‘Pride isn't just a party. It's a protest.’
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
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Summary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the earliest official D.C. Pride event. D.C. is also hosting WorldPride, one of the largest international celebrations of LGBTQ+ communities in the world.
But some LGBTQ+ people say it doesn't feel like a time for celebration. Amid mounting political and cultural attacks, a rise in hate crimes and slashing of health care, some fear the rollback of hard-won rights. As D.C. decks itself in rainbows and welcomes WorldPride, many LGBTQ+ people are finding inspiration not by imagining a brighter future — but instead by revisiting a more hostile past. Reporter Marissa Lang has been out all over the D.C. region speaking to trailblazers of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. What advice can these living legends offer in difficult times?
Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff, who also contributed reporting. It was mixed by Sam Bair and edited by Maggie Penman.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So a couple of weeks ago, I went over to the Supreme Court for the centennial birthday of a gay rights pioneer, Frank Kameney. |
| 0:11.7 | This is Marcia Lang. She's a reporter for the Post who covers the D.C. region. |
| 0:16.0 | It was gray and rainy and cold, but there were still like 100 people on the front steps of the |
| 0:22.1 | High Court to commemorate what would have been Camine's 100th birthday. |
| 0:27.2 | Camany was the first openly gay person to seek a congressional seat in the history of the |
| 0:32.3 | United States. And standing there was a gentleman who I recognized. He was wearing glasses and a rainbow bowtie |
| 0:39.7 | and getting ready to join the march around the front steps of the court. Hello. Hi, Marissa Lang from |
| 0:46.2 | the Washington Post. Hi, Marissa. Hi. We were wondering if we could steal a few minutes of your time today. |
| 0:50.4 | How are you? I recognized him because he's been in the news before. I'm Jim Obergefell, the named plaintiff from Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark Supreme Court |
| 0:58.8 | Marriage Equality case. |
| 1:00.0 | Ten years ago, Jim Obergefell and his husband took a lawsuit all the way to the Supreme Court |
| 1:06.0 | to fight for same-sex marriages like theirs to be recognized in all 50 states. |
| 1:11.0 | It was the culmination of a long fight through the courts for gay couples around the country. |
| 1:16.7 | And they won. |
| 1:18.0 | For Jim, that was a huge moment of celebration and relief, that protection for gay marriage |
| 1:23.7 | had been enshrined in law. |
| 1:26.0 | But today, he's feeling a little uncertain about the future. |
| 1:29.7 | I am worried about the future of Obergefell v. Hodges. I'm also concerned about all of the |
| 1:35.1 | attacks across the country, state legislatures that have passed resolutions asking the court to overturn |
| 1:40.1 | marriage equality. So yes, it's a scary time for queer couples across the country |
| 1:46.4 | and their right to say I do to the person they love in the state they call home. I'm worried |
| 1:51.1 | about what that tells queer kids about their future, about their rights, about their ability |
... |
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