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As You Are bar issues GoFundMe appeal to avoid shutdown
Owners say federal occupation caused drop in customers by ‘wild margin’
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
As You Are, the LGBTQ bar and café located in the Barracks Row section of Capital Hill near the Eastern Market Metro station, has issued a GoFundMe appeal seeking financial support to prevent it from closing due to a large drop in business it says was brought about by the federal occupation of D.C. ordered by President Donald Trump.
“We are currently facing an unprecedented challenge,” the GoFundMe appeal states. “The recent federal occupation of D.C. has hit us hard – attendance has dropped by a wild margin with the increase in armed federal forces making what had been a hard season much worse,” the appeal states.
“As a result, we are struggling to keep our doors open, maintain the space, and meet the expenses,” the appeal message says. “We are asking for your support to help us weather this storm and ensure AYA remains a vital part of D.C.’s queer community.”
As You Are co-owner Jo McDaniel told the Washington Blade she and her partner Rach Pike posted the GoFundMe appeal on Sept. 5, among other things, after witnessing U.S. National Guard troops carrying rifles walking past their bar and café, with no sign of an immediate withdrawal.
“The National Guard started walking up and down 8th Street about 10 days ago,” McDaniel said. “And as of Sunday, they’re not carrying pistols anymore, they’re carrying rifles,” she said. “It’s pretty terrifying, and it’s really hard to get people to come over with all of that.”
As of Tuesday morning, July 9, the GoFundMe site showed that $23,055 had been raised from 318 donations, with a fundraising goal of $24,000. McDaniel said she and her partner are grateful for those early donations.
But she said for reasons she doesn’t understand, the GoFundMe site did not post their requested goal of raising $100,000 to cover the income they appear to have lost since the federal occupation began.
“The first goal they posted said $13,000,” McDaniel said. “Once we hit that, it changed to $24,000. I mean, ultimately, anything helps,” she said. “It’s been a month of occupation and in a good month we can bring in $100,000 in sales. And the bills don’t stop just
Comings & Goings
Mitchell Rivard named Chief of Staff of the Year
By PETER ROSENSTEIN
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Mitchell Rivard on being named Chief of Staff of the Year by the Congressional Management Foundation. Jen Daulby, CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation said, “The Chief of Staff of the Year award recognizes the vital leadership role Chiefs of Staff play in both serving their members and managing high-performing, constituent-focused offices. Mitchell Rivard exemplifies the leadership, dedication, and professionalism required to ensure Rep. Jason Crow’s office runs smoothly, his team is supported, and his constitu-
because nobody is coming out.”
The GoFundMe message says the expenses the donations will help cover include the cost of their routine license renewal, repairs needed for the building, and rent, payroll, and utilities.
As You Are’s current GoFundMe appeal comes after it put in place another GoFundMe appeal in February 2024, to cover what it said was needed to prevent it from closing due to a debt of $150,000. The GoFundMe site showed that the appeal pulled in over $170,000 from more than 3,000 individual donations.
McDaniel acknowledges As You Are has received criticism on social media sites for putting in place a second GoFundMe appeal. Reddit currently includes numerous posts criticizing the latest GoFundMe appeal on grounds that the financial problems are due to a faulty business model rather than the federal occupation.
“Yeah, we’re getting pretty well raked over the coals on the Internet,” McDaniel said. “But that kind of shows how bad this is. There’s no recourse for the lost business because of a federal takeover,” she said.
“We reached out to the mayor’s office, and there’s not a lot they can do, which is why we went with the GoFundMe.”
As You Are’s current appeal can be found on the GoFundMe site.
ents are welcomed and well served.
“Beyond his role in Rep. Crow’s office, Mitchell also leads the House Chiefs of Staff Association, where he helps mentor, train, and support other offices across the House. Mitchell’s work reflects the essential role Chiefs of Staff play in helping Congress function effectively on behalf of the American people.”
On being recognized, Rivard said, “I’m honored to have been nominated by my peers and recognized for this prestigious award. After 14 years on Capitol Hill, I continue to find incredible purpose through public service and giving back to others. I have been blessed to work for two Members of Congress and help lead their dedicated and hardworking teams to improve the lives of others.”
Prior to serving as chief of staff for Crow, Mitchell served in the office of Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). There he served in a number of roles, including communications director and deputy chief of staff, before becoming chief of staff. He served as Michigan Communications Director, Hillary for America, in 2016.
Prior to that he served as press assistant in the U.S. De-
partment of Justice as on-the-record spokesman for the department as a presidential appointee in the Obama administration. Before that, he worked as communications specialist for Progress Michigan. His first Hill job was as a press intern for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Mitchell is a Penn Kemble Democracy Fellow, with the National Endowment for Democracy, and was a Hoover Institution Stuart Family Congressional Fellow, Stanford University. He is also an Eagle Scout.
Mitchell earned his bachelor’s degree in Arts, Social Relations and Policy from Michigan State University.
Federal troops outside As You Are in Barracks Row have scared away customers, according to owners. (Photo courtesy As You Are)
MITCHELL RIVARD
Queer defiance, footlong in hand: the rise of ‘Sandwich Guy’ Air Force veteran protests federal overreach and goes viral
By JOE REBERKENNY | jreberkenny@washblade.com
From the “Three Arrows” of the Weimar Republic to the raised fist of Black Power to the keffiyeh as a symbol of Palestinian resistance—whenever there is abuse of power, people find ways to push back.
Now, in 2025 Washington, D.C., an unlikely emblem of protest has emerged: a Subway sandwich hurled at a federal officer.
Sean Dunn, an Air Force veteran and Justice Department employee, was out at the increasingly queer intersection of 14th and U streets on Aug. 10. The summer night was buzzing with nightlife, including Bunker (2001 14th St., N.W.), a popular LGBTQ dance club where a Latin dance party called Tropicoqueta—named after Karol G’s fifth album—was in full swing with DJs and drag queens.
Dunn tried to enter the club but was denied at the door for being too intoxicated, according to a knowledgeable source. Instead, he went into the Subway sandwich shop and lingered outside near the corner, where federal officers were posted.
The scene quickly turned tense. Dunn began asking questions, visibly unsettled by the officers’ presence. Some bystanders told him patrons had been questioned about their immigration status as they left the area. “You almost kind of had a lead up to a potential, like, Stonewall-type situation happening there,” one of Dunn’s close friends told the Blade
Frustration boiled over. Dunn turned his anger directly on the officers. “Fuck you, fascists!” he shouted. “Shame! Shame! Shame! … I don’t want you in my city!”
in hand, reached a breaking point and launched his footlong, striking a Customs and Border Protection agent in the chest.
A chase followed, ending two blocks later with Dunn in handcuffs. He was initially charged with six felonies. A grand jury later declined to indict Dunn on felony charges.
For friends who know him, the act was shocking in form but not in spirit. Dunn, they said, has long embodied a strong internal sense of justice.
“Sean is somebody I’ve always known to be extremely kind, welcoming, very chill,” said his friend, who requested anonymity because of their job. “He was one of the first people I met in D.C., and he’s always quick to include somebody who just needs a friend. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been out at JR.’s and suddenly had a new person in the group just because Sean didn’t want them to be alone.”
That same instinct, the friend believes, guided him on U Street. “He saw people coming after queer immigrants in a space that was supposed to be safe, and I think that made him really mad,” he said. “What made him do this was ultimately an attempt to defend people he felt weren’t being defended.”
Dunn’s résumé reflected that ethic of service. A veteran who served honorably in the Air Force, he later worked as an international affairs specialist at the Justice Department. Though not an attorney, he focused on building cooperation with foreign partners—“trying to keep his head down, do his job, and do the good things for the public that he was able to do,” as his friend put it.
Less than 24 hours after the sandwich toss, Dunn was already becoming a local folk hero. At Dupont Circle gay bar JR.’s, patrons recognized him immediately. “Some were like, ‘Sandwich guy!’” his friend said. “I literally took him up to the bar to buy him a drink, and even the bartender recognized him already.”
The image of Dunn wielding his Subway sandwich quickly spread beyond the gayborhood. Memes, protest signs, and even T-shirts circulated online, framing him as a symbol of resistance against federal overreach. Dunn, according to his friend, welcomed the attention. “I think he saw it more as an act of protest,” he said.
Soon, the sight of a pink-clad man clutching a footlong sandwich was everywhere in D.C.—plastered on alley walls in Shaw, waving from flags in Northeast, and printed across protest art. In just hours, Dunn had gone from a Justice Department employee to a celebrated emblem of defiance against the Trump administration’s tightening grip on the District.
The government, however, took a harsher view. Dunn was fired from his DOJ job and, in a dramatic turn, re-arrested days later in a nighttime raid. Video released by the White House showed heavily armed officers entering his apartment with ballistic shields—“like they were going after El Chapo or something,” his friend said.
To those close to him, the spectacle surrounding Dunn’s case felt wildly disproportionate. “Multiple felony charges for throwing a sandwich?” his friend said. “Under any normal administration, he maybe would have spent a night in the drunk tank and done some community service. Not been charged with a felony.”
That overreach, they believe, is what turned a drunken outburst into something larger. What could have been a forgettable scuffle instead became a viral moment of defiance—one that captured the attention of a community already weary of federal policing in the city.
For many, Dunn’s act is less about the sandwich itself than what it represented: frustration, defiance, and solidarity in a moment when queer spaces once again felt under siege.
“I think his sense of justice and inclusiveness and just doing the right thing for people is a huge motivator for him,” his friend said. “For anybody that knows him, that’s what we love and appreciate about Sean.”
Since that night, Dunn has faced consequences—losing his job, enduring arrests—but also recognition, becoming a symbol of resistance in D.C.’s protest culture. The sandwich toss, caught on camera and spread across the internet, has already secured its place in the city’s long tradition of confrontation and dissent.
Videos from the scene show him crossing the street, chanting as the officers moved away. When one yelled back, the confrontation escalated. Dunn, sandwich
The new symbol of D.C. resistance seen on the streets of Shaw. (Blade photo by Joe Reberkenny)
Marker honoring gay former slave installed near Dupont Circle
Honor follows D.C. Council approval of Swann Street LGBTQ designation bill
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
In a little-noticed development, the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation on Aug. 8 installed a ceremonial marker in a small park near Dupont Circle that honors William Dorsey Swann, a Black gay D.C. resident and former enslaved person who advocated for LGBTQ rights in the late 1800s.
The installation took place a little over two years after the D.C. Council approved and Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a bill in May 2023 re-designating Swann Street, N.W. near Dupont Circle in honor of William Dorsey Swann.
