Inclusion and Acceptance
Washington boasts top LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the U.S.
By Seattle Mag October 22, 2024
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2024 issue of Seattle magazine.
Three cities across Washington state are among the most LGBTQ+ friendly in the nation.
ConsumerAffairs ranks Tacoma No. 4, Spokane No. 9, and Seattle No. 10 based on a comprehensive study of LGBTQ+ representation, legislation, access to health care, safety, and affordability.
Seattle in particular has been a pioneer in protecting the rights of the LGTBQ+ community since the City Council passed the Fair Employment Practices Ordinance in 1973 that prohibited employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. The city also has enhanced penalties for hate crimes involving a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Washington has one of the highest populations of LGBTQ+ residents in the U.S., at 7%. The national average is 5.5%.
Follow Us
How Hosting Is Changing in 2026
Seattle event planner Reneille Velez on the end of champagne escort walls and the return of thoughtful hosting.
Reneille Velez spends her days thinking about how people arrive in a room. Not just where they hang their coats or grab a drink, but how those first moments feel—the lighting, the sound, the sense that someone thought carefully about what it would be like to walk through the door. As the founder of GIAN,…
Seattle Gift Guide: Comfort, Style, and Everyday Essentials
Open them today, enjoy for months—and years—to come.
A few gift ideas for the season, mixing local favorites with smart, useful finds. Easy pieces to wear, sweet things to share, and a couple of upgrades for the home. Nothing fussy, just solid picks that make life a little nicer. Now the birds have a smart home too. The chic, camera-integrated Peep…
Publisher’s Notebook: A Well Designed Life
Great design is never just about use.
Is life better when the things around us are beautiful? Beauty, when we experience it, actually slows us down in the best possible way. It commands us to notice. A beautifully designed thing doesn’t just function—it holds within it the accrued talents of its maker, the culture of its time, and the promise that life…
