Newly obtained text messages that Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell sent from his personal cell phone to millionaire philanthropist Stuart Sloan reveal that both men share a mutual “disgust” for the “nudity” at Denny Blaine Park, a long-time queer nude beach. In the texts, Sloan described the beach as attracting a “sub-group” of people from “all over” with “very different morals than most of the people in Seattle, you and me included.” Meanwhile, Harrell wrote, “I have been made aware of the fact that the problem of nudity and hazardous waste has become totally totally unacceptable at the beach.” Harrell continued, “If you are disgusted I share your disgust.”
The texts also show a deeper level of collaboration between the two men in their effort to “clean up” the park, casting even more doubt on Harrell’s assertion that he did not know Sloan anonymously pledged $1 million to fund the construction of a children’s play area at the beach, a proposal that deeply angered Seattle’s LGBTQ community, who saw the plan as a de facto eviction.
Lee Keller of the Keller Group represents Denny Blaine Park for All, a group of local neighbors that includes Sloan. She said that "this is not about a particular group of people or a particular member of a group. It is only about people regularly breaking the law in this park and that's the ONLY thing we take exception to." Keller emphasized their concerns have nothing to do with the LGBTQ community, and their only goal is to make the park available to "EVERYONE."
Though the mayor’s office said in a March 2024 statement that “it is never our intent to take action directed at any protected class or even a protected right of expression such as nudity,” the texts from March and June of 2023 show that Harrell responding directly to Sloan’s concerns about nudity and instructing his team to “take a more aggressive and immediate approach” and to discuss “‘emergency strategies’ or anything reasonable to restore the park to a normal and reasonable use.” Shortly thereafter, mayoral and Parks staff visited Sloan's home to present plans for the playground and its estimated cost.
Ultimately, their plans amounted to nothing. In December of 2023, a few weeks after the City’s proposal to plop a kid’s play area next to a queer nude beach had been made public, the Parks department hosted a public meeting at MLK Fame Community Center where hundreds of passionate queers came out in opposition. At the end of that week, the City announced the death of the plan.
“A Citizen and a Friend”

In its communications to The Stranger, the mayor’s office previously framed Sloan as just one voice among many in the neighborhood with concerns about Denny Blaine, saying, “Since the beginning of the administration, the Mayor's Office has heard from members of the community regarding challenges at Denny Blaine Park related to matters such as parking, trash, and graffiti, with Stuart Sloan being one of many voices highlighting these issues.” But the text messages suggest the Mayor took a special interest in Sloan’s request, and that the issue was mostly nudity.
The exchange starts with a message from Sloan to Harrell’s personal cell phone on March 18, 2023, about four months after November 2022, when records show the mayor and Sloan met in Harrell’s office downtown to discuss, according to the mayor’s office, trash and graffiti.
Sloan began the exchange by apologizing for disturbing the mayor over the weekend, but he said he thought Harrell might be interested in “a couple of photos from this afternoon at Denny Blaine Park.” Though the records request obtained by The Stranger and published on MuckRock did not include those photos, Sloan said he took “the liberty to black out the ‘privates’ but, rest assured, there were many today in the park. Sloan then added, “This is disgusting and as you’ve said, we’re on the right side of this issue.”

