Latest news with #CapitolPrideAlliance
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
With joy and resolve, paradegoers celebrate at global Pride gathering in D.C.
'This Pride is very much needed,' said Fred Rogers, 31, who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia. 'We all need a chance to show the world that we are still here, and we're not going anywhere.' Amid the joy and celebration, there was still an undercurrent of anger and worry. The parade route wound its way to less than a third of a mile from the White House, and President Donald Trump's moves to curb the rights of the LGBTQ+ community weighed heavily on some of the paradegoers and prompted other people not to attend at all. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Ryan Bos, executive director of the nonprofit Capitol Pride Alliance, which organizes the city's annual Pride events, including this year's global one, said in an interview Saturday that planners had originally expected 3 million attendees over the three-week WorldPride festival, but the actual turnout fell short of that. Many business owners said that while the crowds were roughly normal for the city's annual Pride Parade, and the parade route itself was packed, attendance did not remotely live up to expectations for a festival that typically draws people from around the world. Advertisement It was not clear how many people ultimately attended the festival and parade, but Bos said many people outside the country, particularly those who are transgender, feared traveling to the United States and potentially being detained. He said others stayed away out of anger with the current administration. Advertisement 'To see America rolling back human rights totally goes against the ideals of what America was founded on,' he said. Fundraising also fell short of expectations, with some corporate sponsors pulling out and others asking that their logos not be prominently displayed. Other companies, though, did send floats along the route bearing their logos and carrying their employees in matching T-shirts. Floats for IKEA, Amazon, Hilton Hotels and JPMorgan Chase were spotted on the route, and executives from United Airlines said they were sponsoring 10 Pride parades around the world this year. The president has issued executive orders that bar transgender people from serving in the military, restrict gender identities on travel documents and proclaim that it is U.S. policy to 'recognize two sexes, male and female,' that are 'not changeable.' He has tried to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, and many private companies have followed his lead. His administration is also considering removing the name of Harvey Milk from a naval ship, arguing the gay rights icon may not reflect the country's 'warrior ethos.' All this makes it even more imperative for the entire LGBTQ+ community to remain visible and proud, said Sister Sybil Liberties, a drag queen with the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a charity and protest group of queer nuns. Advertisement It's even more important 'to people outside of D.C. in less diverse and less queer areas, especially young people, to see this display,' she said. WorldPride, one of the world's largest LGBTQ+ festivals, takes place in different cities every two years, and Washington was chosen before Trump was elected. It coincides with the 50th anniversary of the city's first Pride parade. Deacon Maccubbin, 82, organized that event in 1975 outside his gay bookstore, Lambda Rising. It drew about 2,000 attendees. On Saturday, he served as one of the parade's grand marshals and was overheard telling others not to worry that the trolley in which they were riding seemed to be running behind schedule. 'We're on gay time,' he assured them. 'Everything will start a year late.' After days of back-and-forth discussions, federal officials said Saturday before the parade started that they would reopen Dupont Circle Park, which sits at the center of the city's historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood. They had previously fenced it off, saying the blockade would prevent criminal behavior. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the National Park Service issued a joint statement Saturday saying they had worked overnight on an agreement to reopen the park and looked forward to 'a safe and fun celebration in our nation's capital.' The mayor was also planning a disco-themed party in the park for later in the day. DaeLyn Saint-Surin, 24, traveled to Washington from Bermuda for her first Pride parade away from home. She said the anti-gay stigma in Bermuda was intense, and she had been overcome with emotion several times already in the nation's capital. 'I have never seen so many gay people living their lives so freely and openly,' she said. 'This is really freeing.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
With Joy and Resolve, Paradegoers Celebrate at Global Pride Gathering in D.C.
