Music & Concerts
Clay Aiken, parents join lawmakers to push anti-bullying bills
‘American Idol’ singer tells Capitol Hill briefing he suffered taunting

“American Idol” singer Clay Aiken and two mothers whoseĀ sons committed suicide because of anti-gay bullying at their schools appeared at a Capitol Hill briefing Thursday to urge Congress to pass two bills that would require schools to address bullying and harassment targeting LGBT students.
TheĀ Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) organized the briefing as a means of drawing public attention to the two pending bills, the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act.
āLike many kids now in middle schools and high schools, I was bullied,ā said Aiken, who came out as gay in 2008 after winning the runner up title of best singer on the widely viewed television show “American Idol.”
āI was picked on, I was called gay, I was called fag, I was called sissy, you name it,ā he said. āFortunately, I was able to overcome it and live through it because of a number of friends who were supportive of me.ā
Aiken and Louis Van Amstel, host of the television show “Dancing with the Stars,” joined parents Sirdeaner Walker of Massachusetts and Tammy Aaberg of Minnesota in making an impassioned plea for lawmakers to pass the two bills. Sirdeaner and Aabergās sons took their own lives earlier this year due to anti-gay bullying.
āOver the past few months I have heard so many stories about other youth who were suffering,ā said Walker, who lost her 11-year-old son Carl Joseph Walker, who hanged himself in his bedroom with an electrical cord.
āToo many of our children are being tormented in schools ā and not enough of our adults are doing the right thing and teaching respect for all. Enough is enough,ā she said.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), who introduced the Safe Schools Improvement Act, and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who introduced the Student Non-Discrimination Act, also spoke at the briefing, calling on their colleagues to support the legislation.
āNo student should have to dread going to school because they fear being bullied,ā Franken told those gathered for the event, held in a committee hearing room at the Rayburn House Office Building. āWe must address bullying and harassment in schools in the next Congress.ā
Polis, who is gay, said school bullying affects students living in both Republican and Democratic leaning states, saying he would work with his colleagues on both sides of the political isle to push for passage of the legislation.
āEvery student has the right to an education free from bullying, harassment and violence, and we are here today to show that Congress is ready to take a stand against bullying in our schools,ā he said.
Franken and Casey cited recent cases of suicides due to anti-gay bullying in their home states. They pointed to what they called a courageous decision by Walker and Aaberg to speak at Thursdayās briefing to tell the stories of the loss of their own teenage sons as a means of drawing support for the legislation.
āRecent stories of the tragic effects of bullying in Pennsylvania and throughout the country are evidence of the urgent need to address this issue in our schools,ā Casey said. āWe owe it to our children to do whatever we can to ensure their pleas for help do not go unheard.ā
Casey introduced to the briefing Joey Kemmerling, a high school student in Bucks County, Pa., near Philadelphia, who helped form an anti-bullying group as well a Gay-Straight Alliance organization at his school.
āI came out in eighthĀ grade and ever since then I have been bullied every day,ā Kemmerling told the briefing. āThereās not been a day that has gone by where I have not heard the word faggot, queer or fairy or told that I was not human.ā
He described an incident when another male student threatened him with a knife on the school grounds after school officials declined Kemmerlingās plea that they search the student for a weapon.
āHe came up to me and he looked me in the eyes and he had the look of hatred,ā Kammerling recounted. āI didnāt know who he was but I knew that he hated me. And he said, āYour life is in my hands.ā And he walked away.ā
The incident caused him to become deeply depressed and to contemplate suicide, Kammerling said.
āI thought I didnāt deserve to live. I was gay so did my life really matter? I didnāt think so,ā he said.
āI almost committed suicide, and somehow I overcame that and started working to change the schools,ā he said. āI was so thankful to meet GLSEN and work with them to fight all injustices all around the United States.
āI really just hope youāll join me in that fight because the real change is going to come from society and the change is going to come from the people stepping up and saying, āI donāt want to see another kid ever go through what I went through and what the students went through that committed suicide.'”
His remarks drew a loud and prolonged applause from the audience, which included staff members of senators and members of the House.
GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said she was hopeful that Congress would act on the two bills next year despite reports by Capitol Hill observers that the new Republican controlled House of Representatives would block all LGBT-supportive legislation.
āThey currently have bipartisan support in this Congress,ā Byard said. āAnd I think just as childrenās safety, itās not a gay or straight issue, it is not a Republican or Democratic issue.ā
The Safe Schools Improvement Act requires schools receiving federal funds to develop policies to prohibit bullying based on race, sex, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. It has 130 co-sponsors in the House and 15 cosponsors in the Senate.
The Student Non-Discrimination Act calls for providing protections to students who are targeted for bullying, harassment and discrimination based on their āactual or perceivedā sexual orientation or gender identity. It currently has 127 cosponsors in the House and 30 cosponsors in the Senate.
Franken said he has proposed that the Student Non-Discrimination Act be incorporated as an amendment to legislation reauthorizing the longstanding and highly popular Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which Congress is scheduled to vote on next year.
Music & Concerts
Kylie brings āTensionā tour to D.C.
Performance on Tuesday at Capital One Arena

Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue brings her acclaimed āTensionā world tour to D.C. next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital One Arena. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.
The show features songs spanning her long career, from 1987 debut single, “The Loco-Motion,” to āPadam, Padamā from her album, āTension.”
Music & Concerts
Busy season for live music in D.C.
Erivo, Kylie, Sivan, and more headed our way this spring

