Washington Blade, Volume 56, Issue 22, May 30, 2025
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Sinners and Saints bar vandalized in suspected anti-LGBTQ hate crime
Homophobic slur discovered at Adams Morgan business
By JOE REBERKENNY
Shattered glass, broken doors, and homophobic slurs were discovered in the entryway of Adams Morgan queer bar Sinners and Saints (2309 18th St., N.W.) on May 22. Images of the destruction were posted to the bar’s Instagram and news of the break-in began to spread.
The Washington Blade sat down with one of the co-partners and general manager of Sinners and Saints, Blair Nixon, to discuss the break-in and the overwhelming response from the LGBTQ community.
“Our door was broken so the glass was shattered,” Nixon told the Blade when describing the damage done to the space.
“They wrote a slur on our wall, and unfortunately we’re not sure to the extent that it was, but there’s a bunch of inventory missing from our liquor closet. It does seem like it was targeted because of what they wrote on the wall.”
Nixon, who has been with the bar since its opening last August, explained that upon learning of the break-in, fear was his first reaction.
“It was really scary,” Nixon said. “To know that somebody was in our space, vandalizing it, it was very scary and honestly, devastating.”
He went on to say that if it weren’t for the restaurant above Sinners and Saints, La Grotta, they wouldn’t have known until hours later.
“We found out because of the restaurant upstairs that we’re partnered with,” he said.
“The electricity to the entire building was turned off, including apartments and the restaurant above us. Whoever broke in went into the closet that’s outside of the building and turned the electricity off to the entire building. When the restaurant owners got there, they tried to figure out why there wasn’t any electricity. They went downstairs and saw the shattered glass, the door broken, and the slur on the wall.”
Once Sinners and Saints staff arrived to survey the damage, they posted the images to their Instagram and called the Metropolitan Police Department. Nixon was grateful for both MPD and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs’s quick reaction.
“We were really happy with the response,” Nixon said. “The mayor’s office reached out relatively quickly, and I had a conversation
with them, and the police came shortly afterwards, and they did a really good job. So we’re very appreciative of the response. They took a statement, they looked at the damage, took photos of everything, and made a report.”
“They actually sent, like, the entire department,” he added. “There were multiple police officers, multiple detectives, and the LGBTQ liaison came a little bit later. In general, I just really appreciated the response overall.”
The Blade obtained a copy of the police report, which described the break-in as a felony-more specifically, MPD considered it a second-degree burglary. MPD’s report also classified the break-in and subsequent graffiti as having “a hate bias or motivation” against sexual minorities who own and frequent the bar.
Unfortunately, there were no cameras on the premises at the time of the break-in, which MPD estimates happened sometime between 2-6 p.m., but Sinners and Saints was able to obtain footage from nearby businesses.
“We did have some camera footage from the hostel next door, and we submitted that to law enforcement,” he said. “We’re just going to let them do their investigation, and I don’t want to make any suppositions about what might have happened.”
When asked what he believed motivated
LGBTQ leaders celebrate Frank Kameny’s 100th birthday at Supreme Court
Advocates march, deliver speeches to remember activist’s many contributions
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
More than 100 people joined the leaders of a dozen prominent national LGBTQ rights organizations on May 21 to celebrate the 100th birthday of iconic gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court building in the nation’s capital.
Kameny, who passed away on Oct. 11, 2011, on National Coming Out Day, has been hailed as one of the founding leaders of the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
Among other things, he became the first openly gay man to file an appeal about gay rights to the U.S. Supreme Court, which was among the reasons organizers of his birthday celebration chose to hold it at the Supreme Court.
“Today is the 100th birthday of Frank Kameny, the founder of the LGBTQ civil rights movement,” said Malcolm Lazin, who served as national chair of the committee that organized the Kameny 100th birthday event. Frank is one of the nation’s most consequential civil rights leaders,” Lazin told the gathering in opening remarks.
“We are in front of the Supreme Court
because Frank believed in the Constitution’s promise of equality for all Americans,” he said. “He based his liberation strategy against systemic homophobia on that promise.”
Participants in the event, many of whom were young LGBTQ activists from New York City, carried 100 candles to commemorate Kameny’s birthday.
They were joined by the national LGBTQ organization leaders who formed a ceremonial picket line carrying replicas of the “homosexual rights” signs used in the 1965 historic first gay protest outside the White House organized by Kameny and his supporters from the Mattachine Society of Washington, a gay rights group that Kameny helped to form.
Among speakers at the event was Jim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the same-sex marriage lawsuit that resulted in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. Obergefell noted that the Kameny birthday celebration marks the 10th anniversary of the high court’s marriage decision and recalls for him
the incident, Nixon didn’t offer a definitive answer. He suggested it was likely someone hostile to LGBTQ businesses in Washington but assured the Blade that Sinners and Saints would not back down and that the LGBTQ community stands firmly behind them.
“I don’t want to make any statements about what we think happened. We’re going to let the police do their job. But, as the only QTBIPOC bar in D.C., I think it’s important to note that we’re still here. We’re not going to close. We appreciate the support of our community, and I think that overall, it’s really important that we’re a safe space for the underserved and marginalized communities in D.C. Given that D.C. has, you know, one of the largest queer populations-but there aren’t very many spaces for the communities that we serve-we’re very proud to serve those communities. And we aren’t going to stop.”
Nixon had one critique for MPD, but was overall happy with the quick response.
“We hope that law enforcement would have a greater presence in Adams Morgan,” he said. “I think that, especially from talking to other establishment owners and bar owners, there’s definitely been some increased issues in Adams Morgan, and we hope that that doesn’t continue. We talked to the Mayor’s Office about it and to the police when they came to have a greater presence in Adams Morgan.”
Kameny’s role as a strong supporter of legalizing same-sex marriage.
Obergefell and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), the Senate’s first openly lesbian member, served as national honorary cochairs of the Kameny 100th birthday celebration.
Ross Murray, a vice president of GLAAD, told how Kameny used an effective strategy to fight homophobia both for the public and to many in the LGBTQ community who experienced internalized homophobia due to societal pressure.
“So, using the model of ‘Black is Beautiful,’ Frank turned perceptions upside down when he coined ‘Gay is Good,’” Murray said. “And he carried that on a picket sign in 1970 at the first New York Pride Parade.”
Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff told the gathering that the early 1960s era newsletter of the Mattachine Society of Washington, that Kameny helped to start, evolved into the early version of the Washington Blade in 1969.
“Frank recognized the importance of com-
munity building and engagement by having a reliable community news source,” Naff said.
“We are honored to join in the 100th birthday tribute to one of our founders, Frank Kameny.”
Japer Bowles, director of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, said the mayor’s office is proud that the city hosted Kameny’s 100th birthday celebration. Bowles announced that Bowser issued an official mayoral proclamation declaring May 21, 2025, Frank Kameny Centennial Day. In her proclamation Bowser recites many of Kameny’s accomplishments in advancing LGBTQ rights in D.C. and across the nation and concludes by stating she commends “this observance to all Washingtonians with a reminder to always remember, as Frank Kameny often said, ‘Gay is Good.’”
The iron gate and glass door of Sinners and Saints smashed. (Photo from Sinners and Saints’s Instagram page)
More than 100 people turned out for a celebration of Frank Kameny’s 100th birthday on Wednesday. (Blade photos by Michael Key)
WorldPride hotel bookings hint at disappointing turnout
Welcome events set for this weekend but predictions of 3 million visitors not panning out
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
Beneath the optimistic press releases from WorldPride D.C. organizers lies a disappointing reality: Predictions of up to three million visitors traveling to the region for the events are not materializing.
Indeed, a quick look at hotel occupancy rates reveals wide open availability across D.C. for the June 6-9 weekend with many hotels offering discounted rates.
LGBTQ activists from Europe, Mexico, Canada, and other parts of the U.S. have announced they decided not to come to Washington, D.C. for WorldPride because of the hostile, anti-LGBTQ policies of President Donald Trump and his administration. The activists indicating they would not come to WorldPride D.C. have said they were especially concerned over the Trump administration’s anti-transgender policies.
Kyle Deckelbaum, an official with Destination D.C., an organization that promotes tourism and large-scale events, and that has been supporting WorldPride D.C. for at least two years, said his group has received differing reports about the attendance at WorldPride.
He said that as of May 21, the most recent data show that hotel bookings for the WorldPride opening ceremony weekend of May 30-June 1, and for the closing ceremony weekend of June 6-8, are down by 3 percent compared to the same two weekends in 2024. D.C.’s regularly scheduled annual Capital Pride Festival and Parade took place the second weekend of June 2024.
But Deckelbaum points out that the 3 percent lower bookings are for D.C. hotels only, not those in the surrounding Virginia and Maryland counties, where many WorldPride participants are expected to stay. He also notes that bookings do not reflect the full “occupancy” of a hotel room, saying it is common that two or more visitors can share a hotel room.
“The way to look at hotel booking pace is it is a kind of indicator of travel, but it does not necessarily indicate occupancy, nor would it indicate attendance,” he said, referring to the overall attendance at WorldPride.
Deckelbaum said another factor is that there are more hotels that have opened in D.C. since last year, increasing the supply of rooms, which could account for a slightly lower booking rate.
“And there are a lot of factors at play outside of WorldPride, where occupancy has been tracking just below last year every weekend this year because there is a decrease in international visitation,” he said. “That’s overall to the U.S., that’s not D.C. specific.”
On the optimistic side, Deckelbaum notes that a “surge in positive op-ed articles from around the world” have appeared recently in support of WorldPride D.C. in newspapers in countries such as United Kingdom and Canada.
“We are seeing an uptick in op-ed submissions from international markets that explain people’s reasons for coming,” he said.
Last month, Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination D.C., told the Blade he could not predict whether as many as 2 million or more visitors would come as WorldPride organizers had predicted earlier this year.
“So, as we talk to hotels, we would have liked to see the city fully sold out at this point,” he said.
The Capital Pride Alliance, the D.C.-based group serving as lead organizer of WorldPride D.C., has pointed out that the local D.C. government has a longtime strong record of support for the LGBTQ community. They have also argued that LGBTQ activists should come to WorldPride as a form of protest against the Trump administration, among other things, by joining the planned LGBTQ and allied March on Washington for Freedom, set to take place June 8 and travel from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan Bos, executive director of Capital Pride Alliance, said the group doesn’t believe media reports of lower hotel bookings are predictive of the actual number of people that will turn out for WorldPride D.C. Although he did not offer a prediction of the size of the turnout, he said the enthusiasm and large number of people who turned out for the first week of WorldPride events was impressive.
“The energy and respect among each other were energizing and continued as other events popped up through Latinx Pride and API [Asian Pacific Islander] Pride and this past weekend with D.C. Black Pride, which was a huge success,” he said.
“People understand this is an historic moment, how important it is that our community supports each other, that every LGBTQ business, organization, social group that we rally together to ensure that our community shows up,” Bos told the Blade in a May 27 phone interview.
“Celebration is a form of protest,” he said. “So, protest is defiance, resilience and joy. And it’s not just about WorldPride,” Bos continued. “This is about us ensuring that we can persevere and be resilient across our country and around the world. And to ensure that all of our Prides continue to take place and that we do not go back in the closet.”
He added, “We have nearly 300 events between the ones Capital Pride Alliance is organizing to all the amazing partners in the community to have something for everybody, and we are excited to welcome so many who deserve to be seen so they can experience the D.C. that isn’t the federal government, that is part of this fabric of freedom, this community, these neighborhoods that make D.C. such a great place to live.”
A statement released on May 27 by WorldPride D.C. 2025 organizers says the events that began May 17 and dozens more set to take place through June 8 represent a “celebration of LGBTQ+ culture, identity, and unity.”
The statement adds that the events make up a “packed calendar of festivals, sports, concerts, and cultural experiences marking 50 years of Pride in D.C.”
It points out that this week’s highlights included the start of the WorldPride Film Festival, scheduled for May 27-29, the annual Pride Flag Raising ceremony organized by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which was set for May 29, and the kickoff of the Capital Cup Sports Festival set for May 30-June 4.
As if that were not enough, the organizers’ statement notes that the WorldPride Welcome Ceremony and Concert set for Saturday, May 31, at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium with headliner Shakira performing and welcoming remarks by key dignitaries would set the pace for the remainder of the WorldPride events.
But while indicating all is going according to plans, the statement does not respond to multiple media reports that earlier predictions that WorldPride D.C. would attract between two and three million visitors does not appear to be happening.
WorldPride organizers announced last week that actress and trans activist Laverne Cox, powerhouse performer Reneé Rapp, and LGBTQ trailblazer Deacon Maccubbin will serve as grand marshals for this year’s WorldPride parade set for June 7.
