On April 17, 1965, the Mattachine Society of Washington (MSW) held the nation’s first organized gay rights picket at the White House.

Join Rainbow History Project and Paul K. this Thursday, April 17th from 4:15 - 5:15pm at The White House. 🏳️‍🌈

March 31st marks an important day in queer history serving as Transgender Day of Visibility. 2009 was the first year the world started observing this day, and it is crucial to keep celebrating to create a world where all trans people feel safe, loved, and protected.

#TransgenderDayofVisibility

As a trailblazer in Latine LGBTQ+ history, you’ll find Leti featured in our upcoming @worldpridedc exhibit focused on the history of gay pride in DC! (link in bio to learn more about the exhibit!)

She participated in founding both the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization and Washington's own ENLACE, a support organization for LGBTQ Latines.

For over two decades Letitia “Leti” Gomez has created support organizations and established a political role for Latino/a gays & lesbians in DC. Gomez is known for her health care advocacy for lesbians and her involvement in providing community support and education on HIV/AIDS.

Donate to Support Rainbow History Project's Pride Exhibit, organized by Rainbow History Project Do YOU want to help make LGBTQ history happen? Exciting Ne… Rainbow History Project needs your support for Support Rainbow History Project's Pride Exhibit

Have you donated to our WorldPride history exhibit yet? Donate to support queer history!

www.gofundme.com/f/support-ra...

🌈 "I never thought of myself as an activist. I did what I thought was necessary to promote community spirit at the time and so joined in efforts to advance the spirit of community responsiveness."

In 1982 Marion Barry appointed Colevia to the D.C. Human Rights Commission, on which she served for five years and was the first open lesbian commissioner. She also was a committee member of the DC Women’s Commission and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Commission.

At the same time, she was co-chair of Whitman-Walker Clinic AIDS Education. In 1992, Colevia moved to the DC Department of Health, where she directed the Synergy Adolescent Health Project, which focused on HIV/AIDS programs for children, adolescents, and women.

In 1984 she organized the first DC conference on Women and HIV/AIDS. At the Minority HIV-AIDS Spectrum/Alianza Project, she was the outreach coordinator for IV drug users and women in the sex industry, recruiting and paying stipends to volunteers for street outreach.

In the mid-1970s, when Lilli Vincenz’s monthly Gay Women’s Open House needed a contact person for women of color, Colevia Carter came forward. She chaired the Sapphire Sapphos's political action committee and was involved with the LGBT Third World Conference held at Howard University in 1979.

@capitalpridedc.bsky.social is holding “An Evening with LGBTQ + Heroes" on March 4 at 7 p.m. Check out the link for the event featuring some panelists who'll share their history and thoughts on what pride means! Hope to see you there!

After the tragic passing of her dear friend Wanda Alston, she created “Wanda’s Will”, a project designed to teach the community about the importance of having a will to ensure wishes in passing are honored. Her charge to see a need and carve out space for the community inspires many to this day.

After realizing lesbian voices of color did not have a voice, Alexander-Reid organized Women In The Life (WITL) in 1993, where she brought social events, magazines, and an activist association to the community, which later shifted to focus on health and advocacy.

From Bayard Rustin to Marsha P. Johnson, Black LGBTQ+ leaders have continued to shape our history. This #BlackHistoryMonth, we share their stories. Today, we honor Sheila Alexander-Reid, a vanguard in her own right!

Get Involved | Rainbow History - Collecting, preserving, and promoting LGBTQ history in Washington D.C.

JOB ALERT: The Rainbow History Project is seeking a (paid!) Project Manager to oversee the development and distribution of DC’s first LGBTQ+ history curriculum from January to September 2025. Learn more and apply here: rainbowhistory.org/get-involved/

Donate to Support Rainbow History Project's Pride Exhibit, organized by Rainbow History Project Do YOU want to help make LGBTQ history happen? Exciting Ne… Rainbow History Project needs your support for Support Rainbow History Project's Pride Exhibit

We have made many milestones, but we want to make many more. We can’t do it alone, however, which is why we are launching a gofundme this week (link in bio). Just a dollar contribution will help us make LGBTQ historical remembrance a reality. Will you join us?

www.gofundme.com/f/support-ra...

WorldPride will intersect w/ several anniversaries in the History of Pride in Washington: the 50th Anniversary of the first Pride Block Party, the 60th Anniversary of the first picket at the White House for Gay Rights, and the 25th Anniversary of the first Presidential Proclamation of LGBTQ+ Pride.

The exhibit will tell the origin story of local Pride activities and how the pickets and protests of the 1960s led to parades and celebrations of the 2020s—and all the politics and drama in between.

We have worked harder than ever on our project to display LGBTQ+ history to the masses to let them know that they’re not alone and that we are preserving and protecting their history. Part of working on that is our exhibit “Gay Pride in DC: 50 Years of Protests and Parties” at WorldPride in June.

As we reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this month, we're reminded of his profound impact on civil rights and justice, which continues to inspire the fight for LGBTQ+ equality today. 🧵