Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Joshua Bennett
The gay singer/actor answers 20 gay questions
Joshua Bennett (Blade photo by Michael Key)
Joshua Bennett did the whole New York/professional actor/singer/dancer thing for long enough that although he still loves performing, he says he’s perfectly content doing it in a volunteer capacity.
“For some reason when … it becomes my job or my obligation, it’s no longer something I enjoy,” the 36-year-old Kalispell, Mont., native says. “I think of my talent as a gift so when I’m getting paid it becomes a chore.”
Bennett gets plenty of chance to put his talent voluntarily to use with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which he joined shortly after moving to D.C. in January, 2010. It started innocuously — he was just looking for a way to make friends. Since then he’s had starring roles in several major productions. Look for him as Frank N Furter in the Chorus’s all-male production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” next weekend (three performances at the G.W. Lisner Auditorium; go to gmcw.org for details).
“I just joined to be a singer,” Bennett says. “I never expected all these other opportunities. I just figured I’d be in the risers singing.”
And for some shows he is. But Chorus brass obviously enjoys making use of Bennett’s professional training. He has an Actor’s Equity card and was in touring companies of “The Producers” and “Oklahoma” during the six years he spent in New York.
Bennett works by day as resident concierge team leader at Archstone, an apartment building in Crystal City, Va., where he lives. He says eventually he’d like to go back to school but is professionally content for now.
And no, he doesn’t have any issue with many of the barely there sartorial selections the Chorus has for him. “As a dancer, you lose a lot of your inhibitions,” he says. “And I know sometimes the crowd likes to see a little skin.”
Bennett is single and enjoys music, dancing, reading and TV in his free time. (Blade photo by Michael Key; character photo courtesy GMCW)
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I started the coming out process when I was 22, shortly after I got divorced from my ex-wife. She was the hardest person to tell and I waited until she discovered it on her own via Facebook 11 years later.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
I would have to say Ellen DeGeneres. Watching her come out publicly as a young (closeted and married) gay man was very inspiring. It gave me hope that one day I could live freely and openly without fear.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
I don’t go out often, but when I do the best nightspot is wherever my friends happen to be.
Describe your dream wedding.
I don’t really believe in the institution of marriage anymore, but I do believe in equality. I also claim the right to change my mind for the right guy.
Bennett in costume for 'Rocky Horror' (Photo courtesy GMCW)
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
I am very concerned with environmental issues. I think we need to be more responsible with how we treat our home.
What historical outcome would you change?
There are too many instances of social injustice in the history of humanity to choose just one. Trial and error and sometimes downright stupidity have led humanity to where we are now, and it is futile to wish things had happened differently. Without those historical moments, we would not be where we are today. It is heartening to live in a time when there is so much progression on the equality front.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
Whitney Houston’s comeback concert in Central Park in 2009. It was the most memorable for me because I was there.
On what do you insist?
Honesty
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
“Bill Maher is my hero!” This was after watching his live show on Yahoo!
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“Love in the Time of Joshua”
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Um … No, thanks! Why would I want to change who I am? A friend of mine from college recently committed suicide, and he struggled with his homosexuality. I know this conflict all too well. I grew up in a strictly religious household and was told that homosexuality was wrong and a sin. Luckily, I was able to overcome the brainwashing, but some people can never reconcile who they are with who they are told to be. We need to continue to work hard to erase this idea that homosexuality is wrong. We are who we are.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
Nada. Live for today. Live for each other.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Keep up the good fight! I am so grateful to all of the people who work tirelessly to ensure a better future for all of us.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
Love
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
The bitchy gay
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Beautiful Thing” — it’s such a great story of young, brave love.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Religion
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony, Tony…
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
There is nothing to fear.
Why Washington?
I moved here with an ex. I love D.C. because it has all the comforts of a big city, but is cleaner and quieter than others that shall not be named. It also boasts the biggest and best chorus in the country, The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, of which I am a proud family member.
Celebrity News
My evening with Madonna
Gay icon headlined the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key will be on assignment in the Netherlands through Aug. 10. They will be covering World Pride in Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM — Madonna and 6,000 of her closest friends celebrated World Pride at Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall early Sunday morning. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.
Madonna last Wednesday nearly broke the internet when she said on social media in Dutch that “I got somethin’ I wanna talk about,” referring to an opening line in “Danceteria,” one of the tracks on her “Confessions II” album that has received rave reviews since its July 2 release. The track has been on near constant replay on my playlist since I first heard it.
— Madonna (@Madonna) July 28, 2026
MISTR — a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term care that has organized Madonna’s Club Confessions shows in the U.S. and the U.K. — later confirmed the rampant speculation. I woke up on July 30 to an email in my inbox from MISTR and the World Pride Music Festival PR team that said I was on the press list.
