With dozens of tourists watching, a little over two dozen LGBTQ activists walked in a circular picket line carrying “homosexual rights” signs on the sidewalk in front of the White House on April 17 in a reenactment of the historic 1965 first gay rights protest outside the White House.

Organized by D.C.’s Rainbow History Project, the event marked the 60^th anniversary of the 1965 protest, which was organized by gay rights pioneers Frank Kameny and Lilli Vincenz on behalf of the Mattachine Society of Washington, one of D.C.’s first gay rights groups that Kameny co-founded in the early 1960s.

“The White House picket is the origin story for public demonstrations for gay rights in the U.S., and the origin story for Pride marches and the annual LGBTQ Pride celebrations which occur across the globe,” according to a leaflet prepared by Rainbow History Project that participants in the reenactment handed out to passersby and tourists.

Among those participating in the reenactment protest was longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights  advocate Paul Kuntzler, who is the last known survivor of the 1965 White House gay rights protest. Kuntzler carried a replica of the sign he said he carried at the 1965 protest, which states, “Fifteen Million U.S. Homosexuals Protest Federal Treatment.”

Other signs carried by participants stated, “Homosexuals Died for Their Country, Too;” “White House Refuses Replies To Our Letters – Afraid Of Us?”;  “Cuba’s Government Persecutes Homosexuals, U.S. Government Beats Them To It;”  “Homosexuals are American Citizens, Too.”

The leaflet that participants distributed at the April 17 reenactment, which includes a photo of the 1965 event, lists what it says were the four main demands issued by the Mattachine Society of Washington in 1965.

They called for an end to “the exclusion of homosexuals from federal employment,” an end to the ban on gays from serving in the U.S. military, an end to the “blanket denial of security clearances for gay people,” and an end to the government’s refusal to meet with the LGBTQ community or to reply to their letters.

The leaflet includes an excerpt from a letter that Kameny wrote to then-President Lyndon B. Johnson around the time of the 1965 protest.

“We ask you, Mr. President, for what all American citizens – singly and collectively – have the right to ask,” the letter states. “That our problems be given fair, unbiased consideration…consideration in which we, ourselves, are allowed to participate actively and are invited to do so.”

The leaflet notes that although Kameny died in 2011 and Vincenz died in 2023, “their legacy is carried on by modern LGBTQ+ rights activists, who continue to advocate for employment opportunities, legal protections, inclusive health services, and more.”

Rainbow History Project official Vincent Slatt, one of the lead organizers of the reenactment protest, said his group had no trouble obtaining a permit from the National Park Service to hold the event outside the White House.

 “I think the picket is going very, very well today,” he said while watching the picketers on the White House sidewalk. “We have a couple of dozen people participating. And there are lots of tourists engaging,” he said. “We’re handing out pamphlets to let them know about the historic picket and the importance of learning LGBT history.”

Slatt added, “But the highest impact is really that the media showed up to spread awareness of this.”

Lesbian activist Leticia Gomez, while walking on the White House picket line at the reenactment event, said she was among those who benefited from the 1965 protest and those that followed in support of LGBTQ rights.

 “I’m blessed,” she said. “I got to work 34 years for the federal government as an out lesbian in the Department of the Navy,” she told the Blade. “So, because of what they did and all the other protests that came after that, it allowed me to have the career that I had.”

 Also walking the picket line at the April 17 reenactment event was Deacon Maccubbin, owner of the former D.C.  LGBTQ bookstore Lambda Rising and organizer of D.C.’s first Gay Pride Day event in 1975.

 “It was really wonderful to be here today after 60 years,” he said. “I wasn’t at the first one,” he told the Blade. “But it’s just wonderful that this happened in 1965. It started the ball rolling, and all the progress that we’ve made, the fact that we do gay Pride every year in D.C. – all of those are dependent on this demonstration that got started in 1965.”

Capital Pride Alliance, the nonprofit D.C. group organizing WorldPride 2025, this week received a $900,000 grant from the city to help support the multiple events set to take place in D.C. May 17-June 8.

According to an announcement by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Events D.C., the city’s official convention, sports, and events authority, Capital Pride Alliance was one of 11 nonprofit groups organizing 2025 D.C. events to receive grants totaling $3.5 million.

The announcement says the grants are from the city’s Large Event Grant Program, which is managed by Events D.C. It says the grant program is funded by the Office of the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration.

Nina Albert, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, told the Washington Blade that because the grants consist of federal funds already disbursed to the city, they are not impacted by the billion dollar budget cut imposed on the city by Congress earlier this year.

“WorldPride is one of the 11 grantees, and we’re really just excited that there’s going to be generated a large crowd and introducing the city to a national and international audience,” Albert said. “And we think it is going to be a real positive opportunity.”

The statement from the mayor’s office announcing the grants says funds from the grants can be used to support expenses associated with hosting large events such as venue rental fees, security, labor costs, equipment and other infrastructure costs.

