From Fire Island to the Capitol: A Pride to Remember
As part of our series of essays from attendees at this year’s World Pride DC, Derek McCandless, Mr. Fire Island Leather 2025, reports on his experiences.
This was my first time being able to attend DC pride for several events with my husband and boy. It was truly a great time and I can’t express how happy I was able to attend such a monumental event considering this was the 50th Anniversary of Pride.
The first event that”I attended was the Leather and Bear Gathering that was held at the Lincoln Memorial. This gathering was to celebrate Brotherhood, as well as to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Bear Friendship Flag. Several members from various groups/clubs came together to stand in solidarity to remember those who are no longer with us and continue to fight against discrimination and hatred from those who are trying to erase us and our history.
The second event that I stopped by to attend was the Unite for Veterans rally. This event was very close to me as being a Veteran myself and seeing the current events that are happening in the government. The purpose of the rally was to bring awareness that the current administration was trying to do away with benefits for millions of Veterans that have served to protect this country by cutting Veteran Affair staffing which would cause increased time for Veterans to seek medical attention or treatment that they have sustained from doing their duty. I know several members from my time in the military and know that if they are unable to get treatment for various conditions, it could mean the difference between life and death.
The final event was the World Pride parade. I had the honor of being part of the Leather Contingent with the Centaurs MC. It was amazing to see how many members there are in the leather and bear community. The fact that we all came together for the purpose to provide love, support, and show that we are here and we are not going anywhere sends a strong message. It also showed that no matter where you live or what your background is, we all were there for a purpose that we do exist and we have a growing community that will not be ignored or silenced.
My overall favorite part of pride was just seeing how many people from around the world came to DC to support the LGBTQIA+ community and to provide love and acceptance during these troubling times. We as a community should be standing with each other and fighting against the discrimination against our siblings and fight bigotry and hatred wherever we see it. We should not turn a blind-eye to the injustice that is being done against the LGBTQIA+ community.
Derek A. McCandless – Is a member and current Vice President of The Pennsmen (4 years), Member of the Veteran’s Leather Alliance (1.5 years), Co-founder and current President of the LGBTQ+ Out & Proud Bowling League (3 years). Titles: Mr. Fire Island Leather 2025, U.S. Navy Submariner veteran (Petty Officer 3rd class)
For more articles on DC Pride – head to our PRIDE Section here.
