As Washington welcomes the world for WorldPride, it’s essential to honor the city’s deep-rooted LGBTQ history—an integral part of the broader story of the nation’s capital. The following locations have served as cornerstones of queer life and activism in D.C., shaping both local and national movements for LGBTQ rights. So take a walk around “the gayest city in America” and check out these sites.

DUPONT CIRCLE AREA

Dupont Circle
Central hub of LGBTQ life since the early 20th century, hosting Pride parades, Dyke Marches, and cruising culture. A long-standing site of protests and celebrations.

Washington Hilton – 1919 Connecticut Ave NW
Hosted D.C.’s first major hotel drag event in 1968 and the iconic Miss Adams Morgan Pageant. Protested in 1978 during Anita Bryant’s appearance.

Lesbian Avengers – 1426 21st St NW
Formed in 1992, the group empowered lesbians through bold direct actions. They met in Dupont Circle and launched the city’s first Dyke March.

Lambda Rising Bookstore (former) – 1724 20th Street NW
D.C.’s first LGBTQ bookstore and the birthplace of the city’s inaugural Pride celebration in 1975.

Women In The Life (former office) – 1623 Connecticut Ave NW
Founded in 1993 by Sheila Alexander-Reid as a safe space and support network for lesbians of color.

17th Street NW Corridor – Between P & R Streets NW
Core of the LGBTQ business district, home to the annual High Heel Race in October and the June Block Party celebrating the origins of D.C. Pride.

CAPITOL HILL / SOUTHEAST

Tracks (former) – 80 M St SE
Once D.C.’s largest gay club, famous for inclusive parties, RuPaul shows, and foam nights from 1984 to 2000.

Ziegfeld’s / The Other Side – 1345 Half Street SE
Legendary drag venue since 1978, hosting famed performers like Ella Fitzgerald.

Club 55 / Waaay Off Broadway – 55 K Street SE
Converted theater central to D.C.’s early drag and Academy pageant scenes.

Congressional Cemetery – 1801 E Street SE
Resting place of LGBTQ figures like Sgt. Leonard Matlovich and Peter Doyle. Offers queer history tours.

Mr. Henry’s – 601 Pennsylvania Ave SE
LGBTQ-friendly bar since 1966 and the launching stage for Roberta Flack’s career.

The Furies Collective House – 219 11th Street SE
Home to a 1970s lesbian feminist collective that published “The Furies.” Members included Rita Mae Brown.

ARCHIVES / PENN QUARTER

Archives Metro & Center Market Site – 7th St & Pennsylvania Ave NW
Where Walt Whitman met Peter Doyle in 1865, commemorated by a sculpture linking Whitman and poet Fernando Pessoa.

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS / PETWORTH

Palm Ballroom (former) – 4211 9th Street NW
Mid-20th century venue for Black drag balls and LGBTQ events during segregation.

NATIONAL MALL AREA

National Mall / Washington Monument Grounds
Historic site of LGBTQ activism and remembrance, including the 1987 display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and a mass same-sex wedding. Hosted major civil rights marches in 1979, 1987, and 1993.

NORTHWEST DC

Dr. Franklin E. Kameny House – 5020 Cathedral Ave NW
Home of gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny and the Mattachine Society of Washington; now a national landmark.

LAFAYETTE SQUARE / WHITE HOUSE

Lafayette Park – Pennsylvania Ave & 16th St NW
Historic gay cruising area and epicenter of government surveillance during the Lavender Scare.

Data from: SSecret City by James Kirchick, The Deviant’s War by Frank Kameny, Brett Beemyn, The Rainbow History Project, NPS Archives, Washington Blade Archives.

Washington boasts many historic landmarks. From well-known spaces that have been around for at least a century — like the White House and Capitol — to lesser-known locations of historic significance, such as Frank Kameny’s house in Northwest that became the headquarters of the first gay civil rights organizing group in the U.S., it’s clear that history is not in short supply in Washington.

One space in the city with a historic past and grand — some may even say flamboyant — features is now attempting to make the most of history in the making, as Washington prepares to host its first-ever WorldPride celebration this June.

The General Post Office in Penn Quarter, built in 1866 to house the U.S. Post Office Department and U.S. Patent Office, is now home to the boutique Kimpton Hotel Monaco (700 F St., N.W.) Its Italian Renaissance-inspired architecture — complete with a marble façade, lion statues, and red carpet entrance — exudes luxury and opulence.

As WorldPride inches closer, with an estimated 2 million visitors expected during the two-week-long celebration, the Kimpton Hotel Monaco is unveiling a unique suite designed to reflect “the fun, eclectic, and vibrant nature of the LGBTQ community,” Michelle Ison, the Washington-based designer, founder of Picnic and Peonies, and creative mind behind the “Free to Fly” suite, told the Washington Blade during a special preview of the room.

