We are a volunteer-driven organization committed to promoting the well-being and visibility of the trans and nonbinary community through engaging and accessible events. Our team is comprised of passionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change and celebrating diversity. Whether you’re a seasoned swimmer or dipping your toes in the water for the first time, Pride Across the Bridge welcomes you to join us in making waves and embracing the beauty of our shared journey.

RSVP for free to join the swim. Events hosted at rotating locations each month, please see event webpage and RSVP for details. If you need gender-affirming swimwear, Pride Across the Bridge may be able to offer reimbursements to help cover costs on first-come-first-serve basis. Please see event page for link to apply.

Guidelines: In our swim meetups, inclusivity and respect are paramount. We operate under a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, or hate speech based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or any other discrimination against your human beings. We ask all participants to respect each other’s pronouns and to contribute to a positive and supportive atmosphere. Privacy and personal boundaries are to be respected at all times.

All-ages welcome – attendees under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Kids may be asked to take a swim test (especially if under 14 or needing additional support)

No personal photography will be allowed to maintain a safe environment for everyone’s comfort, unless explicitly notified by event hosts with permission from everyone in the shot. We know that folks may still want a memento to remember their joy, so we’re planning live illustration for each swim meet. We will have paid trans and nonbinary live sketch artists from our community, who are there to enjoy the vibe and capture the magic.

We encourage community engagement and invite everyone to stay informed about our events, announcements, and community news by signing up for our newsletter on our website or following us on social media @prideacrossthebridge. We strive to make our events accessible to all, and accommodations can be arranged upon request.

The post Trans and Nonbinary Swim appeared first on TRACTION .

We are a volunteer-driven organization committed to promoting the well-being and visibility of the trans and nonbinary community through engaging and accessible events. Our team is comprised of passionate individuals dedicated to creating positive change and celebrating diversity. Whether you’re a seasoned swimmer or dipping your toes in the water for the first time, Pride Across the Bridge welcomes you to join us in making waves and embracing the beauty of our shared journey.

RSVP for free to join the swim. Events hosted at rotating locations each month, please see event webpage and RSVP for details. If you need gender-affirming swimwear, Pride Across the Bridge may be able to offer reimbursements to help cover costs on first-come-first-serve basis. Please see event page for link to apply.

Guidelines: In our swim meetups, inclusivity and respect are paramount. We operate under a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, or hate speech based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or any other discrimination against your human beings. We ask all participants to respect each other’s pronouns and to contribute to a positive and supportive atmosphere. Privacy and personal boundaries are to be respected at all times.

All-ages welcome – attendees under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Kids may be asked to take a swim test (especially if under 14 or needing additional support)

No personal photography will be allowed to maintain a safe environment for everyone’s comfort, unless explicitly notified by event hosts with permission from everyone in the shot. We know that folks may still want a memento to remember their joy, so we’re planning live illustration for each swim meet. We will have paid trans and nonbinary live sketch artists from our community, who are there to enjoy the vibe and capture the magic.

We encourage community engagement and invite everyone to stay informed about our events, announcements, and community news by signing up for our newsletter on our website or following us on social media @prideacrossthebridge. We strive to make our events accessible to all, and accommodations can be arranged upon request.

The post Trans and Nonbinary Swim appeared first on TRACTION .

Moving Stories is live storytelling event about crossing borders, finding safety, and building home together. In partnership with Seattle Foundation, this evening centers the voices of Two-Spirit, transgender, transsexual, nonbinary, agender, and gender-nonconforming (trans+) people who moved to Washington to escape anti-trans persecution and violence, and the people who helped them land here with care.

Admission is free!

The venue capacity is only 75, so we appreciate your RSVP!

Doors open at 6:00. General admission — Join us early for a cocktail or soft drink and grab your seat.

(A donation of $20 per ticket is appreciated but not required.)

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STREAM AND ONLINE PROGRAM

The post Moving Stories – TDOV appeared first on TRACTION .

My first experience attending a Transgender Day of Remembrance

was in Tucson, Arizona, in 2001. I can still remember the dusky warmth in the air as I gathered quietly with others beneath the deepening desert sky. The vigil was led by the late, great Alexander John Goodrum—a visionary Black trans+ advocate and educator whose gentle authority and fierce compassion set the tone for the whole evening. Even then, it was clear there was something extraordinary about Alexander: the way he spoke each name, honored the complexity of grief, and called us to hold one another in both sorrow and solidarity stayed with me long after the candles burned out.

Alexander soon became a source of courage and wisdom for me—a close friend and mentor whose lessons about tenderness in activism still shape my work to this day. He taught me that justice is not just about demanding change, but also about building loving, sustaining community. Remembrance, as Alexander practiced it, was not merely ritual; it was a living act that called us deeper into connection with both the living and the lost.

Only a year later, we faced the heartbreaking task of reading Alexander’s own name aloud at that same TDOR. He had died by suicide in the fall of 2002 while seeking help at a local mental health facility. His absence left a profound ache in Tucson’s community and among trans+ advocates everywhere. Speaking his name among the others was a reminder of how vulnerable we are, and how essential it is to support one another in grief, in hope, and in solidarity.

Twenty-three years later, I return to TDOR each November holding Alexander’s legacy close—honoring not only those we have lost to violence, but also those taken by despair, and renewing our promise to fight for a safer, more loving world for every trans+ person.

– Michael Woodward

“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”

– Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

We have always existed and always will exist. Let our joy and excellence be embraced as we resist the forces against us and deepen our resolve toward liberation.

The post Transgender Day of Remembrance appeared first on TRACTION .

Last time christofascists were in town, it was a sh%! show.

This time, there is a plan. Join us for a Trans Mutual Aid Picnic in Cal Anderson 8/30 from 10:30am to 4:30pm.

We’re inviting everyone who can come with love in their hearts for trans people to come to the park to create a decentralized event that focuses on supporting trans people over engaging with christofascists.

Pinickees, choirs, dancing, grandmas making sandwiches , blessings, streaming, djs, knitting circle, acrobat: we welcome all to the picnic peacefully who have love for trans people in their hearts.

Come join us as we show that love is louder than hate. No higher commandment than love!

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Outside of the Seattle Bubble? Seattle ain’t for everyone, we get it.
But Trans Pride Seattle IS FOR EVERYONE! 

Watch here: YouTube.com/@tractionpnw

TRACTION is bringing the Trans Pride Seattle live stream to you this year. You’ll see stage performances along with roving cameras and chats with the crowd, all hosted by Harper Bizarre and Mystix Flamer.

Would you like to host a Watch Party?

If you’d like to host a TPS Watch Party at your local watering hole or even your living room, we can include your party in the broadcast, cutting away from the local action to chat with you in between stage performances.
Potential hosts (with or without a featured spot), tell us your interest here –> https://forms.gle/rYxN7owcgxfWDcMk9

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Visit the TRACTION Action Gear Shop!

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Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 to memorialize those whose lives were lost in the past year as a result of anti-transgender violence and persecution.

The week preceding TDOR, our community participates in Transgender Awareness Week to highlight trans joy and excellence, and the ongoing issues we face, such as safety, access to care and housing, safe travel, schools, and more.

Get involved

Check your local calendars for events and memorials, and make a plan to join one of the TRACTION-sponsored TDOR events (offered virtually and in person)

• • Nov 13 – Roundtable Meeting Talanoa: Empowering Voices, Shaping Policies for Gender-Affirming Care and Safety for all Trans Lives.

• • Nov 16 – Concert by Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) Live

• • Nov 20 – Concert by Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble (STANCE) Live and Livestreaming

History of Transgender Day of Remembrance

Gwendolyn Ann Smith started Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) in 1999 as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman killed in 1998. Smith designed the vigil to commemorate all known trans people lost to violence since Rita’s death. This practice of honoring all those lost in the previous year because of violence continues today with the reading of names at annual TDOR events across the country.

“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”

– Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

We have always existed and always will exist. Let our joy and excellence be embraced as we resist the forces against us and deepen our resolve toward liberation.

The post Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024 appeared first on TRACTION .

Join STANCE for our second annual concert commemorating Transgender Day of Remembrance 2024. This evening of music and poetry is dedicated to our fallen siblings and will focus on the incredible power that each and every trans person possesses.

This concert is sponsored by TRACTION and features the poetry of Lotus the Vibe.

Accessibility: Masks are required of all audience members to protect the safety of our immunocompromised and disabled community members. Thank you for your understanding. Our venue is wheelchair accessible and will be ASL interpreted. If you cannot attend in person, the event will be livestreamed www.youtube.com/@STANCEchoir. 

Your support of our event will allow us to continue building community for the Seattle area gender diverse community.

Not Allowed: No flash photography allowed

The post The Power of Me – Trans Day of Remembrance appeared first on TRACTION .