A large crowd watched on the steps of the Wilson Building in Downtown D.C. on Thursday afternoon as Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council members raised a colorful flag to celebrate Pride Month.

The gathering, which marked the third annual LGBTQIA+ flag raising, comes as a series of WorldPride events have already kicked off in the city. D.C. was chosen to host WorldPride this year, the second time the city was picked.

Bowser said the flag “tells a story of pride, perseverance and progress; and this year, it also marks the celebration that was hard fought for,” a reference to 2025 marking the 50th year of Pride celebrations in D.C.

“Not everybody made it to 50 years in Pride,” Bowser said. “Not everybody is experiencing equality or being able to live their best lives because of hate and discrimination. Not everybody even feels safe right here in their nation’s capital.”

A welcome celebration and parade are still to come, and some attendees said Thursday’s event had increased meaning.

“We’re in a crucial time right now, where I guess, politically, we’re being attacked,” Christian said. “I just want to make sure that everyone is safe and happy.”

Darren Pasha, meanwhile, said the “current administration does not like us to use preferred pronouns.”

“I’m here to show support, to show my love for us human beings, and we’re not going to go anywhere, no matter who sits in office,” Pasha said.

Ramon Dijon stopped by the event on his birthday, and said at 39, “it took me a while to embrace who I was and accept who I was. To live in a city that’s done so much of the legwork for me, I’m so grateful for that.”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to live in a place where you don’t get to have these freedoms and to know that these people are working tirelessly,” he added.

More than 85 WorldPride events have already taken place, Bowser’s office said, and other parts, such as the 17th Street Block Party, are scheduled for the coming days.

Ray Lader said the experience has made clear “it’s just a great place to be and see and know that there’s so many people still out doing the fight; and that we haven’t been left behind; and that it is an inclusive space, that folks with disabilities, those from all different backgrounds, no matter who they are, that there’s a space here for them.”

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