Arts & Entertainment
Baltimore arts briefs: events through Nov. 22
Chef Anthony Bourdain makes appearance, Trans Day of Remembrance and other Baltimore events
Chef Bourdain at the Hippodrome
Hippodrome Theatre (12 N Eutaw St.) presents an evening with Anthony Bourdain in his tour “Guts & Glory” tour Saturday night at 8.
Bourdain is an internationally renowned chef, author and television host. His most recent culinary-themed graphic novel “Get Jiro!” is on the New York Times bestseller list. The night includes stories about his life’s work and travels, which includes a question-and-answer session with the audience.
Tickets are $55-$150. For more information, visit france-merrickpac.com.
Trans Day of Remembrance on Tuesday
Transgender Day of Remembrance is a national event honoring lives lost to anti-trans violence. (Washington Blade file photo by Henry Linser)
The First Unitarian Church of Baltimore (Charles and Franklin St., Baltimore) holds a service for the Transgender Day of Remembrance on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The day was started in 1998 with the kick off of “Remembering Our Dead” to commemorate the murder of Rita Hester who was killed for being transgender. The day has been extended to memorialize everyone who has been killed out of anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.
The day is to help raise awareness to the prejudices transgender people still face. For more information, visit firstunitarian.net.
Frontrunners have Saturday meet planned
Baltimore Frontrunners and Walkers run on Saturday morning at 8:45 starting at Panera (3600 Boston St.).
The organization is a running and walking club for LGBT runners and friends. They welcome runners and walkers of all levels, including any four-legged friends who would like to join the run.
The route for the run will include going to the Inner Harbor World Trade Center or the Maryland Science Center. Afterward, the group reassembles for brunch at 10.
This event is free. Direct inquiries to [email protected] or call 410-662-2887. For more information, visit baltimorefrontrunners.org.
Bump, set, spike with Charm City
Charm City Volleyball is hosting social play for volleyball players of all levels Wednesday evening starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Royal Recreational Center (137 McMechen St.).
The group is an LGBT volleyball organization. The weekly social play is to promote volleyball in the community. Charm City Volleyball hosts competitive events and social clinics.
The sessions are $3 each and $30 for the fall season. There are discounts for students. For more information, visit volleybaltimore.org.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
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.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
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.
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
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