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Md. Senate hearing on marriage draws hundreds
Governor, Baltimore mayor testify in favor of bill
Gov. Martin O'Malley testifies before the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Tuesday in favor of the Civil Marriage Protection Act. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Over the course of four hours on Tuesday, opponents and supporters of same-sex marriage delivered compelling testimony before a Maryland Senate committee in hopes of swaying lawmakers on a landmark bill.
The Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard testimony on the Civil Marriage Protection Act throughout the afternoon on the last day of January, as lawmakers, experts, clergy and regular citizens from both sides of the issue shared their feelings on the bill at two minutes a piece.
Gaithersburg resident Stephanie Kreps arrived early to the hearing, proudly wearing a ‘Marylanders for Marriage Equality’ sticker to show her support for the bill as the mother of a gay son.
“It’s simple to me,” Kreps told the Blade. “I have rights that my gay son doesn’t have, and I want those rights for him and all other gay people.”
Kreps was looking forward to hearing the testimony of the bill’s supporters and said she was hopeful for the bill’s prospects considering the Governor’s support this year, and the growing trend toward supporting marriage for same-sex couples in Maryland.
The first witness to testify in favor of the bill was Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has made the bill part of his 2012 legislative agenda. O’Malley, who had at one time hesitated to support extending full marriage rights to gay couples, has become a proponent of the legislation.
“As you know we already recognize civil marriages that come from other states,” Gov. O’Malley said during his brief testimony, “the civil marriage equality bill draws upon the lessons that we have learned from these other states.”
“This bill balances an individual’s civil marriage rights with the important protections of religious freedoms for all,” O’Malley continued. “And because it protects both of these inalienable rights, it is supported by a broad coalition of Marylanders, which includes clergy, community leaders, faith-based organizations, civil rights groups and those who hold the most important title of all in our democracy, and that title is citizen.”
Sen. Raskin testifies in favor of the bill, Tues. (Blade photo by Michael Key)
O’Malley was followed by gay Sen. Richard Madaleno who spoke from the heart about his love for his partner and raising a child, and relayed a story about a walk with his young daughter that expressed the very essence of family.
“We were picking flowers along the way, and she was picking buttercups and dandelions,” Madaleno said. “As she picked a few of the flowers, and went on to pick more, she handed me a little bouquet, and said ‘daddy will you hold my wishes for me?’” When he asked her what she meant, she explained. “She said ‘This is a wishing flower, you blow on it, and you see where your wishes go.’”
“I don’t know why people fall in love, I don’t know exactly why I have fallen in love with Mark as opposed to someone else, but I have, and together we have formed a family, and that family includes children.”
Following Madaleno were Democratic Sens. Jamie Raskin and Robert Garagiola and Republican Sen. Allan Kittleman, as well as Attorney General Douglas Gansler (video below courtesy GoodAsYou), all of whom urged passage of the bill.
Sen. Kittleman broke ranks with Republicans to support the bill. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Kittleman, who spoke about his father’s work in the civil rights movement, said he feels so strongly about the legislation because “I really do believe it’s about family, it’s about liberty, it’s about equality.”
“I remember my dad telling me years later that when he was fighting for the civil rights movement, and integration in the public schools in Howard County, and he was talking to people who were opposed to it, especially school board members, the would say things like ‘but you don’t know what will happen if we accept African Americans. Here’s what might happen. They’re going to do this in the hallway,’ or ‘they’ll do this in the classroom,’ or ‘they’ll cause this problem.’ Always ‘might be this’ or ‘might be that.’ What I’m urging you is don’t succumb to the mights. What my father taught me is that you don’t take away someone’s civil rights because of something that might happen. You can deal with the ‘mights’ later on. But make sure we get the civil rights done now. Make sure we get that equality for everyone in our community now.”
“You don’t say no to civil rights because you’re worried about what might happen in the future,” Kittleman concluded.
Raskin, for his part, strongly defended the religious protections in the bill, confirming that churches and church sponsored and operated facilities would be exempt from having to “lend any of its accommodations, programs, or services for the purpose of promoting a marriage it disapproves of for religious reasons.”
However, Raskin was quick to differentiate religious groups and private individuals or businesses, who have been barred in law since 2001 from discriminating against Marylanders in public accommodation because of sexual orientation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0aThYUXJ64
Sen. Raskin defends the marriage bill.
