The Dolls and Gents Drill and Dance Team, widely recognized as the largest community drill team in Washington state and a longtime highlight of regional parades, has publicly confirmed that it will not participate in this year’s Seafair Torchlight Parade or any other Seafair-sanctioned events. Despite Seafair’s continued use of the team’s image in promotional materials, the organization says its decision stems from being unexpectedly removed from last year’s parade—an exclusion Seafair attributed to public safety concerns.
Team leaders say those concerns centered around alleged threats of youth and gun violence targeting the group—allegations the Dolls and Gents firmly dispute. The experience has prompted the organization to reassess where and how it performs, prioritizing environments that they believe truly welcome and support their mission.
“From the decision made by Seafair last year to remove us from the parade, we decided to pivot and give our kids exposure to other communities,” said Jameelah Cage, co-founder and executive director of the Dolls and Gents. “We just didn’t want to march in a parade where we really didn’t feel welcomed.”…