District of Columbia
Pride weekend brings parade, festival, fireworks amid perfect weather
‘I just love to celebrate being queer!’
Pride weekend in D.C. means rainbow floats filling a crowded 14th Street, bubbles floating above rooftops, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” blasting from speakers, and groups of enthusiastic locals and tourists eagerly gripping the barricades ready for the parade.
With shouts of “Happy Pride” from the top of a double-decker bus wrapped in the 2025 World Pride logo and cheers from the audience lining the street, the long-awaited Capital Pride Parade had begun.
It seemed that all of D.C. was out in rainbow outfits on Saturday to celebrate the strides of the LGBTQ community. The parade procession, which lasted nearly six hours, featured floats from a wide array of participants. These included organizations that support the LGBTQ community, local and international businesses, local sports teams, political candidates and their supporters, including second gentleman Doug Emhoff, various embassies, and many more. Unlike previous years when D.C.’s infamous heat and humidity have strained participants and spectators alike, the weekend’s weather featured clear blue skies and comfortably moderate temperatures.
Martie Fulp-Eickstaedt traveled from Richmond to soak in all the queer love and community. “I am celebrating with my friends, my dear pals that I adore,” she said. “It’s really just about celebrating with the community. I love seeing other people’s outfits and seeing the joy on people’s faces. People coming together to celebrate love.”
Fulp-Eickstaedt continued, explaining that the joy she experiences is hard to match. “I just love seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces. And the dancing. I love the dancing. This one loves to dance,” she said while pointing to her friend sitting next to her on the curb. “Seeing her dance is one of the best things.”
There was no shortage of dancing this weekend. From the opening RIOT! dance party, 17th Street block party, Flashback Tea Dance, Pride festival and concert, countless private bars and parties hosting events, you could dance your feet off in the name of Pride with no problem.
Other parade visitors, like 73-year-old former Navy sailor Eric Kearsley, who traveled to D.C. from Philadelphia with his partner, have more emotional connections to Capital Pride.
“I’m here today because I wouldn’t miss a Washington, D.C. Pride Parade and Festival,” Kearsley said. “It’s the first parade I went to after coming out in 2005.” He told the Blade that he has made the trek every year since then to watch the parade.
“Every time it’s an emotional thing for me,” he added. “The first time I saw the military services — the Honor Guard coming through, it just blew my mind. And I always run into friends. It’s just a wonderful experience and it makes me feel full of pride.”
Despite the familiar sights of flying beads and confetti in the parade, this year’s route was different. In years past the parade would go through the historic “gayborhood” of Dupont Circle. This year, parade organizers chose to travel down 14th Street until it met with Pennsylvania Avenue, ending at Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th Street, N.W. This new route was supposed to be a test run for next year’s massive 2025 World Pride, which D.C. is hosting.
Mary Nichols, a 29-year-old from Tysons Corner, felt filled with pride and was enthusiastic for D.C. to host World Pride. “I’m very excited for DC World Pride,” she said. “I feel like it’s gonna be like the gay Olympics!”
She continued, explaining why Pride celebrations make her so happy. “I love Pride. I loved it when I was an ‘ally,’” Nichols said while laughing. “I just love the dancing, the music, the celebration. I love seeing people’s outfits. But mostly I love hanging out with my friends. And I just love to celebrate being queer!”
In addition to the parade, a newer D.C. Pride tradition returned: Pride on the Pier and Fireworks display, sponsored by the Washington Blade, and hosted at the Wharf. This year’s event attracted thousands who came to watch drag kings and queens, dance to DJs, and, of course, to watch the fireworks.
In addition to the parade and pier events on Saturday, the Capital Pride Festival and Concert was held on Sunday toward the end of Pennsylvania Avenue. The festival included more than 300 exhibitors providing LGBTQ-centered advocacy, selling Pride-related merchandise, food and drinks, and educating the public on issues of importance for the LGBTQ community.
Once the sun began to lower in the sky, the concert started at the stage end of the festival walk. Performers including Exposé, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Sapphira Cristál, Grand Marshal KeKe Palmer, Billy Porter, and headliner Ava Max all danced, sang, and celebrated the LGBTQ community with the Capital as a perfect backdrop.
Despite the jubilant energy of the weekend, many people celebrating also pointed out that there was still work to be done in gaining equal rights for all in the LGBTQ community.
Scotty Moore, 22, who lives in the Logan Circle neighborhood of D.C., brought up the struggle for transgender people in the U.S.
