Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: April 1
Concerts, exhibits, parties and more through April 7
Britney Spears’ new album is the centerpiece of the ‘Femme Fatale Ball’ tonight at Apex. (Photo courtesy of Jive Records)
Friday, April 1
RAW, hosted by DJs Bil Todd and Shea Van Horn with special guest DJ Joshua, will be at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Free entry before 11 p.m. with a $5 cover after. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) presents the Femme Fatale Ball, a release party for Britney Spears’ new album, “Femme Fatale,” from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. with DJs Randy White and Keenan Orr. Attendees will have a chance to win a free copy of the album.
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) has its open mic night tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. featuring Avata J and hosted by Mike Brazell. This is a free event.
AnniethingGoes and Forward Fest present Dory, Charles Martin and vANNIEty Kills at Jimmy Valentine’s Lonely Hearts Club (1103 Bladensburg Rd., N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. This is Dory’s D.C. debut. Cover is $5 or free with the FWD pass. All attendees must be 21 or older. For more information, visit forwarddc.com.
The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro presents Ten Queens. One Crown. The Journey to Miss Gay Maryland: A Contestant Revue Show hosted by Onyx Revlon and Ashley Bannks. Doors open at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover until 11 and $8 after. The show starts at 10:30 p.m.
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) is hosting an opening reception tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for its newest exhibits, “Grasses” by Mary D. Ott featuring hand-pulled prints of diverse images with grasses as their theme and “Nest with a Twist” by Janet Wheeler featuring mixed media pieces that depict nature’s endless cycle of renewal.
Saturday, April 2
John Doe and Jill Sobule, the singer of the original “I Kissed a Girl,” will be performing at Rams Head On Stage (33 West St.) in Annapolis today at 13:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at ramsheadonstage.com.
Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) presents RuPaul’s DragRace season three star, India Ferrah, tonight at 11 p.m. with Kristina Kelly and Her Girls of Glamour. DJ Gigi will be spinning starting at midnight. There is $10 cover.
Code has its monthly installment tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). Gear, rubber, skin, uniform or leather dress code will be strictly enforced. Music provided by DJ Frank Wild. Admission is $10. Code is an 18-and-older event. There will be an open bar from 9-10.
DJs Will Eastman and Brian Billion return to the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) with their No Scrubs: ‘90s Dance Party tonight at 9 p.m. featuring music by Salt N Pepa, Nirvana, Ace of Base and more. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at 930.com.
Busboys & Poets is holding a bake sale for Japan on the patio of its 5th and K Sts. location (1025 5th St., N.W.) at 10 a.m. This is part of a simultaneous national bake sale. All money raised will be donated to Peace Winds Japan. For more information, visit bakesalforjapan.com.
Adventuring, a D.C. gay and lesbian outdoor group, will be hosting a cherry blossom day hike. The group will meet at the station attendant’s kiosk at the Rosslyn Metro at 9 a.m. and hike a trail to the cherry blossoms and back. The only required cost is the $2 trip fee. For more information, visit adventuring.org.
Sunday, April 3
Nicki Minaj will be performing tonight at 7 p.m. at the Verizon Center (501 F St., N.W.) as part of Lil Wayne’s I’m Still Music tour also featuring Rick Ross and Travis Barker with MixMaster Mike. Tickets range from $49.75 to $125.75 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.
For the 2011 Kennedy Center Spring Gala, the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) presents “Michael Kaiser at the Kennedy Center: A Celebration of Ten Years” at 8 p.m. hosted by honoree Smokey Robinson with performers like Joshua Bell, Barbara Cook, Audra McDonald and dancers from various ballet companies. Tickets range from $35 to $150. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit kennedy-center.org.
Monday, April 4
The Queer Network of the Women’s Information Network is having a volunteer night at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to make safer sex kits.
Bears do Yoga at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. Class lasts for an hour and serves as an introduction to yoga for people of all different body types and physical abilities. It’s taught by Michael Brazell. For more information, visit dccenter.org.
Tuesday, April 5
“Shear Madness,” a comedy whodunit, will be performed twice tonight at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab (2700 F St., N.W.) at 5 and 8 p.m. “Madness” takes place in present-day Georgetown, in the Shear Madness Hair Styling Salon. Tickets are $42. Visit kennedy-center.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
Conflict Solutions International is hosting an event on Islam and Western Society today at the Western Presbyterian Church (2401 Virginia Ave., N.W.) at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 6
The Tom Davaron Social Bridge Club will meet at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner is needed. For more information, visit lambdabridge.com and click “Social Bridge in Washington, D.C.”
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 Pring will host and bartend.
Thursday, April 7
Team D.C. presents Spring Sportsfest, a happy hour and “open house expo” for LGBT athletes and newcomers interested in joining a team this season today from 7 to 10 p.m. at Room & Board (1840 14th St., N.W.). More than 25 sports groups have been confirmed as being in attendance. For more information, visit teamdc.org.
Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is hosting AIDS Walk 2011 Kick-Off today at 6 p.m. There will be raffle prizes, free fries, free walk registration and fundraising guide and one free beer.
The Crime Victims’ Rights Week National Observance and Candlelight Ceremony is tonight at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (1615 H St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. featuring Judy Shepard, mother of slain hate crime victim, Matthew Shepard. This is a free event. For more information, visit ncvrw.org.
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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