Seattle, WA: Queen City Comes Out: Exploring Seattle's Lesbian and Gay History

1.0 Introduction

The Northwest Lesbian & Gay History Museum Project is a non-profit group founded in 1994 to research, interpret and communicate the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the Pacific Northwest for the purpose of study, education and enjoyment. Recognizing the need to document and preserve GLBT history, the History Project:

• Collects and records oral histories;
• Locates photographs, object and ephemera;
• Works with archives to insure the preservation of these materials;
• Communicates the local GLBT community history through public programs such as exhibits, publications, presentations, and walking tours.

The History Project is all volunteer group with members representing a wide variety of educational and professional backgrounds, such as: museum studies, education, history, anthropology, geography, and historic preservation.

The following provides highlights of GLBT history in Seattle drawn from the History Project members’ collective research conducted over the last 15 years. This is an overview of the early history of taverns in Pioneer Square, the formation of early organizations that led to the flourishing of lesbian and gay community in the 1970s, and the early responses to the challenges of the 1980s & 90s.

2.0 Pioneer Square in the 1950s

At the turn of the 19th century, Pioneer Square was the heart of Seattle’s downtown, but as the city grew, the downtown core drifted north and over time, Pioneer Square became a less desirable place. By the 1930s, the term “Skid Row” was part of the national vocabulary, replacing the original reference to Yesler’s “Skid Road” for the lumber mill. As this happened, the area also became identified for providing services for people on the edges of Seattle society. The gay community was a part of the wave of individuals who wound up calling Pioneer Square home, and until the 1970s Pioneer Square was the heart of gay and lesbian Seattle.

This birthplace of Seattle's gay community was the location for many of the earliest gay bars, bathhouses, and other spaces. Though men made up most of the clientele, some bars catered especially to women, including the Silver Slipper, the Submarine Room, and the Madison Tavern. While strict Blue Laws governed all the city's bars, both gay and straight, these laws were often used selectively by police to harass gay bars and to demand payoffs. In 1958, MacIver Wells, owner of the Madison, sought and was granted a court injunction against police harassing his customers. Partly because of this injunction, women were able to dance together at the Madison.

To hear an interview about Seattle’s early gay history on KUOW.org, Puget Sound Public Radio [1]

The Garden of Allah, Seattle's first gay-owned gay bar, was located in the basement of the Arlington Hotel at Post and Seneca from 1946 to 1956. Entertainment at the Garden included vaudeville, burlesque, and variety shows with female impersonators as its main attraction. The Garden's shows attracted men and women, gay and straight, and often featured nationally recognized performers. Characterized as wild and bawdy, the Garden was like home to many of its patrons, fostering a sense of community and family among gays and lesbians in Seattle.