District of Columbia
WorldPride hotel bookings hint at disappointing turnout
Welcome events set for this weekend but predictions of 3 million visitors not panning out
Beneath the optimistic press releases from WorldPride D.C. organizers lies a disappointing reality: Predictions of up to three million visitors traveling to the region for the events are not materializing.
Indeed, a quick look at hotel occupancy rates reveals wide open availability across D.C. for the June 6-9 weekend with many hotels offering discounted rates.
LGBTQ activists from Europe, Mexico, Canada, and other parts of the U.S. have announced they decided not to come to Washington, D.C. for WorldPride because of the hostile, anti-LGBTQ policies of President Donald Trump and his administration. The activists indicating they would not come to WorldPride D.C. have said they were especially concerned over the Trump administration’s anti-transgender policies.
Kyle Deckelbaum, an official with Destination D.C., an organization that promotes tourism and large-scale events, and that has been supporting WorldPride D.C. for at least two years, said his group has received differing reports about the attendance at WorldPride.
He said that as of May 21, the most recent data show that hotel bookings for the WorldPride opening ceremony weekend of May 30-June 1, and for the closing ceremony weekend of June 6-8, are down by 3 percent compared to the same two weekends in 2024. D.C.’s regularly scheduled annual Capital Pride Festival and Parade took place the second weekend of June 2024.
But Deckelbaum points out that the 3 percent lower bookings are for D.C. hotels only, not those in the surrounding Virginia and Maryland counties, where many WorldPride participants are expected to stay. He also notes that bookings do not reflect the full “occupancy” of a hotel room, saying it is common that two or more visitors can share a hotel room.
“The way to look at hotel booking pace is it is a kind of indicator of travel, but it does not necessarily indicate occupancy, nor would it indicate attendance,” he said, referring to the overall attendance at WorldPride.
Deckelbaum said another factor is that there are more hotels that have opened in D.C. since last year, increasing the supply of rooms, which could account for a slightly lower booking rate.
“And there are a lot of factors at play outside of WorldPride, where occupancy has been tracking just below last year every weekend this year because there is a decrease in international visitation,” he said. “That’s overall to the U.S., that’s not D.C. specific.”
On the optimistic side, Deckelbaum notes that a “surge in positive op-ed articles from around the world” have appeared recently in support of WorldPride D.C. in newspapers in countries such as United Kingdom and Canada.
“We are seeing an uptick in op-ed submissions from international markets that explain people’s reasons for coming,” he said.
Last month, Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination D.C., told the Blade he could not predict whether as many as 2 million or more visitors would come as WorldPride organizers had predicted earlier this year.
“So, as we talk to hotels, we would have liked to see the city fully sold out at this point,” he said.
The Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based group serving as lead organizer of WorldPride D.C., has pointed out that the local D.C. government has a longtime strong record of support for the LGBTQ community. They have also argued that LGBTQ activists should come to WorldPride as a form of protest against the Trump administration, among other things, by joining the planned LGBTQ and allied March on Washington for Freedom, set to take place June 8 and travel from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, said the group doesn’t believe media reports of lower hotel bookings are predictive of the actual number of people that will turn out for WorldPride D.C. Although he did not offer a prediction of the size of the turnout, he said the enthusiasm and large number of people who turned out for the first week of WorldPride events was impressive.
“The energy and respect among each other were energizing and continued as other events popped up through Latinx Pride and API [Asian Pacific Islander] Pride and this past weekend with D.C. Black Pride, which was a huge success,” he said.
“People understand this is an historic moment, how important it is that our community supports each other, that every LGBTQ business, organization, social group that we rally together to ensure that our community shows up,” Bos told the Blade in a May 27 phone interview.
“Celebration is a form of protest,” he said. “So, protest is defiance, resilience and joy. And it’s not just about WorldPride,” Bos continued. “This is about us ensuring that we can persevere and be resilient across our country and around the world. And to ensure that all of our Prides continue to take place and that we do not go back in the closet.”
He added, “We have nearly 300 events between the ones Capital Pride Alliance is organizing to all the amazing partners in the community to have something for everybody, and we are excited to welcome so many who deserve to be seen so they can experience the D.C. that isn’t the federal government, that is part of this fabric of freedom, this community, these neighborhoods that make D.C. such a great place to live.”