Also testifying in favor of the bill was Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
“I believe that all couples regardless of their sexual orientation, want their children protected under the law,” Rawlings-Blake testified. “Please don’t be mistaken, this bill is about more than those rights, it’s also about civil rights and about equality under the law.”
Both sides were given two hours each to present their witnesses in four parts — the first and third hours in support of the law, and the second and fourth in opposition.
Baltimore mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake testifies in favor of the bill. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
All told, more than 75 citizens delivered testimony both for and against the bill over a period of four and a half hours. Opposition to the bill ran from the colorful — like local same-sex marriage hearing mainstay Minister Leroy Swailes, who produced groans even from other opponents of the bill — to the passionate; while support ran from the clinically factual to the deeply moving — such as the ardently supportive mother of a lesbian daughter, Penny Nichols.
The supporters also included dozens of same-sex couples raising children, parents of gay children and straight children raised by same-sex couples, all in an attempt to counter arguments by the opposition that same-sex marriage would be detrimental to the development of children in Maryland.
Also testifying in support of the law in the first hour were gay veteran and law enforcement officer Irene Huskens of Fort Washington; president of the Maryland AFL-CIO union, and father of a gay child, Fred Mason; gay federal worker and long-time Maryland resident Candy Holmes; supportive Unitarian-Universalist minister Rev. John Crestwell; and David Rocah, staff attorney at the ACLU of Maryland.
One of the questions that Rocah fielded from committee member Sen. Joseph M. Getty after his testimony dealt with whether the law discriminates against close family members that wish to marry “because of genetics, and the familial relationship is because of genetic relationships.”
“It’s long-standing policy in Maryland to prohibit marriage between people of a particular familial relation,” Rocah answered. “They don’t all relate with genetics. Maryland has prohibited relationships between stepfathers or stepmothers, they’re not genetically related. Different states have different degrees of familial relationships in which marriage is prohibited. I don’t see the issue of discrimination that you’re referring to.”
Both the hearing room itself and an overflow room were filled to capacity through much of the hearing, producing an electric and anxious atmosphere among those in attendance. Same-sex marriage supporters sat next to opponents, making it difficult in many cases to distinguish who was there in favor of and who was there against. Most in attendance could only be differentiated by the round stickers given out by both the proponents and opponents — which themselves were similar in shape, size and coloring.
Among those in the audience in opposition to the bill was Maryland resident Ruby Wilson who says she has concerns about the bill because she believes it will harm children.
“I believe children are being affected already in Massachusetts with the bill that’s there,” Wilson — who says as a Catholic she does not believe gays should adopt children — told the Blade. “In the fifth grade they’re given a book …and it tells all the ways that you can enjoy yourself as a homosexual. I don’t want my grandchildren to have that.”
“Also they said that there’s going to be a conscience clause in this bill for Christians,” Wilson continued. “Well, they just take that to court, and the courts just take it out. And then where are we at? We just have no protection.”
“I’m totally against it,” Wilson said, though she is not opposed to civil unions for same-sex couples. “I’m just opposed to redefining marriage.”
Wilson’s feelings about “redefining marriage” were echoed by Maryland resident Edna Kersey.
“I think that traditionally that is what marriage defines, is a man and a woman, and I feel that they should find another term for the same-sex marriage, or the same-sex union, so that it not tamper with the name that we so long stood on,” Kersey told the Blade. “That’s what our foundation is built on, the tradition marriage, which is between a man and a woman. So its not the union itself, it is the name or the title that they are trying to change.”
However, Kersey tells the Blade that she is not in support of Civil Unions, unlike Wilson.
In the second hour, the opposition first presented Maryland Family Alliance president Pastor Dereck McCoy, who set a cordial, respectful tone.
“Regardless of the tenuous debate that we’re in,” McCoy said, “I think we need to understand that Marylanders are separated on this issue, but it’s a deep and passionate thing in the root and the heart of the communities and many people’s lives.”
However, regardless of the result of the vote, McCoy said the definition of marriage would not change for opponents. “People will still feel that marriage should be defined as one man, and one woman. That does not change.”
