District of Columbia
Hundreds of thousands turn out for D.C. Pride parade and festival
Jubilant crowds celebrate weekend events as air quality index improved
As many as 600,000 or more people turned out for D.C.’s Capital Pride parade and festival along with dozens of other Pride related events over the weekend of June 10-11, according to officials with the Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organized the parade, festival, and many of the other events.
“We are about to celebrate Capital Pride 2023, with one of the largest Pride parades in Washington, D.C.’s history,” said Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos at a news media briefing on June 10, minutes before the parade began at its starting point at 14th and T Streets, N.W.
Also drawing a large crowd was the fourth annual Pride on the Pier event that took place on June 10 at the city’s Southwest waterfront Wharf, and which was sponsored by the Washington Blade, the local event organizing company LURe, and the Wharf. The event included a drag show, dance party, and the annual Pride fireworks display.
The prediction by weather forecasters of a possible harmful air quality index due to the Canadian wildfire smoke that had engulfed the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. several days earlier did not appear to deter the huge turnout at the Capital Pride events over the weekend. By Saturday and Sunday, weather officials said the air quality index dropped to the far less harmful Code Yellow status.
Among those who spoke at the Capital Pride media briefing was Dr. Rachel Levine, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health and admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, who became the first openly transgender person to be appointed to both positions. Levine was among several prominent LGBTQ people selected by the Capital Pride Alliance to be grand marshals for the Pride parade.
“Pride is a time of hope and change and love and joy,” she told the gathering at the start of the parade. “But it needs to catalyze us to go forth across the country to catalyze more change and to fight against these regressive laws that are being passed, which damage and attack our vulnerable community – attack vulnerable trans youth and their families and attack our LGBTQI+ families,” Levine said.
She was referring to the more than 500 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced, with many of them passed, in state legislatures across the country over the past year.
Also speaking at the media briefing was Dame Karen Pierce, the British Ambassador to the U.S., who led a British Embassy contingent in the parade.
“Thank you to Washington Pride,” she told the gathering. “We have the honor to have been with the Washington Pride for over 11 years as the first embassy to take part, and we’re delighted to see how much it’s grown.”
Levine joined Bos and other Capital Pride Alliance officials as well as Ambassador Pierce who said this year’s Pride events would serve as both a celebration and an act of defiance against the anti-LGBTQ sentiment rising dramatically across the country.
Activists who have observed D.C.’s Pride parade over the years have said this year’s parade appeared to have attracted more spectators watching the parade along the streets compared to recent past D.C. Pride parades, with crowds five to 10 people deep lining the sidewalks and cheering as parade contingents, including marching bands, passed by.
The parade followed a route from 14th and T Streets, N.W., where it traveled south to Rhode Island Avenue, turned onto Massachusetts Avenue, and turned onto 17th Street, where it reached the Capital Pride block party located on 17th Street between P and Q Streets.
From 17th Street, the parade turned onto P Street and traveled to Dupont Circle, with its contingents traveling halfway around the circle and back onto P Street, where it ended at 21st and P.
Among the parade contingents that drew cheers and excitement from the crowds on the sidelines were floats for D.C.’s professional sports teams including the Washington Nationals baseball team, the D.C. United hockey team, the Washington Commanders football team, the Washington Wizards men’s basketball team, and Washington Mystics women’s basketball team.
Also marching in the parade were D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who led the parade with a contingent of more than 100 LGBTQ community supporters, and 11 members of the 13-member D.C. Council.
The Council members marching in the parade with their own LGBTQ supporters included D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), Kenyan McDuffie (I-At Large), Robert White (D-At Large), Christina Henderson (I-At Large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4), Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), who is the Council’s only openly gay member, and Charles Allen (D-Ward 6).
Among the marching bands in the parade that drew cheers from the crowds was D.C.’s Eastern High School Marching Band.
Similar to past years, contingents in this year’s parade as well as in the June 11 festival, which took place on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., between 3rd and 7th Streets, included many prominent local and national LGBTQ advocacy organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force.
Also, like past years, many U.S. government and local D.C. government agencies set up booths at the Pride festival. Among them were the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the CIA, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The booths set up by those and other government agencies were staffed by LGBTQ employees of the agencies, including the CIA.
