“For more than 50 years, people, LGBT people, nudists, naturists, other countercultural individuals have come to this beach, and for me, this is an opportunity to acknowledge that we matter. Our stories matter,” Jesse Miranda of Friends of Denny Blaine said Monday. “Our history matters, and our history deserves to be remembered. And the places where we found the freedom to be ourselves deserve to be.”
The event marked official historic recognition of Denny Blaine Park and its longstanding cultural significance to the local LGBTQ+ community following a long legal battle over the park and amid new efforts to create new rules and resources for the space while keeping the beach a safe — and nude — place.
“One of my favorite parts about having the opportunity to advocate for this in the way that I have has been hearing all of the stories and experiences from people about what this beach means to them and the impact it’s had on their lives,” Friends president Simon Thornton said.
Monday’s gathering took place at Denny Blaine along E Lake Washington Blvd and featured local leaders, representatives from the Seattle LGBTQ Commission, and members of Friends of Denny Blaine. Longtime community organizers also joined the afternoon ceremony to commemorate the park’s legacy.
A year ago, the Friends of Denny Blaine group celebrated the beach’s addition to the Washington Heritage Register, an “official listing of historically significant sites and properties found throughout the state” that does not have an administrative component to oversee preservation and protection of the sites.
This September, Hollingsworth led the council in passing a resolution recognizing Denny Blaine Park as a site of historical and cultural significance to Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community and establishing city support for preserving and interpreting its heritage.
The resolution included language encouraging the installation of signage reflecting the park’s historic significance and the “placement of a Pride flag or similar honorary symbol” following community engagement and departmental review — features that could be part of a planned community upgrade of the park that recognizes its legacy.
In her remarks, Hollingsworth recalled the rise of community support in 2023 as the beach’s neighbors pushed to end nudity at the park with a rushed Seattle Parks plan to install a children’s play area. Text messages later revealed then-Mayor Bruce Harrell worked with multimillionaire mall developer and Denny Blaine resident Stuart Sloan in the developer’s fight over the nude beach.
“What I heard in people’s testimony as they were talking to our Seattle Parks Department and elected officials was safety,” Hollingsworth said Monday. “But this was a safe place for them. This is where they could come and feel safe from issues that were going on in the world, stuff they might be dealing with at home, safety to meet new friends, safety to have conversations with folks, to be able to learn new things. Just that word safety, and that’s the one thing that that really stuck out to me during those moments.”
Monday’s ceremony comes as the city has held public meetings to form new guidelines for the popular nude beach after the victory in the courts against a bid from park neighbors to close the public space.
A King County Superior Court ruling in July ended a lawsuit brought by Denny Blaine Park for All, a neighbor group seeking to prohibit nudity or close the park entirely. The court ruling included directives that will shape updated rules for the park. Court-ordered mandates require a map of designated clothing-optional and required areas, accessibility initiatives, and explicit definitions distinguishing legal from illegal behavior on park grounds. Meanwhile, new features and upgrades are being planned, funded through the Park CommUNITY Fund, with a total budget of $427,000.
The park and beach are already much altered with fencing installed to separate areas of nudity from view from the street and nearby homes. Home security cameras have been installed and private security firms keep watch on the park property’s edges. Seattle Police stepped up regular patrols of the area through the long court battle and have continued to be a presence around the park.
Monday, Mayor Wilson assured the crowd that the park’s history will be protected through the changes.
“As a city, we have the responsibility to preserve these histories and to ensure that our public spaces remain places where people can gather and connect and climb that dream of belonging,” Wilson said. “Because belonging is about more than just being welcomed; it’s about ensuring that people can see themselves reflected in their communities, their institutions, and in the stories that we choose to see.”
You can learn more about the Denny Blaine Park long-term site improvement plan at engageseattleparks.com.
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