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Calendar: Dec. 13

Gay concerts, exhibits, parties and more through Dec. 19

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Sherri L. Edelen, Gypsy, gay news, Washington Blade
Sherri L. Edelen, Gypsy, gay news, Washington Blade

Sherri L. Edelen in ā€˜Gypsy,ā€™ Signature Theatreā€™s new show that opens next week. (Photo by Christopher Mueller; courtesy Signature)

Friday, Dec. 13

The Olkiama Ministry of the Unity Fellowship Church of D.C. presents ā€œOld School Dance: The Annual UFCDC Olkiama Partyā€ at Charlieā€™s (7307 Georgia Ave., N.W.) tonight from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Tickets are $15. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. There will be a food and cash bar. For more information and to purchase tickets call 240-460-7265 or 202-285-9670.

Women in Their 20s, a social discussion group for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and all women interested in women, meets today at The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) from 8-9:30 p.m. Come meet other queer women in a fun and friendly setting. All welcome to join. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Team D.C. hosts its annual holiday party at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. There will be free food and happy hour drink specials. For details, visit teamdc.org.

Khush D.C. hosts ā€œJalwa,ā€ an LGBT Bollywood dance party, at Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) tonight from 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Come dance to Bollywood, Bhangra and other South Asian tunes played by DJ Geeta Jhaveri. Doors open at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 before 11 p.m. and $15 after. For more information, visit khushdc.blogspot.com.

Saturday, Dec. 14

The Latino Queer Bilingual Writing Group hosts its monthly workshop at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) today from 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. The focus will be on memoirs. Open to writers of any genre and levels of experience to share creative work in Spanish or English. Workshop is free and no prior experience is necessary. For details, call 202-682-2245 or email [email protected].

Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) hosts ā€œmiX-MAS,ā€ a Christmas mixtape party, tonight from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $10. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.

Black Whiskey (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts ā€œButch Queen: Holiday Editionā€ tonight at 10 p.m. Music is a mix of hip hop, Baltimore house, electronic and more. Admission is free. For details, visit blackwhiskeydc.com.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) offers free and confidential HIV testing today from 4-7 p.m. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

Sunday, Dec. 15

BMX (Black Menā€™s Xchange) hosts ā€œA BMX-D.C. Holiday Fundraising Brunchā€ at Archstone First and M (1160 1st St., N.E.) on the first floor library lounge today from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The buffet style brunch is the first fundraiser for BMX-D.C. Tickets are $40. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Nellieā€™s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts its third annual ā€œHoliday GUIL-TEAā€ party today from 3-8 p.m. There will be a holiday costume walk-off at 7 p.m. Winner receives a $50 gift certificate to Nellieā€™s. There is no cover. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Monday, Dec. 16

Adesola Osakalumi, star of the Broadway show ā€œFELA!ā€ will teach a master class in hip-hop at Princess Mhoon Dance Institute (932 Philadelphia Ave.) in Silver Spring with three other industry leaders today through Dec. 20. Some of the instructors are LGBT. Youth 5-18 are $299 for the full week of classes which run each night from 5-8 p.m. Adults can take ā€œdrop inā€ classes for $25 per class from 8:30-10 p.m. Register online at princessmhoondance.com.

Center Faith, an inter-faith network for the LGBT community, meets at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. The topic will be planning the next Capital Pride Interfaith Worship Service. There will be a brown bag dinner before the meeting at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts Coffee and Conversation this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee while engaging in a discussion facilitated by Ron Swanda, a member of Mayor Vincent Grayā€™s Advisory Committee for LGBT Affairs, about what is important for older adults in town. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Us Helping UsĀ  (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) holds a support group for gay black men to discuss topics that affect them today, share perspectives and have meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.

Tuesday, Dec. 17

D.C. Fukit, gay news, Washington Blade

(Washington Blade photo by Blake Bergen)

The Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.) premieres ā€œGypsy,ā€ a musical about famous burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee, tonight at 7:30 p.m.Ā  Tickets range from $36.55-$79.10. The show runs through Jan. 26. For details, visit signature-theatre.org.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly ā€FUK!T Packing Partyā€ from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.

