During a week reminiscent of the country’s trauma, with March for Our Lives at the National Mall and insurgency hearings at the Capitol, DC’s Capital Pride Parade on Saturday was a joyous exercise. The bubbles floated, the drag queens on their knees, the children cheered from their parents’ shoulders. Thousands gathered for the parade, which returned fully in person after two years of modified celebrations due to the pandemic. The long celebration spread along a 1.5 mile route through Shaw, Logan Circle and Dupont Circle of neighborhoods. Zsannette Olson, 50, her two daughters and one of their friends arrived at the parade after attending the March for Our Lives rally earlier in the day. Exhausted after participating in the official protests against gun violence, they were excited to enjoy the Pride celebrations. Yet, Olson said they knew they were not only there to celebrate, but also to continue to promote equality and security for all. “We are definitely appearing more, making our voices heard, calling on our MPs and informing them that we do not support it,” he said of recent legislation restricting LGBTQ rights. This year’s parade comes at a time of political uncertainty over LGBTQ rights across the country. Florida lawmakers recently passed the Parental Education Bill, which bans teaching or discussion on LGBTQ issues in schools for younger students · Critics call it a “do not say gay” bill. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has ordered an investigation into the use of gender-based care for transgender children. “These are bills that affect us and our education,” said Natalia Peña, 18, a recent graduate of Hayfield. High School in Fairfax County. Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, said legislation threatening LGBTQ rights underscores the purpose and value of the Pride parade and celebrations. “It’s our voice. “This is the time to be visible, to be heard,” he said. “With the threats around us, it just overemphasizes the need for these events worldwide.” Members of Whitman-Walker Health, a clinic that focuses on LGBTQ and HIV / AIDS healthcare, gathered at the beginning of the parade dressed in purple T-shirts that read “We say gay.” “We’re lucky enough to live in a community that may be open to it, but not everyone can be that strong,” said Heather Alt, 38, who works as the clinic’s deputy director of nursing. Kim Herrmann, 37, pediatrician in Whitman-Walker, said it was vital to demonstrate the importance of the care it provides. “I serve the trans community as a primary care physician and as a provider that confirms their gender,” he said. “I’m here to really protect them and allow them to have access to health care like everyone else.” This year marks Herrmann’s first Pride in DC, and compared to events she attended while living in the Midwest, she said Capital Pride looks a lot more like a celebration. She said she was excited to relax and enjoy the parade with her wife. “There is just so much community here,” he said. “She does not feel so stressed.” Outside a restaurant, Jackie Segler, 40, added another rainbow flag to her motorcycle shortly before the parade began. Inside sat her broken but festive skeleton, Che. Segler has lived in the area for six years and has attended Pride in the past, but this is her first since the onset of the pandemic. She was ready to relive the energy of the celebration. “I feel like no one is judging you here,” Segler said. “Pride is my favorite vacation of the year in DC. “I have friends who go out that I have not seen in years and it will be wonderful to see them again.” Last year, DC celebrated Pride with weight loss crowds along with one car caravan. In 2020, as marches were canceled to a large extent, Pride organizers around the world offered virtual parades and events. The big comeback of Capital Pride: Parade, Joe Jonas and lots of parties Saturday’s parade was the title of a series of events from Capital Pride this month. Joe Jonas’s DNCE band will play Capital Pride’s festival and concert on Sunday, along with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winners Willow Pill and Symone. On Saturday, the revelers wore the fashionable Pride: peacock feather capes, leather vests with studs and fishnet tops. Rainbow flags and t-shirts surpassed rainbow angel wings, rainbow high boots and rainbow crocheted bikinis. The Dupont Circle was full of thousands of people. Bus benches became viewing points as observers climbed to cheer on children from DC public schools waving flags and crossing the tarmac. At the end of the parade, men from the Mid-Atlantic Leather competition posed for photos near vendors selling iced tea and unicorn masks. Across the country, police presence in Pride has sparked tensions in many cities. In DC, the protests of the 2017 parade resulted in the Capitol Pride Alliance creating a policy that forbade uniformed officers from parading in the parade. Ahead of this year’s parade, a Capitol Pride spokesman told the Washington Post that the policy remained in place. “We have been in talks with law enforcement agencies expressing our desire to acknowledge the community’s concerns about the presence of uniformed officers at the Parade,” Marquia Parnell said in an email. But on Saturday, many members of the DC police they wore their entire uniforms as they marched around Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). They handed out rainbow bracelets and beads, stopping along the way to greet and hug the fans. Dozens of other DC police officers in uniform and squadrons were on the road watching the crowds. The parade provoked small protests. At the Dupont Circle, a small group shouting about sin was drowned out by the band, saying, “Shots, shots, shots.” But most of the parades did not deal with the protesters, instead ignoring them or laughing at them as they passed. Recent debates over whether corporate sponsorship has a place in Pride celebrations have emerged at this year’s celebration. Several companies, such as Target, Visa, Mastercard, Airbnb and Lockheed Martin, took part in the parade. One of the parades held a large check with the “End Corporate Pride” in rainbow letters. Protesters in 2017 interrupted the parade and said that Capital Pride was more interested in corporate sponsors than in supporting marginalized communities. Boss said he believes there needs to be a balance and recognize that many of those who parade in the parade are members of the corporate community who work for change through their corporations. “At times when the government does not have our backs, sometimes companies are there for us,” he said. “So our community is everywhere. We are in the churches, we are in the social groups. We are in non-profit organizations, we are in companies and we are in government. We are all members of the community. “ Returning along the route of the parade, many of the people celebrating said they were willing to show their support for LGBTQ goals. Chris Ammon, a 51-year-old teacher who lives in Falls Church, believes his role as an ally of the LGBTQ community is to support those who trust him, especially his students. “I have flags like the ones you see all around us and students are asking who they are targeting,” Ammon said. “And I tell them it’s for everyone.” As cheers erupted from the crowd, Ammon admired the colorful sights on P. Street. “When people go out for it, they dress for the crowd, but also for the truest version of themselves,” Ammon said. “When this community overcomes obstacles, it leaves its vigil and lives its truest life.”
