District of Columbia
Howard Univ. National Black HIV/AIDS Day forum tackles LGBTQ issues
White House officials join experts in discussion on ‘policy & care’
The director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy and the White House Senior Advisor on LGBTQ+ Engagement joined two Howard University deans and three professors specializing in public health in a panel discussion on Monday in connection with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
The Feb. 7 event, called “A Dialogue on Wellness, HIV Policy & Care for the Black Community,” was held on the Howard University campus at its Interdisciplinary Research Building. Ravi Perry, professor and chair of the Howard University Department of Political Science, served as moderator of the panel session.
Perry opened the session by giving an overview of Howard University’s decades long involvement in HIV/AIDS research and medical care as well as in public policy studies related to HIV/AIDS.
“As a political scientist, I always argue that the importance of HIV care should not be limited to medical care alone,” he said. “We have to engage in policies that will ultimately lead to the changes we want to see. And that is why we are here today, to talk about those things together.”
The first two participants to speak were Harold Phillips, the current director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, and Reggie Greer, who holds the dual title of director of Priority Placement and Senior Advisor on LGBTQ+ Engagement at the White House.
The other panelists included Dr. Celia Maxwell, Associate Dean for Research at the Howard University College of Medicine; Dr. Goulda Downer, Associate Professor and Director of Howard’s National HIV Integration Project; Dr. Sandra Crewe, Dean of Howard’s School of Social Work; and Dr. Evaristus Nwulia, professor at Howard’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Medicine and a practicing psychiatrist with a specialty in HIV-related mental health.
Phillips and Greer said the White House, under the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, has been monitoring and focusing its attention on the latest developments in the fight against HIV/AIDS being conducted by federal agencies as well as the communities impacted by HIV/AIDS, including the African-American and LGBTQ communities.
Phillips, who appeared virtually on a large video screen, announced he was unable to attend in person because he had just tested positive for COVID and was still in his social isolation period. He said he was thankful that his vaccinations “were doing what they are supposed to do” and his symptoms were limited to that of a “mild cold.”
He praised Howard University for hosting the panel session and the panelists from Howard, who he noted have been involved in HIV work for many years.
“HIV remains a disproportionate risk to African Americans, and young African-American gay and bisexual men account for more new HIV infections than any other group,” Phillips told the gathering. “And HIV affects African-American heterosexual women more than women of any other race or ethnicity,” he said.
“So, while we have seen an 8 percent decrease in new HIV infections since 2015, that is not true for the Black community,” he said. “That’s why this day is still an important day so that we can work to ensure African Americans are aware of their HIV status, of the care and treatment options that will help them live longer and healthier lives and get to an undetectable viral load.”
Greer, who’s gay and who attended the event in person, said the White House staff has worked hard in the first year of the Biden-Harris administration, “to really make sure that marginalized voices, people from all parts of our communities,” including the LGBTQ and African-American communities and people with HIV, have a voice at the White House.
“This is also Black History Month, so we’re thrilled to be here not only on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day but at the beginning of Black History Month in which the Biden-Harris administration has made Black health and wellness a theme of this Black History Month,” he said.
Greer also noted that among those attending the panel session in person was Hannah Bristol, associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Among the topics discussed at the event, in response to questions asked by Perry, were the reasons the panelists, including the Howard University professors and doctors, believe African Americans currently make up the highest number of new HIV infections in recent years; the best ways to address HIV/AIDS in the African-American LGBTQ community; and the impact of criminalization of HIV transmission that’s part of the laws of many states in the U.S. on efforts to curtail HIV transmission.
Crewe, the dean of Howard’s School of Social Work, said the “lack of equity” in the U.S. healthcare system in past years has played a role in African Americans being disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Phillips appeared to sum up some of the concerns raised by the moderator Perry when he pointed out that only 8 percent of African Americans, according to studies, have been accessing the HIV prevention medication known as PrEP.
“So, we still have a lot of work to do in our community,” he said. “And I’m glad we are having this dialogue here and that Howard University continues to be at the forefront in trying to ensure that these messages get out to our community.”
A recording of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day panel discussion can be accessed on Facebook.
District of Columbia
D.C. police investigating threat of shooting at WorldPride festival
Police chief says weekend was ‘success without incident’
D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a June 9 press conference that police investigators are looking for a man who reportedly threatened to “shoot up” the WordPride festival on Sunday, June 8, inside the fence-enclosed festival grounds.
