Dear fellow King County employee,

Happy Pride Month! Every June we celebrate Pride and honor the fight for equality and equal rights for LGBTQ+ people that began in June of 1969 with the Stonewall Riots led by trans women of color.

Pride is a time to recognize the accomplishments and many contributions of LGBTQ+ people to our communities here in King County and around the world, to our shared history and our shared future. It is a time to reflect on the adversities that LGBTQ+ people have faced throughout history and their courage in the ongoing struggle against injustice. It is a time to show our support and stand alongside LGBTQ+ people everywhere.

The struggle continues today. LGBTQ+ people experience ongoing discrimination and fear in their personal and work lives. For LGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and people of color, who are also deeply impacted by racism and white supremacy, the experience is often magnified. This reminder should embolden us to continue to work towards a more equitable and inclusive King County. We should continue supporting the LGBTQ+ community like the leaders serving on King County’s Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Inclusion Taskforce – a group working to develop recommendations on how King County government can be more accessible and inclusive of all genders and sexual orientations.

This month is also a time to celebrate. That’s why I am so happy that the annual Seattle Pride Parade is back in person this year, and I invite you to join me and hundreds of our King County colleagues, family, and friends in  support of LGBTQ+ rights. This year’s parade is on Sunday, June 26, starting at 11 a.m. To learn how you can take part, I encourage you to email leah.holland@kingcounty.gov with the subject line PRIDE Info.

With people’s rights and freedoms under attack across our nation today, Pride Month reminds us that we must remain steadfast in our work to create a truly welcoming, inclusive, and just workplace, community, and country. This month, together, we will show that King County stands in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community by living up to our values and doing all we can to create a welcoming and inclusive place where all people are supported and respected.

Sincerely,

Dow Constantine (he/him/his)
King County Executive