Rainbow Pride D.C.

Explore the social and cultural contributions of members of DC’s LGBTQ community

This tour is reserved for booking by private groups only.

Few social groups have made such rapid strides in equality as the LGBTQ community during the fifty years following the Stonewall uprising.  Leading up to and beyond that seminal moment, D.C.’s own courageous men and women made invaluable contributions to the cultural and social history of our city: 

  • Walt Whitman celebrated “the love of comrades” in his groundbreaking poetry and his intimate relationship with Pete Doyle in the 1860’s. 
  • Langston Hughes, Angelina Weld Warnke, Alain Locke and other artists of the Harlem Renaissance made the Strivers Section their DC home base.
  • Frank Kameny protested federal employment discrimination in the 1960’s and campaigned for Congress on a “Gay is Good” platform.
  • Lesbian folk singers Cris Williamson and Meg Christian launched their careers at the DC Women’s Center, while activists lived and worked together at the Gay Liberation Front commune.

See the sites associated with these figures and events while walking through the Dupont Circle and Strivers Section Historic Districts. The walk will conclude on vibrant 17th Street NW, a short walk back to the Dupont Circle Metro station.

People who liked this D.C. walking tour also liked: Walt Whitman: A Poet and His City and Woodley Park

Reviewers of this Washington Walk said:

We had a great time! Our guide was knowledgeable and fun. We learned so much about the history of gay DC and the changes in the Dupont Circle and 14th Street area over the years. Can’t wait to do another walk.

TripAdvisor reviewer

Where We Meet

Embarks from outside the Dupont Circle Metrorail station (Dupont South exit–by the entrance to Krispy Kreme)

Your Guide

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