[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 12, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE 35TH ANNUAL CAPITAL PRIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2010

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the 35th Annual 
Capital Pride, a celebration of the national capital area's Gay, 
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender, GLBT, communities and their families 
and friends.
  In 1975, Deacon ``Super Hero'' MacCubbin, owner of Lambda Rising 
Bookstore, in Dupont Circle, launched the first Capital Pride. It began 
as a block party on 20th St, between R and S Streets, NW. Six years 
later, in 1981, the annual Pride Parade became part of the festivities. 
Now Capital Pride consists of more than 10 days of events organized by 
the Capital Pride Planning Committee and dozens of local community 
partners.
  This year's Capital Pride theme, ``You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet,'' both 
reflects Capital Pride's past and anticipates its future.
  Capital Pride's producer, the Capital Pride Alliance, Inc., predicts 
an attendance of 250,000, making Capital Pride one of the largest GLBT 
festivals in the United States.
  This year Capital Pride culminates with what the Washington City 
Paper has declared D.C.'s Best Parade for three years running, the 
Capital Pride Parade, on June 12, and ``The Main Event,'' a street fair 
on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, on June 13.
  I have marched in Pride parades since coming to Congress to emphasize 
universal human rights and the importance of enacting federal 
legislation to secure those rights for the GLBT community. Congress has 
much work to do. We must pass the Family Leave Insurance Act, the 
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Domestic Partnership Benefits 
and Obligations Act, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Safe Schools 
Improvement Act, the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, the Domestic 
Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, the Tax Equity for Health 
Plan Beneficiaries Act, the Family and Medical Leave Inclusion Act, the 
Uniting American Families Act, and the Responsible Education About Life 
Act.
  This year our nation's capital joined Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, and 
New Hampshire in extending equal marriage rights to its GLBT residents.
  I ask the House to join me in welcoming those who are attending the 
35th Annual Capital Pride.

                          ____________________