Arts & Entertainment
Trans Pride slated for Saturday
Famous surgeon Marci Bowers to speak
Dr. Marci Bowers says gender reassignment surgery isn’t as traumatic as many fear. Complications, she says, are extremely rare, patients are in the hospital an average of only three nights and most are off pain medication within 48 hours. (Photo courtesy of Bowers)
Dr. Marci Bowers is a rarity — she’s one of only two doctors who specializes in gender reassignment surgery who’s also transgender herself. The other (Dr. Christine McGinn) is a protégé of Bowers.
Bowers, who transitioned in the mid-1990s, is the only gynecologist who does gender reassignment surgery. She’ll be at Trans Pride Saturday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington) to give the keynote address and took nearly an hour on the phone last week from her practice in San Mateo, Calif., to talk about her life, her work, the practicalities of trans surgical procedures and where trans issues are going. Bowers’ comments have been edited for length and clarity.
Blade: How does a surgeon trained in one area move to another? What kind of training is involved?
Bowers: Well sometimes people think when you’re a gynecologist all you do is look at female vulvas all day but it’s quite a surgical specialty. There’s extensive surgery experience required before learning the gender reassignment stuff. And after I’d been doing surgery in practice for 13 years or so, once you have a basic framework about handling tissue ane bleeding, learning a new skill isn’t as hard as it might seem.
Blade: So if someone does, say, gall bladder surgeries and wants to start doing heart transplants, what’s the process like to move to a whole other part of the body?
Bowers: Traditionally you have to do a fellowship of some kind to do that. You have to go back, reapply as if you’re just out of medical school, do a residency all over again in the new field and go from there. They might give you a little credit on a few things, but you pretty much have to start back at the beginning. It was different for me because there’s no residency or fellowship for doing gender reassignment surgeries and I had a lot of experience surgically so doing an entire residency for me would have been ridiculous and superfluous. It’s really a mentoring process and I learned from Dr. (Stanley) Biber.
Blade: Does it give you added credibility to be doing these surgeries but also be transgender yourself?
Bowers: Well, I think that’s really for the consumer to decide that, but I think so. It’s sort of like the hair club for men. Not only am I president, I’m also a customer. Someone who understands what it’s like to be bald. Or like if you’re selling sports cars but you drive a minivan. I know what the consumer is looking for but I think being a gynecologist is the most important. Because it’s a very visual surgery and very artistically based. If someone has a gall bladder out and there are no complications, nobody cares what it looked like but this surgery has such an artistic component, the surgeon’s interpretation is so critical.
Blade: Many trans people say the non-trans world is too obsessed with who’s had what done surgically. Do you agree?
Bowers: That’s a crucial point and one that I keep bring up proactively because obviously people still don’t understand the difference between gender and genitalia. Gender, we know, gets established at a very early age, like by age 4, 5 or 6 and it doesn’t really change very much. This is what transgender people have been saying for years, “This is how I felt since I was 5 years old.” So the question about surgery is really the dumbest question. … I was a woman since I transitioned. Nobody tells you whether you’re male or female. And it isn’t about the surgery, it’s what society says when they meet you at the grocery store or the food counter.
Blade: Trans acceptance seems to be making progress but still seems significantly behind gay and lesbian lib. Do you agree with that? Do you think it will continue to improve?
Bowers: Well, yes, I do think we are behind where the lesbian and gay community is in terms of acceptance. Some of that is just the sheer numbers, some of it is it’s still a little bit of a minority sort of thing and somehow it does sort of push people’s buttons in a different way. That’s too bad because if the gay and lesbian community saw the trans community as more supportive, we could make much more progress but sometimes the discrimination we get within the gay and lesbian community is worse than it is with the straight community. It’s like they just don’t get it and it’s very hurtful. There are common threads that run through all kinds of discrimination. We’re fighting the same forces that want to simplify the world and turn back the clock so everything is black and white and keep dragging at the heels of progress.
Blade: What kinds of procedures do you do? All “bottom” stuff or more?
