Mayor Bowser Kicks Off Pride Month by Raising LGBTQIA+ Flag, Invites Residents to Celebrate Pride with Enjoyable, Free Events

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser was joined by District officers, advocates, and neighborhood members to formally kick off LGBTQIA+ Pride Month with the annual LGBTQIA+ Flag Raising on the John A. Wilson Building. This yr’s ceremony held particular significance, marking the twentieth anniversary of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs (MOLGBTQA).

“Washington, DC has never waited for the rest of the country to do the right thing — and that is especially true when it comes to protecting and celebrating our LGBTQIA+ community,” mentioned Mayor Bowser. “For 20 years, the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs has been a national model for what it looks like when a city puts resources, policy, and commitment behind inclusion. This Pride Month, we celebrate that legacy — and we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ Washingtonians who have made our city more visible, more vibrant, and more free.”

Today, Mayor Bowser can also be inviting residents throughout Washington, DC to hitch the Bowser Administration and neighborhood companions in celebrating LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. Pride festivities started in May and proceed all through June, with occasions led by MOLGBTQA, the Capital Pride Alliance, and Diversity of Pride coalitions.

Washington, DC has lengthy been a frontrunner in LGBTQIA+ rights. In 1973, the District voted, forward of the nation, to replace DC’s human rights regulation to ban discrimination on the premise of sexual orientation. The DC Human Rights Act stays probably the most complete legal guidelines of its type within the nation, having added protections for gender id and gender expression in 2006. In 2009, DC was among the many first locations within the nation to legalize same-sex marriage, forward of the 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationally. Since then, the District has continued to make many strides in defending and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood, with devoted housing assets and shelter, investments in workforce programming, and extra.

“This Pride Month, we celebrate 51 years of Pride in Washington, DC and 20 years of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Pride is a celebration of our community’s resilience, visibility, and joy — and a reminder that DC will continue leading as a city where LGBTQIA+ residents can live openly, safely, and proudly,” mentioned Director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs Japer Bowles.  

Throughout the month, residents can be part of the Bowser Administration and the neighborhood to have fun the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood. Events embody: 

seventh Annual District of Pride Showcase
Celebrate LGBTQIA+ management, neighborhood, and satisfaction on the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs’ signature District of Pride Showcase. Join us for an unforgettable night highlighting the unimaginable expertise and creativity of DC’s LGBTQIA+ neighborhood by reside music, drag performances, spoken phrase, and extra. District of Pride brings collectively artists, performers, and neighborhood members for a festivity of tradition, expression, and visibility throughout Pride Month.

Walk with Mayor Bowser within the Capital Pride Parade 
Mayor Bowser will lead the DC Government contingent within the 2026 Capital Pride Parade, alongside MOLGBTQA, neighborhood leaders, advisory committee members, Legacy Award honorees, and District company companions. This second celebrates twenty years of partnership, advocacy, and progress for LGBTQIA+ Washingtonians, and the parade highlights the District’s continued dedication to inclusion, visibility, and fairness whereas bringing collectively authorities and neighborhood in one in every of Pride Month’s largest celebrations.   

For extra data on these occasions and different Pride Month actions, go to linktree.com/DCLGBTQ or comply with @DCLGBTQ on Instagram and X. For further data, together with a full listing of Capital Pride Celebration occasions, go to capitalpride.org.

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