Celebrating Pride Month

OAG Pride

Happy Pride Month, D.C.! This month, we honor all members of the LGBTQ+ community, both past and present. Although we cannot celebrate together in person, we know that Pride has never just been about the parades and marches. Pride is about the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ freedom and equality, and OAG is proud to be part of it.

Civil Rights Protections for LGBTQ+ Residents
Did you know that gender identity or expression and sexual orientation are protected traits under the D.C. Human Rights Act? It is illegal here in the District to discriminate based on these—and nineteen other—traits in housing, employment, public accommodations and educational institutions. In fact, our Human Rights Act is one of strongest civil rights laws in the country. OAG’s Civil Rights Section enforces these protections every day to make the District a community where all residents can live, learn, grow, work, love and play free from hate and discrimination.

We are also working to eradicate violence against the LGBTQ+ community. As you may know, in the District, it is the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) and not OAG that prosecutes most crimes. To increase enforcement of our anti-discrimination laws, our office championed “The Hate Crime and Civil Enforcement Clarification Amendment Act of 2019,” which empowers OAG to hold perpetrators accountable for their bias-motivated crimes. You can read more about these efforts here.

Virtual Ways to Celebrate Pride This Year
We also know that Pride is about more than just fighting for progress – it's about coming together as a community. We are happy to share a few virtual Pride events that will be occurring throughout the month. We hope you’ll join in:

Report Discrimination
If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination, you may report it to OAG by:

The District’s Office of Human Rights (OHR) is the primary District agency that investigates individual complaints of discrimination. You can also file a complaint with OHR by calling (202) 727-4559 or filling out their online complaint form.

OAG protects the civil rights of District residents by bringing lawsuits to challenge discrimination, advocating for legislation to strengthen anti-discrimination laws, and engaging in educational community outreach so that residents know their rights. Learn more about illegal discrimination and how OAG is working to defend your civil rights