Like past years, the festival this year included the annual Pride concert and entertainment performances, including drag performances. Among the drag performers was acclaimed D.C. drag performer Donnell Robinson aka Ella Fitzgerald.
The concert included many prominent performers, including Broadway actress Idina Menzel and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ winner Monet X Change.
In addition to the official events organized by Capital Pride Alliance, including the parade and festival, a dozen or more Pride related parties took place over the weekend at local LGBTQ bars and nightclubs. Most of D.C.’s gay bars had long lines of people waiting to get in on Saturday night after the parade, as the packed bars hosted various Pride related events.
Longtime D.C. transgender activist Earline Budd, who was among the Capital Pride honorees and parade grand marshals who spoke at the Saturday media briefing along with Rachel Levine, appeared to capture the spirit of celebration reflected in this year’s D.C. Pride events.
“I am so honored to be here today,” Budd said. “This is a historical point in our history. We must stand up. We must fight. We must never give up,” she said. “Peace, Love Revolution. Remember that. Peace, Love, Revolution.”
Budd was referring to the official theme of this year’s Capital Pride events chosen by the Capital Pride Alliance board – Peace, Love, Revolution.
Capital Pride officials prior to the start of the weekend Pride events said the festival was expected to include more than 300 booths with local vendors, businesses, and organizations.
In a statement released to the Blade on Monday, Capital Pride Alliance says the organization estimates the parade attendance was about 220,000, which it says was similar to the 2022 parade. However, the statement says there were 295 parade contingents this year, “which is the largest number that we’ve ever had, with approximately 23,000 Parade participants,” according to the statement.
“Similarly, the Festival had almost 300 organizations join us, another increase, which we were able to fit into roughly the same footprint that we have used during past celebrations,” the statement continues. “The attendance on Sunday was about 475,000, also the largest that we have seen,” it says.
“We are extremely pleased with how the Capital Pride Parade, Festival, and Concert came off without a hitch on Saturday and Sunday,” the statement adds.
“We were grateful that speakers on both days, including artists who performed at Sunday’s Concert, emphasized that the LGBTQ+ community is facing challenges around the country and the globe, and that we will meet this moment together by opposing any attempts to roll back our hard-fought rights and any incursions into the lives of the most vulnerable,” the statement concludes.
District of Columbia
GLAA releases ratings for 18 candidates running for D.C. mayor, Council, AG
Mayoral contender Janeese Lewis Geroge among those receiving highest score
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George, a Democrat, is among just four candidates to receive the highest rating score of +10 from GLAA D.C. who are competing in the city’s June 16 primary election.
GLAA, formally known as the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, has rated candidates for public office in D.C. since the 1970s. It rated 18 of the 36 candidates on this year’s primary ballot for mayor, D.C. Council, and D.C. attorney general based on its policy of only rating candidates who return a GLAA questionnaire asking for their positions on a wide range of issues, most of which are not LGBTQ-specific.
Among the candidates who did not return the questionnaire and thus did not receive a rating, according to GLAA, was Democratic mayoral contender Kenyan McDuffie, who along with Lewis George, is considered by political observers to be one of the two leading mayoral candidates running in the Democratic primary.
GLAA President Benjamin Brooks said that when the McDuffie campaign learned that GLAA announced it had released its candidate ratings and McDuffie was not rated because a questionnaire from him was not received a McDuffie campaign worker contacted GLAA. Brooks said the campaign worker told him they didn’t initially believe they received the questionnaire but they discovered this week that it landed in the spam folder of the campaign’s email account.
Brooks told the Washington Blade he informed the campaign worker it was too late for GLAA to issue a rating for McDuffie since the submission deadline for all candidates had passed. But he said GLAA will allow McDuffie to submit a completed questionnaire that it will post on its website along with the questionnaire responses of the other candidates who submitted them to GLAA.
