Washington Blade, Volume 56, Issue 11, March 14, 2025

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Where things stand with WorldPride just weeks until kickoff

Amid some criticism, D.C. retains event management company to assist

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

In a little-noticed development, the offce of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in November arranged for a prominent local event planning company to help organize WorldPride D.C. 2025, which is expected to be the city’s and possibly the nation’s largest LGBTQ Pride celebration.

Dozens of WorldPride 2025 events, including an International LGBTQ March on Washington and Rally, an LGBTQ Human Rights Conference, a Music Festival and Global Dance Party, and multiple sporting events, are scheduled to take place in D.C. May 17-June 8.

Capital Pride Alliance, the organization that plans most of D.C.’s Pride celebrations, was awarded the WorldPride contract in 2022 by the international LGBTQ organization InterPride after an LGBTQ organization in Taiwan dropped out after winning the initial competition to host WorldPride 2025.

Mayor Bowser has since earmarked — and the D.C. Council has approved — $5 million in city funds to support the WorldPride celebration and events. Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos told a D.C. Council hearing earlier this year that the WorldPride budget was set at $20 million, with most of the funding coming from private corporate donors.

At least two knowledgeable sources, who spoke on condition of not being identifed, said the mayor’s offce began looking for another entity to help organize WorldPride last fall when questions arose over Capital Pride Alliance’s ability to manage the budget, funding, and events associated with WorldPride. Another source said lower than expected yields from fundraising had prompted Capital Pride Alliance to cut the budget in half, a claim that Bos disputes and said was not credible.

“The budget, like any budget, is a guide,” Bos told the Blade. “And we budgeted between $15 million and $20 million, which included a lot of in-kind support as well,” he said. “And like we do every year for an organization like ours, which is event based, we do our best every year to come under budget.”  Bos added, “So, we are doing our best to save whenever we can and to ensure that we have a safe and successful WorldPride.”

It was around that time when Linder Global Events, a prominent minority and woman-owned D.C. event management company, was awarded a city contract to assume responsibility for several aspects of the WorldPride planning and organizing.

In a Nov. 21 statement sent to the D.C. Council, Bowser outlined the specifc roles that Linder Global Events and Capital Pride Alliance would have under the city’s $5 million funding allocation for WorldPride.

The mayor’s statement says the Linder company would receive $1.4 million for “strategic partnership development, fundraising coordination, sponsorship fulfllment, fnancial oversight reporting, and management.” It says Capital Pride Alliance would receive $3.1 million for “event execution and community engagement” and an additional $500,000 for the issuance of “competitive grants for community supported events.”

Both Bowser and Nina Albert, the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, told the Washington Blade at a Feb. 12 press conference on an unrelated subject that the decision to retain the Linder company to help organize WorldPride is something the city often does for this type of event. Albert said it was not brought about due to any problem with Capital Pride Alliance.

“Look, this is a big event. It requires coordination across a lot of different organizations,” she said. “Capital Pride is kind of the point for that event. It is very typical that we would bring on consultants to help,” she told the Blade. “So, this is very typical, and we’re very excited to host hopefully two million people to the District of Columbia.”

Anthony Hesselius, a spokesperson for Capital Pride Alliance, said it was the Mayor’s Offce of LGBTQ Affairs that selected the Linder company, which he said would oversee the city’s $5 million funding allocation for WorldPride.

“In addition, Linder is one of the many collaborators working with Capital Pride Alliance to make WorldPride a success,” Hesselius told the Blade.

Despite those assurances, others have expressed concern over Capital Pride Alliance’s management of WorldPride.

Zar, the founder and former creative director of Team Rayceen Productions, a local LGBTQ events group that recently shuttered, wrote an op-ed in the Blade critical of his interactions with Capital Pride during the planning of WorldPride. Among other things, he said Capital Pride was reluctant to share information and listen to suggestions for proposed WorldPride events.

“I know countless bits of miscellaneous information that cause me trepidation,” he wrote. “I have had contact with numerous people, including performers, leaders of organizations, and subcommittee members, and not once has anyone said anything that assuaged my concerns,” he added.

Another source who spoke on condition of anonymity said they met with Capital Pride offcials several times in 2024 to propose WorldPride events, but Capital Pride failed to respond to subsequent calls and emails.

“My organization was prepared to work

with Capital Pride on a series of events, but they stopped communicating with us months ago,” the source said. “This is something I have heard from multiple community leaders, activists, and bar owners, that Capital Pride is not engaged with the local community.”

Hope Giselle, a prominent D.C. trans activist, posted a highly critical video commentary on Instagram last month denouncing the WorldPride Music Festival lineup of Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan, and RuPaul for the lack of Black inclusion.

“Jennifer Lopez? That was the best y’all could do,” Giselle said in her video, asserting that Lopez can’t sing live and has limited appeal to LGBTQ audiences.

She also assailed the inclusion in the WorldPride Music Festival of the singer Grimes, who is the mother of three children of Elon Musk, the billionaire conservative Republican activist who President Trump appointed to head the newly created offce to fre thousands of federal government workers.

“Grimes literally has children with Elon fucking Muskrat, the person that is making us all feel this fucking small, or at least attempted to make us feel this fucking small,” Giselle said in her video. “It is essential that Pride remains a protest for inclusivity, not an exclusionary event that upholds the status quo for a select few,” she wrote in a comment accompanying her video.

Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance executive director, points out that the WorldPride Music Festival, which will take place outdoors on the city’s RFK stadium grounds June 6-7, is being produced by an entertainment event promoter in partnership with Capital Pride Alliance. Bos notes that the promoter, who is identifed on the WorldPride website as Jake Resnicow, is the one who selected the performers, including Grimes.

“Some events for WorldPride, like the free two-day Street Festival and Concert, are organized and curated by the Capital Pride Alliance and other events like the [WorldPride Music Festival and] Global Dance Party, the Anthem’s Grace Jones and Janelle Monáe show, the Lincoln Theater’s show with Bob The Drag Queen and Monet X Change, and others, are independently curated by partner producers,” Bos told the Blade in a statement.

“The Capital Pride Alliance remains committed to listening to the community and fostering inclusive and celebratory spaces for all,” he said. “WorldPride’s mission is to unite and uplift the LGBTQ+ community through music, art, and advocacy. We value our community’s diverse voices and look forward to an incredible celebration of Pride and resil-

ience,” he said.

Yet another source familiar with WorldPride 2025 organizing, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not dispute Bos’s claims that WorldPride organizers were doing all they could to ensure a full diversity of events, including participation of African-American, Latino, transgender, and other members of the LGBTQ community.

However, the source indicated that WorldPride organizers, possibly due to the extensive work required to organize an event of WorldPride’s scale, initially fell short in robustly soliciting community collaboration. For example, community activists like Hope Giselle were not informed in advance that outside promoters hosting partner events (like the Music Festival at RFK) were responsible for selecting their performers. However, community members are beginning to feel more reassured due to new funding opportunities, programming announcements, and direct stakeholder engagement efforts, the source said.

According to the source, WorldPride organizers could have done more to inform the community that, overall, highly acclaimed African-American performers, including Janelle Monáe, were among those scheduled to perform at WorldPride marquee and partner events.

Bos also said in his statement to the Blade that Capital Pride Alliance was pleased to bring back the WorldPride Closing Ceremony and Concert to Pennsylvania Avenue, which is the site for the two-day WorldPride Street Festival and Concert.

The Closing Ceremony and Concert had initially been slated to take place on the National Mall. Bos told the Blade a higher cost for holding that event on the National Mall played a role in the decision to move it to Pennsylvania Avenue.

But Bos did not say whether the possibility that the Capital Pride application for a permit to hold that and several other events on the National Mall or in federal parks would be turned down was a factor in moving the closing event to Pennsylvania Avenue.

In response to a request from the Blade, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Park Service, which has jurisdiction over the National Mall and other federal parks in D.C., provided the Blade with a list of eight separate permit applications submitted by Capital Pride Alliance for use of federal parklands for WorldPride events.

Organizers expect up to two million out-oftown visitors for WorldPride in May and June. (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

LGBTQ performers join Kennedy Center boycott following Trump takeover

Opposition grows after cancellation of Gay Men’s Chorus show

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A growing number of LGBTQ musicians and performers such as choral singers and orchestra players have joined other performing artists in refusing to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since its takeover last month by President Donald Trump.

According to local gay musician Stephen Key, who for many years has worked as a contract oboe player at the Kennedy Center, as many as a dozen or more gay and lesbian musicians perform at the Kennedy Center. He said some have resigned their jobs or, like him, are refusing to perform as self-employed musicians at the Kennedy Center.

“I decided after the second cancellation to turn down work,” Key told the Washington Blade. “There are more famous musicians than me who have done the same,” he added. “But I ust couldn’t do it anymore. It was after the Gay Men’s Chorus cancellation occurred.”

Key was referring to the decision by the National Symphony Orchestra, which is under the direction of the Kennedy Center, to “postpone” the performance of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which was scheduled to perform with the orchestra on May 21.

In a statement released to the Blade in February, a National Symphony Orchestra spokesperson said the decision to postpone, which soon after became a cancellation, took place in January before President Trump’s sweeping leadership changes at the Kennedy Center.

The spokesperson, Jean Davidson, said the decision related to the Gay

Men’s Chorus was due to “fnancial and scheduling factors.”

The ultimate cancellation of the Gay Men’s Chorus performance came shortly after ennedy Center offcials cancelled a planned WorldPride related performance of the San Francisco based International Pride Orchestra, and the highly acclaimed children’s musical “ inn.” The offcials cited fnancial reasons for the Finn cancellation and did not publicly say why the international chorus was cancelled.

In a Feb. 14 article, Playbill magazine reported that the creators and composers of “Finn” released a statement denouncing the cancellation as an expression of bias against a theme of “love and acceptance” that could be “read as a metaphor for the LGBTQ+ experience.”

Key said LGBTQ and LGBTQ supportive musicians and others who have worked at the Kennedy Center question the claim that scheduling and fnancial issues were the actual reason for the postponement and cancellation of the Gay Men’s Chorus performance as well as for the performances of “Finn” and the International Pride Orchestra.

He said musicians and others familiar with the National Symphony fear the real reason is ational ymphony offcials were concerned that supporting an LGBTQ related performance would result in unfavorable consequences from the Trump administration and the Kennedy Center’s Trump appointed leaders, including the possible loss of their nonproft ta status from the I .

Observers have also pointed out that a statement by Trump that drag performers would no longer be allowed to perform at the Kennedy Center could have played a role in the decision to cancel the Gay Men’s Chorus appearance because drag performers have participated in some of the Gay Men’s Chorus shows.

A bias by the ennedy Center’s current leadership against LGBTQ performances may also be linked to the Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or “DEI” programs and public displays, some observers have said.

Earlier in February President Trump appointed himself as chair of the board of the Kennedy Center after ousting longtime chair David M. ubenstein. He then replaced most of the other board members with his supporters and named gay former diplomat and longtime Trump supporter ichard Grenell as the ennedy Center’s interim e ecutive director.

Among the organizations that have joined the Kennedy Center boycott by cancelling an appearance there is the hit Broadway play “Hamilton.” Also announcing their cancellation of Kennedy Center appearances were actress and comedian Issa ae, rock band Low Cut Connie, and singer-musician hiannon Giddens.

