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WASHINGTON – Thousands of members of the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters gathered in the country’s capital on Sunday for the right to mark WorldPride 2025, a global festival that promotes LGBTQ+ visibility and awareness.
The event, hosted by DC’s Capital Pride Alliance, celebrates 50 years of pride in the country’s capital, is part of Pride Month and is amidst the shift in federal policy earthquakes as the Trump administration has returned the clock of diversity, equity and inclusive rights that queer communities fight to win. Organizers warn that while today’s goals are gender, sexual orientation and race, all human rights are decades of advancement in “adjusted and systematic attacks.”
“Our fundamental freedom and our very democracy – are at risk,” organizers said on a website promoting Sunday’s rallies and marches. “And if we don’t recognize the urgency of this moment, we just blame ourselves. We resist the alienation and persecution of people about who they are.”
The rally that arrives the day after the massive parade begins on the stairs at the Lincoln Memorial. There will then be a march to the US Capitol. There is also a WorldPride DC Street Festival and a concert planned.
President Donald Trump took office for his first day by signing an executive order to imply diversity, equity and inclusive practices. The transgender community is the primary target of subsequent directives. They end gender-affirming care for minors, reinstate the ban on transgender people in the military, remove community references from the Stonewall National Monument website, and direct federal agencies to recognize only two genders that affect the ability of transgender people to identify items such as passports.
The action has led some corporate sponsors to end support for the Pride Parade, prompting safety concerns for LGBTQ+ people.
“WorldPride occurs at a critical time and brings together voices from around the world to support the ongoing battle for equality, vision and justice in the LGBTQ+ community,” the organization says on its website. “We encourage everyone in the global community to participate in this historic moment. By introducing and supporting Pride events globally, the LGBTQ+ community becomes visible, vigilant and heard.”