A scene from the 2023 march

After making major changes to the longstanding Seattle Dyke March last year, the volunteer-run organization is moving forward with a new name and new growth. But the annual Capitol Hill Pride event remains a core. The Seattle Dyke Alliance is looking towards celebrating this summer’s march and its 30th anniversary.

“We wanted to change our name because we are trying to show that we’re trying to do more in the community than just the march,” said Nikki Riggin, communications manager.

The new name comes with a new “double carabiner” logo that slyly shows connected couplings in the shape of a heart.

“In the future, we hope to be a hub of resources for dykes throughout the Seattle area and collaborate with other organizations in the region,” the group says of the new logo.

After years of hosting the march on the neighborhood’s streets, organizers moved fully it into Volunteer Park in 2023.

CHS previously reported how the Seattle Dyke March parted ways with Seattle Central College to find friendlier, more accessible grounds for the important annual event.

“The changes were really great,” said organizer of 15 years Jill Mullins. “The best sound I think we’ve had in a decade.”

Switching from a permitted march to a non-permitted march was another key change. Mullins explained how across the globe, Dyke marches are generally non-permitted, but Seattle’s was an exception. The history of the Seattle Police Department, beginning with what organizers say was intense police corruption in the 70s and 80s, was of concern.

“When we do a permitted march there’s a state statute that mandates that you have to have the police that control it at any light or intersection,” Mullins said.

(Images: CHS)

While Mullins said SPD has behaved well around Seattle Dyke March crowds, reckless and shameful policing have led the alliance to reevaluate cop presence.

“We could no longer excuse what was going on with the Seattle police,” Mullins said. “They made such inappropriate and awful comments, and there just doesn’t seem to be any true reckoning with the people who are doing the policing.”

Dykes on Bikes stepped up in the wanted absence of SPD to provide route safety, like blocking intersections for pedestrians.

“We want to make the march more accessible—just having opportunities for people who are unable to march with us,” Riggin said.

With 2024 marking 30 years of Seattle Dyke March, the alliance is seeking to hold several events representing their new, broader agenda leading up to the big celebration. The organizers told CHS that there’s potential for a publication about Dyke identity, which would incorporate pictures from previous decades.

“With the zine, that’s another way for people to get involved,” Riggin said. “We want it to be a collection of voices from our community.”

Seattle Dyke Alliance is also looking to recruit more members interested in taking on volunteer roles like social media. Mullins said the alliance needs a large base of reliable volunteers and people can become involved by purely showing up.

“We are a growing and changing organization so if there are people who have this desire to be a part of something, and to just be a lot more involved, we’re always open to the different ways in which people want to show up and be leaders and take on heavy lifting,” Mullins said.

Volunteers hope the new direction for the Seattle Dyke Alliance is to become a hub to connect queer communities and Mullins believes that should be inclusive of cisgender, transgender, and nonbinary individuals.

“If this is the community you connect with, the tent is big enough,” Mullins said.

Last year’s march was Riggin’s first time organizing for the Seattle Dyke Alliance, and the march was a way for her to connect with the community.

“We want to be that for more people—especially people who are new to Seattle, who are looking for community,” Riggin said.

Visit seattledykemarch.com/events to find opportunities to get involved with the alliance.

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