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Calendar: events through Dec. 9

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Friday, Dec. 10

The International Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference continues today at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). To register for the conference, visit glli.org. The conference runs through Sunday.

RAW will be at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. with guest DJ Zack Rosen. Free entry before 11 p.m. with a $3 cover after. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older.

Gloss presents Ladies Night Holiday Party tonight at Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) with music by DJ Rosie in the main room and shows by D.C. Kings and the D.C. Gurly Show starting at midnight. There’s a $10 cover and attendees must be 18 or older.

The D.C. chapter of Ski Bums will be holding a happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. For more information visit ski-bums.org.

NOVA GL Professionals and D.C. Ice Breakers are co-hosting their annual holiday social tonight at Pinzimi Lounge in the Westin Arlington Gateway (801 N. Glebe Road) at 6 p.m. Business casual attire is suggested.

BrightestYoungThings presents “NEWSEUM: All Access, A Holiday Party” tonight from 8 to 11 p.m. The party will feature exclusive after-hours access to the Newseum, cash bar with cocktails and holiday treats provided by Wolfgang Puck Catering and the unveiling of a photo installation by BYT photographers. Tickets are $15 presale or $20 at the door. The Newseum is located at 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. For more information, visit brightestyoungthings.com.

Four Bitchin’ Babes will be at Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave.) in Alexandria, tonight at 7:30 p.m. The group has revolved through many members, but this showing will feature founding member Sally Fingerett as well as Debi Smith, Deirdre Flint and Nancy Moran.

Saturday, Dec. 4

Crack presents BudhaKwanzaRamFestivusXmaHanaSolstice tonight at 9 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. There will be a repeat performance Sunday at 5 p.m. and tickets for that show are $8.

Gallery plan b (1530 14th St., N.W.) will be having an opening reception with the artists featured in it Year End Group Show tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. The show will run through Dec. 24. For more information, visit galleryplanb.com.

Zoom Urban Lesbian Excursions will be at All Fired Up (3413 Connecticut Ave.) today at 6 p.m. for its “Pick n’ Paint.” Cost of pottery ranges from $16 to $55 and it takes seven to 10 days to fire an item. A $5 donation to Martha’s Table is expected.  Visit zoomexcursions.com for more information.

AGLA will be at Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd.) in Arlingtong today shooting for Holiday Hugs and Kisses at 11 a.m. There will be video shoots at 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30 and 1 p.m. There will be a safe observing space for those who do not want to appear in the video. For more information, visit agla.org.

City Gallery (804 H St., N.E.) will be having an opening reception for its new exhibit “Wally Szyndler: a retrospective” tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit citygallerydc.com.

Sunday, Dec. 5

Philip Clark, co-editor of “Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS,” and local authors will be at an open door reading in celebration of the book today at 2 p.m. at the Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh St.) in Bethesda. This is a free event.

The D.C. Arts Center presents Cherry Red Productions’ “Wifeswappers,” written by Justin Tanner tonight at 3 p.m. The play follows a couple as they throw a sex party for the holidays. Tickets are $25 for general admission or $20 for groups of six or more and can be purchased online at cherryredproductions.com/tickets. The show continues through Dec. 18.

Monday, Dec. 6

Watch the New York Jets (9-2) take on the New England Patriots (9-2) for the second time this season in Foxboro, Mass., tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.). The game starts at 8:30 p.m. Also tonight is Beat the Block Happy Hour and Poker Face.

The National Portrait Gallery is showing an exhibit that focuses on sexual differences in the making of modern American portraiture. “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture” is the first major museum exhibit of its kind. The museum is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and admission is free.

Tuesday, Dec. 7

Holiday ornaments come to life in Cirque Dreams “Holidaze,” which opens tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. Directed by Neil Goldberg, the show features about 30 artists performing.

Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s new packing location Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Blvd.” makes its Washington premiere tonight at Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave.) in Arlington at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are either $66.30 or $71.45 and can be purchased on ticketmaster.com. The show continues through Feb. 13.

Wednesday, Dec. 8

Rainbow Response will be holding its monthly meeting tonight from 7 to 8 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.).

Better than Ezra brings its “Road to Mardi Gras” tour to the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at 930.com.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company presents “A Girl’s Guide to Washington Politics” written and performed by the Second City, a comedy theater group from Chicago, which opens tonight with a pay-what-you-can performance at 8 p.m. Lines begin forming around 5 p.m. The show will run through Jan. 9. For more information, visit woollymammoth.net.

