In 1975, Deacon Maccubbin was chatting with friends at a party in Washington, D.C., when the conversation turned to attending New York City’s Pride Day. That’s when a friend threw out an idea that would change the city forever: “Why don’t we just do one here?”
A year earlier, Maccubbin had taken a bold gamble by opening Lambda Rising, an LGBTQ+ bookstore in Dupont Circle dedicated to sharing stories that needed to be told. The store quickly became a sanctuary for D.C.’s gay community.
Fueled by that same spirit — and some nervous anticipation — Maccubbin took another groundbreaking step: organizing the District of Columbia’s very first Pride celebration.
“We didn’t know if anyone would show up. It was something no one had ever done here before,” he told USA TODAY.
As the event’s start time approached, only a few people lingered around the bookstore, leaving Maccubbin worried.
“One of the organizers I hired said, ‘Don’t worry. They’re just on gay time,’” he recalled. “And about 15 minutes later, 2,000 people were flooding the streets.”
Now, 50 years later, the Capital Pride Alliance is hosting WorldPride — a global festival dedicated to LGBTQ+ visibility and awareness — at a pivotal moment, as queer rights face renewed challenges.
With decades of activism behind him, Maccubbin remains resolute. “The fight goes on. There will always be people trying to push you back. But you stand up and keep moving forward.”
A global festival with renewed meaning
WorldPride, which began May 17, is packed with events ranging from musical performances and fashion shows to discussion panels and gatherings celebrating subcommunities like Trans Pride, Latinx Pride, and Youth Pride. The festivities will culminate in the iconic Pride Parade on June 7, followed by a massive rally and march from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol on June 8.
‘Who believes in human dignity and decency these days?’
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives—programs that often provide protections for LGBTQ+ individuals—within the federal government.
Subsequent directives have disproportionately targeted the transgender community: the administration sought to halt gender-affirming care for minors, reinstated the ban on transgender people serving in the military, removed mentions of the community from the Stonewall National Monument website, and mandated that federal agencies recognize only two sexes—male and female—impacting transgender individuals’ ability to identify as they wish on documents like passports. These moves have sown fear and anxiety, especially among LGBTQ+ travelers.
This political climate has sparked backlash, with some corporate sponsors withdrawing support from Pride parades and raising safety concerns for LGBTQ+ people attending the WorldPride festival internationally.
Yet, amid the adversity, WorldPride embodies a fierce determination that the queer community will not be silenced, said Bos.
“People see the world closing in and ask: Who has our back? Who truly believes in human dignity and decency these days? We don’t want to be shoved back into the closet. And we won’t,” Bos said. “We will remain visible. We are a resilient community. We’ve faced challenges like this before.”
On May 29, 2025, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser officially kicked off Pride Month by raising the LGBTQIA+ Pride Flag at the John A. Wilson Building. The city’s Capital Pride Alliance is hosting WorldPride—a signature global festival promoting LGBTQ+ visibility and awareness.
Bringing DC’s queer history to life
Katherine Fisher, founder and lead guide of DC PrideWalks, launched the city’s first tourism company dedicated to showcasing Washington’s rich queer history—from its monuments to its neighborhoods.
Fisher, a historian, started PrideWalks in 2021 after a former LGBTQ+ student she knew, who struggled with addiction and isolation during COVID-19, tragically died of an overdose. The loss “lit a fire in me,” Fisher said.
Her mission is to bring LGBTQ+ history out of academic texts and into public conversation, encouraging engagement and activism among both LGBTQ+ individuals and allies. As WorldPride takes center stage in a challenging moment, Fisher says many in the community have chosen to “fight back with joy and celebration.”
Fear often fuels misconceptions about LGBTQ+ people, she noted. Her tours aim to educate and dispel those false assumptions.
“When I tell people about Evelyn Hooker on these walks, no one has heard of her,” Fisher said. “But she is as pivotal to the queer rights movement as Rosa Parks is to civil rights or Eleanor Roosevelt to women’s rights.”
‘Oh no no no! You can’t take this away from us’
Country singer-songwriter Brooke Eden, a WorldPride performer, remembers being warned to “stay in the closet or risk losing my career” when she met her soulmate.
Finding healing through songwriting, Eden came out after five years. She married her wife Hilary in 2022 in Nashville, and they welcomed their first child in November.
Her music shares her journey, aiming to uplift others grappling with acceptance.
Eden has received countless messages from fans who “never saw their story reflected in country music. Then they see one of my videos on CMT, YouTube, or TikTok and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not alone. I’m not the only Southern person who’s found queer joy and queer love.’”
One of her hit songs, “Outlaw Love,” perfectly captures the spirit of WorldPride as an “outlaw movement, a kind of rebellion,” Eden said.
“The World Pride stage is in front of the Capitol building at a time when they’re trying to silence us, push us back into the closet, make us feel ashamed, strip away our freedoms, and roll back DEI,” she said.
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