Seattle walks the walk when it comes to inclusivity, providing a space of belonging for everyone. From supporting BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women-owned businesses to ensuring accessibility for all abilities, Seattle welcomes and honors all.
Visit Seattle is also proud to be a founding partner of SocialOffset, a nonprofit that provides a socially-conscious alternative to event and destination boycotts. Social Offset helps event attendees offset their spending in destinations whose laws do not align with their core values—by making it easy to donate to local charities that do. “SocialOffset is the perfect solution to planners and delegates looking for a way to use their voice (and their wallet) to support causes important to them, regardless of the external environment, regulations or circumstances,” says Tammy Canavan, President & CEO, Visit Seattle. Learn more.
Renee Erickson & Mary Lambert | Turning Tables
WOMEN TAKE THE LEAD
With over 40 percent of legislative positions held by women—including two state senators—and millions of dollars invested in female-led companies, it’s no wonder Seattle was named the best city for women entrepreneurs. Additionally, Visit Seattle’s SEAforSHE initiative celebrates the accomplishments of some of the city’s influential women, from Megan Rapinoe, former player on the Seattle Reign FC, to LaNesha DeBardelaben, president of the Northwest African American Museum.
Courtesy Space Needle
LOVE IS LOVE
City leaders and business owners don’t shy away from hanging rainbow flags or painting rainbow crosswalks. With many LGBTQ+-owned businesses on Capitol Hill and throughout the city, Seattle is a place that lives its values and welcomes everyone to be their authentic selves. Celebrate the city’s LGBTQ+ community all year long through Visit Seattle’s #weSEAlove campaign, which fosters an atmosphere of acceptance, inclusion, and love.
David Newman
DIVERSE CITY
With one of the most diverse zip codes in the country (98118) and 129 foreign languages spoken in the public schools, Seattle is home to diverse communities both established and newly arrived. Just outside of the downtown core, the Chinatown-International District is home to thriving Asian communities along with museums and experiences that tell their stories. In the Central District, visit Black-owned restaurants and shops, and in Discovery Park, the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center highlights the ongoing history of Puget Sound’s Native American community. To learn more, download a Cultural Heritage Guide.
Favianna for the National Endowment for the Arts
SANCTUARY CITY
Seattle’s commitment to providing aid for immigrants and refugees has always been strong, with upwards of 3,000 new arrivals settled in the city every year. In January 2017, Seattle issued a Welcoming Cities resolution, creating a safe haven for anyone in danger of deportation. During the fall of Kabul in August 2021, the city took in nearly 3,000 Afghan refugees, and didn’t hesitate to open its arms to Ukrainians when war broke out in their country in 2022.
Stuart Westmorland/Getty Images
ACCESS FOR ALL
Seattle ensures accessibility for all, thanks to initiatives and facilities that accommodate visitors with mobility, vision, and hearing limitations. Iconic attractions, such as the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, and The Seattle Great Wheel, all make accessibility a priority through intentional features such as elevators, ramps, and custom-made stairs that transform into a wheelchair lift. Likewise, many museums and theaters offer braille and large-print guides, closed captioning, magnifiers, and ASL interpretation upon request. Neurodivergent individuals will appreciate sensory-friendly programs and performances at attractions like MoPOP and Seattle Theatre Group—to name a few.
Photo: David Newman
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Seattle has been on the forefront of reproductive rights for decades. It’s a safe place for people of all ages and genders to come for health care services, including abortion, birth control, and gender affirming care. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, city leaders made Seattle a sanctuary city for people seeking abortion care, and criminalized encroaching on anyone seeking one. As a state, Washington has welcomed a surge of out-of-state abortion patients, and state lawmakers recently took steps to protect reproductive care involving data, costs, providers, and funding. Learn More >
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