Genderqueer D.C. holds a discussion group at The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..) from 7-8 p.m. tonight. The group is for anyone who identifies outside of the gender binary as bigender, agender, genderfluid or any label outside of cisgender. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Whitman-Walker hosts free HIV testing at Panam Supermarker (3552 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. For details, visir Whitman-walker.org.

Wednesday, Dec. 18

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.

Bookmen D.C., an informal menā€™s gay literature group, discusses three short stories: ā€œWunderkid,ā€ The Jockeyā€ and ā€œMadame Zilensky and the King of Finlandā€ by Carson McCullers, at 2101 E St., N.W tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For details, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.

GLOV (Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence) hosts a holiday party on the second floor of Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation at the door. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Thursday, Dec. 19

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its monthly Poly Discussion Group at 7 p.m. People of all different stages are invited to discuss polyamory and other consensual non-monogamous relationships. This event is for newcomers, established polyamorous relationships and open to all sexual orientations. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Womenā€™s Leadership Institute hosts its weekly meeting for LGBT women and their allies tonight at SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) from 5-7 p.m. The meeting is for those ages 13-21 to discuss female sexuality, relationships and womenā€™s rights. For more information, visit smyal.org.

SMYAL hosts free and confidential HIV testing today from 3-5 p.m. For details, visit smyal.org.

Jewmongous has its ā€œHoliday Comedy Songfestā€ tonight at 8 p.m. at Iota Club & cafĆ© (2832 Wilson Blvd.) in Arlington featuring singer Sean Altmanā€™s ā€œirreverent acoustic rock songs about his awakening Jewish awareness.ā€ Tickets are $15. Visit iotaclubandcafe.com or jewmongous.com for details.

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Movies

Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells want to adopt baby in ‘I Don’t Understand You’

Film premiered at SXSW in Austin

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(Courtesy photo)

Editor’s note: Jack Morningstar attended SXSW in Austin, Texas.

“I Don’t Understand You” focuses on a couple whose romantic Italian getaway devolves into bloody chaos while they prepare to adopt their first child.Ā 

The film, while veering into hilariously gruesome hijinks, tells the story of a gay couple who is willing to kill for a chance at fatherhood. It sheds light on the hurdles that same-sex couples often go through in the adoption process: Financial burdens, time constraints, fraud, and in this case, a rural Italian family.

The film premiered last weekend at SXSW in Austin and stars Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells along with Nunzia Schiano, Morgan Spector and Eleonora Romandini. It was written and directed by Brian Crano and David Craig, who are married. They sourced inspiration from their own adoption struggles and an Italian vacay gone wrong. 

ā€œWe were about to leave for Italy when we found out that we had matched with a birth mother and our son would be born in about six weeks,ā€ said Crano. 

According to Craig, the trip was tense and it culminated in their car getting stuck in a ditch on their way to an anniversary dinner.

ā€œWe ended up at an old ladyā€™s house after she rescued us in her Fiat. Her family cooked us a meal and we stayed up drinking with them until 3 a.m., not understanding a word they were saying,ā€ he said.

Without spoiling anything, the couple in the movie go to absurd lengths to ensure that their adoption goes through. Craig explained that the theme of the movie was “what would you do for your kid.”Ā 

“We were three years into our own journey at the time and realized we would literally do anything to make that dream a reality. Itā€™s really a love letter to our son,ā€ he said.

The film is hard to relegate to a single genre. 

ā€œWhen conceiving the story, we saw it as different parts ā€” romantic comedy, horror movie, murder play ā€” but I think by bringing in Nick and Andrew that blend actually became much more of an organic mix where the comedy sustained throughout. They elevated it in a more elegant fashion,ā€ said Craig. 

“I Donā€™t Understand You”was produced by Pinky Promise, a women-led production company with the mission to elevate diverse voices in their storytelling. Kara Durrett, Pinky Promiseā€™s current president was a champion of this script from the beginning. Founder Jessamine Burgum recounts that when Durrett was onboarding, she said ā€œIf you donā€™t get [“I Donā€™t Understand You”] I donā€™t know if this is going to work.ā€ 

It ultimately became one of the first projects Burgum and Durrett collaborated on.Ā 

Kroll and Rannellsā€™ chemistry carried the film. 