“I am so honored to serve as one of the grand marshals for WorldPride this year. This has been one of the most difficult times in recent history for queer and trans people globally,” Cox said. “But in the face of all the rhetorical, legislative and physical attacks, we continue to have the courage to embrace who we truly are, to celebrate our beauty, resilience and bravery as a community. We refuse to allow fear to keep us from ourselves and each other. We remain out loud and proud.”
“Pride is everything. It is protection, it is visibility, it is intersectional. But most importantly, it is a celebration of existence and protest,” Rapp said.
RYAN BOS of Capital Pride Alliance remains upbeat despite ominous numbers showing that hotel bookings for WorldPride weekend are lower than last year. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
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Murdered Israeli embassy officials were supporters of D.C.’s LGBTQ synagogue
Bet Mishpachah calls fatal shooting outside Capital Jewish Museum
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
The two Israeli embassy officials who were shot to death outside D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday evening, May 21, were strong supporters of Bet Mishpachah, D.C.’s LGBTQ supportive synagogue, according to a statement it released.
“We are especially devastated by the loss of our dear colleague and friend of Bet Mishpachah, Sarah Milgram, and her soon to be fiancé, Yaron Lischinsky,” the LGBTQ synagogue said in a May 22 statement.
“Sarah was the liaison between Bet Mishpachah and the Israeli Embassy, working closely with our staff and clergy,” the statement says. “Her warmth, professionalism, and deep commitment to building bridges within the Jewish community made her not only a trusted partner but a beloved part of our extended congregational family,” according to the statement.
A statement also released on May 22 by the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia says Chicago resident Elias Rodriguez, 30, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder along with other weapons related charges in connection with the shooting deaths of Milgram and Lischinsky.
Officials with the D.C. police and the FBI, which has joined D.C. police in continuing to investigate the case, have said Rodriquez arrived in D.C. from Chicago one day prior to the shooting and appears to have targeted an event taking place at the Capital Jewish Museum for violence at the time it was hosting an event called “Young Diplomats Reception,” in which Israeli Embassy officials were in attendance.
Police and FBI officials have said Rodriguez allegedly shot Milgrim and Lischinsky after they left the Capital Jewish Museum at the conclusion of the event. The museum is located at 575 3rd Street, N.W.
“Surveillance footage reportedly shows Rodriquez walking past the victims before turning and firing multiple rounds,” the U.S. Attorney’s statement says. “After the victims fell, he allegedly continued firing at close range, including as
‘devastating’
one attempted to crawl away,” it says, adding, “Investigators recovered a 9 mm handgun and 21 spent shell casings at the scene.”
Police have said Rodriguez walked into the Capital Jewish Museum after the shooting and was detained by security guards until D.C. police arrived. Witnesses said he began to shout, “free, free Palestine” before police took him into custody.
“Make no mistake, this attack was targeted, antisemitic violence,” said Steven Jenson, an FBI assistant director working on the investigation. “The FBI will continue to pursue all leads and use all available resources to investigate this heinous murder,” he said in the statement.
The fatal shooting took place five days after the Capital Jewish Museum opened a special exhibition called “LGBT Jews in the Federal City” on May 16. “This landmark exhibition explores a turbulent century of celebrations, activism, and change in the nation’s capital by D.C.’s LGBTQ+ Jewish community,” the museum said in a statement announcing the exhibition.
Photos and documents related to Bet Mishpachah make up a prominent part of the exhibition.
During a May 22 press conference organized by the U.S. Attorney for D.C., Jeanine Pirro, to provide an update on the investigation into the two murders, Pirro and FBI official Jensen referred to the two murders as a hate crime and terrorist act.
In response to a question from the Washington Blade asking if investigators were looking into whether the LGBTQ exhibition at the Capital Jewish Museum might have played some role in Gonzales’s motive for targeting the museum, Pirro responded to the question.
“So, we are looking into absolutely everything,” she said. “There is so much information we’re looking at. And I must tell you, coming from New York, I’ve never seen the cooperation and coordination that I’m seeing here. It was immediate. It was instant. It was coordinated. And my hat’s off to
this area. We’re going to clean it up, thank you,” she said in ending the press conference.
Josh Maxey, Bet Mishpachah’s executive director, said he and Israeli Embassy official Milgram became friends during their two-and-a-half-year interaction working on joint events between the embassy and Bet Mishpachah.
“This became a wonderful two and a half years journey of putting events together, of hosting events together, doing different programs for the community,” Maxey told the Blade. Among the activities the two worked on, he said, was the embassy’s annual LGBTQ Pride event.
Maxie said his own grieving over the death of Milgram and her boyfriend Lischinsky was heightened by the fact that he spoke with her by phone on the day of the shooting shortly before she arrived at the Jewish Museum over plans about this year’s LGBTQ Pride events.
“Sarah really championed us to be included in Israeli events,” Maxey said. “And so, I am just devastated that this true embodiment of an ally was so viciously and violently taken away from us.”
Delaware marriage equality bill advances out of committee
The bill that would amend Delaware’s state constitution to codify same-sex marriage advanced out of the Senate Executive Committee last week and now goes to the Senate chamber for a vote. If passed, the vote would go on to the House.
Three members of the committee voted favorable and one voted on its merits, meaning the member recommends the chamber take action on the legislation but does not take a position on what action should be taken.
Senate Bill 100 was introduced in April by Democratic Sen. Russ Huxtable of the sixth district of Delaware and has 21 co-sponsors. It is the first leg of an amendment to the Delaware Constitution. The act would “establish the right to marry as a fundamental right and that Delaware and its political subdivisions shall recognize marriages and issue marriage licenses to couples regardless of gender.”
Senate Substitute One was adopted in lieu of the original bill on May 16. SB 100 originally focused exclusively on marriage equality relating to gender and the bill was tweaked to include protection for all classes that fall under Delaware’s Equal Rights Amendment, including race, color, national origin, and sex.
The Wednesday committee meeting heard testimony on
SS 1 for SB 100 from individuals and organizations, including John Reynolds, Deputy Policy and Advocacy Director of Delaware’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
“After hard fought recent victories, the rights of LGBTQ Americans are under attack in many places across our
country,” Reynolds said during his testimony. “It is important that Delaware be proactive and serve as a firewall protecting individual civil liberties. SS 1 for SB 100 is an example of this important work cementing the protections for marriage equality in our state constitution.”
According to Sen. Huxtable, the ACLU helped provide feedback on some of the bill’s language. Reynolds said the ACLU thought it was important to testify because this is a moment when so much is changing.
“These attacks are not just on specific communities, they’re on this concept of equality and liberty,” Reynolds told the Washington Blade. “We need to build these firewalls to both prevent harm to folks on the frontline of these attacks but also ensure that we don’t set very problematic and damaging standards that can be used to roll back protections for large [swaths] of our population.”
SS 1 for SB 100 requires a vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to pass. If passed, the next General Assembly after the next general election also has to pass it. Delaware is the only state in the country that can amend its state constitution without a vote of the people.
ABIGAIL HATTING
Bet Mishpachah members march at the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, Oct. 11, 1987. (Photo courtesy of Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Bet Mishpachah with thanks to Joel Wind & Al Munzer)
Sen. RUSS HUXTABLE introduced the measure to protect same-sex marriage in Delaware. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
So far, virtually no acknowledgment of Pride month by federal gov’t
Observances were far more visible under Biden administration
By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com
Just a few days from the start of June, there has been virtually no acknowledgment of Pride month by federal government agencies this year, a striking departure from recent policy and practice under the Biden-Harris administration and even under President Donald Trump’s first term.
Some limited and more localized observances have been preserved or renewed in 2025, for example by the U.S. courts’ webpage celebrating history-making LGBTQ jurists like Judges Deborah A. Batts and J. Paul Oetken of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which notes on its website plans to actively participate in WorldPride 2025.
The paltriness of Pride this year comes pursuant to several policy changes under Trump 2.0 such as executive orders narrowing the definition of gender to exclude trans and nonbinary people and banning activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which have led to agency-wide changes including the removal of LGBTQ focused website content and dissolution of “affinity groups.”
Many of these actions came to light in the first few months of Trump’s second term. For example, in January the Associated Press reported a memo from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency indicating that observances related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pride month, Holocaust Days of Remembrance, and other cultural or historical annual events would be paused.
While it remains to be seen whether and to what extent the White House, federal government, and Congress will acknowledge Pride month in 2025, in 2024:
• At the end of May, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation declaring June LGBTQ Pride Month, as he had done for the previous three years of his administration.
• The U.S. Senate, then under Democratic control, introduced a resolution recognizing June 2024 as LGBTQ Pride Month.
• Federal agencies across the whole of government participated in Pride activities, and at a high level — for instance, then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a Pride month convening focused on U.S. foreign policy, national security, inclusive development, and human rights.
• Actions in June, which in many cases were coordinated via LGBTQ employee resource groups or affinity groups, included celebrations of LGBTQ individuals — for example, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration toasted those who made significant contributions to economic growth, while the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hosted a “Proud Innovation 2024” event, highlighting the accomplishments of LGBTQ innovators, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who utilize intellectual property to grow their businesses and mentor others in their communities.
• Agencies also provided support indirectly – for example, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sponsored attorneys who wished to represent the FTC at LGBTQ Pride events organized by various bar associations.
The Washington Post pointed to some of the challenges facing organizers of WorldPride as they plan festivities in D.C. throughout early June: “This year, the LGBTQ+ celebration is being held in the backyard of a government that has targeted transgender rights and made major cuts to HIV prevention programs. At the Kennedy Center, President Donald Trump has promised “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS, OR OTHER ANTI-AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.”
On June 14, Trump is set to preside over a military parade in Washington commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, his 79th birthday, and Flag Day, in a celebration that will feature 6,600 soldiers from at least 11 corps and divisions nationwide and 150 military vehicles, including 28 M1 Abrams tanks.
House passes reconciliation bill with anti-LGBTQ provisions
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives last Thursday voted 215-214 for passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” reconciliation package, which includes provisions that would prohibit the use of federal funds to support gender-affirming care.
But for an 11th hour revision of the bill late Wednesday night by conservative lawmakers, Medicaid and CHIP would have been restricted only from covering treatments and interventions administered to patients younger than 18.
The legislation would also drop requirements that some health insurers must cover gender-affirming care as an “essential health benefit” and force states that currently mandate such coverage to find it independently. Plans could still offer coverage for transgender care but without the EHB classification patients will likely pay higher out of pocket costs.
To offset the cost of extending tax cuts from 2017 that disproportionately benefited the wealthiest Americans, the reconciliation bill contains significant cuts to spending for federal programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Human Rights Campaign criticized House Republicans in a press release and statement by the group’s president, Kelley Robinson:
“People in this country want policies and solutions that make life better and expand access to the American Dream. Instead, anti-equality lawmakers voted to give handouts to billionaires built on the backs of hardworking people — with devastating consequences for the LGBTQ+ community.
“If the cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP or resources like Planned Parenthood clinics weren’t devastating enough, House Republicans added a last minute provision that expands its attacks on access to best practice health care to transgender adults.
“This cruel addition shows their priorities have never been about lowering costs or expanding health care access–but in targeting people simply for who they are. These lawmakers have abandoned their constituents, and as they head back to their districts,
know this: they will hear from us.”
Senate Republicans are expected to pass the bill with the budget reconciliation process, which would allow them to bypass the filibuster and clear the spending package with a simple majority vote.
Changes are expected as the bill will be reviewed and amended by committees, particularly the Finance Committee, and then brought to the floor for debate — though modifications are expected to focus on Medicaid reductions and debate over state and local tax deductions.
CHRISTOPHER KANE
PRESIDENT TRUMP has attacked trans rights and banned DEI. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
U.S. House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON (R-La.) (Blade photo by Michael Key)
Gerry Connolly dies at 75 after cancer battle
Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia died on Wednesday, according to a statement from his family.
The 75-year-old lawmaker, who served in Congress since 2009, announced last month that he will not seek reelection and would step down from his role as the top Democrat on the powerful U.S. House Oversight Committee because his esophageal cancer had returned.
U.S. Rep. GERRY CONNOLLY (D-Va.) speaks at a Barack Obama rally on Oct. 19, 2012. (Blade photo by Michael
“We were fortunate to share Gerry with Northern Virginia for nearly 40 years because that was his joy, his purpose, and his passion,” his family said in their statement. “His absence will leave a hole in our hearts, but we are proud that his life’s work will endure for future generations.”
“He looked out for the disadvantaged and voiceless. He always stood up for what is right and just,” they said.
