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Arts news in brief: Nov. 18

‘Hairspray’ at Signature, Thanksgiving volunteer opps and more

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Robert Aubry Davis and Carolyn Cole star in Signature Theatre's production of ‘Hairspray’ opening Monday. (Photo by Christopher Mueller; courtesy Signature)

‘Hairspray’ at Signature

Signature Theatre’s production of ‘Hairspray’ opens Monday. The musical will star radio host Robert Aubry Davis as Edna Turnblad, Carolyn Cole as Tracy Turnblad and Patrick Thomas Cragin as Link Larkin.

Performances will run Tuesday through Sunday evenings, expect Thanksgiving, after the Monday night opening, with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets range from $62 to $86 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.

The show runs through Jan. 29.

 Capital Queer Prom hosts meet and greet

The Capital Queer Prom Committee is having its official “Meet and Greet” happy hour on Tuesday at Hank’s Oyster Bar (1624 Q St., N.W.) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

At the event, attendees will be able to mix and mingle with members from the committee as well as learn about Transgender Health Empowerment, this year’s prom beneficiary. They will also be the first to know about announcements, early bird tickets and how to sign-up to be Prom King or Queen.

There will also be spiked bunch and free appetizer platters and drink specials running until 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $10 and the funds will benefit Capital Queer Prom and T.H.E. The sixth annual Capital Queer Prom will be held March 24. For more information, visit capitalqueerprom.com.

Thanksgiving brings volunteer opps

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and help the community.

Food & Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.), an organization that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses, has a couple different opportunities for people to help this Thanksgiving.

From Monday to Wednesday, volunteers will be needed to help with turkey box deliveries. These are boxes put together for clients who live further away and need the delivery sooner to make their Thanksgiving dinner. Volunteers will also be needed to assist with food preparation and packing groceries in two hour shifts at 8 and 10 a.m., and 1 and 5 p.m.

On Tuesday, volunteers are needed to help with “Slice of Life,” a program where people can buy pies for themselves or clients and each pie bought equals one day of meals. People will be needed to set up pie distribution and assist customers as they arrive with shifts from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On Thanksgiving, volunteers will be needed to deliver holiday meals to two or three clients in the D.C. area during one of four delivery shifts at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon. The organization also needs volunteers to assemble the meals and to help with the logistics of the day.

For more information about volunteering for Good & Friends, visit foodandfriends.org.

The Washington Renegades gay rugby team will be helping out Food & Friends on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as an annual event.

The team will be prepping turkeys, chopping vegetables and packing bags of prepared food. After volunteering the group will be having a gathering.

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers has some opportunities to volunteer as well. Besides helping with Food & Friends, the organization will be holding its ninth annual “Clear OUT Your Closets” clothing drive for the homeless at Rosemary’s Thyme (1801 18th St., N.W.) with donation drop-off running from 10 a.m. to noon.

The group also needs volunteers to help with providing Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and needy at Rosemary’s Thyme from noon to 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help set up starting at 10:30 a.m., clean up after and bring a dish of some kind to serve.

For more information about volunteering with Burgundy Crescent, visitburgundycrescent.org.

 

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Calendar

Calendar: March 27-April 2

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, March 27

Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website

Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected]

Saturday, March 28

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation.  Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website

Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. For more details, email [email protected]

Monday, March 30

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

“Tea Time! A Local DC Drag Comedy Show” will be at 3 p.m. at Spark Social. This is a live drag comedy show where drag legends TrevHER & Tiara Missou Sidora host spill all the tea in the DMV. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite

Tuesday, March 31

Visibili-TEA Party will be at 6 p.m. at Restoration Station. Guests are encouraged to come sip, celebrate, and shine together. This event is a Trans Day of Visibility celebration and a special collaboration between Auntie’s Home and Damien Ministries. This is a boozy tea party with intention and the dress code reflects the vibe. More details are available on Eventbrite

Wednesday, March 1

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, April 2

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245. 

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.  

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Out & About

Celebrate cherry blossoms the drag way

Unconventional Diner hosts bingo party

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The cherry blossoms are here. Celebrate at a unique event hosted by Unconventional Diner. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Unconventional Diner will host “Cherry Blossom Drag Bingo Party” on Friday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m.

Guests will be treated to an unforgettable night of drag performances, bingo, food and drink and prizes. Highlights of the evening include themed cocktails, drag performances and bingo prizes.

Tickets can be secured via Resy.

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Sports

New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics

New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles

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(Photo by Greg Martin; courtesy IOC)

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.

“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.

The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”

“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”

The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”

The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”

“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

(Video courtesy of the IOC)

Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.

Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.

“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.

An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.

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