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Calendar: event listings through Oct. 21

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Friday, Oct. 15

Raging Stallion adult star Adam Killian will be live and nude on stage tonight at Secrets. Cover is $5 before 10:30 p.m. and $10 after. Doors open at 9 p.m. For more information, visit secretsdc.com.

Baltimore Black Pride starts today with a meet and greet with the Board of Directors at Club Bunns (608 W. Lexington St., Baltimore) from 7 to 9 p.m.

Dakshina Dance Company presents Mallika Sarabhai and the Darpana Dance Companyā€™s performance of Sampradayam (Traditions) at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. This event is part of D.C.ā€™s seventh annual Fall Festival of Indian Arts. Visit dakshina.org for more information and to purchase tickets.

The VelocityDC Dance Festival returns for a second year at the Shakespeare Theatre Companyā€™s Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. featuring CityDance Ensemble, Urban Artistry, the Washington Ballet and more. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at Shakespearetheatre.org.

Factory 449 presents ā€œThe Saint Playsā€ by Erik Ehn tonight at 8 p.m. at the Church Street Theatre (1742 Church St., N.W.).

The Black Squirrel (2427 18th St., N.W.) hosts its weekly LGBT night tonight at 9 p.m. Thereā€™s no cover charge. Must be 21 or older to enter. Visit blacksquirreldc.com to see a menu.

Sugarloft CraftsFestival starts today at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.. For more information, visit sugarloafcrafts.com.

This is the last weekend for Ganymede’s production of the gay-themed “Falsettos” at Noi’s Nook on 14th Street. Final performances are tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7. Tickets are $30. Go to www.ganymedearts.org for more information.

Saturday, Oct. 9

Cotton Candy, a new 18-and-up gay dance party from event planner Jacob Pring, is tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Green Lantern. It will continue on the second Saturday of each month. Admission is $5 but is free for those with a college or military ID. Vodka drinks are free from 10 to 11 p.m. DJs David Merrill and Bryan Yamasaki will spin. Ten percent of proceeds go to the D.C. Center.

Baltimore Black Pride continues with the Living Red Ribbon Campaign from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, at Rash Field, at the base of Federal Hill park, in Baltimore. Representatives from the Guinness World Records are expected to attend as attendees attempt to create the largest living red ribbon ever.

The 14th annual Human Rights Campaign national dinner is tonight at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W.). The dinner is sold out but people who still want to attend can be added to the wait list. Visit hrcnationaldinner.org for more information.

The VelocityDC Dance Festival continues today at the Shakespeare Theatre Companyā€™s Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.) at 2 and 8 p.m. The 8 p.m. event includes performances by EDGEWORKS, Erica Rebollar, Furia Flamenca and more. The 2 p.m. event features the same performances as Friday night.

The eighth annual Cultural Affair, a part of Baltimore Black Pride, will be at the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center (847 N. Howard St.) from 7 to 11 p.m. tonight.

Logo and RCN present Morgan McMiachels and Shannel from ā€œRuPaulā€™s Drag Raceā€ and ā€œDrag Uā€ tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) as part of the drag show starting at 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 before 11 and $12 after. Attendees must be 21 or older.

Sunday, Oct. 10

LAMBDA SCI-FI will be holding its monthly meeting and social of LGBT science fiction, fantasy and horror fans at Brunswick House (1414 17th St., N.W.) at 1:30 p.m. for the meeting and 2 p.m. for the social. For more information call James at 202.232.3141 or e-mail to [email protected].

COLAGE celebrates its 20th anniversary today from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Mansion (O St., N.W.) Wilson Cruz, Angel from ā€œRentā€ will be emceeing the event.

Baltimore Black Pride will be having a National Coming Out Day party at the Comfort Inn Downtown Baltimore (8 E. Pleasant St.) from 2 to 4 p.m. Dress is casual and comfortable.

Pocket Gays hosts Sour Patch Sunday School today from 3 to 9 p.m. on the rooftop of Local 16 (1602 U St., N.W.). There will be drink specials and raffles including list spots to the “WTF” (What The Fuck?) party at Town the same night.