Following McCoy was Maryland Baptist ministers Rev. Dr. John Lund, and Rev. Dr. Nate Thomas, as well as Presbyterian pastor Bob Borger, former mega-church pastor Joel Peebles — who recently lost a court battle over control over his Jericho City of Praise Ministry — as well as some Catholic voices such as Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Father Eric Arnold, and Maryland Catholic Conference’s Mary Ellen Russell.
“Among those who testified last year, there were some who seemed to bring hatred and prejudice into the hearing,” said Father Arnold. “In fact, the Baltimore Sun reported that at least one Senator changed his stance on the bill because of the demonization that he sensed in some of the testimony. So as I speak to you today, I ask you to please not lump my testimony in with those who may be driven by hatred or prejudice.”
Father Arnold assured the committee that he, and many of those testifying with him, were there with good will.
“We are here today simply to speak on behalf of the wonderful and unique institution of marriage as it exists in between one man and one woman,” he continued, saying that preferring such unions was ‘not prejudice.’ “We ask you to recognize that the family based on a marriage of a man and a woman is a natural institution that is prior to the state.”
Mary Ellen Russell, in the adjacent audio file, seemed to come out both in favor and against civil unions during her testimony (hear her testimony at GoodAsYou.org).
The testimony was concluded by an attorney specializing in representing churches and ministers, Erika Cole, the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty’s Eric Baxter, and the anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund’s Brian Raum (hear his testimony at ThinkProgress.org).
Committee chair Sen. Brian Frosh and Lisa Gladden. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Several times throughout the proceedings — both the hearing room and the overflow room where the testimony was projected upon two large screens at the fore of the room — parts of the audience erupted into cheers and applause in response to testimony given, often soliciting a stern reminder from committee chair Sen. Brian E. Frosh that for the sake of time, applause was to be held until the end, in recognition of the number of witnesses to get through.
Leading the supporters of the bill to testify in the third hour were the Human Rights Campaign’s Sarah Warbelow, who gave a statement about the way same-sex couples in Maryland were treated unequally in terms of property ownership, child rearing, healthcare and inheritance.
“Hundreds of laws cover the benefits, rights, and obligations of spouses,” Warbelow told the committee. “When same-sex couples cannot participate in marriage, their families are more vulnerable.”
Following Warbelow were Baltimore Presbyterian pastor Andrew Foster Connors, Baltimore’s Rabbi Elyssa Sachs Kohen, Doug Prouty of the Montgomery County Education Association, Henry Dugan president of the Maryland State Bar Association, along with State Bar member Craig Little, Daphne Mcclellan executive director of the National Association of Social Workers Maryland chapter, Rev. Madeleine Beard coordinator of public policy for the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, MCC Bishop Rev. Darlene Garner and Rev. Jill McCrory Chair of Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.
They were joined by social workers and radio hosts Bob and Lori Hollander, Progressive Maryland Interim Executive Director Kate Planco Waybright, and Ezekiel Jackson political organizer for 1199 SEIU, who said, “as a heterosexual African American man, I’m here for equality.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfBGyIhtWfw
A.G. Gansler testifies
Opposition in the fourth hour brought some of the most curious testimony of the day. Openly gay father Doug Mainware lamented the lack of a mother in the lives of his children, and cited his conservative beliefs and “thinking deeply about this issue in a reasoned way,” as impetus for coming to oppose the bill after previously supporting it. Senator Raskin, intrigued by the curiosity of the situation, asked Mainware, “how do you undermine an institution by bringing more people into it?”
Mainware believes that the term belongs specifically to the union between a man and a woman, but did admit he is not opposed to civil unions.
Mainware was followed by a cordial Rob Lucas and anti-gay group MassResistance’s Brian Camenker, who warned lawmakers that parents will lose control over what children are taught in school if marriage is extended to same-sex couples, and even warned about a particular case, frequently cited by same-sex marriage foes, in which David Parker was arrested for opposing a pro-gay curriculum in his child’s school.
Also opposing in the fourth hour were Pastor Victor Kirk, Maryland Gubernatorial candidate Corrogan Vaughn, Ruth Jacobs, Silver Springs pastor Robert Nelson, leader of Maryland Marriage Savers Mike McManus, Pierre Bynum, Chaplain at the Family Research Council, Martha and Ed Jenkins, Todd Braun, the colorful Minister Leroy Swailes, and Grace Harley who opposes the bill but — after reciting from the biblical book of Matthew — proclaimed, “I once lived as a man, I once married a woman in 1978, I’ve been before you many times.”
