The first fully in-person Capital Pride Parade in D.C. since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic took place on June 11, with thousands in attendance.
The parade followed a 1.5 mile long route through the Shaw, Logan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods. The festivities kicked off with an LGBTQ+ motorcycle brigade riding around and waving pride flags through the air. DC Black Pride, DC Latinx Pride and Asian Pacific Islander Queer society were also among the participants.
The parade’s many contingents included D.C. politicians like Mayor Muriel Bowser and then-candidate Robert White, as well as the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the European Union for LGBT+ Rights. D.C.’s Different Drummers performed a rendition of Toxic by Britney Spears and received cheers of approval from the audience.
Hannah Fabrigar, a D.C. resident who attended her fifth Capital Pride Parade on June 11, said she defines pride as “one big family, and different pockets of people, all around coming together.”
Fabrigar grew up with two lesbian mothers which she says made her open-minded to the LGBTQ+ community from a young age.
“I'm not just an ally. I'm also a part of the community as well. I identify as bisexual, and I celebrate it because I am prideful, and unapologetically proud,” Farbrigar said.
For Fabrigar and other members of the LGBTQ+ community the Capital Pride Parade provided a space to come together and celebrate their diverse identities.