Key said that while he has been an oboe player at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and the ennedy Center’s opera orchestra, he also has and continues to play with local orchestras and choral groups not affliated with the ennedy Center. He said he also serves as Adjunct Associate

Professor of Oboe at Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va.

So, his decision to boycott the Kennedy Center as a musician, unlike other LGBTQ and allied musicians, will not end his career as a musician he points out.

“The sad part is that the National Symphony, the opera orchestra – these are groups that I’ve played with, and I have friends in all of these groups,” Key said.

“They’re kind of innocent bystanders in a sense because they don’t have other jobs. I can walk away from my job there and I’ll be fne,” he said.

“There are plenty of queer people in both of those ensembles and while a lot of people are boycotting the orchestras, they are still having to show up to work every day because that’s their day ob.” He added, “ o, there’s kind of an awkward situation that’s been made as a result of all of this.”

In a related development, local drag artists and their supporters gathered for a march from Washington Circle to the Kennedy Center on Saturday to protest the Trump- ance administration’s anti-transgender policies and the decisions made by the Trump-appointed Kennedy Center board of trustees. The March for Drag began with a rally at Washington Circle near George Washington University.

Little Gay Pub among seven D.C. businesses burglarized

The Little Gay Pub, a popular D.C. gay bar located near Logan Circle, is one of seven business establishments that were burglarized in the early morning hours of March 6 by what appears to be the same two suspects, according to a statement released by D.C. police.

A police report for the Little Gay Pub burglary obtained by the Washington Blade says video surveillance footage shows “the suspects forced entry into the establishment through the side door.”

The report further states, “They proceeded to the offce, where they took a safe containing $21,000. The suspects then rolled the safe out of the store and ed in an unknown direction.”

In a message posted on social media,

Little Gay Pub stated, “Last night the Pub was burglarized. Our large safe and other valuables were stolen during a breakin in the early morning hours. We are all safe and sound and working with D.C. police. “

The D.C. police statement released on March 7 includes seven photos of the suspects obtained from surveillance cameras at the different establishments, but the suspects appear to be wearing masks.

“The Metropolitan Police Department is asking for the community’s assistance in identifying the suspects in multiple burglaries,” the statement says.

“On Thursday, March 6, 2025, in the early hours of the morning, MPD offcers

responded to seven establishments that had been burglarized by the suspects in Northwest and Northeast, D.C,” it says. “Once inside, the suspects took property from the establishments and ed the scene prior to the offcers arriving.”

The statement lists the location of each of the establishments by block number rather than by address and does not identify the establishments by name. It asks members of the community who may recognize the suspects or who may know something about the incidents to contact police at 202-727-9099 or to text a tip to the police tip line at 50411. The report says the incident is not listed as a hate crime.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Hundreds marched from Washington Circle to the Kennedy Center on Saturday in the March for Drag. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C. police released images of two suspects.

Gagnier’s bid for Congress is about standing up to bullies

Democrat hopes to

ip her

seat to help party retake control of the House

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

For several election cycles, Democrats have been gunning for California’s 40th Congressional District, a purplish area encompassing inland Orange County and neighboring San Bernardino and Riverside Counties that could help deliver the party control of the House if Republican U.S. Rep. Young Kim is ousted.

Privacy lawyer and former Chino Valley school board member Christina Gagnier spoke with the Washington Blade recently about her campaign for the seat, which draws from years of experience “standing up to bullies” throughout her life and career.

In 2021, she lost her school board seat by voting to defend the LGBTQ community against attacks by groups like Moms for Liberty and the Proud Boys, as well as a policy of forced outing in the district.

At the same time, “despite all the culture war-laden headlines, we created dual immersion programs. We worked on STEM education. We opened new schools. We opened a bioscience academy. We did all these wonderful things that unfortunately didn’t make the headlines, but [it was] the things that parents care about.”

Likewise, she told the Blade, “the issues in this campaign are kitchen table issues. Through Our Schools, USA,” a group that she founded to advance public education, “I’m talking to public school parents every day, and they are worried about being able to buy groceries.”

Gagnier continued, “I just spoke with a mom who took out a loan to buy groceries and supplies for a month because of how they’re getting hit. I’ve talked to business owners who have just lost government contracts and might be going into debt because the government just cut off the contract.”

Here is where the rubber meets the road in terms of how the new administration’s work in Washington is harming the lives of everyday people, she said.

“People are realizing that while Young Kim masquerades as a moderate, she’s voting 100% in lockstep with Mike Johnson’s MAGA majority,” Gagnier said, referring to the Republican House speaker.

“ We see families in this district suffering, and they’re contacting their representative, and she’s not doing anything,” she said, adding that constituents are likely to continue suffering as “Donald Trump is cutting funding and doing things that are impacting their dayto-day lives.”

The president and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill are bullying people, Gagnier stressed. About 82,000 people in CA-40 will be harmed by proposed cuts to Medicaid, she said. “ The issues in this campaign are kitchen table issues.”

Represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Young Kim since 2021, the district is home to small businesses that provide its “lifeblood,” she said, and the owners of these enterprises are “already feeling the impacts” of “the tariffs” as well as “the cuts coming out of D.C.”

“I speak to veterans who are also business owners, and you know, they’re losing opportunities and support left and right,” Gagnier added.

Additionally, she said, “the other thing that is getting attacked is choice: Families being able to make their own private medical decisions, women being able to have the rights that they should have.”

“I’m putting in the work to make sure that we have the resources and the message and we’re reaching voters so that we can actually ip the seat,” Gagnier said. “So, you know, I think this is absolutely doable.”

CA-40 is the GOP-held seat in California that Donald Trump won by the smallest margin in 2024, and last year Kim defended her seat with 1.5 points less than the margin she won in 2022, despite the rest of the country moving toward the right during that time period.

Looking ahead to the Democratic primary election, “ There’s a couple other candidates that have thrown their hat in the ring, but, you know, I’m 100% laser-focused on my campaign, making sure that I’m communicating with our families, our business owners, our veterans, and our seniors, and that I’m doing the work I need to do,” Gagnier said.

Trump is “destroying the Department of Education,” Gagnier said, and he selected a nominee to lead the agency, Linda McMahon, who represents “chaos and destruction.”

The newly confrmed secretary was picked not to “ reform the Department of Education,” not to “ f things that might be issues at the Department of Education,” but rather is “coming in to destroy” the agency.

Gagnier said “Trump and Musk are already inside of the Department of Education, gutting it, and the end result of that is already being felt by public school families.” For example, she said, “We work with a lot of special education parents. I have parents that are frightened that their children are no longer going to be able to go to public school because they won’t have resources. That’s not okay.”

“We have teachers that are getting fred already because the grants and programs that come from Department of Education are being taken away,” she continued. “We have really talented educators who love kids, who love helping kids, getting unemployed.”

Returning to her election, Gagnier stressed “this

is why this race is so important. We have to ip the house. We have to get in there and make sure that these cuts are stopped and we restore all these valuable funding sources that are impacting families.”

“In ipping the house, what that means is we’re able to restore these programs,” she said. “We’re able to make sure that these protections and funding that’s in place to support America’s families, that they’re reinstituted.”

“Donald Trump is a bully. Donald Trump is not going to stop being a bully. He’s going to keep going in and cutting things that America’s families, that the families of CA-40, rely on,” Gagnier said.

Asked what the Democratic Party writ large should do following last year’s electoral defeat, she said “we need a reset on generally as a party is the way we communicate with everyday people,” which will involve being “better listeners” rather than doing “one-way communication.”

“We need to start listening to voters, not tweeting at them,” Gagnier explained. “We need to make it clear to voters that we respect them, and that’s what I’m doing. I respect them, no matter who they voted for [as] president, I respect them. I’m listening to them. I’m here to advocate for them.”

This focus deviates from the tactics used by her Republican opponent who, Gagnier said, “can’t even take simple votes like supporting same-sex marriage” and whose voting record is no different from U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.).

“Young Kim has taken an oppositional stance to protecting basic rights, like whether it’s for the LGBTQIA+ community or a woman’s right to choice and to make their own healthcare decisions, she literally has taken an oppositional stance to protecting basic rights,” she added. “We’re going to communicate that, but I think that people need to be aware that her voting record is no different than the rest of the MAGA majority.”

“What keeps parents up at night, families up at night, are prices at the grocery store, not culture wars,” Gagnier said. “And so I’m going to do my part in this campaign to gear my messaging back toward those kitchen table issues.”

By contrast, Republicans like Kim have prioritized trans issues that most parents and constituents in CA40 do not really care about, she said. “They’re worried about their kids having access to college and career opportunities. When they’re going home at night after working all day, commuting, pick up and drop off, [trans issues] are not the issues that they’re concerned about.”

“I lost a school board seat,” Gagnier said. “And I would do it again and again and again, because I’m going to stand up to bullies, and I was not going to allow those students to be bullied in the school district I represented.”

Nor do other parents approve of kids being bullied in schools, neither theirs nor anyone else’s, she said. “They don’t like kids getting singled out. They don’t like schools being less safe.”

CHRISTINA GAGNIER (center) (Photo courtesy of Christina Gagnier for Congress)

Supreme Court to hear conversion therapy case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case about whether state and local governments can enforce bans on anti-LGBTQ conversion therapy for children, a discredited and harmful practice that has been banned by 23 states and D.C.

The case, which will be argued in the new term that begins in October, began in Colorado prings, Colorado where a licensed professional counselor fled a challenge to a ban in 2022, arguing the law interferes with her ability to treat patients with “same-sex attractions or gender identity confusion” who “prioritize their faith above their feelings.”

The Supreme Court in 2023 declined to hear a challenge to conversion therapy bans out of Washington state, but conservative justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh voted in favor of taking up the case.

The Colorado therapist, Kaley Chiles, is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “a legal advocacy and training group that has supported the recriminalization of sexual acts between consenting LGBTQ adults in the U.S. and criminalization abroad; has defended state-sanctioned sterilization of trans people abroad; has contended that LGBTQ people are more likely to engage in pedophilia; and claims that a “homosexual agenda” will destroy Christianity and society.”

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado struck down Chiles’s lawsuit in 2022. Her case was appealed to the Supreme Court from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, which upheld the ban in 2023 on the grounds that it regulates professional conduct, not speech.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson released the following statement on Monday: “The Supreme Court’s decision to take up this case isn’t just about socalled ‘conversion therapy’ – it’s about whether extremists can use our courts to push their dangerous agenda, in an effort to erase LGBTQ+ people and gut protections that keep our kids safe. There’s no debate: so-called ‘conversion therapy’ is a dangerous practice, not therapy, and it has no place in our communities. These bans exist to protect LGBTQ+ children from harm—period.

Attacks on LGBTQ+ rights are the entry point to attacks on all of our rights. The same people trying to legalize abuse under the guise of ‘therapy’ are the ones banning books, ripping away reproductive rights, and undermining our democracy. The upreme Court must uphold the 10th Circuit decision fnding that these laws are constitutional.”

HRC added, “So-called ‘conversion therapy,’ sometimes known as ‘reparative ther-

Texas lawmaker seeks to criminalize trans identity

Republican Texas state Rep. Tom Oliverson introduced a bill last week that would prohibit Texans from identifying themselves as transgender on offcial documents.

The legislation would classify as a state felony the act of “knowingly [making] a false or misleading verbal or written statement” by identifying one’s birth sex incorrectly to a governmental entity or to an employer.

