WHEATON, Md.— The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) proudly celebrates the diversity of its workforce and the vibrant communities it serves across Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. This Pride season, M-NCPPC is deepening its commitment to visibility, inclusion, and historical truth by honoring the profound contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals, movements, and sites that have shaped the region.
The effort is rooted in Preservation Maryland’s 2018 Maryland LGBTQ Historic Context Study and expanded by new research from M-NCPPC cultural resources and historic preservation staff. The project highlights stories of activism, resilience, and pride at county sites, including:
- Montgomery County’s First Pride Events
Between 1993 and 1996, local Pride gatherings were hosted at public parks—Parklawn Local Park (1993), Hillandale Local Park (1994), Valley Mill Special Park (1995), and Rock Creek Regional Park (1996). The 1994 Pride celebration followed a major policy win: the Montgomery County Council’s vote to eliminate a provision that allowed discrimination against gay and bisexual people working with children.
- Public Health and Protest
Montgomery County was home to pivotal AIDS activism. AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) shut down the FDA in Rockville in 1988 and marched on the Bethesda campus of NIH in 1990 to demand faster access to lifesaving drugs. Their efforts reshaped emergency drug testing protocols, impacting everything from AIDS treatments to the COVID-19 response.
- Prince George’s County’s Queer Heritage at Oxon Hill Manor
Once the estate of Sumner Welles, former U.S. Undersecretary of State under FDR, Oxon Hill Manor is an important site of queer history. Welles, widely believed to have had romantic relationships with men, resigned amid scandal and homophobia in 1943—an early example of how LGBTQ+ individuals faced career-ending discrimination, regardless of their public service achievements.
- LGBTQ+ Legacy at the University of Maryland, College Park
UMD’s Student Homophile Association, formed in 1970, was one of the earliest gay student groups in the U.S. Their fight for recognition helped add sexual orientation to the university’s Human Relations Code. Decades later, UMD’s LGBTQ Studies program was formally launched in 2002. Today, the campus is home to more than a dozen LGBTQ+ student groups.
To help the public explore these stories, M-NCPPC and partners have created an online Historypin map of LGBTQ+ sites across Maryland. Residents are invited to browse or contribute to the evolving collection.
M-NCPPC’s public-facing materials—including an accessible brochure, and downloadable resources—are available online and distributed at interpretive sites, community centers, and events like Pride in the Park and the Sankofa Mobile Museum.
“This work confirms M-NCPPC’s commitment to inclusion and belonging,” said Miti Figueredo, director of Montgomery Parks. “When we recognize and share LGBTQ+ stories, we ensure our public spaces are welcoming to everyone.”
About Montgomery Parks
Montgomery Parks manages more than 37,000 acres of parkland, consisting of 415 parks. Montgomery Parks is focused on promoting physical activity, social connectivity, and environmental stewardship, especially in diverse and urbanizing areas, with an emphasis on teens, working-age adults, and seniors. Montgomery Parks is a department of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), a bi-county agency established in 1927 to steward public land. M-NCPPC has been nationally recognized for its high-quality parks and recreation services and is regarded as a national model by other parks systems. MontgomeryParks.org
Accessibility
Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities. Please contact the Program Access Office at 301-495-2581 (Voice/TTY), MD Relay 7-1-1 or 800-552-7724 or ProgramAccess@MontgomeryParks.org to request a disability modification. Visit Montgomery Parks Accessibility for more information.
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