The water was bone-chilling (10-14˚C/50˚F-57˚F in some pockets according to my watch), but there’s nothing like swimming up to see Tahoma. Pure magic mixed with shock (be careful going in water below 15˚C).
I’ve been going to Denny Blaine for 5 years now. The people are nice. It’s a great place to cool off on a summer day. I haven’t had to buy a swimsuit for the past 5 years, which is great bc I gain and lose weight throughout the year. If you’ve ever gone to war between the mesh in your bathing suit, your buttcrack, and your junk, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Bathing suits suck.
It might seem strange if you’ve never been naked in front strangers, but all of the awkwardness goes away when you’re all collectively screaming as you immerse yourselves in the 45˚F water. Some people will be brave and go all the way in, some people keep their toes in the water, some people only make it halfway. But we all pause and see each other as humans, the innocent fun of immersing yourselves into chilly, deep waters completely naked and finding the courage to swim. You might even meet a nice guy that offers you some of his spicy chex mix to offset the freezing cold waters below you. YEAH I TOOK CHEX FROM A STRANGER AT A NUDE BEACH, I’M A GANGSTER BRO
I’m a queer person. I’ve been overweight most of my life. Part of healing myself and accepting myself has been allowing myself to be comfortable in my own skin in front of strangers. And that’s true for so many other people who go too. I’ve never seen so many trans people be comfortable at a beach before… much less a nude beach. I took my best friend here after she sold her house and left her abusive ex boyfriend. It was the first time she was naked in front of other people, and it helped her love herself more.
No one is forced to be naked; you’ll see plenty of people in their bathing suits on any given day. But something I really value about Seattle is that it’s not illegal to be naked anywhere in public. We have the naked bike rides for that reason!
Denny Blaine is one of the most chill spots to hang out and cool off on a day out. You’ll make lots of friends.
But you know what isn’t chill? The fences and security cameras they set up to harass/intimidate people and keep them from going to the beach this year. You probably have seen in the headlines that they’re trying to shut down Denny Blaine, but what they’re not sharing is how important it is.
Queer people are under attack across the nation right now, and I know too many trans people who recently have moved here because they no longer have legal personhood in their home states. Their IDs are no longer recognized. They can’t get a license or a passport. I’m gonna come off my soap box, but my point is. Trans people are under attack from every direction, and this is the one place where I have consistently seen queer people thrive and be accepted as they are.
Why are we wasting the city of Seattle’s money on putting up fences and infrastructure to hide a nude beach that has existed here for the past hundred years? Were the Indigenous people on the shores of Lake Washington swimming in speedos when the pioneers came into contact with them? Bc as far as I’m concerned people have been swimming in Lake Washington naked longer than this country has been around.
Denny Blaine is a public beach, and it is our right to be naked in public in Seattle. They privatize so much of our lives. There is no price tag to us going to the beach and enjoying the day. You don’t even have to buy a bathing suit. Where can you go in Seattle these days and spend exactly nothing to have a good time? Our public parks are sacred, Denny Blaine is historically a sacred space for the queer community of Seattle, and it is important to fight for our right to parrrrrrrrrtyyyyyyyy. Shoutout to the Friends of Denny Blaine and the dude who came up to me today to talk about it.
submitted by /u/joaquinsolo
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