After the final round of opponents, several prominent supporters were able to give their testimony, including Kate Oliver of the group COLLAGE which brings together the children of gay parents, Rev. Lisa Ward, Liz Seaton of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Rev. MacArthur Flournoy who had led the clergy rally earlier in the day, president of the Maryland Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Mark Yost and Episcopal priest Rev. Kathleen Corbet Welsh, a happily partnered lesbian for many decades.
Among these prominent voices was Equality Maryland executive director Carrie Evans, who echoed the sentiments of all of the heartfelt statements that had preceded hers.
“Today you have heard from individuals and families who represent the wonderful and cherished diversity of our great state,” Evans told the committee. “Each person has shared the sometimes personal and touching reasons why you should vote to end marriage discrimination.”
Also in this group was memorable mother of a lesbian daughter at Drexel University, Penny Nichols, who proclaimed “As a devoted mother, I knew my daughter was gay since the second grade.”
“When she finally said to me at the age of 16, ‘mom I’m gay,’ I shocked her with my response, for I hugged my daughter, and I said ‘I’m so proud of you for being your authentic self,” Nichols said. “I want my lesbian daughter to live in a just world.”
“The only obstacle my lesbian daughter should face is her mother’s rule that she cannot marry until after she receives her degrees,” Nichols continued. “I am not gay, but I birthed a gay daughter. I don’t know who’s louder or prouder — she or I — but I will tell you, I think I am outer and prouder!”
After the completion of the last supporters, the committee agreed to exhaust the speaker’s list by giving those remaining — both supporting and opposing — one minute each to add their own testimony.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Tsr7rz9Og
World Pride 2025
WorldPride recap: Festival, parade, fireworks, and Doechii
D.C. turned out for a massive celebration tempered by new political realities
From Spain to Saint Lucia, Berlin to Brazil, travelers from around the globe began to arrive in Washington, D.C., for the biggest celebration of the LGBTQ community of the year. After two years of planning, over the course of nine days, one unified message of the strength of love against bigots that oppose the LGBTQ community emerged as WorldPride took over the city last week.
The long road to the successful events wasn’t met with open arms, though. As Donald Trump was elected president the year prior, the political climate in the U.S. became even more polarized, with the LGBTQ community — and trans people specifically — becoming targets for far-right figures.
This made it more difficult to ensure the safety of our transgender siblings within the LGBTQ community, especially while traveling to a city led by someone who has openly claimed them as enemies. InterPride, the group that runs WorldPride celebrations across the globe, even issued travel advisories for transgender and nonbinary people.
Additionally, the U.S. Park Service fenced off Dupont Circle — one of the centers of Washington’s LGBTQ community — just days before the celebrations began. After massive pushback, they took down the fences and allowed people to use the circle as a place to celebrate.
Despite the fears, scores of LGBTQ people poured into the capital just as rainbow banners, flags, posters, and messages of love and support covered every part of the city.
The long list of celebrations was supposed to begin on May 31 with a concert from Colombian pop superstar Shakira at Nationals Park.
“Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am sad and heartbroken that I will not be able to be in Washington, D.C., with you tomorrow,” said Shakira in a statement online. “I hope that I can come back to D.C. as soon as I am able.”
The event was intended to serve as both a concert and the welcome ceremony for WorldPride Washington 2025. Yet, less than 48 hours before she was supposed to mark the beginning of the global LGBTQ festival, she abruptly canceled, citing issues with her stage.
Despite the shaky start to the celebration, there was still music heard in the city — and not just Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” which jumped to 16 on the U.S. Spotify streaming charts. Singers from all backgrounds joined the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington to celebrate the “Freedom to Sing” in the International Choral Festival — spanning 17 days and numerous venues.
Sports also had its moment at WorldPride this year. The Capital Cup Sports Festival, produced by Team DC, works to end discrimination against LGBTQ people participating in sports and awards scholarships to local LGBTQ student-athletes. The sports festival included 15 different sports competitions across three days — from rugby to rowing.
