Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Henry Maticorena
The Andromeda Transcultural Health communications director answers 20 gay questions
Henry Maticorena’s mother always told him, “When you are a minority, you never turn your back on other minorities.” As a result, he is fluent in four languages, which he uses on the job as a communications/external affairs director at Andromeda Transcultural Health.
Maticorena spearheads HIV/AIDS outreach for the clinic. His arsenal of tools includes bumper stickers, lanyards and squishy balls that have sayings in Spanish, French, Portuguese and English.
“I want to be able to include groups that may not always have access to these services on a regular basis,” he says. “We want to give our clients a holistic treatment, for both their physical health and their mental health.”
Maticorena began his outreach while an undergraduate student at George Washington University, where he traveled to Brazil for a year. He joined the LGBT movement where the advocacy focused mostly on reducing hate crimes. Despite traveling to several other countries, Maticorena regularly returned to D.C. to work.
“I can really connect with policy makers here and watch changes being made here,” he says. “D.C. provides many platforms in which I can make an impact.”
Maticorena is single and lives in D.C. and enjoys attending events at the Phillips Collection and other galleries in his free time. He is also a runner and enjoys watching movies and listening to Bossa Nova with a glass of wine.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I’ve been out since I was 20 years old. I’ve been fortunate to have always encountered people in my life thus far who never found my sexual orientation to be an issue.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
I’d say it is anyone that goes out of his/her way to help a stranger in need. In my personal life, I’d have to say a great man who was there for me when I experienced emotional struggles in college. His name is Marc.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Can I answer both? I just have to say Velvet Nation was the place to be when I moved to D.C. to attend GW. I always had a BLAST there. Today, it depends on the mood: Bossa Lounge in Adams Morgan or Cobalt on 17th Street.
Describe your dream wedding.
I‘ve always loved the summer chateaux on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. My favorite one being The Marble House; I would have the ceremony held there in its ballroom and the reception in the Chinese Tea House in the backyard with all my friends and family.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
I’m very passionate about getting every resident the opportunity to have access to services in their native language if they need it.
What historical outcome would you change?
Sept. 11, 2001. It was a few days after I had moved to D.C. from Miami and I witnessed the divisiveness that it instilled in our diverse community in the District and in America at large.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
I’d have to say when Princess Diana died in 1997 as a result of the car crash in Paris. She had a great impact on my life. All her charitable work inspired me to become very active working for the rights of disadvantaged people as well as becoming involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and ending the stigma associated with it through my volunteering and work today at Andromeda Transcultural Health (check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/ATHDC).
On what do you insist?
I insist on fomenting cohesiveness within our community to overcome the issues that affect us from HIV to immigration to our youth experiencing homelessness.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
My last post on Facebook was the photo of a business card that reads: ‘Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number’ hahaha.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
“My Life as a Socialite: Henry, my Private Story”
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Nothing. I was born this way.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
I like to believe that once one dies hopefully one’s spirit will have fulfilled its raison d’etre in this lifetime to continue on its path for continuous growth.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Continue the legacy of prior leaders of the movement to encourage members of our community to be the voices and advocates of individuals whose plea would otherwise be unheard — doing so, creating change and building the path so we can ALL move forward as ONE.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
I would walk across hot coals to get all my friends in London and South America to make it to an overdue reunion here in D.C. My friends are family to me.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
That every gay man wants to pursue every straight man they come in contact with.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“A Home at the End of the World.”
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Shaking hands (which I find so limiting) when introducing oneself for the first time. Kissing on one or both cheeks should not be frowned upon.
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
I don’t want to sound cheesy; I recently attended a funeral and in the reception all individuals I came across shared something in common, how this man had enriched and touched their lives in meaningful ways. I can’t take a trophy or prize with me to the grave. I aspire to have touched and enriched as many individuals’ lives in this lifetime that is the prize I most wish for.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
My American idioms so as not to mess up “tough love” with “rough love.”
Why Washington?
D.C. has this je ne sais quoi about it and the people I have met here have always embraced me and provided me a platform for growth that I’m always immensely grateful for.