The fall festival ends Baltimore Black Pride at Club Bunns (608 W. Lexington St.) from 4 to 11 p.m. There is a $3 cover charge.

Women of Color Productions presents 10-10-10 The Unveiling of Epiphany Toi Williams from 6 p.m. to midnight tonight at Remingtonā€™s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.). This event is the true life account of Williams shared through spoken word, musical performances, dance ensemble and more.

Monday, Oct. 11

Zoom presents a picnic brunch at the National Arboretum (3501 New York Ave., N.E.) today from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be garden games including, twister, tug of war and more. Attendees are to bring their own picnic baskets. Well-trained pets are welcome. This event is free.

West Coast Swing Flash Mob choreography will be taught at Remingtonā€™s (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) tonight at 8:30 p.m. The choreography will be used to join a group from the D.C. area doing a flash mob on Oct. 16.

Hope Operas, whose founder is openly gay, has its second week of five new shows tonight to raise money for charity. The shows are at 8 p.m. at the Comedy Spot, in Ballston Mall (4238 Wilson, Blvd.), in Arlington. Each show benefits a different charity. Tickets are $12 per show. For more information call 323.788.8970 or e-mail [email protected].

Tuesday, Oct. 12

SpeakeasyDC will be at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. with ā€œComing Out: Stories about revelations, debuts and proclamationsā€ in honor of National Coming Out Day. There is a $10 cover and attendees must be 21 or older. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Mautner Project presents a stress relief workshop tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church (474 Ridge St., N.W.). Vanita Leatherwood will lead a small group through six sessions of ways to relieve stress. There is a $30 registration fee. E-mail to [email protected] or call 202-332-5536 for more information and to register.

Masters and Slaves Together will be holding its monthly meeting tonight from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.). For more information about the group, visit its website, mastwashington.org.

Wednesday, Oct. 13

Rainbow Response will be holding its monthly meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at D.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.). The meeting is open to all who are interested.

Green Lantern (1331 Green Court, N.W.) will host the weekly Poz D.C. happy hour upstairs from 8 p.m. to midnight. DJs, C-Dubz, Keith Hoffman, Jason Horswill and T-N-T Music factory will be spinning. Jacob Nathaniel Pring will host and bartend.

Thursday, Oct. 14

A new party dubbed “Homolicious” is at MOVA tonight from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. from MAG 7 Productions. Drag queen Stormy Vain and Allen Sexton will host. Downstairs from 7 to midnight, Jacob Pring and Justin Croft will bartend. Erik Lars Evans and Bryan Yamasaki will spin. Upstairs Mr. Gay D.C. 2010 Aaron Alexander will bartend and David Merrill will spin. “Homo” snow cones will be served. Those with birthdays the week of Oct. 10 to 16 will get a free drink.

DCBiWomen will be having its monthly dinner at CafƩ Luna (1633 P St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 8 p.m For more information, visit dcbiwomen.org.

Zenith Gallery (1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) has extended its Transparency exhibit of glass sculptures by Jackie L. Braitman. The gallery is open weekdays from 8 am to 7 p.m. For more information, visit zenithallery.com.

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Theater

Celebrate Valentineā€™s Day with one of these three plays

ā€˜Waitress,ā€™ ā€˜Love Birds,ā€™ ā€˜Fuenteovejunaā€™ offer differing takes on love

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MALINDA plays Jenna in ā€˜Waitressā€™ at Olney Theatre Center.

For theatergoers seeking to mark Valentineā€™s Day with live music, love, and friendship, the DMV offers some new spins on traditional themes. 

Poised to make its regional debut at Olney Theatre Center, Sara Bareillesā€™s hit musical ā€œWaitressā€ (Feb.13-March 30) may not seem like a usual love story, but itā€™s a love story nonetheless. 

ā€œItā€™s about learning to love and value yourself,ā€ says MALINDA who plays Jenna, the showā€™s titular server/baker with aspirations to bake prize-winning pies and change her life. ā€œItā€™s also about sisterhood. From the start, the women involved in the show decided to be there for each other onstage and off, and it shows. For anyone with girl group love in their lives, this is an especially good show to see.