There was also the WorldPride Film Festival, where filmmakers worldwide were encouraged to submit LGBTQ films of all genres and lengths to be screened during the WorldPride celebrations. From classic shorts like DC Gay Pride 1978 (1978), showcasing what Pride was like in the same city 46 years ago, to world premieres like Humans of Pride (2025), there was a myriad of motion picture art that showcased the LGBTQ community.
As the fight for LGBTQ rights began to shift from the street with bricks to the halls of parliaments and presidents’ offices around the globe, the focus turned to fighting for legislatively ensured human rights. To ensure that LGBTQ and minority rights are preserved in countries where they exist and to attempt to expand them in places without protections, the WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference launched.
For three days, upwards of 800 people — most of whom have devoted their careers to creating a world where “dignity, equality, and respect” are at the foundation of governments — gathered. Speakers like Jessica Stern, Spanish Sen. Carla Antonelli, Peruvian Congresswoman Susel Paredes, and Mariann Edgar Budde of the National Cathedral of Washington were just some of the notable attendees.
The Pride celebrations really ramped up just as the Human Rights Conference started to wind down. On Friday, June 4, multiple parties began — including the sixth annual Pride on the Pier celebration (presented by the Washington Blade). This year, it was extended from one to two days in honor of WorldPride. On Friday, The Wharf in Southwest D.C. hosted a night of vendors, food, drinking, dancing, DJs, and — for the first time — a boat parade. Boats with LGBTQ people in their proudest outfits danced and waved up and down the river.
Another highly anticipated event was the WorldPride Music Festival: Global Dance Party. This mega two-day event brought together LGBTQ icons from a slew of styles like house, pop, drag, circuit, and techno. Performers — some of which included headliners Jennifer Lopez and Troye Sivan, Reneé Rapp, Kim Petras, Purple Disco Machine, RuPaul, Betty Who, Tinashe, and local talent like Ed Bailey, Fish House Funk, Dickerman, and Miscalculated — performed at the RFK Festival Grounds.
In addition to the Music Festival, there were two official WorldPride parties on Friday. “Full Bloom” brought together some of the East Coast’s most “iconic queer collectives and performers” — Flower Factory and Sweet Spot — with Capital Pride Alliance to host the dance party of the season. Floral outfits, carnival games, and a lot of sweaty dancing as far as the eye could see were the vibe of the night.
“I am at Full Bloom having so much fun. It feels like a county fair, but for gay people, and I’m having a blast with my community,” said Henry Hicks, a journalist originally from Tennessee.
“Queerness is about so much more than being able to get married and own property, queerness is about community. It’s about justice. It’s about liberation, and I feel like the ability to convene and express ourselves and really celebrate who we are outside of the confines of structures and institutions.”
Also happening at the same time was the “Woven Together” party by Daryl Wilson Promotions, set to celebrate the Black LGBTQ community with “energy, the music, the fashion, and the men — all under one roof.” The party took place at The Park on 14th and, as advertised, was filled with energy, music, bold fashion, and men.
On Saturday the 7th, Pride started just early enough to get a quick Bloody Mary in before the big events. The WorldPride Street Festival opened at 11 a.m., and included hundreds of booths — from vendors to nonprofits — and even a space for LGBTQ families to gather and allow their children to have their own space. The festival had something for everyone.
As street festival attendees set up their booths hours before, people further northwest began to prepare for the biggest Pride parade in Washington’s history. With more than 300 contingents and 40,000 people marching in the parade alone, it’s safe to say 14th Street had never seen this many LGBTQ people and allies.
Led by a 1,000-foot rainbow flag and Grand Marshals Renée Rapp and Laverne Cox, to say it was a party would be an understatement. It was a cacophony of sound and rainbow sights that included people shouting messages of love in nearly every language. Tequila shots were shared in flasks on the curb while people dressed in everything — from full leather outfits complete with pup masks to pasties, jockstraps, and fishnets. The parade was a true display of queer individuality and joy.
A special local legend got married during the parade — Freddie Lutz of the Northern Virginia gay bar Freddie’s married his partner of 28 years, Johnny Cervantes, while riding down 14th Street in a chapel float. The couple celebrated their wedding shortly after at Freddie’s, where parade and WorldPride attendees were invited to join them.