When asked what the biggest threat to the LGBTQ community was he answered without skipping a beat. “A lot of the anti-trans legislation,” Moore said. “I think that we are having a massive roll back on a lot of the progress that we had in the past 10 years. We’re having generations that are raised with a lot of reactionary media that is not very pro-gay. I think that’s a major threat to us, not only now but also in the future.”
Moore continued, explaining this was the exact reason why the LGBTQ community must continue celebrating Pride.
“I think it is important to celebrate Pride because Pride is not something that is in the past,” he said. “Pride is something that we have now. And we need to stay consistent and make sure that the community knows that we’re here.”
Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, said he was “excited and proud” to be part of the D.C. government’s parade contingent, which was led by the mayor and included between 200 and 250 LGBTQ community members and D.C. government employees.
“We had a record involvement, including an LGBTQI drum corps and we had the D.C. Mobile Go-Go Museum,” he said, referring to the large bus with a stage on its roof on which D.C.’s popular Go-Go Experience Band performed to loud cheers as the bus traveled in the parade. Go-Go Museum founder Ron Moten said the bus’s appearance in the parade was sponsored by the Go-Go Museum and Check It Enterprises, the D.C. LGBTQ youth operated retail store and advocacy group.
“We had two, not one, firetrucks and we had D.C. Health, and they had a float,” Bowles said, referring to the Department of Health. “And then our Department of Aging and Community Living, our seniors and older adults, we had a trolley for them as well,” said Bowles. As if all that were not enough, he said LGBTQ students from Howard University and organizers of Howard’s LGBTQIA+ Center joined the mayor’s parade contingent.
Vincent Slatt, who serves as chair of the D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission’s Rainbow Caucus, said members of the LGBTQ caucus and its straight allies and supporters marched in the Pride parade this year “for the first time ever.” Added Slatt, “It was great for us to walk through and be with those fellow commissioners to raise our profile across the city and to get more people involved in local democracy.”
District of Columbia
Over 2,000 turn out for Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest
Drag performer Tara Hoot serves as MC, Gay Men’s Chorus of DC performs, attendees shout for Trump to keep ‘hands off’ Kennedy Center
More than 2,000 supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts turned out on Sept. 18, for a rally in support of the performing arts center and a vocal protest against President Donald Trump’s threats to permanently close the center and possibly demolish it.
The event was organized by a group called Hands Off the Arts, which initially called for participants to form a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center’s main building following a rally on the plaza in front of the building.
However, due to a decision by the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center’s board of trustees to close the center earlier in the week and install fencing around part of the building, participants could only form the chain around part of the building, according to organizers.
Drag performer Tara Hoot, who co-organized the event and served as master of ceremonies for the rally preceding the “human chain,” said the large turnout could have fully surrounded the building at least twice had the fencing not prevented a full encirclement.
Among the musicians and singing groups that performed at the rally was the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which, like other rally performers, had performed at the Kennedy Center in past years. They drew loud applause after singing one of their favorite songs from the Broadway musical show Ragtime, which includes the lyrics, “Will justice be demanded by 10 million men? Make them hear you. When they hear you, I’ll be near you again.”
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Prior to their performance, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s artistic director, Thea Kano, spoke at the rally, reminding participants that shortly after the Trump takeover of the center last year, Kennedy Center officials cancelled a concert the chorus was scheduled to perform there for World Pride 2025.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson said the cancellation was due to a scheduling conflict, but chorus members and LGBTQ activists believe it resulted from policies put in place by Trump and his leadership team at the Kennedy Center following Trump’s statements that he would end controversial “woke” performances that he claimed the majority of Americans disapprove of.
“Now this building sits empty in silence,” Kano told the crowd at the rally. “Let us raise our voices together and bring back the Kennedy Center as it was intended, a place where American culture could be celebrated and elevated, embracing the vibrancy with the spectrum of identify without censure and without politics,” she said.
Among the others who spoke at the rally were U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), and D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large).
Most speakers, along with LGBTQ participants in the hands-around-the-building event expressed strong opposition to Trump’s demand that the Kennedy Center name be changed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
At Trump’s request, his appointed board initially made that name change and placed Trump’s name on the front wall of the building along with the Kennedy name. But following legal action taken by opponents who pointed out that Congress must approve such a name change, a judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building. Trump has said he will take steps to reverse that order and has said he will stop plans to renovate the Kennedy Center building and possibly demolish it if his name is not restored in the Kennedy’s Center’s official name.
Throughout the Sept. 18 rally, LGBTQ participants repeatedly responded to the Trump threats by shouting, “Hands Off!”