While the bill, according to the Houston Chronicle, does not yet have any cosponsors and is considered unlikely to pass, the effort underscores conservative lawmakers’ turn toward increasingly extreme measures targeting the trans community, particularly in Texas.

For example, Republican state Rep. Brent Money introduced a bill last month that would have e panded the 202 law barring gender affrming health treatments for minors by also prohibiting providers from offering puberty-suppressing medication, hormone therapy or surgeries to adults if the purpose is to affrm their gender identity.

Equality Texas reports that the state legislature has seen more than 170 bills targeting the LGBTQ community so far this year.

Oliverson in 2024 unsuccessfully challenged the chamber’s Republican speaker, Dade Phelan.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

apy,’ is a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.”

The group continued, “Such practices have been rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health organization for decades, but due to continuing discrimination and societal bias against LGBTQ+ people, some practitioners continue to conduct conversion therapy. Minors are especially vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Newsom criticized for saying trans athletes should not compete

The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement last week criticizing Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said this week that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports was “deeply unfair.”

HRC President Kelley Robinson said, “When LGBTQ+ lives are under attack, real leaders don’t hedge they fght. Across this country, e tremists are stripping away rights, banning books, and targeting trans kids just for being who they are. This is not the time for political calculations or playing it safe — it’s time to be bold, to stand up, and to say unequivocally: We will protect LGBTQ+ people with everything we’ve got.”

he continued, “The fght for equality has never been easy, but history doesn’t remember those who waver — it remembers those who refuse to back down. Our message to Gov. Newsom and all leaders across the country is simple: The path to 2028 isn’t paved with the betrayal of vulnerable communities — it’s built on the courage to stand up for what’s right and do the hard work to actually help the American people.

”A longtime ally to the LGBTQ community, ewsom was one of the frst public offcials to offciate same-se marriages in the early 2000s, which at the time drew criticism from leaders in his own party.

His remarks on trans athletes came during an interview with right-wing pundit and provocateur Charlie Kirk, on the inaugural episode of the governor’s podcast, “This Is Gavin Newsom.”

The move signals a possible shift in how Democratic leaders are positioning themselves on issues concerning trans rights, especially provided the speculation about Newsom’s plans to run for president in 2028.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Republican Texas state Rep. TOM OLIVERSON (Screen capture: KXAN/YouTube)

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a conversion therapy case, alarming activists. (Photo by Fred Schilling, The Supreme Court of the U.S.)

Celebrating Indigenous Fashion

Friday and Saturday March 14–15

Free | National Mall

Hear from contemporary Indigenous fashion designers, enjoy a unique fashion showcase, and support Native artists.

Friday, March 14

A er Hours: Celebrating Indigenous Fashion

7 PM

Saturday, March 15

Indigenous Fashion Showcase

10 AM–5 PM

Curator Tour: “Making a Statement” 11 AM

Women’s History Month: Stories and Conversation on Indigenous Design

1 PM

AmericanIndian.si.edu

8 percent of AID contracts cancelled

ecretary of tate Marco ubio on Monday said 8 percent of . . Agency for International Development contracts have been cancelled.

“The 5,200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, and in some cases even harmed , the core national interests of the United States,” said Rubio on X.

Rubio added “the remaining 18 percent of programs we are keeping appro imately 1,000 ” will “now be administered more effectively under the tate Department.”

ubio on Jan. 24 directed tate Department personnel to stop nearly all . . foreign aid spending for 0 days in response to an e ecutive order that President Donald Trump signed after his inauguration. The Washington Blade has previously reported programs in enya and other countries the President’s mergency Plan for AID elief funds have been forced to suspend services and even shut down because of a lack of U.S. funding, even though ubio issued a waiver that allowed P P A and other “life-saving humanitarian assistance” programs to continue to operate during the freeze.

The Trump-Vance administration also moved to dismantle AID.

A statement the White House issued on Feb. 3 said the organization “has been unaccountable to ta payers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous and, in many cases, malicious pet pro ects of entrenched bureaucrats, with ne t-to-no oversight.”

The statement also contains e amples of what it described as “waste and abuse” that included $2 million for “se changes and LGBT activism’” in Guatemala, $1.5 million to “advance diversity, equity and inclusion in erbia’s workplaces and business communities,” and $47,000 for a “transgender opera” in Colombia.” LGBTQ ictory Institute ecutive Director lliot Imse told the Blade last month his organization has lost around $ 00,000, which is two-thirds of its entire global program budget. Imse said the global LGBTQ rights movement is set to lose more than $50 million because of the suspension of U.S. aid.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

LGBTI Core Group

A tate Department spokesperson on Tuesday confrmed the . . has withdrawn from the Organization of American tates’ LGBTI Core Group.

The . ., along with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Me ico, and ruguay, co-founded the Core Group in 201 during that year’s OA General Assembly that took place in the Dominican epublic.

“We look forward to deepening our collaboration at the OA on issues impacting LGBTI persons so as to enhance dialogue, cooperation, and the sharing of best practices at regional and multilateral levels, recognizing also the various efforts and developments undertaken by and in member states,” reads a joint statement the countries issued on June 15, 201 . “ urthermore, we encourage and welcome the participation of other interested OA member states in the membership and activities of the Core Group.”

“We also look forward to collaborating with civil society organizations and other social actors as we seek to further shared goals,” it adds. “Our commitment in these areas is frm and will remain so.”

President Donald Trump since he took offce on Jan. 20 has signed a number of e ecutive orders that have specifcally targeted the LGBTQ and interse community. These include the “Defending Women from Gender Ideology tremism and estoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” directive that, among other things, bans the tate Department from issuing passports with “ ” gender markers.

A directive that ecretary of tate Marco ubio issued bans embassies and other . . diplomatic institutions from ying the Pride ag. ormer Joe Biden in March 2024 signed a government spending bill with a provision that banned Pride ags from ying over . . embassies.

“In line with the president’s recent e ecutive orders, we have withdrawn from the OA LGBTI Core Group,” the tate Department spokesperson told the Washington Blade.

The . . last month withdrew from the . . LGBTI Core Group, a group of . . member states that have pledged to support LGBTQ and interse rights.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Germany issues advisory for trans people traveling to U.S.

The German government has issued a travel advisory for transgender and nonbinary people who are planning to visit the U.S.

The Rheinische Post, a German newspaper, reported the advisory the German ederal oreign Offce issued on March 5 specifcally notes President Donald Trump’s e ecutive order that bans the tate Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers.

“The relevant gender identity of the applicant at the time of birth is the relevant one,” reads the German Federal Foreign Offce advisory. “Travelers who have the ’ gender marker or whose current gender entry differs from their gender identity at birth should contact the relevant U.S. diplomatic mission in Germany before entering the country and fnd out the applicable entry requirements.”

Germany’s Gender elf-Determination Act, which allows trans, nonbinary, and interse people to legally change their name and gender through a simple declaration at a registrar’s offce and then waiting three months, took effect last November.

ecretary of tate Marco ubio in response to Trump’s e ecutive order directed tate Department personnel to “suspend any application requesting an ’ se marker and do not take any further action pending additional guidance from the department.”

Trump on eb. 5 issued an e ecutive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams. The Guardian reported ubio later instructed American consular offcials to deny visas in “cases where applicants are suspected of misrepresenting their purpose of travel or se ”

“You should consider whether this misrepresentation is material such that it supports an ineligibility fnding,” wrote Rubio in the Feb. 24 directive the Guardian said it obtained.

The newspaper further reported the directive directs consulate offcials “to issue permanent visa bans against those who are deemed to misrepresent their birth se on visa applications,” and to “apply Immigration and Nationality Act section 212 a C i the permanent fraud bar’ against trans applicants.”

“Unlike regular visa denials, this section triggers lifetime e clusion from the nited tates with limited waiver possibilities,” notes the Guardian.

A group of trans and nonbinary people last month fled a federal lawsuit against Trump’s passport directive.

The Lesbian and Gay Federation of Germany, a German LGBTQ and interse rights group known by the acronym L D, in response to the Washington Blade’s request for comment on the German government’s travel advisory said it “strongly condemns the Trump administration’s latest attack on transgender and nonbinary people.”

“By erasing legal recognition of trans identities and forcing all offcial documents to re ect only se assigned at birth, the U.S. government is actively endangering the rights and safety of trans and nonbinary individuals,” said L D in a statement. “The German government’s travel advisory warning trans and nonbinary travelers of potential entry issues is a necessary step but it cannot be the only response.”

L D added Germany and the uropean nion “must make it clear LGBTQ people are safe in the , and we will not tolerate the rollback of fundamental human rights anywhere in the world.”

“Our commitment to human rights must also be reected in foreign policy,” said L D. “This includes using diplomatic channels to demand that the U.S. government respects trans rights, ensuring protections for asylum seekers, and strengthening international alliances to push back against anti-LGBTQ e tremism.”

“The L D calls on the German government and institutions to take a frm stance and oppose these policies with all available means,” added the advocacy group in its statement. “Democracy and human rights cannot be selectively defended when trans rights are attacked, all human rights are at risk.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

The U.S. Embassy in El Salvador in 2023 hung and e the og ess ide ag he has ithd a n o the gani ation o e ican tates B

ec eta y o tate MARCO RUBIO during his conf ation hea ing on an (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Spring highlights coming to the Music Center

The Naghash Ensemble

Fri, March 21

Reinventing Armenian folk songs

Sona Jobarteh

Tue, March 25

Trailblazing female kora maestro

Lila Downs

Thu, March 27

Influential Mexican-American vocalist

The Sound of (Black) Music

Sun, March 30

Rodgers & Hammerstein meets jazz, soul, and funk

All tickets just $20 in honor of 20 years of the Music Center!

Boney James: Slow Burn Tour

Wed, April 2

Smooth jazz saxophonist incorporating R&B and funk

The Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards

Thu, April 3

Watch the finalists perform live and the winners announced Deepest gratitude to Cathy Bernard and family for making this program possible.

The Tallest Man on Earth

Tue, April 8

Miho Hazama & m_unit

Sun, April 13

Boldly original, complex orchestral jazz

From top: The Sound of (Black) Music, Lila Downs by Chino Lemus, Bernard/Ebb by Jim Saah, Sona Jobarteh, The Tallest Man on Earth by Stephan Vanfleteren, The Naghash Ensemble by David Galstyan, Miho Hazama by Agnete Schlichtkrull

Survivors of sex crimes are unsung heroes

Taking trauma and turning it to their advantage

(Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part story. Visit washingtonblade.com for the first installment.)

Last month, I started watching “The -fles.” or the most part I loved the show, with Agents cully and Mulder as the primary reasons why. et what I found most frustrating was watching their investigations. As early as episode one, set in a small town of scared people guarded by scary men, Agent cully proposed coincidences while Agent Mulder proposed aliens. Despite the episode having “cult” written all over it, both agents seemed none the wiser. ecently, I learned the BI has an open process for writers and other creatives to learn how the agency works. I also discovered the

BI has a history of monitoring writers. In fact, the BI is about as image-conscious as your typical D.C. gay, making me wonder how the “ - iles” moved forward with little pushback. That’s about as interesting as Os being discovered in ew Me ico as we tested the atomic bomb.

But if you’re reading this, you likely want me to shut up about the “ - iles” and get back to my story. When I left off, my friend had disappeared and my work cleared me of any wrongdoing. That said, I was mysteriously fred in eptember 2022 nearly a year after the initial incident and ust si weeks after my boss learned that I wrote books.

