CIVICUS discusses Pride 2025 in Washington DC with Ryan Bos, the Executive Director of the Capital Pride Alliance, a civil society organisation dedicated to serving LGBTQI+ people’s needs.
From 17 May to 8 June, Washington DC hosted WorldPride, a global LGBTQI+ celebration held every few years in different cities around the world. Over three weeks, hundreds of events unfolded across the US capital, culminating in a two-day festival and the city’s largest-ever Pride parade. WorldPride came at a tense moment: the Trump administration’s rollback of LGBTQI+ protections and a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion policies have created a climate of fear and uncertainty. Many wondered whether WorldPride would be cancelled or people would be too scared to participate. But the event became an opportunity for defiance and solidarity, making clear that Pride means both celebration and protest.
