Where:   Seattle Central College Plaza, Broadway & Pine

When:   Saturday June 25th, 2016: 5pm Rally, 7pm March

Hundreds of dykes and their supporters will rally on Capitol Hill in celebration and demonstration as part of the 22nd annual Seattle Dyke March. This year for the first time ever, the Seattle marchers will take to the streets behind the roar of the engines of the Dykes on Bikes.  A beloved tradition at Pride events worldwide since 1976, the Dykes on Bikes are a motorcycle honor guard responsible for claiming and holding space for dykes in the streets.  Says organizer Whitney Fraser, “We’ve heard for years that people want the Dykes on Bikes to lead the Dyke March.  The Dykes on Bikes really embody the energy and the excitement of our event, and command respect and attention in a way that no one else can.”

Emcee Marita DeLeon will lead the rally at 5pm, with her hilarious commentary added to two hours of speakers and performers, including local musicians Katie Kuffel, Garlic Man & Chikn, and Stasia Mehschel, as well as spoken-word artistry from Imani Sims, Sholonda Higgins, Natasha Marin, and Anastacia Tolbert.  Speakers from LGBTQ Allyship, Gay City, NW Network, UFCW 21, and more will speak on the theme of this year’s rally: Anti-Violence against Women and Children. This year the Dyke March is coming out against I-1515, an anti-transgender bathroom initiative targeting trans women, uniting both trans and cisgender people to fight against violence towards women and children in our community.

At 7pm the Dyke March will step off on a route around Capitol Hill, with the exciting new addition of the Dykes on Bikes.  The march will end in Cal Anderson Park with a rocking after-party featuring DJ Exotiqa.

Since 1994, every year on Pride weekend the Dyke March has gathered thousands of supporters at the corner of Broadway and Pine, fighting for the visibility, inclusion, and survival of queer women in Seattle and around the world.  The voices of the LGBTQ community and Pride weekend events have always been overwhelmingly male, and so we reserve our stage to shine a spotlight on the experiences, pleasures, activism, and identities of queer women and dyke-identified people across the gender spectrum.  The Seattle Dyke March is not a parade; it is a solidarity demonstration in support of dyke voices and experiences, and focuses on our community’s wants, needs, and demands.