Joy, tension collide as WorldPride arrives in Trump's Washington

Washington Post

2 days ago

The welcome signs for WorldPride, the world's largest LGBTQ+ gathering, are out across Washington. Banners hang from lampposts along major roads. Rainbow stripes have been painted on bike lanes and sidewalks.
The message from the District to LGBTQ+ residents and visitors has been a cheery and unequivocal, 'We want you here.' At a Pride news conference Thursday, District Mayor Muriel E. Bowser proudly called the District 'the gayest city in the world' and encouraged residents to fly Pride flags in front of their homes.
But for many in the LGBTQ+ community, the election of Donald Trump and his return to the presidency has altered the mood — and the outlook — for WorldPride.
Less than a year ago, city leaders, LGBTQ+ business owners and Pride organizers said they anticipated the event and its associated panels, parties and parades would bring up to 3 million people to D.C. They projected hotels at full capacity and a revenue bonanza that would more than justify the city's $5 million budget to prep for the festival, which includes the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the District.
Now, while many community leaders and business owners remain optimistic that the event will be the success they envisioned, they are also tempering their expectations. They fear that the Trump administration's targeting of transgender rights and attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have scared off corporate sponsors and discouraged people — especially international visitors — from coming to Washington for Pride. A number of countries have issued travel warnings for LGBTQ+ individuals thinking of coming to the United States, and organizations representing affected groups in Canada and Africa said they are boycotting the event.
Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, has spent much of the past five years working to bring WorldPride to D.C. He's thrilled that it is finally here, excited for the city and the LGBTQ community, and ready for the parties to begin.
At the same time, he says, 'the executive orders that were directly targeting our community and other marginalized communities created feelings of despair, of anger, of 'what country am I living in?' '
Bos has seen corporations and individuals withdraw from the event over their fears of retribution from the administration. His biggest disappointment, he said, 'is not being able to host this WorldPride at a time that we felt we were in a space that the government had our back, that our corporate partners had our back.'
Conflicting emotions is a common theme for many in the District's LGBTQ+ community.
'We're excited for WorldPride obviously,' said Stephen Rutgers, co-owner of Crush, a popular gay bar on 14th Street NW that opened about a year ago. 'I think the city will see an influx of people. Will it be the two or three million that were initially projected to come? I don't think so. But at this point just having a normal D.C. Pride is a success. Anything over that is sort of the cherry on top."
With the arrival of the Trump administration, Rutgers says that what was supposed to be a celebration of rights that have been gained is now tinged with worry and anger about what is endangered.
'It's changed the tone and the narrative of what WorldPride could have been and what it's going to be,' he said. 'It could have been a very big, fun celebration and just everyone out and about, but now it's reminding people of the history of what Pride is and that all our rights are still not safe. We need to come out and be loud and proud and celebrate those things.'
There are hundreds of official and unofficial parties and events scheduled during WorldPride, which officially began May 17. A welcome concert featuring Shakira at Nationals Park scheduled for Saturday night was abruptly canceled after the artist pulled out Friday, citing production issues for the event. That was an unexpected blow to the festival, but organizers said they were working to reschedule its events. Pride culminates June 7 and 8 with a parade, rally and concerts on Pennsylvania Avenue headlined by Cynthia Erivo and Doechii.
Yet attendance projections for WorldPride, which includes celebrations of Trans Pride, Black Pride and Latinx Pride, remain in flux. Hotel bookings, one indicator of attendance, are down 10 percent for the three-week period of WorldPride compared to the same time last year, according to Destination DC, the nonprofit organization responsible for marketing the District to tourists and convention planners.
Last year, the District hosted 2.2 million international visitors; that is expected to decline by 6.5 percent in 2025, according to Tourism Economics, which tracks travel data. The firm attributes the drop-off in international visitors to a variety of factors, including the impact of tariffs on prices, concerns about immigration and border policies and an overall negative sentiment. In 2024, about 72 million international visitors came to the United States. Tourism Economics estimates that number will drop by about 10 percent in 2025.
Citing new U.S. government policies, particularly ones directed at trans individuals, a number of LGBTQ+ organizations in Canada, Africa and Europe have said they will not send members to WorldPride. Several European countries, including Denmark, Germany, Finland and Ireland, issued travel advisories in March and April alerting citizens that if their travel documents have their gender marked as 'X' rather than male or female, they could face difficulties when trying to enter the United States.
Officials from the State Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there are no restrictions against international visitors to the United States based on gender identity or sexuality.
Stephanie Carre, general manager of the Dirty Habit restaurant and bar at the Hotel Monaco in downtown Washington, expressed some concern about the political climate affecting attendance. Like other business owners and managers around town, Carre is counting on a big overall turnout for Pride to help her meet her bottom line. The bar is hosting several WorldPride events, including an exhibit of portraits of gay icons by pop artist Wayne Hollowell and a drag brunch on June 8 featuring Alyssa Edwards.
Tickets for the brunch start at $150 and Carre said they're hoping for at least 400 people to attend. If she can reach the venue's 800-person maximum, the brunch will be a big win.
'Unfortunately there's been a lot of controversy in the air since January,' Carre said. 'I was thinking it would be a great time to come and celebrate even harder because of that. So I'm hoping we get a huge influx of people coming to town to express their American freedom and be who they are.'
Carre is 'cautiously optimistic' the numbers will be there. 'We were hoping for double the numbers of a normal Pride year, but it's kind of uncertain right now,' she said.
As with any major event in the District, security and safety will be priorities, Pride organizers and city officials said. In addition to keeping visitors and residents safe at Pride events and on city streets, D.C. police and other law enforcement agencies say they will also be tracking rallies and protests.
At various points during the next two weeks, demonstrators celebrating Pride will rally at the Lincoln Memorial, protest DOGE outside a Tesla showroom in Georgetown and gather at the Capitol Reflecting Pool for a Transgender Unity Rally.
'At this time I want to emphasize there are no known credible threats to WorldPride or any affiliated events,' DC Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said at Thursday's news conference. 'That being said we always want to remain vigilant and we always want to be ready. We will continue to evaluate our intelligence and adjust our posture accordingly if necessary.'
The city is still reeling from a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21 that took the lives of a young couple, both Israeli Embassy employees. The alleged shooter told police, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza," according to an affidavit in federal court.
The museum reopened Thursday. Although its leaders are still grieving from the attack, they are encouraging Pride attendees to come see the museum's newest exhibit, LGBTJews in the Federal City, which tells the history of Jewish involvement in LGBTQ struggles and activism as well as the change within the Jewish community with respect to LGBTQ inclusion over the past 50 years.
'The tragic shooting outside our building just reinforces how important it is to be a place where people can come learn about Jewish people, Jewish culture and the richness and diversity of the Jewish community in Washington D.C.,' Beatrice Gurwitz, the museum's executive director said in an interview. 'We have always aspired to bring in people who are Jewish, and who are not Jewish, to relate to what we have here and to better connect across difference.'
At As You Are, a coffee shop, bar and self-described queer community space on D.C.'s Capitol Hill, owners Jo McDaniel and her wife, Rach 'Coach' Pike, are planning Pride-themed dance parties, karaoke nights and storytelling sessions at their 3,000-square-foot venue. They acknowledge some of the tension surrounding this year's festival but they also see it as a chance to showcase their city to visitors.
'We're looking forward so much to meeting a bunch of new folks and showing them how D.C. hospitality, there's really nothing like it,' McDaniel said, 'We have just enough small town in our big city to really make it special and caring and warm and I'm excited for folks to get to experience that.'
Meagan Flynn and Ellie Silverman contributed to this story.