Arts & Entertainment
Leather events are next weekend in D.C.
Hyatt Regency hosts fetish festivities
Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend (Washington Blade file photo by Denis Largeron)
The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend comes to Washington at the Hyatt Regency (400 New Jersey Ave., NW) for the weekend of January 11-13. Full packages are $180 online and $200 on site and allow attendees to go to official MAL weekend events and activities. The Weekend Pass is $10 to $25 and does not include admission to Official MAL events. MAL is a mostly gay event and attracts leather enthusiasts from all over the country. Below are official and unofficial MAL events:
* On Thursday, the night before the event, there is a Former MAL Titleholders Bar Night at D.C. Eagle (639 New York Ave., NW) from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
* The Exhibit Hall for the event is open from 5-11 p.m. Friday night, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
* The SigMa D.C. (1014 H St., NE) party is Friday night from 8 p.m.-midnight. This party is not included in the MAL weekend package. Cost for SigMaDC members is $20 and $25 for non-members.
* CODE D.C. is hosting a party at Crucible (16 M St., NE) Friday and Saturday night 9 p.m.-3 a.m. This is party is not part of the MAL weekend package. The cost is $40 a night or $60 both nights in advance online and it is $60 at the door.
* The ONYX dance party “ONYX After Dark” in the Regency Ballroom of the hotel is Friday night 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
* The D.C. boys of leather: “Where the boys are” is Friday night from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. in the Congressional Room in the hotel.
* The Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps host Puppy Park Saturday 1-3:30 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom.
* SigMa holds a BDSM demonstration 1-3 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom of the hotel.
* The ONYX Cocktail Party and Leather Gear Show and Auction happens Saturday from 3-6 p.m. in the Congressional Room.
* Another SigMa DC (1014 H St., NE) party is Saturday night from 6 p.m.-2 a.m. This party is not included in the MAL weekend package. Cost for SigMaDC members is $20 and $25 for non-members.
* Leather Cocktails take place in the Regency Ballroom Saturday evening 6:30-9 p.m.
* The Manhunt Jock Party “Dirty” event is Saturday night 10 p.m.-2 a.m. in the Capitol Room.
* Spurg hosts a free Blackout Party Saturday night 10 p.m.-3 a.m. in the Regency Ballroom.
* The 9:30 Club (815 V St., NW) hosts the party “Blowoff” Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. This event is not included in the weekend package. Cost is $12.
* For weekend package holders there is a brunch Sunday morning from 10 a.m.-noon in the Capitol Room.
* The Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2013 Contest is on Sunday from 1-3:30 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. Tickets are $25.
* U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., NW) hosts Tea Dance 3.0 Sunday night from 5 p.m.-midnight.
For more information, visit leatherweekend.com.
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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