ā€œJenna doesnā€™t get a lot of satisfaction out of her primary partnership. Along with self-love she explores the antithesis of that ā€” partner violence. Our director [Marcia Milgrom Dodge] took the lesson of community support and community love to heart.ā€

Prior to coming out as bisexual in 2022, MALINDA considered herself more of a “quiet queer.ā€ However, the inspiration derived from Irish music (“music of the oppressedā€), which sheā€™s famed for singing on TikTok, compelled her to go public. 

She didnā€™t always believe her queerness to be special: ā€œFor me,ā€ MALINDA says, ā€œit was like saying my eyes are hazel. There wasnā€™t much to celebrate. But then I realized there were missing voices in my community. Felt like the right thing to do, and itā€™s been one of the great blessings of my life.ā€

Six years ago, after her Helen Hayes Award-winning turn in ā€œOnce,ā€ MALINDA took a break from musical theater. She needed time to age into dream parts, and one of those roles was Jenna. She recalls, ā€œGoing back to theater was prominently featured on my vision board, so when Marcia asked me to commit to ā€˜Waitress,ā€™ I happily agreed.ā€ 

For her, Valentineā€™s Day is an opportunity to reach out and tell friends, family, and, of course, romantic partners, just how much you love them. 

And she adds ā€œthatā€™s exactly how I plan to celebrate.ā€ 

D.C.ā€™s delightful Holly Twyford is spending Valentineā€™s Day working at the Folger on Capitol Hill. Sheā€™ll be on stage, her wife will be in the audience, and depending on the length of the program, theyā€™ll go out to dinner afterward.

For four performances, the multi-Helen Hayes award-winning actor is serving as narrator for ā€œThe Love Birdsā€ (Feb. 14-16), a new Folger Consort work that blends medieval music with a world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucerā€™s ā€œA Parlement of Foulesā€ by Twyford. 

Standing behind a podium, sheā€™ll read Chaucerā€™s words (translated from Middle English and backed by projected slides in the original language), alternating with music played on old and new instruments.  

ā€œThe new music is kind of dissonant with the sounds of birdcalls and nature sounds, painting a picture of whatā€™s going on in Chaucerā€™s poem thatā€™s beautiful and funny. Chaucer describes the male eagles pleading for the hand of the female eagle. Chaucer seems almost unwittingly feminist when he has the female eagle ask her eagle suitors to give her a year to think about it.ā€

GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights presents ā€œFuenteovejunaā€ (through March 2), a timely production staged by out director JosĆ© Luis Arelleno. Penned in 1613, this work from the Spanish Golden Age ranks among playwright Lope de Vega’s most performed plays.

Itā€™s about tyranny and love, Arellano explains. Within Lope de Vegaā€™s timely tale of brutish power lies an intense love story. In fact, at the top of the show, four characters, two males and two females play a game. What is love? One of the players asserts that love doesnā€™t exist, while the others disagree. Itā€™s a charming way to kick off the play.

The celebrated director isnā€™t one to telegraph messages, preferring audiences think for themselves. That said, he does, of course, make strong directorial choices: ā€œIf I have to choose between love or war, itā€™s more important to talk about love. For me, itā€™s a revolution.ā€ 

And apropos of a Valentineā€™s Day date, GALAā€™s production of ā€œFuenteovejunaā€ (performed in Spanish with English surtitles) is imbued with live music and verse, an important part of any romantic experience, adds David Peralto, the productionā€™s poetry and verse consultant as well as Arellanoā€™s longtime partner. 

The busy Spain-based couple will celebrate Valentineā€™s Day in Seville and couldnā€™t be happier. Arellano describes Seville as the most romantic city in the world.

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Photos

PHOTOS: SMYAL for the New Year

LGBTQ youth services organization holds fundraiser at Shakers

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SMYAL for the New Year was held at Shakers on Jan. 30. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The LGBTQ youth services organization SMYAL held the “SMYAL for the New Year” fundraiser at Shakers on Thursday, Jan. 30.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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a&e features

Valentineā€™s gifts for the queers you love

Fragrances, X-rated sweet treats, candles, and more

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Put a little love in your heart. Thatā€™s what Jackie DeShannon encouraged with her 1969 hit song of the same name, and itā€™s never been more appropriate than in the context of our current state of affairs. Mute the vitriol this Valentineā€™s Day and concentrate on what really matters ā€“ those you love and who love you back. 

