During a ceremony at Occoquan Regional Park, Spanberger signed the , which guarantees Virginians the right to access and use birth control, and the Contraception Equity Act, which requires health insurance plans to cover contraception, including some over-the-counter medications.

Surrounded by lawmakers and advocates, Spanberger said the new laws protect reproductive freedoms while helping reduce the cost of contraception across the state.

ā€œVirginia is the only state in the South where a woman has the same freedom to make her own healthcare decisions as she did before the Dobbs decision,ā€ Spanberger said. ā€œToday, we are making sure that is not a matter of political circumstance ā€” it is a matter of law.ā€

Spanberger said reproductive freedom has a direct impact on economic opportunity, noting that women who can decide when to start a family are more likely to stay in school longer and earn higher wages.

Joining the governor at the bill signing were Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi, Rep. Eugene Vindman, Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy, Del. Marcia Price and Del. Josh Thomas.

Hashmi said access to reproductive healthcare has faced increasing challenges since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade.

ā€œAs soon as the Dobbs decision came down, other forms of medical reproductive healthcare were also at risk,ā€ Hashmi said.

Carroll Foy said the new laws protect access to contraception and help reduce financial barriers.

ā€œThese bills ensure that contraception access is protected and reduce the cost barriers to make it more affordable for all,ā€ she said.

Price noted the Right to Contraception Act had previously been vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

ā€œWith the collective effort and tenacity of advocates, medical providers, legislators and the Spanberger administration, we are sending a message to every resident that your healthcare decisions are personal and should not include politicians,ā€ Price said.

Thomas called contraceptive healthcare ā€œessential, life-changing treatmentā€ and said requiring insurance coverage is a common-sense step.

prohibits state and local governments from restricting access to contraceptives, including emergency contraception and intrauterine devices, or IUDs.

Voters are also expected to consider a constitutional amendment in November that would guarantee abortion rights in Virginia.

Virginia is currently the only southern state that has not further restricted access to reproductive healthcare following the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

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The foundation of the Lincoln Memorial is a vast structure known as the undercroft, upon which sits the 38,000-ton monument to the nation’s 16th president.

Previously hidden, now the undercroft contains a 15,000-square-foot museum called the that will open to the public June 25. Ā鶹¹ŁĶų got a preview with Kevin Griess, superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks for the National Park Service.

“When you reveal the underneath, it’s the full memorial,” Griess said. “The bottom has been hidden for 100 years. We opened it up to expose the entirety of Lincoln.”

He said revealing the underneath is also to show how much it meant for the workers who put it together, “what it took to build it and what it looks like finished.”

Inside the undercroft, visitors will see special glass windows opening to a cavernous space containing 120 massive concrete pillars, 50 feet tall, anchoring the monument to the ground. They’ll also find interactive exhibitions featuring the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, which freed enslaved people. Visitors will also be able to see rare, original copies of both documents.

Construction of the Lincoln Memorial began in 1914 and was completed in 1922. During that time, steel and concrete laborers did their work, often in the dark, over long periods of time. Some workers began to scrawl graffiti on the pillars, which has been preserved in the undercroft museum. Some of the graffiti includes the names of the workers themselves, and one includes the name of a singer who was popular at the time the memorial was being built.

Griess said the display is not only to further honor Abraham Lincoln, but also to honor the work of those who built the massive structure.

“Those are all the unknowns, the unknown people, the regular workers, the sweat and blood of America that put it together that were not able to be recognized, but now we can see their work,” Griess said.

The undercroft is located directly under the main chamber of the Lincoln Memorial. Admission is free, but are required. There is a $1 online reservation fee.

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A new exhibit opening Thursday at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History showcases U.S. nature, geology and cultural traditions, all in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“From These Lands: Sharing Our Natural and Cultural Heritageā€ features 600 artifacts and specimens from 50 states, D.C. and five U.S. territories. The exhibition will be on view through December 2029.

“Natural history is everything,” Kirk Johnson, the museum’s director, said. “It’s the rocks, it’s the fossils, it’s the soil, it’s the plants and animals. It’s the people. It’s the history. So this is really a big broad view of our nation.”

Some parts of the exhibit focus on animals that are now extinct. The preserved carcass of the last passenger pigeon, which died in a zoo in Cincinnati in 1914, is on display.

