Pride Month 2025 - KID Museum

LGBTQIA+ PRIDE MONTH

June 22, 2025 | 10 AM - 4 PM

Celebrate Pride Month at KID Museum!

KID Museum is proud to be a welcoming and inclusive space for all makers regardless of their identity. Join us on Sunday, June 22nd from 10 AM – 4 PM to meet and make with local changemakers, innovators, and creatives within the LGBTQIA+ community.

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A black child in flamboyant clothing and purple nail polish experiments with vinyl on a turntable while an older Asian nonbinary person with long black hair and a KN95 looks on

Event Details

Be CREATIVE: Story Workshops with Katie Magician

Maker Lounge | Performances: 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, & 1:30 PM

Who says stories have to stay on the page? Build, dance, and paint your way through a series of interactive storytelling workshops with artiste and songstrix Katie Magician! You’ll team up with the rest of the audience to enter the story and tell it however you think it ought to be told. No two performances will be the same!

Katie “Magician” Macyshyn (they/she) is an art instructor and play practitioner specializing in the therapeutic benefits of expressive play and rhythm in early childhood. This year, they’ve collaborated with KID on an all-ages Pride Month reading list that can take readers from board books up to middle grade non-fiction chapter books.

view & download the KID Pride reading list!

SOUND OFF! DJing with Harley & Abi

Tech Lab | 10 AM - 1 PM

Local DJs Abi and Harley will be putting a whole new spin on mixing music! Get hands-on with vinyl records to see how the grooves produce sound or find out what happens if you layer two broken records on top of one another. Once you’ve found your rhythm, try making your own digital beats — and help us make a KID Pride playlist!

Abigail Avarick (she/her) is a DJ and producer who has performed at iconic DC venues like The Black Cat and DC9. As a teacher, she emphasizes the importance of both traditional vinyl DJing and digital practices, hybridizing the two disciplines to bolster hand-eye coordination, auditory processing, and creative curation. Harley Lucado (she/her) is a multimedia artist, DJ, and classically trained voice teacher who performs and records alongside Abi as part of a local collective.

Screen Printing with SMYAL

10 AM - 4 PM | Central Makerspace

Ready to show off your pride? You can say it, shout it… and screenprint it!

We’ve teamed up with SMYAL to produce vibrant, empowering poster designs inspired by Pride parades and LGBTQIA+ communities around the world. Print some with us and start a Pride parade of your very own!

Fabulous Fashions: Drapery & Design

10 AM - 4 PM | Textiles Studio

Explore the art of drapery as a form of self-expression!

Using a tailor’s dress form, you’ll learn the basics of positioning and pinning fabric to create totally you-nique garments. Throughout history, members of the LGBTQ+ community have used fashion to resist societal expectations, express themselves, and form connections with each other. What does your pride look like?

Printing Pixels: Wave Your Flag

10 AM - 4 PM | Woodshop

Bring pixel art into the real world with wooden blocks and artist’s ink! We’ll have six colors of ink — borrowed from the iconic Rainbow Pride flag that artist Gilbert Baker designed in 1978 — for you to mix and match in your own unique, three-dimensional artwork. Learn about the reasons Baker chose these six colors and come up with your own symbolism!

Time to Shine: Stage Lighting with Felix Clarke

Big Build | 10 AM - 4 PM

Pride is a time when the LGBTQIA+ community can step into the spotlight… but what is a spotlight, anyways? What makes that dramatic effect actually work?

Join lighting designer and theatrical technician Felix Clarke (any pronouns) for a hands-on lesson in lighting! Experiment with different colors, angles, and intensities on a miniature stage while learning how light can impact our mood.

Cosplay Props Crash Course with Johnny & Gaël

Cardboard Studio | 10 AM - 4 PM

Have you ever wanted to be someone else, just for a day?

Award-winning drag duo and theatrical prop designers Johnny Alucard (he/him) & Gaël Périchon (he/him) are here to help! Learn all about the awesomeness of cosplay (‘costume’ ‘play’) and how to transform your identity with the help of handmade props. Come dressed as your favorite fictional character and build their favorite object, or use your new skills to create an entirely original character just for you!

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ #HistoryMakers

KID Museum #HistoryMakers are people whose invention, innovation, or impact inspires us. We celebrate these incredible individuals as part of our larger mission to diversify STEM and maker communities.

Whenever possible, we strive to partner with local #HistoryMakers for on-site appearances. These #HistoryMakers will be marked in orange.

a white nonbinary person with short, light brown hair in front of a cherry tree and government building. They are wearing black glasses, a maroon bowtie, a lavender floral shirt, and a navy suit jacket.