One sure sign of springās arrival is the fresh wave of live music coming to Washington. With more than 10 venues and a diverse lineup of artists, the city offers no shortage of live performances for the new season.
In addition to this impressive list, donāt forget the many artists coming to town for WorldPride, May 17-June 8. In addition to headliner Cynthia Erivo performing on Saturday, June 7 at the two-day street festival and concert, many other performers will be in town. Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan, and RuPaul are among the featured performers at the WorldPride Music Festival at the RFK Festival Grounds, June 6-7. Visit WorldPrideDC.org for a list of other performers.
MARCH
Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Mary J. Blige will take the stage at Capital One Arena on March 26 for her For My Fans tour. Two days later, on March 28, J Balvin will also perform at Capital One Arena for his Back to the Rayo tour.
The Lincoln Theatre will host the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington for three performancesāone on March 15 and two on March 16.
If dance parties are more your vibe, you’re in luck. DC9 is hosting a series of themed dance parties this month, starting with Poker Face: 2000s + Dance Party on March 14, the ever-popular Peach Pit ā90s dance party on March 15, H.O.T.S.: A Sapphic Dance Party on March 22, and RageRiot!āa burlesque and drag revue featuring a lineup of local drag kings, queens, and everything in between on March 29.
APRIL

Australian queen of pop Kylie Minogue will bring her Tension tour to Capital One Arena on April 8, with British dance artist Romy as her special guest.
Indie singer-songwriter mxmtoon will stop in D.C. for their Liminal Space tour on April 4 at the 9:30 club, followed by indie rock band Gossip on April 5. The 9:30 club will also host two dance parties in April: Gimme Gimme Disco ā a dance party inspired by ABBA on April 11 and Broadway Rave on April 18.
The Atlantis will feature Brooklyn-based indie rock band Pom Pom Squad on April 2.
Comedy duo Two Dykes and a Mic will bring their Going Hog Wild tour to the Howard Theatre on April 19.
DC9 has two dance parties lined up this month: Bimbo Night on April 4, hosted by Baltimoreās āpremier red-tattooed Filipina divaā Beth Amphetamine, and Aqua Girls: A QTBIPOC Dance Party on April 5, celebrating āqueer transcendence through music, movement, and community.ā
The Anthem will welcome a lineup of big names in April, starting with Alessia Cara on April 8. Lucy Dacus will take the stage on April 18 and 19 for her Forever Is a Feeling tour, while funky pop artist Remi Wolf will headline on April 27, joined by special guests Dana and Alden.
MAY
Indie-pop artist Miya Folick will bring her Erotica Veronica tour to The Atlantis on May 1, followed by multi-genre musician SASAMI on May 2. Pop artist Snow Wife will close out the month at The Atlantis on May 31 as part of an official WorldPride 2025 event.
Queer rock band Lambrini Girls will perform at the Howard Theatre on May 4, while rock trio L.A. Witch will take the stage at DC9 on May 12.
Union Stage will feature Rachel Platten on May 3 for her Set Me Free tour, followed by Femme Fatale: A Queer Dance Party later that night.
The popular DJ festival Project Glow will return to RFK Stadium grounds on May 31 and June 1.
JUNE
Pride month kicks off with āRuPaulās Drag Raceā star Trixie Mattel, who will perform at Echostage on June 3 as part of a series of official WorldPride 2025 events.
Queer icons Grace Jones & Janelle MonƔe will take over The Anthem on June 5 for a WorldPride 2025 event performance.
Perfume Genius will bring his signature sound to the 9:30 club on June 7 as part of WorldPride 2025 festivities. Later in the month, Blondshell will hit the 9:30 club for her If You Asked for a Tour on June 24.
Music & Concerts
Pride concert to take place at Strathmore after Kennedy Center rescinds invitation
International Pride Orchestra āheartbrokenā event āwould no longer be welcomeā at DC venue

The International Pride Orchestra has announced its Pride concert will take place at the Strathmore Music Center on June 5 after the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts disinvited the group.
Since President Donald Trump took over the Kennedy Center during his first month in office, LGBTQ events and performances have been banned with community allies withdrawing in solidarity.
The Kennedy Center has cancelled āA Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,ā a May 21 concert that was to feature the Gay Menās Chorus of Washington, D.C. The International Pride Orchestra on Monday said its concert will now take place at the Strathmore.
āWe were heartbroken when we learned that our concert would no longer be welcome at the Kennedy Center,ā said International Pride Orchestra Founding Artistic Director Michael Roest in a statement released by the orchestraās media page. āThe Kennedy Center has long been a symbol of artistic excellence, inclusivity, and freedom of expression. However, we are profoundly grateful to the Strathmore Music Center for opening their doors to us. Their willingness to host our Pride Celebration Concert ensures that our message of love, pride, and resilience will be heard on the doorstep of the nationās capital.ā
The Pride concert is among the events that have faced uncertainty since the Trump-Vance administration took office on Jan. 20. Many, however, are fighting back and looking for ways to push back against the bans and cancellations.
āWe aim to create a powerful and positive representation of the queer community through music,ā said Roest. āWe want to show the world who we are, celebrate our queer identities, and amplify the work of organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community.ā
WorldPride is scheduled to take place in D.C. from May 17-June 8.
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