Yes, we are really requiring masks, yes this information is up to date, and yes we are doing this even though the event is outdoors.

Trans Pride Seattle has been a mask-required event every year since our first event post-lockdown in 2021, and will continue to be a mask-required event for as long as airborne illness—including but not limited to COVID—continues to impact all peoples’, but especially Disabled and immunocompromised community members and GJL staff and organizers’ ability to gather without severe risks to our health.

We make this decision considering the high-stakes possibility of disabling or deadly consequences of infection, and the still significant risk of transmission in crowded—even outdoor—spaces. Long-term impacts of even asymptomatic cases of COVID can lead to stroke, heart failure, and disability—this is recognized by the CDC (2025). Data shows that Trans people are more likely to be Disabled and/or immunocompromised; and that Trans people are especially vulnerable to the health impacts of infection. More info on long COVID in Trans community in 2025 can be found here.

The truth is, we’re not willing to risk our lives or our long-term health to put on an event. We hope that community members—and especially cis allies—coming into our space respect our choice to not become infected and face severe long-term health consequences as a result of their “personal” choice to not mask—especially considering Trans people face so many additional forms of systemic, legal, and interpersonal attacks on our lives.

We aim for Trans Pride Seattle to be as safe as possible for Trans people. If you care about Trans lives, please mask up.

Trans Pride Seattle is advertised as a mask-required event so that more—hopefully all—people will wear masks, making the event safer and more accessible to our community. Because our event takes place in a public space, we cannot legally enforce a mask requirement as we cannot legally remove people refusing to mask out of the park for that reason. We can remove people who refuse to mask from inside any of the tents at the event, and anyone from the event/park if they become belligerent for any reason.

We are doing our best to use language that communicates our expectations and hopes for the space while also being transparent about the reality of what a mask-required event in a public space looks like in practice. We do this so that community members can have as much information as possible about the level of risk posed by attending, and therefore make the most informed choices possible.

• We require all staff, organizers, and volunteers to rapid test before showing up to the event space, and to show the welcome tent a photo of their negative test upon showing up. We also recognize the limitations of rapid testing and encourage everyone, including all attendees, to get PCR tests before the event if possible.
• Our friendly mask encourager volunteers will be making the rounds throughout the event to remind people to stay masked and hand out masks to those who need one. We also encourage any attendee to remind fellow event-goers to mask up as needed, as it is everyone’s responsibility to help keep us all safe.
• Signs posted around the event as well as slides and verbal announcements throughout our stage show will remind attendees to mask up as a practice of community care.
• In our registration forms and ongoing communications to all volunteers, staff, organizers, vendors, sponsors, and tablers, we clearly state our expectations and policies around masking and testing, and require an electronically signed agreement that they remain masked at the event while not actively eating/drinking.
• Every year, Trans Pride Seattle is livestreamed to our YouTube page, where anyone can tune in and enjoy it virtually in real-time and beyond.