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2025: the year that Pride changed

We need to bring some Marsha P. Johnson energy to the party this year

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(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Rewind back to 2017. Trump took office following his election win, and Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate. Superstar Katy Perry suffered a public relations disaster following the release of her latest album. Nintendo brought us a brand-spanking-new Switch, while a now-iconic horror movie—written and directed by a Black man—became a smash hit among critics and audiences alike. 

Well, this feels familiar. Why, then, does Pride in 2025 feel so different? The year 2017 was my first D.C. Pride, and I distinctly remember having a blast and feeling celebratory, even in the wake of Trump’s election. Now instead of Pride, all I feel is anxious, which sucks given this year D.C. hosts WorldPride, too. Upon some reflection, I distilled three reasons as to why. 

The first is highly personal and comes with an update: I recently switched bars. Early this year, I experienced a profound crisis that, sadly, came with substance abuse. It was the most challenging time of my life, and while I may write about it someday, for now I’m still processing its impact. Fortunately, my colleagues at The Little Gay Pub stepped up in a major way to help their struggling coworker. I’d love to take this moment to thank them, since I have yet to properly do so. The work they did to assist me speaks volumes about the staff’s character, and I am forever grateful for their friendship and guidance. 

Now I work at Spark Social House, the new LGBTQ alcohol-free bar and café. Yes, you read that right: an alcohol-free bar. You can also think of it as a nonalcoholic “third space” for the LGBTQ community, but hey, if you are tipsy, stop in for a grilled cheese. We’re open until 4 a.m. on weekends for a reason, and I work the late shift most Saturday nights. 

My switch between bars was the healthier move, but it underscores why Pride is a bit complicated for me this year. I’m navigating severe and unexpected changes in my life, and as a result, Pride fell off my radar. I also know I’m not alone. Here in D.C., thousands of people lost their jobs abruptly, causing many to question who they are in an otherwise austere, corporate landscape. Meanwhile, the news cycle became bleaker than before, so in times like this it’s easy to isolate. Personally, I isolated myself for months after leaving the Pub, and navigating large crowds became the last thing I wanted. It makes sense, then, why WorldPride might feel as overwhelming as a stampede of rhinos. 

The second reason is the political context. Yes, Trump has been president before, and yes, he recently appointed the highest-ranking openly gay official in our nation’s history, but still his presidency ushered in attacks on LGBTQ rights. To start, look to my home state of Idaho, which this year passed a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 decision on same-sex marriage. Idaho’s brashness here is the direct result of the reelection of Trump, who knowingly appointed three conservative justices to the high court during his first term. 

Unfortunately, policies like this are cropping up across the country, like in Ohio, where there’s currently a bill to celebrate “natural family” month, or in Florida, where our history is being erased from schools and libraries. Outside the country, Trump’s defunding of crucial USAID programs leaves queers around the globe in peril. Big-named corporations like Target basically abandoned us, while the Department of Homeland Security can now spy on us solely for our gender identity or sexual orientation. So yes, in the face of all this, dancing with my shirt off and making out with the dude beside me doesn’t feel as fun as it used to. Strange how that happens. 

The final, and perhaps most salient, reason Pride changed are the relentless attacks on our transgender, genderqueer, and drag artist brothers, sisters, and siblings. These attacks are heinous. While many queers fear a rollback of rights, it has already begun for trans people. This year alone, there grew a laundry list of what trans people can’t do: participate in sports, work in safe spaces, serve in the military, or simply pee unbothered. Tell me: what group of people have their lives controlled to that level of minutiae? I don’t know—prisoners, maybe? 

Outside the stripping of their rights and dignity, the language directed at the trans community has turned vile. This is best represented by the antics of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). Mace is so obsessed with everyone else’s genitalia in the bathroom, it borders on sexual harassment. This is made more egregious given she once seemed exemplary for Republicans on gay and transgender equality, yet for some dubious reason, she went from that to poster child of LGBTQ+ hatred. Now she purposely misgenders trans people, leading me to believe we should misgender him to see how he likes it, so I’ll start: Nancy Mace is such a dreadful, horrid, odious bigot, I lazily Google searched synonyms for vile to describe him, because he certainly ain’t worth the extra effort, ain’t he? 

However, Nancy the Mancy is not the only Republican to support these terrible views. Trump himself spent more on anti-trans ads than any other topic in his most recent campaign, but don’t worry—his appointment of a gay man to Treasury Secretary makes up for it. No, actually, it doesn’t, but for some gays it does, which blows my mind. Republicans made a trade-off between the gay and trans communities, because we’re what? That’s right: interchangeable. Grab any letter and you’re good, apparently. Or no letters at all, if you’re Richard Grenell. 

Nowadays, coming out trans is undoubtedly the bravest of all queer identities, not only because you’ll lose your rights, but you’ll face deeper hatred as well. Still, trans people like Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) remain unfazed, which speaks to their remarkable poise and courage. But can we say the same for the rest of the queer community? Are we capable of not fleeing in the face of such hatred? Seeing some of us sell out our queer family leaves me wondering. As a reminder: family doesn’t sell out family, and when you do, I no longer want you in my family. I think that’s fair. 

