Capital Pride LGBTQ+ Women’s Symposium
Friday, June 19, 2026
Sessions: 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Day Party: 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Arlo Washington DC
333 G ST NW, Washington, DC 20001
Photo Credit: Tiffanie Drayton
Join the Capital Pride Alliance and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs for a powerful day of connection, conversation, learning, and celebration centered on the experiences, leadership, and resilience of LGBTQ+ women.
As part of Women’s Pride, this symposium brings together community leaders, advocates, professionals, and changemakers for meaningful dialogue across generations and identities.
Through engaging panel discussions, attendees will explore the evolving experiences of queer and LGBTQ+ women, examine the connections between wellness, relationships, and self-expression, and hear from trailblazing leaders who are shaping the future of our communities. Whether you are seeking inspiration, community, personal growth, or professional development, this event offers a welcoming space to learn, connect, and be empowered.
*ASL provided
Sponsored By
Morning Sessions
10:30 AM – 12:00 Noon
Aging, Identity, and Our Becoming: The Intersection of Intergenerational Queer/LGBTQ Women
A dynamic conversation exploring how identity, visibility, community, and personal growth evolve across generations of LGBTQ+ women. Panelists will share stories of resilience, wisdom, and becoming while examining the unique opportunities and challenges that connect and distinguish generations within our community.
Moderated By: Eboné Bell
Panelists:
Cassandra Burton
Zekeera Belton
Meera Rajput
Faith Mitchell
Ashley Carothers
Bio: Eboné Bell
Eboné Bell is a dynamic keynote speaker, voiceover, and emcee whose work inspires connection, courage, and change. As the founder and former editor of Tagg Magazine, an award-winning media platform for LGBTQ women, Eboné has spent over a decade amplifying underrepresented voices. Featured by Forbes as an “Inspiring Black Entrepreneur Changing Our World,” Eboné’s impact is both powerful and personal. Whether behind the mic or on stage, Eboné fosters meaningful connections and leaves a lasting impression as a dynamic community leader and unforgettable voice—leaving audiences moved, motivated, and ready to lead with empathy.
Loving Out Loud: Approaching Sex, Relationships, and Emotional Wellbeing
An engaging discussion on building healthy, affirming relationships while prioritizing mental health, emotional wellness, and authentic self-expression. Panelists will explore intimacy, communication, sex-positive approaches to wellbeing, and the tools needed to cultivate meaningful connections in today’s world.
Moderated By: Dr. LaNail Plummer
Panelists:
Gaby Vincent
Michelle Sewell
Jennifer Eden
Donna Alexander
Bianca Palmisano
Bio: Dr. LaNail Plummer
Black mental health powerhouse and CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer is an author, educator, and speaker whose work centers on documenting, advancing, and expanding culturally responsive care for marginalized communities, specializing in Black women, children and the LGBTQ+. Through her writing, teaching, and clinical leadership, Dr. Plummer translates decades of both lived and professional experience into practical frameworks that reshape how healing is understood and delivered.
Author of best-selling book, The Essential Guide for Counseling Black Women (W.W. Norton, 2026), it serves as both a professional resource for clinicians and educators and as an accessible guide for Black individuals and families seeking affirming mental health support. The book reflects a gap Dr. Plummer witnessed throughout her career—the absence of mental health models that fully acknowledge and honor Black women’s lived experiences—and represents her broader commitment to making culturally grounded care visible, teachable, and sustainable. Named to 2026 Book Lists for Forbes, Ebony, and The Root, her debut release captures her over 20 years of experience in the mental health field.
As the founder of Onyx Therapy Group, an internationally recognized mental health organization, Dr. Plummer leads a team of more than 40 BIPOC counselors and consultants dedicated to serving marginalized communities within Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana, with an international presence in South Africa. As an educator, Dr. Plummer has taught at Johns Hopkins University and currently serves as Department Chair of the Counseling Program at Trinity Washington University. She is also the creator of the Culturally Intersected Clinical Supervision (CICS) model, a framework that reflects many of the principles explored in her writing.
A wife, mother of two adult children, U.S. military veteran, proud Howard University graduate, and lifelong member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Plummer is a sought-after voice on mental health equity and culturally responsive care. She has lent her expertise to stages such as the U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce, TEDx, Mental Health America, and New York University, and her insights have been featured in Forbes, TIME, Essence, Ebony, The Today Show, New York Magazine, and many more.
Across books, scholarship, and clinical leadership, Dr. Plummer’s work is guided by a clear mission: to create pathways to healing that honor culture, identity, and lived experience. With a nationally recognized platform dedicated to uplifting those in marginalized communities, Dr. Plummer continues to build a body of work designed to shape both the practice and future of mental health care.
Afternoon Session
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
The Audacity to Lead: LGBTQ+ Women Leading with Power, Purpose, and Possibility
Leadership requires courage, vision, and authenticity. This inspiring panel features LGBTQ+ women who are breaking barriers, creating change, and leading across business, government, nonprofit, and community spaces. Attendees will gain insights into leadership journeys, overcoming obstacles, and embracing the audacity to lead boldly and unapologetically.
Moderated By: Dr. Patricia Raspberry
Panelists:
Cassandra Burton
Patricia Lewis
Becky George
Sunu Chandy
Erin Whelan
Bio: Dr. Patricia Raspberry, Ph.D.
Dr. Patricia Raspberry is a seasoned qualitative research consultant with over 25 years of experience in the field of consumer research.
She worked as an Account Planner at advertising agencies in New York and Chicago and as Senior Planner and Director of Urban Insights at a Chicago-based general market research firm before founding Black Raspberry Consumer Insights in 2005.
Women’s Day Party
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
In Partnership With
- Capital Pride Alliance
- The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs
- The Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives
The Capital Pride Alliance, through its stewardship of diverse programming and events, specifically year-round LGBTQ+ Pride festivities centered in Washington, DC and the National Capital Region, serves to celebrate, educate, support, and inspire our multi-faceted communities in order to grow and preserve our history and protect our rights for current and future generations. Learn More