Historical records show that the street had originally been named for an 1800s-era Maryland governor named Thomas Swann, who was a slave holder.
D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), who introduced the William Dorsey Swann Street Designation Act in early 2023, released information at the time on William Dorsey Swann’s life and his historic role as an early pioneer in LGBTQ rights in the late 19th century. Pinto’s information was based on research on Swann conducted by Princeton University Professor Channing Joseph, who played a role in preparing the marker’s written text.
Joseph, who is considered a leading scholar on the life of Swann, has reported that beginning in the 1880s Swann led
a group known as the House of Swann and organized drag balls, largely attended by gay, formerly enslaved men who would gather to dance and cross dress.
The marker honoring Swann installed on Aug. 8 was placed in a small triangular park known as T Street Park located at the intersection of Swann Street, New Hampshire Avenue, 17th Street, and T Street, N.W.
The three-foot-wide marker includes a detailed written text describing Swann’s life and legacy and includes a large newspaper style headline stating, “The Birth of Drag Culture: Honoring the Legacy of William Dorsey Swann, the ‘Queen’ of Queer D.C.”
The write-up on the marker states, “William Dorsey Swann, born in 1860, was a trailblazer in both Black and LGBTQ+ history.” It adds, “Known as the ‘Queen’ of D.C., Swann led one of the earliest Black queer organizations and is recognized as the first person to self-identify as a drag queen.”
According to the marker write-up, “Despite living in a time when same-sex love and cross-dressing were highly stigmatized, Swann’s courageous acts of organizing drag balls and defending his community made him a pivotal figure in the early LGBTQ+ rights movement. His legacy lives on as a sym-
bol of resistance and pride.”
In a Feb. 17, 2020, article Joseph wrote about Swann published in The Nation magazine, Joseph reports that Swann was arrested one or more times after police raided his drag parties. The article says in 1886, after being convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail on the false charge of operating a “disorderly house,” Swann wrote to President Grover Cleveland requesting a pardon for holding a drag ball. Joseph reports in the article that Cleveland denied the request.
“This, too, was a historic act,” Joseph states in his article. “It made Swann the earliest recorded American to take specific legal and political steps to defend the queer community’s right to gather without the threat of criminalization, apprehension, or police violence,” Joseph wrote.
Md. judge rules against White House passport policy
A federal judge in Maryland on Tuesday ruled in favor of six transgender people who are challenging the TrumpVance administration’s passport policy.
President Donald Trump once he took office signed an executive order that banned the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers. A memo the Washington Blade obtained directed State Department personnel to “suspend any application where the applicant is seeking to change their sex marker from that defined in the executive order pending further guidance.”
The Trump-Vance administration only recognizes two genders: male and female.
The lawsuit that Lambda Legal filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Baltimore in April alleges the policy “has caused and is causing grave and immediate harm to transgender people like plaintiffs, in violation of
their constitutional rights to equal protection.”
Seven trans people — Zander Schlacter, Jill Tran, Lia Hepler-Mackey, David Doe, Robert Roe, Peter Poe, and Kris Koe — filed the lawsuit.
Roe is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer who currently lives in Europe. Lambda Legal, who represents him and the six other plaintiffs, notes Chief Judge George L. Russell III dismissed Roe’s case because the State Department has yet to deny him “an accurate passport.”
“Like every other court that has considered this executive order, the court finds its stated purpose does not serve an important governmental interest that is exceedingly persuasive; further, the discriminatory means employed are not substantially related to the achievement of those objectives,” said Russell in his ruling.
Lambda Legal Counsel Carl Charles described Russell’s
decision as “a crucial victory for our clients and transgender people nationwide who have been trapped by this administration’s cruel and discriminatory policy.”
“The court recognized that forcing inaccurate identity documents on transgender Americans causes immediate and irreparable harm,” said Charles in a press release.“Our clients can now travel with dignity and safety while we continue fighting to overturn this discriminatory policy entirely.”
The American Civil Liberties Union earlier this year filed a separate lawsuit against the passport directive on behalf of seven trans and nonbinary people.
A federal judge in Boston in April issued a preliminary junction against it. A three-judge panel on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week ruled against the Trump-Vance administration’s motion to delay the move.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Local military families challenge ban on trans healthcare
Three military families sued the Department of Defense on Monday after President Trump’s anti-transgender policies barred their transgender adolescent and adult children from accessing essential gender-affirming medical care.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, challenges the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to ban coverage of any transgender-related medical care under Department of Defense health insurance plans.
Under the new directive, military clinics and hospitals are prohibited from providing continuing care to transgender adolescent and adult children. It also prevents TRICARE, the military’s health insurance program, from covering the costs of gender-affirming care for both transgender youth and young adults, regardless of where that care is received.
A press release from the families’ attorney explained that the
plaintiffs are proceeding under pseudonyms to protect their safety and privacy. They are represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, and Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP.
“This is a sweeping reversal of military health policy and a betrayal of military families who have sacrificed for our country,” said Sarah Austin, Staff Attorney at GLAD Law. “When a servicemember is deployed and focused on the mission they deserve to know their family is taken care of. This Administration has backtracked on that core promise and put servicemembers at risk of losing access to health care their children desperately need.”
“President Trump has illegally overstepped his authority by abruptly cutting off necessary medical care for military families,”
said Shannon Minter, Legal Director at NCLR. “This lawless directive is part of a dangerous pattern of this administration ignoring legal requirements and abandoning our servicemembers.”
“President Trump’s Executive Order blocks military hospitals from giving transgender youth the care their doctors deem necessary and their parents have approved,” said Sharif Jacob, partner at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP. “Today we filed a lawsuit to put an end to his order, and the agency guidance implementing it.”
“This administration is unlawfully targeting military families by denying essential care to their transgender children,” said Liam Brown, an associate with Keker, Van Nest & Peters. “We will not stand by while those who serve are stripped of the ability to care for their families.”
JOE REBERKENNY
The ceremonial marker in a small park near Dupont Circle that honors William Dorsey Swann. (Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro Jr.)
Concerns for future emerge at U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS
‘I’m done being treated like shit in the country I grew up in’
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
More than 2,400 people, including public health experts, scientists, physicians, local government officials, and community activists, turned out for the 29th annual United States Conference on HIV/AIDS, which took place Sept. 4-7 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in D.C.
Organized by the D.C.-based group NMAC, formerly known as the National Minority AIDS Council, the conference is considered the nation’s largest and most comprehensive gathering of experts involved in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S.
NMAC spokesperson Pavni Guharoy said NMAC officials will be completing a final count of the conference participants based on registration numbers later this week, but she said the current estimated attendance was at least 2,500.
The conference included more than 100 workshop sessions that focused on a wide range of issues related to the status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., with a focus on the large and growing number of people living with HIV who are 50 years of age or older.
Information released at the conference shows that as of 2022, of the nearly 1.1 million people living with HIV in the U.S., approximately 54 percent were 50 years of age or older.
Many of the sessions addressed the needs, concerns and sometimes stigma faced by diverse communities of people living with HIV and those at risk for HIV, including African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities, both those who are aging as well as young adults.
The conference also included four plenary sessions in which all conference attendees listened to two-dozen prominent keynote speakers. Among them was former U.S. National Institutes of Health official Dr. Anthony Fauci, who pointed out that continuing advances in HIV research have led to effective medical intervention that changed AIDS from a once fatal illness to a condition in which people with HIV can live “a normal life span.”
Other keynote speakers included Earwin ‘Magic’ Johnson, the acclaimed basketball player who became an advocate for people with HIV after testing positive for HIV 33 years ago, and Dr. Rachel Levine, who made history by becoming the first out transgender person to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021as an appointee by then-President Joe Biden as a U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health.
Also speaking was Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 at the age of 13 from a blood transfusion. White-Ginder told conference attendees how Ryan faced discrimination when he was initially barred from going to his school in Indiana out of fear that he could transmit the virus to others at school.
In a moving presentation, she told how Ryan became one of the nation’s early advocates for people with HIV/ AIDS up until the time of his death in 1990, one month before his high school graduation. She said then-U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) invited her to come to Washington to help lobby for a bill Kennedy introduced and which Congress passed in her son’s honor called the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in August 1990.
“Now, today, thanks to your hard work and dedication, Ryan’s bill and your bill, too, provides treatment and support to more than half a million Americans in big cities, small towns and rural communities across the country,” she said. “It has dramatically reduced suffering. It has enabled people to live with HIV, to live long and healthy lives.”
But White-Ginder joined the many conference speakers, including Magic Johnson, in calling on attendees and the public to urge Congress to reject the dramatic cuts in funding for federal AIDS programs, including the Ryan White program, proposed by President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders for the Fiscal Year 2026 federal budget.
Among those calling on the AIDS community and allies to speak out against the proposed budget cuts were Paul Kawata, NMAC’s outgoing executive director and CEO, who is retiring Oct. 7, and Harold Phillips, the former director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy during the Biden administration and current NMAC Deputy Director for Programs who was chosen to succeed Kawata as NMAC CEO.
NMAC officials, led by members of its board of directors, praised Kawata for his 36 years of service as NMAC’s leader and his dedication to the cause of service and support for people with HIV and AIDS.
Kawata reflected on his work at NMAC and his concerns over the current political climate in Washington in a sometimes-emotional farewell address at one of the conference’s plenary sessions on Sept. 5.
“I’ll be honest with you. After 36 years the thought of leaving all of you is much more difficult than I thought it was going to be,” he told the gathering. “You are my family. You are the people that I love,” he said.
“You taught me how to be a better version of me. And I am so extraordinarily grateful for everything that you have given me,” he continued. “And you will always be a part of my heart.”
Pointing to members of the NMAC staff, both current and former members in the audience, Kawata said, “NMAC is NMAC because of what you do every single day with your life. You fight to make a difference in the world. And I am honored and privileged to call you my friends.”
Without mentioning the Trump administration by name, Kawata had harsh words for what he said was happening now in the United States and its impact on people living with HIV.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “I’m done being treated like shit in the country that I grew up in. I’m done being told that I’m a second-class citizen because of who I love,” he continued. “It’s not my America anymore. And I’m worried for our future.”
He added, “We always talk about the pendulum of justice, about the arc of justice. And I really want you to know in this moment, as difficult and as awful and how hellacious it is, we are on the right side of history. We are the ones who will change the world.”
In his remarks at the conference’s closing Sept. 7 plenary session, Fauci said, “We’re in very difficult times. You
don’t need me to tell you that. But we’ve got to continue to put the pressure on what we did in the ‘80s with the activist groups, to make sure we do end the epidemic.”