Thursday, Dec. 9

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

NSO Pops present Happy Holidays with Marvin Hamlisch conducting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). The program includes songs like “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” “Part of Your World” from “The Little Mermaid,” “O Holy Night” and more classic holiday music. Immediately following this performance is “More with Marvin!”

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington is hosting a piano bar open mic night at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 10 p.m.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Independence Day Weekend in Rehoboth

Wicked Green Pool Party, fireworks among festivities

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A fireworks show was held in Rehoboth Beach, Del. on Saturday, July 5. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

Vacationers and residents alike enjoyed Independence Day Weekend activities in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The Wicked Green Pool Party drew hundreds to the CAMP Rehoboth fundraiser on Saturday. That evening, revelers went to the rooftops to watch the fireworks display.

(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)

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Music & Concerts

Red, White, and Beyoncé: Queen Bey takes Cowboy Carter to D.C. for the Fourth of July

The legendary music icon performed on July 4 and 7 to a nearly sold-out Northwest Stadium.

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Beyoncé performs on July 7. (Washington Blade photo by Joe Reberkenny)

Just in time for Independence Day, Beyoncé lit up Landover’s Commanders Field (formerly FedEx Field) with fireworks and fiery patriotism, bringing her deeply moving and genre-defying “Cowboy Carter” tour to the Washington, D.C. area.

The tour, which takes the global icon across nine cities in support of her chart-topping and Grammy-winning country album Cowboy Carter,” landed in Prince George’s County, Maryland, over the Fourth of July weekend. From the moment Beyoncé stepped on stage, it was clear this was more than just a concert — it was a reclamation.

Drawing from classic Americana, sharp political commentary, and a reimagined vision of country music, the show served as a powerful reminder of how Black Americans — especially Black women — have long been overlooked in spaces they helped create. “Cowboy Carter” released in March 2024, is the second act in Beyoncé’s genre-traversing trilogy. With it, she became the first Black woman to win a Grammy for Best Country Album and also took home the coveted Album of the Year.

The record examines the Black American experience through the lens of country music, grappling with the tension between the mythology of the American Dream and the lived realities of those historically excluded from it. That theme comes alive in the show’s opening number, “American Requiem,” where Beyoncé sings:

“Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but
If that ain’t country, tell me, what is?
Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years
They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this
When I sing my song…”

Throughout the performance, Beyoncé incorporated arresting visuals: Black cowboys on horseback, vintage American iconography, and Fox News clips criticizing her genre shift — all woven together with voiceovers from country legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. The result was a multimedia masterclass in storytelling and subversion.

The “Cowboy Carter” tour has been a social media sensation for weeks, with fans scrambling for tickets, curating elaborate “cowboy couture” outfits, and tailgating under the summer sun. At Commanders Field, thousands waited in long lines for exclusive merch and even longer ones to enter the stadium — a pilgrimage that, for many, felt more like attending church than a concert.

One group out in full force for the concert was Black queer men — some rocking “denim on denim on denim on denim,” while others opted for more polished Cowboy Couture looks. The celebration of Black identity within Americana was ever-present, making the concert feel like the world’s biggest gay country-western club.

A standout moment of the night was the appearance of Beyoncé’s 13-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Commanding the stage with poise and power, she matched the intensity and choreography of her mother and the professional dancers — a remarkable feat for someone her age and a clear sign that the Carter legacy continues to shine.

It’s been nearly two decades since Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child parted ways, and since then, she’s more than lived up to her title as the voice of a generation. With Cowboy Carter,” she’s not just making music — she’s rewriting history and reclaiming the space Black artists have always deserved in the country canon.

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a&e features

From Prohibition to Pride: Queering the District podcast reveals local LGBTQ history

The new podcast explores the hidden history and enduring impact of queer spaces in Washington, D.C.

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From left, Ellie Stuckrath and Abby Stuckrath (Photo courtesy of Queering the District Podcast)

On June 25, as Pride month inched toward its end, three queer creators launched an ambitious project to honor the spaces that built D.C.’s LGBTQ community—and connect them to today’s queer life. The first episode of their podcast, Queering the District, hit streaming platforms that day, aiming to spotlight what host and co-creator Abby Stuckrath calls “third places”: bars, clubs, and gathering spots that have served as hubs for queer life across the city.

