Where else can you see drag queens, Septa Unella, the nun from Game of Thrones, Cruella de Vil flocked by a herd of dalmatians, mock political figures ranging from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin, and a host of pun-related costumes? On 17th Street NW, of course.
Each year, on the Tuesday before Halloween, the main drag in D.C.’s traditional “gayborhood” gets a veritable ton of foot traffic as people don creative costumes and heels, from simple 1-inch pumps to 6-inch stilettos, as they prepare for the annual 17th Street High Heel Race.
The actual course is a 300-meter straightaway, and the race typically lasts only a few minutes, but what draws thousands of spectators each year is the parade of costumes two hours prior to the starting gun. Participants strut up and down the street in their fancy footwear, hugging old friends and acquaintances, posing for photos, spraying silly string and confetti, and engaging in various campy antics.
The race, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was initially attended by only those “in the know” within D.C.’s LGBT community, but has grown in popularity each year. Now, families with children from the suburbs regularly attend and try to grab selfies with race participants. It’s a change that would have been unimaginable at a gay event 30 years ago, says Dave Perruzza, general manager of JR.’s Bar & Grill, the host bar of the High Heel Race.
In preparation for this Tuesday’s race, JR.’s has gone on a decorating blitz, constructing a 10-foot tall wooden high heel resting on a ledge above the bar. Suspended above the bar are 30 pairs of silver-colored high heels. “I joke that each pair is the heel the winner wore each year,” says Perruzza. “But we actually went to a thrift store and bought 30 pairs of heels to represent each year.”
Perruzza is so consumed with making sure the event runs flawlessly, worrying about security, crowd safety, and whether he can get enough volunteers, that he can’t really sit back and enjoy the race. But he does have a fond memory from years ago.
“The first year I ran it, just before I went out, [JR.’s owner] Eric Little said, ‘If you fall and hurt yourself, you’ll be out of work and won’t have any income.’ And I said, ‘I’ll be fine.’ I was one of the people who actually put on six-inch heels, and somebody fell right in front of me,” he says. “And I’m wearing this silver lamé dress with wings and stuff on it, and I jump over this person, and all I could think about was, ‘I cannot prove Eric right and sprain my ankle.’ So I did the perfect landing and kept on running. I got 13th place that year.”
The 30th Annual 17th Street High Heel Race will take place on on Tuesday, Oct. 25 on 17th Street between the intersections of P and R. The parade of participants starts at 7 p.m., with the race starting at Cobalt at 9 p.m. Volunteers are welcome, and must report to JR.’s at 1519 17th St. NW, by 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit jrsbar-dc.com.
"Right now, more than ever, we need global solidarity. And WorldPride is probably the closest thing we have to a visible manifestation of the unity we have across borders," says Ymania Brown, one of the co-presidents of InterPride, the international umbrella organization of Pride organizers.
"The goal for us at InterPride and for WorldPride is for our members and everyone who comes to WorldPride in Washington, to walk away knowing that we are not alone," she continues. "That our struggles, while unique in different countries and different regions, are shared. And as a result of that shared struggle, our victories, and the successes we have in changing laws for our people, are collective."
New York PBS affiliate WNET has removed three educational episodes addressing transgender identity and drag expression from its archives, following threats from congressional conservatives and the Trump administration to defund public broadcasting.
One targeted program was a 2021 episode of the educational series Let’s Learn, titled “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.” The episode featured drag queen and children’s author Lil Miss Hot Mess reading from her book of the same name—a playful take on the classic nursery rhyme “The Wheels on the Bus.”
WorldPride participants share why Pride still matters, what issues drive them, and why visibility remains vital in today’s political climate.
By André Hereford, Ryan Leeds, and John Riley
June 21, 2025
WorldPride DC on Sunday, June 8, 2025 - Photo: Randy Shulman / Metro Weekly
Interviewed on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8, 2025, at the WorldPride Street Festival, Parade, and March for Freedom.
Nic Ashe
Los Angeles, Ca.
Queer, He/Him
Why did you come to WorldPride?
I've been following WorldPride through the lens of Black queerness, namely with a focus on Christianity and religion. Early in my life, when I think about the first times that I was learning that queer may be a pejorative or that being gay was "not good," it was through my church upbringing. So I was very curious to find if there were examples in 2025 of those two oxymoronic opposing forces existing in harmony.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.