ā€œThere was a desire to work with each of them because they had both separately been in such amazing comedian teams ā€” like Andrew with Josh Gad and Nick with John Mulaney. Nick and Andrewā€™s characters are in almost every scene of the movie together, so they needed to be adept to basically doing a shared performance. There was no one more well-positioned to do this as naturally as possible,ā€ said Crano. 

Their characters are easy to root for, yet also deeply flawed. 

ā€œA big thing we wanted to do with this movie, and with all of our work in telling stories, is avoid telling a cliched gay trauma film. Weā€™ve never ascribed to the idea that there is a subcategory to film that is LGBTQ, rather ā€” movies are for everyone. We want to make a movie where gay characters are flawed, not for being gay, but because of who they are. They can be villains, but they are our protagonists,ā€ said Craig. 

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Out & About

Celebrate spring with these D.C.-area events

Galas, Cherry Weekend, Pride, and more on tap

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The annual Pride on the Pier with fireworks show is set for Saturday, June. 8 at the Wharf. (Photo courtesy of The Wharf DC)

Temperatures outside are starting to rise and the sun is shining again. Hereā€™s a list of upcoming D.C. events that can make enjoying the good weather even that much more thrilling.

Cherry Weekend Washington begins on Thursday, April 4. The Cherry weekend is a spectacular and joyous event held over four days featuring 16 world renowned DJs, nine different events and four fun daytime parties.

3rd Friday Night Open Mic will take place on Thursday, March 15 at 9 p.m. at the Bus Boys and Poets location in Brookland. This event will be hosted by Mariah Barber (they/she), a queer storyteller, consultant, spoken word artist, and activist who has been creating social justice-oriented art for the last 15 years. Tickets start at $5 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā 

RuPaulā€™s Drag Race Season 15 winner Sasha Colby will bring her Sasha Colby: Stripped Tour to the Howard Theatre on Wednesday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased on the Howard Theatreā€™s website.Ā 

Decades DC returns with Throwback Thursdays on Thursday, March 14 at 10 p.m. This event will have an open air rooftop and the first drink is on the house. Entry is free until midnight and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

Skin and Wellness Center will host Equinox Celebration on Tuesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at 929 W. Broad St. This event will involve movement, breath work, meditation and community connection to celebrate the spring equinox and embrace energies of rebirth, fertility, creativity, balance, and expansive growth for mind, body, and spirit. Tickets cost $28.52 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā 

Models Inc. will host The Front Row! Fashion Show on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre. This is the ultimate destination for designers seeking to showcase their talent and brand. This exclusive event provides a platform to promote artistry and visions, featuring various artists, creatives, fashion enthusiasts, models, stylists, and visionaries. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā 

Spring Bling Adult Prom will be on Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m. at Graces Event Center. Guests are encouraged to wear their favorite spring colors and show up for a night of dancing, food and fun.Tickets cost $92.55 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

TSR Productions will host Spring Salsa Bash on Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m. at The Salsa Room Tysons. This event will feature Hermanos Galvan and Orquesta live in concert playing the best salsa, bachata, and merengue. There will also be top DJs playing the best in Latin trap, urbana, reggaetton. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā 

We Will Survive Cancer will host Spring Fling Cocktail & Dance Party on Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Whino. This event will be hosted by DJ Steve. Tickets cost $25 and all proceeds are donated to cancer patients. More details are on Eventbrite.

Chase Brexton Health Care hosts its 2024 Gala at the Baltimore Museum of Art, with the theme centered around the NEW Roaring ā€˜20s on Saturday, March 30. Details at chasebrexton.org.Ā 

CAMP Rehobothā€™s annual Womenā€™s FEST is scheduled for April 25-28. Lea DeLaria will headline with Crys Matthews opening. Visit camprehoboth.org for details.

Trans Pride Washington, D.C. is scheduled for Saturday, May 18. The full day of conference activities will take place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Visit transpridewashingtondc.org for details.

The Bladeā€™s 17th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach is scheduled for Friday, May 17; details to be announced soon.

D.C.ā€™s 49th annual Pride celebration kicks off May 31-June 9, culminating with the parade and festival. Visit capitalpride.org for details. The annual Pride on the Pier with fireworks celebration is slated for Saturday, June 8, 2-9 p.m. at the Wharf. Visit prideonthepierdc.com for details.