Connolly was memorialized in statements from colleagues and friends including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), former President Joe Biden, and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
Several highlighted Connolly’s fierce advocacy on behalf of federal workers, who are well represented in his northern Virginia congressional district.
The congressman also supported LGBTQ rights throughout his life and career.
When running for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1994, he fought the removal of Washington Blade newspapers from libraries. When running in 2008 for the U.S. house seat vacated by Tom Davis, a Republican, Connolly campaigned against the amendment to Virginia’s constitution banning same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state.
In Congress, he supported the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality, the Biden-Harris administration’s rescission of the anti-trans military ban, and the designation within the State Department of a special LGBTQ rights envoy. The congressman also was an original cosponsor of the Equality Act and co-sponsored legislation to repeal parts of the Defense of Marriage Act.
CHRISTOPHER KANE
Guilty verdicts in NYC gay bar drugging scheme
A New York judge last Wednesday sentenced three men convicted of killing a D.C. political consultant and another man who they targeted at gay bars in Manhattan.
NBC New York notes a jury in February convicted Jayqwan Hamilton, Jacob Barroso, and Robert DeMaio of murder, robbery, and conspiracy in relation to druggings and robberies that targeted gay bars in Manhattan from March 2021 to June 2022.
John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant from D.C., and Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, died. Prosecutors said Hamilton, Barroso, and DeMaio targeted three other men at gay bars.
The jury convicted Hamilton and DeMaio of murdering Umberger. State Supreme Court Judge Felicia Mennin sentenced Hamilton and DeMaio to 40 years to life in prison.
Barroso, who was convicted of killing Ramirez, received a 20 years to life sentence.
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Greene’s bill to ban gender affirming care advances
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)’s “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” which would criminalize guideline-directed gender affirming health care for minors, will advance to markup in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning.
Doctors and providers who administer medical treatments for gender dysphoria to patients younger than 18, including hormones and puberty blockers, would be subject to Class 3 felony charges punishable by up to 10 years in prison if the legislation is enacted.
LGBTQ advocates warn conservative lawmakers want to go after families who travel out of state to obtain medical care for their transgender kids that is banned or restricted in the places where they reside, using legislation like Greene’s to expand federal jurisdiction over these decisions. They also point to the medically inaccurate way in which the bill characterizes evidence-based interventions delineated in standards of care for trans and gender diverse youth as “mutilation” or “chemical castration.”
Days into his second term, President Donald Trump signed “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” an executive order declaring that the U.S. would not “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit” medical treatments and interventions intended for this purpose.
Greene, who has introduced the bill in years past, noted the president’s endorsement of her bill during his address to the joint session of Congress in March when he said “I want Congress to pass a bill permanently banning and criminalizing sex changes on children and forever ending the lie that any child is trapped in the wrong body.”
CHRISTOPHER KANE
Newsom backs bill to put
LGBTQ
hotline on student IDs
Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed support for LGBTQ suicide hotline measures for K-12 students in direct response to recent reports that Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s., plans to cut funding for the national nonprofit that provides the resource to LGBTQ people.
“Cutting off kids’ access to help is indefensible. While the Trump administration walks away from its responsibility, California will continue to expand access to life-saving resources, because the life of every child — straight, gay, trans — is worth fighting for,” said Gov. Newsom.
Assembly Bill 727, introduced by Assemblymember Mark González, would aim to facilitate pupil and student safety by requiring schools and institutions to have the telephone number and text line for a specified LGBTQ suicide hotline provided by The Trevor Project, that is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Existing law that will be enforced July 1, 2025, requires a public or private school that serves pupils in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and that issues pupil identification cards to have printed on the identification cards the number for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
This bill would additionally require the list of K-12 public schools and institutions to provide support to youth and their families who have been subjected to school-based discrim-
ination, harassment, intimidation or bullying on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation or gender expression.
Conservative organizations like the California Family Council are pushing back on this bill, stating that this bill is “forcing LGBTQ advocacy on every student ID — no exemptions for religious schools,” and saying it “undermines families.”
A national 2024 survey by The Trevor Project on mental health of LGBTQ young people, reports that 1 in 10 young LGBTQ-indetifying people in the United States attempted suicide in 2023. Over a third of LGBTQ young people seriously considered suicide within the past year and that figure was even higher for trans and nonbinary-identifying youth, with that figure being 46%.
The survey also found that half of LGBTQ youth who wanted mental health resources and care could not get them. Over 50% of survey respondents answered “a lot” when asked about how often recent politics negatively impact their well-being.
The Trevor Project is one of the nonprofit organizations that is currently at high-risk for losing their funding under Trump’s budget cuts.
The phone number to call for help is 1-866-488-7386 and the number to text for help is 678-678.
GISSELLE
PALOMERA
Key)
U.S. Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) (Blade photo by Michael Key)
Anti-LGBTQ crackdowns overshadow global Pride events
Hungarian authorities have banned Budapest LGBTQ march
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Efforts to curtail LGBTQ rights that are gaining traction in the U.S. and other countries will overshadow this year’s Pride events.
Budapest Pride is scheduled to take place in the Hungarian capital on June 28.
Hungarian lawmakers in March passed a bill that bans Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them. MPs last month amended the Hungarian constitution to ban public LGBTQ events.
Budapest authorities on Monday banned an LGBTQ rights march that was scheduled to have taken place on June 1. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the Háttér Society, and other human rights and LGBTQ organizations say they will challenge the ban.
“By banning the event, the state discriminatorily restricts one of the most fundamental democratic rights: the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” said Budapest Pride in a press release.
Tanzania is among the countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.
LGBT Voice Tanzania on Tuesday acknowledged Pride Month on its LinkedIn page. The advocacy group also appealed for more “international visibility and solidarity” and additional resources to support its work in the East African country.
“In Tanzania, being LGBTQ+ isn’t just difficult — it’s dangerous,” said LGBT Voice Tanzania. “Many LGBTQ+ individuals face systemic violence, rejection, and criminalization simply for existing. Their lives are shaped by fear, silence, and isolation — not because of who they are, but because of how society treats them.”
Two Chilean advocacy groups — the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh) and Fundación Iguales — on June 21 will hold their Pride parade in Santiago, the country’s capital.
Reported cases of discrimination and hate speech based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the South American country increased dramatically in 2024. The Chilean Chamber of Deputies on May 15 by a 56-31 vote margin approved a report that calls for the immediate suspension of a program that provides psychosocial support to transgender and gender non-conforming children and their parents.
“We have made a lot of progress, but this 25th march coincides with setbacks in terms of equality and non-discrimination,” said Movilh spokesperson Javiera Zúñiga in a press release.
Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance will hold its annual Pride parade on June 5.
This year marks a decade since an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man stabbed Shira Banki, a 16-year-old teenager, to death during the 2015 parade. Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance Chair Hadas Kerem Bloemendal said Banki’s father will speak at the event.
“A lot of things are going to be mentioned this year,” Bloemendal told the Blade. Kyiv Pride plans to organize a march and other events in the Ukrainian capital throughout June.
The events will take place more than three years since Russia launched its war against the country. Kyiv Pride CEO Anna Sharyhina on Tuesday in a message posted to their Facebook page encouraged people to support LGBTQ servicemembers.
“Pride Month and KyivPride can be a reason to remind your audience about our community — which is a part of Ukrainian society — about our joint struggle, about meetings, about countering Russian propaganda, about LGBTQ+ military personnel, veterans and the dead who are still, or will forever remain unprotected by the law,” wrote Sharyhina.
IDAHOBiT
events stressed resistance
The Trump-Vance administration since it took office in January has issued a number of executive orders that have specifically targeted trans and nonbinary people. They include a declaration that the federal government will recognize “only two genders, male and female” and a directive that bans the State Department from issuing passports with an “X” gender marker.
These directives have overshadowed WorldPride events in D.C. that began last weekend.
The Trump-Vance administration’s decision to suspend most foreign aid has forced several LGBTQ rights groups and HIV/AIDS service organizations in South Africa, Kenya, and other African countries that received U.S. funding to curtail operations or shut
down. Lawmakers in Vanuatu are considering an amendment to the country’s constitution that would recognize only two sexes: male and female.
Argentine President Javier Milei in February issued a decree that restricts minors’ access to gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments. An appeals court in Trinidad and Tobago in March recriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations in the Caribbean country.
The U.K. Supreme Court in April ruled the legal definition of a woman is limited to “biological women” and does not include trans women. IL-
GA-Europe in an annual update to its Rainbow Map, which documents LGBTQ rights in European countries, also noted a “sweeping ban on all forms of LGBTI representation and assembly” that Georgian lawmakers passed last fall.
“They are merely the most striking examples of a broader trend in which LGBTI human rights are being systematically dismantled under the guise of preserving public order,” said ILGA-Europe ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia. “In reality, such measures pave the way for sweeping restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the rights to protest and to political dissent.”
“This Pride season is different,” said Outright International, a global advocacy group, in an email it sent to supporters on May 15. “From funding cuts and escalating violence to increases in anti-LGBTIQ legislation, the global backlash against our movement is growing.”
IDAHOBiT commemorates the World Health Organization’s declassification of homosexuality as a mental disorder on May 17, 1990. This year’s IDAHOBiT theme was “the power of communities.”
“This year, and always, LGBTQIA+ people around the world are with feminist, sexual reproductive health rights, and broader social justice movements,” said ILGA World, a global LGBTQ rights group, in an email it sent to supporters before IDAHOBiT.
The Namibian High Court last June ruled Apartheid-era laws that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations in the country are unconstitutional. A law that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples in Thailand took effect on Jan. 23.
Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education, an organization directed by Mariela Castro, the daughter of former Cuban President Raúl Castro who spearheads LGBTQ issues on the island, this month organized a series of LGBTQ-specific events across the country. The National Assembly later this year will reportedly consider a proposal that would allow trans people to legally change the gender marker on their ID documents without surgery.
Activists in Manningham, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, marked IDAHOBiT. The first “Ringing the Bell for LGBTIQ+ Equality” ceremony that is part of a campaign to promote LGBTQ inclusion in the private sector took place at the Toronto Stock Exchange around IDAHOBiT
The U.N. LGBTI Core Group, a group of U.N. member states that have pledged to support LGBTQ and intersex rights, held an event the U.N. in New York that commemorated both IDAHOBiT and the International Day of Families. (The U.S. earlier this year withdrew from the Core Group after President Donald Trump took office.)
Fondation Émerge and Fierté Montréal organized a march in the Canadian city. Other IDAHOBiT events took place in South Africa, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the U.K., and elsewhere around the world.
From left: Gay Argentine Congressman ESTEBAN PAULÓN and Argentine LGBT+ Federation President MARÍA RACHID march against Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Feb. 1, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Esteban Paulón)
Welcome to 240 2nd Street, ideally situated on a quiet block in the sought-after Historic District of Lewes. Just steps from the town's best dining and shopping, this beautifully renovated Colonial Revival offers a private oasis in the center of it all.
From the moment you arrive, the sweeping front lawn and professional landscaping lead to the stately presence of this classic home. Inside, the charm continues with a graceful center hall, formal living room with stone
fireplace and sunlit solarium, and an elegant dining room. The back of the home opens to a spacious great room, second dining area, and sleek chef’s kitchen with custom cabinetry, Subzero and Wolfe appliances, and quartz countertops. A large screened porch, back deck, koi pond, and outdoor shower complete the inviting outdoor space.
Upstairs, find a bright home office or studio, a luxurious owner’s suite with two walk-in closets and spa-like
bath, two more spacious bedrooms (one with en-suite), and an additional full bath. The third floor features a loft, a 4th bedroom suite with deck access, and a large bonus room that can serve as a 5th bedroom, studio, or playroom.
Additional highlights include a full basement, 2-car garage, and ample parking in the fenced rear area. Blending timeless architecture with modern amenities, this exceptional home is a rare find in the heart of Lewes.
240 2nd Street, Lewes, DE | MLS: Desu2085754 | $3,750,000
MARTY ROUSE
is a renowned D.C. LGBTQ activist. He served for decades at the Human Rights Campaign and the Victory Fund.
WorldPride is here and LGBTQ Jews must be fully welcome An opportunity to model what queer liberation should look like
As someone who’s spent a career working to ensure LGBTQ+ people are represented in politics, welcomed in public life, and protected under law, I know how powerful visibility can be. I’ve also seen what happens when that visibility is denied — especially to those at the intersection of marginalized identities.
That’s why, as WorldPride arrives in Washington, D.C., I’m filled with both pride and a sense of deep responsibility.
WorldPride isn’t just a parade. It’s a global platform — a moment when the world’s eyes will be on our city. It’s an opportunity to model what queer liberation should look like: bold, inclusive, principled, and expansive.
