‘Not just a party:’ World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display

Washington (AP) - After the raucous rainbow-hued festivities of Saturday’s parade, the final day of World Pride 2025 in the nation’s capital kicked off on a more downbeat note.

More than a thousand people gathered under grey skies Sunday morning at the Lincoln Memorial for a rally that will lead into a protest march, as the community gathers its strength for a looming fight under President Donald Trump’s second administration.

"This is not just a party," Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance. "This is a rally for our lives."

Smith acknowledged that international attendance numbers for the bi-annual World Pride were measurably down, with many potential attendees avoiding travel to the U.S. due to either fear of harassment or in protest of Trump’s policies.

"That should disturb us and mobilize us," Smith said.

Over a thousand people cheered on LGBTQ+ activists taking the stage while waving both traditional Pride flags and flags representing transgender, bisexual, intersex and other communities. Many had rainbow glitter and rhinestones adorning their faces. They held signs declaring "Fight back," "Gay is good," "Ban bombs not bathrooms" and "We will not be erased."

Trump's campaign against transgender protections and oft-stated antipathy for drag shows have set the community on edge, with some hoping to see a renewed wave of street politics in response.

"Trans people just want to be loved. Everybody wants to live their own lives and I don’t understand the problem with it all," said Tyler Cargill, who came wearing an elaborate costume with a hat topped by a replica of the U.S. Capitol building.

Wes Kincaid drove roughly 6 hours from Charlotte, North Carolina to attend this year. Sitting on a park bench near the reflecting pond, Kincaid said he made a point of attending this year, "because it's more important than ever to show up for our community."

Reminders of the cuts to federal government programs were on full display, Sunday. One attendee waved a massive rainbow flag affixed on the same staff as a large USAID flag; another held a "Proud gay federal worker" sign; and a third held an umbrella with the logos of various federal program facing cuts - including the PBS logo.

Trump’s anti-trans rhetoric had fueled fears of violence or protests targeting World Pride participants; at one point earlier this spring, rumors circulated that the Proud Boys were planning to disrupt this weekend's celebrations. Those concerns prompted organizers to install security fencing around the entire two-day street party on a multi-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue.

But so far, the only clear act of aggression has been the vandalizing of a queer bar last week. Late Saturday night, there was a pair of violent incidents near Dupont Circle - one of the epicenters of the World Pride celebrations. Two juveniles were stabbed and a man was shot in the foot in separate incidents. The Metropolitan Police Department says it is not clear if either incident was directly related to World Pride.