Smith, who joined D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser at the press conference to discuss public safety issues, said aside from the shooting threat, WorldPride events took place “without an incident’ and called WorldPride 2025 D.C. a success.
“I think last evening at the festival footprint there was an individual inside the festival who said there was an individual who was there and that they were going to shoot up the place in some terminology they used,” Smith told news media reporters.
“As you know, the event went off without incident,” she said. “We did have appropriate resources down there to address it. We did put out a photo of the individual – white male. That’s all we have right now. But our team is working very diligently to find out who that individual is.”
Smith added that D.C. police made 15 arrests during the WorldPride weekend with at least 23 violent crimes that occurred across the city but which she said were not related to WorldPride.
“There was a lot going on,” she said. “But I’m so grateful we were able to have a WorldPride 2025 in this city that was very successful.”
In response to reporters’ questions, Bowser said she regretted that an incident of violence took place in Dupont Circle Park shortly after she persuaded the U.S. Park Service to reverse its earlier decision to close Dupont Circle Park during WorldPride weekend.
The mayor was referring to an incident early Saturday evening, June 7, in which two juveniles were stabbed inside the park following a fight, according to D.C. police. Police said the injuries were nonfatal.
Bowser noted that she agreed with community activists and nearby residents that Dupont Circle Park, which has been associated with LGBTQ events for many years, should not be closed during WorldPride.
Park Service officials have said their reason for closing the park was that acts of vandalism and violence had occurred there during past LGBTQ Pride weekends, even though LGBTQ Pride organizers have said the vandalism and violent acts were not associated with Pride events.
“I think if I were standing here this morning and we hadn’t opened up the park you would be asking me were there any requests for not pushing hard to have a D.C. park opened that’s important to the LGBT community during Pride,” Bowser told reporters.
“So, any time that there is harm to someone, and our responsibility, we regard it as our number one responsibility to keep the city safe and keep from harm’s way, certainly I have some regrets,” she said. “But I know I was working very hard to balance what our community was calling for with our preparations. And that was the decision I made,” she said, referring to her call to reopen Dupont Circle Park.
Bowser also noted that the National Park Service would not likely have agreed to reverse its decision to reopen Dupont Circle Park if an event had not been planned to take place there over the WorldPride weekend.
She was referring to a Saturday, June 7, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation “DISCO” party in Dupont Circle Park, which took place after the decision to reopen the park.
“Step Outside, Feel The Beat, And Shine With Pride,” a flyer announcing the event states.
District of Columbia
WorldPride wraps up after epic weekend of events
Historic LGBTQ celebration brings color, music, activism to nation’s capital
After more than two years of preparation, thousands of volunteers, countless LGBTQ community members and allies, queer celebrities, and hundreds of events across the District, WorldPride in Washington has come to a close.
“It has been an extremely powerful three weeks,” Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, told the Blade on Sunday at the International March on Washington for Freedom. “This weekend has been well above expectations in relation to the energy and the crowds.”
WorldPride celebrations were set to kick off on May 31 with Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour,” but following reports of stage issues, the Colombian superstar canceled her D.C. show — and her Boston stop the day prior.
The festivities got into full swing on June 4 with the 2025 Human Rights Conference. Held at the J.W. Marriott, the three-day gathering brought together more than 800 attendees, including Jessica Stern, Spanish Sen. Carla Antonelli, Peruvian Congresswoman Susel Paredes, and Mariann Edgar Budde of the Washington National Cathedral.
Following the conference, Capital Pride hosted the annual Capital Pride Honors and Gala, recognizing outstanding figures in LGBTQ advocacy. Honorees included Cathy Renna, Jerry St. Louis, Ernest Hopkins, Lamar Braithwaite, Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Kriston Pumphrey, Gia Martinez, Kraig Williams, and SMYAL.
As the week went on, the tone shifted from formal to festive. Venues across the city filled with partygoers draped in glitter and rainbows, dancing and celebrating love in all forms. From the 17th Street Block Party and Full Bloom celebration to Kinetic’s dance events and the Pride on the Pier boat parade and fireworks (presented by the Washington Blade), nearly every corner of D.C. turned into a dancefloor. The Wharf was transformed into a Pride dance party on both Friday and Saturday nights for the Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier and culminated in the city’s only Pride fireworks display.
The annual Pride Parade was a standout. The nearly six-hour-long march drew hundreds of thousands to 14th Street, stretching toward the Capitol. A 1,000-foot rainbow flag led the way as parade grand marshals Renée Rapp and Laverne Cox waved to cheering crowds. Confetti, beads, condoms, and joy poured from elaborate floats.
