Arts & Entertainment
Images of an era
‘Our Heroes’ exhibit shows AIDS impact on D.C.
Photo of the Metropolitan Community Church from the ‘Our Heroes’ exhibit. (Photo by Kevin Kenner; courtesy Kenner)
“Our Heroes,” a community-donated photography exhibit that chronicles the HIV/AIDS history in the District, opens at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St., N.W.) Monday and runs through Jan. 5.
Our Heroes has been a work in progress since 2002. Nine photographers, all of whom are D.C. residents, have documented notable people and places in D.C.’s HIV/AIDS history. The all-black and white photos were displayed in 2006 in a collection of 150 photos. Now, with new pieces added, the collection totals 205 photographs. Biographies accompany the photographs and are all written in first person. It’s as if the people are speaking directly to the visitor and adds a personal connection of past to present. Organizers say it’s the only photography exhibit of its kind in the United States.
Lead organizer Wallace Corbett, a gay man who has been HIV positive since 1989, says “Our Heroes” aims to archive the HIV/AIDS journey by showing the people whose stories are being told and the places at which these monumental events took place. The variety of the photos makes for a diverse history lesson.
“We took the time to document a very long and meticulous journey,” Corbett says. “Some of the pictures are very emotional, some are self-explanatory and some are artistic. The District should be proud that they can go back 50 years from now and understand its journey and who was apart of it, especially for black culture.”
Corbett says his favorite photograph in the exhibit is of a man pushing his dead lover’s body in a coffin over the fence of the White House during the Reagan administration. Along the edges of the photo stand men wearing latex gloves who are afraid to touch the body.
“It was that man’s way of saying to the president this is what is happening in your backyard,” Corbett says. “If you can’t come to the funeral, we will bring the funeral to you.”
Lead photographer Kevin Kenner, also a gay man who is HIV positive, says the photographs were not all easy to come by. Historical photographs of those who had passed away had to be acquired from family members. There was a verification process to confirm the people had contributed to the city’s history in some way.
Some photographs were damaged and had to be replaced. Other photographs were difficult to take such as the one of Enik Alley Coffeehouse, once located on I Street. Since the coffeehouse was out of business and those who had frequented it were long gone, the iconic space that once welcomed LGBT music and literature icons like Essex Hemphill and Michelle Parkerson had been lost.
Kenner hopes the exhibit can serve as a reminder of Washington’s past and help young people shape a different future. He’s saddened that some of the people he met and photographed are no longer here. He says his own HIV experience and those of others has taught him to stop living recklessly. He wants to teach young people to be safer about their decisions.
“The journey has come a long way but still the HIV/AIDS rate is so high,” Kenner says. “I see a lot of young people acting unsafe and uncaring about their life. If you’re going to do things that are not safe than you have to be an adult and deal with the consequences that come about. We need to teach young people to be safe and hopefully people will be aware this journey is still going on and hasn’t ended.”
The exhibit will be displayed on the lower level of the library. After its run, the library will permanently own the exhibit.
“Most people have footsteps in the sand and don’t understand the importance of the footprints until the water washes over them,” Corbett says. “This way those footprints are still there and we won’t forget where we’ve been and we can hopefully see where we’re going.”
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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