Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Oct. 21
Meetings, parties, concerts and more through Oct. 27

‘Music Madness,’ a painting by Julie Borden, is on display at Prudential Gallo in Rehoboth Beach, Del. (Image courtesy of Prudential)
TODAY (Friday)
LezGetTogether presents “Lesbian Attack” at Solly’s Tavern (1942 11th St., N.W.) tonight at 6 p.m. LezGetTogether is an online community for LGBT women in the D.C. metro area.
The Creative Alliance presents “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” staring Adam Cooley, tonight at 8 p.m. at the Patterson (3134 Eastern Ave.) in Baltimore. There will be another performance Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets for the general public are $20 and member’s tickets are $15. For more information, visit creativealliance.org.
Green Lantern’s (1335 Green Court, N.W.) Fahrenheit presents “Leche” tonight from 9 p.m to 3 a.m. featuring DJ Michael Brandon. There’s a $7 cover after 10 p.m. and free rail vodka upstairs from 10 to 11 p.m.
Gay/Bash!, a “queer night of rock and pop gems” with DJ Joshua is tonight at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.). This is a free event and doors open at 9:30 p.m.
The Belly Horror Show will be at Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave.) in Alexandria tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. Belly Horror is a Halloween-themed, fusion belly dance show with lesbian organizers. For more information, visit bellyhorror.com.
Lambda Divers has its monthly happy hour tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.). For more information on the group, visit lambdadivers.org.
Saturday, Oct. 22
D.C. Doulas for Choice Collective is hosting a benefit tonight at 5525 Illinois Ave., N.W., tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The event will feature DJ AlexDB and sweet, vegan-friendly treats. There is a $6 to $8 suggested donation. D.C. Doulas is a group that believes women seeking abortions deserve the same support a doula would provide during labor and birth. For more information, visit dcdoulasforchoice.wordpress.com.
Mixtape is taking over the Rock & Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.E.) tonight for the official Metronomy/Class Actress afterparty starting at 10 p.m. The event is free with a ticket stub and $7 without one. Attendees must be 21 or older.
Drawing on the Andy Warhol exhibit “Headlines” at the National Gallery of Art, Busboys & Poets presents a modern take on Warhol’s “Electric Newspaper” tonight at 7 p.m. at its 5th and K streets location (1025 5th St., N.W.). The event will look at today’s headlines and feature performance by Christylez Bacon, Head Roc, Kickrocks dance crew and more. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. The movie “I Shot Andy Warhol” will be screened on Sunday at 8 p.m.
Team D.C.’s 2011 Champions Awards is tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the HRC Building (1640 Rhode Island, Ave., N.W.) with special guest Hudson Taylor. This year’s honorees are Town, Martin Espinoza of Stonewall Kickball, Chris Cormier and Brandon Waggoner of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and Phil Piga and Tony Watkins of Anywhere Goes. The 2011 Team D.C. College Scholarship recipients are Jorge Acevedo, Nate Eckland and Justin Kanga. Tickets are $40 and are available for purchase online at teamdc.org. Tickets include buffet, dessert bar and an open bar.
Will Eastman’s dance party “Bliss” returns to U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.) tonight with Chris Nitti. There is a $10 cover and attendees who are 18 to 20 must purchase tickets in advance. A portion of door proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit ustreetmusichall.com.
Sunday, Oct. 23
Busboys & Poets presents “Borderlines: A Bilingual Spanish-English Open Mic” tonight at 5 p.m. in the Zinn room of its Hyattsville location (5331 Baltimore Ave., Suite 104) hosted by Henry Mills. This is the pilot run of the event. The sign-up sheet opens at 4 p.m.
Artist Julie Borden and musician Sydney Arzt are featured in an exhibit at Prudential Gallo (37230 Rehoboth Ave.) in Rehoboth Beach. The works will be on view through the month. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on Borden and Arzt, visit their websites, juleez.com and demusic.org.
Monday, Oct. 24
Spoken word artists Andrea Gibson will be performing poems from her latest book, “The Madness Vase” with Natalie E. Illum tonight at The Fridge (516 1/2 8th St., S.E.) at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com/event/205541.
D.C. Strokes is hosting a novice fundraiser, bachelor auction and raffle tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) From 6 to 10 p.m., a $1 from every Nellie’s beer sold will go to D.C. Strokes and the novices will be racing each other on the erg machines on the deck. At 7 :30 p.m. at the auction begins and each bachelor or bachelorette comes with a dinner or activity package. Raffle tickets are $ and prizes include an iPad2. For more information, visit nelliesdc.com.
Tuesday, Oct. 25
The Jewish Foundation for Group Homes presents “An Evening of Dancing with the Stars” tonight at the Music Center at Strathmore at 7 p.m. featuring Academy Award-winning actor Marlee Matlin, actor Gilles Marini with professional dancers Jonathan Roberts and Edyta Sliwinska. Tickets to this event are available through JFGH. For ticket information, call 240-283-6027 or email [email protected].
Wednesday, Oct. 26
Metropolitan Community Church of D.C. (474 Ridge St., N.W.) is hosting “Goblin Night,” an event for youth from teens to twenties tonight. There will be a Trick or Treat delivery from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and then a costume party from 8:30 to 11 p.m. For more information, visit mccdc.com.
Cameron Mackintosh presents a new 25th anniversary production of “Les Miserables” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) today at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $39 to $155 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.
Green Lantern (1331 Green Court, N.W.) will host the weekly Poz D.C. happy hour upstairs from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Thursday, Oct. 27
Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) is having its monthly meeting tonight in the main room at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
D.C. Lambda Squares has its club night for plus and advanced dancers tonight from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.) with caller Bill Harrison. For more information, visit dclambdasquares.org.
HRC has its monthly community night tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) from 5 to 8 p.m.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
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.”
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















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.
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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