Opinion: Happy Pride from Olive Street
By • June 9, 2025 2 214
By Craig Wilson
I have lived on Olive Street for almost 40 years. Not to be hyperbolic, but it’s been a blessing.
Those 40 years have been shared with my husband, Jack, who was just my partner when we started out. We are now married.
There are other gays in the neighborhood — there are straight people, too! — but we all feel comfortable with each other. As I said, it’s a blessing to be here.
We are out front most nights in the good weather, “stooping” with the neighbors. Most of us have dogs who join us. We all have stories.
Our former neighbor Kathleen Parker once wrote in her Washington Post column that Jack’s and my run on Olive Street “can only be described as the most small-town values union I’ve ever witnessed.” We took that as a compliment.
As the bluest area in one of the bluest cities in America, Georgetown is heaven for gays. No one cares. No one puts up a fuss. Most everyone just wants another drink and the opportunity to come inside to see what the gays have done to their living room.
We don’t put up a rainbow flag because we don’t need to. People know who, what and where we are.
My life at work was just as much a blessing. I was a feature writer for USA Today for 30 years and wrote a weekly column, basically about my daily life, which was very similar to that of my readers.
At first, readers thought I worked for a law firm when I talked about my “partner,” but over the years it became clear I was gay and Jack was not my law partner.
I always thought the strength of the column was that it was not a gay column for and about gay people. It was stories of everyday life everyone could relate to.
Like life on Olive Street. Happy Pride!
My office was on M St. around the corner from Olive St. from 1984 to 2014. I often parked on Olive St, and on warm days joined Craig and Jack for a drink on my way home. On occasion, Kathleen Parker was there. It was always a pleasure to be with them. I am a straight African American long time labor arbitrator now in a senior residence in Montgomery Village at 94.
What a fabulous tribute to our neighborhood. I have lived on 28th between olive snd N for 35 years and often pass by the neighbors with my dog Lady Georgia ( maybe you have seen her around wearing shoes). Our neighborhood welcomes everyone. During the pandemic my husband Bob said he would never move because where could you find such great neighbors. Thank you for your post. Caryn