Pride’s day at the beach
In conjunction with WorldPride 2025 the Rainbow History Project is creating an exhibit on the evolution of Pride: “Pickets, Protests, and Parades: The History of Gay Pride in Washington.” In “Pride’s Day at the Beach,” we discuss how the success of the 1970s block parties created the need for a new organizer, a new location, and a new threat to the community –the onset of the AIDS crisis.
The Gay Pride Day Block parties of the 1970s had grown so successful that they outgrew the capacity of the actual streets and of the original organizers, Deacon Maccubbin and his Lambda Rising bookstore.
In 1980, Maccubbin handed off the reins of Gay Pride Day to an umbrella corporation of more than 110 businesses and community groups that sought to take the popular block parties into a larger sphere.
P Street Beach had long connections with the gay community, with proximity to gay bars and other gay-friendly establishments between 20th and 24th Streets.
