[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 75 (Friday, May 27, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE 36TH ANNUAL CAPITAL PRIDE CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 26, 2011

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing the 36th 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 MacCubbin, owner of the Lambda Rising Bookstore in 
Dupont Circle, launched the first Capital Pride. It began as a block 
party on 20th Street, between R and S Streets, NW. By 1980, the 
festival had outgrown being a block party and moved to Francis Junior 
High School in 1981, with the Pride Parade becoming an annual part of 
the festivities. As Capital Pride continued to grow, it moved to 
Freedom Plaza in 1990 and then onto Pennsylvania Avenue in 1997. Today, 
Capital Pride consists of more than 10 days of events, including Trans 
Pride and Latino Pride, organized by the Capital Pride Planning 
Committee and dozens of local community partners.
  Capital Pride's 2011 theme, ``Celebration and Opportunity, Paving the 
Way,'' acknowledges the many successes of the GLBT community and the 
work that still needs to be done to ensure equality.
  This year, Capital Pride culminates with what has been declared 
D.C.'s best parade, the Capital Pride Parade, on June 11, and ``The 
Main Event,'' a street fair on Pennsylvania Avenue in the shadow of the 
U.S. Capitol, on June 12. 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.
  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 Employment Non-Discrimination Act, 
the Respect for Marriage Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and the 
Uniting American Families Act.
  I ask the House to join me in recognizing the 36th annual Capital 
Pride and to welcome its attendees.

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