“All of those things are things that we do for our major events, including WorldPride,” said Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance. “So, the resources from this grant will be extremely helpful as we approach the final weeks of preparation of WorldPride Washington, D.C.,” he said.

Bos said Events D.C. has been an important partner in helping to promote WorldPride 2025 since the planning began more than two years ago. “And we’re excited to have them now support us financially to get us over the finish line and have an amazing event.”

Both Bos and Deputy Mayor Albert said WorldPride organizers and D.C. government officials were doing all they can to inform potential visitors from abroad and other parts of the U.S. that the local D.C. government that is hosting WorldPride is highly supportive of the LGBTQ community.

The two said WorldPride organizers and the city are pointing out to potential visitors that the local D.C. government is separate from the Trump administration and members of Congress that have put in place or advocated for policies harmful to the LGBTQ community.

“D.C. is more than the federal city,” Bos told the Blade. “It’s more than the White House, more than the Capitol,” he said. “We have a vibrant, progressive, inclusive community with many neighborhoods and a great culture.”

Marcus Allen, an official with Broccoli City, Inc., the group that organizes D.C.’s annual Broccoli City Music Festival, reached out to the Blade to point out that Broccoli City was among the 11 events, along with WorldPride, to receive a D.C. Large Event Grant of $250,000.

Allen said the Broccoli City Festival, which includes performances by musicians and performing artists of interest to African Americans and people of color, is attended by large numbers of LGBTQ people. This year’s festival will be held Aug. 8-10, with its main event taking place at Washington Nationals Stadium.

“Visitors from around the world come to D.C. to experience our world-class festivals and events,” Mayor Bowser said in the grants announcement statement. “These grants help bring that experience to life, with the music, the food, and the spirit of our neighborhoods,” she said. “Together with Events D.C., we’re creating jobs, supporting local talent, and showcasing the vibrancy of our city.” 

The full list of organizations receiving this year’s Large Event grants are:

• Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington

• National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc.

• Asia Heritage Foundation

• Capital Pride Alliance

• U.S. Soccer Federation

• Broccoli City, Inc.

• U.S.A. Rugby Football Union

• Washington Tennis and Education Foundation

• D.C. Jazz Festival

• Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

• Fiesta D.C., Inc.  

“Events DC is focused on creating unique experiences  that result in jobs, economic impact, and lasting memories for residents, tourists, and guests,” said Events DC President and CEO Angie M. Gates in the announcement statement. “Through the Large Event Grant Program, we will support even more remarkable events this year that build community connections, celebrate our distinctive culture, and contribute to our economy.”

D.C. police just after 1 a.m. on April 10 arrested two men for allegedly assaulting and robbing a gay man inside a CVS store at 1418 P St., N.W., according to a police report and charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court.

The charging documents state that the alleged assault and robbery occurred a short time after the three men “exchanged words” at the gay bar Number 9, which is located across the street from the CVS.

The arrested men are identified in the charging documents as Marquel Jose Diaz, 27, of Northwest D.C., and Lorenzo Jesse Scafidi, 21, of Elizabeth City, N.C. An affidavit in support of the arrest for Diaz says Diaz and the victim “were previously in a relationship for a year.”

Court records show Diaz was charged with Simple Assault, Theft Second Degree, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. The court records show the controlled substance charge was filed by police after Diaz was found to be in possession of a powdered substance that tested positive for cocaine.

Scafidi was charged with Simple Assault and Theft Second Degree, the court records show.

The D.C. police report for the incident does not list it as a suspected hate crime. 

The court records show both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them at a Superior Court arraignment on the day of their arrest on April 10. The records show they were released by a judge while awaiting trial with an order that they “stay away” from the victim. They are scheduled to return to court for a status hearing on May 21.

The separate police-filed affidavits in support of the arrests of both Diaz and Scafidi each state that the two men and the victim “exchanged words” inside the Number 9 bar. The two documents state that both men then entered the CVS store after the victim went to the store a short time earlier.

Scafidi “came into the CVS shortly after and entered the candy aisle and slammed Complainant 1 [the victim] to the ground causing Complainant 1’s phone to fall out of CP-1’s pocket,” one of the two affidavits says. It says Scafidi “again picked up CP-1 and slammed him to the ground.”

The affidavit in support of Diaz’s arrest says Diaz also followed the victim to the CVS store after words were exchanged at the bar. It says that after Scafidi allegedly knocked the victim down in the candy aisle Diaz picked up the victim’s phone, “swung on” the victim “while he was still on the ground,” and picked up the victim’s watch before he and Scafidi fled the scene.

Without saying why, the two arrest affidavits say Diaz and Scafidi returned to the scene and were arrested by police after the victim and at least one witness identified them as having assaulted and robbed the victim.

Attorneys representing the two arrested men did not respond to phone messages from the Washington Blade seeking comment and asking whether their clients dispute the allegations against them.

The victim also did not respond to attempts by the Blade to obtain a comment from him. The police report says the victim is a resident of Fairfax, Va.