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Second D.C. march announced for week of international AIDS conference
Thousands of people expected to participate in a protest march on Washington on July 24 to coincide with the 19th International AIDS Conference
Representatives of a broad coalition of AIDS and social justice groups announced on Monday that thousands of people were expected to participate in a protest march on Washington on July 24 to coincide with the 19th International AIDS Conference.
The AIDS Conference is scheduled to take place July 22-28 at the Washington Convention Center.
Officials with the coalition, We Can End AIDS, said “five distinct branches” of the march would assemble in different locations in or near downtown D.C., including the Convention Center, and converge at Lafayette Park across the street from the White House.
A press release issued July 2 says the marchers plan to engage in a “range of creative and powerful actions” that one organizer said may involve non-violent civil disobedience arrests. The release says participants from the “occupy” movement, which has staged protests in dozens of U.S. cities, including on Wall Street in New York, would be joining the march.
The July 24 march is scheduled to follow a separate AIDS March on Washington set for July 22. That event is being organized by the Los Angeles based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, with an exclusive focus on AIDS.
The July 22 march is scheduled to kick off at the grounds of the Washington Monument, where a rally and concert will be held, and travel east along Constitution Avenue and end at 3rd Street where Constitution and Pennsylvania avenues converge.
Called the “Keep the Promise” March, the event seeks to “refocus public attention on the lack of access to HIV testing, treatment and prevention, wavering political commitment to funding the global AIDS response and excessive AIDS drug pricing by pharmaceutical companies,” according to a statement posted march’s website.
Among those scheduled to speak at the rally are Andrew Young, the civil rights leader and former Atlanta mayor; Rev. Al Sharpton; political commentator and civil rights activist; Tavis Smiley, author and TV talk show host; and Cornel West; author, professor, and civil rights advocate. Organizers say Archbishop Desmond Tutu is scheduled to address the crowd in a recorded video.
Organizers of both marches said they support each others’ events, with many participants expected to participate in both marches.
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.”
The 2025 WorldPride Parade was held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, June 7. Laverne Cox and Renée Rapp were the grand marshals.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key and Robert Rapanut)
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