About Us
Plenty of nonprofits, corporations, and individuals offer support and advocacy to Seattle LGBTQIA+ persons. But many of us are focused on our own areas of expertise, rather than coming together as a large, influential community—which is causing a frustrating slow-down in the pace of change.
At Seattle Pride®, we understand the challenges facing the LGBTQIA+ community, and we're willing to do whatever it takes to bring us all together—LGBTQIA+ persons, allies, nonprofits, and corporations—in the relentless pursuit of equal human rights for all.
Our History
The first Seattle Pride Parade (a march of fewer than 200 people) took place in 1974, although it wasn’t officially recognized by the city. Just three years later, the Parade welcomed 2,000 attendees, and Seattle Mayor Wes Ulman declared the first “Gay Pride Week.” In 1992, the Seattle Pride festivities expanded to include bisexual and transgender identities (LGBT). Today, the Seattle Pride® Parade is one of the largest in the country, attracting an estimated 300,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community, friends, and allies. The Parade provides our entire community an opportunity to celebrate the present, envision the future, and honor our past
Over the years, we’ve come to understand that Pride parades and other celebrations are crucial. But they’re not enough. We’re continually expanding our advocacy and allyship efforts year-round to promote diversity and inclusivity—and to call our community to action.
Vision, Mission & Purpose
Mission
Create unity, honor diversity, and achieve equal human rights throughout our region and the world.
Purpose
We coordinate and promote LGBTQIA+ pride events in the Seattle area—celebrating the present, envisioning the future and honoring the past. As a non-profit organization, sponsorship and donations are used to offset expenses required to produce the year-round celebrations.
Seattle Out & Proud (commonly referred to as a Seattle Pride) is a registered 501(c)4 organization and annually produces the Seattle Pride Parade, Seattle Pride in the Park, and the Seattle Pride Guide.
Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is comprised entirely of volunteers. These extraordinary individuals are passionate about the LGBTQIA+ community and about bringing our mission to life.
President and Board Chair
Ramone Myers
Vice President
Alex Morgan
Treasurer
Claudia del Hierro
Secretary
Johnny Lê
Directors
Jack Anderson
Ashley Gibson
Velvine Jobiese
Tiffany Nakamitsu
Omar Rachid
Our Team
Executive Director
Patti Hearn | Email
Pronouns: She/Her
Started at Seattle Pride: July 2023
Why you're with Seattle Pride: I am here for the opportunity to amplify the voices of our Queer community.
Program Manager
Noah Wagoner | Email
Pronouns: He/Him
Started at Seattle Pride: March 2020
Why you're with Seattle Pride: I've spent more than a decade in the LGBTQ+ Diversity and Inclusion realm and have found that work incredibly rewarding. But with Seattle Pride, I get to spend every day focusing on events that celebrate our community and culture. It's a daily conversation of "how can we bring people together?" I get paid to work with brilliant queer folx and allies everyday with the expressed purpose of bringing joy to other people. It's a pretty sweet gig.
Program Manager
Nick Albritton | Email
Pronouns: He/They
Started at Seattle Pride: May 2022
Why you're with Seattle Pride: As a nonbinary transgender man, the queer community has been a refuge and family for me to grow within. I was raised in a rural town in Texas, which did not gift me space to celebrate my sexuality or gender identity as an adolescent. I did not find queer spaces or resources to support my transition or my self-acceptance until my early 20’s. I know now that those spaces existed because of the resistance and resilience of our queer and trans elders and ancestors – specifically Black transwomen and Black femmes. Now, with almost a decade of work within the non-profit realm, I get to focus on the community that has held and nourished me. I am grateful for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of and create space for our expansive, diverse LGBTQIA2S community with Seattle Pride. I am here because of those before me. I labor for those who will come after me. <3
Partnerships Manager
Ross Gonzalez | Email
Pronouns: She/Her
Started at Seattle Pride: January 2022
Why you're with Seattle Pride: I see how Seattle Pride thrives on passion to provide a safe place for the LGBTQIA+ community through educating, providing inclusive events, and so much more. I look forward to carrying the connection and passion within our organization and bringing more opportunities to single the importance of being who we are as the LGBTQIA+ community.
Board President
Ramone Myers | Email
Pronouns: He/him/his
Profession & Employer: Real Estate Agent
Why you're on the Board:
I decided to join the executive board for Seattle Pride because I felt like there was a whole demographic of people that weren’t being represented in Seattle.
I moved to Seattle five years ago from Puyallup, WA. While in Puyallup I never felt comfortable being myself. I felt like I was always hiding a part of who I was. In Seattle I’m more confident and outgoing. I have a wonderful diverse group of friends, I enjoy my career helping people achieve their home ownership goals, and I get to do what I love volunteering for many different organizations making a difference in my community.
Vice President
Alex Morgan | Email
Pronouns: He/Him
Profession & Employer: Community Relations Specialist at Symetra
Length of time on the Board: Since November, 2021
Why you're on the Board:
I joined Pride because I want to grow a vital organization in Seattle. Being one of the most visible LGBTQ+ organizations in the state, we have a unique opportunity to help uplift our diverse and expansive community.
Secretary
Johnny Lê | Email
Pronouns: He/Him or They/Them
Length of time on the Board: Since November, 2021
Why you're on the Board:
I joined Seattle Pride because I wanted to bring more inclusivity and intersectionality to our LGBTQIA+ community. I understand that whether we like it or not, Pride events are inherently political. I believe that we should be proactive and embrace this fact so that we can better serve members of our community and give a voice to historically marginalized groups.
Board Director
Tiffany Eri Nakamitsu | Email
Pronouns: She/Her
Profession & Employer: Marketing & Communications at SeekOut
Length of time on the Board: Since October, 2022
Why you're on the Board:
I lived my formative school years in Nagoya, Japan in a homogenous city in a homogenous country and believed that something was wrong with me to the point of apologizing to my ancestors in my Buddhist prayers. Through the adversities, I learned that A. having community and B. education are crucial pillars to finding liberation and the confidence to feel comfortable in your own skin, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community. I attended the Seattle Pride Parade sponsorship meeting in-person this year representing my company and when I walked into the room full of queer trailblazers, I instantly felt like I belong. "This is it." I knew then that I had to give back to the Seattle LGBTQIA+ community that showed me love all these years (Thank you!), by helping to provide community and education for LGBTQIA+ members, their friends, their families, and our allies.
Board Director
Omar Rachid | Email
Pronouns: He/Him
Profession & Employer: Middle School French teacher at Lakeside School
Length of time on the Board: Since October, 2022
Why you're on the Board:
Seattle PRIDE does so much for healing, embracing and love in a community that is constantly and increasingly so under attack. It would be an honor to serve, and to help elevate the status of those furthest away from equity in our society. When thinking of my own personal identity, I like to present myself under the acronym BAILAMOS, which means to dance in Spanish. The reason for that is that it encompasses the three foremost aspects of my identity, Bisexual, Latinx, and Muslim. By taking the first syllables of each of these identities, I came up with Bailamos, and it touches me in the heart because Spanish is my first language. I hope that with this representation I may be of service to our Latinx and Muslim queer community in Seattle.