Capital Pride reveals next year’s Pride theme. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes most of D.C.’s LGBTQ Pride events and that is organizing World Pride 2025 in D.C., announced at its annual Pride Reveal celebration on Thursday, Nov. 14, that the theme for World Pride 2025 would be “The Fabric of Freedom.”
More than 200 LGBTQ community members and allies who attended the Reveal event cheered loudly when The Fabric of Freedom theme was announced and displayed on a large video screen. The event was held at the Hamilton Hotel’s Schuyler ballroom in downtown D.C.
“We knew we wanted the core of our theme to be wrapped around freedom,” Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos said in explaining how the theme was selected about two months ago by the Capital Pride board and World Pride organizers.
“That resonated with us because it represents so many different things,” he told the Washington Blade. “Our community is multilayered, intersectional. We all make up the fabric. We are the fabric of freedom as well,” he said. “So, we just felt that with where we’re at in the world today, really representing the Fabric of Freedom is important to us because we have to continually work on it and we are all part of it,” Bos said.
Bos and Ashley Smith, president of the Capital Pride Alliance board, told those attending the Reveal event that the event this year was also a celebration of the life of the late Bernie Delia, the longtime Capital Pride Alliance leader and former co-chair of the World Pride 2025 organizing committee, who died unexpectedly June 21 of this year at the age of 68.
The two said Capital Pride Alliance has set up a special Bernie Delia fund to raise money for Capital Pride and World Pride events and urged those attending the Reveal event to contribute to the fund.
Smith also served as an auctioneer at the event for a fundraising auction for World Pride that raised more than $10,000 from purchases through bidding made by those attending the event. Smith said the items auctioned, which included a Caribbean cruise, were all donated by LGBTQ supportive businesses, most of which are World Pride corporate sponsors.
Although the name of President-Elect Donald Trump was not mentioned by any of the speakers at the Reveal event, some of the speakers, including Bos, made clear references to the outcome of the Nov. 5 election and the impact it has had on members of the LGBTQ community.
“I know a lot of us have had a lot of emotions over the past week and a half,” Bos told the gathering. “And that is valid,” he said. “Some are angry. Some are sad. Some are confused. Some are disillusioned,” Bos said. “But let’s know you are here in this room tonight because we’re going to fight. We are going to ensure that no matter what, our community is going to be visible,” he said as the audience cheered loudly.
“It’s going to be hard,” Bos continued. “And we’re going to allow ourselves to have joy. And some of what is happening is going to give us joy.”
Danielle Davis, vice president of communications for Destination D.C., an organization that promotes tourism and business-related conventions in D.C. and that is working with Capital Pride Alliance to support World Pride, told the Blade that the outcome of the presidential and congressional elections has so far not had a negative impact on World Pride.
Among other things, interest by potential visitors in coming to D.C. next year for World Pride, which is scheduled to take place May 17-June 8 is growing, Davis said.
“People are very excited about coming to D.C.,” she told the Blade. “We’re looking at anywhere from two and three million coming in over World Pride over the course of those three weekends that will be generating over $780 million of economic impact.”
Bos said plans are moving ahead on schedule for the multiple events set to take place as part of World Pride 2025 in D.C. Among them, he said, are a Pride parade and a National LGBTQ March on Washington, a human rights conference, a sports festival, a Welcome Concert at Washington Nationals Stadium, a street festival and concert, a Tapestry of Pride event at the Kennedy Center, and a dance party at RFK Stadium, among other events.
A full list of the World Pride 2025 events can be accessed at worldpridedc.org.
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