The beats from D.J.s thrummed. Brass bands boomed. Bars and restaurants bustled. Sequins, feathers and fans that opened with a thwack were everywhere. And to organizers' relief, a cold morning rain ceased just in time for Saturday's WorldPride parade in Washington, D.C., making way for a sticky heat that seemed to rise off every surface. Soon, the air smelled like sunscreen. Revelers and those trying to sell them things agreed the celebratory atmosphere was vital for the L.G.B.T.Q. community and the nation's capital itself. 'This Pride is very much needed,' said Fred Rogers, 31, who lives in Fredericksburg, Va. 'We all need a chance to show the world that we are still here, and we're not going anywhere.' Amid the joy and celebration, there was still an undercurrent of anger and worry. The parade route wound its way to less than a third of a mile from the White House, and President Trump's moves to curb the rights of the L.G.B.T.Q. community weighed heavily on some of the paradegoers and prompted other people not to attend at all. Ryan Bos, executive director of the nonprofit Capitol Pride Alliance, which organizes the city's annual Pride events, including this year's global one, said in an interview Saturday that planners had originally expected three million attendees over the three-week WorldPride festival, but the actual turnout fell short of that. Many business owners said that while the crowds were roughly normal for the city's annual Pride Parade, and the parade route itself was packed, attendance did not remotely live up to expectations for a festival that typically draws people from around the world. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WorldPride organizers consider cautioning transgender visitors from abroad
Organizers of WorldPride, a global LGBTQ Pride event series to be held this year in Washington, say they are considering issuing an advisory for transgender people from overseas, citing recent policies put forward by the Trump administration. 'It's possible that we may actually issue a statement telling trans folks internationally not to come, or if they come, they come at their own risk,' Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said this week at a monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. International travelers are already facing heightened difficulties entering and leaving the country, said Ashley Smith, Capitol Pride Alliance's board president, and some transgender people from abroad are wary of visiting the U.S. with passports or other identity documents that do not match their sex at birth. The State Department in January suspended a policy allowing trans, nonbinary and intersex Americans to update the sex designations on their passports, causing confusion and concern about whether it is safe for them to travel overseas. The department previously allowed U.S. passport holders to self-select their sex designations, including an 'unspecified' gender marker denoted by the letter X. The new policy stems from President Trump's Jan. 20 executive order declaring the U.S. recognizes only two sexes, male and female. Officials in Denmark and Finland last month advised transgender and gender-nonconforming citizens to practice caution when traveling to the U.S., and trans people across the nation — including the actress Hunter Schafer — have shared on social media stories of their passports being involuntarily updated to reflect their sex at birth, rather than their gender identity. Seven transgender and nonbinary Americans are challenging the new policy in federal court, arguing it is motivated by 'impermissible animus.' Smith said WorldPride organizers are addressing visitors' concerns as they come. 'We're communicating as best as possible about the different safety measures,' he said. 'We're talking consistently, and we're having meetings nearly every single day, all day long, to go through this as well as so many other things.' Council of Governors Vice Chair Charles Allen said he attributes any decline in international travelers to the celebrations next month in Washington 'completely to the change in administration.' Potential warnings to visitors from abroad, he said, 'have nothing to do with the local communities, the state communities, the County communities, and fall squarely with the incredibly shameful tactics we've seen in language from the federal administration.' Allen added that he was 'deeply disappointed' by reports that corporate sponsors had backed away from WorldPride since Trump's return to office in January. 'It can't be lost on us that fear is used as a weapon,' he said. WorldPride organizers have said they expect roughly 2 million people to attend the event, which will run between May 17 and June 8 in Washington. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
11-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
WorldPride organizers consider cautioning transgender visitors from abroad
Organizers of WorldPride, a global LGBTQ Pride event series to be held this year in Washington, say they are considering issuing an advisory for transgender people from overseas, citing recent policies put forward by the Trump administration. 'It's possible that we may actually issue a statement telling trans folks internationally not to come, or if they come, they come at their own risk,' Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said this week at a monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. International travelers are already facing heightened difficulties entering and leaving the country, said Ashley Smith, Capitol Pride Alliance's board president, and some transgender people from abroad are wary of visiting the U.S. with passports or other identity documents that do not match their sex at birth. The State Department in January suspended a policy allowing trans, nonbinary and intersex Americans to update the sex designations on their passports, causing confusion and concern about whether it is safe for them to travel overseas. The department previously allowed U.S. passport holders to self-select their sex designations, including an 'unspecified' gender marker denoted by the letter X. The new policy stems from President Trump's Jan. 20 executive order declaring the U.S. recognizes only two sexes, male and female. Officials in Denmark and Finland last month advised transgender and gender-nonconforming citizens to practice caution when traveling to the U.S., and trans people across the nation — including the actress Hunter Schafer — have shared on social media stories of their passports being involuntarily updated to reflect their sex at birth, rather than their gender identity. Seven transgender and nonbinary Americans are challenging the new policy in federal court, arguing it is motivated by 'impermissible animus.' Smith said WorldPride organizers are addressing visitors' concerns as they come. 'We're communicating as best as possible about the different safety measures,' he said. 'We're talking consistently, and we're having meetings nearly every single day, all day long, to go through this as well as so many other things.' Council of Governors Vice Chair Charles Allen said he attributes any decline in international travelers to the celebrations next month in Washington 'completely to the change in administration.' Potential warnings to visitors from abroad, he said, 'have nothing to do with the local communities, the state communities, the County communities, and fall squarely with the incredibly shameful tactics we've seen in language from the federal administration.' Allen added that he was 'deeply disappointed' by reports that corporate sponsors had backed away from WorldPride since Trump's return to office in January. 'It can't be lost on us that fear is used as a weapon,' he said. WorldPride organizers have said they expect roughly 2 million people to attend the event, which will run between May 17 and June 8 in Washington.
