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“I’d definitely say it’s a standout year. It’s significant in part because the requests I made came from the community, the advocates,” Parker said in an interview just ahead of D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade, noting contributions from the D.C. LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition and the Rainbow History Project. “I think it’s a proof point that representation does indeed matter.”
The city is home to the largest amount of adults identifying as LGBTQ+ in the nation per capita, with an estimated more than 80,000 people, according to a 2023 study that compared D.C. and states — “part of the reason Mayor Bowser often calls D.C. the gayest city in America,” Parker said. Advocates said the budget investments could go a long way, especially before the international WorldPride LGBTQ+ festival comes to D.C. next summer, marking the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations in the District. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has set aside roughly $5 million to prep the city for the event, which is expected to draw millions of people to the capital and provide a huge boost to the downtown core. And Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, said many of this weekend’s Pride festivities are a test run for next year.
“We’re really, really excited to bring WorldPride to D.C. — but really to bring the world to D.C., to show our commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, to the movement, and really to also talk about how we are a leader in LGBTQI+ rights and how we are a leader in resources,” said Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
Heidi Ellis, a lead coordinator of the D.C. LGBTQ+ Budget Coalition, said the fiscal 2025 budget investments for the LGBTQ+ community are particularly meaningful considering it’s a tight budget year in which cuts have been on the table for numerous agencies due to slowed revenue growth and expiring federal pandemic aid. While she said advocates knew they may not get everything they fought for, she pointed to both the 20 dedicated housing vouchers and the $1 million to go toward completing construction on the new community center in Shaw as some of the most impactful investments.
“In the nation’s capital, we should have a flagship community center” — especially ahead of WorldPride, Ellis said. “So to have that additional investment of $1 million was really important.”
The space, which Bos said will be co-leased by the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center and Capital Pride Alliance, will offer a one-stop shop for services ranging from mental health support to networking to aid for people experiencing homelessness: Clothing. A food pantry. Laundry and showers.
“D.C. has been known for years to have the highest percentage of LGBTQ-out individuals in the country per capita,” Bos said — yet “we probably have the smallest community center. So the desire has always been to grow, expand so that we can serve more community members.”
Data shows that LGBTQ+ youth and young adults disproportionately experience homelessness. About 12 percent of all homeless adults identify as LGBTQ+, according to the latest point-in-time count in D.C., while 34 percent of unaccompanied homeless youths identify as LGBTQ+. Parker said the stat has haunted him. “It speaks to the need for us to act more urgently in providing housing,” he said. “And while 20 vouchers may not certainly meet the entire need we have, it is a move in the right direction.”
Ellis said 20 vouchers is a “drop in the bucket,” but still high-impact for those who get the help. She noted LGBTQ+ people may be rejected at home and need a safe space to turn to. They may not be comfortable navigating traditional homeless shelters or other services that aren’t “culturally competent” or attuned to their specific needs, she said.
Bowles said his office is working on providing that cultural competency training to housing providers across D.C. — along with training others such as police and first responders ahead of WorldPride.
Elsewhere in the budget, money is also being routed through the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs for grants to help boost LGBTQ+ businesses in retail corridors in Ward 6 and also to create a Black LGBTQI+ history project, aiming to document the contributions of various leaders in D.C. history who may have been overlooked. Parker said the idea is to complete the project before WorldPride as part of an exhibit.
“I would say much of the LGBTQ movement and the history related to this community is missing from the official record,” he said. “It is especially true for Black LGBTQ members. And so what this commission will seek to do is to research and endeavor to engage with living legends and pioneers, to learn from those oral stories that are passed down from generation to generation.”
The effort to boost LGBTQ+ businesses in Ward 6 was a contribution from the ward’s council member, Charles Allen (D). It follows a community-wide effort to crowdfund support for As You Are, a queer community space and bar on Barracks Row, amid financial difficulties.
The Barracks Row corridor used to be a hot spot for lesbian bars and other LGBTQ+ nightclubs that flourished in the 1970s and grew from there. One iconic joint, Phase One, was the longest continuously operating lesbian bar in the United States at the time it closed in 2016, according to a University of Maryland thesis from Ty Ginter documenting its history.
As You Are’s arrival on the scene in 2022 was seen as an ode to that era and a way to revive a slice of that culture in the Barracks Row corridor. Eager to see the gathering space stay afloat, fans and customers helped the owners, Jo McDaniel and Rach “Coach” Pike, erase $150,000 in debt through donations this year, before the building ran into repair issues requiring a temporary closure.
When they saw the grant money to support LGBTQ+ businesses in their area in next year’s budget, McDaniel said, it felt like lawmakers were “recognizing the value we give to the community.”
“For government officials to recognize that these spaces are more than just restaurants or bars, but also safe havens and gathering spots for a community that makes up a lot of the District,” Pike said, “it’s really standing up for the residents by protecting the places that they stay safe.”
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