The months and days leading up to June are especially busy for LGBTQ Washingtonians. For one group, the DC LGBT Budget Coalition, which works year-round to ensure LGBTQ residents are represented and financially supported by the D.C. government, this time of year is their Super Bowl. Beginning in April, the D.C. Council and Mayor’s Office hold budget hearings for the next fiscal year.

With D.C.’s budget now under review, the Washington Blade spoke with Heidi Ellis, coordinator of the DC LGBT Budget Coalition, about the group’s top priorities and their push to ensure continued support for queer communities.

“The LGBTQ Budget Coalition was founded in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, as a way for the community to work together to advocate for key funding and policy changes,” Ellis said. “We recognized we were stronger together. A lot of groups are often pitted against each other for resources and dollars. This coalition was founded out of a need for unity. Since then, we’ve successfully advocated for more than $20 million in dedicated LGBTQ investments.”

In addition to coordinating the coalition, Ellis is the founder and CEO of HME Consulting & Advocacy, a firm that helps build coalitions and advance policy initiatives that address intersectional issues in the LGBTQ community. One of its most powerful tools, she explained, is direct outreach through community surveys.

“We actually do community surveys to see what people need and what’s top of mind,” Ellis said. “Of course, we also pay attention to the broader political landscape — like the current threats to HIV funding. That helps us prioritize.”

Because the coalition is comprised of more than 20 organizations across various sectors —healthcare, housing, community organizing — Ellis said its diversity enables it to connect grassroots needs to potential policy solutions.

“Our coalition includes service providers, community groups, health and housing advocates-folks who are deeply plugged into what’s happening on the ground,” she said. “They help determine our direction. We know we don’t represent every queer person in D.C., but our coalition reflects a wide range of identities and experiences.”

The insights gathered through those surveys ultimately inform the coalition’s annual budget proposal, which is submitted to the Council and mayor.

“That’s how we got to our FY26 priorities,” she said. “This year, more than ever, we’re fighting to protect what we’ve already secured — funding and policies we’ve had to fight for in the past. We know there’s concern around this budget.”

One of the challenges this year is that the D.C. government’s operating budget and some of its legislation must be approved by Congress. With a projected decline in tax revenue and a Republican-controlled Congress that has historically opposed LGBTQ funding, the Coalition has had to think strategically.

“Even before the situation on the Hill, the CFO projected lower revenue,” Ellis said. “That meant cuts to social programs were already coming. And now, with the $1 billion slashed from D.C.’s budget due to the continuing resolution, we’re not only fighting for D.C.’s budget and autonomy, but also trying to preserve life-saving services. Our message is simple: Don’t forget about queer people.”

This year’s proposal doesn’t include specific dollar figures. Instead, the Coalition outlines five funding priority areas: Healthcare, Employment & Economic Equity, Housing, Safety & Community Support, and Civil Rights.

Why no exact amounts? Ellis said it’s because not all solutions are financial.

“Some of our asks don’t require new funding. Others build on existing programs-we’re asking whether the current use of funds is the most effective. We’re also proposing policy changes that wouldn’t cost extra but could make a real difference. It’s about using what we have better,” she said.

When drafting the proposal, the Coalition tries to prioritize those with the most pressing and intersecting needs.

“Our perspective is: If we advocate for the most vulnerable, others benefit too,” Ellis said. “Take LGBTQ seniors. Some may have done well in life but now face housing insecurity or struggle to access affordable healthcare. Many in our coalition are elders who fought on the frontlines during the AIDS epidemic. They bring critical historical context and remind us that Black and brown communities bore the brunt of that crisis.”

“I love our coalition because it keeps us accountable to the moment,” she added. “If we center those most marginalized, we can make an impact that lifts everyone.”

In addition to healthcare and housing, safety remains a top concern. The Coalition has fought to maintain funding for the Violence Prevention and Response Team (VPART), a city-supported group that includes MPD, community-based organizations, and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. VPART responds to crimes affecting the LGBTQ community and connects victims to legal, healthcare, and housing services.

“We’ve pushed to make VPART more proactive, not just reactive,” Ellis said. “The funding we’ve secured has helped survivors get the support they need. Cutting that funding now would undo progress we’re just beginning to see.”

At the end of the day, Ellis emphasized that this process is about far more than spreadsheets.

“A budget is a moral document,” she said. “If we’re not represented, you’re telling us our lives don’t matter at a time when we need protection the most. When people can’t get food, medicine, housing — that has a devastating impact. These are vital services.”

The DC LGBT Budget Coalition is urging residents to support a letter-writing campaign to D.C. Council members and the mayor. You can send a letter here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/fully-fund-dcs-lgbtq-communities

Read the full FY26 budget proposal here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bTrENnc4ZazJTO6LPrQ3lZkF02QNIIf1/view

D.C.’s Rainbow History Project is inviting members of the local LGBTQ community and its supporters to participate in a reenactment of what it calls the historic 1965 first gay rights protest outside the White House.

The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 17 on the sidewalk in front of the White House.

In a statement, Rainbow History Project says the 1965 protest was organized by local 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.

“Led by Dr. Kameny and Dr. Vincenz, picketers demanded action on the Mattachine Society’s four major issues: the exclusion of homosexuals from Federal employment; the punitive policies of the U.S. Military; blanket denial of security clearances to gay people; and government refusal to meet with the LGBTQ community,” the statement says.  

