“2011 Gay Games Meridian Hill Park” is by tedeytan from the Borderstan flickr pool.

From Luis Gomez. You can follow Luis on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos and at One Photograph A Day.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, ”2011 Gay Games Meridian Hill Park,” is from tedeytan. This year the games were held 0n August 28 and moved back to Meridian Hill Park.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group and submit up to five photos per day in the pool. We are looking for photos from D.C.’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

“Watchmen” is by specimenlife in the Borderstan flickr pool.

From Luis Gomez. You can follow Luis on Twitter @LuisGomezPhotos and at One Photograph A Day.

Photos of the Day are pulled from the Borderstan Reader Photos pool on Flickr.

Today’s photo, “Watchmen,” was taken by specimenlife during the Capital Pride Parade 2011 on 17th St NW looking up towards the rooftop of the Cairo building at 1615 Q Street NW.

If you don’t already have a Flickr account, you will need to sign up for one, and then join the Borderstan Reader Photos group. Already a Flickr member? Join the group! You can submit up to five photos per day in the Borderstan reader pool. We are looking for photos from D.C.’s Dupont, Logan and U Street neighborhoods.

Capital Pride 2011 wound down on Sunday with the annual festival on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. On the main stage are Tyria Iman and Chanel Devereaux. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Mike Kohn. Got some news that Mike missed? Drop him an email or find him on Twitter @mike_kohn.

Stay Fabulous, D.C.

We hope you had a good time celebrating Pride all you Borderstanis! In case you missed any of the excitement this weekend (how dare you?!), [we'll have a rundown of events coming later in the week, so be on the lookout for it]. Did you fly that rainbow flag high? We want to see! Don’t forget about the Borderstan Flickr pool — drop your photos in and share your Pride with the whole neighborhood. And who knows? We may make your shot the photo of the day.

Get Your Eat On

I know, I know, we’re all still clinging to that last bit of Pride before returning to reality. In case you’re hungry (and after all that marching and partying, who isn’t?), today marks the last day of the Taste of Pride. All of the delicious restaurants that participated in the event are making a contribution to Capital Pride, so get out there and support them.

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Festival After Party at Cobalt on Sunday, June 12, from 6 pm to 2 am. Right in the hood at 17th and R NW.

2nd Annual Pridelicious VIP Lounge at Hotel Monaco sponsored by KPMG on Sunday June 12, 2011 from 11 am to 4 pm. Hosted by the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Relax, cool off, enjoy snacks and sip cold drink in this exclusive hotel suite, located steps away from the Capital Pride Festival. Hotel Monaco is at 700 F Street NW.

Bootycandy Post Show Discussion on Sunday, June 12 from 5 to 5:30 pm at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Post show discussion of “Bootycandy,” featuring a “hating the haters” panel discussion about hate crimes. Woolly Mamoth is at 641 D Street NW.

We’re moving toward the end of Capital Pride 2011! FUSE – Official Capital Pride Women’s Closing Night Party will be Saturday, June 11, 9 pm at Apex, 1415 22nd Street NW. $15 cover.

On tap for Capital Pride on Friday, June 10 in the neighborhood…

5th Annual DC Latino Pride is Friday, June 10 from 6 to 9 pm at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th Street NW. Presented by the Latino GLBT History Project, Friday evening’s program features a networking reception with hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, a historical exhibit, a panel discussion on marriage equality and bi-national same-sex couples, high impact cultural performances, and informational health, social service, cultural and business resources from local corporate, non-profit and government entities.

Pride Shabbat Services at DC Jewish Community Center, 16th and Q Streets NW. Time is 8:30 to 10 pm.

Click on the collage for the slide show from the Heroes Gala. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Luis Gomez and Matt Rhoades

See photos from the June 7 Heroes Gala at the House of Sweden.

The Capital Pride 2011 Heroes Gala & Silent Auction on Tuesday night honored 13 members of the LGBT community for their work as trailblazers and pioneers. The event at the House of Sweden on the Georgetown waterfront raised funds for Capital Pride.