He noted that he was at his job as director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases in the early 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic first surfaced and the AIDS patients he and his colleagues cared for, had little chance of survival.
“Fast forward now, 44 years, extraordinary things have happened,” Fauci said. “We now have drugs that you are all very aware of that can have an individual living with HIV live essentially a normal life span in putting under the care and the availability of drugs,” he continued.
“We know what U equals U – something that we didn’t imagine some years ago. That undetectable equals untransmissible,” he said, referring to the current HIV medication that suppresses the HIV virus to an undetectable level that prevents an infected person from transmitting it to someone else.
“And right now, with these drugs that we have for the prevention of HIV we have what we actually hoped for years ago – and that is to end the HIV epidemic,” he said.
Dr. Rachel Levine, who during the Biden administration served in the dual role as Assistant Secretary of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as director of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, also spoke at the closing session of the conference.
She noted that she began her career as a pediatric physician in 1983 in New York City, at the time of the early stages of the AIDS epidemic. From that time through her years as Assistant Secretary of Health, Levine said she observed first-hand the skills and dedication of doctors, nurses, and others who cared for people with HIV/AIDS who she described as the HIV care workforce.
“The HIV care workforce since that time has been incredibly dedicated, with many people working for decades,” she said. “And working to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world. We applaud you. You are in this room. We applaud you arduously for your dedication and for your passion.”
Levine also noted that the cuts in funding and largescale federal worker layoffs brought about by the Trump administration have had a direct impact on the HIV care workforce.
“Many dedicated public health leaders, including most of the HIV and infectious disease team who I worked with in my office at HHS have had their positions eliminated,” she said. “These hard-working civil servants went to work every single day to support the health and wellbeing of all Americans, including those living with HIV.”
She added, “And we know that there are shortages in HIV care. And it is so critical at this challenging time that we support you, the HIV care workforce.”
Many conference attendees said Magic Johnson played a leading role in boosting morale and spirit at the 2025 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS by his inspirational speech at the Sept. 5 plenary session.
Upon receiving a prolonged, standing ovation after being introduced as the next speaker, Johnson said, “When I think about 33 years living with HIV in a moment that changed my life forever. And what a blessing to be here 33 years later to tell that story at a time when there was only one drug.”
MAGIC JOHNSON speaks at the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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A gay couple from D.C. took part in an LGBTQ pilgrimage to the Vatican on Saturday.
Jim Sweeney and his husband, the Rev. Jason Carson Wilson, were two of the more than 1,200 people who participated in the pilgrimage that took place during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee.
The pilgrims entered St. Peter’s Basilica through its Holy Door, which CNN notes symbolizes forgiveness and reconciliation. (The year-long Jubilee began on Christmas Eve when then-Pope Francis opened the Holy Door.)
DignityUSA in a press release notes the pilgrimage is the first-ever LGBTQ pilgrimage the Vatican has recognized.
“We’re really, really excited,” Sweeney, a member of Dignity Washington, told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview from Rome. “This is a first.”
Wilson, a former journalist and founding executive director of the Bayard Rustin Liberation Institute who is an ordained United Church of Christ minister, echoed his husband.
“To be here in Rome, the cradle of Catholicism, is just an amazing experience,” Wilson told the Blade.
DignityUSA President Meli Barber described the pilgrimage as “truly historic, even miraculous.”
“Many of us could not have imagined that LGBTQ+ Catholics, who have too often been unwelcome in our own church, will have a chance to walk through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, and to pray together there as part of a Holy Year event,” said Barber. “We carry the hope that this is another milepost along the path to full
D.C. couple joins LGBTQ pilgrimage to Vatican Activists in Ukraine hold annual Pride event
Activists in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Saturday held their annual Pride event.
A Kharkiv Pride press release notes 17 cars “drove through the city to draw attention to the importance of ensuring human rights for all through legislation.” Upwards of 50 people: LGBTQ people, activists, volunteers, and servicemembers, participated in the event lasted about an hour.
Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city, is less than 30 miles from the Russian border in the eastern part of the country.
Russia has repeatedly targeted the city since the Kremlin launched its war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Kharkiv Pride in its press release notes organizers decided to organize an “AutoPride” — “a motorcade format” — as opposed to a street march because of security concerns.
“Despite the fact that in Kyiv Pride has already taken place for two consecutive years in the format of a street march, the security risks in Kharkiv are higher, as the city is located in eastern Ukraine, close to the Russian border,” said Kharkiv Pride. “Therefore, for the second year in a row, the Kharkiv Pride team opted for a motorcade format — it allows them to convey important messages while taking security threats into account as much as possible.”
Kharkiv Pride noted police officers “escorted” the “AutoPride” participants.
“KharkivPride is a human rights civic movement, not just some kind of fun and entertainment,” said Anna Sharyhina, co-organizer of Kharkiv Pride and president of the Sphere Women’s Association. “Kharkiv needs Kharkiv
inclusion in our church, the church we have always been part of. We are filled with joy and pride for everyone who will be representing us all.”
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based organization that ministers to LGBTQ Catholics, also took part in the pilgrimage.
“It’s a great and historic honor to be part of this pilgrimage,” said DeBernardo in a press release. “The fact that the Vatican is welcoming this pilgrimage shows how much the church has grown in regard to accepting
LGBTQ+ people.”
The pilgrimage took place less than four months after Pope Leo XIV became pope.
The American-born pontiff succeeded Francis, who died on April 21.
The Vatican’s tone on LGBTQ and intersex issues softened under Francis’s papacy, even though church teachings on homosexuality did not change. Leo as pope has reaffirmed Vatican doctrine that says marriage is between a man and a woman, but he will continue to allow priests to bless same-sex couples. The American-born pontiff on Sept. 1 met with the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who founded Outreach, a ministry for LGBTQ Catholics.
“Let me address what many people want to know: Pope Leo’s approach to LGBTQ Catholic ministry,” said Martin in a message posted to Outreach’s website. “The message I received from him, loud and clear, was that he wanted to continue with the same approach that Pope Francis had advanced, which was one of openness and welcome. So, it was very much a hopeful message of continuity.”
Sweeney said he expects Leo will continue Francis’s legacy of welcoming LGBTQ Catholics into the church. Wilson added he is “cautiously optimistic.”
“I just really am glad to see that we’re in the space, that we’re going to have this pilgrimage, and that LGBT people are going to be allowed to walk through the Holy Door, signifying that we are holy, that we are holy enough to walk through that door,” Wilson told the Blade.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Pride — a powerful and vivid distinction from Russia. We strive to live in a free and safe country and to have the same rights that heterosexual people already enjoy. Ev-
ery day, LGBTQ+ people contribute to the victory, so the state must finally provide us with protection.”
MICHAEL
K. LAVERS
From left: Rev. JASON CARSON WILSON and his husband, JIM SWEENEY, participate in an LGBTQ pilgrimage to the Vatican on Sept. 6. (Photo courtesy of Rev. Jason Carson Wilson)
Kharkiv Pride’s “AutoPride” took place in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 6, 2025. (Photo by Christina Pashkina)
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Breaking the cycle: Honoring service, ending injustice
Convincing the Air Force I was straight, while inside I was breaking
I joined the Air Force ready to serve, ready to give everything for my country. What I wasn’t ready for was the constant act I had to perform. Under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” — the policy that barred gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members from serving openly from 1993 to 2011 — I lived a double life. By day, I was the perfect Airman: scoring high on tests, volunteering for every assignment, working harder than anyone so no one would look too closely. By night, behind closed doors, I was just a young woman desperate to live honestly, to love openly, and to be myself.
The toll was relentless. Supervisors asked why I wasn’t dating men. Fellow Airmen pressed, harassed, and sometimes assaulted. I spent every moment fending off advances while hiding who I really was. My relationships never had a chance to grow because there was always the fear of being caught. And so I became an actress — convincing the Air Force and the world I was straight, while inside I was breaking.
Still, I tried to turn my pain into purpose. While stationed in Germany, I became a chapter leader for OutServe (now Modern Military Association of America), the underground network of LGBTQ+ service members who found community in secrecy. We leaned on each other when we couldn’t lean on our commands. I answered late-night phone calls from people in despair, terrified of seeking help because to acknowledge who they were could end their career.
Even after repeal in 2011, scars remained. Some veterans still carry less-than-honorable discharges or records that erase their truth. And while repeal was a relief, our transgender siblings were left behind. They continued to serve in silence, and even today, they face a cycle of policy reversals that tell them their service is conditional, their dignity negotiable. Instead of learning from history, we are repeating it — restarting the cycle of harm.
That is why it matters that on the anniversary of the Repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” Sept. 20 will be proclaimed to be LGBTQ+ Service Member and Veterans Day in Washington, D.C., and in cities and states across the country. For our community, this recognition is more than symbolic — it is a public acknowledgment of sacrifice, resilience, and the long fight for dignity that is still happening today. Anniversaries are not just moments to look back. They are a call to action: to repair past harm, to protect those still serving, and to ensure no one else has to live the double life I once did.
Join Modern Military, Minority Vets and TAVA this year as we celebrate and commemorate LGBTQ+ military service https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lgbtq-veterans-day-dadt-anniversary-ceremony-tickets-1632433826519?aff=oddtdtcreator
(Photo via Bigstock/Glynnis Jones)
The Football Ritual of Watching LivesRuined
NicholasF. Benton
FALLSCHURCHNEWS-PRESS
Washington Postcolumnist
MeganMcArdle deserveshigh praise for hercourageous columnin herpaper’sSept. 2edition entitled, “The Uncomfortable Truth AboutWatchingFootball.”Standing uptothe massive tidal waveof socialmania overthe openingof another football season, she daredto call intoseriousquestion the entireenterprisebecauseof itsdevastatingphysical effect on players,most importantlyin terms of inducingdementia throughbrain damage known as “chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” or CTE
What a downer,thepeople cry.
on the start of the professional National FootballLeague (NFL)with sales of favoriteteamjerseys, face paint,chips, dips, beerand pizza through the roof withbilliondollarTVad campaigns, and TVnews swamped byhyped-up newsmen andweathermen (notjust sportsreporters) touting “our”obvious keen interestinthe minutiae of “our”localteam’s doings. But what they arecrazedaboutisanational ritual that isdestroying livesinthecruelest of ways, as science proves.
How many mammothstadiums, solelastingmonumentsto our cur-
with fanatics(“fans” forshort)everySaturday for college gamesand Sundaysforpro games, screaming and chantingfor theirfavoritesas
levels of weightandspeed, plow into each otherdown after down, as they do everyday of theweek during practices, too.Millions are spending theirentireweekends engaged intheserituals, betweentraveltimes to andfromstadiumsand pre-gametailgating, long post-game ridesout of crammedparking lots andto home,only thentowatchon TV whattheysaw,overandover,as talkingheadsgabincessantlywith endlessso-called “analysis.”