The process of my fring was strange, to say the least. irst and foremost, I was never given a reason. To this day it remains a mystery. My now-former employer a high-profle lobbying frm then bullied me into signing an DA to access my severance.

By the way, I negotiated up. While I don’t know what I did, I had a feeling I had that power. I was right.

Just prior to the fring, they asked me to bring in my laptop so they could download my fles. This rang an alarm for me, primarily because they never gave me a laptop. o, they wanted me to bring in my personal laptop. As a writer with original materials, I reasonably asked what constituted a work fle. I never received an answer.

Coincidentally, I met my e -boyfriend e actly one week before I got fred. He is the same e -boyfriend from my religion piece, in which I mentioned he fell into hard times. pecifcally, I was referring to concerning signs I spotted last April, primarily on the gay apps, and with memories of the last boy still fresh on my mind, I refused to let another slip from my grasp.

o, what did I do I dove headfrst into hell in a messy attempt to rescue him. After playing this new game of cat-and-mouse in which I was said mouse, allow me to share what I learned Over the course of several months, I spotted sketchy characters at my e ’s place characters I suspected dealt hard drugs, which was highly out of character for him. Moreover, I found online accounts promoting e tremely suspect pornography and, yes, pimping services on formerly Twitter , some of which looked a lot like my e . While I didn’t know what e actly was happening, I knew something was off, but when I confronted my e , he denied it.

Being the stubborn asshole that I am, I decided to check these sketchy characters out for myself. It turns out I was spot on about their sketchiness. I learned they not only drug unsuspecting young men in a coordinated manner, but once drugged they se ually violate them and if drugged enough begin recording videos. It’s all made to look random yet safe for e ample, there always seems to be a nurse in the group who is “e perienced” in administering needles.

Once I had proof these people were unsafe, I took further action for my e . In mid- ovember, I reached out to someone in his personal life, which was a tough decision since he was closeted. I was strategic and chose someone who knew he was bise ual, and after connecting with her on Instagram, spoke on the phone with her the ne t morning. pon hearing my concerns, she agreed based on her own observations.

Apparently, she spotted signs of him being physically harmed over the summer. he and I spoke for hours on end about the situation and how we could help him. Then, ust a week later, I lost contact with her and my e . I haven’t heard from either since.

I eventually grew concerned enough to contact the police and the BI. In the meantime, particularly following my trauma article, se workers approached me to share their stories primarily stories of rape and abuse alongside a power structure rooted in it. As for those who try to oppose this system They’re often written off as mentally ill.

I don’t know about you, but I refuse to live in a world where young queers are shepherded into this system. That’s the opposite of what I envision for the queer community.

Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend arrived in January, along with more se workers. Once again, some approached me to share their stories about their aspirations, about their art, about their perspectives on the world. And once again, about the system of abuse designed against them from the start. I heard stories of young boys raped by their fathers, or friends of their fathers, or about the drugs used to coerce them into se ual activity. adly, ust like a O witness, they are usually written off and never taken seriously, especially if they have a record of drug abuse or mental illness. eems to be a pattern, doesn’t it

That said, these men are not solely victims. If anything, they took their trauma and turned it to their advantage. I’d like to take this moment to thank them. They’re unsung heroes each and every one in a nation that often shames them.

et as proud as I am ofthese se workers, my heart was equally broken. These stories were painful to hear, to say the least. I quickly grew paranoid of people around me, even friends at times. There were other times I sat alone in my apartment, bawling over the men I had lost, along with the pain others had e perienced. This only strengthened my resolve to end it.

To top this all off, my fnal discovery came ust two months ago. Turns out there’s an account publicly teasing me about this entire affair. The account even references this column and, according to the receipts, started well before I noticed concerning signs about my e in the frst place.

Hello there, dear account. It appears you’ve been observing me. Consider this my proverbial tapping back on the glass.

Wow there seems to be a lot of time, energy, and effort spent on little ole me. Why is that, I wonder I’ve mentioned before I’m ust a measly little barback who has been fred twice. Although looking back, those frings were strange too, weren’t they

Is it the abuse I uncovered Is it the details of my lover’s past Is it something I wrote Is it a combination of the three And is it possible that the little dark cloud that’s been following me in D.C. is more intentional than I once thought

I may never learn the truth on my own, but I can pose another question what’s the only thing scarier than Os To me there’s ust one answer that Os were never real in the frst place. Occasionally, answers to unsettling mysteries simply unearth more unsettling mysteries.

I mentioned before in this column that I arrived to D.C. na ve about the world, perhaps ust as na ve as Agents cully and Mulder. et in my naivet I tripped on something the rot hiding beneath the surface of our nation’s capital. o, it isn’t coincidence. It isn’t aliens, either. But whatever it is, I alone cannot identify it.

Throughout my time uncovering this story, I’ve come across friends, acquaintances, and even relatives who suffered abuse, along with threats or shaming to keep them quiet. They come from all races, creeds, backgrounds, and orientations, and as it turns out, some of the infrastructure of power in D.C. and in towns across this nation are built around it. While I’m ready to tear it down, this isn’t ust my story. I might be the one starting it, but it’s not on me to fnish.

The most I can do is hand the pen over to the victims. I’ve shared my part. ow it’s their turn. As for the audience I hope you’re now ready to start believing.

JAKE STEWART

is a D.C.-based writer and barback.

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is a writer based in the D.C. area. He is a transgender man and was featured in ational Geographic’s “Gender evolution” documentary. He serves on the board of the LGBT Democrats of irginia. Contact him at isaac.amend 5 gmail. com or on Instagram at  literatipapi.

lon Musk’s mistakes

A capable businessman compromised by transphobia

In two previous articles for the Blade, I enumerated how Elon Musk is a rampant transphobe and a danger to society. My position on Musk, since then, is nuanced. In one of these articles, I mildly applauded his brilliance, as I will enumerate now that he was able to create a payment company (PayPal), a car company (Tesla), and a rocket company (SpaceX), all with extreme success. Musk, in this regard, is a Renaissance man of sorts, able to use his Wharton accolades and other courses in physics, math, and coding to his will, and revamping companies to earn billions of dollars in profts. owadays, it’s a common brag among best friends to own a “Tessie” - slang for a Tesla - and to ride around for fun. “Tessies” have seeped into popular culture. And on the streets of LA, from the suburbs of D.C., to the outskirts and roads of Manhattan, Teslas are a common phenomenon, and are skyrocketing in sales. And PayPal, to Musk’s credit, is also still a platform that millions use regularly to send money to friends or other businesses. Meanwhile, SpaceX is preparing for the future, creating an infrastructure for space exploration.

Musk is undeniably successful. Yet two things should counter his fame and cause serious alarm.

As I have spoken about in the past, Musk’s relationship with his transgender daughter is nonexistent, as Vivian Wilson, the daughter, states that he was an absent parent who harassed her as a child.

Musk’s transphobia has been on full display he banned the word “cisgender” from X.com, which led many LGBTQ rights groups away from the platform. I was no stranger to this word ban a conservative ournalist covering my stories had to use c isgender in asterisks to avoid having her post deleted. Word bans were and are common symptoms of fascist regimes. Hitler and the azis infamously banned words and books from the public realm, and Musk is doing the same thing.

The second cause for alarm in Musk’s rise to power is his heading of DOG , the Department of Government ffciency. At frst, hiring Musk as the leader of DOG seemed like a good idea, even with someone who harbors transphobic complaints about him. As the richest man in the world, and as a man who has led multiple companies with billions of dollars in revenue, it would seem that a private sector tycoon like Musk would have the merits to lead DOG .

Yet almost immediately, such merits came into question. In early February of 2025, Musk essentially a ed AID, the tate Department’s aid wing, an organization tasked with giving funds to needy countries and doing other life-saving work like vaccine promotion. The a ing of AID spoke right away to Musk’s sheer ignorance of AID and the good it has done for decades across the world. In effect, he created, almost overnight, a dystopia in American international aid development. Without USAID, the nited tates can’t fund foreign countries to engage in benefcial mutual partnerships with us.

The axing of USAID from U.S. foreign policy will surely not be the only toxic decision that Musk makes. Down the line, and even already, we can e pect a signifcant reduction, or ust outright banning, of D I initiatives. D I initiatives are important for marginalized communities to have a voice and funding through government. or instance, studies that analyze the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth would presumably be a ed. More studies analyzing racial discrimination in the workplace could be a ed as well.

Overall, Musk shows a demonstrated brilliance in almost every endeavor he touches, with the e ception of DOG and Trump-related decisions. And the rampant transphobia that he has shown toward his child has painted his character in murky colors.

The Sexual Impotence

Of the ‘Manosphere’ NicholasF. Benton

FALLSCHURCHNEWS-PRESS

As we,thepeople, are compelled to ex ami ne everythin g about what in God’s namehas brought us tothisawful place,Iam drawnto some fundamentals that we allowed ourselves tolet slip in the last 80years, intheperiod since the last time we defeated the Nazis.

If Iwere toputit in themost naked form, I’dsaythecoreissue isone of empathy,or thelack of it.Empathyisaprettybasic aspect ofoursharedhumanity, andso almost byinstinct,its lack is the one issue thatcomes upthe mostaswearefaced withour current criticalcircumstances. Make nomistake, weare at risk of losing itall, losingdemocracy, losingthe western alliance,losing anymodicum of freedom or of anability to takecareof anyoneless fortunatethanourselves.

ToquoteLenin (without beinga Leninist), thereare decades whennothinghappens andthere areweekswheneverythinghappens. Thisperiodcorresponds withthelatter, andthat iswhy allthat’shappening seemingly generations’worth of damage. Oldtimetables, theones that workedfor us evenjustafew months ago, cannot now apply. I am struck,in particular,by the overtlymisogynistaspect of all this.Maybeempathy owes itsorigins ineachnew advancementinthisworldtotheintimate relationships of mother andchild, to theattentionandlovethat a motherfeels andacts uponto provide for andcultivatethelifeof ahelpless newborn andcontinues through hisor her development atleast upuntiltheage ofa Bas

For the male adult,it isacombination of perceivednecessity and jealousy thatcan injectitself intothisrelationshipand,inthe child’sadolescence or earlier,rip him or heraway fromthemother into thecold,cruel world where boys are conditioned forwar and thegirlsare diverted intodecid-

edly subservient roles.

All of the adultmaleheartburnaboutgenderissuesarederived fromthis context.Those amongadult women,tothe extenttheyhave been thoroughly conditioned totheirassigned roles in this male-dominated matrix, will oftenbe assignedtothe forefront of howling about this.

Boys becomemenin orderto

Older men seeyounger onesas

this equation. If younger men are tobe sentto war,to kill or bekilled,empathy cannotbe allowedtocloud the mission,don’t yousee. Itissolelythedomain of the incubator phase of a life.

So nowwe have Trump, Musk, Vance and the Tate Brothers, allin arow. If you are not familiarwiththe Tateboys, you should Googlethem. Trump just bought their freedom from the Romanianswhere they were

ences”on the Internet,they’ve developed a mass cadre force of a million young Americanmen who arefeeling theirdisenfranchisement.

