Our Legacy

Empowering the LGBTQ+ Community Through Tradition and Action

Honoring Our History, Building Our Future

Since being founded in 1971, The Court of Seattle has volunteered and raised money for almost every LGBTQIA+ non-profit organization in the Seattle King County area, including being an original donor for The Chicken Soup Brigade in 1983, which is now a program of Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

1971

Founded

200+

Members

$50k

Raised in 2023

+1.2k

Orgs Supported

About Us

From the beginning of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, The Imperial Court of Seattle has supported Hands Off Washington – Equal Rights to defeat Washington State Ballot initiatives 608 and 610 which threathened the civil rights of the state and local public employees based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation in 1993, supported Referendum 74 – Marriage Equality in 2012, and recently declared 2019 the Year of Trans Empowerment. The Court of Seattle has proudly been there every step of the way to move our community forward

In 1998, The Court filed for and received its 501(c)(3) non-profit status and became known as The Court of Seattle Organization. The purpose of The Court is to maintain pageantry and heraldry for the Monarchy by means of electing titles and other such positions. The Court still maintains its initial focus on ensuring equal treatment for all members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

Our Mission

Create goodwill, to organize charitable social events, to hold fundraising activities, and to provide for the enjoyment
and benefit of its members and for the social community in which it exists.

Our History

The Court System was started in San Francisco, which is known for its outrageous personalities and colorful figures. So it was in that city, the first Empress, Jose Sarria declared himself Dowager Widow of the Emperor Norton – Empress of San Francisco and Protectress of Mexico. Emperor Norton was a historical figure of the 1800s and was a product of the first wave of gold miners to the Barbary Coast; an eccentric, he made a fortune in gold, lost a fotune in rice, and finally declared himself Emperor of San Francisco.

Jose Sarria was notorious in the 1960s. He was the first openly gay political candidate when he ran for city supervisor in 1961. During this time, a group of gay bar owners organized “The Tavern Guild.” This organization was designed to provide support in coping with an anti-gay polical machine operating in San Francisco at the time. The Tavern Guild sought out a hostess for its function; Jose was indeed the logical choice. Jose was instrumental in bringing the various factions to her home, where her now infamous “brunches” she would host between parties bringing consensus to the benefit of the community as a whole, gay and straight.

The standard of fun, glamour, and irreverence attracted many. The Court System was growing to spread across the West Coast. In Seattle, George Ray and colleagues from the “Queen City Business Guild,” a group of gay bar owners, traveled to San Francisco to petition Jose for permission to establish a Court. In 1971, Seattle became the fourth Empire of the International Court System. The International Court System is now made up of more than 60 organizations across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Court of Seattle has mounted many campaigns to lead the fight for gay rights, which Jose I believed are basic human rights.

Every year, the Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle raises money toward its scholarship program to help support the educational pursuits for LGBTQIA+ students in the state of Washington. The J.C./Lady Gratop Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1977. Since its inception, we have award millions of dollars in various scholarships to deserving students.

The Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle celebrated 50 years of service to the community in February 2022.