Allthis happensas our cities arebeingillegally occupied by adomesticmilitary and stories mountofgrievous and cruel arrests anddeportations, news of our presidentcavorting with pedophiles,presidentialappointees
of our nation’s top foreignintelpublichealth protections against us all,andtariff policies that amountto a massivenew tax on every of us Meanwhile, The Post is makingkeyeditorialdecisions to relegatelocalnews coverage of this attheback of its paper, behindthe sportssection, while penningeditorialspraisingthe occupation ofD.C.and (inthe sameedition asMcArdle’s column,noless) singingthe praises of thenewfootball season. Meanwhile,Republicansarerunning campaigns thisfallbasedon one issue, transgenders in restrooms and, of course, sports.
Thoughcoming12yearsafterthiswriterbeganspeakingout aboutCTEandfootball,McArdle’scolumnconstitutesaso,so sorelyneededbucketofcoldwater onthenation’sfootball-intoxicatedfaces,butwithnoguaranteesit willsoberanyoneup.Asubheadin hercolumnhighlightsthat“While sixpercentofmenaroundage62
trating,.rememberingormaking decisions,47percentoftheformer NFL players do.”
Thebig-money NFLis getting away withthis due to heavy inPost,butalso because currently CTEcanonlybediagnosed in personsafter they are dead,although symptoms abound earlier.
Thecenterof the study of CTE is atBostonUniversity, and scientists there thinkthatit willbeonly afew moreyears beforewaysare foundtodiagnose CTEinliving persons.Then,therewillbeenormouspressure to subjectactive players tobetested for it,andthe results could be truly shocking
Thereis noothersport, except for boxing or its moreextreme versions nowproliferating, where the fundamentalpurposeof the game isfor participantstoslam intoeachother. Whilethereare unintentionalcollisions in any competitive sport,they arerelatively rare.
The result of livingtestswill not provedifferentthan what we already know from post-mortem examinations, includingthat thereisa high prevalence ofit evenamonghigh schoolplayers. Itis lower than for pro or college football,butappears onaverage inthree of 20high schoolplayers, doomed to futures ofpain, confusion and earlydeathduetoplaying football
PETER ROSENSTEIN
Threatening Chicago just the latest assault on our norms is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
Each morning brings a new outrage from Trump
By now we know each morning there will be a new outrage coming out of the mouth of the felon in the White House. Some, you can just disregard, others will make your, or someone else’s life, hell. There are the ones he posts on Truth Social — comments about Taylor Swift or some other celebrity who he likes or hates. Then there are lines he throws out at press conferences, like saying he decided to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War. Then his Goebbels, Stephen Miller, gets the Executive Order drafted. It is well known only Congress can officially rename a Cabinet agency, but that didn’t stop Trump from claiming he could. He does this shit all the time figuring if someone wants to sue him, they will, but in the meantime he gets away with it. This seemed a particularly dumb move if he ever wants to reach his holy grail of receiving a Nobel Peace Prize. Clearly, he is too stupid to have thought this one through.
Then he did what any sane person would say is beyond the pale. Clearly Trump is not sane. He went on Truth Social to say he would use the Department of War to make war on an American city. It was reported “President Donald Trump posted a meme on social media Saturday saying that Chicago “will find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” as the city’s officials brace for an immigration crackdown. “I love the smell of deportations in the morning … Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” the post reads.
There have been lists published of the wild things he has posted, like saying he will sue the Wall Street Journal for a story he didn’t like. Or when he posted this crap on Juneteenth: “While Black Americans were celebrating Juneteenth as a federal holiday this year, President Trump never even acknowledged it directly. But he took to Truth Social to say, ‘Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed.’” He continued, “It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump also added that, “The workers don’t want it either,” which no
working American has ever uttered in history.”
Each day there is more bullshit from him. He can’t decide what he wants to do about Israel and Gaza, vacillating week to week, or whether to love or dislike Putin. He was royally embarrassed when the leaders of Russia, China, and India joined in a group hug. They were then joined by Trump’s ‘good friend’ North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, at a summit in China to which the felon wasn’t invited. They clearly intended to collectively give him, and because of him, the United States, the finger. So now, because of the felon, our allies don’t trust us, and the rest of the world is telling us to go fuck ourselves. He is using the Office of the President to threaten everyone, and his power to try to get them to bow down to him. It’s not working internationally, but is working domestically with Republicans in Congress and business in the United States. Republicans in Congress can’t get off their knees long enough to stop him from doing anything. Republican leaders in Congress should supply their caucus with kneepads. Then there’s the sickening spectacle of American business leaders from the tech sector kissing the felon’s ass at a recent White House dinner.
Trump is desperately trying to keep the Epstein story off the front pages and keep the thousands of pages of files out of the hands of the media. Instead, he plays the media with stories about playing strongman sending the National Guard into D.C. and around the country. Pretending he alone can bring down crime while legitimate statistics say it was coming down before his involvement. He screws D.C. with his usual lies saying what he is doing is good for business, when it is having the exact opposite effect. Thankfully groups like FREE DC are responding and showing him people won’t take his crap lying down. But he pretends he is ‘winning’ and unfortunately, until Democrats take back Congress, or at least the House of Representatives, he gets away with it.
We have not yet lost our democracy, but we are in danger of doing so, if people don’t speak out every day, and then VOTE.
Photo
Belinda Carlisle on allyship, her new album, and the California dream
And her thoughts on another Go-Go’s reunion
By MATT MINTON
Belinda Carlisle thought this was going to be a calm summer. She says this now with a laugh.
Back in April, Carlisle reunited with The Go-Go’s at Coachella after the band’s last performance in 2022. What struck her was the young audiences that turned out knowing all the words — not the usual demographic for the band, she told the Blade in a recent interview.
“It was like a feather in the cap. We got together for that festival, so I don’t think there’s going to be any more GoGo’s, but I’ve learned you can never say never,” Carlisle says. “And I’m really blessed that people even care to talk to me, to be honest.”
But today, we’re not here to talk about The Go-Go’s. After the band’s public split in 1985, Carlisle transitioned into a high-profile solo career, one that continues with the release of her newest cover album, “Once Upon a Time in California,” on Aug. 29. As Carlisle switches gears — contributing to that not-so-calm summer she laughed about – she prepares to share tributes to iconic songs by The Carpenters (“Superstar”), Harry Nilsson (“Everybody’s Talkin”) and The Hollies (“The Air That I Breathe”) in a soulful tribute to home.
As a California native from Burbank and Thousand Oaks, Carlisle felt compelled to look back on her influences, and she started from a pool of a hundred songs. “The concept for this, first of all, were California radio songs that I loved,” Carlisle says, citing The Beach Boys. “I think we all wish we could have a time machine and go back in time … it’s more of a tribute to a dream of California and an idea.”
Carlisle hasn’t lived in California since 1994, when the devastating Northridge earthquake occurred, leaving her a spectator to the many changes the music industry has been through over the past three decades. Her new album arrives during a particularly tumultuous and deadly year for the state,
with the wildfires that raged through the Palisades and the continued struggles in the film industry.
“It was inspiring to see people really step up to help others in the midst of so much loss and sadness — you could see humanity at work,” Carlisle says.
Beyond her music, Carlisle is constantly recognized for her allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. Her status as a gay icon became clear in the late ‘70s “punk days” while performing in The Go-Go’s. “My attitude was always, well, they have the best taste. I know it’s a cliché thing to say, but it’s true,” she says.
One of her biggest hits, “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” even became a queer love anthem. In 2016’s “Black Mirror: San Junipero,” the song connects the two female protagonists who fall for each other, tying the story together thematically. While Carlisle admits to never getting around to watching the episode, she still recognizes its undeniable impact.
“It brought a whole new life to that song [from 1987]. It brought a whole new demographic of fans for me,” Carlisle says. “I heard that the way it’s used was really clever. And actually, the director of the episode had to have that
song — that was what the whole episode was about. So I have to [finally] see it. I always kind of forget everything.”
A throughline in her decades-spanning career is Carlisle recognizing that allyship shouldn’t feel like a conscious effort. And that’s especially true in a year that has already seen countless attacks on queer and trans rights.
“Most of my friends are gay and lesbian, and I just always felt a real duty to do what I could,” Carlisle says. “I know that I will always continue to do what I can to be a voice for the community, especially having a son that’s being affected by all this.”
BELINDA CARLISLE’s new cover album, ‘Once Upon a Time in California,’ was released Aug. 29. (Photo by Albert Sanchez)
CALENDAR |
By TINASHE CHINGARANDE
Friday, September 12
“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. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website or email adam@thedccenter.org.
GoGayDC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant Rooftop. 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.
Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area and a great way to make new friends and meet other queer women in a fun and friendly setting. For more details, visit Facebook.
Saturday, September 13
GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 12 p.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.
LGBTQ Intergenerational Extravaganza will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This event will be hosted in collaboration with Capitol Hill Village, the DC LGBTQ+ Community Center, Seabury Out and About, and Whitman Walker. Attendees will enjoy an afternoon that includes lunch, speed friending, an elder panel, yoga and breakout sessions. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Monday, September 15
“Center Aging Monday Coffee Klatch” 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.
GoGayDC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. 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.
Tuesday, September 16
Center Bi+ Roundtable Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.
The D.C. Mayor’s Office for LGBTQ Affairs will host “Start Proud: DC’s LGBTQ Small Biz Power Hour” at 4:30 p.m. at 899 North Capitol St., N.E. This event is a one-stop presentation designed to equip D.C. residents with the tools to launch, grow, and sustain small businesses. From grants and tax support to business licensing and mentorship, this session connects aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources they need to thrive in the District of Columbia. More details are available on Eventbrite.
Wednesday, September 17
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. GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Activism at Woman’s National Democratic Club” at 6 p.m. at The Whittemore House. Guests can join other activists at the WNDC for letter and postcard writing to get out the vote this fall in Virginia and other critical state races. Postcards will be written to women in rural Virginia and to members of Congress on Home Rule 101 in partnership with the D.C. Democrats Statehood Committee. There will be free pizza, cash bar, a fun raffle and camaraderie. More details are available on Eventbrite.
Thursday, September 18
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 Charles 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
DC Center to host violence prevention open house
The DC LGBTQ+ Community Center will host the inaugural “VPART Open House” on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 12 p.m. at the Center’s physical location at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W.
