Marching with Pride: Affirmation in DC and WorldPride 2025

✨ Summary

Since 1979, Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends has marched in Washington, DC to affirm that queer people of faith exist—and deserve to be seen, celebrated, and supported. From early protests to family-friendly Pride parades, our presence has grown. In 2025, we will return to Washington to march in the WorldPride Parade on June 7, and we’re inviting you to join us.

RSVP now at Affirmation WorldPride 2025 Parade RSVP Form

A Legacy of Love, Courage, and Belonging

Affirmation has always walked where others feared to tread. Our first public presence in Washington, DC came in 1979, during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. A small group of brave LGBTQ Mormons—then called Gay Mormons United—carried signs like “Gay Mormon” and “BYU Alumni” through the streets of the capital, part of a historic crowd of 75,000 people demanding visibility and justice.

More than three decades later, our community reemerged in the DC Pride scene. In 2010, fewer than a dozen gay Latter-day Saints marched in the Capital Pride Parade. Just two years later, in 2012, over 70 LGBTQ+ Mormons, allies, women, children, and full families joined the parade under banners like “Mormons for Marriage Equality.” The growth was powerful—and visible.

Spectators wept. Some stepped off the curb to hug friends. One sign read, “Love: The Most Important Part of an Eternal Family.” People who had once been shamed for their identity were now offering joy, hugs, and healing in the heart of the nation’s capital.

Marching Every Year, Building Community

In 2013 and 2014, Affirmation’s DC chapter made it a tradition to march annually in Capital Pride and to staff booths at the Pride Festival. LDS families brought their children. Former missionaries and current Church members walked side by side. Volunteers offered resources and smiles to anyone who stopped by. The impact rippled outward.

In 2017, members joined both Capital Pride and the Equality March for Unity & Pride, marching from the White House to the Capitol. It was more than celebration—it was solidarity. One member called it “a powerful commemoration of our roots… and the authenticity of who we are.”

Affirmation at WorldPride

Our reach is global. In 2019, Affirmation members from across the U.S. joined WorldPride in New York City, marking 50 years since Stonewall. President Nathan Kitchen reflected on the experience as “a circle of love and support cemented by personal connections even stronger than World Pride itself.”

Now, Affirmation is preparing for the next chapter:

WorldPride 2025 in Washington, DC.

Come March With Us

We are organizing a contingent of LGBTQ Mormons, families, and allies to march in the WorldPride Parade on:

RSVP now at Affirmation WorldPride 2025 Parade RSVP Form

WorldPride Parade Details

• Event: WorldPride 2025 Parade
• Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Location: Washington, DC
• Time: Step-off time will be confirmed by event organizers (plan for a window between 1:00 PM and 7:30 PM)
• WorldPride 2025 Parade Information // Información del desfile WorldPride 2025 // Informações sobre o desfile WorldPride 2025

Whether you’re:

• Active in the Church or have long since stepped away

• Out and proud or still navigating your identity

• A family member, friend, or ally who wants to walk beside us

There’s a place for you.

Why This Moment Matters

We’re marching for:

• Those still in pews, closets, or pain

• Those who’ve lost their voice but still long for community

• The next generation  needs to see someone like them holding a banner of faith and pride

This is our moment to say: We are here. We are loved. We are not alone.

Join us. Walk with us. Let’s show the world what faith looks like when it embraces everyone.

Want to help document or support? Contact us to volunteer or share your story.

️ RSVP now: Affirmation WorldPride 2025 Parade RSVP Form