Dupont Circle

Dupont Circle is a neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C., built around a traffic circle and park at the meeting of Connecticut and Massachusetts Avenues. Beginning in the 1970s it became the heart of the city's LGBTQ+ community, home to gay bars, community groups, and the pioneering bookstore Lambda Rising, which Deacon Maccubbin opened in 1974 and ran in the area until 2010. The park itself served as a gathering place for Pride celebrations, protests, and everyday socializing, and D.C.'s Pride events trace their roots here. Gentrification and rising rents have since closed many of the neighborhood's historic queer venues, prompting ongoing conversation about preserving dedicated LGBTQ+ spaces.