This special event brings together community members and partner organizations to uplift the vital work of the Violence Prevention and Response Team (VPART), a program of the Mayor’s Office on LGBTQ+ Affairs and to celebrate the collaborative efforts of sibling organizations.
Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with local advocates, learn more about violence prevention strategies, and explore the broad spectrum of supportive services available across the District. The afternoon will include resource-sharing, meaningful conversations, and community care, all in a welcoming and affirming environment. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Tyler Clementi Foundation to host Reggie Greer
The Tyler Clementi Foundation will host “Upstanders in Action” on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. at the home of Craig Benson.
This event will honor Reggie Greer with the 2025 Washington, D.C. Upstander Award for his work as an LGBTQ+ advocate. Presenting Greer with this award will be Bishop Gene Robinson, an inspiring voice for inclusion and equality.
The event will feature an exclusive auction with unique experiences. To purchase tickets, visit the Tyler Clementi Foundation’s website.
The Tyler Clementi Foundation will honor REGGIE GREER on Sept. 17. (Photo courtesy Biden campaign)
Ana Villafañe for Damn Yankees at Nationals Park. Photo by Tony Powell.
D.C.’s bustling fall theater season already underway
‘Damn Yankees,’ ‘Hello, Dolly!,’ George Michael, and more
By PATRICK FOLLIARD
In a fall theater season bursting with re-imaginings, re-workings, timely productions, and fun, there’s a lot to look forward to seeing. Here’s a glimpse into a bit of what’s in store.
Already well into its autumn opener, Signature Theatre presents ‘Play On!’ (through Oct. 5), a Sheldon Epps’ conceived musical that blends Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” with Duke Ellington standards set against the Harlem jazz scene.
As Duke, the show’s lovelorn protagonist, local out actor Greg Watkins is an amalgam of Duke Ellington from Harlem via Washington, D.C. and Shakespeare’s Duke Orsino of Illyria.
“I’m an Aries; I embrace challenge,” says Watkins, a D.C. native. “I also believe in never letting the audience see you sweat.”
While familiar with “Twelfth Night,” “Play On!” was new to Watkins. He explains, “I was invited to come into audition for the part of Red. I brought my book of music but wasn’t sure what I was going to sing. I like to let the room lead me. Whatever I sang, I was determined to accompany myself on piano. No slight to the accompanist, but I just wanted to do it this way.”
He performed “Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.” After his audition, Watkins was asked to read for Duke. It paid off: he was cast as Duke and in “Play On!” he sings “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” accompanying himself alone on stage.
“Never saw that coming. Duke is a tenor track and I’m a baritone. I do have some range, however. The show’s music director Jermaine Hill trusts me as both an instrumentalist and storyteller.”
Now exceedingly familiar with “Play On!” Watkins says, “The show is about family, community, sexuality, sensuality, love, and finding one’s truth. On that path your bound to make discoveries and push through some shit, but still, it’s beautiful, a laugh, musically delicious, grand, and occasionally silly. Sigtheatre.org
At Arena Stage you’ll find another reworked classic with the musical “Damn Yankees” (through Nov. 9). A creative team that includes out playwright Doug Wright, Will Power, and lyricist Lynn Ahrens gently bring the 1950s story of a paunchy sports fan who makes a Faustian deal to become a baseball star into the 21st century. Performed in the round in Arena’s Fichandler Stage, the
space shows off the ensemble’s terrific dance prowess to great advantage. Arenastage.org
At Round House it’s out playwright Matthew López’s “The Inheritance, Parts One and Two” (through Oct. 19), an epic work inspired by gay novelist E.M. Forster’s classic “Howards End.” The Broadway hit features queer characters aplenty exploring themes of love, legacy, and friendship. Local favorite Tom Story directs. roundhouse. org
And there’s more intriguing reimagining. At Folger Theatre, the award-winning writer, journalist, and podcast host Al Letson seeks inspiration from Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” in his retelling of the story, “Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare” (Sept. 23-Oct. 26). Brandon Carter plays Julius Caesar. Nicole Brewer directs. www.folger.edu
Playwright Kareem Fahmy’s two hander “Dodi & Diana” (through Oct. 5), is currently playing at Mosaic Theater Company. While commemorating the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s and Dodi Fayed’s tragic deaths, Egyptian actress Samira and her financier husband, Jason, are forced to reckon with their own complicated relationship and how their fate may already be written in the stars.
Samira and Jason are played, respectively, by Dina Soltan, a Mosaic veteran who played in queer playwright Mona Mansour’s works Unseen, The Vagrant Trilogy, as well as Dalia Taha’s Keffiyeh/Made in China, and talented out Jake Loewenthal making his Mosaic debut. Mosaic’s out artistic director Reginald L. Douglas directs. Mosaictheater.org
At Theater Alliance you’ll find a wonderful play titled “fire work” (though Sept. 21), written by Mary Glen Fredrick and staged by Shanara Gabrielle.
“By day, Eleanor and Bartholomew toil in the glass factory. By night, they light up the skies with fireworks. But when sweeping reforms threaten their already precarious reality, Eleanor becomes the unexpected leader of a ragtag band of revolutionaries determined to send a message to the powers that be.” theateralliance.com
At Studio Theatre, the fall season opens with Lloyd Suh’s “The Heart Sellers” (Sept. 24-Oct. 26), “a funny, poignant story about two immigrants finding friendship in a hostile world.” Studio’s associate artistic director Danilo Gambini directs.
And following that, Studio presents Pulitzer Prize-winning out playwright Paula Vogel’s “Mother Play: A Play in Five Evictions” (Nov. 12-Dec. 21). Vogel’s latest work “charts the lives of an eccentric family, including an indomitable single mother and her two kids, who both are dealing with the perils of growing up gay in the late 20th century.”
And, according to Studio’s notes, the show has a particular local appeal: “the evictions of the subtitle send the central family to various D.C. suburbs throughout the play.” Studiotheatre.org
On Sept. 27, “The ARTS by George!” benefit event, presented by George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) on its Fairfax campus, celebrates its 20th year with award-winning actor, singer, and songwriter Darren Criss as the headliner. Criss, who is straight but identifies “as culturally queer” is best known
for his work on TV’s “Glee” and his memorable turn as serial killer Andrew Cunanan in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” cvpa.gmu.edu
Each season, Olney Theatre Center presents a big musical that extends from late autumn through the holidays and into the early new year. This year, it’s “Hello, Dolly!” (Nov. 6-Jan. 4) starring local mega talent Nova Y. Payton in the title role of the matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi. Olney veteran Kevin S. McAllister directs. Olneytheatre. org
On Nov. 15, National Theatre DC brings back “The Life and Music of George Michael” for one night only. This concert-style show chronicles the amazing journey of the late superstar who died unexpectedly at 53 on Christmas Day 2016. Michael is played by out actor Craig Winberry, a terrific performer and George Michael fan. Winberry, who’s based in New York City, promises National Theatre audiences more of a genuine pop/rock concert than a jukebox musical. thenationaldc.com
Other productions coming our way this fall include:
“An Enemy of the People”
By Henrik Ibsen, in a new adaptation by Amy Herzog; directed by János Szász
Oct. 29-Nov. 23
Goldman Theater at the Edlavitch DCJCC
The story follows a small-town doctor who considers himself a proud, upstanding member of his close-knit community. When he discovers a catastrophe that risks the lives of everyone in town, he raises the alarm. But he is shaken to his core when those in power, including his own brother, try not only to silence him, but to destroy him. Edcjcc.org
“Drunk Dracula”
From the Brass Jar Productions, the people that brought you “Drunk Shakespeare”
Sept. 24-Nov. 2
The Sage Theatre (1100 13th St., NW)
“Drunk Dracula” will stalk toward the stage in the latest incarnation of the beloved underground phenomenon, “Drunk Shakespeare.” In this must-see event of the spooky season, a blood-sucking villain comes to take over the nation’s capital – a circumstance that surely no one in D.C. can relate to at all. a.drunkshakespeare.com
“Death and the Fool”
Created and Performed by Happenstance Theater
Presented by Edge of the Universe Theater Nov. 8 & 9
641 D St., N.W.
“Death and the Fool” is a Tarot-inspired mystery play full of slapstick comedy, music from the middle ages, puppetry and whimsy. Just as folly brought light to the Middle Ages, this interactive experience offers relief from impending doom. As the Fool faces Death, follow along on his journey for guidance – consult the ancient Oracle, be comforted by the High Priestess, trust the Doctor, and give your troubles over to the Crone. Don’t miss Happenstance Theater, “DC’s leading peddler of whimsy,” (Washington Post) and five-time Helen Hayes Award winners, as they seek to answer the age-old question, “What are we to do about death?” edgeuniversetheater.org
GREG WATKINS in ‘Play On!’ at Signature Theatre.
(Photo by Christopher Mueller)
Saturday, Sept. 27 at 8:30 p.m. A special benefit concert by this Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble
Friday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. A riveting program of the greatest chamber works
Puno, Sewing Memories
Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2 and 7 p.m.
A spellbinding work that has traveled the globe
Hubbard Street
Dance Chicago
Saturday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m.
“A perfect storm of movement, music and choreography” (Los Angeles Times)
Darren Criss
Don’t hibernate this fall, check out these local events instead
SMYAL Brunch, drag events, RuPaul highlight busy season
By TINASHE CHINGARANDE
Temperatures are dropping and the summer hangover is now in full effect. But that doesn’t mean you should hibernate this fall. Here’s a list of D.C.-area events you should check out in the coming months.
Sip and Paint USA will host “The Drag Queen Paint Experience” on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. at Town Tavern DC. This event combines the joy of painting with the lively energy of a drag queen, offering an hour and a half of fun, creativity, and entertainment. Participants paint a canvas while enjoying cocktails, all under the guidance of a glamorous drag queen host. Tickets cost $47.19 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
HRC National Dinner is Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Washington Hilton. Tickets are sold out but there’s a wait list available at hrc.org.
Plaza Artist Materials DC will host “Art Afternoon with Alex: Channeling Basquiat” on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m. at Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing. This will be the first in a series of exploring the artworks of other artists by vibing their amazing unique styles. Basquiat’s raw, vibrant, expressive abstract street art combined with written word has made him an iconic artist. The event will feature products from Speedball & Posca. Tickets cost $30.23 and are available on Eventbrite.
SMYAL Fall Brunch will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28 at the Marriott Marquis featuring silent auction, cocktail reception, and seated brunch. Tickets are available at smyal.org.