Sloan went on to say he hoped the Mayor would agree that they needed to get ahead of nudity on the beach before the weather returned, and that they could not let “another year go by.” He then expressed some comfort in the word of a Parks administrator, who told him they were two weeks from “a plan.”
According to the texts, Harrell forwarded Sloan’s message to Seattle Parks and Recreation Director AP Diaz and reassured Sloan that “i will get it done.”
“I have all the confidence in the world that you will,” Sloan replied before complimenting Harrell’s work as Mayor and thanking him as “a citizen and a friend.”
Housen said “the plan” Sloan referenced involved parking enforcement. He said Parks and Recreation had requested support from the mayor’s office, and that Parks had staff onsite who encouraged people to move along after the two-hour parking limit was reached. Since Parks can’t issue parking citations, this did not solve the problem, Housen said. The text messages make no mention of parking and are focused on nudity.
As far as that goes, Housen said that Harrell did not believe that the park should be used for public masturbation, sex, or other illegal and lewd activities “as had been described to him.”
Going back to 2018, there have only been a handful of calls regarding lewd conduct near or around Denny Blaine Park, and the texts between Sloan and Harrell did not mention public sex, only nudity and waste.
Housen added that nudity was a protected right of expression, and the mayor respected people’s ability to exercise that right at Denny Blaine. He emphasized that the mayor had made park safety a priority, giving the example of working toward making all the parks’ restrooms available for year-round use. The mayor felt it was important for every park in the system to reflect those qualities, and acted accordingly when made aware of “the range of issues at Denny Blaine.”
“The work to improve Denny Blaine Park represents an example of the mayor’s commitment to both responding to community concerns and making parks clean, safe, and welcoming for all. Recent improvements the City has made–convening Friends of Denny Blaine Park, clearer parking regulations and enhanced parking enforcement, more frequent litter pickup, installation of portable toilets, and signage restoration–reflect that commitment,” Housen said.
Sloan Was His Friend, but Harrell Had No Idea He Was the Donor
Though the Mayor personally met with Sloan on two occasions at two key points during the playground’s proposal process–first in November 2022 and then on December 9, 2023, a day after the Seattle Parks Department publicly killed the plan–the office denied that Harrell knew that Sloan pledged to donate the money for the kid’s play area.
But after Sloan’s March 2023 text messages, which Harrell fielded on a Maui vacation with his wife in celebration of their anniversary, Harrell texted Parks Superintendent AP Diaz to say he was sensitive to Sloan’s “philanthropic position.” Harrell then instructed Diaz to call him the following week with a “status report on the nudist beach we are trying to clean up.”
Housen said the mayor was referring to Sloan’s “history of philanthropic donations broadly, (which are well documented), not any particular reference to Denny Blaine.” He added that the mayor did not know a play area was being considered, “let alone that Stuart Sloan might be a potential donor.”
On June 2, 2023, Harrell sent Sloan messages from his private cell phone, apologizing for not acting quickly enough in Denny Blaine and expressing his shared disgust.
He added, “[Deputy Mayor] Adiam Emery will be working with you to address the issue and I apologize it has not been done quickly and effectively. The law department pushed back on one strategy but I am committed to figuring this out. I am assuming you are frustrated and I think your frustration is very reasonable. I know you want results and not an apology so I hope the later [sic] is quickly forthcoming.”
Sloan replied that he appreciated Harrell’s message and expected to meet with Emery that day. Public records show that Sloan and Emery met at City Hall in June, and then again five weeks later at a Starbucks a mile from Sloan’s home. Emery and Andy Sheffer, deputy superintendent of Seattle Parks, visited Sloan at home shortly after.
In text messages, Sloan said that Emery wanted to discuss short and long-term solutions for the “bizarre behavior” at Denny Blaine and called for rules at the park.
“What is happening because there aren’t enforced rules, Denny Blaine Park is an attraction for a sub‐group of people from all over, not just Seattle, that have very different morals than most of the people in Seattle, you and me included. So, that sub‐group are absolutely keeping the clear majority of Seattleites away from Denny Blaine Park. Again, thank you and I hope that results will be sooner rather than later.”

Regarding those morals, Housen said Sloan reported to the Mayor “unwanted, illegal, and lewd behaviors including public masturbation, leering, and public sex.” Housen said Sloan’s comments were not aimed at the primarily queer beachgoers because he never referenced their sexual orientation or identity.
“In any conversation Mayor Harrell has had with Sloan, Sloan has never denigrated LGBTQ people, and, additionally, his significant philanthropic donations have been made to the benefit of people of all backgrounds, identities, and orientations, including his $78 million donation to Fred Hutch–a leader on cancer health care for LGBTQ people. Our understanding of ‘sub-group’ was in reference to people engaging in unwanted, illegal, and lewd behaviors,” he said.
Harrell didn’t respond to Sloan's message until Sloan texted him again on June 14, requesting that they talk in person or on the phone. Harrell said he would call him soon, but that he was on a flight to Japan for the G7 climate conference.
“Sorry I had to rush,” the Mayor wrote several hours later. “I’m instructing Adiam and team to take a more aggressive and immediate approach and next week we can chat about “emergency strategies” or anything reasonable to restore the park to a normal and reasonable use.”
“Thank you, Safe travels!” Sloan said.
Ultimately, after pushback from the LGBTQ community and an impassioned public meeting, the mayor and city killed the plan on December 8, 2023.