Arts & Entertainment

Arts briefs: March 2

GLOV holds self-defense class, gay groups hold theme dances and more

Published

15 years ago

March 1, 2012

GLOV sponsors self-defense class at the Center

D.C.’s LGBT anti-violence task force GLOV (Gays & Lesbians Opposing Violence) is hosting a two hour introduction to self-defense class at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Sydney Aquino, the instructor, professional personal trainer and martial arts expert, will incorporate martial arts such as muay thai, karate and mixed martial arts, into the workshop.

There is a suggested donation of $10. For more information and to register for the class, visit thedccenter.org.

Gay groups to hold theme dances in D.C.

GLOE (GLBT Outreach & Engagement) presents the fifth annual Masquerade and Mischief Purim Party at the Washington Jewish Community Center (1529 16th St., N.W.) on Saturday from 8:30 p.m. to midnight with a special appearance by the D.C. Cowboys.

Costumes are encouraged, especially drag.

Tickets are $30 and include an open bar, food, dancing and performances.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit washingtondcjcc.org.

KhushD.C. presents Jalwa party, a LGBT Bollywood dance party, on Friday at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.) featuring DJ Sue from New York.

There will be various drink specials including a free drink ticket to the first 50 people to show up and $16 drink wristbands giving vodka drinks all night available between 10 and 11 p.m.

Cover is $12 before 11 p.m. and $15 after. Doors open at 10 p.m.

For more information, visit KhushDC.org.

A.U. hosts gay-themed ‘pop-opera’ this weekend

American University students Carter Lowe, left, and Sam Edgerly address LGBT issues in new play, ‘Bare.’ (Photo by Catherine Gannon, courtesy American University)

American University theatre students look at LGBT issues in a production of “Bare,” a pop opera musical written by Jon Hartmere and Damon Intrabartolo at the Katzen Arts Center (4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.

The show is set in a Catholic boarding school and centers on Peter and Jason, roommates in a secret relationship.

After the matinee performance on Saturday, Matt Bruno from the university’s GLBTA Resource Center will moderate a panel on the struggles of gay adolescents featuring Alison Gill from GLSEN, Andrew Barnett from SYMAL and Phil Hicks from PFLAG.

Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for the A.U. community and seniors.

Online Culture

Clavicular charged in alleged rape of teenage influencer

Online personality’s real name is Braden Peters

Published

21 hours ago

September 23, 2026

Joe Reberkenny

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.