Queer and trans liberation was on full display from coast to coast this week, culminating in Washington, D.C.’s World Pride 2025 celebrations on Saturday, June 7, and Sunday, June 8, as well as the final AIDS/LifeCycle ride, which concluded Saturday in Los Angeles. For many participants, the events were not only a celebration of their identity but an act of resistance against what they see as mounting threats to their very existence.
“This is not just a party,” Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance, told a crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. “This is a rally for our lives.”
Every year, different cities bid to host World Pride. Washington, D.C., won the honor prior to President Donald Trump’s reelection. This year also marked the international gathering’s 50th anniversary.
While the Trump administration was front and center of most demonstrations, the inaction of Democratic politicians did not go unnoticed. “We have to call out people who have abandoned our movement,” said Tyler Hack of the Christopher Street Project. “Being a Democrat is more than carrying the party affiliation. It’s about unapologetic support for the trans community.”
Trump policies reverberate across World Pride
According to The Associated Press, World Pride parades and festivities attracted tens of thousands of people on Saturday. However, Sunday’s rally and subsequent march numbered more than a thousand.
Smith of the Capital Pride Alliance said that attendance numbers, especially among international visitors, were noticeably down, largely due to fear of harassment and anger at Trump’s policies and rhetoric.
Alice Siregar, a data analyst living in Montreal, decided not to attend, telling the BBC that as a Canadian and trans woman, “It’s too dangerous to risk it.”
Similarly, a Canada-based LGBTQ+ charity, Egale Canada, told the BBC they would not be traveling to D.C. for the city’s Pride celebrations. “We are very concerned about the general tone and hostility towards domestic LGBTI people in the US, but also to those who may be visiting the US from other jurisdictions,” Executive Director Helen Kennedy said.
In addition to bans on transgender soldiers serving in the military and trans athletes competing in sports, the Trump administration has also targeted drag shows, gender affirming care, the recognition of alternative gender identities and federal references to gay rights icons and activists.
“Trans people just want to be loved. Everybody wants to live their own lives and I don’t understand the problem with it all,” Tyler Cargill, a World Pride attendee, told the AP.
While many international visitors and groups opted to avoid the U.S. this year, queer communities across the globe were still well-represented.
A group of Iranian artists based in the D.C. Metro area participated in the festivities, bringing visibility to both their national and cultural heritage. “The entire inspiration for this was, what would queer Iranians in Iran want to see in this world stage,” Ryan Omid Aghabozorg told local media outlet WUSA 9, adding, “In the language that we speak, in Persian, we don’t use pronouns, so there’s a beauty and magic to see someone’s humanity that transcends gender.”
AIDS/LifeCycle’s final ride
Meanwhile, the past week also saw the final edition of AIDS/LifeCycle, a 545-mile bike ride that extends from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The inaugural event, then known as the California AIDS Ride, took place in 1994. However, three decades later, increasing operational costs and dwindling financial support have brought about its end.
“For more than 30 years, over one million people have ridden, roadied, donated, and volunteered for this remarkable event,” organizers wrote back in September. “Together, you have raised over $300 million for the life-saving work of the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation. On behalf of the thousands of people who have benefited from your efforts, we are eternally grateful.”
Kyle Kostrzewa, a Los Angeles resident who has participated in the ride for the past four years, told Straight Arrow News on Sunday, “Feeling a lot of emotion today! Joy from the beautiful experience and sorrow to be losing it. Fear for our community in this morally regressive moment. Hope that the announced three-day future events will continue to facilitate the important outreach and connection the ride offered. Gratitude to all our donors.”
Kostrzewa added, “And above all feeling love––the ride brought queer family old and new together to do something remarkable, year after year. The most affirming thing I’ve ever been a part of.”