Mx. Lee Blinder

Founder & Executive Director of Trans Maryland

As the first openly transgender chair of a Maryland Commission, Mx. Lee Blinder is a proud, openly nonbinary, transgender, and queer Marylander, and the founding Executive Director of Trans Maryland. They served on Governor Wes Moore’s transition team and sit on LGBTQIA+ advisory boards around Maryland, facilitating transgender 101 and gender-affirming workplace training for government, medical organizations, and private companies. In addition, they lead Trans Maryland’s peer-to-peer name and gender marker change program, helping trans Marylanders get set up with IDs that truly represent them. Lee has been serving their community since they helped launch the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Montgomery Blair High School in 1996. They enjoy spending time with their adopted animal companions, a cat named Basil Pasta Marinara and two dogs, Cupcake and Chickpea.

Pronouns: They, them, theirs.

Mx. Lee Blinder
Founder & Executive Director of Trans Maryland
They, them, theirs

A white woman with shoulder-length brown hair looks directly into the camera, her expression firm but friendly. She is wearing a red polo shirt and has two prosthetic arms.

Dana Bolles

Spaceflight Engineer & Science Communicator

Dana Bolles has always lived her life outside of the status quo. Even though she’s been working in the space industry since 1994, people see her disability first, making assumptions about what she can and can’t do, but that doesn’t stop her, saying “People need to get to know people first and appreciate all of our abilities.” Dana’s career in space has focused on safety and regulatory compliance, both for the astronauts as a payload safety engineer, and for our home planet as a member of an environmental compliance team. She’s also worked to research and minimize the risks of space exploration, ensuring better safety for her fellow humans as they venture deeper into space. Today, Dana manages the day-to-day operations of a science communications website, getting scientific information to as many people as possible.

Pronouns: She, her, hers.

Dana Bolles
Spaceflight Engineer & Science Communicator
She, her, hers

A black man with a short beard and a shaved head traces his own shadow onto a mural. He is wearing a high-collared white jacket with elaborate red embroidery.

Phillip Alexander Downie

Visionary Advocate & Leader

Pride Month officially takes place in June, but for Phillip Alexander Downie, it’s a year-round commitment. Phillip is a visionary advocate and leader whose dedication and passion for justice has reshaped Montgomery County’s approach to inclusivity and equality. As the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the MoCo Pride Center, Inc., and leader of the Montgomery County Pride Family, he has pioneered programs that serve the most marginalized and underserved communities in the region and created beacons of advocacy. As a Co-Chair of the Coalition for Inclusive Schools & Communities, he has been instrumental in advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights within the educational system. Phillip even channels his advocacy through media, creating impactful, independent content like “Black LGBTQ Pioneers,” “Black Girl Magic Stories” and “The MoCo Pride show.” Through his local TV programs and live events, he continues to celebrate and spotlight the diversity and strength of the LGBTQIA+ populace. In 2024, his show “LIYT Nights & Drag Duels'' received DCTV’s first Emmy nomination.

Pronouns: He, him, his.

Phillip Alexander Downie
Visionary Advocate & Leader
He, him, his

A nonbinary Latinx person with brown skin and long black hair sits at the center of a rich square of red textures, staring beyond the camera from a face painted with red, pink, and white geometric makeup.

Armando Lopez-Bircan (Arma Dura)

Multidisciplinary Artist

Under the pseudonym Arma Dura, artist Armando Lopez-Bircann uses innovative technologies to engineer sculptures that can be physically and digitally worn. Raised in the Dominican Republic and based in Washington, D.C, Armando describes themself as a "digital native," crediting their obsession with anime for their first foray into online communities. They work as an independent artist and have designed works in collaboration with dancers, circus performers, photographers, videographers, musicians, and other artists. They have even given a talk at the Hirshhorn Museum, received a Wherewithal Research Grant, and is a DC Commission of Arts and Humanities Fellow.

Pronouns: They, them, theirs.

Armando Lopez-Bircan aka Arma Dura
Multidisciplinary Artist
They, them, theirs

a Latinx woman with curly black hair wearing a colorful, traditionally-woven top in front of a lake.

Lillian Martinez

Chemical Engineer & CEO of oSTEM

Out in STEM — also known as oSTEM — is one of the world's largest organizations for LGBTQIA+ people in STEM, with hundreds of chapters both abroad and in the United States. At the forefront of their work is Executive Director and CEO Lilian Martine. Lilian is a fierce community activist whose challenging experiences as a Queer Latina in STEM inspired her to pave the way for other queer scientists. Since joining oSTEM, she has instituted multiple scholarship programs and aid funds to alleviate economic barriers for LGBTQIA+ students entering STEM fields. Lillian also created a Professional Development Summit to provide concrete support networks for her fellow queer scientists.

Pronouns: She, her, hers.

