Latest news with #CapitalPride
Washington Post
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Capturing the tender, human moments of Pride
Pride, to me, is community. It's family — chosen and biological. It's a feeling of home. It's a place where we don't have to justify our existence, where we don't need to prove a thing. We are simply here. We show up exactly and completely as we are, and that is enough. At a time when LGBTQ+ people, especially trans folks, are vehemently politicized and pathologized as 'abnormal' and 'dangerous,' I set out to make images of warmth and connection. Attending events during Washington, D.C.'s WorldPride festivities — the parade, parties, a drag brunch, a music festival — I turned my camera toward quiet moments that felt, first and foremost, human. Story continues below advertisement These photos trace the shape of love I came across throughout Pride. Love for romantic partners. Love for friends. Love for self. Love for family. Love for community. Love for the spaces we create for ourselves in public and in private. These are moments of intimacy in our here and now, but they are also glimpses of a future where we can exist without fear or violence. Kai Cho, 26, right, and Sunny Cho, 25, at an API (Asian and Pacific Islander) party during WorldPride on June 6. Attendees dance at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds on June 7. Yikai Wang, 34, at the Capital Pride Parade on June 7. Brian Grundstrom, 62, and David Rubenstein, 64, have been together 25 years. They married in 2021. 'The more visible that we are, the better it is. They are going after the trans community because they can. And they would go after the gay community if they can because they did for many years. We need to be reminded that we need a lot of love in this world.' Brian Grundstrom Lisa Lenihan, 66, and Marie Cini, 67, have been dating five months. The crowd at the Capital Pride Parade. Kailani White, 18, dances with her friends at the 17th Street Block Party. 'Walking down the streets of Pride is like a wonderland — seeing a bunch of people of different backgrounds coming together for this one thing of beautiful queerness. You don't question it. You don't question what you are, who you are, who you're with.' Kailani White Members of a lesbian motorcycle club prepare to kick off the Capital Pride Parade. Citrine the Queen, who uses her name on and off the stage, wears a dress she made during a performance at a Purple Patch drag brunch. 'Listen, getting out of bed and showing up is really the first and most important step. Go to a drag show, and be with your community. If you don't show up, we're going to be erased, and no one's going to be there for us. That's really the most literal and best way to uplift your community: to physically be there.' Citrine the Queen About this story These photographs were taken during WorldPride events in May and June. Photography, text and design by Josh Chen. Editing by Christian Font, Tara McCarty, Mark Miller and Robert Miller.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WorldPride 2025 parade draws crowds in Washington
Saturday's Capital Pride parade marked the 50th anniversary of the event as thousands gathered in Washington, during an extended WorldPride LGBTQ celebration. The six-hour parade is part of a weekend that also included the WorldPride Music Fest and other events.
UPI
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
WorldPride 2025 hosts 50th Anniversary Capital Pride event
1 of 3 | Marchers carry a pride banner in the WorldPride 2025 Parade and 50th anniversary of the Capital Pride Parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo June 7 (UPI) -- Thousands converged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Capital Pride Parade Saturday in Washington, D.C., amid an extended WorldPride LGBTQ+ celebration. The two-day WorldPride Music Fest and parade marked Saturday's portion of a three-day celebration of Capital Pride that concludes on Sunday. The event is billed as the "world's largest LGBTQ+" celebration and includes a music festival that is being held on three stages and features performers like Jennifer Lopez. "Over the years, your love and your support have been a source of strength for me, and today I am here to celebrate with you," Lopez said during her performance Friday night at the event's RFK Campus Festival Grounds. "I'm so happy to be able to be here to celebrate community, diversity, love and freedom," Lopez told her audience. Paris Hilton, Marina, Rita Ora and several other acts also performed on Friday. Musical acts scheduled to perform on Saturday include RuPaul, Troye Sivan and Rene Rapp, Sofi Tukker, Purple Disco Machineand others. Saturday's Capital Pride Parade began at 2 p.m. EDT and lasted for six hours as it proceeded from the intersection of 14th and T Street N.W. and through Thomas Circle before turning onto Pennsylvania Avenue and concluding near the Navy Memorial. Spectators and visitors filled restaurants and drinking establishments along the parade route. Parade participants included cheerleaders, a 300-member choir and volunteers holding a 1,000-foot rainbow flag. Deacon Maccubbin, who organized the first Capital Pride Parade in 1975, served as the parade's grand marshal. So did actresses ReneeRapp and Laverne Cox. Singer and actress Cynthia Erivo was scheduled to headline a parade-ending concert at 3rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The extended WorldPride event annually rotates among leading world cities and got underway on May 17 in Washington, D.C. The event concludes on Sunday with a rally and march that begins at the Lincoln Memorial and ends at the U.S. Capitol.
