Local
Montgomery exec asks Fillmore to cancel band
Leggett expresses concern over Molotov’s anti-gay lyrics
Activists are threatening to protest Moltov’s upcoming show in Silver Spring, Md. at the Fillmore. (Promotional photo courtesy Molotov)
Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett sent a letter on July 18 to the Fillmore Theater in Silver Spring, Md., asking its manager to cancel a performance next month by a Mexican band that includes anti-gay lyrics in several of its songs.
Leggett’s letter followed concerns expressed by LGBT activists that the hip-hop group Molotov uses lyrics in Spanish that are interpreted widely to mean “faggot,” including a phrase “kill the faggot.” Activists call the lyrics hurtful to the LGBT community and have warned that they could encourage anti-LGBT violence.
“I have serious concerns about this booking,” Leggett told the Fillmore’s general manager, Stephanie Steele, in his letter. “I am personally offended. I understand that the First Amendment provides for freedom of speech, and that even distasteful speech may be protected speech,” he said.
But he added, “Just because one might argue that everyone has the right to say, show, or sing something doesn’t mean they ought to exercise that right…In addition to expressing my displeasure I would ask you to reconsider the Fillmore’s decision to book the Molotov band.”
The theater and the California-based company that owns it, Live Nation Entertainment, have not responded to calls from the Washington Blade seeking comment on the controversy. The Washington Post reported that Steele did not respond to its request for comment for a Post story on the controversy last week.
But according to the Post, Live Nation spokesperson Jim Yeager said the performance by Molotov scheduled for Aug. 26 would not be cancelled.
Members of Molotov and its supporters have argued that the controversial lyrics, including the Spanish words “puto” and “maricon” that many interpret as slurs against gay men, are meant to target corrupt politicians in Mexico, not gay people.
A spokesperson for the LGBT organization Equality Maryland said the group is considering staging an “informational” protest outside the theater on the night of the performance.
A petition posted on the website change.org by local gay activist and attorney Gabriel Rodriguez-Rico, calls on the Fillmore Silver Spring to “not provide a stage for violently anti-gay messages.”
Donna Biggler, a spokesperson for Leggett, said the Fillmore had not responded to Leggett’s letter as of Tuesday.
Baltimore
‘Heated Rivalry’ fandom exposes LGBTQ divide in Baltimore
Hit show raises questions about identity, cultural representation
By JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV | “Heated Rivalry,” the surprise gay hockey romance that has captivated global audiences and become a cultural phenomenon, has inspired sold-out parties celebrating the characters from the steamy series, including in Baltimore.
For some, love of the show has exposed the loss of a once-vibrant gay nightlife in Charm City and splintered its LGBTQ community. It also brings up layered questions about identity, cultural representation, and the limits of identity politics.
In Baltimore, the majority of the parties also appear to be missing a key ingredient that has been a part of the show’s success: gay men at the helm. Last month, women hosted a dance party at Ottobar, a straight establishment.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Virginia
McPike wins special election for Va. House of Delegates
Gay Alexandria City Council member becomes 8th LGBTQ member of legislature
Gay Alexandria City Council member Kirk McPike emerged as the decisive winner in a Feb. 10 special election for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Alexandria.
McPike, a Democrat, received 81.5 percent of the vote in his race against Republican Mason Butler, according to the local publication ALX Now.
He first won election to the Alexandria Council in 2021. He will be filling the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria), who won in another Feb. 10 special election for the Virginia State Senate seat being vacated by gay Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria).
Ebbin is resigning from his Senate next week to take a position with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.
Upon taking his 5th District seat in the House of Delegate, McPike will become the eighth out LGBTQ member of the Virginia General Assembly. Among those he will be joining is Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who became the Virginia Legislature’s first transgender member when she won election to the House of Delegates in 2017 before being elected to the Senate in 2023.
“I look forward to continuing to work to address our housing crisis, the challenge of climate change, and the damaging impacts of the Trump administration on the immigrant families, LGBTQ+ Virginians, and federal employees who call Alexandria home,” McPike said in a statement after winning the Democratic nomination for the seat in a special primary held on Jan. 20.
McPike, a longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, has served for the past 13 years as chief of staff for gay U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and has remained in that position during his tenure on the Alexandria Council. He said he will resign from that position before taking office in the House of Delegates.
Local
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
Rayceen Pendarvis to moderate Dupont Underground panel on Sunday
LGBTQ groups in D.C. and elsewhere plan to use Black History Month as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate Black lives and experiences.
Team Rayceen Productions has no specific events planned, but co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis will attend many functions around D.C. this month.
Pendarvis, a longtime voice in the LGBTQ community in D.C. moderated a panel at Dupont Underground on Feb. 8. The event, “Every (Body) Wants to Be a Showgirl,” will feature art from Black burlesque artists from around the country. Pendarvis on Feb. 23 will attend the showing of multimedia play at the Lincoln Theatre that commemorates the life of James Baldwin.
Equality Virginia plans to prioritize Black voices through a weekly online series, and community-based story telling. The online digital series will center Black LGBTQ voices, specifically trailblazers and activists, and contemporary Black queer and transgender people.
Narissa Rahaman, Equality Virginia’s executive director, stressed the importance of the Black queer community to the overall Pride movement, and said “Equality Virginia is proud to center those voices in our work this month and beyond.”
The Capital Pride Alliance, which hosts Pride events in D.C., has an alliance with the Center for Black Equity, which brings Black Pride to D.C. over Memorial Day weekend. The National LGBTQ Task Force has no specific Black History Month events planned, but plans to participate in online collaborations.
Cathy Renna, the Task Force’s director of communications, told the Washington Blade the organization remains committed to uplifting Black voices. “Our priority is keeping this at the forefront everyday,” she said.
The D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center is also hosting a series of Black History Month events.
The D.C. Public Library earlier this year launched “Freedom and Resistance,” an exhibition that celebrates Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. It will remain on display until the middle of March at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library at 901 G St., N.W.
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Unconventional love: Or, fuck it, let’s choose each other again
McPike wins special election for Va. House of Delegates
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Top Democrats re-introduce trans bill of rights
Local LGBTQ groups, activists to commemorate Black History Month
