The National Park Service (NPS) has reversed a decision to close off Dupont Circle Park in Washington, D.C., during the final weekend of WorldPride 2025, after intense backlash from LGBTQ+ community members and advocates.
Originally, the NPS announced that Dupont Circle Park would be closed from Thursday, 5 June to Monday, 9 June, citing public safety concerns and a need to protect park resources. According to the agency, the closure was requested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) due to “a history and pattern of destructive and disorderly behaviour” during previous Pride events, including alleged damage to the park’s historic fountain in 2023.
NPS Blames Pride Attendees for $175,000 in Damages
NPS claimed in a statement that vandalism during Pride weekend in 2023 resulted in nearly US$175,000 worth of damage to the fountain. However, there has been little public reporting to substantiate this claim, and many news outlets described the 2023 Capital Pride events as peaceful and well-attended.
Critics noted that the fountain had already been undergoing structural repairs, including waterproofing and upgrades to the water system, raising doubts about the claim that Pride attendees were responsible for substantial damage.
When pressed for further comment, spokespeople for both the MPD and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to elaborate, referring reporters back to the NPS.
Community Outrage Prompts Swift Reversal
Less than 24 hours after the announcement of closure, D.C. Council member Zachary Parker confirmed that the decision had been reversed.
“I spoke with Chief Smith this morning and I’m glad to report that the decision to close Dupont Circle Park is being rescinded. The park is central to the LGBTQ+ community, and neighbours will be able to enjoy it this year for WorldPride,” Parker shared on social media.
The rapid reversal followed widespread condemnation from local LGBTQ+ advocates, including members of the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighbourhood Commission (ANC).
“The circle belongs to everyone. It is the city’s town square. It is intimately linked with the gay community and the gay rights movement and so many other rights movements over the years,” ANC commissioner Jeffrey Ruegauer told The Washington Post.
Another commissioner and Rainbow History Project official added, “The community should be as outraged as I am.”
Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, confirmed that while no official WorldPride events were scheduled at Dupont Circle Park, the space remains a historically and culturally significant site for LGBTQ+ Washingtonians. He said he did not believe recent Pride attendees were responsible for the alleged damage.
Park Symbolism Runs Deep
Dupont Circle has long served as a key gathering point for Washington’s LGBTQ+ community and was central to activism during the AIDS crisis and beyond. The attempted closure was seen by many as symbolic erasure, particularly in light of February’s removal of references to transgender people from the NPS website, following a federal directive prohibiting official recognition of trans identities in public life.
Though the park closure has been avoided, community members continue to express concern about increasing restrictions and the politicisation of LGBTQ+ spaces.
