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UPI
a day ago
- Politics
- UPI
Marchers rally on the National Mall for WorldPride 2025
1 of 4 | Supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community march from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol as part of WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo June 8 (UPI) -- More than 1,000 people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday as part of WorldPride 2025 to protest what organizers called a "coordinated and systemic attack" on human rights. The rally, which promotes LGBTQ+ visibility with events around the world and pushes back on an increasingly hostile attitude towards gay, lesbian and transgender people that organizers said has been stepped up under the Trump administration. "Our fundamental freedoms -- and our very democracy -- are at risk," a statement on the WorldPride website said. "And if we fail to recognize the urgency of this moment, we'll only have ourselves to blame. Resist the marginalization and persecution of people just for being who they are." The Washington event, which saw marchers gather at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, is being hosted by DC's Capital Pride Alliance, which is marking 50 years of celebrating Pride Month in the capital. Marchers gathered near the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial waving rainbow colored Pride flags representing transgender and bisexual communities and held up signs that read "Proud and Gay," "Trans rights are human rights," and "Gender affirming care saved my life." The rally and march on the National Mall came a day after a march through the streets of Washington. The Sunday event is scheduled to conclude with a festival and concert. Former vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris made an unannounced appearance at the Sunday event. Hundreds of people gathered along the parade route, and marchers waved rainbow flags and balloons as they gathered along the steps and columns of the National City Christian Church. June is Pride Month and is celebrated this year amid President Donald Trump's push to remove transgender members from the military and roll back diversity, equity and inclusion policies at federal agencies and at universities that receive federal money. WorldPride 2025 parade draws crowds in Washington Supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community march from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol as part of WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 8, 2025. Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo
UPI
2 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
For Those Facing Addiction, Medicaid Is a Lifeline
Advocates attend a 24-hour vigil at the U.S. Capitol to share stories and urge lawmakers to protect Medicaid on May 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Credit - Leigh Vogel—Getty Images/Caring Across Generations The fluorescent lights of the intake office hummed on Thanksgiving Eve in 2014, a stark contrast to the chaotic darkness I'd been living in. I was terrified, exhausted, and sick of myself. My addiction had stripped away everything: my career, my home, my dignity. I was at the absolute bottom, a place where the idea of work was not just impossible, but utterly irrelevant. My only focus was survival, and that meant finding a way out of the hell of active heroin addiction. Beyond the addiction itself, I was suffering from unresolved trauma, and with my substance use came untreated mental health challenges, including severe depression and at times suicidal ideations. A power greater than myself helped me find recovery—but so did Medicaid. It was my lifeline, the one thing that stood between me and a death I felt was inevitable. Now, as Congress debates sweeping Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' I see that lifeline being severed for millions of Americans struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. This isn't just about budget lines; it's about lives. It's about reversing the hard-won progress we've made in the fight against the overdose crisis, and condemning countless vulnerable individuals to a fate I barely escaped. In the depths of my addiction, I was unemployable. The idea of holding down a job, showing up consistently, or even performing basic tasks was a cruel joke. My days were consumed by the relentless pursuit of the next fix, driven by a physical and psychological dependence that overshadowed all else. When I finally found a bed in a treatment center, it was Medicaid that covered the cost. Without it, I would have been left to die on the streets, another statistic in a crisis that already claims far too many. Here is the stark reality: Medicaid is the single largest payer for mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services in the United States. It covers nearly 40% of all adults with SUD. This isn't a minor player; it's the backbone of our nation's addiction and mental health treatment infrastructure. When we talk about cutting Medicaid, we're talking about dismantling this critical support system. While the House of Representatives has made an exemption for individuals with substance use disorders from work requirements in the bill, there are dangerous nuances in the proposed changes. The bill still threatens to rip away healthcare from people with mental health challenges, without recognizing the critical link between substance use disorder and mental health. These are often co-occurring disorders, and denying care for one inevitably impacts the other. Taking away mental health care and essential healthcare services from low-income populations puts an already vulnerable group at a significantly higher risk for addiction. We've learned from the so-called "diseases of despair" that without adequate mental health care, individuals will often turn to illicit substances to cope, putting them at a higher risk of overdose. The idea that these cuts will somehow incentivize people to enter the workforce is a dangerous fantasy. Access to treatment is not a reward for being "ready" or "worthy"; it is a fundamental human right and a public health imperative. When people are denied access to care, they don't magically get better. They get sicker. They cycle through emergency rooms, jails, and homelessness, costing taxpayers far more in the long run. . Economists estimate the total cost of opioid use disorder in the United States reached $4 trillion in 2024. Investing in treatment through programs like Medicaid is not an expense; it's an investment in a healthier, more productive society. The estimated $280 billion in savings over six years that the CBO projects from Medicaid changes will be dwarfed by the increased costs to the government in emergency services, incarceration, and lost productivity. Read more: The Truth About Fentanyl Is Scary Enough. Myths About It Don't Help We are at a critical juncture in the overdose crisis. After years of escalating deaths, we've begun to see glimmers of hope, thanks in part to expanded access to treatment. Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. significantly decreased in 2024, marking the largest one-year decline ever recorded, a testament to the power of comprehensive approaches that include accessible healthcare. To reverse course now, to pull the rug out from under those who are fighting for their lives, would be an act of profound negligence. It would destroy lives and undo the fragile progress we've painstakingly made. While the House package has passed, it is now time for the Senate to do the responsible thing and ensure millions of Americans aren't left in harm's way with no access to doctors, emergency rooms, or treatment. I want to imagine a world where people are allowed to live despite our struggles. Where we're not shunned as criminals or treated like lepers. I imagine us as valued citizens who are part of society. My own journey to recovery was paved by the grace of a higher power, but also by the practical, tangible support of Medicaid. It allowed me to get the treatment I needed, to heal, and to rebuild a life I thought was lost forever. Congress has a choice: To continue down a path that will inevitably lead to more suffering and death, or to embrace compassion, evidence-based policy, and the understanding that for millions, Medicaid isn't a luxury—it's a lifeline. Contact us at letters@