2011 Engendered Spirit Award winners, from left: Gibby Thomas, Joe Izzo, Ruby Corado, Dr. Christine Wiley, Dr. Dennis Wiley and Terra Moore. Not present: Mara Keisling. (Luis Gomez Photos)

The stunning contemporary building (home to Swedish and Icelandic Embassies) made for a beautiful backdrop as Capital Pride recognized this year’s group of heroes for their work promoting LGBT rights and causes.

This year’s winners includes a doctor, pastors, a therapist, an environmental activist, transgender activists, a writer and reporter, youth advocates, and HIV/AIDs prevention and healthcare workers. Awards were made in two categories, Capital Pride Heroes and Engendered Spirit Awards.

The list of winners and their stories illustrate what it takes to be an award winner: years of hard work in the trenches and an unyielding commitment to LGBT rights. (The list of winners with information about their work is below.)

Among the special guests at the June 7 gala was Birgitta Ohlsson, Minister of European Union Affairs for the Country of Sweden. Ohlsson spoke to the guests about the state of LGBT rights around the world.

2011 Capital Pride Heroes, from left: The Rev. Jill McCrory, Rebecca Roose, June Crenshaw, Caeb Colravy (accepting for winner Tyrone Hanley), Bill Browning and Dr. Theo Hodge. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Another guest was Mary Amons, perhaps best known as one of the stars of The Real Housewives of D.C. However, she is involved with a number of charitable and philanthropic activities in the metro area. Among Amons’ endeavors is Labels for Love, “whose mission is to raise critical funds and awareness in support of women’s and children’s charitable organizations by producing unique fashion, art and design inspired events.”

2011 Capital Pride Heroes

• Bill Browning: The longtime LGBT activist and writer who founded the Bilerico Project, runs the largest group blog reporting on news, politics and culture from an LGBT perspective.
• June Crenshaw: One of the leading African-American lesbian activists in the District, she has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Whitman-Walker Health and continues to serve on the Board.

Read the full story

Capital Pride 2010: How can you start a Pride Parade without Dykes on Bikes?  Last year’s contingent leaders are shown at 17th and R Streets NW. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Click for the map of the 2011 Capital Pride Parade this Saturday, June 11. (Image courtesy Captial Pride)

What can be more pride-tastic than the rainbow flags and bunting that adorn many of the storefronts along 17th Street? For seasoned Borderstanis, this is probably a rhetorical question; for recent transplants, let us tell you — the Capital Pride Parade!

The parade is coming up this Saturday, June 11 and begins at Dupont Circle at 5:30 pm. Pre-Parade entertainment begins at 3 pm in front of the judges’ stand at Whole Foods on the 1400 block of P Street NW. This year’s parade marshall is The Trevor Project, which is dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBT youth.

LGBT Pride celebrations have grown exponentially since their earlier days in the 70′s and 80′s. From simple street festivals and parades, Pride celebrations have grown to Drag kickball, speakers, idol and 12 days  of activities, seminars, special events and fundraisers, concluding with this year’s festival on Sunday.

2010 Capital Pride: 17th Street between R and P is still one of the most popular places to view the Pride Parade. (Luis Gomez Photos) 

Yet, despite the variety of events, the parade remains the highlight for many if not most people in the LGBT community — and their friends and neighbors who live in historically gay neighborhoods. (Check out Luis’ photos from the 2010 parade.)

Parade Route and Map: The Pride Parade starts west of Dupont Circle on P Street NW, and finishes at Thomas Circle (14th and N NW). From Dupont Circle, the parade heads northeast up New Hampshire Avenue NW, then east on R Street, then south on 17th Street, then east on P Street before heading south on 14th to Thomas Circle.

Look for Borderstan.com in the parade. We’re proud to be among this year’s Capital Pride media sponsors. The Parade is produced with support from Cobalt, Whole Foods and JR.’s Bar & Grill.

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June 8: Here’s an event in the neighborhood this evening for Captial Pride… head to Cobalt at 17th and R NW for the finals of Pride Idol. Show starts at 9:15 pm sharp. Winner gets to drive a new Saab for the summer.

The four Idol finalists are Lisa Ehrenspeck, Katy Ray, Aditi Hardikar and Carissa Marsh.

The Men’s Underwear Fashion Show and Auction (!) start at 9:45pm.