So, for these three reasons, Pride changed in my book. To better understand why, I also looked up the definition of the word ‘pride.’ Turns out there isn’t one definition but two, the first being “a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated.” A few years into securing corporate support and our right to marry, this describes how Pride felt in 2017. But the second definition is “consciousness of one’s own dignity.” To me, this better summarizes Pride in 2025, for it became the year they tried to steal our dignity, which also makes it the year we must stop them from doing so. This more closely aligns to the first Pride of our queer ancestors, for in the face of even more hatred and fewer rights, they persevered.  

So, grab that metaphorical brick—it’s time we bring some Marsha P. Johnson energy to Pride this year. Remember our haters want us divided and isolated because that’s how they win. This means I, too, must pull my head out of my ass and change my attitude toward Pride while I still can. WorldPride organizers fought tirelessly to secure our events, particularly during this difficult year, so let’s enjoy them. If drag artists are performing, go support them if you can, and events focused on our solidarity matter more than ever before. Let’s take our energy and spread it like glitter everywhere we can throughout the whole damn year. 

The best part is I know we’re capable, for if the queer community can show up in my lowest moments, we can certainly show up for us all. My next three columns will focus on our most targeted family members: the trans, genderqueer, and drag artist communities. Since people back home read my stuff, for better or for worse, it’s worth highlighting to them the profound beauty of each. 

So sure, Pride is different this year, but whether that’s good or bad is now up to us. I know which I’m choosing. Do you? 


Jake Stewart is a D.C.-based writer and bar back.

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My heart goes out to trans community and their families

Supreme Court betrays the Constitution in new ruling

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(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

My heart goes out to the transgender community and their families, after the Supreme Court ruling. The court has ruled their health, and lives, are less important, and we know they are not. 

The felon in the White House, and his MAGA acolytes, his cult, have done everything to make their lives hell. The rest of us can never back down until that is changed. It is not only the LGBTQ community that needs to fight this, but every decent person needs to as well. We should take to the streets and protest; yet the reality is the one sure way to stop all the madness is at the ballot box. We all need to vote, and get every decent person to do the same. I hate to say it, but right now there are apparently no ‘decent’ Republicans to vote for, because any decent Republican would be speaking out against the egregious policies of this felon and there is silence from them. 

Voting for a third party because you are not happy with everything Democrats are doing, will only help Republicans. History tells us that. Don’t be fooled, you need to vote for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. Please, understand how our system works. There are only two parties today that will control the legislatures, state or federal, the governor’s office, or the White House. Third parties may try to fool you, but they have no chance at this time. 

We see what Republicans have done to the country. Grocery prices are up, your rent is up, the promise to end the wars around the world on their first day in office, have failed. The felon has actually started another war, this one against Iran. We will see where that leads. They are making a mess of their promise to expel immigrants, actually trying to do it without regard for our Constitution. I am for kicking out criminals who are here illegally, but we have a way to do that. We are not a banana republic. The felon in the White House is bowing down to kiss Putin’s ass, deserting the proud people in Ukraine. His sycophants in the Republican Congress refuse to stand up to him in any way. So, we have to kick them all out. 

One of the things that amazes me is how people make excuses for the felon, and the general slime he appointed to his Cabinet. Listening to Pete Hegseth at congressional hearings can literally make you sick. Then there is Marco Rubio, twisting himself into a pretzel for Trump, going against everything he once said he believed in. It’s disgusting what some people will do for a Cabinet post.

Then there are the Log Cabin Republicans, who find it OK to support someone who is a racist and homophobe, and make excuses for him. Some of them posting on Facebook how they enjoyed WorldPride, having no compunction at all being major hypocrites, when the felon in the White House they support, refused to acknowledge it. The highest-ranking gay member of his administration won’t acknowledge it; and another slimy gay man is named as acting CEO of the Kennedy Center and his first act is to cancel a gay chorus concert. When his Secretary of Defense tells us he is taking Harvey Milk’s name off a ship, and at one point says they will hide recognition of the ‘Enola Gay’ because they think it refers to the gay community. With all this, Log Cabin Republicans, I gather because of some self-hatred, or fear of losing a job, continue to support all he is doing. They won’t speak out when transgender people literally have their lives put in danger by the felon’s policies. When trans persons who have served with honor and distinction, in defense of all of our freedoms, are thrown out of the military. When veterans, including those in the LGBTQ community, are thrown out of their jobs in the federal government, and have their healthcare put at risk. They remain silent even in cases where silence = death. 

One of them on Facebook asked me whether it gets tiresome speaking about these things all the time, and suggests if I don’t like the felon in the White House, it’s too bad, I will just have to work harder next time. My answer is yes; I will work harder next time. But in the meantime, I will never tire of speaking out, and making sure anyone who hears my voice, will know what the felon, racist, homophobe, misogynist, found liable for sexual assault, currently in the White House, and his supporters, are doing to screw so many decent people. 


Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist.

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They Are Coming for All of Us

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We at the Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation, along with the entire LGBTQ+ community, are justifiably devastated by the US Supreme Court’s decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender affirming care for minors. In a 6-3 ruling that will likely have major implications for the entire community’s rights going forward, the court held that the law, which prohibits certain forms of medical treatment based on the recipient’s assigned sex at birth, did not violate the US constitution’s equal protection clause.

The Skrmetti decision held that Tennessee could ban gender-affirming care to minors based on medical diagnosis (gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or gender identity disorder) without violating the US constitution. In its analysis, the court ignored that these TGNCNBI-specific conditions were being differentiated on the basis of sex, rather than age (minority status) and/or medical diagnosis. Thus, instead of applying the “strict scrutiny” required for sex-based discrimination, the court applied a much lower “rational basis” standard to the law and allowed it to stand. The court cited “fierce scientific and policy debates” around gender-affirming care as the state’s rational basis, in spite of the vehement disagreement of all major medical associations. State laws in 24 other states are substantially similar, so this ruling could affect as many as 100,000 youth. Ironically, the ban contains an exception for nonconsensual surgeries on intersex youth.

This decision also does not bode well for people with other medical conditions that offer potential for discrimination, and may even expose people with TGNCNBI-specific conditions to future discriminatory treatment, legislation, or action. In fact, the court’s ruling has major implications for the bodily autonomy of every American.

We at the Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation are more committed than ever to supporting the TGNCNBI community in their fight for equal rights and access to the healthcare they deserve. As we all know, this decision has potentially deadly consequences. As one united LGBTQ+ community, we need to make ourselves more visible than ever to show that we exist, have always existed, and will not be silenced by a political and judicial movement that is trying to erase us.

Leonard Litz is responding to this moment by increasing our support in both our TransPLUS and Advocacy initiatives. We are also reaching out to offer support to organizations that serve the needs of trans and intersex youth who are being affected by this draconian decision. Additionally, the TransPLUS Resource Center will continue to offer services to the community as its needs grow and evolve.

We appreciate everyone’s support of our TGNCNBI youth and thank you all that you do for the LGBTQ+ community!


Robyn Schlesinger is a Trustee of the Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation and Director of the TransPLUS Resource Center

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A Country Worth Fighting For

Producer of Putt Across America at The Wharf through September 1, 2025

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Chris Goodwin, Junto Entertainment CEO, at PUTT ACROSS AMERICA. Courtesy of Junto Entertainment.

Like many Americans, I woke up the morning after election night and the words on my phone screen felt like a fever dream. The New York Times declared “TRUMP STORMS BACK”. My boyfriend and I clutched onto our dog, staying in bed as long as we could. When we finally ventured out of our apartment and into the streets of New York, disappointment felt thick in the air. How could this happen again, and what would be left of America in four years?

My team and I had already spent weeks ideating on a touring mini golf experience centered around US landmarks and landscapes. We were certain that a positive outcome – the outcome we wanted for the election – was practically guaranteed. As the weeks of processing and acceptance began to roll along, we had to make a decision – do we stay on course or do we put this project’s concept on the shelf, possibly forever?

As a young, gay CEO of an entertainment company on a mission to bring impactful experiences to cities across the US, I made a choice: this country, its spirit, and its vast diversity, both in its people and its places, is not to be taken from us. And even in our greatest moments of despair, what is hiding behind the heartbreak is hope for an America that respects, reflects, and represents us all. 

So we decided to lock in and bring Putt Across America to life – in a way that celebrates the places that compose our country and the people that create them.   Red, white, and blue belong to all of us, and as the country turns 250, it’s on all of us to set the stage for the next 250 years to come.

The “easy summer nostalgia” aesthetic at Putt Across America is deeply intentional and took serious work to craft. When I think back to summers as a kid, I feel a great sense of ease, calm, and peace- I think of unmitigated joy defined by experiences shared with loved ones. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, but I know it is something everyone deserves. That’s what lies at the heart of this project- a blissful summer experience that will create memories poised to last a lifetime.

Putt Across America, Courtesy of Junto Entertainment

My hope is that people have that same feeling of peace when they join us for a round of mini golf this summer. While looking across the course to see Boston on one end, The Grand Canyon on the other, and over a dozen other states in between, I hope they are reminded that this America is for all of us. While exploring our bonus enrichment for each hole, I hope they realize the act of protest and the want for better for our country started long before there even was a United States. 

That no one can take this away. And that the promise of tomorrow is something we create, nurture, and pass along to the next generations. 

So let’s keep up the fight and further our love for America. Through our actions, through our votes, or even through something as simple as a game of mini golf. 


Chris Goodwin is the CEO Junto Entertainment.

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