Thisis now the“manosphere.”Therealm of womenhating, chest poundingmales, who runaroundbashinggays andhittingonunderagedgirls. “Manosphere”mightbe pronounced“mans who fear,” because, of course,in reality most all“dudes”who sign upasTaters are deeplyinsecure and wildly sexuallyimpotent.That is, their idea ofsexisso damaged by theirconditioned psyches that it hasbecome for themnothingbut anexercise inpower, in“power over,”toplease daddy.Almost rape. It has tobe,because daddy says we mustdisrespect the partner in order toemerge fromthe dash to beslaughteredon a bat-

cally.

Wh enthean g el toldAbraham to back off andleave Is aa c alone, weweresup po sedto lea rn fro mth at w hatbeing, or becoming, tr uly hu ma nis al l ab o ut

Thesav edchildeme rges wh o isth encapable of f ellin gaG ol iath,and w e, as humanit y, bath e inthe s unlight of thatlibe r ati on.

PETER ROSENSTEIN

is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Trump is a carnival barker masquerading as president

Throwing the world into chaos by cozying up to Putin

Trump is a carnival barker, who masquerades as a president. He is a racist, felon, found liable for sexual assault, and in many ways a danger to the LGBTQ community. What he is not, is a credible president. He is a grifter and a liar. He sees himself as an entertainer, which accounts for his speech to Congress. He thinks nothing of lying and using props, even a brave young cancer survivor, to get applause, and feed his ego.

The real danger of his second term in offce is he is surrounded with some people worse than himself, but with more brains. The frst is hard to be, the second is easy. His best friend and co-president, is a Nazi sympathizer, the richest man in the world. Contrary to Trump, who has declared bankruptcy multiple times in his businesses, Musk has made a real fortune. There are those who claim he has paid to be Trump’s co-president. First helping fund the campaign, others even suggesting he has promised Trump billions after he is out of offce. I don’t know that to be true, but clearly not beyond belief. While Trump sees himself as a king, Musk sees himself as an emperor, controlling the world. Trump has allowed him unlimited access to the Oval Offce, from which to carry out his goals. Trump’s attitude to people here, and around the world, suffering because of him, is that they be damned.

Now we know Trump and Musk, have bought off, or scared off, any opposition from Republican senators and congresspersons. They have gotten them all on their knees. The only hope for our democracy is the courts. We will see if they hold, and actually perform their constitutional role, as the third arm of our government. Will they stand up to the two despots in the White House? Will they be willing to take the glare, and threats to their lives, from MAGA supporters, and do the right thing? The right thing is not what I want, but what the constitution of our country calls for. People are being fred willy-nilly, without any thought to the repercussions. We know this as they have fred people, and been forced to rehire them when they realized what they did. rom the ational  uclear  ecurity Administration, which oversees the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons, to those trying to deal with bird u at the CDC. They have in a short time thrown the world into chaos, by moving away from all our allies and cozying up to Putin, a dictator, who seems to be holding something over Trump’s head. Musk is posting on X and whispering in Trump’s ear to leave NATO, and populate Mars. A megalomaniac with thoughts of being the ne t Hitler, and taking over the world using Donald Trump as his stooge.

Musk has eclipsed the vice president, who then tried to reclaim his role by embarrassing the nited tates at the meeting with kraine’s President elenskyy. ance made the president look weak. Then when Trump spoke to Congress, thanking Musk, all ance could do was sit behind the president with a stupid grin on his face, jump up to applaud every few minutes, at the spectacle taking place in front of him. If he wasn’t so venal I would have actually felt sorry for him.

Last week was the ninth anniversary of ancy eagan’s death. It reminded me she was the one who ran the country, while hiding her husband’s dementia from the people. ven with all that, in some ways I longed for those days. A time I could disagree with just about every Republican policy, but could sit and talk to Republicans and have a rational conversation. In those days I could, and did, actually meet the leadership of the Log Cabin Republicans for lunch, and not end up feeling dirty like I would with some of those leading them today.

It may sound funny to say, but I yearn for a two-party system where we can debate issues with intelligent people. I know how bad eagan was, and that he caused the death of thousands by not being willing to deal with HI AID . But then there were Democrats like d och, mayor of ew ork City, who did the same. I hope we can get back to a day when we can really debate policy, everyone telling the truth to voters, and not have a epublican Party that believes lying, and fghting culture wars, is the way to go.

LOS ANGELES — It has been eight years since Margaret Cho released her Grammy-nominated “American Myth” album. She’s back to the music scene with her new album, “Lucky Gift,” an 11-track collection of anthems and pop tunes, a tribute to Robin Williams, and a shout-out to non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

The album captures the whirlwind that is Margaret and all of the different facets of her talents that have made her a powerhouse in entertainment and a leader in activism. In “Lucky Gift,” she’s getting her point across while having fun and getting glam.

We caught up with the activist and artist to chat about her music, our political climate, and the power of pop divas.

Margaret Cho returns to music with ‘Lucky Gift’

Collection of pop tunes includes tribute to non-binary people

By ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ

Known for her comedy, acting, and activism, she felt it was long overdue to get her music back out there too.

“I make music often. It’s a part of my daily life, it’s a big part of my social life, and it’s just something that I just love to do for my own relaxation and fun. I had enough for an album and I wanted to finally put them out. I was just really proud of how it all sounded together,” shares Cho.

“It’s a power pop record. For me, the songs are really meaningful. They’re all in their own way love songs. I’m a big fan of my own music (laughs), I really like the way that I sound and it’s really special to do. People know me as a comedian, and I have also made music for a long time, but it’s sort of a side project, and so it was time to put more out again.”

Her album also includes a touching tribute to Robin Williams. The entertainment community is finally more comfortable talking about mental health more openly. When relating mental health to her own life, Margaret, in true Margaret form, quickly turned the conversation to reflect today’s political climate.

“I have to maintain a level of peace and quiet and sometimes maybe get away from the news, although that’s tough because I am obsessed. I want to know what is happening. I’m really worried for our community, especially the trans community.  I’m worried that this administration is trying to separate T and the Q from the LGBTQIA, and it’s really frightening.”

As an elder, Cho says she has to also remember that we’ve been through this before and it’s actually been much worse. As a community, we’ve been through a similar situation, and we were facing down a pandemic, which was killing us by the millions. So at least now we don’t have to fight AIDS as well as this onslaught of homophobia.

“We have fought for our rights, and we still have them, but we may not have them for long. So our mental health is very important to preserve now because we have to fight. The one thing to remember is they can’t do everything at once. They can’t take away trans rights, queer rights, gay rights, gay marriage, anti-depressants — ha — at the same time. So what we can do is just try to remain as calm as possible

and fight as strongly as we can. But yeah, mental health is really vitally important right now.”

Margaret’s long history of queer activism stands for itself. She does not shy away from current issues, she uses her platforms to incite, educate, and question. For Margaret, there is no time off from being an activist. She was born into it, so to speak, being raised in San Francisco in the 1970s, her parents  the owners of a gay bookstore  and their employees followers of Harvey Milk.

“My activism is that I don’t have a choice. I’m going to be an activist no matter what. We’re doing this together, we’re going through this together. I will always be political. It’s just disheartening to see the ignorance of people and the lies that are being told that are believed.”

Margaret’s “Lucky Gift” comes at a perfect time when the queer community can come together over music. Cho looks at her album as a tool to empower an underdog community through the power of music.

“ It’s the triumph of pop above all. We need to look to our pop divas above all. So now I’m more than ever, leaning on Madonna. [Thank God for Lady Gaga’s] “Abracadabra” because I think that things like that boost our community so much. When you can just get together and have a “brat summer,” that boosts our community so much in this togetherness, this explosion of excitement. I think Chappell Roan really ignited the pop capacity for healing. I love ‘Lucky Gift’ because it is my stepping into a pop diva moment. Pop divas should not be discounted for how important they are to our society and how much they lift us up.”

In addition to releasing her new album, Cho will continue to hit the road this year with her “Live and LIVID! Tour,” celebrating more than four decades of live stand-up shows. On this tour, she promises to rage about homophobia, sexism, racism, and the fight to stay alive. The five-time Grammy and Emmy-nominated performer is not holding back. According to her, the nation is not divided, just a little lost.

“We’re not divided. Everybody hates this. We all hate this. The fact is, the majority of the country does not want this. Unfortunately, a lot of people just didn’t vote because they just didn’t want to participate. That’s why we’re in the situation that we’re in. So to be on the road is a pleasure. And I rarely come against opposition. Every once in a while there’s something, but it’s something that we all handle. I think we all need a voice, a strong voice of reason to combat all of the hysteria.”

And her message to her fans?

“We’ll get through this. We’ll get through this with pop divas. ‘Abracadabra,’ learn the choreography, you do it sitting down. At least we have pop music, I have my hat in the ring here. But at least we have each other and we’re going to be OK. It’s going to be a ride, it’s going to be intense, but we can do this. We’ve been through this before and we are going to be fine.”

“Lucky Gift”is now available on all major streaming platforms.

MARGARET CHO is back with a new album, ‘Lucky Gift.’ (Photo by Sergio Garcia)

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

CHERISH THE LADIES

Saturday, Mar. 15 at 8 p.m.

A rousing program of traditional Irish melodies and original arrangements

RHYTHM INDIA

Bollywood & Beyond

Saturday, Mar. 22 at 8 p.m.

Witness the dancers of Joya Kazi Unlimited in a celebration of Indian culture and dance

TICKETS

703-993-2787

KEYBOARD CONVERSATIONS®

WITH JEFFREY SIEGEL

Humor in Music

Sunday, Mar. 23 at 7 p.m.

Enchanting works from Chopin, Beethoven, Copland, and more

CIRQUE MECHANICS

Pedal Punk

Saturday, Apr. 5 at 2 and 8 p.m.

A high-flying thrill ride on wheels

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CALENDAR |

Friday, March 14

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. or more details, email adam thedccenter.org.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will meet at 8 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more details, oin WiTT’s closed acebook group.

GoGayDC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Puro Gusto. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday, March 15

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space the strives to be safe and judgement free. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com centerpoc.

Sunday, March 16

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Dinner” at 11 a.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy an evening of Italian-style dining and conversation with other LGBTQ folk. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, March 17

“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email adam@thedccenter.org.

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Tuesday, March 18

Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more details, email andyarias0 gmail.com.

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. For more details, visit Facebook or Meetup.

Wednesday, March 19

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-confdence, 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.

Thursday, March 20

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- 82-2245.

Virtual Yoga with Sarah M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

Poly Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an inclusive, welcoming, virtual safer space to talk about all things polyamorous. The rapturous, the confused, the pure “yikes”, we want to hear them all. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org

Lit Lover Book Club for Seniors will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This month’s selection is “Sea of Tranquility” by Paul Russell. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website.

OUT & ABOUT

Queer a capella group to celebrate rainbow history

The Rainbow History Project will host “Not What You Think,” an a capella performance group supporting queer history on Sunday, March 16 at 12:30 p.m. at Heurich House Museum.

This performance will celebrate the museum’s exhibit progress and mark the two months until the exhibit’s ribbon cutting. Not What You Think is a group comprised of all gay performers that performs “songs of social justice and humor.”

The museum will accept donations at its event. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Lit Lover Book Club for Seniors features ‘Sea of Tranquility’ by Paul Russell.

Love, drama, and boleros—just another night at the bar. Grab a mic, spill your heart, and let the music carry the night.

JUNE 11 - 29

In Spanish with English surtitles

2024-2025 SPRING SEASON

SUCEDE HASTA EN LAS MEJORES FAMILIAS

When Cassandra and her wife visit her childhood home, a family medical crisis sparks intergenerational conflict. Tradition and modern education clash as they engage in an environmental battle against a corporation.

