A Seattle pride event focused on trans people of color is charging white people a $50 'reparations fee' to go

• A pride event focused on trans people of color will ask white people to pay a 'reparations fee.'
• The money will go towards keeping the Seattle event free for trans people of color, organizers said.
• The Seattle Human Rights Commission says the fee is appropriate.

A Pride event in Seattle is asking white attendees to pay a "reparations fee" of between $10 and $50 to attend.

The "TAKING B[L]ACK PRIDE" event, to be held at Jimi Hendrix Park on June 26, bills itself as a "Black & Brown queer trans centered, prioritized event."

Organizers say white "allies and accomplices" are welcome to attend, but ask them to pay.

The event is organized by a coalition of groups called the Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network.

The network said the money for white attendees will be used to make the event free for trans people of color, as well as to pay the performers more.

Another group, Capitol Hill Pride, initially took issue with the idea, and asked the Seattle Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to look into what it called "reverse discrimination." But it later apologized.

Capitol Hill Pride's website for its own event, slated for the same weekend, states that it is "proud" not to charge admission "based on anyone's skin color."

The SHRC posted some correspondence to Twitter:

The funding structure "does not in fact violate any of your human rights," SHRC told Capitol Hill Pride in its response.

Capitol Hill Pride later posted an apology to Facebook, saying "it was not meant to be an attack or divide but to ensure equality for all."

The Trans Women of Colour Solidarity Network told Insider in a statement that the fee is a "consensual transaction/donation from folks who support our community and our event."

They said that they have received backlash including death threats and racial slurs, and said anyone seeking to show up and be disruptive will be asked to leave.

"We've also asked that people be deeply aware and reflective about their race privilege in deciding whether this event is for them or whether to donate," the statement continued.

"But also that if you have hesitation or discomfort or don't agree you can stay home."

It is unclear whether the event's fee structure will be allowed to go ahead under the Seattle Municipal Code, which prohibits disallowing people from using the city's parks on the basis of race, Newsweek reported.

The city's Parks and Recreation office did not respond to the outlet's request for clarification.

Reparations and inequality of trans people of color

Discussion of reparations for slavery has become more prominent in recent months, with President Joe Biden making several executive orders to advance racial equity, as Insider's Bre'Anna Grant reported.

Several other LGBTQ+ groups around Seattle posted messages of support for TAKING B(L)ACK PRIDE, Newsweek reported. This includes Seattle Pride, which on June 18 posted a message of support for the event's fee structure.

"Reparations are an equitable way to redistribute resources, and Seattle Pride supports the organizers of Taking B(l)ack Pride in their efforts and why they are charging admission to non-Black folks," the message read.

People taking issue with it in the news are "perpetuating a serious level of danger and harm to Black folks who will be celebrating Pride (something that only exists because of Black trans women) by drawing the attention of white supremacists and more," the group added.