The District’s contribution includes a section dedicated to the Anacostia River.

“Before D.C. was a city, there were great marshes along the Anacostia River that had wild rice that provided food for the Native Americans who lived here,” Johnson said.

As the Anacostia’s health rebounded, wild rice began growing again along the river, providing benefits to the environment.

“It cleans up the river, and makes it back into a natural habitat and not an urbanized waterway,” Johnson said.

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Ā鶹¹ŁĶų/Alan Etter

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Many of the approximately 120 people attending the meeting at the Best Western hotel on Balls Ford Road in Manassas expressed disappointment in some Virginia politicians, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who have pushed to renew tax breaks for the multibillion-dollar corporations behind the centers. Another major concern for those in the crowd was the centers’ impact on the environment.

State Sen. Danica Roem opened the meeting by telling those in attendance that she and two other state senators there, L. Louise Lucas and Russet Perry, wanted to hear from them and that they shared their concerns about the prospect of adding more data centers.

“It is time to stop the reckless data center sprawl,” said Roem as she invited members of the public to speak.

Tony Hernandez drove to the meeting from Spotsylvania County, where three data centers are already up and running and companies like Amazon and Powerhouse 95 are working to build 17 more active data center sites.

“This is a bigger problem than just the companies who are invading our state. ā€¦ This is a failure of government,” Hernandez said, becoming emotional when discussing data centers’ impact on his community. Those effects include more noise and air pollution.

“Your plans didn’t take into consideration the people who you were supposed to serve,” he said. “I know about service. I served. My son serves now in the United States Navy. We serve.”

Studies have shown data centers’ massive environmental impacts: A single large facility can consume millions of gallons of water each day for cooling. Their demand for a constant supply of electricity places significant pressure on local power grids, increasing carbon emissions and driving up utility costs for the communities around them.

“Technology’s not bad,” said Sen. Lucas. “We’ve all benefited from technology. What is bad is our government has not done a good job of managing its impact,” she said.

The Virginia legislature remains at an impasse over the state budget, and the exemptions have emerged as a key point of contention. Spanberger has argued that reneging on existing agreements could undermine Virginiaā€™s reputation as a reliable place to do business.

Lawmakers in both chambers are working to reach a budget agreement before the end-of-month deadline to avert a government shutdown, but the dispute over data center tax incentives remains the biggest obstacle to a deal.

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A group opposed to the installation of Donald Trumpā€™s name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has installed a remote camera so people can watch the removal live if and when it happens. The administration has been ordered to remove Trumpā€™s name by Friday.

The is situated across the street from the Kennedy Center in an undisclosed location. Its lens is trained on the front of the building, where the removal is expected take place.

Late last month, a federal judge in D.C. ordered Trumpā€™s name be removed from the building and a two-year closure for renovations also be stopped.

ā€œI was actually listening to Ā鶹¹ŁĶų in the car. I recorded it because I was so happy when I heard it,ā€ said Chris Raleigh with the group Hands Off the Arts, referring to the announcement that the administration must remove Trumpā€™s name from the building.

The presidentā€™s name has already been removed from the official government website and related printed and digital branding.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees exceeded its authority when it unilaterally rebranded the institution as the ā€œTrump Kennedy Center.ā€ Cooper ruled Trumpā€™s name must be removed by Friday, June 12.

ā€œThe president meant it as a symbol of domination, that I am in charge, that this is what I want, and I donā€™t care what anyone else wants,ā€ said Raleigh.

His group is running the live camera because if Trumpā€™s name is removed in the middle of the night, they will have footage of it and people can see it.

ā€œI think we were all upset as a city and as a country when we saw Trump illegally put his name up there because itā€™s a memorial to a president who was killed in the line of duty,ā€ Raleigh said.

The judge ruled that Congress created and named the Kennedy Center and that only Congress has the authority to rename it.

Ā鶹¹ŁĶų/Jimmy Alexander

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Officials emphasize there are currently no credible threats against any of the scheduled events, but they will continue to monitor any evolving information.

ā€œWe expect there are going to be large crowds, but what exactly it looks like will depend on a lot of things,ā€ said Interim D.C. Police Chief Jeffery Carroll. ā€œThe weather will play a role and the heat.ā€

During a Wednesday news conference, Carroll spoke alongside officials from U.S. Park Police, Secret Service, various city agencies and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Road closures and parking restrictions took effect Thursday in anticipation of tens of thousands of people expected to crowd Downtown this weekend.

