WorldPride 2025 in Washington, D.C. – Photo: Randy Shulman/Metro Weekly
The Capital Pride Alliance is moving the 2026 Capital Pride celebration to the third week of June — one week later than usual — to avoid overlapping with major events tied to President Donald Trump’s June 14 birthday and preparations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. Pride weekend will run June 20-21, with the parade on Saturday and the festival and concert on Sunday.
Last year, the Trump administration marked the president’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Armed Forces with a downtown military parade. This year, all national parks will offer free entry on June 14, and the White House is expected to host several Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on the White House lawn to draw large crowds for Trump’s 80th birthday and the country’s Semiquincentennial celebrations.
According to a statement released by the Capital Pride Alliance, moving the celebration to the third week “ensures our community can gather safely and without unnecessary barriers” by setting aside space for Pride festivities and “preserving Pride as a powerful act of visibility, solidarity, and resistance.”
“As we look ahead to 2026, we’re transforming the legacy of WorldPride into a rallying cry, demanding visibility, defending our rights, and organizing for the safety and freedom of our community,” said Ryan Bos, CEO and president of the Capital Pride Alliance, in a press release announcing the change.
Registration is open to organizations, artisans, and businesses interested in participating in Pride events, with food vendor applications set to open in January 2026.
As in past years, Capital Pride will hold its annual Pride Reveal gathering at the end of February, where it will unveil the 2026 theme and release the full schedule and details for official Pride events.
The Pride Reveal will also include a schedule and descriptions of events organized by Capital Pride Alliance’s “Pride 365” partner organizations, including nonprofits, community groups, and businesses serving as Pride sponsors.
“Our pride events thrive because of the passion and support of the community,” said Anna Jinkerson, CPA Board Chair, in a statement. “Together, we continue the powerful legacy of Pride in the Nation’s Capital.”
U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson, one of several Democrats targeted in Texas's latest gerrymander, says she will seek reelection after a federal three-judge panel blocked a Republican-backed congressional map that would have drawn her out of her Dallas-area district for 2026.
The lesbian congresswoman is one of five Texas Democrats whose districts were reshaped to give Republicans a 2026 edge, and among several Democrats who were effectively drawn out of the seats they currently represent.
In Johnson's case, the proposed map would have stretched her Dallas-based 32nd District into Republican-leaning Rockwall County and rural East Texas, while shifting her hometown of Farmers Branch into GOP Rep. Beth Van Duyne's 24th District, a seat Trump won by 16 points in 2024.
Two 20-year-old men have been accused of plotting a deadly terrorist attack in suburban Detroit, allegedly targeting several LGBTQ bars after purchasing high-powered weapons, stockpiling ammunition, and practicing at local gun ranges.
According to an FBI affidavit, Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud, both 20 and from Dearborn, allegedly conspired with at least five unnamed individuals and a minor -- identified as "Person 1" -- to carry out an ISIS-inspired shooting attack on Halloween night. Prosecutors say Ali and Person 1 were to execute the assault while the others planned to travel to Syria to join Islamic State forces.
The "Biggest Little Rainbow Bridge," created by Local Girl Scout Troop 508 in Reno, Nevada, as a memorial for deceased pets, sits in Crissie Caughlin Park. It is intended as a "beautiful and peaceful place" where visitors can "mourn the loss of our beloved four-legged family members who have crossed the rainbow bridge into the great beyond and reflect on the memories we have made with them."
But two weeks after the rainbow paint was applied -- and just as the troop was preparing to add the final touches -- an unknown vandal poured white paint over the bridge. The act sparked speculation, reports Reno-based ABC affiliate KOLO-TV, that the bridge was targeted by someone who may have wrongly assumed it honored the LGBTQ community.
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