The parade fed into the WorldPride Street Festival and Concert, which for the first time spanned two days. The festival featured hundreds of booths — from queer merch and leather vendors to nonprofit fundraisers — and drew thousands of LGBTQ attendees under sunny skies.
Evenings wrapped with free concerts headlined by LGBTQ talent and allies, including Cynthia Erivo and Doechii. Other crowd favorites included Khalid , David Archuleta, and Kristine W.
At the RFK Stadium grounds, the WorldPride Music Festival drew thousands for powerhouse performances by Troye Sivan, RuPaul, Kim Petras, and Renée Rapp. Under glowing rainbow lights, fans danced and sang through the night.
Despite security concerns, no major issues were reported, though a few minor incidents occurred.
One of the biggest pre-event concerns was safety for LGBTQ attendees amid rising anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and anti-trans policies from the Trump administration. Multiple countries issued travel warnings for trans and gender-nonconforming individuals visiting the U.S., but turnout — including trans folks and their allies — remained strong and visible throughout.
Another flashpoint was the temporary closure of Dupont Circle, a cornerstone of D.C.’s — and the nation’s — LGBTQ rights movement. The U.S. Park Service initially closed the park, citing the need to “secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presence” — despite the MPD chief’s request to keep it open. Strong public backlash led to a reversal, and soon the park was full of rainbow-clad LGBTQ people celebrating freely.
On Saturday night following the parade, two juveniles were stabbed in Dupont Circle. However, MPD later confirmed the incident was unrelated to WorldPride celebrations.
The weekend ended with the International Rally and March on Washington for Freedom. Hundreds of LGBTQ people and allies gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to hear prominent activists speak on why Pride is still essential in 2025. Speakers called out rising hate and violence — and named Trump directly. As rain began to fall, the crowd only grew, marching from the Memorial to the Capitol, signs raised high, ending WorldPride as the first Pride began — as a protest.
District of Columbia
Two juveniles stabbed in Dupont Circle Park hours after U.S. Park Service reopens it
Early police reports don’t indicate connection to nearby WorldPride events
D.C. police are investigating a stabbing incident inside Dupont Circle Park early Saturday evening, June 7, in which two juvenile males were injured about 12 hours after U.S. Park Service workers removed a fence they installed closing the park.
Park Service officials said they initially decided to close Dupont Circle Park during the concluding weekend of WorldPride 2025 D.C. out of concern over possible destruction of property and violence. They cited incidents of vandalism and violent acts that occurred in the park during previous Capital Pride weekends over the past several years.
Capital Pride Alliance officials have said the destruction of property and reported acts of violence were not associated with any Pride events.
Capital Pride Alliance organizes most of D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events and is the lead organizer of WorldPride 2025.
Around 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, Park Service workers began removing the fencing they had put up one day earlier to close Dupont Circle Park and reopened the park.
A short time later on Saturday the National Park Service and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a joint statement saying it was decided that the park should be reopened and the fence taken down following strong objections to the closing by nearby community leaders, including at least two gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners.
“We are pleased that the mayor’s office and the National Park Service could work together overnight on a solution that protects the historic features of this park while also ensuring the safety of all who enjoy it,” the statement says. “We want this weekend to be a safe and fun celebration in our nation’s capital – and one that includes one of the best parks and community spaces in our city, Dupont Circle,” it says.
In response to a request from the Washington Blade for information about the stabbing incident, a D.C. police spokesperson said a more detailed incident report had not yet been completed but released this statement:
“At 7:02 p.m. a stabbing occurred in Dupont Circle Park during a fight between groups of juveniles. Two juvenile males were transported to area hospitals conscious and breathing.”
The spokesperson, Public Affairs Specialist Freddie Talbert, included in his statement information about an unrelated shooting that occurred a short time later just outside Dupont Circle Park.
“At 7:52 p.m., after MPD officers cleared Dupont Circle Park, a shooting occurred in the 1300 block of 19th Street, N.W. immediately south of the circle. One adult male was transported conscious and breathing with a gunshot wound to the foot.”
No further information was provided, and Talbert didn’t immediately respond to a follow-up question from the Blade asking if police investigators knew whether the victims and perpetrators in the two incidents were in any way involved with WorldPride events.
At the time of the stabbing and shooting the WorldPride parade was nearing its end, with the last parade contingents traveling several blocks away from Dupont Circle on 14th Street from T Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. The first day of the two-day WorldPride Festival was also still taking place on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. from 9th Street to 3rd Street, N.W.
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