Arts & Entertainment
Social agenda for March 5
Friday, March 5
Join the DC Front Runners for their First Friday Happy Hour from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Green Lantern, located at 1335 Green Court, N.W.
Participate in Gay District from 8:30-10:30 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Gay District is a weekly, non-church affiliated discussion and social group for GBTQ men between 18 and 35. The group meets at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church (1820 Connecticut Ave., N.W., just north of Dupont Circle. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Raw, held from 10 p.m.-3 a.m., returns to the Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court, N.W. Raw is an electro-disco party on the first Friday of each month at the Green Lantern, inspired by gay parties of the early 80s. Join your host, Karl Marks, and resident DJs, Shea and Bil, for some retro fun, fog, lasers, strobe lights and throbbing music. Free entry before 11 p.m., cover is just $3 after that.
Town Danceboutique, located at 2009 8th St., N.W., presents its “So, you think you’re a drag queen?” competition. Doors open at 10 p.m. with the drag show/contest at 10:30 p.m. Contestants must arrive at the club by 10 p.m. (no later than 10:15) and bring a CD with a song you want to perform. Makeup should be done before your arrival. The audience decides the winner with a grand prize of $250.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, holds its March Post-Valentine Sweet & Sentimental Social. To participate, visit www.burgundycrescent.org.
Saturday, March 6
Join your hosts and DJs Richard Morel and Bob Mould for Blowoff at the 9:30 club, located at 815 V St., N.W. Doors open at 11:30 p.m. with a $12 cover.
DC Metro LGBT IT Professionals meets from 10-11 a.m. at SteamCafe, 17th & R streets. RSVP at meetup.com at: http://www.meetup.com/GayDigerati/
Thom Bierdz will create a painting to be auctioned off to support Out for Work on Saturday, March 6 from 6-9 p.m. at MOVA Lounge (formerly Halo) at 1435 P St., N.W. Bierdz is the first openly gay actor to play an openly gay character, Phillip Chancellor III, on CBS’ “The Young & the Restless.”
EFF Winter Dance Party is held from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar, 555 23rd St., South Arlington, Va. Party is 21+. There is a $5 cover, which benefits Capital Pride.
The March edition of the monthly gear/fetish party CODE at Motley Bar above EFN Lounge, 1318 9th St., N.W., 9 p.m.-3 a.m., will feature DJ Shea Van Horn. Admission is $10. Code is an 18+ event. Gear, rubber, skin, uniform or leather dress code will be strictly enforced.
JAM @ MOVA Lounge at 1435 P St., N.W., 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. Join B.O.I. and the ladies of Mixology as they take over MOVA Lounge. Come out and mingle, dance, drink or chill.
In recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Food & Friends will host a free community event 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Riggs LaSalle Community Center, 501 Riggs Rd., N.E. Free shuttle from the Fort Totten Metro Station (on the Red, Green-Yellow Lines). This free community event is open to all ages and includes free HIV testing and counseling, educational workshops and free food and entertainment.
DCist.com holds its fourth annual DCist Exposed Photography Show at Long View Gallery, March 6-21. Out of more than 1,000 entries submitted through Flickr.com, 47 winning images were selected by a panel to be included in this year’s DCist Exposed exhibit. This year’s opening reception will be Saturday, 6-10 p.m., $5 at the door. Long View Gallery is located at 1234 9th St., N.W., just a few blocks from the Mt. Vernon/Convention Center Metro.
A Night Out at Silo Point, a benefit for Moveable Feast. Built in 1923, the B&O Railroad grain terminal in Baltimore was the biggest and fastest grain elevator in the world. Today, it’s a contemporary 24-story condo tower rising above the Inner Harbor. Tour the building and help Moveable Feast while you’re at it — food and cocktails, dance to DJ D-Rizzo and tour six decorated models, 8 p.m.-12 a.m., 1200 Steuart St., Baltimore. Tickets are $45 per person or $75 per couple, purchase online at mfeast.org.
Sunday, March 7
Join the DC Center at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St., N.W., for the 5th Annual Oscar celebration, “Glamour, Glitter, & Gold.” Doors open at 7 p.m.; general admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door. V.I.P. admission, $100. Purchase tickets at thedccenter.org or for more information e-mail [email protected].
AZÚCAR DC at EFN Lounge, 1318 9th St., N.W., 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Ginger Glamour joins the Queen of the House Alondra St. Cartier on the Azúcar stage and DJ Michael Brandon plays your favorite hits. Always 18 to dance, 21 to drink.
The Oscars at Black Fox Lounge. Black Fox is located two blocks north of Dupont Circle on Connecticut Avenue, between R and S Streets. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres, black tie optional. Prizes for Best Dressed Male and Best Dressed Female. 8-11:30 p.m. No cover.
Thom Bierdz will be signing copies of “Forgiving Troy,” at the Books-A-Million, Dupont Circle location from 3-5 p.m.
Monday, March 8
GLBT Youth Support Group will meet from 4:30-6 p.m. at the GW Center Clinic, 1922 F St., N.W., Suite 103.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, has volunteer opportunities for Food & Friends and for the HRC phone banks. To participate, visit www.burgundycrescent.org.
