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Calendar: Nov. 25

Plays, support groups, club meetings and more through Dec. 1

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Alex Mills and Natalie Berk in Synetic Theater’s ‘Romeo and Juliette,’ which will be performed tonight in Arlington. (Photo by Graeme B. Shaw; courtesy of Synetic)

TODAY

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) and Pop-Up Vintage have partnered up for a special Black Friday sale today from noon to 5 p.m. Pop-Up is a monthly vintage clothing, art, books and houseware shop. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro presents the Royal Rumble: Battle of the Drag Queens Jello Wrestling. All contestants will walk the runway and have 30 seconds to impress the crowd to win Best Wrestling Costume then there will be a series of wrestling matches. Contestants get in without a cover and get a $20 bar tab. For more information on signing up, contact [email protected] Doors open at 9 p.m.

Busboys & Poets will be having an American Sign Language open mic night tonight at 11 p.m. in the Langston room at its 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.). Anyone with sign language knowledge may sign up by e-mailing [email protected]. There is a $5 admission at the door.

The Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane) in North Bethesda presents classic albums live with “The Beatles Abbey Road.” The show brings musicians together for live performances of classic rock albums.

Synetic Theater (2788 S. Arlington Mill Drive) in Arlington continues its Speak No More: The Silent Shakespeare Festival with the return of “Romeo and Juliet” opening tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $55 and can be purchased online at synetictheater.org.

Saturday, Nov. 26

Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave.) in Arlington presents its production of “Hairspray” starring Robert Aubry Davis and Carolyn Cole today at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $62 to $67 and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com.

Greenbelt Arts Center (123 Centerway) presents “Alice in Wonderland” tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17 for general admission and $14 for students, seniors and military. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit greenbeltartscenter.org.

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 “Beauty and the Beasts.”

The Lodge (21614 National Pike) in Boonsboro presents DJ Ryan W Backtracks Retro tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. featuring music from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and now. There’s a $3 cover before 11 p.m. and $5 after with $5 “Refreshers” drink specials all night.

The National Symphony Orchestra Pops presents “An Unforgettable Tribute to Nat King Cole” featuring Grammy Award-winning guitarist/vocalist George Benson and conductors Randy Waldman and Steven Reineke tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $85 and can be purchased online at kennedy-center.org.

Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Rd.) in Vienna presents local pianist John Eaton for “Indiana on Our Minds” featuring the music of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at wolftrap.org.

Sunday, Nov. 27

National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) presents the Tony Award-winning musical, “Jersey Boys” today at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $36.50 to $276.50 and can be purchased online at jerseyboysinfo.com.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) has two exhibits on display, one is an all-member show and the other is “The Privileged Series” by Anthony Dortch. This is the last day of the exhibit. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.

Monday, Nov. 28

WEAVE, a support group for LGBT survivors of intimate partner violence/abuse will be meeting from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Lighthouse Center for Healing (5321 First Place, N.E.). For more information and to register, call 202-280-6391.

Author Andrew Skerritt will be at Busboys & Poets 14th and V streets location (2021 14th St., N.W.) to discuss his new book, “Ashamed to Die: Silence, Denial, and the AIDS Epidemic in the South.” This event is free and open to everyone.

Tuesday, Nov. 29

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) is hosting a foster parent information night tonight at 7 p.m. There will be people who are foster parents, who have recently finished the application process and people from the Latin American Youth Center about how to become a foster parent. The event will have a special focus on being a foster parent for older, LGBT youth. For more information, thedccenter.org.

Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s packing location, Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.

Wednesday, Nov. 30

Singer Robin Thicke plays the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) at 7 tonight. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online a 930.com.

The Lambda Bridge Club meets 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, Dec. 1

Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) holds 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.

Capital Splats, an LGBT racquetball group, is having its happy hour tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit capitalsplats.org.

The Lambda Sci-Fi Book Group meets today at 1425 S St., N.W. This month’s book is the anthology “Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy” edited by Ellen Datlow. Attendees are asked to bring a snack and/or non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information, email [email protected], [email protected] or visit the group’s website lambdascifi.org.

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Online Culture

Clavicular charged in alleged rape of teenage influencer

Online personality’s real name is Braden Peters

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Braden Peters a.k.a. "Clavicular" (Screen capture via NBC News/YouTube)

Online personality Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, has been accused of rape.

According to NBC, Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza, an 18-year-old influencer known online as Alorah or Alorah Ziva, accused Peters of sexual assault, and the case is making its way through the court system.

The alleged incident occurred on May 23, 2025, when Mendoza was 17.

According to a criminal complaint from the Chatham (Mass.) Police Department, Peters called her an Uber to his family’s home. Once there, he allegedly got her drunk on vodka while they livestreamed on Twitch and then raped her. His mother and grandmother were allegedly in the house.

The documents allege Clavicular committed rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and procuring and providing liquor to a person under 21.

According to court documents acquired by NPR, Mendoza began communicating with Peters on Instagram, where he paid her to appear on his livestreams to help her “make her name known on social media.”

According to those documents, Peters arranged for the minor to come to Cape Cod home to participate in a videostream for his 437,000 followers on Kick, 1.2 million followers on TikTok, and more than 1 million followers on Instagram.

At his home, Peters allegedly instructed Mendoza to say she was 18 on his videostream and to claim the alcohol on camera was water instead of vodka. Mendoza said she felt peer-pressured to drink the spirit and that she became noticeably intoxicated after a couple of drinks.

The allegations go on to state that after stopping the stream, Peters and Mendoza kissed on a couch and then had sex in his bed without her consent. Mendoza said she did not receive a sexual assault forensic exam after the incident. NPR does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.

The charges come months after Mendoza sued Peters in Miami, accusing him of sexual battery in connection with the events of May 2025. The civil lawsuit also separately alleges that he injected her face with a non-FDA-approved fat-dissolving substance during a November livestream in Florida.

Peters is known for his “looksmaxxing” concept of vanity, which is at the core of his online presence. The “looksmaxxing” culture he has helped cultivate combines elements of incel culture and heterosexuality, with the stated goal of attracting the opposite sex. He has gone as far as to say he has undergone “bonesmashing,” or hitting his own face with a hammer; taken anabolic steroids to more rapidly grow muscle; and used crystal meth as an appetite suppressant.

At the same time, looksmaxxing has been described as having elements of homoeroticism, with “looksmaxxers” appearing more concerned with impressing other men than women. Peters has multiple times pointed to openly gay actor Matt Bomer as the gold standard for male facial aesthetics.

Peters’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 14.

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PHOTOS: Shenandoah Valley Pride

LGBTQ celebration held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va.

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A scene from the 2026 Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival. (Washington Blade photo by Landon Shackelford)

The 2026 Shenandoah Valley Pride Festival was held at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg, Va. on Sunday, Sept. 20.

(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)

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PHOTOS: Walk and 5K to End HIV

Whitman-Walker Health holds 40th annual event

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A scene from the 2026 Walk and 5K to End HIV on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Whitman-Walker Health held the 40th annual Walk and 5K to End HIV at Anacostia Park on Saturday, Sept. 19.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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