Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: June 15
Parties, events, concerts and more through June 21
This weekend is the last to see gay photographer Tommie Adams’ work in a Ward 8 exhibit. Visit serenityplayers.org for details. (Photo courtesy Adams)
TODAY (Friday)
Whitman-Walker Health clinic is having HIV test at Beat the Streets (14th and Saratoga, N.E.) today from 3:30-7:30 p.m. For more information, visit Whitman-walker.org.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. This event is 21 and older. There’s no cover charge. For details, visit towndc.com.
Grupo Fantasma is playing on Black Cat’s main stage (1811 14th St. N.W.) tonight at 9. The group is considered one of the funkiest Latin orchestras in the U.S. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
Code is hosting its XXX: Anything Goes party tonight at The Crucible (16 M St., N.E.) at 10 p.m. The event is men only. Admission is $30. For details, visit codedc.com.
Ali Wong, SF Weekly’s “Best Comedian of 2009,” performs tonight at Riot Act Comedy Theater (801 E. St., N.W.) at 10:30 p.m. Admission is $12 -$20. For more information, visit riotcomedy.com.
Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) is hosting “Dance Party with DJ Staylo” tonight at
7:30. Admission is $10. For details, visit phase1dc.com.
Saturday, June 16
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, works with the Lost Dog & Cat Foundation at the Falls Church Petsmart (6100 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va.) today at 11:45 a.m. For details, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Lambda Sci-Fi (2462 Tunlaw Rd., N.W.) hosts a post-Pride potluck video party featuring science fiction, fantasy and horror today at 3:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring favorite DVDs, food and non-alcoholic drinks to share. For more information, visit lambdascifi.org.
Tonight is the last opportunity to see gay photographer Tommie Adams’ work in his current exhibit, “Natural Light and the Male Nude,” this evening at 6 located in the ARCH Development Training Center (1231 Good Hope Rd., S.E.). Adams has been a photographer for10 years, and in the current exhibit, he explores how diversity and emotion that can be expressed by the male nude. This event is free. For more information, visit serenityplayers.org.
The play “9 Parts of Desire” is being performed tonight at the Davis Performing Arts Center (37th and O St., N.W.) at 8 p.m. The piece delves into the lives of different Iraqi women. The event is free, but attendees must reserve tickets. For details, visit performingarts.georgetown.edu.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts “Bare” tonight at 10, a ladies dance party featuring DJ Rosie and other invited guests. Cover is $7 before midnight and $10 after. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) is hosting “Ink & Scruff,” an underwear party showcasing sexy scruffy men with tattoos, tonight at 10. There’s a hot body contest, music by DJ Tone and drink specials during the event. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.
Club Hippo (1 West Eager St., Baltimore) holds a dance party in honor of Baltimore Pride tonight at 8. The event features DJ Escape and DJ Rosie. Admission is $10. For details, visit clubhippo.com.
Sunday, June 17
A free screening of the movie “Pariah,” by writer and director Dee Rees screens tonight at Busboys and Poets (4251 South Campbell Ave., Arlington) from 7-9 p.m. The film is about an African-American adolescent girl learning to embrace her identity as a lesbian. For details, visit busboysandpoets.com.
Today is the last chance to see “Flora and the Red Menace” at 1st Stage Theater (1524 Spring Hill Rd., McLean, Va). There’s one showing at 3 p.m. and another at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. For more information, visit 1ststagespringhill.org.
VF Dance Theater presents “Futurology,” a dance production that journeys into the year 3012, tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) starting at 7:30. Tickets are $25. For details, visit kennedy-center.org.
Ladies Only Intro to Djing is tonight with DJs K La Rock and Junebullet at Black Cat (1811 14th St. N.W.). Doors open at 8 and admission is $7. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
Monday, June 18
Comedian Neil Hamburger performs tonight at Black Cat (1811 14th St. N.W.). Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.
D.C. Lambda Squares, the only square dancing club in D.C., hosts an open house tonight at National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle, N.W.) starting at 7 p.m. For details, visit dclambdasquares.org.
The School of Hawaiian Dance celebrates the Hawaii’s PA’I Foundation’s 35th anniversary tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 6 p.m. This event is free. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.
Tuesday, June 19
The FUK!T packing party is tonight at Green Lantern (1335 Green Court N.W.) at 7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring friends and see how many FUK!T or TOOLK!TS (safer sex kits) they can pack in two hours. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Arieb Azhar, a Pakistani singer/songwriter, performs at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 6 p.m. This event is free. For details, visit kennedy-center.org.
Club Hippo (1 West Eager St., Baltimore) hosts Showtune Video Madness tonight at 8. For more information, visit clubhippo.com.
Wednesday, June 20
The Jewish Community Center (1529 16th St., N.W.) hosts an ANC meeting on the safety of the Dupont Circle neighborhood this evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The event is free. For details, visit the dccenter.org.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight for social bridge at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) A partner is not needed. For more information, visit lambdabridge.com.
The Outlaw Roadshow featuring Counting Crows plays tonight at the Filene Center in Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna) at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $30-$48. For details, visit wolftrap.org.
Thursday, June 21
Whitman-Walker Health Clinic hosts HIV testing at Bachelor’s Mill (91104 8th St., S.E.) tonight at 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org.
Two-time Grammy winner Diana Krall plays tonight at Wolf Trap (1645 Trap Road, Vienna) starting at 8 p.m. Krall, who became a professional jazz musician at age 15, is known for her slow smooth jazz. Tickets are $35. For details, visit wolftrap.org.
Chesapeake Squares, a gay square dancing group, holds an open house dance for members and non-members tonight at the Waxter Center (1000 Cathedral St., Baltimore) from 8-10 p.m. Cost is $8 for members and $10 for non-members. For more information, visit chesapeakesquares.org.
Hippo Club (1 West Eager St., Baltimore) is having its Hip-Hop Night featuring DJ Rosie tonight at 10. Admission is $6 before 11 p.m. and $8 after. For details, visit culbhippo.com.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
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.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
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.
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
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