This year, WorldPride is coming to Washington, D.C. A series of events, organized by the nonprofit InterPride, aims to bring visibility and awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer issues to an international stage. This year’s location is leaving the community conflicted about showing up to the nation’s capital amid an administration that has targeted them.
Zoe Stoller, a licensed social worker based in Philadelphia, said they’re excited to be amongst the queer and trans community at WorldPride, but told CBS News the Trump administration has “definitely been on my mind.”
“D.C. is not necessarily a place that many people would think of as super safe and comfortable right now, given the current administration and their attacks on the LGBTQ community, especially trans people, especially trans youth,” they said.
Meg Ten Eyck, founder and CEO of travel platform EveryQueer and vice chairman of the board of directors for the International LGBTQ Travel Association, has been to dozens of Pride events across the world, from the miles-long parade at New York City’s WorldPride to a Pride in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2015 that was targeted with Molotov cocktails amid protests.
“What is happening socially and politically changes the feeling of the Pride that you are attending,” she said, adding she anticipates WorldPride this year is going to bring “an astronomical amount of fear and sadness from people” as well as some potential violence.
“I think the community is terrified, and I think our instinct as humans is to want structure and to want answers,” she said. “There will be a lot of people who are drawn to this particular pride as a giant ‘F*** you’ to the administration, and there will be a lot of people who are incentivized into negative behaviors that may not necessarily be characteristic of who they are because of that fear and misinformation and general dissatisfaction with human rights violations that are happening in a lot of different ways.”
Comments across social media have also highlighted the mixed emotions.
In a video about WorldPride posted to TikTok earlier this month, a top comment with more than 2,000 likes says: “Being real… I’m not going this year. I’m scared.” Another reads: “Couldn’t pay me enough to attend a mass gathering like this in this political climate.”
But others had a different take, including this commenter who wrote: “Don’t let them make us scared we deserve happiness too.”
While some may choose to skip this year’s events due to safety concerns, Stoller predicts their absence will be filled with others eager to take a stand.
“Folks who may not have attended in the past, might not have felt motivated to show up, to protest, to be in this current political climate and make their voices heard — those folks might come out of the woodworks,” they said.
For those with layered identities, navigating Pride this year is even more complex.
David D. Marshall, founder and CEO of Journey to Josiah Inc., a Baltimore-based adoption nonprofit, said the feeling of a “robust need to fight” is met with the reality that, for people of color, showing up is a “a whole different experience” to White LGBTQ people.
“There is a fear in general when it comes to black people, because there is a direct target put on our backs when it comes to any sort of protest,” he said, adding “it’s a time for people of different privilege, or allies, to show up.”
And for others, more pressing matters are taking precedence over the problems posed by Pride.
“When we’re thinking about the grand scheme of things, (Pride) just hasn’t been on the list,” Marshall admitted, adding his own organization is grappling with federal funding cuts and those in his circles are “fighting to maintain our own livelihoods” amid the dismantling of DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – roles.
“The option to fold is not there, because the work still needs to be done. The need has not gone anywhere but there are now some additional barriers,” he said.
Why is WorldPride in D.C.?
While the Trump administration has rolled back several protections for LGBTQ people, especially for trans individuals, WorldPride locations are bid on years in advance, meaning the nation’s capital was decided before President Trump was re-elected.
“No one could have anticipated what was going to happen,” Ten Eyck said, adding there are fears around what the administration may do if there are protests on federal land, since it would be their jurisdiction. “(For some people), federal charges result in you losing your career and your income and your stability.”
But there’s an important distinction between who’s in office and who makes up the city, she added.
“Yeah, (Mr.) Trump has the White House and sort of lives in D.C., but the District of Columbia goes deeply democratic in every single election, regardless of who’s in the federal administration. So, having and hosting a large global pride celebration is aligned with the citizens of D.C.’s politic and will, but it is not aligned with the federal government stance.”
Stoller, who has more than 50,000 Instagram followers, has seen this contrast causing discussions among their online community as well, with many questioning whether it’s safe or appropriate to attend.
“D.C. still can be a very safe, open, accepting place. But of course, the people who are in charge, who now are living in D.C. definitely affect the vibes and feelings of that,” they said.
The Trump administration has already made itself known ahead of the celebration. Last month, several Pride events at the Kennedy Center were canceled or relocated as the institution pivots under President Trump’s leadership.
June Crenshaw, deputy director of nonprofit organization Capital Pride Alliance that is helping host to WorldPride, said the organization is finding other paths for the celebration, but added, “the fact we have to maneuver in this way is disappointing.”
According to the WorldPride website, “top-to-bottom safety protocol” is in place, assuring the same level of preparation as high-security events like inaugurations.
“Efforts include pre-event web-related surveillance, on-site security/police, advanced life support stations, roving medic teams, aerial surveillance and anti-scaling systems and barricades where applicable,” the site notes. “The 2-day street festival will be fenced with a secure entrance. Capital Pride is augmenting DC’s efforts with additional private security.”
How to celebrate Pride outside of Washington, D.C.
If unsure about attending WorldPride this year, Stroller encourages people to prioritize their emotional and physical safety above all else.
“If you are feeling worried for your safety, for your emotions, for your well-being, listen to your gut,” they said.
Black LGBTQ people are also having to figure out another approach “that may not necessarily be showing up in these very public spaces,” Marshall added.
“Does that mean that one group has decided not to fight? No, it’s a matter of how. What is going to be the thing that is not going to cost us our lives?” he said.
Ten Eyck adds there are plenty of ways to “show up” for the community without being in Washington physically, including supporting your local Pride party or LGBT center as well as “putting your money where your morals are.”
“If you’re a federal employee who can fight from the inside, if you’re a teacher who can fight from the inside, if you’re a public health professional who can fight from the inside, we need you more in those roles than we need you on the National Mall,” she said.
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