D.C.’s Walker Memorial Baptist Church located on 13^th Street, N.W., just off U Street had one of its workers on June 3 remove an arrangement of Pride flags and banners displayed on the front fence of a townhouse the church owns that were put up by a gay couple who rent an apartment in the house.

Jay Richards, who along with his partner lives in a rented apartment at the house at 2014 13^th Street, N.W., said he was contacted by a rental agency working for the church a few hours after he put up the decorations on May 30 asking that the decorations be taken down.

The church is located next door to the townhouse, which has three apartments that are rented to tenants, including Richards and his partner. Richards said the tenants in the other two apartments were fully supportive of the Pride decorations.

“We kindly ask that any decorations or items be removed by Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.,” a follow-up message sent to Richards by the rental agency says. “If items are still in place after this time, our team will remove them, and please note that a fee may apply for this service,” the message said.

Richards said the rental company, EJF Real Estate Services, pointed to a provision in his apartment’s rental lease that does not allow exterior decorations to be placed on or in front of the house. He said he asked if an exception could be made to allow him to keep the Pride decorations up until Monday, June 9, the day after WorldPride 2025, ends on Sunday, June 8.

In a statement released this week to the online publication DC News Now, EJF said it was proud to support the LGBTQ community and decided to allow the tenants to keep the decorations up until June 9 as requested by Richards.

“While we remain mindful of our responsibility to both the lease and our client, we believe this is a respectful and reasonable approach,” the statement says. “EJF will not be removing the decorations ourselves and is honoring the residents’ plan, trusting they will follow through as promised,” DC News Now quotes the statement as saying.

Richards told the Washington Blade he was hopeful that the church would also allow the decorations to remain up through the end of the WorldPride festivities. “I wanted to leave them up all month for Pride month,” he said. “But we were willing to take them down on Monday, after Pride weekend.”

Much to his disappointment, Richards said the church’s custodian early Tuesday evening, May 3, came to the house and pulled down the decorations and left them next to the front steps of the house.

A photo that Richards provided for the Blade taken before they were taken down shows the decorations included several rainbow flags and banners draped over an iron fence in front of the house and two long ropes extending from the front wall of the house to the fence on which multiple small rainbow flags were suspended.

Rev. Ademuyiwa T. Bamiduro, the pastor of Walker Memorial Baptist Church, did not immediately respond to a phone message left for him by the Blade seeking comment from the church about the removal of the Pride decorations.

Richards said he and the other tenants in the house received an email message from the church Tuesday night, June 3, shortly after the decorations were removed explaining why they were taken down, which he provided to the Blade.

“Decorations on the outside of the property or common areas regardless of the event, holiday, season, occasion, or reason violate the lease terms,” the message states.

“This is not about subject matter,” the message says. “The mission of Walker Memorial Baptist Church is a prayerful congregation, walking in the spirit, bringing souls to Christ. That is our focus. We seek unity, not division, through our lease requirement that there be no decorations on the outside of the property or common areas,” the message continues.

“In doing so, we avoid arbitrary decision-making and the need to distinguish between the content or subject matter of any decorations,” it states.

Local LGBTQ rights attorney Mindy Daniels, when told by the Blade of the content of the lease in question, which bans external decorations, said it appears that the church is within its legal rights to not allow those decorations.

Daniels said the church could be in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other categories, if it were to make an exception and not enforce its lease requirements for some types of decorations while enforcing them for others such as Pride flags.

“The email they sent me said we can’t put decorations up for any holidays,” Richards told the Blade. “But I do feel like if I had put something up for the holidays for Christmas that they wouldn’t have taken it down. But now they’re saying that no decorations can be put up.”

D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5) announced that at his request, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith agreed to ask the U.S. Park Service to rescind its decision at her earlier request to close Dupont Circle Park this weekend for WorldPride events.

The Park Service announced in a statement Monday night, June 2, that it would close Dupont Circle Park from Thursday, June 5 to Monday, June 9, at the request of Chief Smith, to prevent “destructive and disorderly behavior” by WorldPride participants.

“I spoke to Chief Smith this morning and I’m glad to report that the decision to close Dupont Circle park is being rescinded,” Parker, the Council’s only openly gay member, said in a posting on X. “The Park is central to the LGBTQ community and neighbors will be happy to enjoy it this year for WorldPride,”  Parker stated in his X post.

But Parker spokesperson Melissa Littlepage told the Blade that while Parker believes the U.S. Park Service will agree to Smith’s request to rescind the closing of Dupont Circle Park, Parker did not contact the Park Service to confirm that. 

National Park Service spokesperson Mike Litterst, who released the statement on Monday announcing the closure of Dupont Circle Park for WorldPride weekend, didn’t immediately respond to a Washington Blade inquiry on Tuesday, June 3, asking for confirmation of whether the Park Service has agreed to Chief Smith’s request to rescind the park closure.

Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual Pride events and that is serving as lead organizer for this year’s WorldPride events, said no official WorldPride events were scheduled to take place at Dupont Circle Park this weekend.

Bos said he could not confirm whether individuals or groups not associated with Capital Pride Alliance planned to hold an event there this weekend.

The National Park Service statement on June 2 announcing plans to close Dupont Circle park this weekend made it clear that the action came at the request of D.C. police.

“At the request of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, with the concurrence of the United States Park Police, the National Park Service will temporarily close Dupont Circle park this weekend, beginning Thursday, June 5 to Monday, June 9, as a public safety measure and to protect park resources during WorldPride celebrations,” the statement says.

The statement adds, “This decision was based on a history and pattern of destructive and disorderly behavior from unpermitted activities happening in the park during past DC Pride weekends, including vandalism in 2023 that resulted in approximately $175,000 in damage to the historic Dupont Circle fountain.”

Bos said he was certain that any damage that occurred in the Dupont Circle Park was not caused by participants of Capital Pride events.

This story continues to unfold and will be updated when more information becomes available. 

For 28 years, Freddie Lutz and Johnny Cervantes have been through nearly everything together. From starting one of the most successful and well-known LGBTQ bars in the DMV — Freddie’s Beach Bar and later opening a second location in Rehoboth — to navigating a pandemic and even overcoming death threats for supporting the LGBTQ community, the pair has been through a lot.

So it only makes sense for them to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and get married in the middle of the WorldPride parade as it makes its way down 14th Street.

For the longest time, the couple had contemplated getting married, but according to Lutz, none of those times felt quite right.

“When they passed gay marriage in Virginia, I asked him if he wanted to get married the following day,” Lutz told the Blade. “And [Cervantes] said, ‘No, but you can take me to Tiffany’s.’”

Cervantes shared that although the thought had crossed his mind, he had seen the two as committed long before the courts deemed them worthy.

“I don’t think it was until about 2009 that we really considered marriage,” Cervantes said. “We had gone to some fundraiser where Gavin Newsom was speaking — he was such an advocate for gay rights and gay marriage, that that’s what kind of got us both thinking. Like any other marginalized group, you learn to feel that you’re not worthy, that you’re not entitled to certain rights. However, his speech at that time got us realizing that we were worthy and were entitled to marriage.”

“We still hadn’t taken advantage of marriage because it’s like—we have our daily lives together, both in Arlington and in Rehoboth,” Cervantes added. “I think spiritually, we have been committed as if we were married to each other. Going through a ceremony wouldn’t change things.”

Another—and seemingly bigger—concern the pair had about throwing a wedding was who would make the guest list—and which one of their friends would have to sit out due to the nature of hosting such an event.

“We’ve thought about getting married a few times over the past 28 years, but we know so many people that I said to him, ‘Oh my gosh, where would we cut off the invitation list?’ I’d have a lot of pissed off people at me. This way, we’re literally inviting the entire world,” Lutz said.

And invite the world they have. As their home becomes the center of the gay universe this week with WorldPride coming to Washington, the pair decided to get married with some special help and support from the Equality Chamber of Commerce DC (ECCDC).

“If you know Freddie, the idea of his wedding being in the middle of a Pride parade embodies the joy of who he is and his whole spirit,” said Kat Dean, director of the Equality Chamber Foundation. “It was this perfect alignment of continuing to lift up queer economic empowerment and give the spotlight back onto him. I mean, this is what we do as a chamber. Our whole purpose is to continue to uplift businesses—and this is a great way for us to uplift a cornerstone of queer businesses in the area. He’s brought a lot of joy and community into a lot of people’s lives. This is our way of kind of thanking him for the work that he’s done by serving the community.”

When asked what has been the most exciting part of making this idea a reality, Dean—one of the float’s original concept creators and one of the people responsible for the Pride Parade wedding idea—was ready with an answer.

“To watch the design that’s being built by this incredible designer, and seeing that concept start to come to life—it’s been, honestly, a lot of joy when a project like this unfolds,” she said. “The float designer is scenic designer August Henney; Kevin Fenton of Walla Design helped us with the concept and branding. … We’ve received some donated material as well and some support from the community. But really, it’s less about the organizations that have been helping, and more about the individuals who are helping to build the float, to get it up there. There’s some people from our board, some volunteers from our community—a bunch of people coming together to help make this super duper fun.”

This project has been in the works since February, according to Dean, and was inspired by her own recent path to marriage.

“We knew that we, ECCDC, were going to have a float in the parade. We got approved at the beginning of the year that we were actually able to have a float,” Dean said. “I believe it was because of our February Chamber Connect [the monthly networking series], that was conveniently at Freddie’s. But that was not the correlation at the time. It was at Freddie’s in Arlington, but no direct tie-in at all that it had come out.”

