06/08/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/08/2021 13:49
We stand in solidarity with and celebrate our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) staff members and people in the Seattle community.
We're on a mission to deliver a transportation system that provides safe and affordable access to places and opportunities. The first of our value statements is Equity. We believe transportation must meet the needs of all our communities, especially our neighbors who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and/or LGBTQIA+.
As we're improving safety on our streets by lowering speed limits, redesigning major roads, and retiming traffic lights to make intersections safer for people walking and rolling, we're also working with community members in the Transportation Equity Workgroup to center voices of BIPOC and vulnerable populations as we develop and implement a transportation equity framework.
Looking back on the past year, the LGBTQIA+ community has shown incredible perseverance and resilience.
Through the heights of a global pandemic-one that has exacerbated existing health disparities in our communities-through the protests and ongoing urgency for racial and social justice, and through the financial and economic uncertainty that has impacted the LGBTQIA+ community in various ways.
During Pride, and all year long, we encourage you to frequent LGBTQIA+ owned businesses in your neighborhood and across Seattle. As we move into and through COVID-19 recovery, we continue to support Seattle businesses by offering food pickup priority zones and free temporary outdoor permits for street and sidewalk cafes, merchandise displays, and more.
At SDOT, we work to advance equity and ensure that our transportation system and work in the right-of-way is informed by authentic engagement and supports LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC community needs and values. Our neighborhoods should be places that reflect our communities and histories, where people have choices about how to get around, and everyone can live without fear-of economic displacement, of traffic violence, or their physical safety. Over the last year, we have made some progress, but there is still a long, long way to go.
-Sam Zimbabwe, SDOT DirectorCapitol Hill's rainbow crosswalks are getting refreshed!
Our crews are working on Capitol Hill to restore 11 rainbow crosswalks in need of repair this month. We'll also be cleaning the Black Lives Matter street mural on E Pine St.
The rainbow crosswalks on Capitol Hill were first installed in June 2015. They mark the neighborhood as a center of Seattle's LGBTQIA+ history and culture and are a way to claim a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Since their installation, we've partnered with other communities across the city to install community crosswalks that reflect neighborhood identities. In addition to highlighting a community's unique culture and history, the crosswalks liven up intersections with art and color!
We'll certainly miss the big parade this year, but there are plenty of other ways to celebrate Pride month!
Our LGBTQ employee resource group shared some of their favorite books that celebrate and share many different queer experiences. You can find these books at the Seattle Public Library and local bookstores:
Want more? Check out the Seattle Public Library's LGBTQ Staff Picks.
Interested in film? Check out these resources:
An Intersectional Lens: Towards a Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) Film Canon
This annotated filmography seeks to offer a curated list of films from A to Z addressing the many, many different aspects of life as a Queer or Trans Person of Color (QTPOC) in the United States.
Three Dollar Bill Cinema in Capitol Hill
Three Dollar Bill Cinema hosts queer films, community dialogue and educational experiences. They have been running virtual programs over the last year and will have Pride Month programming.