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Bianca Del Rio performs at Teatro Dal Verme on October 25, 2024 in Milan, Italy.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race winner will play host to Washington, D.C.’s political class during the year’s largest LGBTQ+ celebration.
Drag superstar Bianca Del Rio will serve as the special guest emcee for Equality PAC’s National Pride Gala reception and dinner on Wednesday, June 4, at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., The Advocate has exclusively learned.
The high-profile event, held during WorldPride DC, will unite LGBTQ+ political leaders, activists, and allies in celebration and resistance as the community faces increasing attacks from the new Trump administration.
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Equality PAC, the political action committee dedicated to electing pro-LGBTQ+ candidates to Congress, is using the event to rally support and mobilize voters. The gala will serve as both a showcase of resilience and a response to the administration’s rollback of LGBTQ+ rights.
Related: National Symphony Orchestra’s WorldPride concert disappears from Kennedy Center website after Trump takeover
“As we start the countdown to Equality PAC’s Annual National Pride Gala — this year taking place during the WorldPride celebration in Washington, DC — we are excited to announce that the incredible Bianca Del Rio, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, will join us as our special guest emcee this year,” Equality PAC’s gay co-chairs Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York and Rep. Mark Takano of California said in a statement to The Advocate. “There has never been a more important time for us to come together as a community — along with our tried and true allies — to stand up, to march, and to appreciate and recommit to our shared determination and resilience… even, at times, against the most daunting odds.”
This year’s National Pride Gala comes at a critical moment for LGBTQ+ rights. Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump’s administration has aggressively dismantled protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, targeting transgender rights and rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. With state legislatures advancing anti-LGBTQ+ bills at an alarming rate and conservative officials seeking to erase queer and trans people from public life, advocates say there is no time for complacency.
Related: Kennedy Center cancels Gay Men’s Chorus of D.C. WorldPride show about acceptance, group confirms
The attacks on LGBTQ+ representation extend beyond government policy. The Kennedy Center, for example, has quietly withdrawn support for diverse and LGBTQ-inclusive programming since Trump appointed himself chairman of the institution. The National Symphony Orchestra’s planned collaboration with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington for a performance of “A Peacock Among Pigeons” was abruptly canceled without explanation, part of a larger trend of institutions retreating from LGBTQ+ visibility under pressure from far-right political forces. The shift has sparked protests, with activists condemning what they see as a coordinated effort to push LGBTQ+ voices out of cultural spaces.
“This year, in particular, Pride is also a time of rededication to our unfinished work and to refocus on how far we still have to go to achieve full equality,” Torres and Takano said. “We cannot rest on the ground we have gained or assume that the progress we’ve made will be permanent. There has never been a guarantee of that.”
The congressmen also warned of the growing threats posed by the administration’s policies, calling on the LGBTQ+ community and its allies to remain vigilant.
“Our hard-fought progress is threatened on a seemingly daily basis at all levels of our government — and, in particular, as the Trump Administration tries to erase members of our community,” they said.
Del Rio, known for her biting humor and fearless advocacy, will bring both levity and urgency to the gala as the community prepares for one of the most consequential elections in modern history in November. The performer has been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, using her platform to highlight injustice while keeping audiences laughing.
Related: WorldPride 2025 expects huge ‘visibility’ march & rally in D.C. amid Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda
Torres and Takano emphasized that Pride is more than just a celebration—it is a movement that continues to demand equality and justice.
“The very first Pride began as a protest, and in that spirit, we must make clear that we are not going anywhere,” they said. “And we will not rest until we are able to achieve full equality for all LGBTQ Americans.”
WorldPride DC, the first WorldPride event hosted in the United States since 2019, is expected to bring massive crowds to the nation’s capital. Organizers are planning a large-scale visibility march and rally, which they hope will be similar to the 2017 Women’s March on June 8.
