Close to 200 mostly local LGBTQ community members and activists turned out on Thursday, Oct. 15, for the 20th anniversary celebration for the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

The event, which took place at the Penn Social event hall in downtown D.C., included remarks by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Office of LGBTQ Affairs Director Japer Bowles as well as LGBTQ community advocates Rayceen Pendarvis and Charity Blackwell.

The local dance group Urban Culture also performed on the stage where each of the speakers, including Bowers and Bowles, credited the community activists attending the event and others involved in the LGBTQ rights movement with helping the LGBTQ Affairs office succeed in its work.

Prior to and after the presentation by the speakers, local DJ, music producer, and community activist Tony Play presented house and dance music, including the music the Urban Culture dance group performed with.   

The LGBTQ Affairs Office, officially named the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Affairs, has Cabinet-level status and currently has six staff members, including Bowles as director.

In his remarks, Bowles noted that the office serves as the largest LGBTQ funding organization in the D.C. region, administering over $1 million in annual grants for local LGBTQ organizations and services.

Both he and Bowser said among the office’s most important accomplishments in recent years was helping the city serve as host for World Pride 2025, which drew more than a million visitors to the city who participated in hundreds of LGBTQ-related events.

“This has been one of the greatest honors of my life to lead this office,” Bowles told the gathering. “We’re celebrating during LGBTQ History Month,” he said. “Our history is not just something we look back on. It is something we keep making,” he pointed out, adding, “D.C. isn’t just supportive. D.C. is the movement.”

Bowles said that with the strong support of Bowser, the LGBTQ Affairs Office over the past 20 years has trained thousands of D.C. government employees in LGBTQ cultural and sensitivity awareness, “invested in hate violence prevention,” supported programs to provide housing for homeless LGBTQ youth and adults, supported a project to document the Black LGBTQ community’s history, and “we directed millions of dollars to organizations serving our community every day.”

“And I’m so grateful to you, the advocates, the community organizations, the business leaders, and our staff,” he said. In introducing Bowser as the next speaker, Bowles credited her with putting in place policies and actions that have advanced the office’s support for the LGBTQ community.

In her remarks at the event Bowser praised Bowles for his work in advancing the LGBTQ Affairs Office’s mission. She thanked former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams under whom she noted the Office of LGBTQ Affairs was created during his last year in office.

“So, this is a birthday party, but it is also a call to action,” the mayor said. “Because I will sow my last day on Jan. 2,” she added, referring to her last day as mayor after deciding not to run for re-election for a fourth term in office.

Bowser noted that around the time the LGBTQ Affairs office was started the issue of legalizing same-sex marriage came up before the D.C. Council when she was on the Council representing Ward 4. She mentioned that the proposal was introduced by gay Council member David Catania and she immediately expressed support for the proposed legislation, which the Council later passed.

“And then those arguments, the discussions happened,” she said, referring to the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage and the possibility of Congress stepping in to overturn a D.C. marriage bill.

“But I have to tell you, your government said this is what we’re going to do. And we’re going to make it happen so there is equality in the District of Columbia,” she said.

She noted that the success in the approval of the same-sex marriage bill in D.C. was symbolic of the mission and success of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs over the following 20 years.

“People worked, they fought, they argued, they compromised, and they made this change,” she said.

When asked how he thought the event went, Bowles told the Washington Blade he was excited over the turnout and those who attended.

“A room full of community members, leaders, history makers, new friends, colleagues,” he said. “It was great. That’s what a birthday party is all about — it’s about honoring the people of the past, celebrating the many years ahead.”

By BRENDA WINTRODE — A University of Maryland student journalist targeted by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris during an informal press briefing Tuesday said she’ll continue to cover the Republican politician who threatened to have police remove her from the room.

Cat Murphy, a graduate student at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism and a reporter for the student newswire Capital News Service, appeared on CNN Wednesday to recount a post-debate clash that has gone viral on social media and been broadcast on national news.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Murphy, 22, how she had processed the exchange one day later.

“It has been a lot,” she said. “But I was focused on doing my job and asking my questions that I wanted answers to. And I think I did that.”

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

Pride arrived for a second time this year in Dallas with the local community coming together for a few more days to uplift their LGBTQ neighbors. 