A statement released on May 27 by WorldPride D.C. 2025 organizers says the events that began May 17 and dozens more set to take place through June 8 represent a “celebration of LGBTQ+ culture, identity, and unity.”
The statement adds that the events make up a “packed calendar of festivals, sports, concerts, and cultural experiences marking 50 years of Pride in D.C.”
It points out that this week’s highlights included the start of the WorldPride Film Festival, scheduled for May 27-29, the annual Pride Flag Raising ceremony organized by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which was set for May 29, and the kickoff of the Capital Cup Sports Festival set for May 30-June 4.
As if that were not enough, the organizers’ statement notes that the WorldPride Welcome Ceremony and Concert set for Saturday, May 31, at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium with headliner Shakira performing and welcoming remarks by key dignitaries would set the pace for the remainder of the WorldPride events.
But while indicating all is going according to plans, the statement does not respond to multiple media reports that earlier predictions that WorldPride D.C. would attract between two and three million visitors does not appear to be happening.
WorldPride organizers announced last week that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade set for June 7.
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
District of Columbia
Juvenile arrested for anti-gay assault in D.C.
Police say suspect targeted victim in house with Pride flags
D.C. police announced on June 16 that they have arrested a 13-year-old juvenile male on a charge of Assault With Significant Bodily Injury for allegedly throwing a rock through the window of a house in Northeast D.C. and “striking the victim in the face.”
In a statement announcing the arrest, police said the incident took place on Friday, June 6, and “LGBTQ+ flags were displayed at the front of the home.”
A separate D.C. police incident report obtained by the Washington Blade states, “Victim 1 reports he was sitting in his living room at the listed location watching television when a rock came through the front window and struck him about his left eye. Victim 1 suffered a laceration under his left eye.”
The report adds, “Victim 1 states he observed Suspect 1 running away.”
According to the June 16 statement issued by police, “On Sunday, June 15, 2025, officers located the suspect and placed him under arrest. [A] 13-year-old juvenile male of Northeast D.C., was charged with Assault With Significant Bodily Injury (Hate/Bias).”
The statement says the house where the incident occurred is located on the 400 block of 20th Street, N.E.
Similar to statements D.C. police have issued regarding LGBTQ bias-related cases in the past, the statement announcing this case says that while the case is being investigated as being potentially motivated by hate or bias, that designation could be changed at any time during the investigation.
It adds that a hate crime designation by D.C. police may not be prosecuted as a hate crime by prosecutors. Under D.C. law, juvenile cases are prosecuted by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General.
Since court records for cases involving juveniles are sealed from public access, the Blade could not immediately determine whether prosecutors designated the case as a hate crime.
It also could not immediately be determined if the juvenile charged in the case was being held in detention while awaiting trial at juvenile court or whether he was released to a parent or guardian and whether a judge set any conditions for release.
The police statement concludes by saying that the department’s Special Liaison Branch, which includes the LGBT Liaison Unit, is assisting with the investigation.
District of Columbia
Drive with Pride in D.C.
A new Pride-themed license plate is now available in the District, with proceeds directly benefiting local LGBTQ organizations.
Just in time for Pride month, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs to create a special “Pride Lives Here” license plate.
The plate, which was initially unveiled in February, has a one-time $25 application fee and a $20 annual display fee. Both fees will go directly to the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs Fund.
The MOLGBTQA Fund provides $1,000,000 annually to 25,000 residents through its grant program, funding a slew of LGBTQ organizations in the DMV area — including Capital Pride Alliance, Whitman-Walker, the D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Community, and the Washington Blade Foundation.
The license plate features an inclusive rainbow flag wrapping around the license numbers, with silver stars in the background — a tribute to both D.C.’s robust queer community and the resilience the LGBTQ community has shown.
The “Pride Lives Here” plate is one of only 13 specialty plates offered in the District, and the only one whose fees go directly to the LGBTQ community.
To apply for a Pride plate, visit the DC DMV’s website at https://dmv.dc.gov/
District of Columbia
Drag queens protest Trump at the Kennedy Center
President attended ‘Les Misérables’ opening night on Wednesday
On Wednesday night, four local drag performers attended the first night of the Kennedy Center’s season in full drag — while President Donald Trump, an outspoken critic of drag, sat mere feet away.