Another part of Washington’s Pride celebrations — the 17th Street Block Party — also began to ramp up as the parade made its way down 14th Street. The annual party, taking place in the city’s first “gayborhood,” was alive with drag performers, friends taking pictures and sipping drinks, and lovers wearing their queerness on their sleeves — or in many cases — sleeveless tank tops.
“We are gangbusters on 17th Street — it is amazing,” said Georgia Katinas, whose family owns and runs Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, a cornerstone of the Washington LGBTQ community since its opening 76 years ago. “It’s been hot like this since we opened at noon, packed full of the most diverse, wonderful people we’ve ever met. We are so happy.”
Randy Downs, who soft-launched his and his boyfriend Rick Bennett’s pizza place, Protest Pizza, just for the Pride celebration, shared how he felt opening a queer-run restaurant at the peak of Pride.
“It’s busy, non-stop, and incredible,” Downs said. “The energy is amazing and the block party is incredible as well. It hasn’t hit home yet.”
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, the parade began to wind down—six hours after it kicked off at 2 p.m. The energy from the march spilled directly into the street festival, blending into one big, joyful queer celebration. Down Pennsylvania Avenue, performers delivered some of the greatest—and gayest—shows of their careers. Kristine W, CeCe Peniston, and David Archuleta lit up the stage, framed perfectly by the Capitol dome. The night wrapped with a show-stopping performance by Cynthia Erivo who, from afar, looked like she just might have been defying gravity.
While Erivo lit up the Capitol Stage, fireworks burst over The Wharf for the second night of Pride on the Pier. Booms, “oooohs,” and “ahhhhhs” echoed along the river as the sky exploded in every color of the rainbow. Before and after the dazzling display, DJ Farrah Flosscett kept the energy high with a set full of queer pop anthems, spinning under the open sky.
Later that night, the Sapphic side of the LGBTQ community came out strong for “Unraveled: Women’s Party” at The Park at 14th. An all-female DJ lineup took over the four-story bar, filling each level with music as Harlem star Jerrie Johnson hosted the event for a crowd of more than 5,000 queer women, femmes, trans, and non-binary baddies who showed up—and showed out.
Kinetic Events have become a cornerstone of the D.C. circuit scene, so it was only fitting that the “Fabric of Freedom” party would close out the weekend with a bang. Hundreds of mostly scantily clad men—dressed in harnesses, jockstraps, and not much else—descended into Burhta for a night of sweat, bass, and liberation. Queer stars Pabllo Vittar and Alyssa Edwards (RuPaul’s Drag Race) headlined the night, alongside a stacked roster of DJs and go-go boys who kept the massive space—three dance floors and 10,000 square feet—alive until the early morning hours.
The next day at 9:30 a.m., folks started to gather on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to get ready for the International Rally + March on Washington for Freedom. As the speakers began to arrive and check in, other event organizers started passing out signs. The rally and march, which lasted more than four hours despite the rain, had an impressive turnout.
The L.O.V.E. WorldPride Chorus started the event, performing “Freedom” in bright pink shirts on the memorial’s steps, followed by Dee Crank of the Navajo Nation. There, she spoke about her experiences being a trans Indigenous woman and encouraged everyone to listen to those who are most oppressed. “The fight for freedom starts with listening,” Crank said.
Ashley Smith, Capital Pride’s board president and a board member of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, followed. He spoke with ferocity as he explained that now is the time to stand up for what’s right—especially for our trans siblings who are being ostracized by people a few thousand yards away in the White House and Capitol.
Multiple other speakers came up and spoke as the sky got darker and the rain began to fall, but amazingly—the crowd didn’t seem to dwindle.
Among the notable speakers, activist and comedian Mimi Gonzalez came out and sang a modernized version of “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.
“At first I was afraid. I was petrified. Kept wondering, ‘What in the world are they thinking? D.C. for WorldPride?’” Gonzalez sang-spoke as laughter rose from the crowd. “Consider this country’s leader who wants to rid the world of us—even he’s a little queer, having just broken up with Musk! Gay boys, lesbians, and trans. Look around the rainbow world, holding hands. So much love and unity, so much power when we’re one. There’s no stopping all of us. Our love outshines the sun,” she sang as cheers from the crowd grew louder.
