D.C. to Raise Pride Flag in June 3 Ceremony
To kick off Pride Month, Mayor Bowser's administration has invited the community to attend a flag-raising ceremony on Monday afternoon.
The D.C. government will officially mark the start of Pride Month on June 3 as Mayor Muriel Bowser hosts an annual flag-raising ceremony outside the John A. Wilson Building, which houses the D.C. Mayor’s Office and D.C. Council chambers.
The ceremony, which kicks off Monday at 4 p.m., is the second annual raising of the Progress Pride flag, which represents the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ identities and other historically marginalized populations.
“At the core of D.C. values is ensuring all our residents and visitors are not only visible — but loved and supported,” Bowser said in a press release. “This June and year-round, we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, and their contributions to [the] vibrancy of the District.”
The mayor also encouraged locals to join the D.C. government, the Capital Pride Alliance, and various businesses and nonprofits in celebrating different events throughout June, including the Capital Pride Parade on June 8, the Capital Pride Festival on June 9, and the “District of Pride” talent showcase at the Lincoln Theatre on June 27.
This year’s Pride events serve as a staging ground ahead of the 2025 WorldPride festivities, which D.C. will host next year from May 23 to June 8.
World Pride’s events are expected to draw nearly 3 million revelers to the District, which will also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of its first Pride Parade that same year.
The Bowser administration has budgeted $5.25 million to support the planning and implementation of WorldPride events.
“Hosting WorldPride 2025 in D.C. is a historic opportunity to showcase our city’s vibrant LGBTQIA+ culture on a global stage,” Japer Bowles, the director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming visitors from around the world and demonstrating our unwavering commitment to human rights and inclusivity.”
D.C.’s government has a long history of celebrating LGBTQ identities and supporting equality for LGBTQ residents.
In 1973, the District voted to update its human rights law to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, with updates adding protections for gender identity and gender expression in 2006.
In 2009, D.C. was one of the first jurisdictions in the country to legalize same-sex marriage — well ahead of the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision overturning various state-level bans on the practice.
Several nearby jurisdictions are also celebrating Pride Month.
Prince George’s County recently held its own flag-raising ceremony at the county administration building in Largo, marking only the second year in history that a Pride flag has flown over a county government building.
Montgomery County will also hold an annual flag-raising ceremony today, May 31, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring.
For more information on D.C.’s Pride Month events, visit linktree.com/DCLGBTQ or follow @DCLGBTQ on Instagram and X.
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