Velvet Allure Cabaret will host “Art of Seduction Burlesque and Variety Show” on Saturday, Oct. 4 at Creative Suitland Arts Center. This will be a night of burlesque, aerial arts, body painting, art, food, raffles and more. The Art of Seduction is more than a show—it’s an immersive experience designed to ignite your senses and captivate your imagination. Cocktail attire is required, tickets cost $65.87 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Cagedbirds will host “The GAY Best Man” on Friday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. at Chateau Inc. This is an original play in tribute to the classic ‘90s film, but with an LGBTQ twist. This is a funny and thought-provoking story of friendship, romance and drama. Tickets cost $39.19 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Mixtape Sapphics will host “Summer’s Last Glow: Rooftop Soirée” on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 4 p.m. at Space DC Restaurant and Lounge. This is an opportunity to soak up the last golden hours of summer together before fall fully arrives — for a night that
starts with connection and ends with a dance party under the stars. DJ AROB will perform and bring her signature blend of throwback jams and current hits. Tickets cost $13.26 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Les Folies Derrière will host “You Can’t Strip With Us: A Burlesque Tribute to ‘Mean Girls’” on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at DC Comedy Loft and Bier Baron Tavern. Slip into your (pink) camo pants and flip-flops and come join Callie Pigeon and friends for this fetch burlesque and variety revue! Tickets cost $23.18 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
The Howard Theatre will host “BUTT TOOT KING” featuring Lydia Kollins, Suzie Toot, and Kori King” on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. General admission tickets cost $44.47 and can be purchased on the Howard Theatre’s website.
Echo Stage will host “RuPaul DJ Set” on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 10 p.m. There will be performances by
Ed Bailey and Glitterati. Tickets start at $69.15 and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.
Impulse DC will host “Sexy and Silver” on Friday, Sept. 19 at The Gathering Spot. There will be conversation, music, and community—bridging generations of LGBTQ+ men with pride and joy. There will also be on-site wellness resources; HIV/STI testing info, PrEP & DoxyPEP info, harm reduction tools, and mental health support—seamlessly blended into the experience. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Pride SoMD will host its 8th Annual Pride Festival on Sunday, Oct 12 at 11 a.m. at Lexington Manor Passive Park. This year’s theme is “Existence is Resistance.” The festival will feature a diverse lineup of LGBTQ+ small businesses, community resources, a variety of vendors, food trucks, a dedicated kids zone, live entertainment from a DJ and more. For more details, visit Pride SoMD’s website.
Mayor BOWSER speaks at last year’s SMYAL Fall Brunch. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Queer mega stars (and allies) to light up D.C. stages this fall
Pop, drag, classical productions on tap
By JOE REBERKENNY | jreberkenny@washblade.com
One of the best ways to welcome fall is by catching LGBTQ performers (and their allies) lighting up some of the D.C. area’s biggest stages. From country and pop to drag and rock, the season is packed with shows you won’t want to miss.
Maren Morris – The country, rock, and pop diva—known for hits like “The Bones” and for standing up against Nashville’s anti-LGBTQ voices—takes the stage at Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd, Vienna, Va.) on Friday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $64.
RuPaul – The mother of modern drag and host of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will spin a DJ set at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd NE) in Northeast D.C. on Sept. 20. Before RuPaul swaps wigs for headphones, Trade and Number 9 owner Ed Bailey will warm up the decks. For tickets and details visit echostage.com
Conan Gray – The queer pop prince, celebrated for his Gen Z anthems like “Heather” and “Maniac,” brings his Wishbone Pajama Show to EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA, (4500 Patriot Cir) on Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $113. For more info visit shop. conangray.com/pages/tour
All Things Go Music Festival – With a lineup that includes Noah Kahan, Lucy Dacus, Kesha, Clairo, Doechii, and more, the beloved LGBTQ-friendly festival takes over Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, Md.) Sept. 26–28. For tickets and details visit allthingsgofestival.com
BERTHA: Grateful Drag – This unique tribute brings drag artistry and the sounds of the Grateful Dead to The Atlantis (2047 9th St NW) on Sept. 27. Tickets start at $47 at theatlantis.com
Peach PRC – Rising Australian pop star and out lesbian, whose confessional tracks like “Perfect for You” and “Forever Drunk” have made her a queer TikTok darling, performs at The Atlantis on Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The show is general admission only. Additional details are on theatlantis.com
Addison Rae – The TikTok star-turned-pop princess, who’s crossed over into music with glossy hits like “Diet Pepsi” brings her sold out show to The Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Sept. 30. Tickets are sold out, but resale options start around $80. For more info visit theanthemdc.com
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary – Celebrate the cult classic that’s been a queer midnight-movie staple for decades, with Barry Bostwick (a.k.a. Brad Majors) at the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) on Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $41 via Ticketmaster
Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight & Stephanie Mills – Four legends, one stage. Between Khan’s funk, LaBelle’s soul, Knight’s R&B, and Mills’ powerhouse vocals, this concert at Capital One Arena (601 F St NW) on Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. promises pure diva magic. Tickets start at $103. For more details visit capitalonearena.com
Lorde – Joined by The Japanese House and Chanel Beads, the Grammy-winning New Zealand singer-songwriter behind “Royals” and “Solar Power” returns to The Anthem on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Lorde has long been embraced by queer fans for her dreamy pop and subversive lyrics. For more info visit theanthemdc.com
Andy Bell (of Erasure) – The British queer rock icon, best known for synth-pop classics like “A Little Respect” and “Chains of Love,” brings his Ten Crowns Tour to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $90.45.
Doechii – The self-described queer “Swamp Princess”—and WorldPride 2025 headliner—continues her breakout year with the Live from the Swamp Tour at The Anthem on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Known for blending rap, R&B, and avant-garde performance art, Doechii is one to watch. Tickets start at $153.
Neon Trees – The out-and-proud Utah rockers behind “Everybody Talks” and “Animal” perform at the Lincoln Theatre on Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. Lead singer Tyler Glenn, who came out publicly in 2014, has become a strong queer voice in alternative rock. For tickets and info visit impconcerts.com
Sasha Colby – The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 15 winner strips down on the Stripped II Tour at the Warner Theatre on Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. Tickets available now on Ticketmaster
Lola Young – The bisexual indie-pop sensation, whose raw songwriting has earned her millions of TikTok fans and multiple chart soaring hits visits The Anthem on Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets are still available
Opera Lafayette
Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas
Featuring Mary Elizabeth Williams as Dido + Elijah McCormack, Chelsea Helm
Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Sixth & I
PostClassical Ensemble
The Pale Blue Do: A Musical Voyage Inspired By Nature Featuring National Geographic’s Enric Sala, Guest Curator Wednesday, November 19, 7:30 p.m. Terrace Theater
Washington Concert Opera
Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride
Starring Kate Lindsey, Theo Hoffman, John Moore, and Fran Daniel Laucerica
Nov. 23, 6 p.m.
Lisner Auditorium
Washington Master Chorale
Sacred Jewel Box
An intimate a capella concert taking place in an architectural jewel, featuring cherished choral gems from Anglican and Catholic tradition and early American hymns. The concert will also present the world premiere of Christopher Hoh’s Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts, and hymn singing featuring Robert Church, organist and choirmaster at St David’s.
Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m.
October 19, 5 p.m.
St. David’s Episcopal Church
DOECHII returns to D.C. this fall. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
An Evening with Elizabeth Gilbert Sun, Sept 21
Black Violin –Full Circle Tour with Amythyst Kiah Thu, Sept 25
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder Fri, Sept 26
Lizz Wright Sun, Oct 5
Joss Stone Less Is More Thu, Oct 9
Soweto Gospel Choir Peace Fri, Oct 10
Disney’s MOANA
Live-To-Film Concert The North American Tour Sun, Oct 12
Ben Folds and a Piano Tour with Lindsey Kraft Wed, Oct 15
Gipsy Kings
Featuring Nicolas Reyes Thu, Oct 16
Chris Thile Fri, Oct 17
Patty Gri n & Rickie Lee Jones Fri, Oct 24
An Afternoon with David Sedaris Sun, Oct 26
Compagnie Hervé KOUBI Sol Invictus Thu, Oct 30
American Railroad
Silkroad Ensemble featuring Wu Man Sun, Nov 16
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis Fri, Nov 28
Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2025 featuring: Jonathan Butler with special guests: Haley Reinhart, Casey Abrams, and Kayla Waters Thu, Dec 4
Lea Salonga Stage, Screen and Everything in Between Sat, Dec 6
Sean Heely’s Celtic Christmas Thu, Dec 11
Béla Fleck and The Flecktones
Jingle All The Way featuring Victor Wooten, Roy “Future Man” Wooten & Howard Levy with special guests Je Co n & Alash Sun, Dec 14
A Swingin’ Little Christmas!
Starring Jane Lynch featuring Kate Flannery & Tim Davis with The Tony Guerrero Quintet Sat, Nov 29
From top: Chris Thile, Lizz Wright by Hollis King, Disney’s Moana ©Disney, Compagnie Hervé KOUBI by Mélanie Lhôte, Hiromi by Mitsuru Nishimura, Black Violin by Rachel Bennett, Lea Salonga
D.C.’s queer bars gearing up for fall after disappointing summer
Troop presence blamed for lower sales
By EVAN CAPLAN
The great gay summer migration is over, and the LGBTQ community has flocked back to D.C. only to be confronted with unwanted federal troops in the city. Yet the gay nightlife community maintains optimism, hope, and excitement, despite the political circumstances.
When the federal troop presence began in mid-August, bars reported steep losses in revenue and customers. The patrols also aligned with the regular seasonal downturn, as many regular patrons travel during this high vacation period. WUSA reported that restaurants and bars saw reduction in dining and reservation numbers and RAMW even extended Summer Restaurant Week for another seven days to encourage dining out. “Generally speaking, the community seems to be on edge,” says Ed Bailey, who owns Trade and Number Nine.
Dave Perruzza, who owns Pitchers, noted that sales have dropped by thousands of dollars, and foot traffic has drastically declined. The bar attempted to ameliorate the issue by throwing special events, but attendance remained low.
Yet, “the fall is traditionally the busiest time for nightlife in D.C.,” says Bailey. For that reason, “we are ramping up for a busy fall after an unusual summer [at the bar].” Trade, after unveiling its massive expansion that includes a larger outdoor patio, a pulsating dance floor, and a subterranean lair, is going to provide new programming for its expansion. Look out for a new monthly event with Flower Factory on the first Saturday of each month – as well as a huge party later this year to celebrate Trade’s 10-year anniversary. Number Nine, a bar around the corner, will be dressing up this fall with a pop-up bar catering to all the Pumpkin Spice vibes for the months of October and November.
“With all that D.C. has been going through, it is nice to have a full and robust nightlife to look forward to,” he says.
Mark Rutstein of Crush agrees.