APR 24 - MAY 18

In Spanish with English surtitles

30% OFF REG. TICKETS THRU MARCH 21. Use code BLOOM30 (Not valid for 4-24 & 6-10)

By Emilio Infante (Mexico/USA) | Directed by Gustavo Ott

By Rubén León (Venezuela) | Directed by Valeria Cossu

New D.C. theater season offers ‘Inheritance,’

‘Vanya,’ more

Be sure to check out Baltimore, Rehoboth,

Va. venues

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

As the crocuses burst, here’s some of what’s happening on the spring stage.

Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” (through March 23), the classic “where the wind comes sweeping down the plains” story about a bucolic love triangle circa 1906. This production of the always [to me] surprisingly enthralling musical makes for the perfect early spring uber gay-friendly getaway. Clearspacetheatre.org

Closer to home, try taking a break from the unpleasant everyday and see “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” (March 16) at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Va. Enjoy Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia, those beloved characters (here played by actors in drag) lifted from the beloved sitcom. Livenation.com

GALA Hispanic Theatre presents the world premiere of “Sucede hasta en las mejores familias (Choke)” (April 24-May 18), a timely story about an older couple and their adult daughter whose family medical crisis unleashes intergenerational

conflict that mirrors the battle that they’re forced to fight against a corporation. Galatheatre.org

For one performance only, the Alden Theatre in Mclean, Va., presents “Forbidden Broadway” (Sunday, March 16, 2 p.m.). Filled with Broadway talent and tunes, and off-Broadway humor, this long-running New York favorite parodies current plays and musicals. Mcleancenter.org

There’s still time to catch Sara Bareilles’s “Waitress” at Olney Theatre Center (extended through April 6). The show is headlined by the Helen Hayes Award-winning out actor, single-named MALINDA who plays Jenna, the show’s titular server/ baker in this story about love and self-exploration. Staged by Tony-nominated director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Olneytheatre.org

At Arena Stage, it’s “The Age of Innocence” (through March 30). Helen Hayes-winning actor Regina Aquino (a queer-identified first-generation Filipino immigrant) plays society stalwart Mrs. Adelaide Archer in Karen Zacarias’s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic Gilded Age New York-set novel. Arenastage.org Signature Theatre’s production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” (through May 4) stars esteemed queer actor Ángel Lozada as the pulsating musical’s protagonist, the hardworking and awkwardly appealing Usnavi. Signaturetheatre.org.

Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre presents the national tour of “Shucked” (April 1-6), a queer comedy poised to deliver laughs and big talent. Its publicity reads: “What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn.” Hilarious.

At National Theatre, there’s “Kimberly Akimbo” (May 20-June 1), the Tony Award-winning musical that portrays a quirky teen romance with a supporting quartet of queer characters. Broadwayatthenational.com

Historic Ford’s Theatre presents a staged reading of out playwright Matthew López’s Tony-winning, two-part milestone play, “The Inheritance” (May 28-June 1) inspired by E.M. Forster’s complex novel “Howards End.” López’s critically acclaimed epic explores the lives of three generations of gay men as they chart divergent paths to forge a future for themselves in an ever-changing America in the decades after the AIDS crisis. The staged reading is helmed by out director José Carrasquillo. Fords.org

Round House Theatre presents the premiere of Sharyn Rothsteins’s “Bad Books” (April 2- 27), featuring out actor Holly Twyford and Kate Eastwood Norris as opposing forces. “Twyford plays The Mother whose genuine love for and concern about her children propels her to seek out the local librarian to discuss ‘appropriate’ reading material. Norris plays The Librarian, a woman who is equally committed to her calling and profession.” Round House artistic director Ryan Rilette directs. Roundhousetheatre.org

At Constellation Theatre, it’s “Head Over Heels” (May 1-June 1). A jukebox musical featuring music of 80’s rock band The Go-Go’s. This celebration of self-discovery and queer identity, weaving together Renaissance romance and Greek comedy. The company’s artistic director Allison Arkell Stockman directs. Constellationtheatre.org

The last time I saw Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” was in 2011 at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre featuring Cate Blanchett in a stunning turn as Yelena, a glamorous young woman married to an older processor. And now, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents the heartbreaking comedy “Uncle Vanya” (March 30-April 20) starring Hugh Bonneville from TV’s “Downtown Abbey” as Vanya, the besotted brother of the professor’s late first wife. Shakesearetheatre. org

And finally, here’s something from the department of silver linings. After Trump’s Kennedy Center cancelled “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,” a concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., the International Pride Orchestra will present the same concert at the Music Center in North Bethesda on June 5. Let’s make it sell out. Internationalprideorchestra.org

MIGUEL GIL in the tour of ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ at National Theatre. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Jason Robert Brown & Friends

Saturday, June 14, 7 p.m.

Three-time, Tony Award-winning composer and living legend of musical theater, Jason Robert Brown, performs an intimate evening filled with musical brilliance. JRB & Friends o ers a close-up look at the career of the composer, director, orchestrator and lyricist.

Hear anecdotes and personal insights from the man who wrote “Parade,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” “The Last Five Years,” “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “13” and other favorites.

This performance is appropriate for ages 13 and up. Purchase tickets at aldentheatre.org.

Busy season for live music in D.C.

Erivo, Kylie, Sivan, and more headed our way this spring

By JOE REBERKENNY

One sure sign of spring’s arrival is the fresh wave of live music coming to Washington. With more than 10 venues and a diverse lineup of artists, the city offers no shortage of live performances for the new season.

In addition to this impressive list, don’t forget the many artists coming to town for WorldPride, May 17-June 8. In addition to headliner Cynthia Erivo performing on Saturday, June 7 at the two-day street festival and concert, many other performers will be in town. Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan, and RuPaul are among the featured performers at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds, June 6-7. Visit WorldPrideDC.org for a list of other performers.

MARCH

Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Mary J. Blige will take the stage at Capital One Arena on March 26 for her For My Fans tour. Two days later, on March 28, J Balvin will also perform at Capital One Arena for his Back to the Rayo tour.

The Lincoln Theatre will host the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington for three performances—one on March 15 and two on March 16.

If dance parties are more your vibe, you’re in luck. DC9 is hosting a series of themed dance parties this month, starting with Poker Face: 2000s + Dance Party on March 14, the ever-popular Peach Pit ’90s dance party on March 15, H.O.T.S.: A Sapphic Dance Party on March 22, and RageRiot !—a burlesque and drag revue featuring a lineup of local drag kings, queens, and everything in between on March 29.

APRIL

Australian queen of pop Kylie Minogue will bring her Tension tour to Capital One Arena on April 8, with British dance artist Romy as her special guest.

Indie singer-songwriter mxmtoon will stop in D.C. for their Liminal Space tour on April 4 at the 9:30 club, followed by indie rock band Gossip on April 5. The 9:30 club will also host two dance parties in April: Gimme Gimme Disco – a dance party inspired by ABBA on April 11 and Broadway Rave on April 18.

The Atlantis will feature Brooklyn-based indie rock band Pom Pom Squad on April 2.

Comedy duo Two Dykes and a Mic will bring their Going Hog Wild tour to the Howard Theatre on April 19.

DC9 has two dance parties lined up this month: Bimbo Night on April 4, hosted by Baltimore’s “premier red-tattooed Filipina diva” Beth Amphetamine, and Aqua Girls: A QTBIPOC Dance Party on April 5, celebrating “queer transcendence through music, movement, and community.”

The Anthem will welcome a lineup of big names in April, starting with Alessia Cara on April 8. Lucy Dacus will take the stage on April 18 and 19 for her Forever Is a Feeling tour, while funky pop artist Remi Wolf will headline on April 27, joined by special guests Dana and Alden

MAY

Indie-pop artist Miya Folick will bring her Erotica Veronica tour to The Atlantis on May 1, followed by multi-genre musician SASAMI on May 2. Pop artist Snow Wife will close out the month at The Atlantis on May 31 as part of an official WorldPride 2025 event.

Queer rock band Lambrini Girls will perform at the Howard Theatre on May 4, while rock trio L.A. Witch will take the stage at DC9 on May 12.

Union Stage will feature Rachel Platten on May 3 for her Set Me Free tour, followed by Femme Fatale: A Queer Dance Party later that night.

The popular DJ festival Project Glow will return to RFK Stadium grounds on May 31 and June 1.

JUNE

Pride month kicks off with “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Trixie Mattel , who will perform at Echostage on June 3 as part of a series of official WorldPride 2025 events.

Queer icons Grace Jones & Janelle Monáe will take over The Anthem on June 5 for a WorldPride 2025 event performance.

Perfume Genius will bring his signature sound to the 9:30 club on June 7 as part of WorldPride 2025 festivities. Later in the month, Blondshell will hit the 9:30 club for her If You Asked for a Tour on June 24.

CYNTHIA ERIVO plays WorldPride in D.C. on June 7. (Photo courtesy of WorldPride)

KYLIE MINOGUE brings her ‘Tension Tour’ to D.C. in April.

Bookstores full of LGBTQ-themed new releases

Novels, memoirs, and even a George Takei biography

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Springtime, where the livin’ is already easy, the sun is warm, the fun is just starting, and the bookstores are full of great new releases like these.

NOVELS

For the reader who wants a thriller with a tinge of realism, look for “Sleeping Children: A Novel” by Anthony Passeron, translated by Frank Wynne (FSG, $27). The year is 1981, and American doctors are baf ed by the presence of a disease that’s been popping up. How curious. Across the ocean, French doctors are also seeing the same confusing disease but Passeron’s family – his entire village, in fact – is dealing with addiction in addition to whatever illness is striking gay men. Yes, this is a novel. Keep telling yourself that. Out April 29.

If you’re up for a little romance this summer (and who isn’t?), then look for “Pioneer Summer: A Novel” by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, translated by Anne O. Fisher (Abrams, $27). It’s the story of Yurka, a wild child who’s afraid his time at summer camp is about to be f lled with boredom until he meets Volodya, who’s nothing at all like Yurka. What’s that they say about how opposites attract? This book is said to have been banned in Russia, where the authors are TikTok “sensations.” Out June 3.

So you’re the type who judges a book by its title. Then meet “Everyone Sux But You,” a graphic novel by K. Wroten (Henry Holt, $27.99). It’s a tale of a girl who doesn’t give a, well, you know, about anything but mosh pits, dancing, and her BFF. The two have particularly bonded over a deep loss and that doesn’t help their dark outlook but sometimes, you have to see the bright side of life to really live. Out May 20.

MEMOIRS

Fans of Star Trek or of actor George Takei will absolutely want “It Rhymes with Takei” (Top Shelf Productions, $29.99). It’s a graphic memoir that tells

Takei’s story, from childhood to adulthood, about being in the closet for most of his life, and how coming out at age 68 was such a revolution for him. But it’s more than a biography; this book also helps readers understand what it was like to be gay for most of the 20th century and why it’s important to know. Out June 10.

Here’s another must-have for TV watchers: “So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All” by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey (St. Martin’s Press, $32). This is the story of two women, a show that might have bombed (hint: it didn’t), and the making of a beautiful friendship. If you’re a fan of “The L Word,” the other word you’ll use with this book is L-ove. Out June 3

One more, for TV fans: “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home” by Jonathan Capehart (Grand Central, $30) is a biography from the MSNBC host and member of the Washington Post editorial board. It’s Capehart’s story of f tting in, f nding his way to success, and standing with feet in two different worlds. Out May 20.