Madonna was indeed going to headline the World Pride Music Festival that Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced, and I was going to be there. OMFG!!!!
The gay icon had one more surprise in store.
The Dutch internet on Saturday once again broke over speculation that Kylie Minogue was going to appear alongside Madonna. I was getting ready to leave our hotel in Amsterdam on Saturday night when I saw a video of the two of them together.
“Madonna is now teasing Kylie Minogue on her social media … she may be one of her ‘special guests’ tonight,” I wrote in a text to Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff at 8:46 p.m.
“Have fun! This is turning into the gayest concert ever,” he responded.
I arrived at AFAS Live shortly before 11 p.m. My press contact walked me and two other Dutch journalists into the venue’s cavernous main room known as the Black Box. We made small talk for a few minutes before I started to walk around and listen to Josh Harrison who was on the decks.
Madonna was scheduled to take the stage at 1:30 a.m., but she is known for being late — she is Madonna and she does what she wants. Hayla, a British singer, and Bebe Rexha are among those who performed ahead of Madonna. Thousands of sweaty men — including a group of Australians next to me who were eagerly awaiting Kylie’s anticipated appearance — packed the Black Box and were dancing, anticipating what was to come.
MISTR CEO Tristan Schukraft at one point came on stage and declared Madonna was indeed in the building. The moment for which we were all eagerly waiting finally came shortly before 2:30 a.m.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage.
Stuart Price, who produced her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album in 2005, manned the decks during Madonna’s set.
She opened it with “I Feel So Free” from “Confessions II.” Madonna then sang “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria” to which this reporter — and everyone else — sang along.
Madonna then teased a surprise before she began to perform “Love Sensation.” Kylie soon appeared on stage. It was nearly too much for my fellow partygoers from Australia. It was indeed the gayest concert ever!
Madonna and Kylie performed “Love Sensation” together. They then sang “Hung Up” and “Sorry” from “Confessions on a Dance Floor” to round out the set that ended shortly after 3 a.m.
Madonna and I share the same birthday — Aug. 16 — and I would like to think she and Kylie gave me an early birthday present. In all seriousness though, it was an amazing night for me and for everyone else who was fortunate enough to be there.
“On the dance floor I feel so free,” says Madonna in the opening of “I Feel So Free.”
For those few precious hours at AFAS Live I did not think about the Trump-Vance administration and the myriad ways it is destroying the U.S. I did not think about the National Guard troops deployed to D.C. I did not think about the pointless wars that continue to ravage Ukraine and other countries around the world. I simply lost myself on the dance floor and celebrated an icon who has always stood with my community.
Thank you, Madonna.
The Petal Release Party and Drag Show was held at Spark Social on Friday, July 31. Performers included Tiara-Missou, Labianna and Darcy de la Cuadra.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Celebrity News
Madonna headlines World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Kylie Minogue made surprise appearance alongside gay icon
AMSTERDAM — Madonna on Sunday headlined the final night of the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam.
The gay icon took the stage shortly before 2:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday) during Club Confessions, a set that MISTR, a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term HIV care, organized.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage inside Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall that can hold up to 6,000 people.
Stuart Price, who produced Madonna’s 2005 “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album and “Confessions II,” which debuted on July 2, DJed the set.
Kylie Minogue made a surprise appearance. She and Madonna performed a new remix of “Love Sensation” from “Confessions II.”
(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
“Throughout my career, I’ve always supported efforts to fight HIV and AIDS, and that fight begins with education and access,” said Madonna in a MISTR press release. “With MISTR, (CEO) Tristan (Schukraft) is expanding access to HIV prevention and sexual healthcare for everyone. Through this work, he’s helping preserve and strengthen LGBTQ+ spaces while investing in the communities and culture that have long sustained us.”
Minogue in an Instagram post thanked Madonna, Price, Schukraft, and MISTR.
Madonna appeared at The Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Madonna in June celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York’s Times Square.
Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced the World Pride Music Festival that also featured Bebe Rexha and Paris Hilton, among others.
“Pride has always been about bringing our community together,” said Resnicow. “At a moment when too many people are being told to hide or make themselves smaller, gathering openly, joyfully, and without apology matters more than ever. I couldn’t be prouder of what this festival brought to life in Amsterdam — one dance floor, completely free.”
Buttigieg indicates he may run for president in 2028
Remembering Elliot Leonard, generous visionary who helped LGBTQ communities thrive
My evening with Madonna
PHOTOS: Petal Release Party
Madonna headlines World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
PHOTOS: Lambda Legal in the Pines
Calendar: July 31-August 6
Taiwan’s government has failed to update process to change gender markers on ID documents
Come showcase your singing, poetry talent