But I’m also hearing, more and more, from LGBTQ Jews who aren’t sure they’ll be safe to show up.
Since Oct. 7, antisemitism has surged around the globe — including in progressive and queer spaces. We saw it last week when two Israeli embassy workers were killed in a shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum. Across the country, Jewish LGBTQ people are being asked to choose between parts of who they are. I’ve seen groups disinvited from Pride events for displaying a Jewish star. I’ve heard from friends who are now afraid to wear religious symbols in LGBTQ spaces. And I’ve witnessed silence from movement leaders when antisemitism appears — cloaked in politics, but no less dangerous.
As a gay Jewish man, I know how that erasure feels. And I know what it looks like to be told you’re welcome only if you agree to leave part of yourself at the door.
WorldPride in D.C. must not send that message.
This is our city. And this is our chance to lead. We can’t just be proud — we have to be accountable. We have to ensure that Pride is truly a space for all of us, including LGBTQ Jews who carry grief, identity, and history that may not always align neatly with dominant narratives.
That means taking action. It means working with groups like A Wider Bridge to make sure Jewish LGBTQ people are included at every level of planning. It means briefing security teams and marshals to protect—not police—those who show up with Jewish symbols. It means being clear that antisemitism, like all forms of hate, has no place at Pride.
It also means recognizing how deeply intertwined Jewish history is with queer liberation. From Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials, to countless Jewish LGBTQ activists who’ve helped shape movements from Stonewall to marriage equality, Jewish LGBTQ individuals have long been integral to our progress. Erasing their Jewishness erases our history and undermines our future.
We must reject purity tests that ask queer Jews to disavow who they are in order to be accepted. Such demands not only isolate LGBTQ Jews but weaken the solidarity that has been foundational to our collective progress.
To the organizers of WorldPride: You have the power to set the tone for the world. Use it to uplift — not exclude. Bring in diverse Jewish voices, especially Mizrahi, Sephardi, trans, and queer Jews of color. Make space for their grief. Honor their joy. Ensure their safety. And publicly affirm their presence, making clear that visibility at Pride includes the visibility of Jewish symbols, experiences, and identities.
To my fellow LGBTQ leaders: We’ve long said our movement must be inclusive. That must include Jews. Period. Inclusivity isn’t conditional. It means standing unequivocally against antisemitism, even — and especially — when it’s difficult or uncomfortable.
And to LGBTQ Jews: Don’t sit this one out. I understand the hesitation, the exhaustion, and the fear. But this moment calls for courage, too. You belong in every rainbow-colored corner of this movement. Wear your stars. Carry your flags. Share your stories and reclaim your visibility. Show up as your whole self.
WorldPride is here. Let’s make it a beacon — not just of celebration, but of courage, complexity, and true community. Let’s show the world a Pride that doesn’t just speak of solidarity but embodies it fully, unequivocally, and joyfully for every LGBTQ person — including Jews.
Kick off DC WorldPride with a Sunset Pool Party Friday, June 6, 6pm - midnight Deck 11
Hosted by Washington Heights with performances by Arrietty, Acacia Forgot, Druex Sidora and Crystal Edge. DJs and good vibes till midnight.
BOOK NOW
PETER ROSENSTEIN
is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
We’re all suffering in Trump’s
alternate
universe
We must throw MAGA sycophants out of Congress in 2026
We are all stuck for the moment, suffering in Trump’s alternate universe, where it’s OK to lie and insult foreign leaders who are your guests in the White House. Where it’s OK to lie and say you have a beautiful bill that won’t add to the deficit when it’s actually a disgusting bill that will add $4 trillion to the deficit. Where it’s OK to screw the poor and make the rich richer. Where you can scapegoat trans people and make their lives hell. Where you can invite racist South Africans into our country, and send legally here Venezuelans back home, to maybe face death. Where it is OK to take grift from Qatar in the form of a $400 million plane that will cost the American taxpayer over a billion dollars to retrofit for your sorry lying ass to use. That is the Trump alternate universe we all currently live in.
they know will have trou-
But as this alternate universe begins to unravel, I have a gut feeling the American people, or at least enough to make a difference, will wake up one morning and say ‘we’ve had it with you and your MAGA cult’ and finally rebel. My hope is they do it in time for the 2026 mid-term elections. By then there will be very few Americans who themselves, have a friend, or relative, who have not been negatively impacted from the actions taken in Trump’s alternate universe. They, or someone they know, will have lost their job. They will have lost their healthcare, or know someone who did, or find their rural hospital has closed. They or someone they know will have trouble applying for Social Security because their local office has been closed. They will know a veteran who can’t access their healthcare, because they were fired, or their VA hospital has fired so many care givers.
alternate universes it was OK to fire the people at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) so we no longer get predictions of hurricanes and tornadoes, which allowed communities to get advance warning. Then when they hit and create havoc and death, people will find out in Trump’s alternate universe the Federal Emergency and Management Administration (FEMA) has been defunded, so there is no help for them to rebuild their lives.
They will see their grocery bill go up, and all the Christmas gifts they hoped to buy for their children become unaffordable because of Trump’s tariffs. They will see their rent rise, and have no recourse but to find the money to pay it, or lose their home. They will be told they can no longer get their annual flu or COVID vaccination, and even if they could, their health insurance will no longer pay for it, and that is if they still have health insurance. Their prayers for a cure for their own, a relative, or friends’ illness; cancer, Alzheimer’s, MS, or HIV/AIDS, will have been dashed, as in Trump’s alternative universe all the research looking for those cures has been defunded.
They will wake up one morning to a nightmare realizing Trump lied to them. That he has appointed the biggest collection of incompetent fools ever to run the government. They will finally understand it’s not the government that is bad, but rather Trump and his MAGA minions. They will see too late that in Trump’s
diminishing them, while screwing them. They will and all of our allies in NATO, as he bows
I believe that one morning people will wake up to reality, and realize that yes, President Biden was diminished and should have said earlier he wouldn’t run for a second term. But their lives were still better and safer than they are now in Trump’s alternate universe. It is Trump who is diminished, and is diminishing them, while screwing them. They will recognize in Trump’s alternate universe the poor in the United States are expendable and don’t matter except as pawns in his desire to rule the world. He thinks it’s OK to screw the heroic people of Ukraine, and all of our allies in NATO, as he bows down and kisses Putin’s ass. That he can actually talk about displacing millions of Palestinians, so he can steal their homeland, and build a resort. That he can go to the Middle East, bow to their sheiks, and cut deals for his private company to build hotels and resorts. So again, it is my hope and prayer, that before 2026 they will realize Trump never had a mandate from them, the people, to enter his alternate universe. Contrary to his rants, while he won the last election, the vote was split nearly evenly. So, it won’t take many voters to throw his MAGA sycophants out of Congress in 2026. It won’t take many to rise up and say, “We have had it with your alternate universe.” They will refuse to continue to live in Trump’s alternate universe, where we get hurt, and you and your friends get richer on our backs. They will say, “We are ready to reclaim our country, to bring back common decency. You will not continue to lie to us and we will not continue to be fooled. We finally see through you, and see who you really are. We will keep you from doing any more harm to us, and our country, in your last two years in office.” Then the people will cast Trump and his MAGA sycophants in Congress out. They will see to it that he ends up on the dust heap of history and ensure that one day his tombstone will read “Here lies the lying felon who tried to destroy our county, but we stopped him, and took it back.”
bow to their sheiks, and cut the people, to enter his alternate universe. Contrary to his rants, while he many
We the people, will eventually win against Trump’s alternate universe, because good does finally triumph over evil, and Donald Trump, you are proving to be pure evil.
To be considered a true icon in music, it takes more than just a few hits – you need songs that stand the test of time, unforgettable fashion, and a devoted subset of queer fans. Kristine W checks all those boxes and then some, so it makes sense she would be asked to perform at the largest LGBTQ celebration of the year – WorldPride in D.C.
The dance floor diva recently sat down with the Washington Blade to discuss her upcoming performance for WorldPride, her new music, and how the LGBTQ community has always been at the core of her audience.
With hits like “Feel What You Want,” “One More Try,” and “Land of the Living” – songs that became part of the dance floor culture that gave LGBTQ people love and light during the otherwise dark time of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic of the ’90s – Kristine W created more than just music to dance to; she created a refuge for the LGBTQ community.
Kristine W on WorldPride, drag queens, and ‘Love Personified’
Dance diva reflects on decades of uplifting LGBTQ community
By JOE REBERKENNY | jreberkenny@washblade.com
“It’s pretty surreal,” Kristine W said when asked about the opportunity to perform at WorldPride. “I’m having a full-circle moment. I remember performing the single ‘Stronger’ when we did the march on Washington for marriage rights, and there were close to a million people there.”
Since that march, marriage equality became enshrined by the Supreme Court in 2015 with Obergefell v. Hodges, only a few hundred feet from where she will perform on Saturday, June 7, after the WorldPride Parade.
“We were all out there beating the drum,” she said. “It’s just really cool to have so many gay friends now that are married. It’s just incredible to look back at how far we’ve come.”
Looking to the future, she shared some exclusive details about her upcoming performance on the Capitol Stage with the Blade.
“I’m going to bring my Vegas dancers,” said the longtime Vegas resident and record holder for most live shows at the Las Vegas Hilton, besting even Elvis Presley. “They’re incredible. The boys are incredible and I’m going to bring all four of them.”
While she will bring some of her Vegas magic with her, she’s also incorporating some Washington talent into her performance. “We’re going to be using some D.C. singers… local singers that are going to sing with us. We’re putting charts and things together for them right now.”
Not only will some of the performers be new, but Kristine shared that she has written a new song she will debut at WorldPride.
“We’ve got a new single coming out on the Friday of Memorial Day. It’s called ‘Love Personified.’”
“We wrote this song that’s incredible,” she said. “It’s just all these strange, wonderful connections. It’s gotta be a God thing, because I have no explanation for how it all came together.”
“Love Personified,” like many of her previous tracks – including her hit “Land of the Living,” which spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart – is an attempt to reflect what she and her fans are living through. “‘Land of the Living’ was really an ode to struggling artists. But then it took on new meaning, because we were battling AIDS,” she said. The song’s meaning deepened as medication transformed HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a manageable condition. “It was a kind of celebratory time, because we had the meds.”
“I mean, resilience, perseverance, survivors – that’s been the backdrop of my body of work,” she added when reflecting on her music career. “People need encouragement when they’re going through hard times. I feel like my music is medicine.”
Kristine co-wrote “Love Personified” with Allan Rich and Jud Friedman, the Oscar-, Grammy-, Golden Globe-, and Emmy-nominated songwriting duo behind Whitney Houston’s “Run to You” from “The Bodyguard” soundtrack. It’s the same team she collaborated with
on “Stronger,” the powerful ballad she performed at the marriage equality march in Washington.
“They’re incredible,” Kristine said about the duo. “They wrote some of the songs on The Bodyguard soundtrack and they’re the funniest songwriting team. Allan is very gay and hilarious, and Jud is very straight and more buttoned-down. They are so great together, and we just had such a great time.”
Kristine continued, explaining how her LGBTQ fans have always been there, supporting and singing while she was on stage.
“I didn’t realize how big I was in the gay community until later, when I was in Vegas and all the drag queens started coming to my shows,” she said with a tone that can only be described as sounding like a smile. “Full face, full glam, impersonators from every drag show in town.”
“I feel like I was there at a time when I was really needed,” she added. “I didn’t shy away from it, even to my detriment at times. The record labels at that time were not into you doing the shows in those [gay] clubs. They would say, ‘Oh, you know you’re gonna be stuck in the gay ghetto. You play community gay clubs.’ That was really a strange thing that I went through with the labels, but I’m glad I hung right in there and I didn’t go anywhere. I feel like we’ve all grown together, and it’s just been a blessing – I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
“I have so many great LGBT friends – including my trans sisters, and one of my best friends who is a lesbian. I just have such a neat family. We’re all a cast of characters but we all love each other, and it’s pretty cool. I wouldn’t trade it – my great family.”
That connection only continued to grow as she leaned into the pop diva status that had been laid out for her.
“We did Donna Summer medleys with my dancers. One of them had toured with Donna. And the guys that remixed some of my “Stronger” album tracks had worked on her ‘Crayons’ album.”
“When you see the cover of “Love Personified,” that’s the original dress from Donna Summer’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ shoot. Zandra Rhodes lent it to me. That was surreal.”
Another surreal moment Kristine shared with the Blade was when iconic drag queen Lady Bunny came up to her at a performance and dubbed her an honorary member of the LGBTQ community.