It was a weekend of fun inclusivity that this city is no stranger to; Dallas currently boasts the sixth-largest population of LGBTQ individuals in the U.S. While Texas at large has dealt with many discriminatory attacks, this city hasn’t faltered in showing off its unabashed pride. It isn’t without battle scars, of course, but this was a chance to remind not only residents, but the entire country: we are still here. Dallas’s LGBTQ population is currently louder and prouder than ever. And, as any of the many attendees will tell you, they plan to only get stronger — and so much more queer — every single day. 

While the weekend was stacked with a myriad of activities, ranging from charity drag shows to mural unveilings, the true highlight of the weekend was Oak Lawn Live. Inspired by Market Days — an annual Chicago festival where a chunk of the city becomes a queer street fair— the Cedar Springs Merchant Association developed this event as a sprawling sign of support for the local LGBTQ population. Hosted in the “gayborhood” of Oak Lawn, it featured multiple streets of vendors, special deals from the area’s many eateries, and performances from pop stars like Daya. Even under the day’s intense heat, these streets were filled with attendees excited to flaunt their pride, with Volunteer Organizer Peter Pepper emphasizing, “This event brings the community together and reminds people: [Oak Lawn] is not just a bunch of bars. This gay neighborhood exists as a place where people can feel safe. And so, above anything else, this event is meant to remind people that we exist as a gayborhood, and that we are here for people. It’s entertainment, it’s safety, it’s community, and it’s diversity.”

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It was a mission that showed in every moment of Oak Lawn Live, whether you were fighting the heat while dancing at its many stages or keeping cool with friends at one of the participating restaurants. It was those restaurants, in fact, that revealed one of the best parts of this Pride In Dallas: how amazing it was for the local economy. Because while other celebrations would have nearby establishments shut down for the day, all the ones around Oak Lawn joined in on the LGBTQ-themed festivities with fun deals and activations. This was by design, said Lee Daugherty, owner of the Oak Lawn bar ‘Alexandre’s’ and member of the Cedar Springs Merchant Association. He explained, “The merchant association is designed to encourage economic impact.” 

“Not only to promote economic activity, but to make sure that businesses are promoted,” the man continued. “So they can reinvest in the community and stay here. Because a vacant storefront helps no one.” He detailed how queer residents have always shaped Dallas’s economy, one that the Association works to make inclusive and sustainable for all. It was a fact that made the entire celebration all the more meaningful, with folks understanding how the fun of this weekend would translate into better finances for queer people across the city. 

All of this combined to make the Saturday of Pride In Dallas a bright day for the countless LGBTQ folks in attendance. It was so exuberant, in fact, that even out-of-towners could feel it, with one of those being the iconic podcast host herself, TS Madison. Pride In Dallas power partner Unleashed LGBTQ, run by Wesley Smoot, arranged this fun podcast taping.

The trans actress and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” judge stopped by the celebration for a live taping of her renowned podcast, “Outlaws,” where she interviewed many of Dallas’s drag royalty. Known for her cutting honesty, it didn’t take long for TS to call out the elephant in the room — namely, how Texas has seen numerous attacks against the LGBTQ community in recent months. 

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For non-locals, it may seem strange to have so many folks partying while there were active fights against their rights happening across the state. But Madison understood the importance of moments like these even amidst hardship, stressing, “There’s been so much going on, but we’re still here, celebrating pride … that means a lot to me, because what it lets me know is: our fight will never stop. We will never stop resisting. In the face of this political climate, in the face of turmoil, we will never, ever stop existing.”

With those words, she aptly characterized the joyous strength that came out in full force for Sunday’s Cedar Springs Pride Parade. While it only took up two streets — there was a larger parade hosted earlier this year — these blocks were packed with LGBTQ and allied locals alike. They all gathered behind the barricades, whooping in joy and stretching out their hands to the cavalcade of groups rolling by only a few feet away from them, with this parade perfectly encapsulating the communal joy of this city’s vibrant LGBTQ community. 

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Suffice it to say, this past Pride In Dallas was one of the city’s best LGBTQ celebrations yet. It was a weekend of fun, of laughter, and an important reminder of the strength that happens when we join together. Because Dallas knows that things aren’t easy right now. But as long as we take the time for moments like this and remind ourselves why we continue to fight, this city, and the historic queerness it holds, will always be here — standing Texas strong.

Special thanks to Virgin Hotel Dallas for the perfect stay. From check-in to check-out, it was true style!