The concept of creating Seattle Women's Pride was quite elementary to inventors at The Seattle Lesbian and Seattle Pride: provide a sleek space for gay women and their friends to relax, unwind and have a little fun around Pride weekend, all while enjoying some of the most influential policymakers and entertainers around. On Friday, June 20, 2014, that mission was accomplished -- and then some.
More than 200 guests helped take over The Lobby Bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood Friday night, some of them traveling all the way from Eatonville, Washington. Other vicinities proudly represented: Tacoma, Everett, Puyallup, and, of course, the suburbs of Seattle.
Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu made an entrance around 7:00 p.m. just in time to hear Seattle Pride Idol 2012 champion Jack Mozie croon to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Then, at 7:30 p.m., a mighty force took the stage -- NBC's The Voice frontrunner Vicci Martinez, a Tacoma native.
"My friend Sarah [Toce] asked me if I would be able to stop by and play a couple of songs at Seattle Women's Pride and I said yes," she recalled onstage before playing her first tune. "Then I got a call from my managers who saw the Google alert saying that I wasn't in town Friday night -- I was in Columbus, Ohio for Pride."
In the end, though, it all worked out for Martinez, Toce, and all of the women lined up against the walls to hear the "Come Along with Me" star play.
"She really worked her butt off to keep her commitment to us and we will never forget it," said Toce. "I don't think the women at the bar will ever forget it either."
Justice Yu spoke to the crowd, thanking them for their support of her work. Justice Yu is the first woman of color and the first out-lesbian to be appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court bench.
Unable to attend in-person, U.S. Senator Patty Murray told her followers on Twitter: "Happy to see @SeattleOutProud & @TheSeaLesbian holding 1st #Seattle Women's Pride Event -- enjoy celebrating all your accomplishments! -PM."
LGBT civil rights leader Marsha Botzer also stepped up to the platform to say a few words and inspire the crowd.
Fierce house music from Portland and Seattle-based Hot Flash Inferno's D.J. Wildfire filled in the gaps between performances by Seattle Pride Idol 2014 Ruth Soto and the Angel Band Project's Jen Hopper, whose rendition of "Real Love" brought down the house and closed the show.
Presenting sponsor T-Mobile worked their Step and Repeat on the second floor throughout the party with guests tagging their images with the hashtag #MagentaPride. Additional sponsors for the inaugural Seattle Women's Pride included the Seattle Storm, Chipotle Burritos, Cupcake Royale, TomboyX, Eco SalonSpa, The Stranger, Seattle Gay News, KEXP, KISS 106.1, KUBE 93, KJR 95.7, CLICK 98.9, KZOK 102.5, JACK 96.5, KMPS 94.1 and MOViN 92.5.
With Seattle Women's Pride reaching capacity by 9:00 p.m., there is no doubt what is coming next: an even bigger and better Seattle Women's Pride 2015. Stay tuned!