Arts & Entertainment
Michelle Obama snuck out the White House to celebrate marriage equality
The former first lady and daughter Malia hatched an escape route

Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres on ‘Ellen.’ (Screenshot via EllenTube)
Michelle Obama revealed she once snuck out the White House in order to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage.
The former first lady recounted the venture in her new memoir “Becoming” but told the story to Ellen DeGeneres on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“When you’re in the residence, there’s so much bulletproof glass that sometimes you don’t hear what’s going on outside,” Obama says. “And we were having dinner and we know there was a celebration happening but we didn’t realize that thousands of people were gathering in front of the White House at that time to celebrate. And my staff was calling me, everybody was celebrating, people were crying, and I thought, I want to be in that. Also, we had worked to make sure that the White House was lit up in the LGBT colors. It was beautiful.”
She says she tried to recruit President Barack Obama and their daughter Sasha into joining the celebration outside but both weren’t interested. Instead, the Obamas’ eldest daughter Malia decided to join. Obama says that due to high security it took them 15 minutes to get outside but eventually they were able to witness history in front of them.
“We stood along with all the cheering crowd, off to the side, mind you, so no one would see us, with security surrounding us, and we tried to have our tender mother-daughter moment. But we just took it in. I held her tight and my feeling was, we are moving forward. Change is happening,” Obama says.
Watch below.
Celebrate the start of Pride month at the Queer Magic Dance Party at the Black Cat on Saturday, June 6. Doors open at 9 p.m.
There will be pole performances and demonstrations, a free photo booth with glitter bar, a queer vendor market, tarot readings by Skye Marinda Tarot, a drag performance by Sapphica, and dancing to a blend of smooth R&B, Afrobeats, hip-hop and pop by Slammer & Saba. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 (plus fees) in advance, purchased here.
Local queer journalists will celebrate Pride this weekend at the annual NLGJA-DC Pride Happy Hour event at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) on Saturday, June 6, 3-5 p.m. Admission is free.
Out & About
DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K set for Saturday
Annual event held at historic Congressional Cemetery
The 14th annual DC Front Runners’ Pride 5K run/walk is set for Saturday, June 6 at historic Congressional Cemetery. The race starts and ends at the cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.) and passes through scenic D.C., along the Anacostia River trail and the fields at RFK campus. Registration ends Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Runners can pick up their race packets on Saturday from 7-8:30 a.m. at Congressional Cemetery; the race begins at 9 a.m.
The fee to run the 5K in person is $65 ($35 for those under age 20). Proceeds benefit local LGBTQ nonprofits, including Thrive DC, Wanda Alston Foundation, Blade Foundation, Ainsley’s Angels, SMYAL, and Team DC. Visit DCFrontRunners.org for more information.