Carroll announced that D.C. police is on full activation.

ā€œWhat that means is all MPD officers are working 12-hour shifts to make sure we have adequate staffing across the District for these events and to be inside our patrol districts,ā€ Carroll said, adding officers are responsible for not just coverage of the many national events Downtown, but they must also continue to provide routine service in D.C. neighborhoods.

Carroll also said D.C. Fire & EMS and the Office of Unified Communications, which runs the call centers for 911 and 311, and are also beefing up staff.

ā€œWhen it comes to threats and response to threats, we have no lack of imagination of what might be coming at us,ā€ said Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Washington Field Office Tara McCleese. ā€œWe all talk almost every day, and anything that could be perceived as a threat is thoroughly investigated by our agency.ā€

McCleese said federal and local law enforcement have a long-standing relationship and work together during large events.

ā€œOne of the differences between this year and others is itā€™s the 250th, and so everything is bigger,ā€ said D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lindsey Appiah. ā€œWe expect hundreds of thousands of people. Thatā€™s typical in the District, and so we welcome that and are prepared for that and have been working with our partners because of that increased security posture.ā€

Months of planning and preparation for the busy summer kicks off this weekend with the UFC Freedom 250 event on Sunday evening on the South Lawn of the White House.

Heightened security, along with road closures and parking restrictions, will be in place from Thursday through Monday, June 15. Metro Assistant General Manager Andy Off said the system would be open until 1 a.m. Sunday to accommodate riders.

Stay with Ā鶹¹ŁĶų for the latest in road closures and other scheduled changes.

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Holding signs reading “Save Friendship Heights” and “Stop Greed,” residents of the neighborhood on the D.C.-Montgomery County border staged a protest against the proposed redevelopment of the former GEICO headquarters on Western Avenue.

The protest was held Tuesday at the intersection of Willard Ave. and Friendship Blvd., down the street from a public planning board meeting at Wisconsin Place Recreation Center.

While some protesters attended the meeting, issues related to the GEICO redevelopment were not expected to be addressed.

Leadership of the Village of Friendship Heights filed suit in Montgomery County Circuit Court on May 13, saying the developer and county planners materially changed binding agreements reached in 1998.

“It’s really important that those binding elements be followed, and that’s why we’re suing,” said Francine Klein, who was involving in bringing the lawsuit.

A court will decide whether project elements, including an allowance for taller buildings and the conservation of certain trees on the site, should remain as part of the current plan.

“We woke up really one day to see that GEICO and EYA, two wealthy companies, made a deal to take over the area,” said Marvin, a protester who lives in Friendship Heights.

The lawsuit does not stop the project from moving forward, but the court’s decision could affect its progress.

The proposal would replace GEICO’s mid-century building with a new, transit-oriented development, transforming the current 26-acre campus and its surface parking lots with housing and retail.

According to from developer EYA, the plan includes up to 520 residential units along with added green space.

The lawsuit names the developer, known as Friendship Commons Partners, LLC, which include EYA and Bernstein Management Corp., as well as the Montgomery County Council and Planning Board, as defendants.

An answer to the suit is due June 18.

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In early May, the vendor handling state printing sent the wrong Democratic and Republican ballots to some voters. The vendor, Taylor Print & Visual Impressions Inc., admitted the mistake and agreed to issue replacement ballots at no charge to the state.

The confusion stemmed from voters who had already returned their original ballot, including some who received a ballot with the incorrect party affiliation.

At the emergency meeting, held just two days before early in-person voting begins in Maryland, the elections board unanimously approved a set of protocols that voids the original mail-in ballots in the state’s voter registration system if a voter received a replacement ballot. That will make it so only the replacement ballots, mailed as of May 27, will be counted.

However, if a voter already returned an original ballot for the wrong party, it will still count, but only in nonpartisan races such as the state board of education, the elections board said.

If a voter returned an original ballot and also returns a mailed replacement ballot, only the replacement ballot will be counted.

And if a voter returns an original ballot and also votes with a provisional ballot at an in-person voting site, the provisional ballot will be counted.

who want more information about what officials admit is a confusing situation.

