What happens after tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people and allies flood the National Mall in Washington, D.C., rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and march to the Capitol in defiance of the Trump administration’s attacks on queer and trans lives?
They dance.
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On Sunday, June 8, Grammy-nominated DJ duo SIDEPIECE — Ricky Mears and Dylan Ragland — will bring the beats to WorldPride DC’s TRÈS CHIC Tea Dance, hosted at Hook Hall by the queer-led party collective TRIOLOCO. It’s their first-ever Pride performance, and it comes right on the heels of the International March on Washington for Freedom, a sweeping day of protest, visibility, and queer joy.
“You fight in the morning,” Mears told The Advocate. “Then you dance in the afternoon. That’s what Pride is.”
DJ duo SIDEPIECECourtesy SIDEPIECE
SIDEPIECE has played mega-festivals like EDC and worked with artists like Diplo and Bobby Shmurda, but WorldPride is something different — and they know it. “Dance music and house music are rooted in queer and Black culture,” Mears said. “We’re standing on that foundation. This is us showing up in the right way.”
Related: WorldPride organizers urge global unity amid calls to boycott U.S. LGBTQ+ celebration
Ragland put it even more plainly: “Most of the time, our shows come from a more hetero gaze,” he said. “This is about flipping the script. It’s not outside our comfort zone — it’s where we want to be.”
They’re both cisgender, straight, white men — fully aware of who they are and how they’re stepping into a space built by people who often weren’t allowed one. But for them, this isn’t performative. It’s personal. “I grew up around queer people,” Ragland said. “My parents are artists. Some of their best friends are gay. That was always my world. This just feels natural.”
DJ duo SIDEPIECECourtesy SIDEPIECE
Still, in today’s political climate, they know that even showing up at Pride can draw fire. “If we were worried about backlash, we wouldn’t have taken the gig,” Ragland said.
“We’ve always made music with and for everybody," Mears added. "If someone’s mad we’re doing Pride, they probably don’t understand what this music is about in the first place.”
Related: WorldPride 2025 expects huge ‘visibility’ march & rally in D.C. amid Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ agenda
They say their fans, especially LGBTQ+ ones, have played a significant role in shaping their sets. “They’re usually the ones who come up to us after a show, look us in the eye, and say, ‘That was so fun, we danced the whole time,’” Mears said. “That’s the best compliment you can get as a DJ.”
For the Pride crowd, they’re ditching the flames and special effects and going full disco. Expect a Purple Disco Machine remix of “On My Mind,” unreleased edits, and a dancefloor flip of September’s early 2000s kit “Cry for You.” Also on the setlist? “Cash Out,” their new collab with Bobby Shmurda, which they premiered at EDC in Las Vegas last week.
Related: Organizers confirm pulling WorldPride events from ‘inhospitable’ Kennedy Center — not canceled by it
And if you’ve never seen a Sidepiece set before?
“Everybody’s got an ass,” Ragland said. “So come shake it.”
DJ duo SIDEPIECECourtesy SIDEPIECE
The duo also wants people to know they’re in their “dancefloor era.” “We stopped chasing the charts,” Mears said. “Now we’re chasing joy. That moment when everyone’s just moving together — that’s what we’re about.”
For those still unsure whether to attend the 1 - 7 p.m. event, Ragland offered one last pitch: “Our vibe is real, the beats are fire, and Ricky’s really handsome. That helps.”
