District of Columbia
Washington Spirit scores big on and off the field with Pride, community, and inclusion
The Washington Spirit CEO sits down with the Blade to discuss LGBTQ+ visibility, how the team fosters community engagement, and efforts to empower LGBTQ young leaders.
Washington, D.C. is a major sports town. From the Nationals to the Capitals, basketball to tennis, if you want to watch professional sports, D.C. has some of the best around.
One team that has scored big in recent years – especially among the LGBTQ community – is the Washington Spirit, the DMV’s professional women’s soccer team. From last year’s record-breaking season, all-star athletes, and commitment to uplifting LGBTQ youth in D.C. with donations to local organizations like SMYAL, the Spirit is infectious.
Last year was a big year for the team for another reason as well: For the first time in the team’s history, the Spirit announced it would have its first CEO, Kim Stone. For more than 30 years, Stone has held many roles across the country in making good sports venues great. Most recently, she was president of UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (home of the New York Islanders), a crucial member of business operations for the Miami HEAT, and part of the team at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
With such an accomplished past, it should come as no surprise that even with just a year under her belt, she has helped make the Spirit “one of the most successful NWSL clubs” in many ways – most notably by “expanding revenue, partnerships, staff,” and arguably the most important way – growing the fanbase.
One way Stone and the entire Spirit team have been able to grow the fanbase – like breaking the record for attendance at their home of Audi Field – has been through partnerships and themed games. On Sunday, Aug. 31, the Spirit will take on the Chicago Stars Football Club for one of the most anticipated games of the year – the annual Pride match.
The Spirit has had multiple out players in recent years including current midfielder Leicy Santos and, from 2021 to 2024, defender Anna Heilferty. In addition to having a history of star queer players that make the Pride game extra special, the purchase of a specialty Pride ticket will grant Spirit Squadron members (aka the Spirit fanbase) a free Washington Spirit Pride fanny pack, complete with a classic rainbow Pride flag strap and the logo in the colors of the progressive Pride flag.
And, just like last year, there is a long lineup of spectacular and spiritful drag talent: Shi-Queeta-Lee, Delila B. Lee, Bootsy Omega, Capri Bloomingdale, Kabuki B. Lee, and D.C. drag legends including Tula, Twix, and Citrine the Queen. One new thing about this year’s Pride game is the inclusion of popular DMV LGBTQ influencer QueerTalkDC, who has been promoting the game and will be posting about it to her more than 28k followers.
In honor of the upcoming Pride game, the Spirit recently donated $10,000 to SMYAL to support their scholarship program, helping LGBTQ+ students take the next step in their educational and career journeys. SMYAL’s scholarships recognize outstanding and unapologetic LGBTQ+ student leaders who have demonstrated personal growth and a commitment to creating positive change in their schools or communities, reflecting the same spirit of inclusion and empowerment that the team celebrates on the field.
In anticipation of the game, the Washington Blade sat down with Stone to discuss what it means to be the team’s first CEO, why the Pride match is especially meaningful to her as a proud lesbian, and how the team’s talent for fostering all types of community at Audi Field is important to creating a great fanbase.
When asked how she found the club’s atmosphere, Stone was quick to point out it was more than just about watching women play top-tier soccer – it’s about fostering community.
“We’re not just a soccer club, we’re building a culture of belonging, where every fan, every player, every staff member knows they’re valued,” Stone said, explaining that to create it she – and the team as a whole – work toward making this a place for everyone. “Inclusion doesn’t just happen by accident—it’s something we lead with every day. You either have culture by design, or you have culture by default, and we’re intentional about creating a Spirit family where everyone belongs.”
Stone explained that it must start from the top down – and recognized it begins with her leading and living authentically as a gay executive in a traditionally male-dominated field.
“I don’t lead despite being gay—I lead authentically because of it, and because visibility matters,” she said. “Having a community of fans that embraces everyone is so important, and I want to make sure that when people come to our matches, they feel welcomed, celebrated, and seen.”