Lewis George and McDuffie, who each have long records of support for the LGBTQ community, are among a total of eight candidates running for mayor on the June 16 primary ballot: seven Democrats and one Statehood Green Party candidate. In addition to Lewis George, GLAA rated just two other mayoral candidates. Rini Sampath, a Democrat who self identifies as queer, received a +6.5 rating, and Ernest E. Johnson, also a Democrat, received a +4.5 rating
Under the GLAA rating system, candidate ratings range from a +10, the highest score, to a -10, the lowest possible score. In its ratings for the June 16 primary, the lowest score issued was +4.5. GLAA said in a statement that each of the 18 candidates it rated expressed strong support for LGBTQ-related issues in their questionnaire responses, indicating that the overall rating scores reflect the candidates’ positions on mostly non-LGBTQ-specific issues.
The three other candidates who received a +10 GLAA rating are each running as Democrats for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat. They include gay candidate Miguel Trindade Deramo; Aparna Raj, who identifies as bisexual; and LGBTQ ally Rashida Brown. The only other Ward 1 candidate rated by GLAA is LGBTQ ally Terry Lynch, who received a +5.5 rating.
Ward 5 D.C. Councilmember Zachary Parker, the Council’s only gay member who is facing two opponents in the Democratic primary, received a +7 GLAA rating. The two challengers did not return the questionnaire and were not rated.
“In seven out of 10 of our priorities, every candidate indicated agreement,” GLAA said in its statement to the Washington Blade in referring to the candidates it rated. “Total consensus on core issues signals that whomever is elected to Council and mayor, we should expect to hold our elected officials accountable to our goals of protecting home rule, resisting federal overreach, advancing transgender healthcare rights, and eliminating chronic homelessness in the District,” the statement says.
“While candidates agree on the basics, they distinguish themselves in the depth and creativity in their responses, and their record on the issues,” according to the statement, which adds that candidates’ full questionnaire responses and ratings can be accessed on the GLAA website, glaa.org.
Like past election years, GLAA does not rate candidates running for the D.C. Congressional Delegate seat or the so-called “shadow” U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate seats.
With the exception of one question asking about transgender rights, none of the other nine of the 10 questionnaire questions are LGBTQ-specific. But most of the questions mention that LGBTQ people are impacted by the issues being raised, such as affordable housing, federal government intrusion into D.C. home rule, and access to healthcare and public benefits for low-income residents.
One of the questions asks candidates if they support decriminalization of sex work in D.C. among consenting adults, which GLAA supports. Lewis George is among the candidates who said they do not support sex work decriminalization at this time. The other two mayoral candidates that GLAA rated, Sampath and Johnson, said they support sex work decriminalization.
In the race for D.C. attorney general, GLAA issued a rating for just one of the three candidates running: Republican challenger Manuel Rivera, who received a +4.5 rating. Incumbent Democrat Brian Schwalb and Democratic challenger J.P. Szymkowicz were not rated because they didn’t return the questionnaire.
D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D), who is running unopposed in the primary, received a +6.5 rating. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, who is facing three Democratic challengers in the primary and who is a longtime LGBTQ ally, received a +6.5 rating.
In the special election to fill the at-large D.C. Council seat vacated by the resignation of then-Independent Councilmember McDuffie to enable him to run for mayor as a Democrat, GLAA has rated two of the three Independent candidates competing for the seat. Elissa Silverman received a +5.75 rating, and Doni Crawford received a +5.6 rating.
Finally, in the At-Large D.C. Council race GLAA issued ratings for five of the 11 candidates running in the primary, each of whom are Democrats. Oye Owolewa received a +9; Lisa Raymond, +7.5; Dwight Davis, +6.5; Dyana N.M. Forester, +6; and Fred Hill, +6.6.
The full list of GLAA-rated candidates and their detailed questionnaire responses can be accessed at glaa.org.
District of Columbia
Anti-LGBTQ violence prevention efforts highlighted at D.C. community fair
Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs organized May 8 event
Detailed advice on how LGBTQ people can avoid, defend themselves against, and prevent themselves and loved ones from becoming victims of violence, with a focus on domestic and intimate partner violence, was presented at a May 8 LGBTQIA+ Safety in Numbers Community Fair.
The event, organized by the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, included five workshop sessions and information tables set up by 14 LGBTQ-supportive organizations and D.C. government agencies or agency divisions, including the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s LGBT Liaison Unit and the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center.