The statement referred to the titles of Kameny and Vincenz in connection with their academic doctorate degrees  

“Although Dr. Kameny died in 2011, and Dr. Vincenz in 2023, Rainbow History Project and its all-volunteer corps will picket in their honor and demonstrate there is a new generation of young activists ready to take up their signs and their fight for equal rights for all LGBTQ people,” the statement says.

Among those expected to participate in the April 17 White House reenactment picketing is longtime D.C. LGBTQ rights advocate Paul Kuntzler, who is the last known survivor of the 1965 White House gay rights protest. Kuntzler was expected to carry a picket sign similar to the one he carried in 1965.

In its research on the 1965 gay White House protest, Rainbow History Project learned of a letter that Kameny sent to then President Lyndon B. Johnson outlining the demands of the White House protesters.

“We ask, Mr. President, for what all American citizens – singly and collectively – have the right to ask,” the Kameny 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 RHP statement says the group “will carry replicas of the original protest signs and hand out literature explaining the picket to passersby and tourists.”   

A final push to raise money and fill D.C. hotel rooms is underway with WorldPride 2025 just over a month away.

The Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based group that’s organizing WorldPride 2025 in the nation’s capital that’s scheduled to take place May 17-June 8 launched what it says is one of several fundraising campaigns in a full-page ad in the Washington Post on April 1.

With a large headline declaring, “Hate Is No Joke,” a message in the ad states, “Decades of progress in human rights are under coordinated, systematic attack. Today it’s focused on gender, sexual orientation, and race. But what’s next?”

The message then states, “Take Action. Take a stand. Donate now at WorldPrideDC.org/give.”

That site says its goal is to raise $2 million. As of April 14, the site says $12,041 had been raised from 69 donors.

In response to a request by the Washington Blade for comment on what prompted this particular fundraising campaign, Capital Pride Alliance released a statement saying the campaign was part of its ongoing effort to promote WorldPride and its multiple events.

“The Hate Is No Joke campaign is one of multiple fundraising campaigns that have been planned around the lead-up to WorldPride 2025,” the statement says. “Similar to CPA’s annual Giving Tuesday campaign and the current Taste of Pride citywide initiative, this campaign is intended to raise awareness for and funds to support WorldPride.”

The statement says the “Hate Is No Joke” campaign is being led by the local event planning company Linder Global Events, which D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser retained to work with Capital Pride Alliance in organizing WorldPride 2025.

Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos told the Blade last month that CPA had set up a budget of between $15 million and $20 million for WorldPride 2025, with much of the funding coming from corporate donors. At the request of Mayor Bowser, the D.C. Council approved $5 million in city funding for WorldPride.

“And like we do every year for an organization like ours, which is event based, we do our best every year to come under budget,” Bos said in referring to the city’s annual Capital Pride celebration and events. “So, we are doing our best to save whenever we can and to ensure that we have a safe and successful WorldPride,” he said.

In its statement responding to the Blade’s inquiry about the Hate Is No Joke fundraising campaign, Capital Pride Alliance said it has learned through the international LGBTQ advocacy organization InterPride, which plays a role in organizing WorldPride events, that visitors from at least 20 countries were expected to come to D.C. for WorldPride 2025.

Among those countries were Canada, Mexico, and several others from Europe, Asia, and Africa, including Uganda and Zimbabwe, as well as India, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, China, and Thailand.

Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination D.C., an organization that promotes tourism, visitation, and events in D.C., including events like WorldPride, said he is seeing signs that hotel reservations are increasing from visitors planning to come to D.C. for WorldPride. But he said he cannot predict whether as many as 2 million or more visitors will come as WorldPride organizers had predicted earlier this year.

At Capital Pride Alliance’s suggestion, Ferguson spoke with the Blade to address the question of whether the controversial statements and policies of President Donald Trump on world trade issues and tariffs involving longtime U.S. allies like Canada and Mexico as well as the Trump administration’s hostile policies targeting the transgender community would prompt people, especially those from foreign countries, to choose not to come to D.C. for WorldPride.

“I’m not sure,” Ferguson told the Blade in an interview. “You know, I think that’s the gray area in terms of how many people will come,” he said.

“But reservations are being made. We’re seeing more of an uptick,” he told the Blade. “And we remain optimistic as WorldPride organizers and Capital Pride organizers are really focusing on the celebration of the community that’s happening in the city,” he said.

Ferguson said he and Destination D.C. were joining WorldPride organizers in putting out the message that if people disagree with the Trump administration’s policies on LGBTQ-related issues or any other issues, they should turn out for WorldPride to protest those policies.

Capital Pride officials have pointed out that among the many events planned for WorldPride is a national LGBTQ rights march on Washington that will begin at the Lincoln Memorial and travel to the U.S. Capitol.

“There’s a lot of consternation and concern about a lot of issues that have been brought to our attention by a lot of international travelers, including those that were looking at coming for WorldPride,” Ferguson said.

“What we’ve said to them is, you know, coming to WorldPride from a global perspective focusing on freedom of speech and First Amendment rights here in the U.S. is a huge part of why you should be here,” he added. 

“So, as we talk to hotels, we would have liked to see the city fully sold out at this point,” he said. “But we are seeing momentum in terms of reservations being made and people coming to Washington.”