Arts & Entertainment
Celebrating wins, looking ahead
Local gay sports teams savor victories, gear up for fall activities
Gay diver Ben Takai of the Montgomery Dive Club won three gold medals in July in Honolulu. (Photo by Cliff Betita)
With summer coming to a close, the LGBT sports community of Washington has wrapped up some successful sporting adventures and also has many new ones approaching this fall.
Congratulations to the District of Columbia Aquatics Club for winning an unprecedented 10th title in the large team category at the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatic Championships in Honolulu. The swimmers took the crown by defeating strong teams from West Hollywood Aquatics and Team New York Aquatics. They are currently in training for the next Championships to be held in Reykjavik, Iceland in June. More on the swimmers can be found at swimdcac.org.
Congratulations to Ben Takai of the Montgomery Dive Club for sweeping the diving events at the same IGLA Championships in the 25-29 age group. Ben struck gold in the 1-meter springboard, 3-meter springboard and the 10-meter platform. The diving club is online at montgomerydiveclub.org.
Congratulations to the 13 members of the D.C. Strokes Rowing Club who medaled in seven events at the USRowing Masters National regatta in Oklahoma City, Okla. The rowers won medals in men’s, women’s and mixed events to cap off a long sprint race season. Check them out at dcstrokes.org.
Congratulations to the Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League whose members are welcoming home three teams having just competed in the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association Softball World Series in Chicago. The CAPS won the bid to host the World Series in Washington in 2013 over Portland and Dallas. The event is expected to draw about 160 teams and 2,000 players from member cities across North America. The fall season begins for the CAPS begins Sept. 11. Information on softball is at eteamz.com/caps.
The Capital Tennis Association is hosting the Capital Classic XIX tournament on Sept. 16-18 at the Hains Point Tennis Center. Singles and doubles will be contested on clay and hard courts in five different divisions. Fall tennis leagues are forming now and begin in October. Information on the tournament and the tennis team is at capital-tennis.org.
Team D.C. will be hosting a dodgeball tournament on Sept. 24 at the Columbia Heights Recreation Center. Teams consist of eight players and you can register a full team or sign up individually to be placed on a team. Details are at teamdc.org.
The Lambda Links Golf Club will continue to play on different courses on weekends through the fall season and nonmembers are welcome. Members will also be hosting their annual club championships on Sept. 25 and their halloween tournament on Oct. 27. Tee times are at lambdalinks.org.
The Washington Renegades rugby football team kicks off the fall season with match play on Saturday. The ruggers made it to the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union quarterfinals in the spring of 2011 and are looking for another successful season. Match days are posted at www.dcrugby.com.
The D.C. Gay Flag Football league starts its fall season on Sunday at the Carter Barron Fields on 16th and Kennedy. The ever-growing league is now boasting 16 teams that will compete weekly for the coveted championship trophy. League stats and information is at dcgffl.org.
Having just wrapped up the second Summer of Freedom League and hosting the Rehoboth Beach Classic XIII coed soccer tournament last weekend, the Federal Triangles Soccer Club is gearing up for a full slate of league action this fall. On Sept. 21, players will host the second United Night Out at RFK Stadium as the D.C. United take on Chivas USA. The event is part of the Night Out series brought to you by Team D.C. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at unitednightout.com. The Triangles can be found at federaltriangles.org.
On Sunday, members of the D.C. Frontrunners will compete in the 9-11 Memorial Run 5 K in Arlington. The event kicks off the fall race circuit for the Frontrunners which continues into December. More information on the group is at dcfrontrunners.org.
The Rainbow Spinnakers Sailing Club continues its two-hour sails on weekends into the fall season. Nonmembers are welcome and you can be an experienced sailor or a beginner looking to experience sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. They can be found at rainbowspinnakers.org.
The Lambda Divers Scuba Club is heading to Cozumel, Mexico for the week-long 20th anniversary of the Diving For Life charity event. In October, the group heads to the Caribbean for some diving off the coast of Grand Cayman. Check out your options at lambdadivers.org.
LGBT Family Day with the Washington Nationals is being held Sept. 18. Same-sex couples are invited to bring their kids for a special day at the ballpark. Tickets are just $16 and game time is 1:35 p.m. as the Nats take on the Florida Marlins. Info is at nationals.com/lgbtfamily.
Lambda DanceSport is offering up an all new location on Wednesdays and Sundays during its ‘DanceSport at DuPont Circle’ series. Lessons are being offered in country-western, international Latin and international ballroom. lambdadancesport.com.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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