For four hours, speakers from all walks of LGBTQ life came and spoke—Tyler Heck from the Christopher Street Project emphasized the importance of supporting politicians who are looking out and working on behalf of trans Americans. Kamala Harris made a video telling the LGBTQ community to keep the faith and to keep fighting. Even multiple RuPaul’s Drag Race stars came out—including Mrs. Kasha Davis, who spoke with the Blade after getting off stage.
“The political nature of this is that we’re in this period of negativity and of hate, and what we need to do is show up for one another,” the drag queen said as her rainbow leopard print dress and gigantic pink updo stood out against the marble of the monuments around her. “And what we really need is more of our allies to continue to show up. And I mentioned in my talk about painting your nails. I mean, any way that you can show up to support your family, your neighbors, your community. That’s what this is all about. Because we’re finding that more and more people are not siding with that hate. Yes, the conservatives are loud, but we can be louder.”
As the group from the rally began to walk toward the Washington Monument, chants supporting trans kids and keeping LGBTQ people safe could be heard from yards away. The rainbow-clad group, holding umbrellas and signs, made their way down the Mall until they met up with Pennsylvania Avenue, as the final event of WorldPride took place.
The closing concert took place at the end of the WorldPride Street Festival once again, as MkX, Parker Matthews, 2AM Ricky, and Brooke Eden sang their hearts out to the growing crowd. Just as the sky began to clear up, one of the headliners of the night, Khalid, started his set and performed his radio hits.
Doechii, the Grammy-winning performer, sang and rapped her most popular songs from her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. She performed in true Doechii style, exuding confidence and love under the rainbow lights, ultimately finishing with an encore of “Nissan Altima.”
“I love y’all,” she said into her alligator-green microphone, walking back into her swamp-inspired set. “What are y’all doing after this? Are y’all partying? I want to party! I’ll see y’all later!”
WorldPride 2025 concluded with the WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert held along Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. on Sunday, June 8. Performers on the main stage included Doechii, Khalid, Courtney Act, Parker Matthews, 2AM Ricky, Suzie Toot, MkX and Brooke Eden.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Celebrating the transgender community, Baltimore Safe Haven, an organization committed to empowering LGBTQ individuals in Baltimore City, plans to host their fourth annual Baltimore Trans Pride on Saturday.
Instead of the usual parade and march, this year’s Trans Pride will be a block party on Charles Street and between 21st and 22nd Streets. The event will start at 1 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and last until 10 p.m.
Community members can go on guided tours, enjoy refreshments by local vendors, listen to presenters, and watch performances by special guests.
Sukihana, the event’s headliner, plans to take to the stage to entertain the crowd, along with a variety of local performers, according to Melissa Deveraux, Baltimore Safe Haven’s executive assistant to Executive Director Iya Dammons.
“Some (are) prominently known, some (are) just making a name for themselves,” Deveraux said. Iya is always making sure that community talent is showcased at all of our functions.”
In company with Pride on Saturday, Baltimore Safe Haven will be opening its new building on Friday from 1-4 p.m.
“That is sort of going to be the prelude to pride,” Lau said. “Thanks to Sen. Mary Washington and the Weinberg Foundation, we were able to purchase the building outright, and it’s going to be a community hub of administrative buildings and 12-bedroom apartments.”
Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said the planning process for Baltimore Trans Pride began in January, and putting it all together was a collaboration of multiple city agencies and organizations.
“Safe Haven is an LGBT community organization, but we service the entire community, and that’s the message we try to spread,” Lau said. “We’re not just here for the LGBT community. We’re here to spread goodwill and offer harm reduction and housing to the entire community.”
Lau said the organization’s biggest goal for the event is to gain exposure.
“(We want) to let and let people know who we are and what our community is about,” she said. “Right now, because of what’s happening in DC, there’s a lot of bad untruths going on, and the total thing is bringing out the truth.”
Deveraux said having a place of inclusivity, acceptance, and togetherness is important in today’s political climate and the current administration.
“This event will have people seeing the strength and resilience of the transgender community, showing that no matter what we are going through, we still show up,” Deveraux said. “We are here, we will not be erased.”
WorldPride recap: Festival, parade, fireworks, and Doechii
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PHOTOS: WorldPride Street Festival and Closing Concert
Baltimore Trans Pride to take place Saturday
PHOTOS: WorldPride Parade
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