Gucci Guilty Love Edition

Sniffies? Youā€™ll put the site on hold after a whiff of Gucci Guilty Love Edition on the nape of his neck ā€“ featuring captivating notes of juniper oil, orange flower absolute and aphrodisiatic Ambrofix ā€“ which one review claims to ā€œmake your brain sparkle like a fine Champagne.ā€ Cheers to that. $25-$133, FragranceNet.com

Hunky Burning Love Pillow

Sweet dreams are on the docket when you rest your head on the Hunky Burning Love faux-suede square pillow printed with illustrations of shirtless himbos pining for your affection. An exercise in fantasy more than reality, but it beats sitting alone at a bar getting no attention at all. $30, ThePillowTopShop.com

Love Deck

Whatā€™s in the cards for your love life in 2025? Fuck around and find out with astrologist Lisa Stardustā€™s 70-card Love Deck, a tarot set of short spells, meditations and rituals designed to conjure enough love, passion, clarity and confidence to make Potion No. 9 jealous. $13, Amazon.com 

ā€˜Making the Case for Equalityā€™

Weā€™ll continue to fight the good fight over the next four years and beyond ā€“ perhaps harder than ever ā€“ and Lambda Legalā€™s ā€œMaking the Case for Equality,ā€ a detailed half-century history of our hard-won judicial victories, is a solid reminder of how far weā€™ve come in the war for LGBTQ+ rights. $45, Amazon.com

Lola Blankets

Schedule an at-home streaming marathon of this yearā€™s Best Picture noms before the big night ā€“ thereā€™s a lot to love in 2024ā€™s Oscar picks ā€“ and the coziest way to settle in is all snuggled up in the squishiest Lola blankets, reminiscent of the adorable ripples of the cutest Shar Pei. Pick up a couple for the cuddle puddle. $109-$299, LolaBlankets.com

Asa Akira x Cake Life Cookies

Cue the collaboration you didnā€™t see coming: Adult film star Asa Akira teams up with award-winning trans-owned bakery Cake Life Bake Shop for its sweet-and-spicy Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies, featuring Akiraā€™s XXX-tra special curated box decorated with NFSW phrases like ā€œCowgirl,ā€ ā€œCream Pie,ā€ and the ever-subtle ā€œAnalā€ ā€“ that are sure to leave mouths agog at your Gaylentineā€™s get-together. $19-$21, CakeLifeBakeShop.square.site

Mind Games Candles

Since the late 1990s, the Backstreet Boys have implored us to quit playinā€™ games with our loversā€™ hearts, which is probably why we play mind games instead ā€“ and now they come in luxury scents like Jasmine Milk, Tobacco Tonka Bean and Cherry Sandalwood, so you can enjoy mood lighting with your gaslighting. $135, MindGamesFragrance.com

Delysia Chocolates

Inspired by Greek Goddess-of-Love Aphrodite, Delysia Chocolatierā€™s 16-piece, limited-edition truffle collection includes four each of symbolic Passion (almond-honey-fig), Adoration (raspberry-rose petal-hibiscus), Unity (pomegranate-strawberry), and Love (spiced wine-berry) bite-size chocolates rich enough for savoring and abundant enough for sharing. $60, Delysia.com

DIY Whiskey Hot Sauce

Variety is the spice of life in Thoughtfully Gourmetā€™s Whiskey-Infused DIY Hot Sauce Kit that combines your favorite cereal spirit with high-quality global ingredients, like Mexican hot peppers, to create sophisticated flavor experiences of varying Scoville heat levels, handsomely housed in fancy decanters. Recipe book, spices and seasonings included; alcohol and antacids are not. $20, Amazon.com

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBTQ lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets around the world. Connect with Mikey on Instagram @mikeyroxtravels.

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