“We are ready for D.C. to get the love it deserves, and to return to the vibrant city it has always been. A reduction of crime is always welcomed, but this is excessive and scaring people who haven’t lived here. I’ve been here for over 25 years. It’s my home,” said Rutstein.
Keaton Fedak, owner of Kiki on U Street, says that, “No matter what happens outside, our community is always welcome here!”
“Coming off an amazing WorldPride where we witnessed the beauty of a united LGBTQ+ community, we must continue to use our collective voices to fight for our rights, spaces, and protections,” says Melvin Thomas, Outreach, Events and Marketing Manager at Kiki. “Every time I walk into Kiki and see our guests laughing, talking, hugging, kissing, and dancing, it reminds me how important it is for local LGBTQ+ owned and operated businesses to keep opening
their doors and building programs that resonate with people, bringing them joy and a sense of safety.”
Kiki, like many bars, sponsors a variety of Stonewall sports. As kickball, bocce, dodgeball, and more kick off for the fall season, Kiki will be hosting many a happy hour, Sunday Funday, and party for thirsty athletes.
Over the past several months, beyond Trade’s celebrated expansion, D.C. has also welcomed new additions to the LGBTQ bar scene. District Eagle and its adjoining chicken shack Lucky Pollo opened its doors earlier this year, and the dance party-forward Revolt also debuted in August between Bunker and the Eagle. Plus, the downstairs space of MXDC, called Diosa Lounge, transforms into a new concept called “Ricky’s” on Sundays: An inclusive Sunday Funday of rotating parties and events, hosted by Tara Hoot and other drag performers, along with a rotating roster of queer DJs.
In terms of LGBTQ-focused events, later this
month, RuPaul is set to DJ at Echostage; 9:30 Club and its affiliates (Atlantic, Merriweather, The Anthem, Lincoln) are not slowing down their lineups of acts with LGBTQ members or LGBTQ fan bases either. Some examples: Wet Leg, Addison Rae, Renee Rapp, Doechii, Indigo De Souza, King Princess, and Halsey are all performing; plus the Hokus Pokus Live show and “Rocky Horror Picture Show” events at Lincoln Theater. October is also home to the High Heel Race on 17th Street, the Miss Adams Morgan Pageant XXXVII on Oct. 4, whose theme is “Studio 54 Ever”; and HRC’s Chefs for Equality.
“As we continue on this path of the unknown and the ever-changing climate in the District, the queer community is gearing up to top off the year by celebrating who we are, throwing inclusive parties and events, and rolling with the sentiment that we have throughout the years: We’re here, and we’re queer,” says Brandt Ricca, who runs Nora Lee, an agency that represents several LGBTQ institutions.
Pitcher’s has been hosting special events to boost attendance amid the federal troop surge that has hurt business across the city. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
The season’s must-see queer TV and films
Gay cruising, ‘Downton’ returns, J.Lo, Guadagnino’s latest, and more
Fall is rolling in fast, and that means shorter days, longer nights, and a fresh season of entertainment on our screens, both big and small, so there will be plenty of choices for you when it comes to deciding how to fill those extra hours of evening time. As always, the Blade is here to give you the rundown on the new movies and shows that are coming your way for the next few months. Our list, in order of release date, is below.
“Helluva Boss: Special”
Sept. 10, Prime Video
Queer animation fans can look forward to a new offering from Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano, whose adult animated musical black comedy web series (yes, we know that’s a lot of descriptors) “Hazbin Hotel” and its spin-off, “Helluva Boss” garnered a legion of fans in the late teens/early twenties. Set in Hell, the latter show revolves around an assasination-by-hire business run by a ragtag crew of imps. Including multiple LGBTQ characters (gay, bi, pan, trans, and more), it’s set in the same fictional “Hell-iverse” as “Hazbin,” but is otherwise a standalone experience; to celebrate its September debut on the Prime Video platform (the existing first two seasons will be available, with the promise of more to come), Medrano has created a new remake of the series pilot (originally aired in 2019), which will premiere there alongside the previously released installments. Wicked fun!
“Dreams” [Drømmer]
Sept. 12, VOD
For fans of queer international cinema, this Norwegian drama from writer-director Dag Johan Haugerud will surely check off all the necessary boxes. The middle installment of a trilogy about nontraditional intimacy (the other two films are titled “Sex” and “Love”), it follows a young female student (Ella Øverbye) who falls in love with her French teacher (Selome Emnetu) and documents her feelings in writing, sparking tension within her family and forcing a confrontation of unfulfilled dreams and hidden longings. Winner of the Golden Bear at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, it offers a Scandinavian perspective on the generational shift of attitudes around relationships, sexuality, and social norms.
“Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” Sept. 12, Theaters
It’s hard to imagine a “Downton Abbey” without the late Maggie Smith, but
By JOHN PAUL KING
the phenomenally popular highbrow soap opera about the interwoven lives of the wealthy Crawley family and their servants in early 20th-century England is returning for one last installment, regardless. This time, the clan faces disaster after Mary (Michelle Dockery) finds herself at the center of a public scandal that places the household at risk of financial disaster and social disgrace. The ever-plucky Crawleys and their loyal staff must carry on, embracing change as the next generation is faced with leading Downton into an uncertain future. We’ll be there for it, you can bet — though the publicity emphasis on the “next generation” and the “future” makes us wonder if it really is the “Grand Finale” after all. Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, and all the rest of the beloved cast return, alongside some new faces, for what will surely be a fan must-see cinematic event.
“The History of Sound”
Sept. 12, Theaters
One of the year’s most anticipated queer titles, this epic gay romance from South African filmmaker Oliver Hermanus (“Beauty,” “Moffie”) traces the passionate relationship between two young music scholars (Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor) who embark on a mission to record folk songs in rural Maine at the end of World War I. Based on two short stories by Ben Shattuck (who also wrote the screenplay), it’s not just a love story set against the social constraints of the early 1900s - it’s also a profound explora-
tion of music as an expression of humanity, which somehow makes the love story even better. With endearing and moving performances from its hot-ticket leading men (we know most of you will be seeing this one solely for Mescal, O’Connor, or both, and it’s completely understandable), and an idyllic pastoral beauty that evokes a rugged “Brokeback Mountain” mystique, it has all the makings of an instant queer classic – and we can’t wait for it, either.
“The Compatriots”
Sept. 16, VOD
This award-winning queer festival favorite is a coming-of-age buddy movie about a young undocumented immigrant (Rafael Silva) facing deportation, who unexpectedly reunites with his estranged best friend (Denis Shepherd), a “vivacious bachelor” (as the official synopsis puts it) who seeks a deeper connections. Together, they embark “on a heartfelt journey to prevent Javi’s expulsion from the only country he has ever called home.” Timely in its subject matter and appealing in its focus on friendship, it’s definitely on our watchlist.
“Gen V, Season 2”
Sept. 17, Prime Video
The popular and thrilling spinoff series from “The Boys” returns for a second season, continuing the saga of America’s first and only college for superheroes and putting its gifted students (and their moral boundaries) to the test as they
compete for the school’s top honors and the chance to join an elite team of international world-savers – but as the school’s dark secrets come to light, they must decide what kind of heroes they want to become.
“Plainclothes”
Sept. 19, Theaters (Limited Release)
This hotly anticipated Sundance Audience Award-winner comes from writer-director Carmen Emmi, and stars Tom Blyth as a young undercover cop in mid90s New York, who is tasked with entrapping and arresting gay men who cruise the local mall for anonymous sex. It’s an assignment that makes him increasingly uncomfortable, since he’s closeted himself – something that becomes even more problematic when he falls for a potential “offender” (Russell Crowe, in full and glorious “daddy” mode) in the line of duty. Yes, it’s a story of life in an era of still-prevalent homophobia, and yes, we wish we didn’t have to see another one – but given the current societal climate in America 2025, it’s probably important to be reminded, once again, of what that’s like. Don’t worry, though - it’s not ALL bleak, and there is some seriously sexy chemistry between its leading men.
“Brilliant Minds,” Season 2 Sept. 22, NBC
The medical procedural drama, which stars Zachary Quinto as a “psychological sleuth” (inspired by world-famous author and neurologist Oliver Sacks) who, alongside his team at Bronx General Hospital, delves into “mysteries of the mind” – returns for a second season, as Dr. Wolf and his team at Bronx General continue to confront puzzling cases, coming faceto-face with the question: Who deserves care?
“English Teacher,” Season 2 Sept. 25, FX
Also returning for a second round is this popular and well-received comedy from creator and star Brian Jordan Alvarez, who as the title character continues to rock the boat in his high school workplace whenever controversy arises. This season, he finds himself battling a range of divisive issues like climate change, COVID, military recruitment, and student phone usage, while also struggling to keep his relationship with a fellow teacher (Jordan Firstman) separate from his work life. A refreshingly unfiltered queer-eye comedy of sociopolitical errors, the first season was an unexpected joy; here’s hoping Alvarez
JENNIFER LOPEZ in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ (Image courtesy of MUBI)
and crew can keep the magic going.
“Boots”
Oct. 9, Netflix
Based on Greg Cope White’s memoir (“The Pink Marine”), this new dramedy series stars Miles Heizer as a closeted teen who joins the military during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era of the 1990s. Another timely reminder of what life was like in the bad old days (for non-heterosexual people, anyway), this one is likely buoyed by a sense of humor. Also starring Liam Oh, Vera Farmiga, and Max Parker, with Cedrick Cooper, Ana Ayora, Angus O’Brien, Dominic Goodman, Kieron Moore, Nicholas Logan, Rico Pairs, and more in support.
“Kiss of the Spider Woman”
Oct. 10, Theaters
This one is big. The long-awaited screen adaptation of Kander and Ebb’s Tony-winning musical – itself adapted from the novel by Manuel Puig, which was also adapted into the 1985 non-musical film starring William Hurt and Raul Julia – arrives at last, directed by Bill Condon (“Chicago,” “Dreamgirls”) and featuring Diego Luna and Tonatiuh alongside diva Jennifer Lopez in the title role. The story of two mismatched cellmates in an Argentine prison – a Marxist revolutionary and a flamboyantly queer window
dresser imprisoned for “public indecency” – who form an unlikely bond as the latter recounts the plot of a favorite movie musical that has given him inspiration and hope. Advance glimpses through the film’s trailer promise a visually dazzling cinematic experience, while the talent of its stars gives us high hopes for a film that lives up to the pedigree of its source material – but let’s face it, it’s a musical (and a VERY queer musical, at that) so we’re going to be in the audience on opening night no matter what.
