Around The Nation

Capital Pride 2013- 'One City Pride'

WASHINGTON -- The nation's capital celebrated the 38th annual 'Capital Pride' celebration this past week, culminating with the pride parade attended by over 100,000 spectators, lining the streets in the Dupont and Logan Circle neighborhoods of Northwest Washington Saturday. 

D.C.'s political elite including the district's sole U. S. congressional representative, Eleanor Holmes-Norton, Mayor Vincent Gray and D.C. City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson along with several other members of the city council marched in the parade joining grand marshals, actress Lynda Carter and U. S. Army Brigadier Gen. Tammy S. Smith, the first openly lesbian flag officer to serve in the U. S. military.

The parade, which was first held in 1981, has grown to include numerous organisations that serve Washington's LGBTQ community along with national organisations such as PFLAG, The Trevor Project, along with service groups and large corporations including GEICO and Wells Fargo.

Sunday's Pride festival on Pennsylvania Avenue between Seventh Street and the intersection of Constitution Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue near the U. S. Capitol, offered Pride goers food tents, a beer garden, 2 stages for entertainment along with tents for service organisations and tents for LGBTQ friendly corporations. Nearly 200 separate groups, companies or organisations participated.

All pictures copyright 2013 by Brody Levesque. {Click on to enlarge.}