Lillian Martinez
Chemical Engineer & CEO of oSTEM
She, her, hers

a Pakistani-American woman with short black hair smiles at the camera beside a large blue astronomer's telescope. She is wearing a light blue button-up over a red tshirt.

Dr. Nergis Mavalvala

MIT Astrophysicist & Dean

“Women can, must, and should do anything and everything,” is what Dr. Mavalvala believed as a child. Now, in her role as the first woman Dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she makes sure that younger women believe the same. As an astrophysicist, Professor Mavalvala has long specialized in the physics of gravitational waves. She spent decades working on the problem of how scientists might observe these important forces, refusing to be deterred by the idea that something might be “impossible.” One day she succeeded, and in 2015 was part of the team of scientists who first observed the “ripples” of gravitational waves in the fabric of spacetime! Gravity isn’t the only invisible force Professor Mavalvala has observed: as an out, proud, lesbian from a family of Pakistani immigrants, she knows firsthand how various prejudices can impact aspiring STEM students.

Pronouns: She, her, hers.

Dr. Nergis Mavavala
MIT Astrophysicist & Dean
She, her, hers

A woman with split-dyed white-and-black hair grins while showing off her collection of entomological specimens. Her white shirt and green pants are also printed with bugs.

Madeline E. Potter

Entomologist & Outreach Educator

As a queer woman in science, Madeline Potter strives to create inclusive and positive experiences in the field of entomology and scientific outreach. As a child, she thought insects were scary; however, after taking a college course with a passionate professor, her eyes were opened to the diverse world of insects. Since then, she’s strived to empower others to embrace the world around them through insect-themed education and outreach, saying, “I love to let people know they could be the one to find a new insect species or raise awareness for conservation through art.” Madeline is a Faculty Specialist for Entomology and Integrated Pest Management with the University of Maryland Extension where she teaches the public about better practices of insect conservation and sustainable pest management. Her favorite part of the job is showing off the University’s portable Insect Zoo.

Pronouns: She, her, hers.

Madeline E. Potter
Entomologist & Outreach Educator
She, her, hers

a woman with blue hair smirks at the camera. her hands rest on a hammer and a toolbox. she is wearing a yellow and black plaid shirt under a black apron labeld HANDY MA'AM

Mercury Stardust

DIY Educator & Activist

Known as the Trans Handy Ma'am, Mercury Stardust is a popular DIY and home repair TikToker combining their expertise in home maintenance with her dedication to trans activism. She embraces DIY because it allows everyone to take control of their own lives. Mercury takes the time to share clear, playful instructions on her social media to spread the message that anyone can start making their house their home. Mercury also uses her platform to advocate for her community. As a proud trans-femme person, she hopes to inspire young LGBTQIA+ makers to "live their truth boldly" and to educate allies on how to support their LGBTQIA+ family, friends, and neighbors, especially in rural communities like the one they grew up in. As she likes to say, “You’re worth the time it takes to learn a new skill.”

Pronouns: She, her, hers & they, them, theirs

Mercury Stardust
DIY Educator & Activist
She, her, hers + they, them, theirs

a Filipinx-American nonbinary DJ with long black hair and red sunglasses

Les Talusan

DJ, Photographer, & Curator

Les Talusan immerses people in the joy of community-powered discovery. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines they moved to Washington, D.C. at age 20. They’ve since performed as a DJ throughout the U.S. and abroad. Fueled by their own story of resilience, liberation, and courage as an immigrant, parent and survivor, Les brings to the center the songs long cherished, remembered, and celebrated by people of the global diaspora. Les is also the co-founder and co-curator of SAMASAMA, an AAPI art collective, and the co-founder of Sampaguita Rock Camp for Filipinx Girls. Their photography has been featured in TIME Magazine and on NBC News. Les also volunteers with Girls Rock! DC as a DJ instructor and band photographer, using their talents to teach the next generation of history makers.

Pronouns: They, them, theirs.

Les Talusan
DJ, Photographer, & Curator
They, them, theirs

Dasia Taylor

Inventor

As inventor Dasia Taylor likes to say, “Age by no means defines when you can and cannot invent.” Dasia’s path to invention began in 11th grade at Iowa City West High School, where she developed low-cost “smart” sutures to help detect infections. She experimented with using beet juice to coat her cotton stitches and discovered that this allowed them to change color as they reacted to the Ph of a wound that is infected. Currently, she is a college student at the University of Iowa, as well as an entrepreneur and STEM advocate. Dasia is aspiring to obtain a patent for her "smart stitches."

Dasia Taylor
Medical Tech Innovator & STEM Mentor
She, her, hers

Access for Every Maker

KID Museum is dedicated to expanding access to STEM and maker learning opportunities for all by providing free and reduced-cost opportunities to participate in our programming.

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