District of Columbia
Thousands turn out for D.C. Pride parade
Contingents reflect full diversity of LGBTQ community and allies
At the intersection of 17th and P streets, N.W., the sidewalks were jam-packed with people – adults and many children – on Saturday waving small rainbow flags and cheering as a large contingent of LGBTQ parents and their children walked past the crowd.
They were members of the group Rainbow Families who were among the more than 200 contingents that joined D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade on June 11. Some of the children in the contingent jumped up and down waving small, hand-held rainbow flags under the watchful eyes of their moms and dads.
The Rainbow Families contingent and the PFLAG DC LGBTQ parents contingent marched past the bustling 17th and P intersection, turning onto P Street en route to Dupont Circle about an hour after about a dozen women on motorcycles rode by as part of the LGBTQ Outriders Women’s Motorcycle Club contingent.
The Outriders were the first of the parade contingents to arrive at the 17th and P location. Historically, lesbian motorcyclists, including the famous Dykes on Bikes in past years, have been given the honor of being the very first contingent in D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade as well as in Pride parades in other cities.
Immediately after the Outriders group came a contingent of gay leather clad men riding on their own motorcycles, drawing cheers from the crowd of onlookers.
In the more than three hours that followed, a wide range of other contingents marched, rode in small vehicles, or rode on large floats along the parade route that began at 14th and T Streets, N.W., traveled south along 14th Street to Road Island and Massachusetts Avenues to the 17th and P location before traveling around Dupont Circle to the parade’s end point at 22nd and P Street, N.W.
Among the varied contingents were employees and directors of several D.C. government agencies and departments, including the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, one of whose employees drove by in a large, bright red fire truck.
Many of the contingents represented some of the nation’s most prominent corporations providing both business and customer services. Among them was Marriott International, Inc., the mega hotel chain that acted as the Capital Pride Parade’s lead sponsor.
Others included Amazon, Macy’s, MGM National Harbor, Mastercard and VISA, McDonald’s Restaurants, GEICO auto insurance, Verizon, Walmart, PNC Bank, Dollar Tree & Family Dollar Stores, and United Airlines among many others.
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s Pride events, including the parade, has come under criticism from some activists, who say Pride parades and festivals in D.C. and other cities have become dominated by corporations and other businesses. Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance executive director, has said corporate sponsors, which have been longtime supporters of LGBTQ equality, have made it possible for nonprofit groups like Capital Pride to pay for large events like parades and street festivals.
The crowds lining the streets along the Capital Pride Parade route cheered loudly as many of the corporate contingents walked and rode on floats past them. According to Bos, the corporate parade contingents consist almost entirely of LGBTQ employees and managers at the various corporations. Many of them waved rainbow flags and blew kisses at the crowd as they marched in the parade.
This year’s D.C. Pride parade had a large number of international contingents, including staff and supporters of the embassies of Canada, Great Brittan, Ireland, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian nations. Also joining the parade was a large contingent of the European Union Delegation to the United States.
Bet Mishpachah, the local D.C.-area LGBTQ synagogue, and the LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity Washington were among the faith-based groups and churches that joined the parade. Others providing parade contingents included the Washington National Cathedral, Church of the Holy Comforter, Church of the Pilgrims, United Methodist Churches of the National Capital Area, and the group Churches United in Pride.
With the parade taking place less than two weeks before D.C.’s June 21 primary election, several of the candidates running for mayor, D.C. Council, and D.C. Attorney General marched in the parade with contingents of various sizes.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who is running for re-election to a third term, appeared to have the largest of the candidate contingents, with about 100 mostly LGBTQ supporters marching behind her wearing bright green ‘Bowser’ T-shirts behind the banner of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At-Large), who is among three candidates challenging Bowser in the June 21 Democratic primary, marched in the parade with a contingent of about 50 or more supporters. Also joining the parade with smaller contingents were the other two mayoral candidates, D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and community activist James Butler.
Among the other candidates joining the parade with sizable contingents were Salah Czapary, the gay former D.C. police officer running for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat, and gay D.C. school board president Zachary Parker, who is one of seven candidates running for the Ward 5 D.C. Council seat.
