AHRC Calls on WorldPride for Answers to Boycott Questions

By Melanie Nathan, April 03, 2025

Last month African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) called for a global boycott of the 2025 venue for WorldPride, based on safety issues, especially involving the risk of detention to foreign visitor attendees when entering our borders, and also as a protest to the policies of the Trump administration which are detrimentally impacting immigrants, visa holders, asylum seekers, refugees and the LGBTQI+ community in general. WorldPride when interviewed by media to respond to our call, noted that they are engaged with US and local agencies and hence assure the safety of attendees: “To the transgender and nonbinary people who are considering joining us in D.C. for WorldPride, I want you to know that we are working tirelessly with agencies and advocates to ensure that you are able to safely and securely travel to and from the U.S.,” Bos said. “Our local community is vibrant and diverse, and we are excited to welcome everyone. For those that choose not to, or are unable to, join us in D.C., know that we need you to remain a part of this movement. Please stay active where you are and join us virtually if you are able.”

While this does not come across as very much of a certain reassurance, it also seems to acknowledge that many will not be able to attend. WorldPride should not have a venue where people are "unable" to join for reasons of safe entry or exclusion to admittance by a government, such as a State department likely to deny visas in the first place.

AHRC believes given this current climate such reassurances are disingenuous based on impossibility. The Trump DHS department is already displaying severe incompetence, chaos and cruelty. How can WorldPride and its cohort organizations InterPride and Capital Pride Alliance offer such reassurance without risking their own integrity and the wellbeing and lives of those at stake? It is impossible to guarantee that all attendees will be protected. We are asking WorldPride for a transparency and for accountability.

Here is our email today: Dear All,

Please can you ensure that this email reaches WORLD PRIDE and all responsible parties, as we continue to try and find the accountable parties - as well as Ryan Bos from Capital Alliance.

Following African Human Rights Coalition's call for foreigners to refrain from attending worldPride out of concerns for safety, we noticed public press statements from WorldPride / partners assuring safety based on your current engagement with agencies. The latter agencies were not specified in any press that we saw.

Here are our questions asking for full transparency and accountability by all three of the following organizations WorldPride, InterPride, and Capital Pride Alliance

1. Do you (all three) guarantee that Visa holders attending worldPride will not be detained at airports or any border entering the USA? 

2. What measures have you in place to react if any attendee is in fact detained - to include legal representation readiness, contact numbers?

3. Which agencies/ departments/ spokespersons/ titles/ level of seniority - did you engage with?

4. Do you know how many VISAS the US State department has granted thus far?

5. Are you aware of any VISA rejections by State department - do you have a number?

Many thanks for getting these answers to us as soon as possible, if possible by Monday April 7th.

Kind regards

Melanie

Melanie Nathan 

Law, Human Rights Advocacy and Mediation

African Human Rights Coalition

Executive Director  

AfricanHRC.org 

We are concerned with the lack of transparency by WorldPride and partners, and how this will impact the most vulnerable in our community, those without resources to defend and protect themselves, and those who rely on the word of WorldPride as being fully responsible for outcomes. I believe given the nature of this administration and what is unfolding before us, in real time, given the current cruelty, incompetency and mistakes in this realm, there is an added responsibility and burden on WorldPride at this time and that we cannot take anything fore granted. African Human Rights Coalition recognizes the importance of Pride and has always seen it as a beacon to Africa's criminalized, persecuted and violated communities. In addition to the above safety concerns AHRC called for a boycott based on spending money in a US economy that is actively persecuting LGBTQI+ people. We also called for local pride rallies to resist the Trump administration, and continue as usual. We suggested that WorldPride, if it cannot move at this late stage, to warn foreigners against coming and convert its event into a call for local Prides to converge in DC in resistance to the Trump administration. They would have to acknowledge that WorldPride as we know it is cancelled to the World, but open to American resistance.

THIS VISA LETTER OF SUPPORT APPLICATION APPEARS ON WORLDPRIDE PAGE OUGHT TO ACCOMPANY CAVEATS AND WARNINGS AT THE VERY LEAST: