The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, St. Thomas’ Parish Episcopal Church and community leaders will gather on Thursday, May 22, to dedicate a display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt during WorldPride 2025.
The ceremony for the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which helps us remember the unique lives and stories of those we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS, will include:
- Performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
- Remarks from Rev. Lisa Ahuja from St. Thomas’ Parish
- Remembrances from long-time GMCW members and alumni about those lost to HIV/AIDS
- Dedication by Bishop Gene Robinson (ret.), the first openly gay priest to be consecrated a bishop in a major Christian denomination
The organizers will have 45 panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display from May 22-June 8. The panels will include 30 GMCW members who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. Overall, the Chorus lost more than 100 singers to the disease.
In total, there are roughly 50,000 panels dedicated to more than 110,000 individuals in the epic 54-ton tapestry, which is considered the largest community arts project in history.
In addition to the display, GMCW will present two concerts at St. Thomas’ Parish as part of the International Choral Festival. The full Festival schedule is available at www.gmcw.org/world-pride-international-choral-festival/. All events for the International Choral Festival are free and open to the public. However, Premium Passes are available to purchase, which will allow premium access and/or reserved seating to most of the choral events.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt Display is part of the National AIDS Memorial’s efforts to bring the Quilt to communities across the United States to raise greater awareness and education about HIV/AIDS and to remember those lost to the pandemic.
GMCW AIDS Quilt Display Schedule
All events take place at St. Thomas’ Parish
1517 18th St., NW
Washington, DC
Thursday, May 22
6:30 – 7:30pm
Dedication ceremony followed by reception; display open until 8:30pm
May 23 – 31
Display hours:
11:30 am – 1:30pm
5:00pm – 8:00pm
Sunday, June 1
Display hours:
11:30am – 1:30pm
6:00pm
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, GenOUT Youth Chorus, OUT Ensemble, and 17th Street Dance
Performance features “A Peacock Among Pigeons” and the premiere of Dominick DiOrio’s “Our Wildest Imaginings”
Display opens 30 minutes before and stays open 30 minutes after concert
Monday, June 2
Display hours:
11:30am – 1:30pm
7:30pm
Cherry Blossom District (Washington, DC) and Congressional Chorus (Washington, DC)
Display opens 30 minutes before and stays open 30 minutes after
June 3 – 6
Display hours:
11:30am – 1:30pm
5:00pm – 8:00pm
June 7 – 8
Display hours:
Noon-4:00pm
Please note all shows and events are subject to change at any time.