Chris Raleigh, one of the founders of Hands Off the Arts and a lead organizer of the Sept. 18 event at the Kennedy Center who spoke at the event told the Washington Blade that more similar events are being planned and he welcomes the support the event has received from the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBTQ community was here first, and we’re following them,” he said. “They’ve been the spearhead; they’ve been the vanguard. And I’m so thankful for heroes like Tara Hoot,” he said, adding, “It’s because they know what it means and how this is a safe place – the theater – for many LGBTQ people.”
The DMV’s own furry group was on full display on the Metro on Sept. 12.
Shutterpaws is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Maryland.
The furry group has been doing the FurRide event since 2024 and has blown up in popularity for furries around DMV. They showcased themselves on the Silver and Blue Lines near the Smithsonian on Sept. 12.
“A lot of careful planning goes into running these events, with the goal being a seamless and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends,” says Zayre, a Shutterpaws staff member. “There’s a lot that you learn just by trial and error, and as Shutterpaws hosts more and more events, our team of event organizers continues to learn and refine our approach to keep things running smoothly and finding new ways to engage with our community.”
With a larger growth of participation in the community comes many challenges with the group, especially when it comes to the Metro rides and organizing.
“The biggest challenge that we face as organizers is keeping things fresh and finding new and engaging venues to host events,” says Zayre. “Recently we saw a lot of success hosting a meet at On Target Battlezone, an indoor NERF gun battle arena where our crew was welcome to show up and play both with and without a fur suit.”
Nevertheless, Shutterpaws receive overwhelming support from the community and partners.
“Across the DMV there are so many amazing places to host a Shutterpaws event so we can pursue our mission of helping connect fur suiters and photographers, and we’re blown away with the amount of support we’ve received from our community partners,” says Zayre.
Shutterpaws plans to do more events for anyone in the DMV who is interested.
Their next event in collaboration with DC Fur Meet will take place at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.) on Saturday. Visit Shutterpaws’ website for more information.
District of Columbia
Hands Off the Arts to form ‘human chain’ around Kennedy Center
Drag performer Tara Hoot among event organizers
An organization called Hands Off the Arts has announced it is holding a protest on Friday, Sept. 18, in which between 400 and 800 participants are expected to create a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center to voice their strong objection to President Donald Trump’s call for possibly demolishing the Kennedy Center.
“Hands Off the Arts is organizing a rally Sept. 18 against the president’s defacing of JFK’s memorial, his removal and censorship of art, and the threat to demolish the center if he can’t remake the site in his image,” a statement released by the group says.
The statement says the event will start with a rally at 6:30 p.m. on the Kennedy Center steps and culminate with a “human chain” around the building. “There will be musical performances, testimonials from current and former employees, along with other special guest speakers,” it says
A separate announcement by the group says longtime D.C. drag performer Tara Hoot, who has performed at the Kennedy Center in past years, was among the organizers of the Sept. 18 protest.
The planned protest follows Trump’s decision last year to use his authority to replace the existing members of the Kennedy Center’s board of directors with new members loyal to him. Over the objection of longtime Kennedy Center supporters, the Trump-appointed board changed the name of the center, at Trump’s request, from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
But following the threat of legal action by opponents who pointed out that the name change could not be legally made unless approved by Congress, the name change was cancelled, with Trump saying he would take steps to restore it later.
The Washington Post, meanwhile, reports in a Sept. 13 news story that because of negative publicity related to Trump’s actions, the Kennedy Center was facing “fiscal collapse” and possible bankruptcy and could be forced to shut down as early as this week.
According to the Post report, a 57-page document presented to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees says the center was facing a financial and structural building crisis, with the recent collapse of part of the building’s inside ceiling, indicating the building was unsafe for employees and the public. Among other things, the document says the Kennedy Center may not be able to make payroll or pay for routine maintenance “within a matter of weeks,” the Post reports.
Some LGBTQ advocates were among those who joined others in boycotting the Kennedy Center to express their objections to Trump’s actions, including a statement by Trump that he objected to the Kennedy Center’s practice of hosting drag performances.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has been among the LGBTQ performing arts groups and artists that have performed at the Kennedy Center.
“With the future still very much uncertain, now more than ever, the Center needs you to stand up for freedom of expression and against authoritarian overreach into arts and culture institutions,” the Hands Off the Arts group says in its announcement of the Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest.
“You have the opportunity to make a difference — show up with Hands Off the Arts and show your power as part of Hands Around the Kennedy Center,” it says.
A spokesperson for the Kennedy Center couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
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