That success in living authentically has helped her inside the industry as well. She explained that by becoming more comfortable discussing her relationship with her wife, Karla Jones Stone, even just around the water cooler, has helped make her a better CEO and leader.
“Being open about my lifestyle has helped me be a better leader. It’s brought me more joy and allowed me to lead authentically. When I first came out in Miami, I no longer had to hide who I was or call my wife my ‘best friend.’ That ability to live openly made all the difference—not just personally, but professionally too.”
That radical acceptance, which many in the LGBTQ community strive for, is exactly what makes this themed game so special, Stone explained. The simplicity of feeling not only represented but also celebrated while enjoying something as community-building as sports – which can often be daunting to get into as a queer person – is why the team holds these specialty theme nights.
“Hosting a Pride match is a celebration of my community, where I belong and where I find a sense of inclusion. For two and a half hours, we can help people have fun, feel safe, and just be who they are without judgment. That’s what makes Pride Night so powerful.”
While the Pride game is a chance to uplift LGBTQ members of the “Spirit Squadron,” the energy Stone and the whole team hope to exude is one of welcoming for all – regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, or background.
“Everybody is welcome, and there’s a real sense of belonging. For especially our gay community, the Spirit can be a safe place to come together, laugh, have fun, and celebrate who we are.”
She went on to explain that when she first looked into joining the Spirit as a member of the business operations team, what sold her was the vibrancy of the fans.
“When I first came to a Spirit match, I looked around and saw the diversity of the crowd and thought, ‘Oh boy, we can really work with this.’”
And the Spirit’s celebration of identity doesn’t stop with the LGBTQ community at the Pride game either. On Sept. 28, the Spirit will celebrate Hispanic Heritage with “entertainment and activations” that will highlight the diversity, cultural heritage, and contributions of the Hispanic community in the DMV and across soccer.
Stone went on to explain that providing a platform for people to watch others perform at the highest caliber—like the Spirit has done—can be tremendous for creating and supporting self-worth.
“Once you see it, you can be it. Whether it’s little girls wanting to emulate our players, or gay people wanting to see elite athletes at their best—representation matters. When people can see themselves reflected in leadership and on the field, they know it’s possible for them, too.”
That representation has also fueled an undeniable connection between the team and its fans, one that continues to grow with every season.
“I’m so impressed with the DMV’s love of this team. We pack Audi Field to the point we now call it ‘Rowdy Audi’—our fans do such a great job supporting us. It’s unlike anything else I’ve experienced in sports, and it makes me proud to be part of this community.”
For Stone, the power of the Spirit isn’t just about wins and losses—it’s about what the game itself can represent.
“Sports is the great unifier. People can come together at a match and leave their political affiliations and biases at the door. That’s why these moments of celebration—like Pride Night—matter so much. It’s about being together, cheering, and feeling part of something bigger than yourself.”
And being only three miles from the White House, Stone remarked it was difficult to see a return of hostility by those in charge of the government, with LGBTQ community members often as targets.
“Here we are, having to fight again,” she said, explaining the attitude coming from the White House is not as positive as it used to be and is being felt across political and social spectrums. “Even once you’re granted something, it can still be taken away from you. For a long time, I felt like people didn’t see me as a gay executive or a woman executive—they just saw me as an executive. But the tenor of the country has changed, and that’s why visibility and inclusion in spaces like sports matter more than ever.”
Stone highlighted the importance of solidarity between women’s soccer and the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBTQ+ community in D.C. has always been on the front lines of change, and women’s soccer is the same. Together, we’re a pretty unstoppable force… I invite the Blade readers and fans to come to our matches or follow us on social media—because we can support each other. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats.”
Tickets are available at washingtonspirit.com/tickets/.
District of Columbia
Gay priest credited with boosting church support for LGBTQ Catholics
Fr. Tom Oddo’s biographer speaks at Dignity Washington event
The author of a biography of a U.S. Catholic priest said to have advocated for support by the Catholic Church of gay Catholics in the early 1970s has called Father Thomas ‘Tom’ Oddo a little known but important figure in the LGBTQ rights movement.
