Arts & Entertainment
Arts briefs: March 18
Jackie Beat at Cobalt, queer prom, drag pageant and more
Jackie Beat at Cobalt tonight with two shows
Drag queen and celebrity entertainer Jackie Beat will have two performances at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight.
First, at 9 p.m., Beat will be performing a dinner show downstairs at Level One. She’ll move upstairs at midnight for another show with DJ DeMarko.
Beat is the drag persona of Kent Fuher. She has appeared in many movies such as “Bam Bam and Celeste” and on television, including an episode of “Sex and the City.”
Beat also writes a weekly column, “Little Miss Know-It-All,” for FrontiersWeb.com, covering topics like Facebook, movie fashions and many others. The event will feature free vodka drinks will be available from 11 p.m. to midnight upstairs. DJ Keenan Orr will spin. Reservations for Beat’s dinner show can be made at opentable.com. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
Capital Queer Prom to benefit Youth Pride Alliance
The fifth annual Capital Queer Prom is Saturday from 9 p.m. to midnight abroad the Spirit of Mount Vernon (600 Water St., S.W., Pier 4).
Queer Prom is a formal gala that gives LGBT men and women a second chance at their dream prom.
This year the celebration spans three days. There’s a pre-Prom maritime meet and greet tonight from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at The Reef (2446 18th St., N.W.) that will include complimentary wine, happy hour specials and music.
The celebration ends with a post-Prom drag brunch at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.). The brunch includes an all-you-can-eat buffet, complimentary mimosas, drag queen performances and a special treat exclusively for prom guests. Every year, the prom benefits a local non-profit organization. This year it’ll benefit the Youth Pride Alliance, an organization in its 15th year dedicated to creating safe events and support for LGBT youth, including its annual Youth Pride Day, which is Apr. 30.
The Queer Prom is for ages 21 and older. Tickets to the prom and brunch are $95 each. Tickets are also available for the prom only and are $75 each. For more information on Queer Prom and to purchase tickets, visit capitalqueerprom.com.

Coti Collins (David Lowman) being crowned Miss Gay D.C. America last year. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Miss Gay Regional Pageant this weekend
The Miss Gay D.C. America 2011 regional pageant is Saturday at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.).
This is the 40th anniversary of the Miss Gay America pageant, the first female impersonator pageant.
Miss Gay honors regional pageants that stand out and the D.C. one has been honored as such. Since 2004, more than 50 local contestants have competed for the crown.
Pre-judging and evening gown starts at 5:45 p.m. and the pageant will begin at 6:45.
The winner will be crowned Miss Gay D.C. America 2011 and receive a prize package worth $4,025. The first alternate will received a prize package worth $2,000.
Last year, Coti Collins not only won Miss Gay D.C. America 2010, but went on to be crowned Miss Gay America 2011. Victoria DePaula, who won Miss Gay D.C. America in 2008, also went on to be crowned Miss Gay America 2009.
Special guests at this year’s pageant will include Collins and DePaula, as well as Jessica Jade, Miss Gay D.C. America 2009 and first runner-up for Miss Gay American 2010, Victoria Parker, Miss Gay D.C. America 2007, Ashley Bannks, Miss Gay D.C. America 2006, Catia Lee Love, Miss Gay America 2000, Miss Peaches, Miss Gay D.C. America 2005, Maxine Blue, Miss Gay D.C. America 1998 and Champagne Douglas, Miss Gay D.C. America 1990 and Miss Gay D.C. America 1991.
There will be a $10 cover. For more information, visit missgaydcamerica.com.
The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)














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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)



















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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
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