Arts & Entertainment

Baltimore arts briefs: April 27

Queer films at Towson U., Christine Ebersole in town and more

Published

14 years ago

April 26, 2012

Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor in ‘Beginners,’ which will be screened this weekend at Towson University. Plummer played gay and won an Oscar. (Photo courtesy Focus Features)

Queer films screened at Towson

Towson University (800 York Rd., Towson) is having its third annual Queer Film Festival starting Monday and running through Thursday.

Monday’s films are the 2012 French film “Polariod Song” and the 2011 film “Pariah.” The films will be screened from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. in VB204.

Tuesday will include a screening of the 2011 film “Beginners” starring Oscar winner Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor at 8:15 p.m. Before the screening, there will also be a couple exhibits open for viewing.

The festival ends with screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Buffy Musical: Once More, with Feeling” starting at 7 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation to LGBT Alternative Spring Break and prop kits will be available.

All events will be in room 204 of Van Bokkelen Hall. For more information, visittowson.edu/qff.

Ebersole in Baltimore for Saturday performance

Tony Award-winning singer and actress Christine Ebersole plays the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation (7401 Park Heights Ave.) for Night of the Stars Satuday at 8 p.m.

The event will be honoring Martha and Stan Weiman and will benefit Religious School Scholarships and Youth Programs.

Tickets are $75 for general seating.

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

Gay volleyball tourney this weekend

Charm City Volleyball, a LGBT volleyball organization, is having its annual Charm City Invitational starting today at the Volleyball House (3635 Furnace Ave., Elkridge).

Registration is tonight at Club Hippo (1 W. Eager St.) from 7 to 11 p.m.

Saturday starts at 7 a.m. with an hour-long warm-up for pool play. There will also be late sign-in registration at 7:30 a.m. The day ends with a banquet and seeding party at Club Hippo.

Sunday also starts at 7 a.m. at the House with another warm-up. Double elimination play begins at 8 a.m. There will be a post-tournament happy hour from 5 to 8 p.m. at a to be determined location. A post tournament party will be at Grand Central (1001/1003 N. Charles St.) starting at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit volleybaltimore.org.

Coming out, trans and poz groups to meet at Center

The GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (241 West Chase St.) has a large variety of groups meeting this week.

On Saturday, Sufficient As I Am, a group for youth 24 and younger dealing with issues of sexuality, coming out, relationships, family and more, meets in room 201 at 12:30 p.m. The Baltimore Trans-Masculine Alliance, a FTM support group, is also meeting at 6 p.m. in room 202. Tran*quility, a MTF support group meets at 8 p.m. in room 202.

POZ Men, an LGBT-affirming peer support group for all HIV-positive men, meets on Wednesday in room 202 at 6 p.m.

For more information on these groups and others, visit glccb.org.

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Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

19 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP