A 2020 Vote with Pride voter outreach effort on Broadway (Image: Seattle Pride)
With ballots for the November election mailed out to Seattle voters, advocacy and event organizer Seattle Pride is launching its Vote with Pride campaign again in 2021 and is this year adding a new voter guide with ratings for candidates in key races including open seats on the Seattle City Council and the battle for the mayor’s office.
As the city tangles with sorting out the political aftermath of the pandemic, the ongoing homelessness crisis, and issues of civil rights, equity, and displacement raised during months of Black Lives Matter protests, the organization is calling on supporters to back candidates who support issues important to the greater LGBTQIA+ community.
“One of the most powerful ways we can positively impact our human rights is to vote, and to vote for candidates who support our community,” said Seattle Pride executive director Krystal Marx said about the 2021 campaign. “Our human rights continue to be challenged, despite how far the LGBTQIA+ community has come. It’s critical that we do the work today for a better future tomorrow.”
A planned forum to launch the effort Thursday night has been canceled, Seattle Pride said, “due to projected low turnout from voters and candidates.”
Voters can, however, access Seattle Pride’s first time ever voter guide with profiles, Q&As, and ratings for candidates in key races. With neighborhood organizations like the neighborhood’s chamber of commerce folded, and its community council also quiet, Seattle Pride’s guide might be the closest you’ll get to a Capitol Hill voters guide this election season. CHS also reported here on endorsements of the 43rd District Democrats including Capitol Hill and a large swath of Central Seattle neighborhoods.
In the Seattle mayor’s race, Lorena González received the group’s highest “4 flag” rating.
“I am not deterred from ensuring Seattle City government and all our departments uphold LGBTQIA+ friendly standards,” González said in her answer for what makes her “an effective advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.” “Most recently I demanded SPD to rescind their promotion of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a known anti-LGBTQ institution. I will continue to address and eliminate LGBTQIA+ discrimination in Seattle government as the mayor.”
González challenger Bruce Harrell, meanwhile, received a “3.5 flag” rating.
In other races, Seattle City Council Position 8 candidate Teresa Mosqueda also received a perfect score while her challenger Kenneth Wilson did not participate in the survey. Seattle City Council Position 9 candidate Nikkita Oliver, who identifies as queer, received “4 flags” as challenger Sara Nelson, like Wilson, did not receive a score.
A March 2020 Tweet from Davison
City Attorney candidates Nicole Thomas-Kennedy and Ann Davison also did not participate in the survey. Davison has drawn criticism for statements she made opposing a new state law requiring school districts to provide comprehensive sex ed including curriculum that is inclusive and provides appropriate information for LGBTQ youth.
In its guide, Seattle Pride says a “4 flag” score indicates a candidate “has already been working on projects and programs to achieve equitable outcomes for LGBTQIA+ community members, prioritizing QTBIPOC community members (as an elected official, activist, community member, professionally, etc.)”, “gives extensive details on policy tools needed to achieve goals, and their “policy tools prioritize the well-being of marginalized communities (i.e. enacting progressive taxation, community investments along with commercial development,
etc.)”
Seattle Pride is also organizing voter registration efforts. The voter guide with ratings and full responses to the survey questions is below. You can learn more about Vote with Pride at seattlepride.org.
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Considering so few of the candidates even bothered to participate, this doesn’t seem like much of a voters guide. Here, let me help. Vote Harrell, Nelson, Wilson, and Davidson. There. That was easy.
Bruce “the private sector will solve the homeless problem, nevermind it hasn’t already” Harrell.
Sara “laid off 7 workers from my brewery before Thanksgiving despite receiving millions in PPP loans and lied about it” Nelson”.
Ken “why don’t we open the West Seattle Bridge now before we repair the fatal cracking, trust me I’m a structural engineer” Wilson.
Ann “I hope people forget that I became a Trump Republican to run for Lt. Governor” Davison.
Yeah no thanks. That’s a group of horrible people I don’t want anywhere my city’s government. Not to mention they all got the Seattle Times endorsement, so yeah…
That’s where you and I differ Obvious. I don’t agree with all the politics of Gonzalez, Mosqueda, Oliver or Thomas-Kennedy, but I don’t think they’re horrible people. They are just people I disagree with. You might try tempering your opinions just a bit and keep these issues in perspective. Otherwise you become what you abhor.
Laying out the points he/she doesn’t like about each of the candidate you support is exactly how one keeps these issues in perspective. You, on the other hand, had nothing to counter those.
Thanks Tom. First of all, Harrell and Nelson have already been part of city government. In fact they have both been employed on Council, Harrell as a Councilmember and Nelson as a Council aide. The city didn’t fall apart when they were in those positions, nor was there any allegation of abuse of power, fraudulent activity, or other illegal activity. To me, their records show they are honorable people who take government service seriously. Even so, Obvious thinks they’re such horrible people he wants them nowhere near his city government.
Then we have Mr. Wilson, who is running for Council Position 8. He is an engineer with no record of misdeeds that I am aware of which would cause a reasonable person to label him so horrible he must be prevented from city positions. So why label him in such an extreme way? Then we have Ann Davidson, running for City Attorney. She has voted mostly for Democrats, including Obama and Biden, but did run for Lieutenant Governor as a Republican recently. Does this qualify her as a horrible person? Not by most standards.
Disagree with them if you like. Vote for their (honorable as far as I know) opponents if you must. But stop demonizing them just because they don’t agree with you.
Demonizing them? How is pointing out their opinions demonizing them?
You also don’t refute the statements I made about them, you just question whether that makes them horrible or not.
Nope, nope, nope. Seattle Pride does not represent me. I will vote (have already voted) for the candidates who will return civility to the streets and make the community a safer place to live.
There are a lot of members of the LGBTQIA+ community that strongly disagree. This is an endorsement to double down on the failed policies of the Seattle City Council around homelessness. Look around and make your own decision.
If you think in any way that the Seattle Times endorsed candidates will do anything to solve the homeless progress, you are delusional. There’s been quite a bit of progress made over the past couple of years, but the homeless problem is big, so it’s going to take awhile, unless we see massive social changes at the national level.
The Times candidates will ensure that progress is halted, if not reversed. How do I know that? I’ve read their campaign statements and listened to their interviews.
Fairly obvious that you are someone who works for one of the NGOs profiting from the status quo of ever increasing funding with no performance metrics or accountability. All you have to do is wait at the bus station for more meth addicted “neighbors” to arrive to get on your books.
Right, the “homeless industrial complex”, somehow profiting off of people being homeless.
You know, most conspiracy theories can be debunked by just saying them to yourself out loud.
All the Marxists get 4 flags? Christ, Seattle is messed up.
As others already suggested, please try these sane people instead:
Given the fact that Oliver marched with the Black Bloc extremists (well known for millions in property damage, fires, intimidation, calling POC police officers racist names), it’s a big NOPE from this Seattle gay person.
Oliver did not “march with the Black Bloc extremists.” She marched with Black Lives Matter as did millions of other peaceful protesters nationwide last year.
Nope. They (Oliver) literally walked past my building with the black bloc people (if you lived in Capitol Hill last year you’d know they’re the ones that dress like ninjas, burn and break stuff, and violate the First Amendment rights of anyone who dares film their violence) and yes my dumpsters were set aflame as they were marching away from the police and yes they flashed lights in the windows of my building and shouted vile obscenities at my POC neighbors because they had the audacity to tell them to knock it off. So, Oliver can try to attach themself to the BLM movement, but I’ve seen with my own eyes the kind of unhinged creeps she really hangs out with and I will vote accordingly.
Are you 100% sure that was Oliver you saw — in the dark, (presumably) behind a mask? My understanding of the so-called black bloc is that it’s made up of very small, extremely tight-knit groups who are extremely suspicious, even paranoid, of “outsiders” infiltrating their movement. It just doesn’t sound plausible that they’d welcome a Democratic politician and high-profile liberal establishment figure to pal around with them while they commit property crimes.
I’m not saying you aren’t being truthful about what you think you saw. I don’t know. But without pictures, tweets, etc., it’s very hard to believe. It seems obvious that this would be big, big news if were true, and surely Oliver’s opponent in this race (and the segment of local media that’s hostile to their candidacy) would be making major hay of it. But I can’t find any of that, and I’ve looked. Whether or not your claim is fabricated, I don’t think it’s accurate.
Saw it for myself on both Rebellion Baby and Malcontent’s livestreams and with my own eyes when the crowd marched past my building. Yeah, I don’t have a picture for you, but everyone who lived here last year and watched any of the livestreams knows that both Oliver and Sawant marched with black bloc as they destroyed businesses and intimidated independent journalists that weren’t as far left as them. Sawant even marched with people who set a Starbucks on fire in a building that people live in!
I suppose some brave journalist (are there any left?) could ask Oliver their position on the black bloc/ “direct action” (i.e., break and burn stuff) vandal marches. I guarantee she won’t disavow them.
Seattle Times will issue the Straight Pride report.