Tuesday, March 9
Town Danceboutique, located at 2009 8th St., N.W., presents “Speakeasy.” The topic is “American Idol: Stories about brushes with fame.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. $10 cover, 21+. To sign up or for more info visit speakeasydc.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, volunteers today for the Safer Sex Kit Packing Program. To participate, visit www.burgundycrescent.org.
Wednesday, March 10
Hollaback Transgender Support Group meets from 6:30-8 p.m. in the DC Center Activity Room. Hollaback is a program of the DC Community AIDS Network. The DC Center is located at 1810 14th St., N.W., convenient to the U Street/Cardozo Metro stop, and on the 14th Street bus lines.
Thursday, March 11
Whitman Walker: “Ready for Change” Harm Reduction Group, MRC, 2301 MLK Ave., S.E. from 3-5 p.m.
Dining Out for Life, an annual benefit for Food & Friends is held tonight at various restaurants around the city that donate a percentage of their take to charity. The Burgundy Crescent has related volunteer opportunities available. To participate, visit foodandfriends.org or burgundycrescent.org.
Arts & Entertainment
Nominate your favorites for the Blade’s 25th annual Best Of LGBTQ DC Awards
Submit your picks now; top 5 vote getters move to the finals
Nominate your favorites in our Best of LGBTQ DC categories through Sept. 24. The top 5 nominees from each category will become finalists with voting starting Sept. 28. Our 2026 Best of LGBTQ DC winners will be announced at the Best of LGBTQ DC Awards Party on Thursday, Oct. 22 and our special issue will come out on Friday, Oct. 23. One vote per email address per day. Good luck!
CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE OR USE THE FORM BELOW!
Out & About
Blade Foundation to host fundraiser in Rehoboth on Sept. 12
Mayor-elect Stewart, state Rep. Snyder-Hall to give remarks
The Washington Blade Foundation will host a fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Rehoboth Beach featuring remarks from Rehoboth’s Mayor-elect Susan Stewart and Delaware state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall.
The Foundation funds fellowships for aspiring queer journalists and enterprise journalism projects.
The event will be held at a private home in Rehoboth. Tickets are $100 and include open bar from Diego’s, catered appetizers from the Blue Moon, entertainment, guest speakers, and an auction. Tickets are available here.
Books
New book examines fashionista Audrey Smaltz’s fabulous life
‘Every Inch a Lady’ reveals finding true love with another woman
‘Every Inch a Lady’
By Audrey Smaltz with Alina Mitchell
c.2026, Amistad
$27.99/256 pages
Snaps, zippers, buttons, ties.
Toss that garment on, pull it up, wrap it around, you know what you like and how to wear it. The color is perfect for your skin tone, the fabric enhances your form. Yep, you always look your best and, as in the new book “Every Inch a Lady” by Audrey Smaltz (with Alina Mitchell), that best is fabulous.

”Born, bred, toasted, buttered, jellied, and honeyed in Harlem” in 1937, Audrey Smaltz was a force to be reckoned with almost from the time she could walk. Her parents imbued confidence in her, they nurtured her creativity and sent her to charm school, but they never allowed her to create a stir.
“That,” says Smaltz, “is not what ladies did.”
By the time she was a teenager, Smaltz was modeling for New York City designers. Shortly thereafter, she started working for a married man with whom she had an affair, and whom she loved very much. She broke up with him, attended college, worked a series of jobs that taught her about fashion and jobs that didn’t seem to fit her. An ill-fated marriage took her to Chicago where she ultimately landed a position that sent her to work in Ebony magazine’s New York office.
Working at Ebony was a career-changer, in a way. Smaltz was able to travel the world and learn more about fashion, but she didn’t exactly get along with her boss.
Finally, seizing an opportunity, Smaltz decided to launch her own company, Audrey Smaltz, Inc., a “fashion production business,” but she couldn’t get any designers to take a chance on her. Undaunted, she reorganized, re-branded, hit the streets, and knocked on doors until she finally found one client, which led to many others.
Through it all, her personal life was a whirlwind. She dated “more men than you can shake a book at,” settling down occasionally, briefly. Fashion had always been her first love, but she accidentally found real love, “the love of a woman,” at a leadership course.
There’s an old saying that writers need to add lots of “color” into their stories. Read a little of “Every Inch a Lady,” and you’ll notice immediately that author Audrey Smaltz (with Alina Mitchell) quite literally takes that to heart by mentioning nearly every color of the spectrum here. Hmm.
That oddity aside, Smaltz is a wonderfully lively storyteller, speaking with the energy of a woman much younger to the heart of anyone who loves fashion. That glee extends to collectors of vintage clothing, who will be delighted to read about the industry long ago and the way things worked then. Smaltz says she experienced racism, which is not unusual for pre-Civil Rights America, but doors were surprisingly closed for other reasons that will astound anyone who’s savvy about the fashion industry, even today.
There’s quite a bit of name-dropping in this book but most of it belongs in the anecdotes, so you likely won’t mind. If you’re a fashionista, too, find “Every Inch a Lady,” and snap it up.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
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