In Washington, Seattle Socialists Marched for Trans Solidarity
A peaceful march on June 27th showed the deep support for trans rights that still exists in much of America.A peaceful march shows the deep support for trans rights that still exists in much of America.
all photos by Arin Waller
by Arin Waller
Throughout the U. S. protests are happening. Assigned welcome’s reports from local reporters who want to share some of the flavor of trans rights protests from their neck of the woods.
On June 27th at 4:30 P.M., dozens gathered at Cal Anderson Park for a march towards a Trans Pride Seattle event in nearby Volunteer Park to the north as a public display of trans solidarity.
This public park in the historical gayborhood of Capitol Hill was named after Washington State's first openly gay state legislator, Calvin B. Anderson, in 2003, who died 8 years prior in 1995 after losing his battle with AIDS. Recently, the park has become a gathering place for many protests and marches against the Trump administration. Notably, a May counter-protest against an anti-trans Christian group drew arrests and police violence, sparking criticism from the community due to the perception of bias in the way police handled the situation.
This event was hosted by Socialist Alternative, a political organization promoting the Democratic Socialist Party in the United States. A major figure for the branch in Seattle, Washington, is Kshama Sawant, an Indian-American politician who successfully ran for Seattle’s city council as a member of the Socialist Party.
I was at the event early to scout out locations for photography. There I saw organizers with bottled water and premade signs with slogans such as “No compromises on trans rights! An injury to one is an injury to all” and “Protect trans youth! Gender-affirming care for all!”
Aware of the recent history of police violence, I came prepared with a respirator, goggles, gloves, and a hard hat I had purchased from a hardware store. As another precaution, I left my phone, ID, and credit cards behind.
Upon meeting the rest of the crowd, I was approached by one of the organizers who wished to know with whom I was affiliated. When I said I was with the press,he informed me that their press liaison would arrive shortly. I walked around trying to get a feel for how this event would be organized and scouting vantage points for good photos.
This turned out not to matter because the group moved the event to another part of the park at the last minute for better crowd control at the speaker stage.
Local anarchists had also converged on the scene of the park, though not participating in the march, instead organizing their march towards the Federal Office Building located at 909 First Avenue. For the past couple of months, many of the protests taking place in Cal Anderson Park would split off into their march at the Federal Office Building, with the No-Kings protests and the Anti-ICE rallies being notable examples of this. This has culminated in continual pressure being put on the offices of the many federal agencies in Seattle through mass protests, vandalism, and extreme police intervention.
My sense was that Socialist Alternative and the unaffiliated anarchists don’t see eye to eye, mainly with SocAlt viewing their appearance as a sign of trouble.
While the stage for the event speakers was being arranged, I had rendezvoused with Amber, the press liaison for Socialist Alternative. I asked what the organization's goal was with the march, and Amber explained that the march was conducted as a way “to take the anger and desperation around Trump’s attacks on trans people and the working class” and channel it into this march.
My second question was what challenges the group believes they would face at this rally.Amber’s replied, “Honestly not too many — there is always the risk of the right wing.”
Three speakers were featured at the event: Joan Wright, the organizer of the event, Marissa, a nurse from the Service Employees International Union 1199 in the Northwest, and Rose, an educator with the Renton Educators Association.
“Last month we witnessed something that should outrage every queer person in this city; Seattle police brutally attacked protestors who stood up against a far-right anti-queer group” Joan Wright said in her speech, referencing the actions of SPD on the May 24th at the MayDay counter protest.
“Mayor Bruce Harrell and the majority of the city council, all of them Democrats, are responsible for this. Instead of fully condemning this far-right group and standing with trans and queer people, The mayor and the democratic party political establishment decided to blame the protestors” Wright continued.
There was a small disturbance during the speeches when the arrival of a frequent counter-protester, considered a nuisance by protest organizers, resulted in police intervention after the counter-protester was accused of grabbing the backpack of a protester.
As this was happening, the speeches were wrapping up, and the march began. It was largely uneventful, with very little trouble from law enforcement or counter-protesters. The protesters marched down the street with rallying chants and received waves of support from bystanders and people who lived in the neighborhoods we passed.
In the current political landscape of Trump’s America, which makes it seem that trans people have no place in this world, it is very humbling to be reminded that not everyone has lost their humanity.
Arin Waller (She/They) is a transgender journalist based in Seattle and covers LGBTQ+-related topics