Community members give Denny Blaine Park play area proposal a dressing down

Wednesday night, around 400 people packed the Martin Luther King FAME Community Center in Seattle’s Madison Valley to discuss a proposal at Denny Blaine Park that’s causing a whole lot of hullabaloo.

That proposal? To build a playground with money from an anonymous donor.

Typically, a new playground — at minimal cost to taxpayers — would be greeted with open arms by a community.

But in this scenario, it’s not that simple.

For decades, the beach at Denny Blaine Park has been a gathering spot for Seattle’s LGBTQ community — and it’s one of a handful of spots in the city where folks feel safe picnicking, swimming, and sunbathing — nude.

Community members say a playground would change all of that.

Neil Dittmann was at the meeting last night. He said that Denny Blaine is a space where he connects with friends. And it’s also one of the few places where he can meet those friends without paying.

"Seattle is really expensive and you can't really do anything without spending money," Dittman said. "And for me, having a space for like gay, queer people, LGBT people to that you don't have to spend money to go to, there's a community there, like it's a really special place."

Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with KUOW investigations reporter Ann Dornfeld to learn more about the effort to preserve Denny-Blaine, and why the parks department is considering this anonymous donor's proposal in the first place.

Listen to the full segment by clicking the play button at the top of the story.