Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Sept. 23

Parties, support groups, concerts and more through Sept. 29

Published

15 years ago

September 22, 2011

‘Sentinel-I’ is one of the reliefs by Mary H. Lynch on display at Touchstone Gallery. (Image courtesy of Touchstone)

TODAY (Friday)

Beat City, a queer lounge night, is tonight at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Rd., N.W.) from 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. There is no cover for this 21-and-older event.

The Baltimore Improv Group will be performing at Creative Alliance at the Patterson (3134 Eastern Ave.) in Baltimore, tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $16 for the general public and $11 for members. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit creativealliance.org.

FYM presents Eighties Mayhem, an ‘80s dance party, tonight at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) with DJs Steve EP, Missguided, Killa K and Krasty McNasty. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at blackcatdc.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) is having its weekly Bear Happy Hour tonight starting at 6 p.m. There is no cover for this 21 and older event.

Fahrenheit presents “Leche,” a new Latin night at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) featuring DJ Michael Brandon from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. This is a $7 cover after 10.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) has two exhibits on display, “The Nature of Joy” featuring pastels by Lou Gagnon and “Off the Square” featuring canvas wall reliefs by Mary H. Lynch. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Raw, hosted by DJs Bil Todd and Shea Van Horn with special guest DJ Matt Bailer, will be at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. There will be an open bar from 10 to 11 p.m. There is a $7 cover. Attendees must be 21 or older.

D.C. VegFest is today at George Washington University at the University Yard from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is a free outdoor festival celebrating the best of everything vegetarian in and around the district. For more information, visit dcvegfest.com.

Today is the first of six square dancing classes being held by D.C. Lambda Squares from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a break for lunch. The classes are $155. For more information, email [email protected].

The National Book Festival starts today from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the National Mall. Normally a one day event, organizers have added an extra day on Sunday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit loc.gove/bookfest.

Manila Luzon and Carmen Carrera from the last season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will be performing at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) during the regular drag show tonight. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the show starts at 10:30. The cover is $8 until 11 and then $12. All attendees must be 21 or older.

Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) presents Hellmouth Happy Hour where every week an episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” will be screened and drink specials will be offered. This week the episode is “Killed by Death.”

Out singer/songwriter Melissa Ferrick plays the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.) in Alexandria tonight at 7:30 p.m. with Ria Mae. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at birchmere.com.

Throwback presents “Knock Out,” a ‘90s dance party tonight at Grand Central (1001 N. Charles St.) in Baltimore. DJ Madscience and Grand’s own DJ Arturo will be spinning. Doors open at 10 p.m. and there is a $5 cover.

Hope D.C., a men’s HIV-positive social group, is celebrating its 23rd anniversary at a private residence in Arlington at 7 p.m. tonight. For more details call 202-466-5783 or visit hopedc.org/events.

Sunday, Sept. 25

Ziegfeld’s (1824 Half St., S.W.) is having its 2012 Miss Ziegfeld’s pageant tonight honoring Sue Nami, Miss Ziegfeld’s 2011, and a live performance by Jen Corey, Miss District of Columbia 2009. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) is having a closing party for its weekly Guil-Tea dance party today at 7 p.m. featuring free T-shirts.

Monday, Sept. 26

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is hosting an inter-generational dialogue between LGBT seniors and LGBT youth tonight starting at 6 p.m. For more information, email [email protected].

Teaching for Change’s Busboy’s & Poets is having an authors Joanne Smith, Meghan Huppuch and Mandy Van Deven to sign and discuss their new book, “Hey Shorty: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets” tonight at the 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.) at 6:30 p.m.

Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) now has beer pong every Monday from 8 p.m. to midnight upstairs featuring $8 pitchers and $2 drafts.

D.C. Different Drummers Capitol Pride Symphonic Band will rehearse tonight from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Capitol Hill (212 East Capitol St.). For more information, contact [email protected] or visit dcdd.org.

Tuesday, Sept. 27

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is having a special event tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. for Gay Men’s HIV Awareness Day, honoring those who have been making a difference including author Justin B. Terry-Smith, Paul Kawata, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, and Jacob Pring.

Remington’s (639 Pennslyvania Ave., S.E.) is hosting D.C. Drag Idol tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. hosted by Raquel Savage Black. Admission is $5.

Wednesday, Sept. 28

D.C. Different Drummer’s D.C. Swing! group will rehearse tonight from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Reformation Lutheran Church, Capitol Hill (212 East Capitol St.). For more information, contact [email protected] or visit dcdd.org.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is tonight at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar (1101 H St., N.E.) with The Machine and special guest DJs spinning alternative music and obscure dance tracks from the ‘80s tonight from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Attendees must be 21 or older for this cover-free event.

The Lambda Bridge Club is meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) across from Marine Barracks, for Duplicate Bridge. No reservations are needed and newcomers are welcome. If a partner is needed, visit lambdabridge.com.

Thursday, Sept. 29

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) and Tongue in You Ear present the Brother Tongue Poetry Workshop series. Tonight is the second in a series of four workshops led by Regie Cabico, a three time National Poetry Slam finalist who has appeared on two season of HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam.” All sessions will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 for all four sessions. For more information and to register, visit thedccenter.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) is hosting a book release part for Aaron Anson’s new book, “Mind Your Own Life,” tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more information on Anson and his book, visit his site, aaronanson.com.

Out & About

Rehoboth’s Aqua to celebrate 20th anniversary Sunday

Event marks culmination of Pride weekend in beach community

Published

3 hours ago

July 15, 2026

Staff reports

Aqua’s Katie Lyell is the reigning Best Rehoboth Bartender in the Blade’s Best of LGBTQ DC awards competition. (Blade file photo by Daniel Truitt)

Aqua Bar & Grill in Rehoboth Beach will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Sunday, July 19 from 2-7 p.m. DJ Biff will entertain the crowd; there will be complimentary birthday cake and surprise guests.

The event marks the culmination of Pride weekend in Rehoboth Beach, which runs all weekend with panel discussions, parties, and more.

Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

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