“After the Hunt”
Oct. 10, Theaters
The latest opus from filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name,” “Challengers,” “Queer”) is also his third movie in two years, a thriller starring Julia Roberts as an Ivy league professor caught up in abuse allegations involving a student and a colleague. It’s unclear whether there are any directly queer plot details here, especially since Guadagnino has stated it doesn’t address “sexuality and love” as his other recent work has done, but given the Italian-born director’s track record, it’s sure to be simmering with unspoken attractions either way. Also starring Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”) and Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick… Boom!”), along with Lío Mehiel (“Mutt”), Michael Stuhlbarg, and Chloe Sevigny, with a
score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
“Blue Moon”
Oct. 17, Theaters
Oscar-winning filmmaker Richard Linklater reunites with favorite muse and collaborator Ethan Hawke for this intriguingly queer biopic, which focuses on closeted gay songwriter Lorenz Hart (Hawke) – who partnered with Richard Rodgers to create songs that have become staples of the “Great American Songbook” – during a pivotal episode during his life - the opening night of “Oklahoma!,” the groundbreaking musical written by Rodgers with new collaborator Oscar Hammerstein III, which launched their long career as Broadway legends while Hart accelerated his tragic slide into alcoholism and death. Co-starring Andrew Scott (as Rodgers) and Margaret Qualley as a semi-fictionalized would-be paramour of the doomed musical genius. Guaranteed to deliver a powerful look at one of America’s most tragic musical giants, with award-bait performances from an “A-list” cast of heavy hitters, we are confident that this one is not to be missed.
“Queens of the Dead”
Oct. 24, Theaters
Director Tina Romero is behind this wild-ride horror comedy, about a zombie apocalypse that breaks out in Brook-
lyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, forcing an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and other “frenemies” to ditch the drama, put aside their differences and take up arms against the brain-craving undead horde in the way that only a true “creature of the night” can accomplish. Starring Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Tomas Matos, Nina West, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, Dominique Jackson, and Margaret Cho
“Hedda”
Oct. 29, Theaters
Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s classic “Hedda Gabler” gets a queerskewed adaptation in Nia DaCosta’s new interpretation of the 19th-century drama about a society woman trapped in a loveless marriage who schemes to free herself by persuading her husband to commit suicide. Tessa Thompson takes on the title role, while Nina Hoss plays her significant other – here transmuted into a woman, Eileen, instead of the play’s original Ejlert – in a match-up that looks epic just from the brief glimpses afforded by its trailer. We’re always a big fan of queering the classics, and with talented (and openly queer) Thompson starring as one of the most iconic female characters in history, there’s no doubt this will be a movie for the ages.
TESSA THOMPSON in ‘Hedda’ (Image courtesy Prime Video)
Fall into reading 2025: books about writers
New James Baldwin biography a definitive look at gay author
By GREGG SHAPIRO
In many ways, the late, Black, gay writer James Baldwin had been writing his own story for years. However, with “Baldwin: A Love Story” (FSG, 2025) by Nicholas Boggs, readers now have the first major biography of one of the definitive writers of the 20th century, gay or straight. Boggs, who played a considerable role as co-editor for the 2018 Duke University Press reissue of Baldwin and illustrator Yoran Cazac’s 1976 children’s book, “Little Man Little Man,” has created a stunning and meticulously researched book. While it’s hard to believe that no such Baldwin biography existed prior to this, we can all be grateful to Boggs for writing one. A perfect autumn read to curl up with as the seasons change.
Speaking of children’s books, Arnold Lobel was the author and occasional illustrator of more than 30 books for young readers, including the beloved “Frog and Toad” series, and also illustrated several others. Additionally, Lobel had the distinction of being one of an elite group of writers who received both Newberry and Caldecott Medals. Lobel, who came out later in life after being married to a woman, died from AIDS complications in 1987. What better way to pay tribute to a celebrated children’s book author than with a children’s book about him? “Outside In and the Inside Out: a story about Arnold Lobel” (Viking/Penguin, 2025), written and illustrated by Emmy Kastner, is just that book. Following Lobel from childhood illness and recovery through his love of storytelling and drawing into his career in the “buttoned-up business world” and eventually his life as a lauded children’s book author, without shying away from his finding “a new world with a new love.”
The first biography of the queer, Greek poet known as C.P. Cavafy (1863-1933) in more than 50 years, “Constantine Cavafy: A New Biography” (FSG, 2025) by Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys, is cause for celebration indeed. A poet whose body of work continues to be translated to this day, the fact that Cavafy openly wrote poetry consisting of queer subject matter at the time he did is reason enough to read his work. Cavafy authorities Jusdanis and Jeffreys scrupulously researched their subject, and the book takes us from his early years with his family in his Egyptian birthplace through time in England (Liverpool and London) and Turkey (Istanbul) to his return to Alexandria. Featuring 16 pages of photos, it is a fascinating portrait of a brilliant and groundbreaking poet.
Poet and MacArthur Fellow Edward Hirsch is, at present, the president of the Guggenheim Foundation. His memoir, “My Childhood in Pieces: A Stand-Up Comedy, A Skokie Elegy” (Knopf, 2025), is exactly what you would expect from the title. Combining humorous bits presented in poetic language, Hirsch takes us on a guided tour of his early years in Chicago and his family’s eventual northern migration to suburban Skokie, Ill., where he spent his formative years.
Pictured: Brandon Carter. Photo by Erika Nizborski
D.C.’s Rental Act vote looms this month
What landlords and tenants should know
By SCOTT BLOOM
On Sept. 17, 2025, the D.C. Council will hold a final vote on one of the most sweeping pieces of housing legislation in recent memory: the Mayor’s Rental Act of 2025. Housing policy isn’t always flashy — but it’s foundational. It’s how we protect our neighbors, ensure fairness, and make D.C. livable for everyone, not just the loudest voices in the room.
What is the Rental Act?
Originally introduced by Mayor Muriel Bowser, the RENTAL (Rental Equity and Nonpayment Timely Accountability and Landlord-Tenant) act was designed to tackle what small landlords and city officials alike have described as a slow-motion crisis:
• Eviction cases taking up to a year to completely resolve, returning possession of the rental back to the landlord
• Over $100 million in unpaid rent to housing providers across the District
• A surge in small property owners, especially Black, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ landlords, quitting the rental housing market and selling their properties.
In a city with a proud tradition of tenant protections, the mayor argued it was time to restore a small bit of balance. Her proposed legislation included:
• Mandatory deadlines by when court hearings must take place
• 10-day nonpayment notice to file in court
• Protective orders requiring rent to be paid into court during litigation
• Expedited eviction for tenants committing serious crimes on or near the property where they reside
• Reforms to the District’s unique TOPA (Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act) laws, including a 25-year exemption for new construction
• Streamlined options for delivering legal notices
But soon after the bill was introduced, the main reforms were essentially gutted in committee.
The political battle
Council member Robert White, chair of the Housing Committee, who this year publicly championed the needs of housing providers and the need for the D.C. Council to start listening to them, introduced a revised version of the Act in July that removed many of the Mayor’s enforcement mechanisms. In an urgent July 2 letter, Bowser warned the Council that the amendments “fail to address the urgent needs D.C. is facing… and could actually make things worse.” Her fears were echoed by the Small Multifamily & Rental Owners Association (SMOA), an advocacy group that includes many first-generation housing providers. Dean Hunter, SMOA’s CEO, called the committee version “a betrayal of small landlords.” He feels it removes basic tools to keep rental units and buildings financially worthwhile and reduces the risk of lost rent income used for maintaining safe housing
for tenants.
Activists flooded inboxes. Newsletters went viral. And the pressure helped. By July 29, Councilmember White issued a revised version of the amendments that passed on a 10–2 vote, restoring several key reforms proposed by the Mayor.
What’s in the bill Now
Thanks to advocacy from the public pressure, the Council delayed the July 14 vote and went back to the drawing board. By July 29, Council member White had introduced a compromise “Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute,” restoring several key reforms:
• 10-day notice for nonpayment before filing a lawsuit (down from notices having to be issued 30 days +30 days in advance of filing)
• 14-day summons period to speed up court proceedings
• Discretionary protective orders to pay rent into the court during litigation
• Judicial discretion for correcting minor filing errors (instead of automatic dismissal of the case)
• Expedited evictions for tenants indicted for violent crimes
• Important TOPA reforms, including:
• 15-year exemption for new construction
• Exemptions for affordable covenanted housing
• Clarified tenant definitions and imposed limits on assignment compensation
While this revised bill passed 10–2 and represents meaningful progress, two essential reforms remain missing:
1. Mandatory protective orders in nonpayment of rent-related cases
2. Court hearing deadlines to prevent endless litigation
It’s a win — but not a perfect one. Two of the strongest protections from the original bill were left out of the current draft:
1. Mandatory protective orders — These would require tenants in court due to nonpayment to deposit rent with the court to prevent abuse of court delays, to establish a “rent-free” period of living at the rental. If they do not have the funds to pay into the court, a judgment could be issued without further delays.
2. Firm hearing deadlines — The proposed bill from the mayor required hearings to happen within 45 days if filing a new lawsuit (or 30 for serious public safety threats). These deadlines are currently absent.
Without them, small landlords, including those who rely on steady rent for retirement or medical care, remain vulnerable to long delays and the potential of tens of thousands of dollars of lost rent payments. Why it natters to LGBTQ Washingtonians
For decades, LGBTQ residents have faced discrimination in both renting and owning property. Today, more LGBTQ homeowners and small-scale landlords are in the housing market, often by renting out basement units, condos they own, or family homes inherited from their loved ones.
But without fair and predictable legal protections, many are finding it harder to stay afloat financially or risk extreme financial hardship if bad actor tenants are renting from them.
What comes next
The final vote is expected Sept. 17, 2025. That means there’s still time to urge the Council to restore the missing protections and pass the RENTAL Act with real accountability and fairness.
Visit www.TheRentalAct.org to:
• Learn about the legislation
• Contact your Councilmember
• Read testimonials from D.C. residents like you
• Add your voice before the final vote
Whether you rent or own, whether you’re a seasoned investor or just trying to hold onto a family condo, the RENTAL Act affects you.
And this September, you have a chance to make sure your voice is heard.
(This article represents the opinion of a local rental housing expert. Any comments about proposed legislation are strictly observations and should not be interpreted as a legal interpretation, nor advice. Always seek the opinion of your attorney for all legal matters.)
SCOTT BLOOM
is Senior Property Manager and Owner, Columbia Property Management. For more information and resources, go towww.ColumbiaPM.com
Mayor MURIEL BOWSER’s RENTAL Act was designed to restore balance to the landlord-tenant contract. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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