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Sportin’ all summer long

Gay D.C. leagues in high gear in coming months

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North American Gay Volleyball Association, Sports, Gay News, Washington Blade
Night OUT, Nationals, Gay News, Washington Blade

Lawrence Magali, left, and DeJay Johnson at Night OUT at the Nationals last week, one of Washington’s biggest annual LGBT sports events. (Photo by Kevin Majoros)

Last week, Team D.C. hosted the ninth annual Night OUT at the Nationals as roughly 4,000 members of the LGBT community came out to watch the Washington Nationals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-5.

Next up in the Night OUT series is Night OUT at the Kastles on July 22 as the Washington Kastles take on the Philadelphia Freedom at 7 p.m. The Kastles just drafted Martina Hingis, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 13. Tickets are $12 and can be found at teamdc.org.

The North American Gay Volleyball Association recently awarded the 2014 NAGVA Championships to Washington D.C. The event will run from May 23-25, 2014 and will be contested at the Washington Convention Center. The Championships will be co-hosted by Capital City Volleyball and New York-based Gotham Volleyball and is expected to draw about 135 teams with more than 1,000 players. NAGVA is online at nagva.org.

The District of Columbia Aquatics Club will be hosting the 22nd annual Maryland Swim for Life on July 13 on the Chester River.  The event features 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-mile races.  Also this year, the swimmers are partnering with the DC Triathlon Club to offer a 2.4 mile Triathlon Challenge.

Proceeds from Swim for Life support a number of small local organizations such as Heart to Hand, Quality of Life Retreats, Metro TeenAIDS and the Chester River Association.  More information on the event along with volunteer opportunities can be found at swimdcac.org.

The Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League will be hosting the NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series from Aug. 26-31 at three separate complexes in the area. The tournament, the largest annual LGBT sporting event in the world, will welcome 170-plus teams participating in more than 600 softball games.

In total, they are expecting more than 4,000 athletes and fans visiting Washington for the weeklong tournament. More information on the event is at dcseries2013.com. The League can be found at capssoftball.org.

The inaugural Freedom Sports Festival will kick off on July 18-21 with six sports being contested all within the D.C. city limits.  Local LGBT sports teams will come together to host tournaments in beach volleyball, golf, racquetball, kickball, ballroom dancing and basketball.  Registration for the tournaments will open soon and will be posted at teamdc.org.

The Festival will open at the Team D.C. Champions Awards and College Scholarship reception on July 18 at George Washington University.  Former NFL player Wade Davis will be the guest speaker. Tickets are available at teamdc.org.

The festival will conclude with Pride Splash & Ride at Six Flags America on July 21 from 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. The event will feature a private water park party from 7-10:30 p.m.  Tickets are available at capitalpride.org.

Members of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League just returned from a strong showing in Pride Bowl VI in Chicago which ran from June 27-30. The tournament featured 28 teams from across the United States with the Washington Generals finishing runner-up, the D.C. Commanders finishing third and the D.C. Admirals placing sixth. The players will travel to Phoenix for Gay Bowl XIII from Oct 10-14. The flag football league is at dcgffl.org.

The World Out Games will be contested from July 31 to Aug. 11 in Antwerp, Belgium in 33 different sports. A contingent from D.C. will be attending and a uniform has been organized for the opening ceremonies.  More information will be at teamdc.org.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Silver Pride

Rayceen Pendarvis serves as emcee

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Rayceen Pendarvis was the emcee of Silver Pride 2025. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2025 Silver Pride Resource Fair and Tea Dance was held at the Eaton Hotel on Wednesday, May 21.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Out & About

Queer film festival comes to D.C.

DC/DOX to showcase LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers

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DC/DOX film festival will take place in D.C. on June 12.

DC/DOX will host a film festival beginning on Thursday, June 12, at the Regal Gallery Place, Eaton Cinema, and the U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theatre. 

This festival will premier LGBTQ documentaries made by LGBTQ filmmakers. Each screening will be followed by in-person Q&As with the filmmakers. 

