Seattle's Space Needle to Fly Pride Flag

LGBT Seattleites once again have cause to celebrate during this Pride week.

Seattle Space Needle officials have announced they will raise the Pride flag during Seattle Pride on Sunday, June 26.

The announcement came weeks after controversy erupted over the iconic landmark's leadership's decision not fly the Pride flag. The Space Needle hoisted the flag last year, but officials said this action was a one-off gesture and that, due to "branding" concerns, they would not fly the rainbow flag-or any other-this year.

When Change.org launched a petition that called upon the Space Needle leadership to fly the flag, officials began to feel the weight of a very angry community. Many saw the snub as a way of telling LGBT Seattleites-Seattle has the second largest per capita of LGBT residents in the country-that they are not welcome.

In response, the Space Needle on June 13 issued a challenge: We will fly the Pride flag if you raise $50,000 for the Greater Seattle Business Association's LGBT and allied scholarship fund; the It Gets Better Project; Lambda Legal and Mary's Place, a transgender-inclusive women's shelter in Seattle. The Space Needle chipped in a $5,000 donation right off the bat to sweeten the deal.

Josh Castle, the Seattle activist behind the Change.org petition, applauded this effort, but others did not. Phrases like "legal extortion" and "holding the flag for ransom" began to surface and it was immediately clear that this thing wasn't just going to go away quietly.

LGBT Seattleites have raised nearly $20,000 towards the $50,000 goal, but the voice of those who cried foul came through loud and clear on social networking sites. One Facebook group called for a boycott of the Space Needle, while another asked people not to donate because they saw it as a form of legal extortion.

The Space Needle's silence did little to ease the tension. But when they finally did speak on Wednesday, June 15, their message packed a punch. Change.org's Joe Mirabella reported that the Space Needle would, indeed, fly the Pride flag regardless of whether or not the community reaches the $50,000 goal.

"Their [Space Needle officials] new statement makes it absolutely clear that the Space Needle will raise the Pride flag during Seattle Pride weekend," said Mirabella in a blog post on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "They also want to continue to raise $50,000 through an online fundraiser to help four LGBT charities. This is a real win/win for everyone involved. Those passionate about the Pride flag will get to see it on the Space Needle again. Those who know how desperately our community needs financial support will have a tool to raise $50,000."

Space Needle officials defended themselves in a June 15 statement.

"Our sincere intention is to reach out to the LGBT community to raise money for these important organizations and to proudly fly the Pride flag on the top of the Space Needle," they said, noting the Space Needle had raised more than $13,000 since Monday, June 13. "We are on our way to our fundraising goal and will be just as excited as the community to see the Pride flag raised on the Space Needle."

The Space Needle has raised funds for other organizations-it raised more than $160,000 for Habitat for Humanity during a two-week fundraiser. The landmark has also challenged other charitable organizations to raise funds for their Tree for All Holiday Project and other initiatives.

"This current fundraiser is a way to raise money for people in the LGBT community who especially need it, such as helping LGBT students pay for college, giving LGBT youth the support they need to keep from contemplating suicide, providing homeless women a safe LGBT friendly place, and providing legal representation to LGBT persons and causes," stressed the Space Needle. "This was a way the Space Needle could not only raise the Pride flag, but also give back even more to the LGBT community."

Both Castle and Mirabella are now looking forward to meeting the $50,000 goal and enjoying Pride.

"Let's hope for a sunny and beautiful Pride weekend," wrote Mirabella on the Seattle P.I. blog. "The flag is going to look magnificent. Even more importantly, four amazing charities are going to get a lot of support from our community. The Space Needle has clearly demonstrated they care about our community. They could have easily just raised the flag, but instead they are going to both raise the flag, and raise money for our community at the same time. This is simply and incredible outcome."