of all of Washington's major cities and major buildings between Shoreline and Tacoma. He said he sent letters and made calls for weeks, including to a handful of colleges, all major sports stadiums, the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center, and the Tacoma Dome.
"Despite the loss of five Pacific Northwestern Trans and gender-diverse individuals, two of which were... from Washington state," Webb said at this year's flag-raising ceremony, "only three activations were placed: Shoreline Community College, the Pacific Science Center... and the City of Tacoma made history."
Since 2021, the Trans flag has flown over Tacoma five times, and the council issued six proclamations honoring Transgender people. When Webb reached out to Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards to request the flag be flown above City Hall, she made it happen quickly.
"The thing that makes Tacoma Tacoma are the people that choose to call this place home, and that means our Transgender community as well. It's what makes Tacoma what it is," Mayor Woodards said at the ceremony. "When everyone has the opportunity to live in this community, to love who they want to love, to be who they have been called to be, and to live life...without having to worry about what might happen to you [or] what someone might say to you, [you] know that in Tacoma, you are respected [and] a part of the community just by being here."
Also at the ceremony, Councilmember Olgy Diaz highlighted how Transgender people are the "backbone of our culture and economy," and she encouraged people in the audience to be their full, authentic selves, in both their daily and professional lives.
Councilmember Diaz said that showing visible allyship by flying the flag over the Tacoma Dome offers support, hope, and security for Trans people. She also worked to raise funds so that the City could purchase the Trans flag — the only other flag that has been raised on the Tacoma Dome apart from the US flag.
Support the Seattle Gay News: Celebrate 50 Years with Us!
As the third-oldest LGBTQIA+ newspaper in the United States, the Seattle Gay News (SGN) has been a vital independent source of news and entertainment for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest since 1974.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we need your support to continue our mission.
Your contribution will ensure that SGN remains a beacon of truth and a virtual gathering place for community dialogue.
Help us keep printing and providing a platform for LGBTQIA+ voices.
How you can donate!
Using this Link
Text "SGN" to 53-555
Or Scan the QR code below!