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Tastes of fall

Lots of restaurant events slated for coming months

Published

14 years ago

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The cooler weather is arriving and the summer weekends on the beach in Rehoboth are coming to an end. It’s a great time to check out some new restaurants, chefs and foodie eventsl And don’t worry — you have six months to fit into your speedos again.

Masa 14 (1825 14th Street NW) announced a new executive Chef, Adam Goldman, on Aug. 22. Goldman has served as sous chef at Masa 14 for the past two years and he’s the one who created the opening menu for the new rooftop deck at Masa 14. A new chef and a new roof deck make Masa 14 an excellent fall escape option.

On Aug. 28, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill opened in Columbia Heights. Lime Fresh is famous for its fresh blend of Mexican-inspired dishes fused with the food conscious culture of South Beach. I recommend trying out Lime Fresh as an alternative to the mediocre food and service at Tortilla Coast.

Jose Andres of Zaytinya (701 9th Street NW) has a special two-week promotion celebrating the iconic ingredient of Mediterranean food — the grape — from Sept. 3-16. Zaytinya head chef Michael Costa will offer grape-inspired dishes during “The Grape Festival.”

On Thursday, Uptown Ethiopian Fusion Cuisine (1608 7th Street NW) was scheduled to open in Shaw. This restaurant will feature traditional Ethiopian Food as well as fusions of other ethnic cuisine.

On Sept. 20, Jeff Black is debuting his new Old Black Salts and Black Pearl Oysters at the one-year anniversary of Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (1612 14th Street NW). Tickets are $175 per person and include unlimited fresh seafood and an open bar. Guests will also be the first to try these two new exclusive oysters. Proceeds raised at this event will be donated to Food & Friends.

If that isn’t enough seafood, The Blue Crab Summit will be hosted at Johnny’s Half Shell (400 N. Capitol Street NW) on Sept. 21-22. For $60 per person, Chef Ann Cashion will prepare guests five large Maryland Blue Crabs in the East Texas tradition “Sartin Style.”

The Park Hyatt Washington and Blue Duck Tavern (1201 24th Street NW) will host the Master’s of Food and Wine on Sept. 22. The Autumn Mushroom Chef’s Table Dinner will feature recently foraged chanterelle and field mushrooms prepared by Chef Archambault, Chef Melfi and Bryan Irwin.

On Sept. 23, celebrity chef Mike Isabella, of Bandolero and Graffiato, will be signing his first cookbook, “Mike Isabella’s Crazy Good Italian” at Graffiato.

Taste of D.C. 2012 is taking place on Pennsylvania Avenue Oct. 6-8. It features tastings and dishes from about 80 of D.C.’s best restaurants, eateries and food trucks.  This will provide an excellent opportunity to try out some restaurants you have been meaning to try out all year.

Gay Chef and restaurateur Art Smith (currently competing on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters”) is bringing you Election Night at Art & Soul (415 New Jersey Ave NW) on Nov. 6, and Swing State Cocktails from Oct. 1 until Jan. 31. On election night guests will be able to watch results roll in on large televisions and enjoy happy hour prices until a decision is made. Swing State Cocktails include drinks like The Colorado Orchid, The Cardinal Cooler (Virginia), The Cheese Head (Wisconsin) and The Patriot (New Hampshire).

In late fall, the Matchbox Food Group will be opening the region’s fourth Matchbox (1907 14th Street NW). Matchbox is known for its pizza and sliders. Matchbox Food Group will also be bringing Ted’s Bulletin to 14th Street in the upcoming year. Ted’s is famous for its homemade pop tarts and will add a delicious brunch option to 14th

Pearl Dive Oyster Palace celebrates its anniversary Sept. 20 with two new varities. (Blade photo by Jonathan Ellis)

and Swann Street.

A new personal favorite for the fall is Taco El Chilango (1119 V Street NW). You can enjoy tacos like Al Pastor (beef tongue, pinapple and onion) and Mixto (chicken and pork sausage) and they have habanero salsa. These tacos are so good you may see Anastasia Beaverhausen chowing down in the corner — don’t make eye contact, just know she’s there.

