By Daniel Trotta
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -LGBTQ+ people from around the world will march through the streets of Washington on Saturday in a joyful celebration meant to show defiance to President Donald Trump’s rollback of queer rights.
The parade route will come within one block of the White House grounds in one of the final main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration.
On Sunday a more political event, dubbed a rally and march, will convene at the Lincoln Memorial, a revered space in the U.S. civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Events will play out in the U.S. capital in the wake of the Trump administration’s measures to curtail LGBTQ+ rights.
The Republican president has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banning transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinding anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQ+ people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
While proponents of DEI consider it necessary to correct historic inequities, the White House has described it as a form of discrimination based on race or gender, and said its transgender policy protects women by keeping transgender women out of shared spaces.
Moreover, the White House said it has appointed a number of openly gay people to cabinet posts or judgeships, and noted that the Trump administration took steps to decriminalize homosexuality globally, and that its 2019 initiative “Ending the HIV Epidemic” aimed to cut HIV infections by 90% by 2030.
“The President is honored to serve all Americans,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement.
Event organizers said they were unaware of any counterprotests or anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations planned for Saturday or Sunday.
The National Park Service, however, has decided to fence off Dupont Circle, a popular public space, until Sunday night at the request of the U.S. Park Police, which said closure was necessary to “secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences.”
Capital Pride Alliance, which is organizing WorldPride events, said it was “frustrated and disappointed” at the closure.
“This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honor. It’s much more than a park, for generations it’s been a gathering place for DC’s LGBTQ+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting,” the alliance said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Donna Bryson and Paul Simao)
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