As thousands of people arrived in Washington DC for World Pride, the spotlight of the world’s queer community was shining squarely on the US capital, while the rainbow community faced some of its biggest resistance in recent years, most of it coming from arguably the most famous building in the host city, The White House.
What became increasingly clear as my week in Washington DC for World Pride progressed, was the massive divide between the views of Donald Trump’s administration and the locals of DC themselves.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered the possibility of security incidents during the event. However, in reality, there was only one noticeable display of homophobia at all the events I attended. It came from a small, quiet group holding a couple of signs to share their religious views.”
“Given the highly visible parade that shut down the city centre, along with a rally and a march, I had expected much worse.”
I’m not mentioning this to concentrate on politics and security, but to highlight the fact that in a city like Washington DC, members of the queer community are more than welcome, they are home.
Nearly 15% of residents in DC openly identified as being part of the LGBTIQ+ community, according to research. That’s the largest percentage of any state in the United States and double that of the state with the second largest queer population, Oregon.
Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of the queer capital on Saturday for the official World Pride Parade.
Laverne Cox kicked off the parade, as a mixture of local pride groups and global corporations wormed their way through the city under sunny skies and temperatures in the low thirties (Celsius that is!)
The entire parade was also broadcast live on television.
Following the parade, Cynthia Erivo performed on stage at a free concert located just blocks from the Capitol Building itself.
Another key event in the Pride schedule was a rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, followed by a march to Union Square.
Sadly, the weather wasn’t as kind to us on this day with rain cutting rally speeches short. But, the march still went ahead with thousands pulling out their ponchos or just embracing the warm rain and making their soaked journey long the route.
Many locals not taking part in the march itself shouted from the streets and parks nearby.
“We love you!”
If the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is true, then in this case Washington DC is the book, and the US President is the cover.
Once you open up this book, you’ll discover the welcoming nature of Washington DC’s people within the first paragraph.
Images Credit: Dan Lake.