Each episode of the 10-part series delves into a different piece of D.C.’s queer past—from landmark clubs to untold personal stories—told through the voices of drag legends, activists, DJs, historians, and patrons who lived it. The show also threads together personal experiences from today’s community, bringing the listener on an auditory journey from Prohibition-era speakeasies to contemporary nights out at places like As You Are or Saints & Sinners.

Abby Stuckrath, alongside her sibling Ellie Stuckrath, and producer Mads Reagan, make up the podcast’s creative team. A recent journalism graduate of American University, Abby told the Blade that her passion for queer storytelling began during college—and that D.C. itself played a defining role in shaping her queer identity.

“I went to American University. I graduated last year and studied journalism. When I was in school, I always wanted to focus on queer stories – especially in D.C., because I’m from Denver, Colorado, I’ve never lived in a place like this before. D.C. has always just kind of been a place I call home when it comes to my queer identity.”

But breaking into the media to tell those stories wasn’t easy. Stuckrath quickly learned that editorial support—and funding—for queer-focused projects is limited. So she decided to do it her own way.

“I kind of found out that if you want to tell stories, you kind of have to do it on your own– especially when it comes to queer stories. There’s not a lot of people begging for us to talk about queer people and to pay you for it. So I was like, ‘Okay, let’s just do it on my own.’”

The idea for the podcast first took root in conversations with Ellie, Abby’s sibling and biggest supporter. Ellie had also moved to D.C. to find more space to explore and express their queer and gender identities. Together, the two began shaping a vision that would combine storytelling, sound design, and grassroots community input.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know what exactly I want to do yet, but I want it to be queer, and I want it to be about D.C., and it’s going to be called Queering the District, and we’re going to find out what that means.’ And Ellie is my biggest supporter, and my best friend. And they were like, ‘Hell yeah. Like, let’s do this.’ And so we decided to just do it together.”

The name stuck—and so did the mission. The team began researching queer D.C. history and found a city overflowing with stories that had rarely been documented, especially in mainstream archives.

“We started looking up the history of queer culture in D.C., and it kind of just clicked from there,” Stuckrath said. “I did not know anything about how rich our history is in the city until one Google search, and then I just kept learning more and more. I was kind of pissed because I studied gender studies in school in D.C. and didn’t learn shit about this.”

Season one focuses on the role of third places—non-work, non-home spaces where queer people could gather, exist fully, and build community.

“Third places have always been the epicenter of queer life… places outside of just your own personal home, because sometimes that isn’t a safe place. And of course, the work most commonly in the past and still today, isn’t a safe place for queer people to be full of themselves. So like, bars were the first place for queer people to really thrive and meet each other.”

To make the show participatory, Queering the District includes a twist: a voicemail line where anyone can call in and share a memory or question. The team calls the phone “Fifi”—a nod to the kind of retro guestbooks often used at weddings, but reimagined for queer nightlife and history.

“We wanted to find a way for people to share their stories with us anonymously… so even though we start in Prohibition, we wanted to connect it to now—like, those people who were singing jazz to each other in a white queer bar are connected to you singing karaoke on a Sunday night at your favorite gay bar. We’re all interconnected by this third place of queer bars in D.C.”

Those connections are emotional as well as historical. While building the series, one realization hit Stuckrath particularly hard: the immense loss of queer spaces in D.C., especially in neighborhoods that have since been heavily redeveloped.

“Every time I go to a Nats game, I think about, well, this just replaced five gay bars that used to be here. It used to be the home of Ziegfeld’s… Tracks, which was almost 2,000 square feet, with a volleyball court in the back, a fire pit, and iconic light show. I just didn’t know that we had that, and it made me sad for the queer elders that are in our city now who walk the streets and don’t see all those places they used to call home.”

That sense of loss—alongside the joy and resilience of queer community—is what the show aims to capture. As the podcast continues, Abby hopes it serves as both a celebration and an educational tool, especially for young LGBTQ people arriving in D.C. without realizing the queer foundations they’re walking on.

“D.C. is a unique city, and specifically young queer people who are hoping to move to the city—to know that you’ve got to know your history to be here. I hope this serves as an easier way for you to consume and learn about queer history, because queer history defines how we move in life.”

And for all the voices still left out, Abby is clear: this podcast is an open door, not a final word.

“This is a perfectly imperfect podcast. We should just be a starting point. We shouldn’t be the ending point.”

New episodes of Queering the District drop every Wednesday on all major platforms.

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