WorldPride is headed to Washington, DC — and it could be one of the most impactful yet -TGN

LGBTQ+ protesters outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, in 2019. (Getty)

Washington, DC is hosting WorldPride in 2025 and the timing couldn’t be better.

The first WorldPride was held in Rome in 2000, much to the fury of the Vatican. Pope John Paul II infamously expressed his “bitterness” at what he called an “insult to the Christian values ​​of a city so dear to the hearts of Catholics around the world.”

The second edition, WorldPride Jerusalem in 2006, was met with resistance and threats of violence. In the end, the parade was canceled and a meeting was held in a stadium, which was easier to protect. Since then, celebrations have been held in cities such as London, New York and Toronto, where relapses have been relatively contained.

After this year’s WorldPride in Sydney, the next one will be held in Washington, DC in 2025 (the event will go from biennial to annual after that). It has the potential to be the most politically charged in some time.

On January 20, 2025, Joe Biden or a new Republican president will be inaugurated. Chances are WorldPride will take place just steps from Donald Trump’s White House — despite his recent indictment, recent polls suggest he would beat Biden in the popular vote should he become the Republican nominee.

I recently traveled to DC for Capital Pride, which was in many ways a warm-up for 2025. The people I spoke to knew there were challenges on the horizon – just weeks later the Supreme Court would strike a blow against LGBTQ+ rights, ruling that a Christian web designer could lawfully refuse service to queer couples, and the 2024 election weighed heavily on some.

Those gathered in DC were there to celebrate — the weekend was more about celebration than protest, but it felt necessary. With so many intentions to push back LGBTQ+ rights in America, the opportunity to share some joy, to let go while surrounded by community and allies was taken. But protest was never far away.

The day after the parade, a festival took place overlooking Capitol Hill. Actors like Monet X Change and Idina Menzel gave rousing speeches in support of drag queens and trans youth, in the face of Republican states enacting laws against the freedoms of both groups. It was these moments that got the most acclaim, although Idina’s “Defying Gravity” admittedly came pretty close.

On the day of the parade itself, the route was littered with messages of support for trans youth, demands for better access to gender-affirming healthcare, and t-shirts mocking the far-right’s continued obsession with undermining queer lives (“I drank a Bud Light and now I’m a bottom” is a particular highlight).

The recent Supreme Court ruling made it clear that regardless of the outcome of the 2024 election, LGBTQ+ Americans will have to fight for basic humanity for quite some time to come.

If Joe Biden loses the election to a Republican, be it Trump or Ron DeSantis, things get really bad real quick. If he wins, there will still be a conservative-dominated Supreme Court to contend with, as well as anti-LGBTQ+ governors, state legislators and judges across the country.

The symbolism of Pride taking place on the president’s doorstep in June was powerful. In two years it will be even more. With the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans under attack, World Pride could be a golden opportunity to show the world the power of community.