“I can’t even tell you how honored I am to be a part of it. And I’ve been honored to be a part of the gay community for a long time, and as a straight female, I feel blessed. I had no idea who Lady Bunny was. She comes up to me with her wig so big it’s the equivalent of about 10 wigs, comes running up to me, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, shit! What did I do?’ And she goes, ‘Kristine W, we chose you. You didn’t choose us.’ And I didn’t even know what she was talking about.”
“We’re really good friends to this day, and I love her. And looking back on that, I go, ‘Wow. What an honor.’ I got freaking blessed by Lady Bunny at my first show in New York – the Sound Factory with Junior Vasquez. I thought she was going to kick my ass because she came at me like a truck. But she was anointing me – literally. I’m just… I’m just happy to be a part of the other family, honestly. And I’m just proud of everybody. Really proud of everybody.”
When asked what she hopes the people at WorldPride take away from her music – and from WorldPride in general – she said:
“I just want them to know that they are loved and they have a lot to celebrate. There’s always going to be things you don’t agree with – things you’re angry about. I mean, that’s life, right? But we should take a minute and just be grateful that you can love who you love. We haven’t cured AIDS, but we’re getting close. But people can live with it. It is things like that that make me feel good. It’s a good time to be alive, and in the land of the living.”
KRISTINE W (Photo by Levi Walker)
D.C. Queer Bar Guide
By JOE REBERKENNY
Note: The hours and specials listed here were accurate as of April 2025. Always check Instagram for updated specials. If you are a bar owner interested in submitting a change or correction, please email jreberkenny@washblade.com.
A League of Her Own
Address: 2319 18th Street, NW
Hours: Thurs 5PM–2AM, Fri 5PM–3AM, Sat 3PM–3AM, Sun 2PM–8AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly lesbian clientele; often described as Adams Morgan’s queer women neighborhood bar. Connected to Pitchers.
Drink Specials: Varies per night – check Instagram
Nearest Metro: Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro (0.8 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: No
Age Restriction: 21
Instagram: @alohodc
as you are.
Address: 500 8th Street, S.E.
Hours: Tues–Thurs 12PM–12AM, Fri & Sat 12PM–3AM, Sun 12PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; two-story queer space serves coffee, small bites, and breakfast during the day and transforms into bar and dance lounge at night
Drink Specials: Tues–Fri $2 off all beer, wine, and cocktails; discounted wine on Wed
Nearest Metro: Eastern Market (0.1 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: Yes – outdoor patio
Age Restriction: 21+ after 9PM Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @asyouaredc
Bunker
Address: 2001 14th St NW
Hours: Thurs 10PM–2:30AM, Fri & Sat 10PM–3:30AM, Sun 8PM–1AM
Clientele & Vibe: This post-apocalyptic dance club leans heavily into gay male energy—often shirtless, always sweaty. It’s the place to be when you want to stay out late and dance hard.
Drink Specials: $5 rails, High Noons, & domestics during early hours
Nearest Metro: U Street (0.3 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop, Latin, EDM, Circuit, or House
Outdoor Space: None
Age Restriction: 21+
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @bunkerclubdc
Crush Dance Bar
Address: 2007 14th St NW
Hours: Tues–Wed 5PM–12AM, Thurs 5PM–2AM, Fri 5PM–3AM, Sat 2PM–3AM,
Sun 2PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Crush is where queer folks go to dance. This massive two-level space features rotating DJs, themed nights, and a strong weekend happy hour.
Drink Specials: $7–$9 cocktails, ½ off beer/wine (check times)
Nearest Metro: U Street (0.3 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: Second-story patio
Age Restriction: 21+
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @crushdancebar
District Eagle
Address: 1357-B U St NW
Hours: Wed–Thurs 7PM–2AM, Fri 7PM–3AM, Sat 5PM–3AM, Sun 2PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: This bar caters to D.C.’s kink scene with a no-holds-barred attitude. Leather, cruising spaces, and themed nights make it one of the city’s “edgiest” queer spaces.
Drink Specials: Varies per day (Check Instagram)
Nearest Metro: U Street (0.3 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Varies by DJ
Outdoor Space: None
Age Restriction: 21+
Instagram: @districteagle
Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant
Address: 555 23rd St S, Arlington, VA
Hours: Mon-Fri 4PM-2AM, Sat-Sun 11AM-2AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; Campy, colorful beach-themed bar
known for its karaoke, drag shows, and diner-style food; welcoming to all but especially popular with older gay men and LGBTQ+ locals in Northern Virginia.
Drink Specials: “Crazy Hour” is every day from 4-7PM with varying specials
Nearest Metro: Crystal City (0.4 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop, Karaoke, Show Tunes
Outdoor Space: Yes- Front Patio
Age Restriction: 21+ after 9PM
Instagram: @freddiesbeachbar
Drag shows: Yes; Freddie’s Follies drag show at 9 p.m. on Saturday
Green Lantern
Address: 1335 Green Court, NW
Hours: Sun-Thurs 4PM-2AM, Fri & Sat 4PM-3AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly gay male clientele; downstairs is a more traditional bar while the dance floor upstairs tends to get rowdier as the night goes on.
Drink Specials: $3.50 rail drinks & domestic beers everyday 4PM-8PM; shirtless men drink free Thurs 10-11PM and again later (if in underwear) 12-12:30AM
Nearest Metro: McPherson Square (0.3 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: No
Age Restriction: 21
Instagram: @greenlanternwdc
JR.’s
Address: 1519 17th Street, NW
Hours: Mon–Thurs 4PM–2AM, Fri 4PM–3AM, Sat 1PM–3AM, Sun 1PM–2AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly gay men clien-
tele; one of Washington’s oldest gay bars known for popular happy hour, classic drag shows, and Showtune Mondays
Drink Specials: Weekdays 4–8PM $5 rail and $8 vodka Red Bulls; All day Sun $4 Skyy, $4 draft Truly, $7 vodka Red Bulls
Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle (0.4 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop, Musicals
Outdoor Space: Yes – patio
Age Restriction: 21
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @jrs_bar_dc
Kiki
Address: 915 U Street, NW
Hours: Wed 5:30PM–12AM, Thurs 5:30PM–1AM, Fri 5:30PM–3AM, Sat 2PM–3AM, Sun 2PM–12AM
Nearest Metro: U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial (0.1 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop, Rap
Outdoor Space: Yes (Back covered patio and upper deck)
Age Restriction: 21
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @dcwannahaveakiki
Larry’s Lounge
Address: 1836 18th Street, NW
Hours: Mon–Thurs 4PM–2AM, Fri 3PM–3AM, Sat 2PM–3AM, Sun 2PM–2AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly gay male clientele; known for its “gay Cheers” vibe that includes eclectic patrons, heavy pours, and a pet-friendly patio
Drink Specials: Every day from open–7PM: $3 rail drinks, domestic beer and house wine, $5 draft pints
Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle (0.5 miles)
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: Yes
Age Restriction: 21
Instagram: N/A
Licht Cafe
Address: 1520 U Street, NW (top floor)
Hours: Mon–Thurs 4PM–11PM, Fri 4PM–1AM, Sat 11AM–1AM, Sun 11AM–11PM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly gay male clientele; cute cocktail bar with limited but comfortable seating overlooking U Street.
Drink Specials: NA
Nearest Metro: U Street (0.5 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Chill music
Outdoor Space: No
Age Restriction: 21
Instagram: @lichtdc
Little Gay Pub
Address: 1100 P Street, NW
Hours: Mon 5–11PM, Tues & Wed 5PM–12AM, Thurs 5PM–1AM, Fri 4PM–3AM, Sat 1PM–3AM, Sun 1PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele but leans gay male; stylish cocktail bar serving small bites with one of the most recognized bathrooms for selfies Drink Specials: N/A
Nearest Metro: Shaw-Howard University (0.4 miles), Mt. Vernon Sq–7th St Convention Center (0.5 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop/movies playing
Outdoor Space: Yes – wraparound patio with some covered tables
Age Restriction: 21
Instagram:@thelittlegaypub
Nellie’s
Address: 900 U Street, NW
Hours: Tue 5PM–1AM, Wed 5PM–12AM, Thurs 5PM–2AM, Fri 5PM–3AM, Sat 11AM–3AM, Sun 11AM–2AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; two-story bar known for lively drag brunches and late-night food menu.
Drink Specials: “Beat the Clock” HH weekdays with $15 buckets of beer, and drinks for $3 from 5–6PM, $4 from 6–7PM, $5 from 7–8PM; Additional drink specials daily
Nearest Metro: U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial (0.1 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop, Rap
Outdoor Space: Yes (Upstairs Patios)
Age Restriction: 21 Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @nelliessportsbar
Pitchers
Address: 2317 18th Street, NW
Hours: Wed 6PM–12AM, Thurs 6PM–2AM, Fri 6PM–3AM, Sat 4PM–3AM, Sun 2PM–8PM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; gay sports bar with four floors, restaurant, video games, and multiple TVs. Skews younger crowd.
Drink Specials: Varies per night – check Instagram
Nearest Metro: Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro (0.8 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: Yes (top floor)
Age Restriction: 21 Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @pitchersdc
Red Bear Brewing Co.
Address: 209 M Street, NE
Hours: Mon–Thurs 11:30AM–11PM,
Fri 11:30AM–1AM, Sat 11AM–1AM, Sun 11AM–10PM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; brewery serving locally made beers, cocktails, and elevated bar food.
Nearest Metro: NoMa (300 ft)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: Yes – front patio
Age Restriction: 21+ Fri & Sat after 8PM and during all events
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @redbearbrewing
Shakers
Address: 2014 9th Street, NW
Hours: Mon–Thurs 5PM–11PM, Fri 5PM–2AM, Sat 2PM–2AM, Sun 2PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly gay male clientele; known for vibrant drag shows and being a neighborhood “community space.”
Drink Specials: Specialty HH Tues–Fri 5PM–7PM, Thurs $3 rail drinks all day
Nearest Metro: U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial (0.2 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Varies by DJ (Pop)
Outdoor Space: Yes (covered outdoor patio)
Age Restriction: 21
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @shakersdc
Sinners and Saints
Address: 2309 18th Street, NW
Hours: Thurs 8PM–2AM, Fri & Sat 9PM–3AM, Sun 3PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; small queer bar for “the girls, gays, &
theys.” Known for its tagline “where heaven and hell collide.”
Drink Specials: Varies per night – check Instagram
Nearest Metro: Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro (0.8 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Varies by DJ
Outdoor Space: Yes
Age Restriction: 21
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @sinnersandsaintsdc
Spark Social House
Address: 2009 14th St NW
Hours: Mon–Wed 8AM–10PM, Thurs 8AM–12AM, Fri & Sat 8AM–4AM, Sun 8AM–11PM
Clientele & Vibe: Mixed gender clientele; the city’s first alcohol-free LGBTQ+ venue, Spark is a cozy, low-key spot to sip a mocktail, work remotely, or attend sober nightlife events. Coffee shop by day, queer gathering space by night.
Nearest Metro: U Street (0.3 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: Pop
Outdoor Space: Yes (Back Patio)
Age Restriction: 18+ after 8PM Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @sparksocialdc
The Fireplace
Address: 2161 P Street, N.W.
Hours: Sun–Thurs 1PM–1:30AM, Fri & Sat 1PM–2:30AM
Clientele & Vibe: Washington’s oldest gay bar lovingly referred to as “a cozy dive bar” by patrons; cash only
Hours: Tues–Thurs 5PM–12AM, Fri 5PM–2AM, Sat 2PM–2AM, Sun 2PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Created to “quench the thirst of DC’s Black and Brown LGBTQ+ community” with bar bites and hookah.
Drink Specials: HH specials Wed–Fri 5–7PM, Sat & Sun 2–4PM, 2 for 1 drinks on Sun
Nearest Metro: U Street (0.5 miles)
Music: Rap, R&B, Afrobeats
Outdoor Space: No
Age Restriction: 21
Instagram: @thurstlounge
Trade Address: 1410 14th St NW
Hours: Sun–Thurs 5PM–1:45AM, Fri–Sat 2PM–2:45AM
Clientele & Vibe: This queer dive bar with a dance floor is a go-to for a fun night out. Expect XL drinks, dim lighting, and a nearly always-packed dancefloor. The $5 beers and wines before 9PM make it a great early stop before heading elsewhere—or staying all night.
