Arts & Entertainment
20,000 leagues under the G
Well — almost; local gay sports teams have bounty of spring activities planned

Earlier this month, 33 local LGBT sports teams gathered at Room & Board on 14th Street for Team D.C.’s sportsfest. In addition to long time mainstays such as the D.C. Frontrunners and the Federal Triangles Soccer Club, there were some newer clubs making their presence known on the LGBT sports scene.
The D.C. Cherry Bombs are a recently formed LGBT friendly women’s flag football team that hopes to compete on a local and national level. The group will compete at a tournament in Maryland next month and is hoping to put a team together for the women’s division of the Gay Super Bowl in Denver in September. Practices are at Garrison Elementary School on Saturdays at 11 a.m. They can be found on Facebook at D.C. Cherry Bombs.
The predominately straight group D.C. Triathlon Club was at Sportsfest to encourage members of the LGBT community to join them in training and competing in triathlons. The group recently hosted a happy hour at MOVA with more planned. The group offers a large variety of workout opportunities and members can get discounts from several local retailers. More information is at dctriclub.org.
Ultimate Out is a LGBT-friendly coed Ultimate Frisbee team that meets twice weekly. One night is reserved for league play in the Washington Area Frisbee Club recreational league. The other meet-up is for pick up play with athletes of all skill levels welcome to join. Write the group at [email protected] for more information.
The Washington Wetskins water polo team is the longest running, continuously operating LGBT water polo team in the nation. Its members practice on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Tacoma Recreation Center from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. All skill levels are welcome and they can be reached at wetskins.org.
Charm City Volleyball hosts social play on Wednesdays at the Mt. Royal Recreational Center in Baltimore from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sundays are reserved for competitive play, scrimmages and team practices at the Volleyball House in Elkridge, Md., from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This weekend, starting on Saturday morning, the group will host the 27th annual Charm City Invitational at the Volleyball House where 40 teams will be competing in pool play on Saturday and will return for double elimination play on Sunday. Social festivities will run the course of the weekend in Baltimore. Details are at volleybaltimore.org.
Stonewall Kickball is in the middle of its spring season and will break for its All-Stars game on May 5 at Stead Park beginning at 4 p.m. League playoffs and finals will be wrapped up on May 20.. Stay tuned for fall registration as the team rosters fill up fast. Also coming up for the group is the hilarious Drag Kickball event on June 3 at Stead Park from 3 to 5 p.m. Keep up with the kickballers at stonewallkickball.com.
The Capital Splats racquetball club has begun league play, which is primarily held at the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center. New players can still be phased into the league which consists of three divisions, each of which has two tiers. Check out their new website at capitalsplats.org.
Rainbow Climbing D.C. can be found climbing on a weekly basis either indoor or outdoor. Indoor climbing sessions are at Earth Treks in Rockville or Sportrock in Alexandria. The group can sometimes be found outdoors at Carderock, just west of Bethesda. Meet up information is on their Facebook page at Rainbow Climbing D.C.
Books
A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat
New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages
Happy is the bride the sun shines on.
Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.
He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.
He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.
But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.
Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.
Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.
What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.
In short, this book is quite stunning.
Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.
If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Music & Concerts
Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’
Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co.
Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.
For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.
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