Loud and proud, an exhibit celebrates LGBTQ life on Vashon

By Elizabeth Shepherd 

Last week, approximately 600 people came out of the closet on Vashon.

The closet in question was not an actual one, but rather, the ingeniously constructed entry point to a new exhibition, “In and Out: Being LGBTQ on Vashon,” at the Vashon Heritage Museum.

The show’s opening night on June 7 attracted an estimated 600 viewers over the course of several hours, who came to greet friends and neighbors and find out more about the history and contributions of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning) people on Vashon.

The raucous and celebratory evening, held to coincide with June’s designation as Pride Month and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, drew a slew of prominent islanders who identify as LGBTQ — a multi-age group that includes real estate agents, artists, designers, business owners, farmers and educators. Several members of Vashon High School’s largest club, the Queer Spectrum Alliance, were also on hand, as were two drag queens who performed exuberant dances, a DJ who kept music throbbing throughout the night, and museum board members, who beamed as they wove their way through the throng of attendees…

 

Read the rest of the article on the Vashon Beachcomber website