The organizers of the annual Pride Month events in Washington, D.C., the Capital Pride Alliance and the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, released a new schedule for the upcoming celebrations in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
The change in the previously announced schedule followed the cancellation of the District’s annual Parade and Festival that was originally slated to start in early May.
“In lieu of traditional Pride events and in-person gatherings, Pride 2020 Reimagined will include new programming for Pride Month this June, on-going monthly programs, and potential events for later this Fall, depending on social distancing requirements at that time,” a joint statement said.
As part of the changes, some of the planned events will happen virtually or adjustments will be made in order to make it possible for participants to maintain social distancing.
This year’s Pride celebrations will kick off on Monday, June 1 with Community Conversations/Town Hall from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. It will feature leaders from the LGBTQ+ organizations, who will discuss “how the community recovers and moves forward from the COVID-19 pandemic.” The webinar, which will be streamed live on social media, requires registration for those who would like to take part in the question and answers.
The groups’ statement also included a recent quote from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who said “Pride is certainly one of our favorite times of year in Washington, D.C. — an opportunity to uplift our LGBTQ community and celebrate our city’s progress as a leader in LGBTQ rights. Thank you to everyone who is helping us save lives by celebrating Pride at home. While events will certainly look different this year, our pride remains as strong as ever.”
In February 2020, the Capital Pride Alliance, announced this year’s theme as “#StillWe,” which remains in place.
“This year’s theme campaign, #StillWe, is a powerful statement about the resilience, struggles, celebrations, and pride that exist within our community. It honors the battles that have paved the way for the progress we now enjoy, while acknowledging the tremendous work that is still left for us to do,” the group had said in a statement.