With many more restaurants and events slated for the weeks and months to come there will always be a new bite that needs to be tried, a foodie’s dream.

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Sports

New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics

New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles

Published

6 hours ago

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March 26, 2026

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(Photo by Greg Martin; courtesy IOC)

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.

“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.

The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”

“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”

The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”

The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”

“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

(Video courtesy of the IOC)

Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.

Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.

Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.

President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.

“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.

An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.

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a&e features

Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people

Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths

Published

6 hours ago

on

March 26, 2026

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The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.

This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.

This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward. 

Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis

Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers

ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES

  1. Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
    — U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
    — Executive Director, United We Dream
  3. Paola Ramos (she/her)
    — Journalist & Correspondent
  4. Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
    — Journalist & Correspondent
  5. Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
    — Founder / Producer, Play Play DC
  6. Savannah Wade (she/her)
    — Founder,  OAR Agency
  7. Suhad Babaa (she/her)
    — Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision
  8. Ashlee Davis (she/her)
    — Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry
  9. Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
    — Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine
  10. Queen Adesuyi (she/they)
    — Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice
  11. Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
    — Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) 
  12. Gaby Vincent (she/her)
    — Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader
  13. Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
    — Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra
  14. Denice Frohman (she/her)
    — Independent Artist, Poet / Performer
  15. Vida Rangel (she/her)
    — Founder, Our Trans Capital
  16. Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
    — Executive Director, Our Space
  17. Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
    — Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center)
  18. Diana Rodriques (she/her)
    — Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center)
  19. Wendi Cooper (she/her)
    — Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women
  20. Toya Matthews (she/her)
    — City of San Antonio, Texas
  21. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
    — Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader
  22. Charity Blackwell (she/her)
    — Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader
  23. Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
    — Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation
  24. Em Chadwick (she/her)
    — CMO, For Them & Autostraddle
  25. Kylo Freeman (they/he)
    — CEO, For Them & Autostraddle

LEGEND AWARDEES

  1. Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
      — Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
  2. Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
    — Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP
  3. leigh h. mosley (she/her)
      — Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography
  4. Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
      — Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University
  5. Jordyn White (she/her)
      —  COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation
  6. AJ Hikes (they/them)
      — Deputy Executive Director, ACLU
  7. RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
    — Digital Creator, RL Lockhart
  8. Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
    — Educator, EEO Specialist, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign
  9. Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
      — Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group
  10. Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
    — Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame
  11. Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
    — Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction)
  12. Letitia Gomez (she/her)
    — The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Formerly of Voto Latino 
  13. Lynne Brown (she/her)
      — Publisher, Washington Blade 
  14. Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
    — Political Strategist and Organizer
  15. Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
      — Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures
  16. Meghann Burke (she/her)
      — Executive Director, NWSL Players Association
  17. Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
      — Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Coalition
  18. Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
      — CEO, Center on Halsted
  19. Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
      —  CEO, Moxie Strategies
  20. Alice Wu (she/her)
      — Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter
  21. Storme Webber (she/her)
      — Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington
  22. Kim Stone
    — CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit
  23. Mickalene Thomas
      — American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio
  24. Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
    — Executive Director, interACT
  25. J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
      — Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
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Celebrity News

D.C. goes gaga for Gaga

Bisexual icon brought ‘The Mayhem Ball’ tour to Washington this week

Published

1 day ago

on

March 25, 2026

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Lady Gaga brought "The Mayhem Ball" tour to Capital One Arena this week. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Lady Gaga this week took D.C. by storm.

The bisexual icon and LGBTQ rights champion brought “The Mayhem Ball” tour to Capital One Arena on Monday and Tuesday.

“Abracadabra,” “Paparazzi,” “Applause,” and “Bad Romance” are among the songs Lady Gaga performed during the 2 1/2-hour long concert. Lady Gaga also celebrated her many queer fans.

“You are precious to us,” she said on Tuesday night before she performed “Born This Way.”

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