The organization that puts on Washington, D.C.’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebrations is defending one of its veteran members’ decision to resign from the group’s board after announcing he would take a job with the incoming Trump administration. The Capital Pride Alliance is facing criticism and calls for accountability after Vince Micone, a longtime board member, accepted an appointment last week as acting secretary of the Department of Labor by President Donald Trump. This year, Capital Pride is responsible for putting on the international WorldPride celebration.
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Micone, who is gay, has volunteered with Capital Pride since the 1990s and has been a board member since 2010. He resigned from the board shortly before assuming his temporary federal position, the Washington Blade first reported. A member of the federal Senior Executive Service with a 30-year federal career, Micone accepted the temporary role amid the Trump administration’s aggressive rollback of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility measures across the federal government.
After starting the role, he emailed Department of Labor employees outlining significant changes to DEIA-related programs.
“We are taking steps to close all agency DEIA offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Orders titled, ‘Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,’ and, ‘Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,’” he wrote. “These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”
SES employees like Micone are not political appointees but senior civil servants whose roles persist regardless of which party occupies the White House. According toThe Washington Post, the administration has reassigned senior civil servants to unfamiliar roles, particularly targeting those in areas such as civil rights and environmental enforcement, as part of its broader strategy to undermine the so-called “deep state.” These reassignments have prompted some career officials to leave public service altogether.
Department of Labor spokesperson Michael Trupo responded to The Advocate’s request for comment, explaining, “Vince Micone is the career Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Administration and Management. As is tradition at the department, the individual in this position temporarily serves as Acting Secretary of Labor during administration transitions.”
Last Monday and Tuesday, Trump issued a flurry of executive orders ending diversity programs across the federal government. Trump also issued an order that directed all federal agencies only to acknowledge the existence of men and women, leaving nonbinary and transgender identities as illegitimate in the eyes of the U.S. government.
Micone’s email also directed employees to report any “coded or imprecise language” disguising DEIA initiatives and warned of “adverse consequences” for failing to do so within 10 days. The message was nearly identical to a template circulated across agencies.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community became concerned about Capital Pride’s connection to the Trump appointee after learning of Micone’s work with the group. Millions of LGBTQ+ people are expected to converge on Washington from May 17 until June 8 for WorldPride. Capital Pride Alliance board President Ashley Smith downplayed the situation in a lengthy statement on Facebook.
“Many career employees serve in acting capacities during transition times, and Vince is one of hundreds of thousands of federal government employees whose work persists regardless of who is in the White House,” Smith wrote. “He is a member of the Senior Executive Service and has had a 30-year-long career as a federal civil servant. A few days ago, Vince informed me of his temporary designation as Acting Secretary of Labor and made the decision to step aside from his role on our board to avoid any conflicts. He will be in this position until President Trump’s nominee is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. This decision weighed very heavily on him as his passion for our community is relentless. I thanked him for his commitment and service to Capital Pride.”
Smith also addressed broader concerns, adding, “Since the article published by The Washington Blade, I have received numerous messages about our commitment to our LGBTQ+ community. I know how serious the threats are to the rights, safety, and dignity of marginalized communities.”
One Facebook commenter criticized Micone’s decision, writing: “What he has done is not acceptable, job or not don’t stray from your values and to work for a person that doesn’t care for the wellbeing of others, is deporting human beings, is attacking women and the LGBTQ community mostly the Trans community, we have all choices in life, he made his choice to support this government…”
Micone’s note to employees mirrors broader efforts by the Trump administration to erase DEIA programs, as detailed in memos distributed across federal agencies last week. According to a memo from Acting Office of Personnel Management Director Charles Ezell, agencies must shutter DEIA offices, terminate contracts, and place employees working on DEIA initiatives on administrative leave.
The day before Capital Pride formally addressed Micone’s appointment, the group posted a strongly worded statement online condemning the Trump administration’s decision to no longer recognize transgender people’s identities. “The Capital Pride Alliance stands in unwavering solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community following the new administration’s decision to limit the recognition of gender expression and identity,” the statement read. “This harmful action is a stark reminder that our fight for equality and dignity is far from over.”
Late Monday, Capital Pride executive director Ryan A. Bos told The Advocate that it was important as an organization, “that we acknowledge Vince’s long commitment of advocacy and support to our community and Capital Pride.” However, he said, “I can’t speak to Vince’s personal decision, but can say that it was the right decision for him to step down from the board.”
Bos added that the LGBTQ+ community “has a lot of work ahead and we have a huge opportunity to leverage not only the WorldPride 2025 platform in DC, but all of the many organizations, leaders, and allies in this space every day around the world to advocate for all of us.”
The Washington Blade reported that Micone has had a 30-year federal career, serving in multiple agencies, including Commerce, Treasury, and Homeland Security. He also participated in Trump’s 2016 presidential transition team. His tenure as Acting Secretary of Labor is expected to be brief, with Trump’s nominee, former U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, awaiting Senate confirmation.
The Advocate contacted representatives for InterPride for comment but did not receive a response.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include remarks from Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Mike Trupo and Capital Pride executive director Ryan A. Bos.