NONFICTION

If you’re already eyeballing the idea of eating al fresco, then you must read “Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants” by Erik Piepenburg (Grand Central, $30). Once upon a time, meeting new people wasn’t just done in bars or nightclubs. Piepenburg says that even a century ago, gay restaurants were great places to make new friends, f nd new loves, and have a good meal, too. This fascinating book takes you around the country and through the decades, and it’s a fun, fun read. Out June 3.

And when times are bad and you’re feeling low, you’ll want to pick up “Generation Queer: Stories of Youth Organizers, Artists, and Educators” by Kimm Topping and Anshika Khullar

(Lee & Low, $22.95). It’s full of inspiring stories of young people, teen leaders, under-30 folks who want to represent and make change. The short biographies in this book are quick to read and they’ll help you understand that the next generation is not about to let things slide backwards. Out May 27. If these great books aren’t enough for you, be sure to talk to your favorite bookseller or librarian. There are lots of books out this spring and coming for summer, and you’re not going to want to miss them.

Queer TV to watch this spring

uPaul, gay Golden Girls,’ horror stories, and more

By JOHN PAUL KING

It’s time to plan out our screen time for the next few months, as our favorite television platforms prepare to launch a whole new assortment of bingeable distractions for us – and we’re delighted to say that this year’s crop includes an intriguing array of queer and queer-related choices to add to our list. As always, the Blade is here with the details.

Lost Boys & Fairies (miniseries, March 4, Britbox) Already streaming this spring is this acclaimed BBC production from 2024, a heartwarming three-episode saga about a Welsh gay couple (Siôn Daniel Young and Fra Fee) and their effort to adopt a child. Though the story is queer, the issues it tackles are universal –hesitance to become a parent because of past issues or fear of failure, coming to terms with an unhappy childhood, and grappling with the daunting prospect of being a parent when you’re not even sure you are capable of managing your own life, among others –and strike all the right notes to make this series a touchstone for anyone with a desire to celebrate the reality of taking on the responsibility of raising a child. Elizabeth Berrington, Sharon D. Clarke, Maria Doyle Kennedy, William Thomas, and Arwel Gruffydd also star.

The Parenting (movie, March 13, Max) In this madefor-T feature flm, a young gay couple, ohan and Josh (Nik Dodani and Brandon Flynn), rent a country house to host a weekend getaway with their respective parents, only to discover that the three couples are sharing the space with a 400-year-old evil entity. Directed by Craig Johnson, this horror comedy has automatic “fan” appeal provided by its stars – especially lynn “1 easons Why” , who has acquired a gay heartthrob status that stretches beyond his “queer youth” demographic – and its embrace of the always popular (if campy) “haunted house” genre. It also boasts an impressive supporting cast, including Parker Posey (“Best in Show,” “The White Lotus”), Brian Cox “ uccession” , Lisa udrow “ riends,” “ omy and Michele’s High chool eunion” , Dean orris “Breaking Bad,” “Claws”), and Edie Falco (“The Sopranos,” “Nurse Jackie”). It should be fun.

O’Dessa (movie, March 20, Hulu) An ambitious project from writer/director Geremy Jasper, this self-described “post-apocalyptic musical drama” follows a farm girl in the future as “she goes on a journey” in search of “a family heirloom” while attempting to “rescue her one true love.” Developed by Disney’s “prestige” Searchlight Pictures division and featuring a music-and-song score by Jasper and Jason Binnick, it premiered a mere week ago at 2025’s South by South-

west Festival and stars Sadie Sink (“Stranger Things”) alongside egina Hall “ cary Movie,” “Girls’ Trip” , Murray Bartlett (“Looking,” “The White Lotus”), Kelvin Harrison, Jr. (“Elvis,” “Chevalier”), and singer-songwriter Pokey LaFarge.

Dope Thief (miniseries, March 14, Apple TV) A novel by Dennis Tafoya is the inspiration for this gritty miniseries about a pair of former hoods who pose as DEA agents for a robbery and discover the biggest secret drug operation on America’s Eastern Seaboard. This one makes our list solely because of the star power of its headliner, acclaimed out Black actor Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta”, “Eternals”), who gives a rock solid performance alongside co-star Wagner Moura. Also featuring power players like ing hames “Pulp iction” and Kate Mulgrew (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Orange is the New Black”), as well as Amir Arison, Marin Ireland, and Nesta Cooper, it’s the kind of tense-but-engrossing, character-driven crime drama that long-form TV narratives seem to pull off better than any other platform.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Live (special, March 16, WOW Presents Plus ans of the iconic uPaul won’t want to miss this special event broadcast, when the 1,000th performance of the groundbreaking “reality competition” show’s live residency at Las egas’s lamingo esort will air on World of Wonder’s WOW Presents Plus platform. Featuring choreography from Jamal Sims, direction from uPaul, the ever-popular Pit Crew, and performances by current cast of Queens Asia O’Hara, Ginger Minj, Jaida Essence Hall, Kylie Sonique Love, Morphine Love Dion, and Plane Jane, along with multiple special surprise guests spectators to sickening lipsyncs, handsome Pit Crew members, it’s undoubtedly going to be the nest best thing to being there.

The Residence series, March 20, et i As if we’re not seeing enough drama from the White House these days, et i is delivering this mystery drama about a

fctional murder investigation among the staff of America’s most famous mansion, from none other than the popular honda himes-led powerhouse hondaland production company (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Bridgerton”). Starring Udo Adubo (“Orange is the New Black”) as its leading sleuth, it also boasts an ensemble cast that includes Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad,” “The Mandalorian”), Susan Kelechi Watson (“This Is Us”), Jason Lee (“My Name is Earl”), Ken Marino (“The State,” “The Other Two”), andall Park “ resh Off the Boat” and Bronson Pinchot (“Perfect Strangers”), among many others. As if that weren’t enough, it promises appearances from beloved “SNL” alums Jane Curtin and Al Franken, as well as a guest starring turn by Kylie Minogue herself, which is more than enough reason to include it on any list of must-see queer TV, if you ask us.

Mid-Century Modern (series, March 28, Hulu) The most eagerly anticipated queer entry of the spring TV season comes late in the line-up, but it is sure to be worth the wait. Centered on three best friends - all gay men of “a certain age” – shaken by an unexpected death, who decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs. A comedy that celebrates chosen family (while also poking fun at the foibles of “the rich gays,” as Jennifer Coolidge’s Tonya McQuaid might brand them), it is probably the closest thing we’ll ever see to a “Gay Golden Girls” remake for which so many among us have long dreamed – and with a cast led by Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham, and the late Linda Lavin, odds are good that it can match the high expectations that surround it. Also featuring a roster of guest stars that includes Pamela Adlon, Vanessa Bayer, Kimberly Coles, Jesse Tyler erguson, Judd Hirsch, ichard ind, tephanie oenig, Billie Lourd, Esther Moon Wu, Jaime Moyer, Cheri Oteri, hea Perlman, ane Phillips, and more.

‘Mid-Century Modern,’ the most eagerly anticipated queer entry of the spring TV season, debuts March 28 on Hulu. (Image courtesy of HULU)

Indie flmmaking is the gift that keeps giving this season

Jacob Elordi delivers strong performance in ‘On Swift Horses’

By JOHN PAUL KING

With all the anti-LGBTQ bias currently being forced down America’s throat by its own government, you might think that the coming season would be bringing us slim pickings when it comes to movies by, for, and/or about our community.

As the list of highlights we’ve compiled for you below clearly shows, you would be wrong. While there are few big studio offerings among them (are there ever?), we are happy to say that the blessing of indie filmmaking is a gift that keeps shining through, with several titles from outside the dominant mainstream system to pique your interest until the summer blockbusters come rolling out.

Young Hearts (March 14, limited release) A Belgian-Dutch co-production that racked up an impressive number of awards and prizes on the festival circuit, this queer coming-of-age story centers on a rural 14-year old (Lou Goossens) who befriends a new neighbor boy (Marius De Saeger) from the big city and finds himself falling in love for the first time. Described by its director (Anthony Schattemen, in his feature filmmaking debut) as a movie he “needed or wanted to see” in his own youth, it’s a queer-centered romance with universal appeal for viewers of all ages, who will easily recognize the strong emotions it evokes as it explores the struggle of of growing up while trying to discover your own identity. Goossens’ performance has been widely praised, as has Schatteman’s direction, and its suitability for family viewing makes it an even more appealing choice in a time when young queer people might be feeling particularly in need of positive messaging.

from outside the community to “meet the parents.” It also offers the charms of both Tony-winner Groff and Soni (“Abbott Elementary”), whose chemistry only enhances their “cute couple” appeal. Sunita Mani, Harish Patel, and Zarna Garg also star. The Wedding Banquet (April 18) One of the highest-profile queer big screen prospects of the season is yet another rom-com, but this one is also a remake. Out gay Korean-American filmmaker Andrew Ahn (“Spa Night,” “Fire Island”) helms a reinvention of Ang Lee’s now-classic “marriage-of-convenience” comedy of the same name in which two same-sex couples (Bowen Yang and Han Gi-Chan, Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran) concoct a “lavender wedding” for a green card in exchange for in vitro fertilization, only to find themselves trapped into an elaborate, traditional Korean marriage ceremony by the closeted-at-home groom’s revered grandmother (Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung). Well received at its Sundance premiere earlier this year, and also featuring acclaimed veteran actress Joan Chen (“Lust, Caution,” “Twin Peaks,” “Didi”) as the mother of the bride, this one has serious potential to become the mustsee rom-com - queer or otherwise – of the season.

Pet Shop Days (March 14, limited release) Another European festival contender, this UK romantic thriller directed by Olmo Schnabel centers on an impulsive young immigrant (Darío Yazbek Bernal) who flees his wealthy Mexican family and lands in New York, where he becomes involved with a young pet shop clerk (Jack Irv) and is drawn into an underworld of crime and unrestrained vice. A sexy romance bolstered by the presence of several acclaimed screen veterans – including Willem Dafoe, Peter Saarsgard, and Emmanuelle Seigner – and with the prestige of a Venice Film Festival premiere behind it, it has a built-in appeal for queer cinema buffs. A Nice Indian Boy (April 4) From Independent Spirit Award-winning director Roshan Sethi comes another touch of queer romance, though its premise – an Indian-American doctor (Koran Soni) falls in love with a white art photographer (Jonathan Groff) and takes him home to win the approval of his deeply traditional immigrant family – is arguably just as stressful as a crime drama set in the underbelly of NYC. Even so, it comes with a collection of enthusiastic reviews from its festival run, and offers a refreshing twist on the “culture clash” rom-coms that typically deliver the reverse ethnic dynamic when it comes to the challenge of bringing someone

On Swift Horses (April 25) A literary adaptation - from the eponymous novel by Shannon Pufahl - set in post-Korean War California, this romantic drama revolves around a returning veteran (Will Poulter) eager to start a brand new life with his bride (Daisy Edgar-Jones); when his younger brother (Jacob Elordi) joins them, the trio form a family together - but both bride and brother have secret desires that remain unmet, leading each to explore their individual romantic and sexual impulses and threatening to pull the happy household apart. Highly touted after its 2024 Toronto Film Festival premiere, this one reportedly boasts “it” boy Elordi’s strongest performance to date (along with some steamy scenes shared with Diego Calva as his clandestine lover) and gives equal time to the ladies by pairing Edgar-Jones with Sasha Calle as her own secret same-sex flame. Along with “The Wedding Banquet,” this is probably the most-anticipated queer movie of the year so far. Directed by Daniel Minahan.

