Arts & Entertainment
Calendar through June 27
Events, parties, concerts and more for the end of Pride month

Local gay singer/songwriter Tom Goss is shooting a video for his song “Bears” on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Town (2009 8th Street NW). Everyone who doesn’t mind being filmed is invited to attend. (Photo by Michael Key; courtesy Tom Goss Music)
Friday, June 21
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. There is no cover charge and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit towndc.com.
Aaron Meyers and the Black Fox Lounge Jazz Ensemble perform tonight at the Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. The event is a fundraiser to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America. Cover is $10. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.
The Silver Spring Library (8901 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) hosts a Latino LGBT Pride exhibit presented by the Latino GLBT History Project today from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The exhibit chronicles 20 years of Latino LGBT activism and will run through June 30. Visit latinoglbthistory.org for more information.
The Savoy Suites Hotel (2505 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) hosts a Brazilian live music show tonight from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Local singer and lyricist Cissa Paz will perform tracks from her debut album. For more details, visit cissapaz.com.
Saturday, June 22
DJ Brett Henrichsen spins tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). In his first five years, Henrichsen has become an international sensation who headlines major circuit events from Ibiza to Sao Paolo. Doors open at 10 p.m., with $3 drinks served until 11. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over, and is $8 from 10-11 and $12 after 11. For details, visit towndc.com.
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts “Bearracuda,” the highest attended bear dance party in the U.S., tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. “Bearracuda” is held in 37 countries worldwide, with regular parties in San Francisco, Seattle and Portland, and frequent events in Sydney and Amsterdam. Admission is $7 before 10 p.m. and $10 for the rest of the night. For more information, visit cobaltdc.com.
Phase 1 (525 8th St. S.E.) hosts a “Stop Light Party” tonight at 9 p.m. Guests will be given bracelets at the door, with red meaning they are “taken,” yellow meaning they are “down for whatever” and green meaning they are “single.” Admission is $5 and limited to guests 21 and over. Visit phase1dc.com for more details.
Thirty local artists will display their work at the Easels in Frederick Grand Exhibition today from 1-6 p.m. at the Talley Recreation Center (121 North Bentz St., Frederick, Md.). Each artist’s work captures the beauty of Frederick County’s charming towns and mountainous landscapes. Admission is free. For more information, visit easelsinfrederick.org.
Sunday, June 23
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts karaoke tonight from 9 p.m.-midnight. Cover is $3, and there will also be pool, video gaming systems and cards. For more information, visit bachelorsmill.com.
Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. For details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.
Special Agent Galactica performs tonight at Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 23 St., Arlington, V.A.) at 7 p.m. Cover is $5. For more information, visit pinkhairedone.com.
Monday, June 24
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Monday’s a Total Drag [Show]” party tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. An episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race screens at 9, and then a live drag show will be featured. Admission is 18+ and free. For details, visit cobaltdc.com.
The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Tuesday, June 25
Paolo’s Restaurant (1303 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) hosts an opening reception with local artists Leslie Nolan and Linda Bankerd for their exhibit, “Bravissimo,” from 6-8 p.m. tonight. Both artists have innovative, abstract styles that heavily use bold colors. For more information, visit leslienolan.com.
The Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
D.C. Eagle (639 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts “$2 Tuesday” tonight from 4 p.m.-midnight this evening for the leather community. All domestic beer and rail drinks are $2. For details, visit dceagle.com.
Wednesday, June 26
Heist (1802 Jefferson Pl., N.W.) hosts its weekly open bar party tonight from 10-11 p.m. There is no cover charge and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit heistdc.com or the Heist DC Facebook page.
The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts drag bingo during happy hour tonight from 5-7:30 p.m. All drinks are half price, and there will also be pool, video gaming systems and cards. Admission is free. For details, visit bachelorsmill.com.
The Connecting Rainbows Initiative provides an “LGBTQA Youth in Care Summit” today at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W.). Activities include workshops for LGBT youth, families and professionals. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the summit ends at 5 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. Newcomers are welcome and reservations are not necessary. Call 703-407-6540 for more details.
Thursday, June 27
MOVA Lounge (2204 14th St., N.W.) hosts “GLBT College Night” this evening, with a vodka open bar for guests who have a college ID from 9-10 p.m. Admission is free and 18 and up. Visit movalounge.com for more details.
The D.C. Black Theatre Festival is tonight from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Star Arts Center (1700 Kalorama Rd., N.W.). This year, the Brave Soul Collective presents, “Subject to Change,” a series of theatrical pieces that tackle issues of sex, work, relationships and family in the black community. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV) meet tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. at the D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.). The organization works to reduce violence toward LGBT people through community outreach, education and monitoring legal cases to ensure the dignity of LGBT victims. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
The Lambda Sci-Fi Book Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at 1425 S St., N.W. to discuss “Among Others,” by Jo Walton. Guests are encouraged to bring a snack and non-alcoholic drink to share. For more information, call 202-483-6369 or visit lambdascifi.org.
Whitman Walker Health provides four hours of free HIV testing today for National HIV Testing Day at Walgreens (1217 22nd St., N.W.) from 3-7 p.m. Visit whitman-walker.org for more details.
Local gay singer/songwriter Tom Goss is shooting a video for his song “Bears” tonight at 7 p.m. at Town (2009 8th Street NW). Local bears who don’t mind being filmed are invited to attend.
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)














Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
‘La Lucci’
By Susan Lucci with Laura Morton
c.2026, Blackstone Publishing
$29.99/196 pages
They’re among the world’s greatest love stories.
You know them well: Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Abelard and Heloise. Phoebe and Langley. Cliff and Nina. Jesse and Angie, Opal and Palmer, Palmer and Daisy, Tad and Dixie. Now read “La Lucci” by Susan Lucci, with Laura Morton, and you might also think of Susan and Helmut.

When she was a very small girl, Susan Lucci loved to perform. Also when she was young, she learned that words have power. She vowed to use them for good for the rest of her life.
Her parents, she says, were supportive and her family, loving. Because of her Italian heritage, she was “ethnic looking” but Lucci’s mother was careful to point out dark-haired beauties on TV and elsewhere, giving Lucci a foundation of confidence.
That’s just one of the things for which Lucci says she’s grateful. In fact, she says, “Prayers of gratitude are how I begin and end each day.”
She is particularly grateful for becoming a mother to her two adult children, and to the doctors who saved her son’s life when he was a newborn.
Lucci writes about gratitude for her long career. She was a keystone character on TV’s “All My Children,” and she learned a lot from older actors on the show, and from Agnes Nixon, the creator of it. She says she still keeps in touch with many of her former costars.
She is thankful for her mother’s caretakers, who stepped in when dementia struck. Grateful for more doctors, who did heart-saving work when Lucci had a clogged artery. Grateful for friends, opportunities, life, grandchildren, and a career that continues.
And she’s grateful for the love she shared with her husband, Helmut Huber, who died nearly four years ago. Grateful for the chance to grieve, to heal, and to continue.
And yet, she says of her husband: “He was never timid, but I know he was afraid at the end, and that kills me down to my soul.”
“It’s been 15 years since Erica Kane and I parted ways,” says author Susan Lucci (with Laura Morton), and she says that people still approach her to confirm or deny rumors of the show’s resurrection. There’s still no answer to that here (sorry, fans), but what you’ll find inside “La Lucci” is still exceptionally generous.
If this book were just filled with stories, you’d like it just fine. If it was only about Lucci’s faith and her gratitude – words that happen to appear very frequently here – you’d still like reading it. But Lucci tells her stories of family, children and “All My Children,” while also offering help to couples who’ve endured miscarriage, women who’ve had heart problems, and widow(ers) who are spinning and need the kindness of someone who’s lived loss, too.
These are the other things you’ll find in “La Lucci,” in a voice you’ll hear in your head, if you spent your lunch hours glued to the TV back in the day. It’s a comfortable, fun read for fans. It’s a story you’ll love.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
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