“We want to make sure the canvass goes along smoothly and as transparent as possible for this issue with the vendor and with mail-in ballots here,” Maryland State Board of Elections Administrator Jim DeMarinis said at the meeting.

Voters who want to turn in their ballots before Election Day can use drop boxes, early voting centers, local election offices or mail them in if they’re postmarked by June 23. Mail-in ballots can also be dropped off at polling places on Election Day.

Early voting starts Thursday and runs through June 18. Maryland’s primary election is June 23.

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The 12,000-square-foot space, located at 737 7th Street in Northwest D.C. will open Monday, displaying nearly 3.5 million documents, along with thousands of videos and photos. Altogether, the material weighs nearly 17,000 pounds, according to the , the group behind the display.

“How does the public know what 3.5 million files looks like? It’s hard to really grasp,” said David Garrett, an organizer with the IPF.

He said he wants the public to appreciate the sheer volume of information into what he called one of the most horrific crimes in U.S. history. Visitors will be allowed to review almost all of the documents. They will not be able to see the names of victims, which were supposed to be redacted in the original release in January but were not omitted, something the Justice Department admits was a mistake.

Garrett said the display drew more than 10,000 people when it was in New York City between May 8 and May 21. Formally named the “Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room,” the pop-up space in D.C. spans two floors and contains more than 3,400 volumes of printed information. The display has more than 85 million online interactions.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a timeline documenting the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump.

“We show all of his (Epstein’s) allegations of sexual assault and his convictions,” said Garrett.

“And then we got a timeline for Donald Trump and all of his dozens of allegations of sexual assault and his felony convictions, and then in the middle we show all of those famous photos of them together and the birthday card,” Garrett said, referring to a lewd message sent to Epstein in 2003, purportedly by Trump.

Trump denies he sent or signed the card and he has also denied having any involvement in Epstein’s criminal activity. Epstein committed suicide in jail in 2019.

Garrett told Ā鶹¹ŁĶų this is part of an effort to pressure Congress into conducting what he called a “legitimate investigation” and to pressure the Justice Department to release the remaining approximately 2.5 million pieces of evidence.

“When you’re scrolling your phone, and you see a cat video and a birthday party and then evidence of one of the most horrific crimes in American history, they all kind of run together,” said Garrett.

“We just wanted to do something where people could really understand the full weight and gravity of this horrific case,” he said.

Garrett said the effort is an attempt to bring the Epstein files out of digital obscurity and into a physical space where the scale of the evidence can be seen physically by the public. And, he said, they’re considering bringing the display to other cities in the U.S.

“We’re looking at Dallas, Des Moines, Charlotte, maybe Palm Beach,” Garrett said. “We think there are a lot of interesting places we can go.”

Ā are required to enter the free display.

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The findings stemmed from the Arlington County Police Department that was published last week.

Authorities found that the overall crime rate declined by 10.9%, according to the report.

Reported crimes against persons had a marginal increase of .5%. The report said that increase was largely driven by a rise in intimidation offenses.

The most commonly reported crime ā€” crimes against property ā€” declined by 14.9%, with significant decreases in most subcategories, according to the report.

Reported crimes against society slightly increased by 1.7%, primarily driven by drug equipment violations, the report said.

“Officers and professional staff continued to make transportation safety a key area of focus through a two-pronged approach of education and enforcement,” said Arlington County Chief Andy Penn.

“Proactive efforts to keep our roadways safe for all travelers resulted in an increase of traffic citations and warnings by 25.9%, an increase of parking citations and warnings by 10.2% and an increase in DUI arrests by 46.1%,” the chief said.

Penn said staffing remains a significant challenge for his department and within the law enforcement profession. that starting pay for officers would increase to $90,012, and that other officer ranks would receive pay increases.

“The success of our agency is a direct reflection of the outstanding work our officers and professional staff perform in service to the Arlington community,” he said.

“We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and professional team committed to public safety. I continue to be incredibly proud of the work they perform each and every day,” he said.

Penn had also credited the PhotoSPEED automated safety program, which saw 18 additional traffic cameras enrolled in the initiative. He said the expansion helped to bolster safety efforts within county school zones.

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If you think itā€™s expensive to fill up your car, try fueling up a boat.