Drink Specials: XL Drinks and $5 Beer & Wine until 9PM
Nearest Metro: Dupont Circle, U Street, Shaw-Howard U, Mt. Vernon Sq (0.8 mi)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes Music: Varies on DJ but mostly Pop, Indie, or Emo
Outdoor Space: Large back patio
Age Restriction: 21+
Drag: Yes
Instagram: @tradebardc
Uproar Lounge & Restaurant
Address: 639 Florida Avenue, NW
Hours: Thurs 8PM–1AM, Fri 5PM–3AM, Sat 5PM–3AM, Sun 3PM–12AM
Clientele & Vibe: Mostly gay male clientele; Washington’s bear bar complete with three dance floors and a restaurant known for its “Beer Bust Sundays”
Drink Specials: Varies per night – check Instagram
Nearest Metro: U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial (0.3 miles)
Gender-Inclusive Restrooms: Yes
Music: House, Dance, Pop
Outdoor Space: Yes – open rooftop
Age Restriction: 21+
Drag shows: Yes
Instagram: @uproarloungedc
WorldPride schedule of events
Something for everyone as city prepares to welcome visitors
By JOE REBERKENNY
With hundreds of events across D.C. for WorldPride, it can be overwhelming to decide where to go. From late night parties that turn into early morning dance floors to family friendly events, WorldPride has something for everyone. To help make the most of the events ahead, the Blade rounded up some of the most anticipated events on the calendar with each providing a unique way to celebrate LGBTQ pride, joy, and community.
Key: * Official Events; – Official Partner Events; + Local Events
Friday May 30
-World Pride Welcome Party Benefiting Capital Cup (May 30-June 1st)
Get ready for an epic outdoor/indoor day into night celebration at BERHTA (1301 W St NE) during the Capital Cup Sports Festival, on May 30 & 31! This is where sports meet sound, and community meets celebration. Join a line up of fantastic LGBTQ DJ’s across two nightsincluding social media soprano Rebecca Black, groovy Gail Force One, local drag (and DJ star) Cake! Pop, and Fish House Funk to start Pride with a party. For tickets, and more information on the two night event at Berhta (1301 W St NE) visit https://www.berhtaclub.com/
Saturday May 31
-Rock Creek Singers and National LGBTQIA+ Flute Choir
Join the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington at the Library of Congress at the Thomas Jefferson Building (10 1st St SE) for a stunning morning performance joined by the Rock Creek Singers and the National LGBTQIA+ Flute Choir. For tickets visit etix.com
*WorldPride Welcome Ceremony + Concert
Kick off WorldPride with Shakira and her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour as Washington starts its official WorldPride celebrations. The concert starts at 7:30 at Nationals Park (1500 South Capitol St SE) rain or shine. Get those hips ready to dance into WorldPride! Tickets and more information are available at mlb.com.
Sunday June 1
+World Pride Family Friendly Dance Party
Kick off WorldPride celebrations with a funfilled, family-friendly dance party from 3 to 6 p.m. at the unique Dupont Underground (19 Dupont Cir NW) — right in the heart of the festivities! Bring your little dancers (and your own dancing shoes) for an afternoon packed with kid-friendly tunes that will have everyone moving and grooving. Get ready for a Bubble Bonanza, Sticker Mania, featuring a dazzling collection of stickers for kids and the young at heart to collect and decorate with, and plenty
of open space to express yourself and bust a move. To RSVP visit eventbrite.
Tuesday June 3
-Trixie’s Solid Pink Disco: Blonde Edition
Join one of the most iconic—and wildly successful—drag queens to ever grace the RuPaul’s Drag Race stage as hundreds hit the dance floor with the incomparable Trixie Mattel. She’s serving bubblegum pop, high-glam drag, and big disco energy—just make sure you’re wearing pink. Throw on your best blonde wig and get ready to move. Join Trixie Mattel, Shea Coulee (DJ Set), Mateo Sagade, and Saba for a night dripping in pink Pride fun at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd NE)! For tickets, visit TicketMaster.
Wednesday June 4
*WorldPride 2025 Human Rights Conference
Join the Capital Pride Alliance with leading organizations in the field of Human Rights for the WorldPride Human Rights Conference. This unique opportunity aims to advocate, educate, and activate the voices of those most marginalized. The conference will be held across three days at the JW Marriott Washington, DC (1331 Pennsylvania Avenue) starting at noon. Tickets are required and available at the Capital Pride website.
Thursday June 5
*Capital Pride Honors
Every year, the Capital Pride Alliance acknowledges outstanding individuals, leaders, and activists in the National Capital Region who have furthered causes important to the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s celebration, like all of Capital Pride, is only getting bigger. To celebrate WorldPride DC 2025, this prestigious honor will go to outstanding members of the global InterPride family. This glamorous, red carpet-style gala will unfold at one of D.C.’s top-tier venues, the National Building Museum (401 F St NW) with live entertainment, incredible cuisine, and a formal awards presentation led by influential LGBTQ+ changemakers from around the world. For tickets visit the Capital Pride website.
-Drag Is Not a Crime: A Pride Drag Show
Join RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Nymphia Wind, Gottmik, and Ts Madison with Dragula winner Landon Cider as they show the world that drag is not a crime as queens from far and wide turn looks while making a statement. Local drag icon Cake! Pop will DJ this fierce and fabulous night at the Howard Theater (620 T Street NW). For tickets visit worldpridedc.org.
-Grace Jones & Janelle Monáe Join two queer icons—Grace Jones and
Janelle Monáe—as they bring an unforgettable night of music, power, and unapologetic expression to The Anthem at The Wharf (901 Wharf St SW). This dynamic duo will deliver a genre-defying, high-octane performance that celebrates queerness, creativity, and freedom in all its forms. The event kicks off at 8 p.m with tickets available now at Anthem’s website.
+GEAR SWAP: WorldPride Edition
Got a jockstrap you don’t wear anymore? Looking for a gently used harness ahead of the circuit parties for WorldPride? Then come to Green Lantern (335 Green Ct NW) for their special WorldPride edition of GEAR SWAP. Buy, sell, or trade gear- from leather, jocks, t-shirts, Pride items and more. Bring your “gently used … or not” gear as you swap items with others in the community and meet other enthusiasts. This event begins at 5 p.m. and goes until 9:30 p.m.
-World Pride Boots
With three levels of music, world-class sound, and a fiercely all-queer lineup, this event is sure to be one of the hottest dance floors in the district. The night, which is all hosted by Tatianna from RuPaul’s Drag Race, includes DJs Josh Harrison (Barcelona/London), DJ Minx (Detroit), Griffin Maxwell Brooks (NYC), Blue Rose Royalty (NYC), TOMI, and Not Yr Gf. This event begins at 9 p.m. and goes til 4 a.m. For tickets visit Flash (645 Florida Avenue NW) or their website at https://shotgun.live/en/ events/world-pride-boots
Friday June 6
+Grizzly Happy Hour
Grizzly Happy Hour at Crush (2007 14th St NW) is getting extra wild for WorldPride DC 2025 with a special edition of their beloved weekly event on Friday, June 6 from 4 to 8 p.m. Known for its laid-back vibes, sexy crowd, and unpretentious fun, this WorldPride edition will turn the dial up with go-go bears, special drink deals, and a curated playlist full of queer anthems, throwback bangers, and underground beats to keep the dance floor busy all night.
*17th Street Block Party
Join the worldwide LGBTQ community to celebrate, dance, and be merry at WorldPride DC’s official Block Party! Located along 17th Street in DC’s historic Dupont circle neighborhood, this annual party honors DC’s “Gayborhood”, and features local food, adult beverages, and various activities in celebration of Pride! The party starts at 5 p.m. and goes til 10 p.m.
-We Are Them: A WorldPride Drag Race Party
Join an iconic lineup of drag royalty — TS Madison, Alaska Thunderfuck, Angeria Paris
VanMicheals, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Courtney Act, Denali, Envy Peru, Miz Cracker, Nicky Doll, Olivia Lux, Pangina Heals, Peppermint, Ra’Jah O’Hara, and Trinity the Tuck — for a night of unstoppable energy and fierce performances. With DJs CakePop! and Tezrah spinning all night, the beats will be as bold as the looks. This event takes place at the Anthem (901 Wharf St SW) with tickets available at the Anthem’s website.
*Full Bloom
Come join the lilies, pansies, and blossoms as they dance from the garden to the nation’s capital for the WorldPride official event Full Bloom Dance Party! Queer DJs from across the east coast, The Carry Nation (NYC), Flower Factory (DC), Sweet Spot (BAL), DJ Ed Bailey (DC), WessTheDj (DC), Lemz (DC), and Fish House Funk (DC) will keep the energy high with electric music, sensational outfits, and floral performances in a venue with 100,000 sq ft of indoor-ourdoor dancing space! The party is 21+ and starts at 9 p.m. at 1235 W Street NE. Outfit participation is requested and tickets are required at the Capital Pride website.
+WorldPride Music Festival
The WorldPride Music Festival, a monumental two-day celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Pride in the city, will have its first night with musical legends like Jennifer Lopez, Galantis, Betty Who, Trisha Paytas, and ZEDD. Taking place at the RFK Festival Grounds (2500 Independence Ave SE) from 1 to 11 p.m., this event promises an unparalleled fusion of music, art, and LGBTQ+ culture. For passes visit https://worldpride25.com/
*Pride on the Pier
Celebrate Pride at the Wharf (760 Maine Ave SW) with DJ, drag, dancing, and much more! Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. On Friday, the inaugural WorldPride Boat Parade will begin at 7 p.m. featuring 30 decorated boats cruising along the Washington Channel. The event is free to attend, but a VIP ticket is available with air-conditioned lounge, private bathroom, cash bar and complimentary drink. To buy tickets visit https://www.prideonthepierdc. com/vip
-MIXTAPE Pride Party
Join DC DJs Matt Bailer and Shea Van Horn as they keep the night going with a mix of house, indie dance, nu-disco, electropop, and unexpected throwback gems at the 9:30 Club (815 V St NW). The event starts at 10 p.m. with tickets still available here https://www.930. com/e/mixtape-pride-party/
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(Blade file photo by Michael Key)
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WorldPride schedule of events
-LUSH: The DC Lesbian Nightclub Experience
Welcome to the third ever LUSH! DC’s lesbian nightclub experience. Join the “all-dyke DJ lineup” including Lady Lavender, Flotussin, Jacq Jill, and headliner Chrissy Chlapecka for a night of sapphic sensations. Music from across genres- from techno to hyperpop, this is one party the girls don’t wanna miss. The nightclub experience starts at 10 p.m. at 618 Cocktail and Whiskey Lounge (618 H St NW) in Chinatown. Tickets are available for people 21+ at https:// ra.co/events/2134312
-JUDY by Sasha Colby and Leland JUDY, a euphoric dance party curated by Sasha Colby and Leland — is dialed into the purest frequency of sweat, sound, and pop royalty at one of DC’s newest venues the Atlantis (2047 9th St NW) at 10 p.m. From Janet and Madonna to Charli, Troye, and Sylvester, JUDY is a full-throttle celebration of the queer icons who move us. This is more than a party — it’s a musical sanctuary for the divinely dramatic and unapologetically free. For tickets visit theatlantis.com.
-UNCUT XXL
Get ready for the ultimate WorldPride after-dark experience at UNCUT XXL, the mega party that needs no introduction. Known for its raw energy and unapologetic vibes, this legendary men-centered event returns with one massive stage, nonstop beats from three world-class DJs, and XXL play zones and cruise spaces designed for uninhibited freedom and connection. Cool off in the outdoor chill zone under the stars. This event is 21+ and has limited tickets at the door. Location TBD.
*Woven Together: WorldPride Mega Party
At one of D.C.’s hottest spots, The Park at 14th (920 14th NW), the official WorldPride Mega Party for men will bring the heat with world-class entertainment, a dynamic crowd, and a space to celebrate Pride, community, and culture in true festive style. Special guests, including Steven G. Norfleet from Netflix’s BEAUTY IN BLACK will be there to dance the night away. The event starts at 10:30 p.m. for those 21 and up. For tickets visit Capital Pride’s site.
Saturday, June 7
*17th Street Block Party
Join the worldwide LGBTQ community to celebrate, dance, and be merry at WorldPride DC’s official Block Party. Located along 17th Street in DC’s historic Dupont circle neighborhood, this annual party honors DC’s “Gayborhood”, and features local food, adult beverages, and various activities in celebration of Pride! The party starts at 12 p.m. and goes til 10 p.m.
