Pamshousblend.com - What could be a more exciting way to usher in Seattle LGBT Pride than to raise the rainbow flag above the city's icon, the Space Needle? Needless to say I'm thrilled, and the town is all a-buzz about this unexpected delight!

This is something our Community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight allies has been wanting to see for a long, long time. So how did it come to be? Louise Chernin, Executive Director of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) filled me in. The plan was hatched at a Pride tourism luncheon last week sponsored by GSBA, the largest LGBT Chamber in the United States. GSBA has just launched an LGBT Tourism portal on their website: Travel Gay Seattle, Where Out is In, for LGBT Tourists to Get Here, Stay Here and Play Here. The goal is to increase tourism revenue in our region. Among the luncheon guests was the president of the Space Needle who decided to show the LGBT community how valued we are in this city.

I'd say he's got his finger on the pulse of the city, don't you? After all, something like 90% of Seattle voters approved our comprehensive domestic partnership law at the polls last November. Louise puts it this way:

Today, the best known icon of Seattle, made a significant statement for LGBT equality by raising the Rainbow Flag on top of Seattle's Space Needle. Seattle is home of the third largest LGBT population in the country and the raising of the flag is a recognition of the integral role the LGBT community has in Seattle being a world class city. ... Looking up and seeing a rainbow flag on top of the Space Needle sends a warm and welcoming message to all LGBT tourists visiting this weekend to celebrate Pride.

GSBA invited representatives from a broad cross-section of the community (listed below) to gather on the roof of the Needle to help raise the flag. (I hear a few hairs were raised too, because to get to the roof you had to ascend several flights of stairs above the observation deck, scale a ladder and emerge through a roof hatch!). Thirty-nine pulls of the rope later and the flag was up. It'll fly proudly through Pride weekend.

I haven't had the opportunity to see it for myself yet, but just knowing it's there and seeing the pictures makes me happy. Louise said, "This Pride weekend will have a different meaning to people, that we're really part of this community. And just like you see special flags on the Space Needle for everything else important, this was also being recognized. Even our elected officials that were there -- this felt personal to people that it was from the Space Needle, because it is such an icon. It was very meaningful. So it was great, I think people are going to smile all weekend. You know we all get together for so many things. Either it's a fundraiser usually, or we're protesting something. People were so happy today, it was so nice! It was great, it was wonderful!"