Three queens — Tara Hoot, Vagenesis, and Mari Con Carne — joined drag king Ricky Rosé to represent Qommittee, a volunteer network uniting drag artists to support and defend each other amid growing conservative attacks. They all sat down with the Washington Blade to discuss the event.
The drag performers were there to see the opening performance of “Les Misérables” since Trump’s takeover of the historically non-partisan Kennedy Center. The story shows the power of love, compassion, and redemption in the face of social injustice, poverty, and oppression, set in late 19th century France.
Dressed in full drag, the group walked into the theater together, fully aware they could be punished for doing so.
“It was a little scary walking in because we don’t know what we’re going to walk into, but it was really helpful to be able to walk in with friends,” said drag queen Vagenesis. “The strongest response we received was from the staff who worked there. They were so excited and grateful to see us there. Over and over and over again, we heard ‘Thank you so much for being here,’ ‘Thank you for coming,’ from the Kennedy Center staff.”
The staff weren’t the only ones who seemed happy at the act of defiance.
“We walked in together so we would have an opportunity to get a response,” said Tara Hoot, who has performed at the Kennedy Center in full drag before. “It was all applause, cheers, and whistles, and remarkably it was half empty. I think that was season ticket holders kind of making their message in a different way.”
Despite the love from the audience and staff, Mari Con Carne said she couldn’t help feeling unsettled when Trump walked in.
“I felt two things — disgust and frustration,” Carne said. “Obviously, I don’t align with anything the man has to say or has to do. And the frustration came because I wanted to do more than just sit there. I wanted to walk up to him and speak my truth — and speak for the voices that were being hurt by his actions right now.”
They weren’t the only ones who felt this way according to Vagenesis:
“Somebody shouted ‘Fuck Trump’ from the rafters. I’d like to think that our being there encouraged people to want to express themselves.”
The group showing up in drag and expressing themselves was, they all agreed, an act of defiance.
“Drag has always been a protest, and it always will be a sort of resistance,” Carne said, after pointing out her intersectional identity as “queer, brown, Mexican immigrant” makes her existence that much more powerful as a statement. “My identity, my art, my existence — to be a protest.”
Hoot, who is known for her drag story times, explained that protesting can look different than the traditional holding up signs and marching for some.
“Sometimes protesting is just us taking up space as drag artists,” Hoot added. “I felt like being true to who you are — it was an opportunity to live the message.”
And that message, Ricky Rosé pointed out, was ingrained with the institution of the Kennedy Center and art itself — it couldn’t be taken away, regardless of executive orders and drag bans
“The Kennedy Center was founded more than 50 years ago as a place meant to celebrate the arts in its truest, extraordinary form,” said Ricky Rosé. “President Kennedy himself even argued that culture has a great practical value in an age of conflict. He was quoted saying, ‘the encouragement of art is political in the most profound sense, not as a weapon in the struggle, but as an instrument of understanding the futility of struggle’ and I believe that is the basis of what the Kennedy Center was founded on, and should continue. And drag fits perfectly within it.”
All four drag performers told the Washington Blade — independently of one another — that they don’t think Trump truly understood the musical he was watching.
“I don’t think the president understands any kind of plot that’s laid out in front of him,” Vagenesis said. “I’m interested to see what he thinks about “Les Mis,” a play about revolution against an oppressive regime. I get the feeling that he identifies with the the rebellion side of it, instead of the oppressor. I just feel like he doesn’t get it. I feel it goes right over his head.”
“Les Misérables” is running at the Kennedy Center until July 13.
Lawyers who fought gender affirming care ban at the Supreme Court remain optimistic
Supreme Court upholds ban on transgender care for minors
Hashmi to face Reid in Va. LG race
Shaheen, Collins reintroduce bill prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination in jury service
These eight autistic LGBTQ people are making a difference
Supreme Court upholds ban on transgender care for minors
Milton Pride Fest to take place Saturday
Celebrate Pride month by reading these books
Faith leaders celebrate WorldPride at interfaith service