Tyler Bieber, author of the recently published book “Against The Current: Father Tom Oddo And the New American Catholic,” told of Oddo’s life and work on behalf of LGBTQ rights at a March 22 talk before the local LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity Washington.
Among Oddo’s important accomplishments, Bieber said, was his role as a co-founder of the national LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity U.S.A. in 1973 at the age of 29.
But as reported in the prologue of his book, Bieber presented details of the sad news that Oddo died in a fatal car crash in 1989 at the age of 45 in Portland, Ore., where he was serving as the highly acclaimed president of the University of Portland, a Catholic institution.
“He was a major figure in the gay rights movement in the 1970s, an unsung hero of that movement,” Bieber told Dignity Washington members, who assembled for his talk in a meeting room at St. Margaret Episcopal Church near Dupont Circle, where they attend their weekly Catholic mass on Sundays.
“And Dignity U.S.A. saw intense growth in membership and visibility” during its early years under Oddo’s leadership, Bieber said. “The story of Father Tom and his contemporaries is a story largely untold in the history of the gay rights movement, but one worth knowing and considering,” he said.
As stated in his book, Bieber told the Dignity Washington gathering Oddo was born and raised in a Catholic family on Long Island, N.Y., and attended a Catholic high school in Flushing Queens. It was at that time when he developed an interest in becoming a priest, according to Bieber.
After studying at the University of Notre Dame and completing his religious studies he was ordained as a priest in 1970 and began his work as a priest in the Boston area, Bieber said. It was around that time, Bieber told the Dignity Washington audience, that gay Catholics approached Oddo to seek advice on how they should interact with the Catholic Church. It was also around that time that Oddo became involved in a group supportive of then gay Catholics that later became a Dignity chapter in Boston.
In a development considered unusual for a Catholic priest, Bieber said Oddo in 1973 testified in support of gay rights bill before a committee of the Massachusetts Legislature and collaborated with then Massachusetts gay and lesbian rights advocate Elaine Noble.
In 1982, at the age of 39, Oddo was selected as president of the University of Portland following several years as a college teacher in the Boston area, Bieber’s book states. It says he was seen as a “vibrant and capable administrator who delivered real results to his campus,” adding, “His magnetism was obvious. One student described him as ‘John Kennedyesque’ to the university’s student newspaper.”
Bieber said that although Oddo was less active with Dignity U.S.A. during his tenure as UP president, he continued his support for gay Catholics and what is now referred to as LGBTQ rights.
“For those that knew him prior to his term at UP, though, he represented something greater than an accomplished university administrator and educator,” Bieber’s book states. “He was a new kind of priest, a gay man living and ministering in a world set loose from tradition by the Second Vatican Council,” the book says.
It was referring to the Vatican gathering of worldwide Catholic leaders from 1962 to 1965 concluding under Pope Paul VI that church observers say modernized church practices to allow far greater participation by the laity and opened the way for sympathetic consideration of gay Catholics.
District of Columbia
HRC to host National Rainbow Seder
Bet Mishpachah among annual event’s organizers
The 18th National Rainbow Seder will take place at the Human Rights Campaign on Sunday.
The sold out event is the country’s largest Passover Seder for the Jewish LGBTQ community.
Organizations behind the event include Bet Mishpachah, a local D.C. LGBTQ synagogue that Rabbi Jake Singer-Beilin leads, and GLOE, an Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center program that sponsors events for the queer Jewish community. The theme for this year’s Seder is “Liberation For All Who Journey: Remembering, Resisting, Rebuilding.” Rabbis Atara Cohen, Koach Frazier, and Avigayil Halpern will lead it.
The Seder will honor the late GLOE co-chair Michael Singer. Singer also served on the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center’s board.
“This Seder is both a celebration of how far we have come and a call to continue building a more just and inclusive world.” Bet Mishpachah Executive Director Joshua Maxey told the Washington Blade.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
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