“My partner and I had just decided to get engaged and get married,” she added. “The chamber was still coming up with what the idea was for the float, and one conversation led to the next, and the topic of gay marriage came up. The day after the Chamber Connect, I sent out an email—I think at like 6:30 in the morning—to a couple people that I started talking to, including our executive director, and said, ‘Hey, here’s a rough idea following our conversation from last night,’ and everyone just jumped on it.”

As discussions of logistics continued, Dean and her wife took some time to get married ahead of the chaos of WorldPride. This led them to a mini-honeymoon in Rehoboth, where they met Lutz.

“We connected with Freddie and we were talking to him about our wedding. My wife and I were actually in Rehoboth, and we were having a little ‘mini-moon’ there after we just got married. We were telling him about the wedding and the decision of why we wanted to get married sooner rather than later.”

“He told me that he had had similar thoughts with his partner of 28 years, and they were deciding to do the same thing. And after a couple orange crushes, I turned and looked at him, and I said, ‘Hey, how about you do this in the middle of the Pride parade? We’ve got a chapel already being built.’ It was fate! This was almost identical to the idea that he and Johnny wanted to have, and there was just no better choice for us than having somebody who’s been an incredible member of the DMV queer community and an awesome chamber member for many years.”

Lutz explained that this organic conversation between the two sparked an unexpected but perfect alignment of dreams and opportunity.

“I have a second Freddie’s location in Rehoboth Beach, and I’m literally down there two weeks ago, and I’m chatting this girl up at the bar, and she says, ‘I’m with the Equality Chamber of Washington. We are doing a wedding chapel float in the WorldPride Parade,’” Lutz said. “And I said, ‘Wait, what? That’s my all-time dream—to get married on a Pride float with Johnny.’ I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been actually thinking about doing a wedding float with Freddie’s for years—I’ve been talking about it for years. So she says to me, ‘We’re going to be marrying several couples on the float. Would you like to be one of them?’ And I said, ‘No, but if you’ll do just us and let me put Freddie’s signage on the float, I’ll do it.’”

“I do think I probably owe that couple [Dean and her wife] a nice wedding gift,” Lutz added, laughing.

“I know that this is something that he always wanted,” Cervantes said. “Freddie and I are like yin and yang. We’re almost exact opposites of each other. And I like to think I bring the voice of reason to the relationship and he brings creativity and excitement.”

The meeting of Dean and Lutz in an LGBTQ bar—which ultimately led to the wedding coming to fruition—closely mirrors how the soon-to-be-wed grooms first met.

The couple met in another of Washington’s best-known LGBTQ institutions—JR.’s.

“I was actually meeting with a group of people, and we were celebrating my birthday and my friend Dylan’s birthday,” Lutz said. “We all met for a drink at JR.’s, and then went to dinner at Trumpets. Johnny was sitting way down at the end of the table, and I kept looking at him, and that’s how we met.”

The opportunity Lutz and Cervantes had to meet—specifically at an LGBTQ-run business—is exactly the message Dean hopes to highlight with the float and with ECCDC overall.

“We keep going with this tagline—‘Love is good for business,’” Dean said. “Support of queer economic power. But it’s also to remind you guys that we’re here to support you and support our community in whatever it is that they’re doing. We’re just really excited to share in the joy and share in Pride with everyone.”

“I’m so excited,” Lutz said. “I can’t believe that this dropped in my lap just two weeks ago. I mean, we just agreed to do it six days ago.”

“It’s going to be fun,” Cervantes said. “I’ve ridden with Fred in the Pride Parade—just what to expect from the crowd and the number of people there—and it’s always very friendly and celebratory, and I think that’s going to just make our event even more special.”

As the parade rolls through the heart of D.C., the float will transform into the ultimate queer altar, giving the couple the chance to say “I do” while the world celebrates love, visibility, and acceptance around them.

The Little Gay Chapel will be decorated to the nines—with floral arrangements, music, signage, and surprise elements—making it a rolling celebration of queer joy. The float will travel down the increasingly queer 14th Street, pass through Thomas Circle, and head toward Pennsylvania Avenue, where the celebration will culminate at the annual Tea Dance Party overlooking the U.S. Capitol.

When asked if there was anything special about the float—besides the fact that a whole wedding would be taking place as the Little Gay Chapel travels down 14th Street—Lutz said to keep an eye out for the outfits and party invitations.

“I asked them to build a little box for Johnny, because he’s shorter than I, and he will be in black tails with a top hat, and I’ll be in white tails with a white bow tie and a white dress under it,” Lutz said, beaming while showing the Blade inspirational images of the outfits. “And the wedding reception invitation that will be passed out along the parade route says, ‘You are cordially invited to drag your gay asses across the river to celebrate the marriage of Freddie Lutz and Johnny Cervantes at Freddie’s Beach Bar, the only straight-friendly gay bar in Northern Virginia.’”