Arts & Entertainment
Baltimore briefs: Sept. 21
Cho to play Rams Head, trans group joins PFLAG Howard Co. and more
Margaret Cho (Blade file photo)
Cho brings ‘Mother’ to Rams Head
Margaret Cho, a queer comedian, comes to Rams Head On Stage (33 West St., Annapolis) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on her tour of her new standup comedy show “Mother.”
The entirety of show is dedicated to Cho’s observations of her mother and how their relationship has changed over time. Cho has been doing stand-up comedy for 20 years and has appeared on a series of television shows including Liftime’s “Drop Dead Diva” and “Dancing With the Stars.”
Tickets are $30. For more information, visit ramsheadonstage.com.
Trans children group, PFLAG join forces
The Howard County PFLAG has two groups meeting Tuesday night — a group for parents of transgender children and its Rainbow Youth Meeting.
The groups meet concurrently at the Owen Brown Interfatih Center at 7246 Cradlerock Way in Columbia, Md.
On Sept. 30, the Howard County PFLAG has its annual picnic at Cedar Lane Park West from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information about either group, visit pflagmd.org.
Hippo bingo has anniversary event
“Bingo in the Dance Bar” has its 11th anniversary event at Club Hippo (1 West Eager Street) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Doors open at 7 for advance ticket holders and doors will open for general admission ticket holders at 7:30. Advance tickets cost $20, while general admission tickets are $25 at the door.
Each game has a $100 cash prize and the jackpot game includes a guarantee $1,000 cash prize. There will be a drag show during intermission and a chance to win the new No Doubt CD “Push and Shove.”
All proceeds will go to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland. For more information, visit clubhippo.com.
Grand Central hosts Divas on the Dance Floor
Grand Central (1001/1003 N. Charles St.) hosts the Divas on the Dance Floor event on Sunday night. Doors open at 9 and the show will start at 10. Cover charge costs $5.
This show will include appearances and performances by Sue Nami, Anastacia Amor and Victoria Blair. Shawanna Alexander hosts. Visit centralstationpub.com for details.
The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
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