The Hill
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
National Park Service alters course, opening up Dupont Circle for Pride events
The National Park Service (NPS) on Saturday backpedaled again on closing the notorious Dupont Circle Park for this weekend's WorldPride events, removing the barricades that were put up less than a day before. NPS and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the decision in a joint statement on Saturday. 'We are pleased that the Mayor's office and the National Park Service could work together overnight on a solution that protects the historic features of this park while also ensuring the safety of all who enjoy it,' the statement reads. 'We want this weekend to be a safe and fun celebration in our nation's capital – and one that includes one of the best parks and community spaces in our city, Dupont Circle,' they wrote. 'We look forward to working together on future initiatives that keep DC safe and beautiful.' The news comes a day after NPS said in an order that it would temporarily close the park that is central to Washington's notorious LGBTQ neighborhood, despite local officials suggesting it would stay open. At the request of the U.S. Park Police (USPP), an anti-scale fence was installed around the park's perimeter and was expected to remain in place until Sunday evening. Despite the reversal, a barrier will remain around the fountain at the center of the park, an official told The Washington Post. USPP Maj. Frank Hilsher told NPS officials earlier this week that the initial request was based on 'several previous years of assaultive, destructive and disorderly behavior' in the area and blocking off the park would 'deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences.' The turmoil comes as Washington hosts WorldPride for the first time. As the nation's capital celebrates its 50th year of hosting Pride events, the Capital Pride parade is set to kick off around 2 p.m. on Saturday. The last time WorldPride was hosted in the U.S. was in 2019 when New York City welcomed approximately 5 million people.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hours before WorldPride, US Park Police, NPS reopen key Pride gathering spot
Hours before the Capital Pride Parade during WorldPride in Washington, D.C., fencing at a key gathering spot for Pride celebrations is being taken down, two sources told ABC News. The decision comes following public outcry and a reversal by the U.S. Park Police and the National Park Service, which had made the decision to close off Dupont Circle Park ahead of Saturday's parade, which marks the 50th anniversary of Capital Pride. Two sources confirmed to ABC News that the park, long the site of unofficial Pride parties and gatherings in the city, is being reopened ahead of the event. The fencing was initially requested by the Metropolitan Police Department in April due to safety concerns following past incidents during Pride events, though there are no known credible threats to the nation's capital as tens of thousands gather to celebrate, officials told ABC News. After a debate between federal officials, city police and LGBTQ+ activists, the U.S. Park Police announced the park would close from 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 5, through approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. MORE: Trump's military parade includes a dog and pony show. And the dog is named Doc Holliday While D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith later rescinded the request to close the park, the National Park Service continued with the plan, prompting backlash from local politicians and activists. "D.C. is no stranger to high-profile gatherings," said Smith, the first African American woman to lead the U.S. Park Police in its 200-year-plus history, after attempting to get the closure rescinded after public backlash. "We have a proven track record of hosting them safely and successfully, and this year will be no different." Mayor Muriel Bowser then called for the decision to be reversed, and the reversal was granted. Preparations for the international celebration have been years in the making, and at least one party promoter had already advertised an event in the park before the closing was announced. Federal officials had said that closing the park was part of a broader federal security plan amid what they said were concerns about crowd control and potential disruptions. In recent years, the space has seen several incidents that that officials say prompted concern from law enforcement. According to authorities, in 2019, a person was arrested after gunshots caused crowds to flee. In 2023, the park was vandalized, resulting in $175,000 in damage to the historic fountain. In 2024, a group of minors was found drinking, smoking marijuana and fighting in the park. They later ran into nearby businesses and reportedly stole items. In a letter obtained by ABC News, the U.S. Park Police initially wrote that the closure was necessary to "secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences." MORE: 'We see you': In Trump-era Washington, World Pride 2025 organizers aim to bring 'hope' to LGBTQ+ community MPD will have an increased presence throughout D.C. during WorldPride and Capital Pride. It will coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and activate special units to assist with crowd management and traffic. Police will also increase patrols in high-crime areas starting this weekend through the end of August. "MPD, alongside all of our district agencies and public safety partners, have been working for many months to plan for these large-scale events that are happening this summer, and our joint planning efforts have included site visits, tabletop exercise, intelligence coordination and layered security strategies tailored uniquely to these events to ensure that we can keep our city safe for World Pride 2025," Smith said. "We have been planning for over a year." Days after WorldPride, the nation's capital will host a June 14 military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the Army, though officials said there aren't any known credible threats for that event either. That Army parade will be the sixth National Special Security Event that Washington has hosted this year. "There's no place more experienced than the District of Columbia in executing these large-scale events," Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah said last week.