Fuel prices run higher on the water for a number of reasons: Insurance at marinas is generally higher than at land-based gas stations. Marinas usually have a lot of specialized dock maintenance. And, with a compressed season, marinas ā€” particularly those in Maryland, Virginia and D.C. ā€” have just a few months to turn a profit.

But the prices per gallon are more than a dollar higher than they were a year ago.

As of Friday, The Wharf Marina was charging $6.17 for diesel and $6.63 for gasoline. James Creek Marina had diesel for $6.15 and gas for $6.50 per gallon. National Harbor was selling gas for $6.45 per gallon and reported a malfunction with its diesel system, so a price was not available. Columbia Island Marina does not sell diesel, but gas was $6.60 a gallon.

The higher fuel prices are causing some to adjust their boating behavior.

ā€œI just took the boat out last weekend, and we didnā€™t go fast. We went at a snailā€™s pace because we didnā€™t want to use that much fuel. Itā€™s expensive,ā€ said Jodie Knox, who has a boat at Capital Yacht Club. ā€œWe have a 53-foot boat, and we probably went about 7 knots, so thatā€™s pretty slow to go all the way to Mount Vernon because we didnā€™t want to burn that much.ā€

ā€œI usually fill up the fuel at the end of the season, and Iā€™m so glad I did that last year because Iā€™m starting with a full tank this summer, but Iā€™m going to be really conservative with it until the prices come back down,ā€ Knox said.

ā€œWeā€™re not going to go very far on trips this summer until I see the fuel prices come down,ā€ said Jon Love of Ashburn, Virginia, who keeps a boat at The Wharf. ā€œNormally by now, I would have gone up on the bay or taken a long ride down the Potomac.ā€

ā€œIā€™ve been shortening my rides, and, hopefully, I wonā€™t buy as much fuel,ā€ Love said.

ā€œThat changes how much we go boating,ā€ said Tim Locke, who lives aboard at Capital Yacht Club.

ā€œWe often would take our boat down to Colonial Beach or someplace like that. But weā€™re not going to. Weā€™re going to instead drive and save money with an Airbnb, and weā€™re not going to go boating. Weā€™ll wind up boating less,ā€ Locke said.

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Everyone agrees that the river is in remarkably better shape than it was just a decade ago. But with threats like climate change and increased development and degrading infrastructure, vigilance is needed now more than ever.

Consider the devastating sewage pipe rupture in the Potomac River on Jan. 19, allowing hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River. Even though the Anacostia River seems to have dodged serious damage from that, many advocates said that the incident shows just how swiftly situations can change in an already fragile environment.

“I would characterize the Anacostia River as a river in recovery,” said Chris Williams, president and CEO of the Anacostia Watershed Society.

“We’re seeing wildlife vote with their feet; we’re seeing beavers and otters come back to the river after they had disappeared for a long period of time. We’re seeing the river coming back to health, so there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Much of that work includes keeping pressure on local governments to continue to invest in storm drain runoff protections.

“We need the District, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County to really reinvest and then invest more in stormwater regulation and stormwater control,” said Anacostia Riverkeeper Trey Sherard. “That’s how all of this crap is getting into the river in the first place.”

Both Williams and Sherard credit D.C. Water’s Clean Rivers Program, a multibillion-dollar project to construct tunnels underneath the city, as a major reason for the improving health of the Anacostia River.

Two tunnels are already in place, creating extra capacity underground for when overflows occur during heavy rain events. Since the most recent tunnel went into service, officials said there hasn’t been a single combined sewer overflow in the last two-and-a-half years.

Last year, the Anacostia Watershed Society gave the river a grade of “D,” the second-highest grade since the organization began grading.

For Williams, healing the Anacostia isn’t just about healing a waterway; it’s about reconciling past social injustices. As the Anacostia became more and more polluted decades ago, marginalized communities began to relocate, displaced by gentrified neighborhoods west of the river.

And with the construction of Interstate 295, that put another wedge between the people who live east of the river and the rest of the city.

“The polluted Anacostia River became a barrier, separating those folks from the rest of the city,” said Williams.

“We want the river to come back to life as an ecological and environmental treasure. ā€¦ But we also want it to come back to life for the benefit of those people so that those folks can benefit from the improvement of the very resource that has caused some suffering for them for so long.”

