FBI, DHS Issue Pride Month Warning
Last Friday the FBI and DHS issued a public service announcement (PSA) alerting the public of the potential targeting of LGBTQIA+ related events and venues by foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) or their supporters, whom they say may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month.
The PSA noted that June 12 marks eight years since the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, that in February 2023 English language ISIS messaging featured anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and a call for lone-wolf attacks, and that last June three alleged ISIS sympathizers were arrested attempting to attack a Pride parade in Vienna, Austria.
The PSA also included a list of warning signs of potential threat activity to look out for:
- Violent threats made online, in-person or via mail
- Unusual or prolonged testing or probing of security measures at events/venues
- Photography of security related equipment, personnel, or access points without a reasonable alternative explanation
- Unusual surveillance or interest in buildings, gatherings or events
- Attempts to enter or gain access to restricted areas, bypass security, or impersonate law enforcement officials
- Observation of or questions about facility security measures, including barriers, restricted areas, cameras, and intrusion detection systems without a reasonable alternative explanation
- Eliciting information from facility personnel regarding the nature of upcoming events, crowd sizes, busiest times of day, etc. without a reasonable alternative explanation
In an emergency, always call 911. To report a threat, contact your local FBI field office (fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices or 1-800-CALL-FBI), or find your local DHS tip line at tinyurl.com/dhsthreatreport.
EPW Pride Needs Volunteers on Saturday!
This Saturday, Equality Prince William (EPW) is hosting their third annual Pride festival, 12:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. at Harris Pavilion in Manassas.
EPW has issued an urgent call for volunteers, needing to fill about 30 more two-hour shifts to ensure a smooth event. Needs range from selling raffle tickets or monitoring kids activity tables to assisting with setup/teardown. Volunteering at Pride events is super fun! Sign up to help out at tinyurl.com/EPW24pride.
Pride Prom 2024
Last month NOVA Pride and Safe Space NOVA met and decided to combine youth events, with NOVA Pride moving its April 27 event to Safe Space’s “Pride Prom: Out of the Shadows” event, May 31 at The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria!
Pride Prom is an opportunity for all high school students (aged 14 and above — a plus one ticket may be purchased for a guest no older than 20), to have a fantastic Prom experience as their authentic selves, dance with whomever they wish, and meet their peers from around the region.
NOVA Pride board member Evita Peroxide, the local Drag persona you know for bringing several Drag events to The Little City including a monthly Drag Bingo and a monthly Family Drag Lunch at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack, will be the event’s emcee.
Tickets are on sale at prideprom.org and include non-alcoholic beverages, a waffle bar, and optional silent disco headphones for those wishing to participate, a sensory space, and more.
Love Wins in The Little City
Last Saturday was the third installment of the monthly “Miss Evita’s Family Drag Lunch,” an all-ages event catered to young children and their families, with bubbles, sing-alongs, dancing, and stories about kindness and accepting differences.
The event was first held in February, and was met with a handful of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters with hateful signs, who demonstrated across the street within view of the children.
In March the protest grew, with about a dozen demonstrating against Drag, the LGBTQ+ community, and (for whatever reason) abortion. They shouted at children and grandmothers as they walked into the venue.
While the F.C. event was paused in April for a personal vacation, another Drag story hour event at Freddie’s Beach Bar had to be evacuated after a bomb threat was received just before the show, with a dog-sniffing dog brought in from the Pentagon to clear the space before families could return.
With both events returning in May, I joined many in calling for community members to counterprotest. The Rainbow Defense Coalition — which forms barriers to protect children and queer folx and stands up for LGBTQIA2S+ rights in the DMV — was activated.
And the community was ready. Only a couple protesters showed up at Freddie’s on May 4, and they didn’t stick around, with dozens crowding the sidewalk decked out in rainbow gear. So was the case last Saturday in The Little City, where 20-30 counter protesters lined up along the sidewalk in front of Clare and Don’s and at nearby crosswalks, most with large rainbow umbrellas — which when opened create a visual barrier between the families inside and any potential negativity happening outside.
Dave Tax, the owner of Clare and Don’s Beach Shack — who has been unwavering in his support of the community in face of these intimidation attempts — took things a step further, creating “haters stand here” placeholders where the protesters typically stand.
The protesters, if they came at all, decided to keep walking, with zero demonstrating.
Thank you to everyone who showed up.
Hate has no home in Northern Virginia.
