Capital Pride Celebration Things To Do

June is here, and that means Pride month is in full effect. We’ve put together a few ideas for uniquely prideful things to do this month. Check it out!

With the weather warming up for real this time, and the Pride spirit abound, it’s definitely a good time to get out, socialize and build community. This can look like going to a speed dating event, happy hour, or brunch, or even creating smaller spaces for connection. Meetup.com can be a good resource for finding folks that may share identities or experiences to connect with.

Speaking of shared identities and experiences, it’s easy to forget to celebrate those that we have less in common with. Knowing that the LGBT or Queer community is not a monolithic group with one set of needs and experiences, it may be worthwhile to respectfully engage with members of communities you may not necessarily be a part of. While we certainly don’t condone co-opting spaces for communities one doesn’t belong to, we do think it’s beneficial to take the time to hear from others.

Attending the Women’s Spoken Word, for example (and just listening, if you don’t identify as a woman) can be a good way to appreciate and support folks.

Check out the 34th Annual Capital Pride Interfaith Service to experience folks from different faiths coming together.  

But let’s not forget that “things to do” doesn’t always have to be events, venues, and socializing. There is definitely space for celebration for introverts and those who just choose not to go out. Maybe take the time to do some journaling about the significance of the month, your identity, or a even list of things you hope to see in the future when it comes to yourself or the communities you are a part of. Questions to consider may include:

• What am I proud of, when it comes to my identity?

• Are there parts of me that I’m not proud of?

• What would it look like to find pride in all of me?

• What has/will that journey look like?

Being proud can mean recognizing how far we’ve come and on the same hand how much farther we’ve got to go. Keeping this in mind, June is a good time to support a local LGBT-focused organization. Support can come through monetary donation, volunteering, or speaking out by attending a rally (like the Rally for Transgender Equality on the 9th). Because, let’s face it, we’ve come tremendously far since folks like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera stood up and fought back at Stonewall, but there’s still so much to do in terms of building justice, equality, and the freedom to be proud for everyone.

Ultimately, the month is meant to be both a time to honor and to celebrate. That said, of course we couldn’t forget that a big part of the month’s celebration for a lot of folks includes the Parade and Festival, which take place on the 10th and 11th, respectively here in DC.

As always, be safe and enjoy. Happy Pride!