*WorldPride Parade
Starting in the vibrant Logan Circle neighborhood and winding its way down 14th Street, the parade transforms Pennsylvania Avenue into a colorful corridor of queer joy and celebration. The parade starts at 1 p.m. at the intersection of 14th and T St and will end after a 1.8 mile walk through downtown, ending at Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th St. The Parade is anticipated to end by 8 p.m. it is free to attend, but grandstand tickets are available at https:// worldpridedc.org/events/parade/
*WorldPride Street Festival and Concert
From noon to 10 p.m. enjoy hundreds of vibrant exhibitors, skilled artisans, delicious food, and beverage gardens in addition to multiple stages showcasing an array of multicultural and multilingual performances. And once the Pride Parade wraps, prepare for a night that defies gravity. Cynthia Erivo, joined by David Archuleta, CeCe Peniston, and Kristine W, will light up the district with a show-stopping celebration you won’t want to miss. To purchase tickets, visit https://worldpridedc.org/events/concerts/
+WorldPride Music Festival
The WorldPride Music Festival, a monumental two-day celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Pride in the city, will have its second night with a slew of queer musical legends like Troye Sivan, Kim Petras, RuPaul, Purple Disco Machine, and Slayyyter. Taking place at the RFK Festival Grounds (2500 Independence Ave SE) from 1 to 11 p.m., this event promises an unparalleled fusion of music, art, and LGBTQ+ culture. For passes visit https://worldpride25. com/
-Perfume Genius Concert
Join the hauntingly beautiful and emotionally raw sounds of Perfume Genius, as they perform live at the 9:30 Club (815 V St NW) as part of the WorldPride weekend lineup. Known for their genre-defying sound and deeply vulnerable performances, Perfume Genius will deliver a set that’s both intimate and electrifying — a perfect prelude to a night of celebration. The concert begins at 6 p.m. with tickets available at https://www.930.com/e/perfume-genius/
*Pride on the Pier and Fireworks Display Celebrate Pride at the Wharf (760 Maine Ave SW) with DJ, drag, dancing, and much more! Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. On Saturday night after a long day of celebrating the LGBTQ community, watch the only Pride Fireworks Show, presented by the Leonard-Litz LGBTQ Foundation, at 9 p.m. The event is free to attend, but does offer two groups of VIP tickets that include access to a cash bar, bathrooms, and a better view of the fireworks. To buy tickets visit https://www.prideonthepierdc.
com/vip
*UNRAVELED – The Official Women’s Party for World Pride DC
Get ready to unleash your wild, free, and unapologetically fabulous self at UNRAVELED, the ultimate WorldPride celebration for HER. With 4 floors, 5 bars, and 1 patio, celebrate with over 5,000 queer women, femmes, trans and non-binary baddies & theydies to coming together to identity, joy, and community. An all-female DJ lineup will keep the energy high, spinning everything from hip-hop to house all night long. This 21+ event will be at The Park at 14th (920 14th NW), with tickets available at the Capital Pride site.
*Fabric of Freedom
Unite with thousands of LGBTQ+ partygoers in the nation’s capital for the largest nighttime Pride event in DC history! With 3 stages, over 100,000+ sq. ft. of dance floor, and an iconic performance by Brazilian drag (and musical) superstar Pabllo Vittar. This is one dance event that is sure to be the hot spot on Saturday night. The party begins at 10 p.m. at 1235 W Street NE for those 21 and up, with tickets available at the Capital Pride site.
-Betty Who Concert
Pop powerhouse Betty Who will bring her signature anthems and magnetic stage presence to the he 9:30 Club (815 V St NW) at 10 p.m. Known for turning every show into a joyful, high-energy celebration of queer love and liberation, Betty’s performance promises a setlist packed with synth-pop hits and heartfelt singalongs. Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering her infectious sound, this is a can’t-miss moment of WorldPride weekend. For tickets visit https://www.930.com/e/betty-who/
-UNCUT: Fully Loaded
Back by popular demand, UNCUT: Fully Loaded storms into Saturday, June 7, bringing a second night of untamed WorldPride energy to the same legendary venue. This men-centered mega event is a explosion of music, sweat, and raw connection—featuring Paulo Fragoso and DJ Paulo keeping the dance floor alive with nonstop, world-class beats. Expect XXL play zones and a relaxed outdoor chill space. The location is TBD. Tickets are still available for this 21+ event at KineticPresents. com
Sunday June 8
-Flashy World Pride Afters
Join DJs Kitty Glitter and Shane Marcus as they keep the night going with their special edition of Flashy at Flash(645 Florida Ave NW)! If you still wanna keep those feet moving after a WorldPride weekend, then this is the place. Starting at 4 a.m. and going until 8, this is the place to rise with the sun and dance the morning away. Tickets are available here https:// www.flashdc.com/e/Fu4k42Ekie
-World Pride Drag Brunch w/ Alyssa Edwards
Kick off your WorldPride Sunday with glitz, glam, and a whole lot of charisma at the official WorldPride Drag Brunch, starring none other than Alyssa Edwards, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars. Hosted by Minneapolis legend Sasha Cassadine, this star-studded brunch lineup also features Utica, Mercedes Iman Diamond, D.C. favorites Crimsyn and Druex Sidora, and will take place at Dirty Habit (555 8th St NW) inside Hotel Monaco on Sunday, June 8. Tickets include a brunch buffet two drinks, and admission to the show. VIP tickets include a pre-show meet and greet with Alyssa and reserved seating. This 21+ event still has tickets available at etix.com.
*WorldPride Street Festival and Concert
Then, as WorldPride DC 2025 comes to a fierce finale, get ready for a closing concert that bites back. Headlined by the unstoppable Doechii—fresh off her raw and fearless Alligator Bites Never Heal—this explosive night of music will be anything but ordinary. With powerhouse performances by Khalid, Brooke Eden, 2AM Ricky, Parker Matthews, and MkX, Sunday’s grand finale will leave you healed, hyped, and hungry for more. To purchase tickets, visit https://worldpridedc.org/events/concerts/
+FLOWER FACTORY WORLD PRIDE 2025 feat. DEEP CVNT MINI BALL DELUXE Close out WorldPride 2025 in style with an iconic Sunday soirée hosted by Flower Factory and DEEP CVNT on June 8 from 3–9:30 p.m. at Zebbie’s Garden (1223 Connecticut Ave NW). This multi-floor celebration will feature superstar DJs, legendary performances, and pure queer radiance. Upstairs, dance to sets by Sekucci (NYC), Flotussin (Baltimore), and the Flower Factory crew. Downstairs, Deep Cvnt Mini Ball Deluxe takes over with music from ballroom legend and Renaissance producer Mike Q, plus a set from local favorite Znorthy, all presented by Girliepop. Come dressed to impress for floral-themed categories like Runway, Best Dressed, Performance, and Sex Siren. For tickets visit https://sickening.events/e/ flower-factory-world-pride-2025
-RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 Extravaganza
Celebrate WorldPride with the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 at the 9:30 Club (815 V St NW) for an electrifying night of drag, music, and pure queer joy. This high-energy event features dazzling performances by the top 5 queens of season 17, Sasha Cassadine and Mercedes Iman Diamond, with beats by D.C.’s own Cake Pop! keeping the party going all night long. Whether you’re a die-hard Drag Race fan or just here for the vibes, this is your chance to cheer on your favorite queens and revel in the art of drag at its fiercest. The event starts at 9 p.m. with tickets still available at 930. com.
PHOTO
CALENDAR |
Friday, May 30
“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email adam@thedccenter.org.
GoGayDC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Pride Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Crush Dance Bar. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, May 31
GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Center Aging Pride Theater Outing will be at 2 p.m. at Constellation Theater Company. Guests will get to attend a showing of “Head Over Heels.” This joyous and jaunty jukebox musical features the music of ‘80s rock band The Go-Go’s. Inspired by the epic story of Arcadia, Head Over Heels is a celebration of self-discovery and queer identity, weaving together Renaissance romance and Greek comedy with fantasy and gender-bending in a laugh-out-loud love story. RSVP on the DC Center’s website.
Sunday, June 01
“Prism at Anthem Row” will be at 8 p.m. at 800 K St., N.W. This is a celebration of fashion, art, and fierce self-expression. Whether you’re remixing your wardrobe, voguing your heart out, or just basking in the rainbow glow, this is your space to live out loud, shop sustainably, and show off your true colors. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
“Reston Pride 2025: RISE UP!” will be at 11 a.m. at Lake Anne Plaza. This event will feature local vendors, food, crafts, and a packed entertainment set. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, June 02
“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email adam@thedccenter.org. Center Aging Advocacy Meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. on Zoom. The purpose of these meetings is two-fold. First, participants are welcome to provide guidance and feedback on programs and services for LGBT older adults here at The DC Center. Second, this group will focus on advocating for LGBT older adults in the District of Columbia. For more details, email adam@thedccenter.org.
By TINASHE CHINGARANDE
Tuesday, June 03
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or the group’s facilitator andyarias09@gmail.com.
Wednesday, June 04
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email centercareers@ thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. For more details, email adamheller@thedccenter.org.
“Live Reading and Author talk with Princes Manvendra and DeAndre” will be at 6:30 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be an inspiring evening featuring a live reading of “A Royal Commitment: Ten Years of Marriage and Activism,” an intimate Q&A, personal reflections, and a book signing with India’s first openly gay royal couple, Prince Manvendra and Prince DeAndre. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, June 05
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@ thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.
OUT & ABOUT
Justice-centered theater production comes to D.C.
The Mexican Cultural Institute will host “La Golondrina” on Friday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. at its location on 2829 16th St. NW.
“La Golondrina” is a theater production that aims to elevate the conversation around hate crimes and the urgent need for dialogue and healing. It is also a powerful and deeply moving story that brings to the stage the emotional legacy of the Pulse nightclub shooting. The play explores that tragedy through an intimate encounter between two characters, Amelia (Luz Nicolás) and Ramón (Victor), whose connection unveils grief, love, and the enduring shadow of homophobia.
Tickets for this event are available on the Cultural Institute’s website.
Celebrate Pride with a thoughtful book club
Meet the World Image Solutions will host the second edition of “Books and Wine” on Thursday, June at 5:30 p.m. at Urban Grape DC, a Black- and woman-owned winery in Washington, D.C.
The featured authors are: Beautiful Lawson, Chanele Ramos, and Pamela Coleman. All will read from works that reflect love, resilience, and queer identity across genres. For more details, visit mtwimagesolutions.com.
Prince Manvendra and Prince DeAndre from India read from their book ‘A Royal Commitment: Ten Years of Marriage and Activism’ on Wednesday.
‘We Are Gathered’ a powerful contemplation
of queer equality
Arena production dives fearlessly into many facets of same-sex connection
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
Aptly billed as a queer love story, Tarell Alvin McCraney’s terrific new play “We Are Gathered” (now at Arena Stage) dives deeply and fearlessly into the many facets of a same-sex connection and all that goes with it.
McCraney’s tale of two gay men’s romance unfolds entertainingly over two acts. Wallace Tre (Kyle Beltran), a tense architect, and his younger partner Free (Nic Ashe), a campy and fun-loving musician with a deep sense of quiet and peace are contemplating marriage after five years together, but one of the two isn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of imminent matrimony.
At 14, Wallace Tre (nicknamed Dubs) first learned about gay cruising via renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill’s seminal work “Cloud Nine.” It was an intoxicating introduction that led Dubs to an exciting world of sex and risk.
Soon after, a nearby park became a thrilling constant in his life. It remains a source of excitement, fun, danger, and fulfillment. The local cruising zone is also a constant in McCraney’s play.
One memorable evening, Dubs experienced a special night in the woods, a shadowy hour filled with exhilaration and surprise. That’s when Dubs unpredictably learned something he’d never felt before. That night in the park, he met and fell madly in love with Free.
In addition to being a talented playwright, McCraney is the Academy Award-winning Black and queer screenwriter of “Moonlight,” the 2016 film. He’s happy to be a part of WorldPride 2025, and grateful to Arena for making space for his play on its stage. McCraney says he wrote “We Are Gathered” as a contemplation of queer marriage and the right for same-sex couples, like opposite-sex couples, to marry anywhere in the United States.
For Dubs, it’s important that Free speak openly about how they met in the park. He’d like Free to share the details of their coming together with his supportive grand-
parents, Pop Pop (Craig Wallace) and Mama Jae (out actor Jade Jones). As far as they know, their grandson met Dubs at a lovely gathering with a nice crowd assembled under a swanky canopy. When in truth it was a park busy with horny guys cruising beneath a canopy of leafy verdure.
Understandably, Free is more than a tad embarrassed to reveal that he enjoyed al fresco sex with Dubs prior to knowing his boyfriend’s name. Clearly, in retrospect, both feel that their initial meeting is a source of discomfort, tinged with awkwardness.
There is a lot more to “We Are Gathered” than cruising. Dubs and Free are ardently liked by friends and family. Both are attractive and smart. Yet, they’re different. Free is quite easy going while Dubs is, at times, pricklier.