For more details, visit dcdoxfest.com

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Movies

Gay director on revealing the authentic Pee-wee Herman

New HBO doc positions Reubens as ‘groundbreaking’ performance artist

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The HBO Original two-part documentary ‘PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF,’ directed by Matt Wolf), debuts Friday, May 23 (8 p.m.-11:20 p.m. ET/PT) with both parts airing back-to-back on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. (Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.)

In the new HBO two-part documentary, “Pee-wee as Himself,” director Matt Wolf gives viewers a never-before-seen look into the personal life of Paul Reubens, the comedic actor behind the much loved television persona, Pee-wee Herman. 

Filmed before Reubens passed away in 2023 from cancer, Wolf and his creative team created the riveting documentary, interspersing several interviews, more than 1,000 hours of archival footage, and tens of thousands of personal photos.

Determined to set the record straight about what really happened, Reubens discussed his diverse influences, growing up in the circus town of Sarasota, Fla., and his avant-garde theater training at the California Institute of the Arts. 

Ruebens joined the Groundlings improv group, where he created the charismatic Pee-wee Herman. He played the quirky character during the Saturday morning show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” and in numerous movies, like “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Big Top Pee-wee.” He also brought Pee-wee to Broadway, with “The Pee-wee Herman Show.”

To get an enigma such as Reubens to open up was no easy task for Wolf.

“I felt determined to get Paul to open up and to be his authentic self,” acknowledged Wolf at a recent press conference. “And I was being tested and I wanted to meet my match in a way so I didn’t feel frustrated or exhausted, I felt determined but I also, it was thrilling to go this deep. I’ve never been able, or I don’t know if I ever will, go this deep with another human being to interview them in an intimate way for over 40 hours.”

Wolf described the collaborative interview experience as a dream, “like we were in a bubble where time didn’t matter.” he also felt a deep connection to the material, having come of age watching “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to put words to it at the time, but I think it was my first encounter with art that I felt emotionally involved in,” noted Wolf.

“He continued: “I recognize that that show created a space for a certain kind of radical acceptance where creativity thrives. And as a gay filmmaker, I also recognize things like Pee-wee Herman marrying a bowl of fruit salad at a slumber party or dancing in high heels to the song, ‘Fever.’ That stuff spoke to me. So that was my connection to it.”

During the documentary, Reubens comes out as a gay man.

“Paul went into this process wanting to come out,” said Wolf. “That was a decision he had made. He was aware that I was a gay filmmaker and had made portraits of other gay artists. That was the work of mine he was attracted to, as I understood. And I wanted, as a younger person, to support him in that process, but he also was intensely sensitive that the film would overly emphasize that; or, focused entirely from the lens of sexuality when looking at his story.”

Their complicated dynamic had an aspect of “push and pull” between them. 

“I think that generational difference was both a source of connection and affinity and tension. And I do think that the level to which Paul discusses his relationships and intimacy and vulnerability and the poignant decision he made to go back into the closet. I do have to believe to some extent he shared that because of our connection.”   

Wolf hopes that the “Pee-wee as Himself” positions Reubens as one of the most “groundbreaking” performance artists of his generation who in a singular way broke through into mainstream pop culture.

“I know he transformed me. He transformed how I see the world and where I went as a creative person. And it’s so clear that I am not alone in that feeling. For me, it was fairly abstract. I couldn’t necessarily put words to it. I think people who grew up on Pee-wee or were big fans of Pee-wee, seeing the film, I hope, will help them tap into intangible and specific ways how transformative his work was for them. It really is a gift to revisit early seminal experiences you had and to see how they reverberate in you.” 

He added: “So, to me, this isn’t so much about saying Paul Reubens is a genius. I mean, that’s overly idealizing and I don’t like hero worship. It’s more about understanding why many of us have connected to his work and understanding where he lives within a legacy of performance art, television, and also, broader pop culture.”

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