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Travel

Gay hotel company brings luxury to Puerto Vallarta

Tryst Puerto Vallarta to open this spring

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Tryst Puerto Vallarta (Photo courtesy of Tristan Schukraft)

The Tryst Puerto Vallarta begins welcoming discerning gay guests this spring, just in time for the Mexican resort city’s Pride celebrations. 

The 55-room resort includes a penthouse suite featuring two terraces, three large suites with expansive living areas and terraces and several junior suites with unique features. A highly anticipated rooftop pool with a bar area and restaurant offering fine Mexican cuisine are just some of the highlights. 

ā€œYou can stay here and never leave the resort,ā€ said Tristan Schukraft, the driving force behind Tryst Hotels, and self-described CEO of “everything gay.”

While he started out in his career working in the early days of electronic ticketing, Schukraft may be more known for his work with MISTR, a popular online source for PrEP. He also recently entered into an agreement to purchase the Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif.

With Tryst he promises “itā€™s a fun, exciting atmosphere.” 

“The idea is not just the guests are coming to the resort, but locals,” said Schukraft. “So, when you stay here itā€™s the way to mingle with the local gay community.ā€

To welcome and include both guests and locals, the resort will host drag brunches in the hotel restaurant. Weekend parties featuring DJs on the eighth floor pool and bar area also seeks to make this not just a place to stay, but one to celebrate with the community.

Schukraft hopes visitors will get to know guests or locals poolside, or in the restaurant, and make lifelong friendships. 

Or perhaps find a bit of romance: After all the hotel is set in the famed Zona RomĆ”ntica.  

ā€œTryst Hotels are not merely luxury destinations; they are a celebration of gay culture, where every guest is embraced,” said Schukraft. “Our mission is to create spaces where luxury and identity flourish without compromise.ā€

Tryst Hotels CEO Tristan Schukraft. (Photo courtesy of Tristan Schukraft)

The D.C. Travel and Adventure Show took place last month in D.C., and LGBTQ-specific travel was among the topics the convention highlighted. The Washington Blade in its preview of the expo noted LGBTQ travelers may book a resort or vacation that promises “everyone is welcome,” but upon arrival feel uncomfortable by reactions of staff or other guests due to expressing their identity as queer people. 

Schukraft has experienced this. 

ā€œI was at a hetero-friendly hotel Miami, but it was also marketed to gay men,” he explained. “So, you have two guys kissing at the pool and you have a straight couple looking over and wondering are they staying at a gay hotel. Itā€™s sort of an awkward occurrence.ā€ 

Everyone, therefore, is welcome at Tryst resorts, but it is not being marketed outside of the community. 

ā€œMy boyfriends and I have even experienced side-eye glances for our choice of swimwear,” Schukraft said. “You wonā€™t find that at Tryst Hotels.ā€

Speaking of attire: Many luxury guesthouses, inns and hotels catering to gay men offer clothing-optional zones for guests. Itā€™s an allure for some travelers. 

But, not at Tryst.

ā€œDonā€™t get me wrong, clothing optional resorts are fun, but thatā€™s not our concept. Our concept is a luxurious, inclusive resort,ā€ Schukraft said with a touch of elan apropos for the “CEO of everything gay.” ā€œOf course wear your thongs [and] Speedos.ā€

Tryst Puerto Vallarta and Tryst San Juan in Puerto Rico, which is slated to open in 2025, are being marketed as gay-owned, gay-focused resorts with luxurious offerings and amenities. Many resorts known to epitomize luxury may be seen as slightly conservative or ā€œstuffy.ā€ 

Luxury promises not to come only in the form of superior bedding, bathrobes, slippers and skincare products, but also in the stunning interiors. 

The Puerto Vallarta property engaged the same studio known for their acclaimed work at the Four Seasons Tamarindo. Designers from Estudio Esterlina bring a refined mix of minimalism, modernism and Mexican.Ā 

ā€œWhy canā€™t you have fun and luxury in the same space? Here, you let your hair down by the pool, enjoy a pool party, a fine Mexican meal in our full-service restaurant, a drag brunch on weekends and socialize with new friends all while feeling safe,” Schukraft said. “Our goal is to show luxury doesnā€™t have to mean stuffy.ā€

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