Editor’s Note: Trey Sherard is with the Anacostia Riverkeeper. The article has been corrected.Ā 

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That might sound routine, but a new dashboard launched Wednesday will let anyone monitor the water condition and quality in real time.

The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions in the Navy Yard helped create the , which allows users to log onto their computer or mobile device and access data uploaded from the floating monitors.

“Being able to monitor the quality of our water is a really important thing for us to do because we know it is fragile,” said D.C. Council Member Charles Allen, of Ward 6.

Allen pointed to the disastrous sewage spill in the Anacostia River Jan. 19 as a reason why quick access to data is needed.

“For the person who’s just trying to figure out, ‘Can I go sailing today? Can I go jump on a paddleboard, can I get in a kayak or canoe and get out on the water? Can I go fishing today?’ It’s really accessible information,” Allen said.

The company Xylem Water Solutions donated several “Bobs,” named that because they look like yellow and white fishing bobbers, according to the initiative.

They will be monitored and maintained by several local water quality advocacy groups which partnered with Reservoir Center on the program: the , the and the .

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Virginia Rep. Don Beyer, who grew up on the Potomac River, had high praise for the innovation and said it will be a key tool in monitoring the health of the rivers.

“The whole notion of being able to report on a daily basis ā€” an hourly basis ā€” what’s happening in the river makes an enormous difference,” Beyer said.

The real-time data is available at . Once there, you click on “view map” and select the buoy of your choice.

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Before the press conference, was displayed, showing three individuals dumping trash near the intersection of Palmer Road and Tucker Road on April 25.

Assistance police Chief George Nichols said they were able to identify two of the three individuals in the video and have brought charges against them. The third is still at large, according to Chief Nichols, and he asked for the public’s assistance in locating the man.

Braveboy used the incident to highlight ongoing concerns about illegally discarded trash in communities across the county.

“The roadways and public spaces of Prince George’s County should lead to opportunity, not be aligned with illegal debris,” Braveboy said. “They should reflect the pride we have in our communities, not the neglect of those who refuse to respect our roads or us as residents.”

Braveboy added that illegal dumping can bring criminal activity, lower property values and additional cost burdens to taxpayers.

The initiative, according to leaders, is aimed at improving the quality of life in the county and to hold violators accountable.

Chief Nichols encouraged residents to call 911 if they witness illegal dumping, calling it a “crime in progress.” He also said that Prince George’s County Crime Solvers will now pay $250 for information leading to an arrest and conviction, adding that illegal dumping is a serious issue in the eyes of the law.

“From small minor household items, you can receive a monetary fine of $1,500 to large commercial items up to $30,000 and imprisonment,” said Nichols.

“To anyone who believes they can trash our communities,” said Braveboy, addressing potential violators, “We will find you, we will charge you and we will work with the state’s attorney’s office to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

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“We’re celebrating Pride Month in the gayest city in the world,” Mayor Bowser said in front of a crowd of about 60 people, including city council members and other leaders. “Fifty-one years of pride in the future 51st state, and both movements are rooted in the same belief: Every person deserves to be seen, heard and fully represented.”

The gathering included vendors and advocates who work extensively with the city’s LGBTQ+ community.

“When we look at Washington, D.C., they see this city as one of most welcoming and affirming cities in the world for LGBTQ+ people,” said Japer Bowles, director of the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs.

This year marks the 20th year the District has had an Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. Bowles has been the director since 2021, and said he is “floored” by how much D.C. is respected in the eyes of his community.

“There were people who believed our community would never fully be seen,” Bowles said. “There were people who believed that equality was something to be postponed, delayed or denied. And yet here we stand.”

“We speak with one clear voice,” Bowser said. “D.C., of course, is a welcoming city, but also we know that our work has been robust, but it is not done.”

After the speeches were done, Bowser, Bowles and city leaders gathered around a flagpole and raised a District flag with a multicolored pride flag attached underneath. Bowser said the flag represents the city’s commitment to serve all its citizens equally and with respect.

Last year, the District hosted a number of events related to World Pride, celebrating 50 years of the Pride movement. Along with a host of Pride-related events throughout the month in D.C., the mayor’s office highlighted several in which Bowser and her office will be directly involved, including the and the .

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