South Carolina Pride among local organizations to march in World Pride Parade

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WOLO) — Members of Famously Hot South Carolina Pride, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of South Carolina’s LGBTQ+ community, represented the Palmetto State at the annual World Pride event in Washington D.C. over the weekend.

Joining SC Pride in the nation’s capital for celebrations were members of Charleston Pride and Free Mom Hugs of South Carolina.

World Pride is an annual event that takes place at different cities across the globe, honoring the LGBTQ+ communities’ history and celebrating it through festivals, concerts, conferences, rallies, parades, and parties.

The groups marched in the nearly two mile Pride Parade on Saturday, walking from 14th Street to Freedom Plaza.

According to Benson Odom, SC Pride’s Vice President of Operations, the groups were “overwhelmed with pride to represent our state on the world stage, adding,  “The love was emanating from the crowd, and it was incredible to hear the cheers from people who were either from SC or were excited to see our state represented. The experience was beyond comparison. We were proud to show the world that South Carolina is loud and proud!”

World Pride events began on May 17th and ran through June 8th, with the week of June 1st-June 8th bringing the most attendees.

2025 also marks the 50th Anniversary of Pride celebrations in Washington, D.C., with only around 2,500 people attending D.C.’s 1st Pride event in 1975. It is estimated that around three million people were expected to attend this year.