The 天美影视传媒鈥檚 Jen Self will be one of three grand marshals of Sunday鈥檚 2018 Seattle Pride Parade.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really quite an honor,鈥� Self said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very humbling.鈥�
is the director of the , where since 2004, they鈥檝e been advocating for students, staff and faculty who identify as LGBTQ.
Self, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, is a therapist and has been an anti-oppression educator since 1996. They moved to Seattle from Eugene, Oregon, in 2003, and started at the UW the next year. They re-invented their queer activism through scholarship, program leadership and teaching at the UW. In 2005, the campus opened the Q Center, the nexus of LGBTQ life on campus. More than a hangout space, the Q Center is a place to fight for social justice through a gender and sexuality lens, Self says.
By setting an example, they say, justice can be served.
鈥淚t鈥檚 doing the right thing over and over and over again,鈥� Self said.
The right thing has meant fighting for the rights of LGBTQ students, faculty and staff. That includes starting Qolors, a program for LGBTQ-identified people of color; ensuring domestic partner benefits across campus; adding benefits for transgender people; providing gender-neutral restrooms and housing; and securing funding from grants and donors, among other projects.
Attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators to downtown Seattle, the Pride Parade is a colorful community festival complete with drag queens, scantily clad bikers and much more. It鈥檚 also a time to be among other LGBTQ-identified people and celebrate diversity. The day can be a powerful experience for many participants and spectators, Self said.
鈥淚n an instant, you can see something and change the way you understand yourself and your life鈥檚 trajectory,鈥� Self said.
For the parade, Self is planning to wear a custom-made, sequined, rainbow-inspired cape and an anti-racism T-shirt.
鈥淚 hope people experience me as a person for whom racial and gender justice and cultural transformation are the guiding forces of the universe,鈥� Self said.
All members of the UW community are invited to march together. More information about participating in the Pride Parade is available .