The Pride Suite at Hotel Monaco bursts with color in every corner, each detail carefully curated to spark joy-or at the very least, inspire a vibrant Instagram story. Bright, Warhol-esque portraits of Dorothy and Sophia Petrillo frame the television, painted by local LGBTQ artist Wayne Hollowell, who-fun fact-also works in the hotel’s accounting department. Across the room, a classical Greek statue head is playfully adorned with David Bowie’s iconic Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt and crowned with green carnations, a clear nod to queer legend Oscar Wilde. Even the bed’s tray table serves as a tribute to LGBTQ culture, featuring a vintage copy of “The Wizard of Oz.” From camp icons to literary references, the suite is a love letter to queer popular culture, designed to be both comforting and celebratory.

The artistic centerpiece of the room is the 300 handmade butterflies that appear to flutter across the space, a “fun, labor of love” that truly makes this room stand out.

“The Free to Fly Suite was designed to celebrate love, freedom, and acceptance. At the heart of the room is a gradient butterfly mural, symbolizing transformation, movement, and the beauty of becoming your authentic self,” said Ison. “Alongside the mural, we incorporated a playful mix of colors and patterns that reflect the vibrant spirit of the LGBTQ+ community. These design choices aren’t just aesthetic-they evoke energy, joy, and the dynamic individuality that the space is meant to honor.”

The room, which can only be booked through the Kimpton Monaco’s website, is available as a standalone stay with rates starting at $289 per night, or as part of the “Rainbow Recharge” package. The package includes a $100 credit for breakfast (or brunch) in bed from the hotel’s on-site restaurant, Dirty Habit; colorful Daise bath amenities; and a $10 donation to the national nonprofit the Trevor Project.

Regardless of whether guests book the room alone or as part of the package, they will receive two SuperGay Spirits canned cocktails, sweets from local LGBTQ-owned shop the Capital Candy Jar, and a daily complimentary single-ride promo code for Bird and Spin scooters and bikes-along with a curated map of historic Pride sites across Washington.

By collaborating with local LGBTQ businesses, Hotel Monaco DC is making it clear that supporting the LGBTQ community takes more than just putting up Pride flags in June.

“Through the creation of the Free to Fly Suite and partnership with brands supporting Pride, we hope to create an immersive guest journey that celebrates our core values and further supports and inspires our neighborhood’s contributions to the LGBTQ+ community,” said Kelsey Jones, director of sales and marketing for Hotel Monaco DC and Kimpton George.

To make WorldPride weekend even more special, guests staying over on Saturday, June 7, can get a complimentary “tiny tattoo” by a professional artist from NYC tattoo shop Tiny Zaps in the lobby’s Library from 1–7 p.m., a souvenir you can’t accidentally leave behind.

Additionally, the hotel lobby features a Pride photo op adorned with rainbow butterflies, also handmade by Ison.

Dirty Habit, the hotel’s swanky restaurant, will be decked out in its rainbow best-including more artwork from the accountant/artist Wayne Hollowell, with portraits of Liza Minnelli, Alyssa Edwards, RuPaul, and Judy Garland available for purchase. The restaurant will feature a special Pride cocktail menu and will host a WorldPride Drag Brunch with RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All-Stars winner Alyssa Edwards on Sunday, June 8, 2025, at 11 a.m. After June, Hollowell’s artwork will be showcased at Provincetown’s Post Office Café and Cabaret.

The “Free to Fly” suite and the additional “Rainbow Recharge” package are available through October 11, which coincides with National Coming Out Day. To book the room, visit monaco-dc.com.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Tuesday said that President Donald Trump has “no plans” to recognize Pride month in 2025, a departure from policy and practice under the Biden-Harris administration.

“There are no plans for a proclamation for the month of June,” she said during a press briefing at the White House, “but I can tell you this president is very proud to be a president for all Americans, regardless of race, religion or creed.” 

Trump during his first term declined to acknowledge the observance apart from a tweet in 2019 in which he wrote, “As we celebrate LGBT Pride month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation.”

Democratic Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama issued Pride month proclamations, and while Trump was the first Republican president to do so, his second term has seen a whole-of-government effort to restrict the rights of LGBTQ people.

Notably, given the president’s 2019 message about his administration’s work combatting the criminalization of queer people in countries overseas, so far those efforts have been stymied and defunded across the board since his return to the White House.

Anti-LGBTQ U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) introduced a resolution on Tuesday that would establish June as “Family Month,” which she said would “reject the lie of ‘Pride’ and instead honor God’s timeless and perfect design.” 

“The American family is under relentless attack from a radical leftist agenda that seeks to erase truth, redefine marriage and confuse our children,” the congresswoman told the Daily Wire.