Arts & Entertainment

D.C. arts briefs: July 13

Galactica at the Black Fox, Pride in the Sky in Rockville and more

Published

14 years ago

July 12, 2012

Galactica and guests continue their weekly engagement at Black Fox Lounge tonight from 6-9 p.m. (Photo courtesy Jeffrey Johnson)

Galactica continues Black Fox run Friday

Special Agent Galactica performs with her signature pink hair and Very-Sexy-Cute-Boy Combo tonight (Friday) at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 6-9 p.m.

Galactica (Jeffrey Johnson) will be singing live and lip syning (her original claim to fame). The live numbers will be performed with her band. Tonight she will add a few new songs to her bi-monthly show. R&B bass guitarist Percy White and drummer Winston Johnson will accompany her band.

Barbara Papendorp, who performs French cabaret numbers, will add her own vocal styles to the show as a guest performer. She will join Galactica during the third set as a back-up singer to one of the new songs featured.

Tickets are free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com or pinkhairedone.com.

Pride in the Sky event in Rockville

B.O.I. Marketing and Promotions and the Ladies of LURe host the monthly “Pride in the Sky” party on Saturday at The Rooftop in Rockville (155 Gibbs St., Rockville) from 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m.

Drink specials will be served all night long and food and light fare will be available. Leblon and Absolut are both sponsors of the party, and music by DJ Rosie will be featured.

Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. The Rooftop is a 10-minute walk from the Rockville Station on Metro’s Red Line, and parking garages are free if you leave after midnight. For details, visit the “Pride in the Sky – July 14^th” event on facebook.com.

Women’s painting-and-wine event at the Center

Center Women, a group within the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, hosts a step-by-step painting class led by local artists on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Brush-n-Blush (3210 Grace St., N.W.).

Guests are encouraged to bring their own favorite bottle of wine or purchase a bottle or glass from Brush-n-Blush’s selection of affordable premium wine. Cheese, chocolate or other choice foods can also be brought.

All levels of interest and painting expertise are welcome. The registration price is $64 per person, and includes art instruction, supplies and a $10 donation to the D.C. Center.

For more details and to purchase tickets, visit thedccenter.org.

Afternoon Royale pageant Saturday at Remington’s

The Imperial Court of Washington is having a “Mr. and Miss D.C. Royale Pageant” at Remington’s Nightclub (639 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) on Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Imperial Court is part of the International Court System and is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for organizations that support LGBT causes, including youth enrichment programs, HIV/AIDS services and social services organizations.

The pageant will include self-expression, talent, evening gown, formal wear and Q&A categories, as well as a raffle drawing.

Tickets are $10. If interested in competing, contact [email protected]. For more information, visit remingtonswdc.com or the “Mr. & Miss D.C. Royale Pageant” Facebook event page.

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FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

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

Published

22 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