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Calendar: events through Jan. 20

Events through Thursday include exhibits, concerts, plays and more

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'Where Now' is part of the exhibit 'Off-Kilter' by artist Leslie Nolan on display through Jan. 30 at the newly reopened Touchstone Gallery. (Image courtesy of Touchstone)

Friday, Jan. 14

DJ Joshua and TheNewGay present “Balls!” tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Velvet Lounge (915 U St., N.W.) featuring the debut DJ set of Steve Scarlata. There is no cover for this event. Drink specials include $3 Natty Boh and $4 kamikazes.

Gross National Product returns with “The Sound of Palin” at Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $10 to $20 and can be purchased at atlas arts.org.

Exposed Tattoo and Baller Inc., present the D.C. Tattoo Arts Expo starting today at the Crystal City Doubletree Hotel (300 Army Navy Drive) in Arlington with a VIP welcome party in the Sky Dome from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The expo will continue through the weekend.

The Mid Atlantic Leather Weekend starts today at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.). Registration will be in the ballroom level foyer from 4 to 10:30 p.m. There will be an exhibit hall from 5 to 11 p.m. The opening reception will be in the Yorktown Ballroom from 9 to 11 p.m. with a cash bar and the MAL Bar Crawl will be from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Events will continue through Sunday.

Women in their Twenties will be meeting tonight at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 8 to 9:30 p.m.

DJ Matheus, 5ive, Keep It Terror and Forever the Win will be at Jammin’ Java tonight at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at jamminjava.com.

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington’s fundraising team is hosting a bingo night tonight at 7 p.m. at the church (474 Ridge St., N.W.). The evening begins with four early bird games which costs $2 for four cards or $3 for eight cards. This is followed by 17 regular and special games which are packaged for as low as $25. There will be homemade refreshments available.

Saturday, Jan. 15

Jonathan Katz, co-curator of the “Hide/Seek” exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, will be giving a lecture today at the Foundry Gallery (1314 18th St., N.W.) titled “Artistic Representation of Gay Life.” This event is free and admittance is on a first-come, first-serve basis. One of Foundry’s current exhibits is a juried show titled “Celebrate Gay Marriage.”

Blowoff, a dance party featuring gay DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel, will be at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) tonight. Doors opens at 11:30 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at 930.com.

Bellflur, Mobius Strip, Archivists and Southern Problems will be performing at St. Stephen’s Church (1525 Newton St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. as part of “100 Shows for Haiti.” Tickets are $8 and the money raised will be split between two organizations, One Hundred for Haiti and Haitian Women for Haitian Refugees.

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro, Md., hosts Rewind with DJ Jerrbear and special host, the Mirror Ball Lady tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Best decade costume will win a cash prize. There will be a $5 cover before 11 p.m. and an $8 cover after.

Bare celebrates its second anniversary tonight at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Admission is $25 for VIP and $10 for general.

Ziegfeld’s celebrates Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday with Leather and Lace tonight with the Ladies of Illusion performing at 11:15 p.m. There’s a $5 cover before 10:30 p.m. and $10 after.

Today starts the Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) “90 Years of New” free weekend today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The kick-off event will feature special art installations, art-inspired cake designs by some of D.C.’s top pastry chefs and complimentary champagne by FoodArts. The weekend continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Bach Sinfonia presents its annual chamber concert featuring Cut, Wind and Wire tonight at 8 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center (7995 Georgia Ave.) in Silver Spring. The program will include works by Francis Cuttinge, William McGibbon and others. Tickets range from $15 to $30 and can be purchased online at bachsinfonia.org or by calling 301.362.6525. There will be a free pre-concert discussion at 7:15 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 16

Family band In Layman Terms and singer Holly Montgomery will be performing at Jammin’ Java today at 1:30 p.m. as Montgomery releases her new CD. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 same day and can be purchased at jamminjava.com.

Lace Lounge (2214 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) presents “The Dream,” a MLK Pride celebration tonight from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cover is $5 before 10 p.m. and $10 after.

Today is the last day to see the exhibit “Side by Side: Oberlin’s Masterworks” at the Phillips collection (1600 21st St., N.W.)

This month for its Sunday School event, Pocket Gays is teaming up with WTF for the “Straightest.Sunday.Ever” at Local 16 (1602 U St., N.W.) today from 3 to 9 p.m. Aaron Riggins will be DJing from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be prizes including entrance to WTF at Town later tonight.

Monday, Jan. 17

The Starry Mountain Trio (Suzannah Park, Gideon Crevoshay and Avery Book) presents an eclectic mix of sacred and secular folk songs from the U.S., British Isles, Corsica, Republic of Georgia and honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. in song tonight at Church of the Holy City (1611 16th St., N.W.).

Tuesday, Jan. 18

Partners in Recovery will be having a facilitated discussion about addiction, recovery and relationships at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The GLBT Arts Consortium will be hosting a remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., tonight at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. This is a free event.

Wednesday, Jan. 19

Bookmen D.C., an informal group of men interested in gay literature, meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Charles Sumner School and Archives (1201 17th St., N.W.) to discuss “Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS,” edited by David Groff and Philip Clark.” All are welcome.

The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 tonight at the Dignity Center, 721 8th St., S.E., (across from Marine Barracks) for social bridge. No partner is needed. Visit lambdabridge.com and click on “Social Bridge in Washington” for more information.

Thursday, Jan. 20

DJ Chris Nitti will be a special guest at this month’s Maison at Napoleon Bistro and Lounge (1847 Columbus Rd., N.W.) tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Cosi Restaurant (1350 Connecticut Ave.) is hosting “Let’s get cozy …” for single women tonight from 5 to 8 p.m.

Washington Project for the Arts 2011 Experimental Media Series will be at the Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. with an appearance by Paul D. Miller, also known as DJ Spooky.

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Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

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Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar.  We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”  

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.

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Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

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'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

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The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026 

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

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