Thousands participate in 2019 Seattle Trans Pride March: 'This is all I ever wanted to be'



SEATTLE -- The Trans Pride March kicked off a weekend of Pride events in Seattle. Thousands chanted and walked in solidarity up Broadway on Friday night.

Several people there agreed that the night was about unity, support and being who you want to be. 



“Incredible, but weird at the same time, if you would have asked me 5 years ago if I would be standing at trans pride—I would have told you you were crazy.”

Noah Doyle stands out in a sea of thousands at the Trans Pride March in Capitol Hill in Seattle.



“I just wanted to scream 'This is me!' This is all I ever wanted to be, and to be able to be like this, this is everything.”

She started putting the pieces together that maybe she wanted something different for her life about 3 years ago.

“It all started when someone asked me what my pronouns were, and I didn’t know and I didn’t understand the question.”

She now knows very well, who she is.

“Confidence, I draw a sense of me, honestly. Being able to figure out who I am and what it means to like, exist, but also to have like a sense of community.”

That safe space to be who you are, that is why a lot of people marched, to be surrounded by acceptance and support.

“We all wanna be seen and let people know that we are here.”



Tiffani Marsh has been to just about every trans pride march.

“I missed the first one when I wasn’t quite out all the way.”

She is grateful for the annual opportunity to be part of this event.

“Relax and be ourselves, we want the same things everyone else wants.”

Sometimes what some people want and need, though, are two different things. That is where people like Charlotte Riggle come in, with something a lot of these people may not have known they needed: Mom hugs.

“There’s so many of the people that their relationship with their parents has been broken and it hurts, so… I’m here to be a mom.”



Charlotte marches with her daughter, and for everyone else.

“Here’s a place where she knows she belongs, she knows that she is accepted here. It’s not just my children that deserve to be loved, everybody’s child needs to be loved.”

Love led the group to Cal Anderson Park,where thousands flooded in for some entertainment. The entire thing, including the march, was organized by the Gender Justice League.

Enjoying conversation, or marching in solidarity,  Noah while here alone, was surrounded, and empowered.

“Proud, happy, joyful, exuberant, I don’t know, I don’t have enough words…”

Saturday is PrideFest, which is also on Capitol Hill. Sunday is the Downtown Seattle Pride Parade and PrideFest in Seattle Center.

For info on event times/closures click here.