Also playing a lead role in organizing the event was the D.C. LGBTQIA+ Violence Prevention and Response Team, or VPART, a coalition of D.C. officials and leaders of community-based organizations that work with the Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
The event was held in meeting space in the building where the Office of LGBTQ Affairs is located at 899 N. Capitol St., N.E.
The workshop topics included de-escalation training on healthy relationships, bystander intervention, self-defense training, violence prevention grants, and suicide prevention.
“This will be a public safety and violence prevention event where community partners will educate attendees on various methods of violence intervention and trauma-informed practices,” according to a statement released by the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs prior to the start of the event.
The statement adds, “We will have live demos, interactive games, and workshops focused on strategies for self-defense, protecting vulnerable communities, increasing access to mental health resources, providing tools for recognizing domestic violence/intimate partner violence signs in intimate relationships, and assistance for substance abuse.”
Sonya Joseph, associate director of engagement for the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, told the Washington Blade that studies have shown rates of domestic or intimate partner violence are higher in the LGBTQ community than in the community at large.
“Domestic violence and intimate partner violence are two very big prevalent issues in the LGBTQ community,” she said, adding that some of the workshops at the event would be providing “training on healthy relationships and how to recognize and prevent intimate partner violence and the signs of it.”
About 35 to 40 people attended the workshop sessions.
Experts specializing in violence impacting the LGBTQ community have said domestic violence refers to violence among people in domestic relationships that can include spouses but also siblings, parents, cousins, and other relatives. Intimate partner violence, according to the experts, refers to violence perpetuated by a partner in a romantic or dating relationship.
These D.C. based organizations or agencies that participated in the LGBTQIA+ Safety in Numbers event, and which can be contacted for assistance, include:
• Defend Yourself
• DC LGBTQ+ Community Center
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Joseph’s House
• Us Helping Us, People into Living, Inc.
• MCSR (formerly known as Men Can Stop Rape)
• MPD LGBT Liaison Unit
• Volunteer Legal Advocates
• DC SAFE
• Destination Tomorrow
• D.C. Office of Victims Services and Justice Grants
• Life Enhancement Services
• ONYX Therapy Group
• U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
District of Columbia
Maren Morris to headline Capital Pride Concert
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter came out as bisexual in 2024
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced on May 7 that nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Maren Morris, who identifies as bisexual, will be the headline performer at this year’s Capital Pride Concert scheduled for June 21.
The concert takes place as part of the annual Capital Pride Festival held on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., usually between 3rd Street near the U.S. Capitol and 9th Street.
“Morris, known for her genre-blending sound and outspoken support of LGBTQ+ rights, will be joined by a standout lineup, including acclaimed queer rapper Leikeli47, pop icon Lisa Lisa, Juno-nominated producer and DJ from the ‘Heated Rivalry’ soundtrack, Harrison, and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18 winner Myki Meeks,” according to a statement released by Capital Pride.
“In a moment when LGBTQ+ people are being challenged across the country, the Capital Pride Concert is a space where our community is fully seen and heard,” Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance CEO and president, said in the statement. “Bringing Maren Morris to the stage reflects this year’s theme: Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity,” Bos said.
The statement notes that the concert takes place as part of the annual D.C. Pride Festival, which is open to the public free of charge, with tickets available for purchase for specific areas listed as the Capital Stage Pit Zone and the VIP Concert Zone.
It says the festival takes place from 12 –10 p.m. and points out that in addition to the music performed by multiple other performers on several stages, festival attendees “can explore hundreds of exhibitors, community organizations, and artisans, along with multiple food courts and beverage gardens throughout the festival footprint.”
Information on the Capital Pride Alliance website shows that the festival takes place one day after the annual Capital Pride Parade, scheduled for June 20 and which is expected to travel from 14th and T Streets, N.W., to Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., where it is expected to end at 9th Street.
The statement adds that following the stage performances during the June 21 festival, which are expected to conclude around 8 p.m., “the celebration will continue with the Capitol Sunset Dance Party, closing out the evening against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol.”
The online publication Today, which is part of the NBC “Today” television show, reported that Morris came out as bisexual in a 2024 during Pride. It reports Morris “shared several images of herself holding a Pride flag to mark the occasion, writing, ‘Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+’”
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