Via the Washington Blade, three organizations are competing to take over Capital Pride from the Whitman-Walker Clinic, which began organizing the event in 1997 with One In Ten, DC's LGBT arts group. Whitman-Walker became the sole producer and financier of Capital Pride in 2000.

The three interested parties include the Southwest Renaissance Development Corporation, a group founded by the Westminster Presbyterian Church; the LGBT Community Center; and the recently-formed Capital Pride Alliance. All submitted proposals on December 11 to take over the event.

In October, Whitman-Walker announced they were "exploring options" to withdraw its involvement in the event in the next couple of years. The clinic wants to re-focus its energy on its core mission: providing health and well-being services for the LGBT community. Whitman-Walker will retain its current role through at least 2009 if it feels the groups interested are not yet capable of producing the event.

Capital Pride is the fourth largest pride event in the nation. In 2006, the event drew over 200,000 attendees, only two years after it first reached 100,000 attendees.

Photo by voteprime