SOAP Throwing in the Pride Towel

After many on again, off again mis-starts Seattle Out and Proud is abdicating responsibility for Pride festivities this year, as expected.

In 2007 Pride organizers Seattle Out and Proud (SOaP) voted in new leadership and SOaP’s primary concern was to produce a financially sound March and Festival in 2007. This week, after months of intense research and negotiation, it has been concluded that producing a Pride Event at Seattle Center is not financially prudent at this time. While most people believe that the 2006 March and Festival in Downtown Seattle showcased the LGBT Community extremely well, a fiscally responsible 2007 March and Festival, no matter their physical location, is the most important goal.

With all of the baggage that has built up over the last year, the SOaP board has decided the best thing for the community and the future of Seattle Pride is for SOaP to step down from producing the Seattle Pride Parade and Festival, and allow someone else to step in and take over Seattle Pride.

We're not sure what this means for the event. Last year's Seattle Center thing was a blast, by all accounts, and this year was looking very promising with the Block Party folks involved and the Stranger offering cash prizes for the best floats, but Seattle Center just seems like it's too expensive. Hopefully some of the good stuff that was planned for this year still goes down on the Hill or wherever it happens to be. Maybe a guerrilla Pride at Seattle Center is the answer, although that would seem to run counter to the whole "Out and Proud" thing...

This morning both the Times and the P-I wring hands.