Other candidates who had contingents in the parade were D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) and challenger Erin Palmer, D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), At-Large Council member Anita Bonds and her primary challengers Lisa Gore and Nate Fleming, At-Large Council member Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large), and D.C. Democratic Attorney General candidate Bruce Spiva.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who is not running for re-election, was among the D.C. public officials who marched in the parade.
Two Republican candidates, Giuseppe Niosi, who’s running for an At-Large Council seat, and David Krucoff, who’s running for the Ward 3 Council seat, marched in the parade. Both are running unopposed in the primary.
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.
District of Columbia
D.C. church removes Pride decorations from house rented to gay tenants
Agent said display of Pride flags violates lease
D.C.’s Walker Memorial Baptist Church located on 13th Street, N.W., just off U Street had one of its workers on June 3 remove an arrangement of Pride flags and banners displayed on the front fence of a townhouse the church owns that were put up by a gay couple who rent an apartment in the house.
Jay Richards, who along with his partner lives in a rented apartment at the house at 2014 13th Street, N.W., said he was contacted by a rental agency working for the church a few hours after he put up the decorations on May 30 asking that the decorations be taken down.
The church is located next door to the townhouse, which has three apartments that are rented to tenants, including Richards and his partner. Richards said the tenants in the other two apartments were fully supportive of the Pride decorations.
“We kindly ask that any decorations or items be removed by Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.,” a follow-up message sent to Richards by the rental agency says. “If items are still in place after this time, our team will remove them, and please note that a fee may apply for this service,” the message said.
Richards said the rental company, EJF Real Estate Services, pointed to a provision in his apartment’s rental lease that does not allow exterior decorations to be placed on or in front of the house. He said he asked if an exception could be made to allow him to keep the Pride decorations up until Monday, June 9, the day after WorldPride 2025, ends on Sunday, June 8.
In a statement released this week to the online publication DC News Now, EJF said it was proud to support the LGBTQ community and decided to allow the tenants to keep the decorations up until June 9 as requested by Richards.
“While we remain mindful of our responsibility to both the lease and our client, we believe this is a respectful and reasonable approach,” the statement says. “EJF will not be removing the decorations ourselves and is honoring the residents’ plan, trusting they will follow through as promised,” DC News Now quotes the statement as saying.
Richards told the Washington Blade he was hopeful that the church would also allow the decorations to remain up through the end of the WorldPride festivities. “I wanted to leave them up all month for Pride month,” he said. “But we were willing to take them down on Monday, after Pride weekend.”
Much to his disappointment, Richards said the church’s custodian early Tuesday evening, May 3, came to the house and pulled down the decorations and left them next to the front steps of the house.
A photo that Richards provided for the Blade taken before they were taken down shows the decorations included several rainbow flags and banners draped over an iron fence in front of the house and two long ropes extending from the front wall of the house to the fence on which multiple small rainbow flags were suspended.
Rev. Ademuyiwa T. Bamiduro, the pastor of Walker Memorial Baptist Church, did not immediately respond to a phone message left for him by the Blade seeking comment from the church about the removal of the Pride decorations.
Richards said he and the other tenants in the house received an email message from the church Tuesday night, June 3, shortly after the decorations were removed explaining why they were taken down, which he provided to the Blade.
“Decorations on the outside of the property or common areas regardless of the event, holiday, season, occasion, or reason violate the lease terms,” the message states.
“This is not about subject matter,” the message says. “The mission of Walker Memorial Baptist Church is a prayerful congregation, walking in the spirit, bringing souls to Christ. That is our focus. We seek unity, not division, through our lease requirement that there be no decorations on the outside of the property or common areas,” the message continues.
“In doing so, we avoid arbitrary decision-making and the need to distinguish between the content or subject matter of any decorations,” it states.
Local LGBTQ rights attorney Mindy Daniels, when told by the Blade of the content of the lease in question, which bans external decorations, said it appears that the church is within its legal rights to not allow those decorations.
Daniels said the church could be in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other categories, if it were to make an exception and not enforce its lease requirements for some types of decorations while enforcing them for others such as Pride flags.
“The email they sent me said we can’t put decorations up for any holidays,” Richards told the Blade. “But I do feel like if I had put something up for the holidays for Christmas that they wouldn’t have taken it down. But now they’re saying that no decorations can be put up.”
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