While Free is part of a happy family, Dubs’s people aren’t entirely easy. He grew up with a strung-out mother and a cold father (Kevin Mambo). Yet, his sister Punkin (Nikolle Salter), an astronaut, is very caring and close to him. While she doesn’t necessarily like “the gay stuff,” she very much wants to live in a world where there’s room for her gay brother.
Adeptly directed by Kent Gash, the production is memorable, and it’s not his first collaboration with McCraney. Ten years ago, Gash, who’s Black and queer, staged McCraney’s “Choir Boys” at Studio Theatre, another well-written and finely staged work.
“We Are Gathered” is performed in the round in Arena’s cavernous Fichandler Stage. The space is both a forest and various rooms created by designer Jason Sherwood and lighting designer Adam Honoré. It’s a world created by elevating a circular platform surrounded by charming street lamps both hanging overhead and lining the perimeter.
Ultimately, what takes place in “We Are Gathered” is a party, and something even more; it’s a paean to marriage, and a call to a sacrament.
NIC ASHE (Free) and KYLE BELTRAN in ‘We Are Gathered.’ (Photo by T Charles Erickson Photography)
‘Pee-wee’
spills the tea in outstanding new documentary Reubens’s
sexuality emerges as the show’s focus
By JOHN PAUL KING
Most of us who have lived long enough to get nostalgic for our formative years have, by now, watched enough documentaries about a beloved entertainment icon from our past to know what to expect when a new one comes along.
Such offerings are typically slick biographical portraits blending archival material with newly filmed “talking head” reminiscences and commentaries, and perhaps punctuated by eye-catching animations or other flourishes to add an extra layer of visual interest; heavy on the nostalgia and mostly reverent in tone, they satisfy us with pleasant memories, supplement our knowledge with behind-the-history insights and revelations, and leave us – ideally – with a renewed appreciation and a reinforced feeling of comfortable familiarity. Many of them are little more than retrospectives, more glossy tribute than in-depth profile; occasionally, a few go beyond the surface to give us a deeper sense of personal connection with their subject – but rarely enough, even in the best of them, to make us feel as if we know them well.
No matter how many of these docs you have seen, however, or jaded your expectations may be when you approach it, “Pee-wee as Himself” is still going to surprise you.
Directed by filmmaker Matt Wolf, the two-part HBO docuseries – which premiered May 23 and is now streaming on Max – is built around material culled from 40 hours of interview footage with the late Paul Reubens (the creator and performer behind nerdy, manic cultural phenomenon and children’s show host “Peewee Herman,” for anyone that needs to be told), and conducts a “guided tour” of Reubens’ singular career in the limelight. The first installment traces a path from his Florida childhood through his early adventures as an actor and performance artist in Los Angeles to his rapid rise to fame through the popularity of his carefully crafted alter-ego; part two continues the story to explore the expansion of his fame through the phenomenon of “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” but soon shifts gears to cover his sudden fall from grace after a notorious “public indecency” arrest in an adult theater, and the subsequent accusations of collecting “child pornography” that unfairly branded him as a pedophile in the public eye — and comes full circle to document his return to favor as an underdog hero for the generation that had
grown up watching him.
Besides its detailed chronicle of these already-well-known chapters in Reubens’ life, however, Wolf’s doc (and Reubens, via frequent full-frame close-up commentary throughout) delves into publicly uncharted territory to give us a look at something we’ve never been allowed to see before: Paul Reubens himself.
That includes, of course, removing any ambiguity that might remain about the sexuality of the man behind the bow tie, who never publicly identified as gay before his death from cancer in 2023. It’s not so much a “coming out” — after all, he artfully teased his queerness to fans for years — as it is a dropping of pretense. There’s no need for a definitive statement announcing something that everybody already knew, anyway.
That’s not to say he skirts the issue as he delivers his full-frame close-up testimonial to the camera; on the contrary, he reflects often and with bittersweet candor about the carefully-managed matter of his sexuality – or the public’s perception of it, at any rate – with the matter-of-fact eloquence of someone who’s spent a lot of time thinking about it. He openly discusses his choice to keep the closet door closed on his personal life in order to preserve Pee-wee’s ambiguously wholesome yet irresistibly subversive persona in the public’s imagination, and to abandon his openly queer life (as well as a loving long term relationship, one of the series’ biggest “reveals”) to do so.”I was as out as you could be,” he reflects with rueful irony, “and then I went back in.”
Indeed, it’s Reubens’s sexuality that ultimately emerges as the show’s core focus — even more than the rich treasure trove of personal photos, home movies, behind-the-scenes footage, and all the other fan-thrilling delights it provides — and gives it a larger significance, perhaps than even the man himself. It’s a thread that runs through his story, impacting his choices and the trajectory of his career, and reflecting the familiar shared experience of many audience members who may be able to relate; later, it manifests on a societal level, as Wolf and his subject explore the homophobic attitudes behind the legal persecution that would bring his rising star into a tailspin and hang over his reputation for the rest of his life. It serves as both a reminder of the power of cultural bigotry to repress queerness and a cautionary tale about the personal cost of repressing oneself.
A good number of Reubens’ longtime friends (like Cassandra Petersen, aka “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” costar David Arquette, and former “girlfriend” Debi Mazar, who provided support, acceptance, and companionship in the wake of his legal troubles), come along for the ride, offering their own reminiscences and insights into official record, as well as lesser-known members of an inner circle that comprised the late artist’s chosen family. Yet all these testimonials, authentic as they may be, are not what enable “Pee-wee as Himself” to bring us closer to the real Paul Reubens. It’s Reubens himself who does that.
Maintaining an ambiguously hostile edge in his interviews, bringing to light a clash for control between himself and director Wolf with as much clarity as he illuminates the vast archival material that is shown to document his career, he demonstrates firsthand the need to manage his own narrative, balking, even openly resisting, certain questions and interpretations that arise throughout. It gives the real Reubens the same vague menace with which Pee-wee was also infused — and also creates a sort of meta-narrative, in which the conflict between subject and director must also be resolved before the story can truly achieve closure, calling into question whether Reubens (a veteran of avant-garde theater and lifelong fan of the circus) might not be adding yet another layer of mystery and performance to his image even as he gets honest publicly for the very first time.
That closure eventually comes in the form of a voice recording made by Reubens the day before his death — after a six year battle with lung cancer (he was a heavy smoker, another personal detail he painstakingly hid from the public) which, save for those in his innermost circle, he never revealed until the end — in which he delivers a final message to the world. With it, he finally accomplishes what he never could during his life, and lets us see, at last, who he was when he wasn’t being Pee-wee.
And it’s a beautiful thing.
The late PAUL REUBENS created the nerdy, manic cultural phenomenon and children’s show host ‘Pee-wee Herman.’ (Photo courtesy HBO)
BETSY TWIGG
Associate Broker | Licensed in Virginia 703.967.4391 (CELL ) betsy.twigg@corcoranmce.com
Special guests include Ts Madison, Kerri Colby (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Opening Reception for the 34th annual D.C. Black Pride was held at the Capital Hilton on Friday, May 23. Presenters, speakers and entertainers included Ts Madison, Monroe Alise, Billy the Goat, Kerri Colby, Apple Brown Betty, Heather Mahogani, Lyrical Mar, Lolita Leopard, Ink, and Bang Garçon. Anthony Oakes was the host.
Summer-ready rentals: How to prepare for the season
Inspect your A/C, upgrade the kitchen, and more
By SCOTT BLOOM
Now’s the time to get your property looking sharp for summer. In the D.C. rental market, summer is our version of the Super Bowl. Tenants are on the move, leases are flipping, and if your property isn’t ready for game time, you’re sitting on the bench while the competition scores.
Here’s how to get your rental property summer-ready, keep it competitive, and avoid the scramble once the heat (and the demand) is on.
First Impressions Count
In a walkable city like D.C., curb appeal isn’t a luxury, it’s your ticket to play. Prospective tenants don’t just scroll through listings from their couches; they walk the neighborhoods, eyeing buildings and row homes like it’s a real-life episode of House Hunters. If your property looks run-down from the sidewalk, it doesn’t matter how nice it is inside: you’ll already have lost their attention.
Start with a good power wash. Sidewalks, front steps, and that brick façade can collect a year’s worth of grime and pollen, and nothing says “we didn’t get around to it” quite like a dingy entryway. Once that’s done, grab a paintbrush and freshen up the details — front doors, railings, and window trim are often the first thing people see, and chipped or faded paint sends the wrong message. Landscaping doesn’t have to rival a botanical garden, but it should be tidy and intentional. A few potted plants, some trimmed bushes, and a weed-free yard show that you care. And don’t forget the lighting — a working porch light adds a layer of polish and safety. Think of curb appeal like a dating profile picture. If it’s not appealing, people won’t even bother to swipe right.
cabinet pulls or faucet fixtures is a quick win. Replacing an old Formica countertop with stone is a great add, albeit a bigger investment.
Installing a smart thermostat or keyless entry, especially if you’re trying to attract a tech-savvy tenant, adds a bit of glitz. And don’t underestimate the value of LED lighting. Not only is the lighting brighter, but energy efficiency is a real plus when Pepco bills start climbing.
Don’t Forget the Marketing Materials
The window for summer leasing moves fast. Between May and August, tenants are locking in their spots quickly, and they aren’t wasting time on listings that look outdated or vague. Having strong, current marketing materials can be the difference between locking in a new tenant over several weeks or watching your property sit vacant for several months while others get rented.
Handle Maintenance Before Repair Emergencies
Summer in D.C. means one thing: humidity. And it’s not just uncomfortable. It’s a property’s worst enemy if you’re not on top of things. Tenants will test that A/C the minute they move in, so don’t wait for a 98-degree day to find out the AC compressor is clogged and is not performing to its potential. While you’re at it, check those windows and screens. No one wants a unit that turns into a sauna because the windows won’t open or the screens are shredded.
Plumbing deserves a once-over, too. In some of D.C.’s older neighborhoods, tree roots have been known to snake their way into century-old pipes. If you’ve had slow drains or backups, now’s the time to act. And don’t skip out on pest control. Ants, roaches, and rodents all love a good D.C. summer, but your tenants sure don’t. A preventative visit now can spare you the late-night emergency call later.
Upgrade What Matters
If your place still has that “2008 Craigslist listing” look, now’s your chance for a lowcost glow-up that pays off in higher rent and better tenants. You don’t have to renovate the entire kitchen, but a few strategic upgrades can keep your property feeling current without breaking the bank. Swapping out dated
When writing your listing, make sure it reflects the strengths of the unit and its location. Is there a private balcony that catches the sunset? Mention it. Is the washer and dryer tucked inside the unit instead of down a shared hallway? Highlight that. And in the D.C. summer heat, central A/C and ceiling fans aren’t bonuses; they’re expectations. Mention any shaded outdoor spaces, or if you’re lucky enough to be close to a pool, splash pad, or one of the city’s beloved parks, say so.
Once the property is shining on the outside and tuned up inside, the final step is making sure that polish shows up in your marketing. Your listing needs to be more than just functional, it needs to sell. That starts with updated and clear photos. Snap new images once the landscaping is cleaned up, the paint has dried, and the light’s hitting just right. Don’t use older photos pre-2020 where the tree out front was still a sapling and the trash bins were in the shot. And please, always close toilet seats first! Prospective renters are savvy, and their intuition perks up when they see less than professional looking photos.
It’s All About Timing
This summer, make the most of the opportunity. In D.C., there’s a wave of renters moving for new jobs, internships, or simply trying to relocate before school starts. Landlords who prep early and market smartly are the ones who don’t just find tenants, they find good tenants. And they fill units faster.
Grab that to-do list, schedule those contractors, and maybe treat yourself to a cold one after a long day of touch-ups. You’ll thank yourself later when your rental is leased out and earning while others are still scrambling at the end of the season.
SCOTT BLOOM
is owner and senior property manager at Columbia Property Management. For more information and resources, visit ColumbiaPM.com.
Adding stone countertops and making other kitchen improvements can greatly boost the value of a rental.
(Photo credit: Bigstock/Michael ONeill)
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People. Individual/Couples counseling with a volunteer peer counselor. GMCC, serving our community since 1973. 202-580-8661 gaymenscounseling.org No fees. Donation requested.
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including probate, small estates & foreign estates. Public notices are required to be published in newspapers of general circulation because these venues (now both print & online) reach the largest number of people in the community, while offering an easily archivable & verifiable outlet to make sure the notice was published when & how it was intended. Further, newspapers display notices in the context of other news & information that people in the community read. Newspapers & their associated websites are the appropriate forums for notices that affect citizens & the general public. Ask the court to publish yours in the Blade. The courts will take care of the set-up process. Another way to support your LGBTQ newspaper!
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