Lilies Not for Me (TBA) Though its release date hasn’t been set yet, this multinational production from first-time director Will Seefried is worth watching out for. Another period piece, this one follows an aspiring novelist (Fionn O’Shea) in 1920s England who enters a medical facility to undergo “conversion therapy” for his homosexuality. It might sound like a horror film, but it’s really a drama that unwinds the complex psychological process of coming to terms with your sexual identity, and the connections between past, present, and future which trace the path toward acceptance.Also starring Erin Kellyman, Robert Aramayo, Louis Hoffman, and Jodi Balfour.

JACOB ELORDI and DIEGO CALVA star in ‘On Swift Horses.’

Photo of John Kani and Edward Gero in Kunene and the King by Teresa Castracane Photography.

Array of queer events on tap for D.C. this spring

Art, music, and Rehoboth’s Women’s+ Fest among options

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

After such a blisteringly cold winter, spring is almost here, which means it’s time to hit the streets for unmitigated fun. Below is a list of some of the events you should absolutely check out.

Flower Factory Party will host a colorful, queer dance party on Sunday, March 16 at Zebbie’s Garden. Sweet Spot (aka Chris & Andre), a Baltimore-based DJ, will perform. If you love all things pop music, pop culture, and queer icons — you’ll love their sets. They produce a queer dance party in Baltimore, also called Sweet Spot, and have a monthly residency at Trade in D.C. Tickets are $10 and more details are available on lower actory’s Instagram.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C. will perform on Saturday, March 15 at 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre as part of its international tour, “Passports.” The group is travelling the globe in song, celebrating diversity in culture and identity in the name of Pride. The show will feature GMCW, along with the smaller ensembles Potomac Fever, Rock Creek Singers, and Seasons of Love, plus GenOUT Youth Chorus, and 17th Street Dance. From African folk songs and South American dance rhythms to American jazz, you’ll be dancing in your seats. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Chorus’s website.  Art with Tosca will host “Queer Icons & Trailblaz-

ers: An Art Tour for WorldPride DC 2025” on Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Art historian and licensed tour guide Tosca Ruggieri will lead an unforgettable exploration of LGBTQ history, identity, and artistic expression at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery. Expect to celebrate the vibrant history and culture of the LGBTQ+ community through compelling portraits and groundbreaking works that highlight the power of queer artistry. Tickets start at $50 and can be purchased on ventbrite.

Allumé Entertainment Group Xclusive will host “For Men Only Weekend” starting on Friday, April 11 at 8 p.m. at an undisclosed location. There will be “Guys & Gaymes” on Friday, which will include a spades tournament, Uno, and more. On Saturday, there will be “Deep Strokes Sip ‘N’ Paint.” For this event, presale tickets are priority over door tickets. By purchasing at the door you run the risk of not being able to attend as there are a limited number of seats based on the number of art supplies. This is an indoor event, ticket sales are final (refunds only if event is cancelled). Tips encouraged, and this event is for those 21 and over with valid ID. The weekend will end with “Men & Mimosas” on unday. or more details, visit ventbrite.

Skye Marinda will host “Femme Art Market” on

Saturday, March 22 at The Coupe. One dozen local makers will come together to celebrate the Spring Equinox, Women’s History Month, and have fun. Come check out local arts and crafts, tarot readings, and more. Plus, you can enter a raffle for a chance to win goods from our artists. All proceeds to benefit the D.C. Abortion und. or more details, visit ventbrite.

Caged Bird Productions will host “GAY Soul Food” during the weekend beginning on Friday, March 14 at 7 p.m. at Anacostia Arts Center. Guests are encouraged to come celebrate a special dedication to the mothers, grandmothers and aunts who love their LGBTQ+ family members unconditionally. Tickets start at $ 0 and can be purchased on ventbrite.

The Howard Theatre will host “Electric Feels: Indie Rock + Indie Dance Party” on Saturday, March 29 at 10:30 p.m. This is an experiential dance party that features all your favorite Indie Rock + Indie Dance songs all night with amazing DJs, stage production and more. Tickets start at $18 and can be purchased on the Howard Theatre’s website.

9:30 club will host “Gimme Gimme Disco - A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA” on Friday, April 11 at 9 p.m. This is a DJ dance party playing all your favorite ABBA tracks, plus plenty of other disco hits from the 70s & 80s like The Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Cher, and so much more. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased on 0 club’s website.

UpCycle Creative Reuse Center will host “Art Therapy: Neurographic Drawing” on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.  tarting with a short meditation, they will use markers and up-cycled inks to follow intuitions and work through emotions. This workshop is open to anyone ages 8 and up. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on ventbrite.

The Pancakes & Booze Art Show is coming to Washington D.C. on Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at Hook Hall. This is one of the largest pop-up art movements to hit North America over the past decade. Guests are encouraged to come celebrate the group’s 10th year serving free pancakes and introducing you to some of the nation’s leading emerging artists. There will be local artists exhibiting over 750+ pieces of work, free “All-U-Can Eat Pancakes,” live audio performances from local DJs and music producers, and live body painting and art. This event is for those 21+. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased on ventbrite.

Women’s+ Fest returns to Rehoboth Beach April 10-13 with a weekend packed full of events, including a golf tournament, art reception, pickleball tournament, a literary pop-up bookstore, and more. The Friday night headliner is Be Steadwell with Gwen LaRoka at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Col. Grethe Cammermeyer speaks on Saturday morning at 9:30 in the Sands Hotel ballroom. Saturday’s dance party features GirlsRoom and DJ Peggy Castle. There’s a range of ticket options available at camprehoboth.org.

BE STEADWELL performs Friday, April 11 at Women’s+ Fest in Rehoboth Beach. (Photo courtesy Strathmore)

John Benjamin Hickey and Hugh Bonneville in Uncle Vanya

Photo by Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

The importance of routine rental inspections

One of the best ways to protect your investment

By SCOTT BLOOM

Do you have a schedule for routine inspections of your rental property? And are you feeling good about your schedule’s frequency? I hope you do. These inspections are one of the best ways to protect your investment property.

Understanding the importance of these inspections isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for the longevity and proftability of your rental property. When you inspect regularly, you reduce the number of maintenance emergencies during the year that you must respond to. Tenant satisfaction is also higher, leading to better retention and less vacancy and turnover.  And lastly, keeping track of maintenance needs at the property creates more value and asset appreciation over time.

hy re o tine ns ections r cial

The short answer is simple protection. By keeping a close eye on your property, you’ll catch small problems before they escalate into e pensive nightmares. Let’s take a look at some data that proves what you probably know instictively regular inspections prevents costly repairs, ensures tenant satisfaction, and improves the overall return on your investment OI .

Here’s why landlords and property managers should make inspections a top priority, especially in a market as competitive and e pensive as the D.C. metro area

• Preventive Maintenance helps to reduce repair costs

• Tenant etention because they see you maintaining a safe and comfortable rental

• Compliance with egulations will severely reduce liability and can avoid fnes or lawsuits

• Preserving Asset Value will help create long-term growth in the value of your property

• Data-Driven Proof That outine Inspections are Critical I’ve been managing rental properties for many years, and I feel I understand on a professional and a personal level the value of good inspections. Investors who dive into the data and the details will see why I take these inspections seriously.

ewer er ency e airs

The cost of emergency repairs can quickly erode your rental income. According to a recent study by the ational Association of esidential Property Managers A PM , landlords who conducted routine inspections spent 40% less on emergency repairs compared to those who didn’t. Don’t wait for the hot summer or the cold winter to arrive before you check out your H AC system. outine inspections will reduce the number of urgent tenant calls due to equipment breakdowns.

i her enant atis action

Inspections don’t just reveal damages—they create trust with your tenants. Surveys by Appfolio show that 82 of satisfed tenants were more likely to praise their landlords or property managers for timely maintenance request action. 77 of satisfed tenants appreciate the communication around how the repairs are progressing. Tenants will renew their lease if they feel their property is well-maintained. Consistent inspections communicate that you’re serious about providing a safe and comfortable home, reducing vacancy rates and saving the property owner big money by avoiding charges to fnd new tenants, not to mention other turnover costs.

rotectin o r n est ent with ns ections

Not all inspections are the same. Staggering different types of inspections throughout the lease term ensures comprehensive oversight. The age and condition of your property will dictate how often you need to inspect. Your tenant relationship will also tell you whether it is important to physically visit a rental more frequently or just once a year during the lease term. Here are the inspection types I always encourage Mo e n Mo e t nspections

These inspections allow you to document the property’s condition at the start and end of a lease using a detailed checklist and photos. This sets clear e pectations and minimizes disputes over security deposits.

o tine nspections

Conduct regular checks e.g., every si months to review the overall condition of your property and ensure tenants are complying with the lease. Provide plenty of notice and

make sure you include the necessity of these inspections in your lease agreement.  And be sure to document through photos and written communications any damage, wear and tear above normal or other issues that need to be corrected.

i e By nspections

ometimes, a quick e ternal review can tell you a lot about your property’s condition things like landscaping, visible damage, or unauthorized vehicles. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, why not drive by the property ust to be sure everything looks the way it should?

e gency nspections

If there’s a reported issue, such as plumbing leaks or electrical problems, an emergency inspection may be necessary to assess the damage and carry out repairs promptly. When a tenant reports a ma or appliance is no longer working or a door won’t lock properly, you’ll need to see personally what’s going on.

Routine Inspections Protect Investors

A small leak under the sink might seem insignifcant now, but over time, it could result in mold growth, water damage, and hefty repair bills. ental property owners who perform quarterly or semi-annual inspections identify these minor issues early saving themselves, on average, hundreds of dollars per event, according to Angie’s List averages. outine inspections offer a chance to communicate directly with tenants, discussing how the property is functioning for them. Tenants who feel heard are more likely to report minor issues—a win for both parties. You want your tenants reporting problems right away so that there’s less deferred work to worry about.

Inspections also ensure you’re compliant with local laws regarding habitability and safety standards. kipping this step can lead to fnes or disagreements that lower tenant satisfaction.

ro essional ro erty ana e ent a es a i erence

I like my property managers to prioritize comprehensive, detail-rich inspections when managing a property. I believe our detailed approach and the industry leading methods we employ for conducting inspections at our client’s properties is a step above what an owner could do on their own.

A lot of landlords and self-managing owners have an idea of what they should be monitoring. Many casual landlords and property owners do not think to conduct regular inspections or know what to look for. In fact, a lot of other property management companies don’t, either. The difference is the e perience managing many residential dwellings here in D.C. and the knowledge that comes from doing this work every day for over a decade. In today’s article, I’ve covered only routine and regular evaluations of the property condition both inside and outside, how the tenants are taking care of the rental, and whether they are abiding by the provisions of their rental agreement. An important note to remember don’t confuse these surveys by the property manager with a home inspection, which can only be conducted by a licensed home inspection professional.

SCOTT BLOOM

is owner and senior property manager of Columbia Property Management. For more information and resources, go towww.ColumbiaPM.com

Inspections are one of the best ways to protect your rental investment property.

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