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
It’s been a year filled with drama and music, re-imaginings and new works. There was a lot on offer in 2025, and much to enjoy. Here are 10 now-closed productions that come to mind.
On Valentine’s Day at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill, out actor Holly Twyford served as narrator for “The Love Birds” a Folger Consort work that melds medieval music with a world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “A Parlement of Foules”
Standing behind a podium, Twyford beautifully read Chaucer’s words (translated from Middle English and backed by projected slides in the original language), alternating with music played on old and new instruments.
While Mosaic Theater’s “A Case for the Existence of God,” closed in mid-December, it’s proving a production not soon forgotten. Precisely staged by Danilo Gambini, and impressively acted by Lee Orsorio and Jaysen Wright, the soul-searching two hander by out playwright Samuel D. Hunter, tells the story of two men who form an unlikely friendship based on single-fatherhood, a specific sadness, and hope.
The action unfolds in a small office in southern Idaho, where the pair discuss the perplexing terms of a mortgage loan while delving deep into their lives and backgrounds. Nothing is left off the table.
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s spring production of “Uncle Vanya” gave audiences something both fresh yet enduring. Staged by STC’s artistic director Simon Godwin, the production put an impeccably pleasing twist on Russian playwright Anton Chekhov’s classic. It ranks among the very best area productions of the year.
Featuring a topnotch cast led by Hugh Bonneville (TV’s “Downton Abbey”) in the title role, the play was set on an unfinished stage cluttered with costume racks and assorted props, all assembled by crew uniformed in black and actors in street clothes. Throughout the drama tinged with comedy, the actors continued to assist with ever increasingly period set changes accompanied by an underscore of melancholic cello strings. It was innovative and wonderful.
GALA Hispanic Theatre’s production of Manuel Puig’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” was an intimate and affecting piece of theater. Staged by José Luis Arellano, it starred out actors Rodrigo Pedreira and Martín Ruiz as two very different men whose paths cross as convicts in an Argentine prison.
Arena Stage scored with a re-imagined and updated take on the widely liked musical “Damn Yankees.” Directed by Sergio Trujillo, the Broadway bound production has been “gently re-tooled for its first major revival in the 21st century,” moving the action from the struggling Washington Senators baseball team to the turn-of-the-century Yankees lineup. Ana Villafañe’s charmingly seductive Lola and a chorus of fit ball players made for a good time.
Also at Arena, out playwright Reggie D. White’s new work “Fremont Ave.” was very well received. A semi-autobiographical glimpse into home and the many definitions of that idea specifically relating to three generations of Black men, the work boasts a third act with a deeply queer storyline to boot.
Before his smash hit “Hamilton” transformed Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote “In the Heights,” a seminal musical set against the vicissitudes of an upper Manhattan bodega. Infused with hip-hop, rap, and pop ballads, the romance/dramedy takes place over a lively few days in the vibrant, close-knit Latin neighborhood, Washington Heights.
Signature Theatre’s exciting take on “In the Heights” featured a talented cast including out actor Ángel Lozado as the bodega owner who figures prominently in the barrio and the action.
Studio Theatre’s recent production of lesbian playwright Paula Vogel’s newest work “The Mother Play,” a drama with humor, is about a well put together alcoholic mother and her two gay children living under difficult circumstances in the less glitzy parts of suburban Maryland. With nuanced performances and smart direction, the production was terrific.
Keegan Theatre surpassed expectations with its production of “Lizzie” a punk rock opera about Miss Borden, the fabled axe wielding title character. Performed by a super all-female cast, they belted a score that hits hard on subjects like money, queerness, and strained (to say the least) family relationships.
Round House Theatre impressed autumn audiences with “The Inheritance,” a two-part drama sensitively staged by out director Tom Story and acted by a mostly queer cast that included young actor Jordi Bertrán Ramírez in a breakout performance.
Penned by out playwright Matthew López, the epic work inspired by E.M. Forster’s novel “Howards End,” explores themes of love, legacy, and the AIDS crisis through the lives of three generations of gay men in New York City.
Prior to opening, Story commented that with the production’s predominately queer cast you get actors who “really understand the situation, the humor, and the struggle. It works well.” And he was right.
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
