Arts & Entertainment
Getting away from the bars
OUTdoor group finds gay community in nature-based activities
Steve Marker and Joe Palumbo on the Via Ferrata course at Nelson Rocks. (Photo courtesy the couple)
Over the years, I have met many couples at LGBT sporting events and functions. Usually, one is the athlete and the other is a supporter of his or her partners’ athletic endeavors.
The OUTdoor Adventures Group was founded by Baltimore couple, Steve Marker and Joe Palumbo in the summer of 2010. They share a passion for the outdoors.
“We were at a bar one night with a group of friends and wanted to find an opportunity to get together with other gay men that did not involve drinking,” Palumbo says. “Both Steve and I love hiking, camping and being outdoors so the group began with day trips.”
The day trips have included skydiving, rock climbing, white water rafting, Gay Day at Hershey Park and competing in the Warrior Dash and Tough Mudder. They have also made two weekend trips part of their annual activities.
Big Gay Camping is a weekend event held in the fall every year with the group camping in Harpers Ferry the first year and switching to the gay-friendly locale of The Woods in Lehigh, Pa., for the last two years.
“When we first started out, most of the people in the group were from Baltimore,” Palumbo says. “On the last camping trip, we had close to 40 people from Baltimore, D.C., Philadelphia and New York.”
Coming up for the group is the third annual Gay Ski Weekend where the group has reserved a lakefront chalet in Deep Creek, Md. They have already booked close to 30 people for the weekend which will kick off on Jan. 25.
Marker and Palumbo, who met at Gay Pride in Baltimore in 2008, were married in July at Old Stone House in Georgetown. Their honeymoon was an Alaskan cruise which included 55 of their family and friends. Festivities on the ship included a pool party and rock climbing.
Recently, the couple took their adventuring to the extreme level by completing the Via Ferrata course at Nelson Rocks in West Virginia. Via Ferrata systems are relatively new in the United States but have been popular for decades in Europe, where about 300 routes are open to the public.
Via Ferrata means “road with irons” in Italian. The courses have been described by many as a combination of hiking and climbing. Via Ferratas are strongly associated with World War I when the Italians and Austrians were fighting near the Dolomites mountain ranges in Italy. The troops needed a better way to move through the mountainous area.
The modern Via Ferrata is a steel cable that runs along the route and is periodically fixed to the rock. Climbing aids such as iron rungs, pegs, carved steps, ladders and bridges are often found on the courses.
The Nelson Rocks facility is one of about eight in the United States. Marker and Palumbo finished the 3.5-mile course in just over five hours.
“Adventuring has always been a part of our life together,” Marker says. “Whenever we are feeling stress, we find something to do that will take us outdoors.”
You can find the group on Facebook under OUTdoor Adventures Group.
Celebrity News
John Waters released from hospital after car accident
Crash took place in Baltimore County
BY TAJI BURRIS | Baltimore filmmaker John Waters was released from the hospital Tuesday morning following a car accident.
The 78-year-old released a statement saying that although he was hurt in the Baltimore County crash, he did not sustain major injuries.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier and fireworks show returning June 8
The annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation will take place on Saturday, June 8 at 9 p.m.
The Washington Blade, in partnership with LURe DC and The Wharf, is excited to announce the 5th annual Pride on the Pier and fireworks show during D.C. Pride weekend on Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 2-10 p.m.
The event will include the annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation at 9 p.m.
Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Southwest 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. Local DJ’s Heat, Eletrox and Honey will perform throughout the event.
3 p.m. – Capital Pride Parade on the Big Screen
3:30 p.m. – Drag Show hosted by Cake Pop!
9 p.m. – Fireworks Show Presented by Leonard-Litz Foundation
The event is free and open to the public. The Dockmasters Building will be home to a VIP experience. To learn more and to purchase tickets go to www.prideonthepier.com/vip. VIP tickets are limited.
Event sponsors include Absolut, Buying Time, Capital Pride, DC Brau, DC Fray, Burney Wealth Management, Infinate Legacy, Leonard-Litz Foundation, Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, MISTR, NBC4, The Wharf. More information regarding activities will be released at www.PrideOnThePier.com
a&e features
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars’ cast visits D.C.
8 queens vie for $200,000 prize for charity in new season, premiering May 17
Donning sparkling and star-studded red, white, and blue attire on a gloomy, humid D.C. Monday, the cast of the latest “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” season sashayed on the National Mall to promote the reality show’s ninth season.
This upcoming season is different than those in the past — eight queens are competing for a donation of $200,000 for the charity of their choosing, rather than a personal cash prize.
Several cast members noted how it felt important to visit the nation’s capital, being authentically themselves and wearing drag. Nina West, who competed in season 11, likened drag to armor.
“We’re here during a really specific time in history, that’s, I would say, markedly dark,” she told the Blade at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. “And there’s an opportunity, as drag has always done, which is for our community as specifically LGBTQI+ people, to stand in our truth and be wonderful — like guardians and fighters for our community.”
She’s competing for the Trevor Project, which is focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for young LGBTQ people. This season’s pivot to compete for charity made Nina West want to come back on the show for the All Stars season. She’s been offered the spot two times before this, she said, and this twist aligned with what she wanted to do.
Several of the other queens mentioned that it’s an honor to be featured in this season, including season 5’s Roxxxy Andrews. She also competed in two subsequent All-Stars seasons.
She chose the organization Miracle of Love, which provides HIV/AIDS prevention programming and assistance in central Florida. It’s a smaller, more local organization, which is why Roxxxy Andrews chose it. She wants to make its work more nationally known. Also, vying to win during a charity season makes the competition feel more rewarding, she said.
Plastique Tiara of season 11 also noted it’s different competing for charity. She’s competing for the Asian American Foundation, which launched in 2021 in response to the rise in anti-Asian hate and aims to curb discrimination and violence through education and investments in nonprofits.
“It’s more competitive because then you’re fighting not just only for yourself, but your ideas and the things that you love,” she said.
Vanessa Vanjie of seasons 10 and 11 agreed that competing for charity adds a bit more pressure — she chose the ASPCA. And as onlookers near the Lincoln Memorial took pictures of and with the queens, she said she was relieved.
“I was a little bit worried somebody would yell some slurs at us,” Vanessa Vanjie said. “Nothing happened. Everybody came to take pictures like Santa Claus in the middle of the mall.”
There’s a range of contestants from different seasons for this round of All Stars. Some queens hail from recent seasons, but Shannel competed on the show’s first season. To be a part of this new season is surreal, she said.
She’s competing for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, which she has a close tie to. She’s dealt with anxiety her entire life. The association is focused on increasing awareness and improving diagnosis and treatment.
“I always felt like I just wasn’t normal, sadly,” she said. “And so now being able to be able to do this season and to get back to that organization is like amazing to me.”
Gottmik, from season 13, is competing for Trans Lifeline — a nonprofit providing advocacy, a hotline and grants created by trans people, for trans people. Being able to do drag and give back is the “perfect scenario,” Gottmik said.
Gottmik was the first openly trans man on Drag Race, which was overwhelming when first on the show. Gottmik felt pressure to be the “perfect example,” but later realized that they didn’t have to worry so much.
“I just want to show people that trans people are real people. We can express ourselves however we want to express ourselves, through drag, through whatever it may be,” Gottmik said.
The new season will be available to stream on Paramount+ on May 17.
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