Bowers: Kind of bottom plus. I do a procedure on the females, Chondrolaryngoplasty, which is a shaving of the thyroid cartilage. For some women, it’s a telltale sign in the throat and it was first done by Dr. Biber in the 1970s. It’s also a very delicate procedure that’s not taught anywhere, no ear, nose or throat doctors do it. It’s a very specialized thing.
Blade: And you do both male-to-female and female-to-male gender reassignment procedures?
Bowers: Yes.
Blade: Which are more common? How many do you average in a year?
Bowers: I do about 120 male-to-female surgeries a year. It’s about four-to-one female to male versus male to female.
Blade: Are most people able to orgasm after surgery?
Bowers: It’s different. For female to male, there’s really no impact. With a Metoidioplasty, guys can use it for penetration so that’s the good part there. If anything, it’s enhanced. Plus the fact that they’re testosterone-driven men, the libido tends to accelerate with transition. With male to female, it’s very complicated and about 30 percent of biologically born women aren’t able to orgasm at all anyway. Our patients for the most part are able to. It’s a very high percentile. About 90 percent but the thing you have to realize is that going from male to female for one thing, just hormonally, you tend to go to a lower level of interest just based on reduced testosterone levels. When you’re a woman, you wonder why we leave men in charge of so much. It’s so dominated by sexual thoughts. Sometimes I think, “Wow, what was I thinking about all those years? There’s so much more to do.” I say that sort of tongue in check. And the feelings are a big different. Maybe like going from the oboe to the banjo.
Trans Pride to feature health focus
Trans Pride, now in its fifth year, will be held Saturday at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (474 Ridge Street, N.W.) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is designed to be an event where attendees stay for all or most of the day.
“Very early on, the community voted for it to be a health-based focus,” says Danielle King, who’s co-charing this year’s event with Holly Goldmann. “That’s why Dr. Bowers was invited. We felt like she could offer some insight that would be really attractive to our audience.”
A $10 donation is suggested but not required. King hopes attendees will plan to spend their whole day at the church.
“We want them to come and enjoy the whole day,” she says. “There’ll be workshop and panel discussions on trans health throughout the day.”
She expects about 200 people, more than in past years when the event has been held at the Capital Pride host hotel.
Trans Pride is under the Capital Pride events umbrella.
Television
‘The Pitt’ stars discuss what season two gets right about queer representation
Noah Wyle and Taylor Dearden spoke with Blade in LA
As season two of “The Pitt” comes to a close this Thursday, stars Noah Wyle and Taylor Dearden are looking back on what this season got right about queer representation.
“There is some intentionality behind it, but it’s not necessarily for the representation to be anything other than human or ubiquitous to anyone that would come into an emergency room,” Noah Wyle, who plays Dr. Robby, told the Los Angeles Blade at PaleyFest event in Los Angeles on April 12. “I know that we’ve done some storylines with some gay couples, and we did a storyline in season 1 where a woman comes in who’s cut her arm, who’s trans. But in both of those storylines, that wasn’t the point.”
Wyle continues, “In doing it that way, and not making a point of orientation being part of the problem that brings you to the emergency room, we have been told in feedback that that has been extremely revolutionary, almost, and extremely appreciated. But that’s true whether we do storylines with any kind of minority or a person with a disability. We try to have a cosmology of cast and representation on the show that’s indicative of what you find in Pittsburgh.”
Dearden, who plays Dr. Mel King, echoed Wyle’s sentiment: “I think constantly battling tropes is always important. It’s not a show about romance; it’s a show about real life and a shift in the ER. The more we represent everyday people going through everyday life, they just happen to be queer, they just happen to be trans, and making it not the plot, is putting everyone on equal playing [field]. You don’t have to have a big coming out scene.”
Queer representation on “The Pitt” is also notable through the actual actors themselves, including openly queer actor Supriya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Samira Mohan (who didn’t attend PaleyFest after the news that she is not returning for season three), and Amielynn Abellera, who plays Perlah Alawi.
“Doctors don’t put value judgments on who they treat,” Wyle concludes. “That’s not a luxury extended to them, and so that’s not part of our storytelling.”
The season two finale will air Thursday, April 16, on HBO Max, while season three has already been confirmed and is currently being written.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
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