Arts & Entertainment
More ‘POP’ than ‘ART’
New Gaga effort catchy but hardly groundbreaking
(Image courtesy Interscope)
Lady Gaga’s new album, “ARTPOP,” dropped in the U.S. this week. Her LGBT following is substantial enough that any new release from her is noteworthy, but if you’re looking for something fresh and unexpected, look elsewhere.
Taken merely as a series of instant dance hits, “ARTPOP” is perfect. The album sounds like a compilation of songs that almost made it onto her previous albums. Not surprisingly, it explores themes of fame and vanity, as her music has done countless times. Despite the lack of originality, as Gaga says herself in “Mary Jane Holland,” “It’s all right, because I am rich as piss.” Why change a working system?
Many songs from “ARTPOP” can and will be heavily featured on the radio, and there’s no shortage of new material for DJs to play. “MANiCURE” is one of these tracks, and, as the title suggests, it’s about how getting dolled up for a MAN can CURE insecurity. When the song comes on, finish your drink, hit the dance floor and ignore the lyrics. It’s one of several toe-tappers.
Most tracks use synthesizers and auto-tune liberally, making the album sound too robotic and over-produced, notably in the second single “Do What U Want” and in the title cut. “ARTPOP” is one of a few tracks that reference the album title, an effort to take as many opportunities as possible to remind listeners that pop music is art, a narrative Gaga has been pushing for years.
The first track, “Aura,” is a techno song with a flamenco-inspired guitar riff. Lyrically, the song compares Gaga to women who wear burqas, though she claims to wears one as a fashion statement, the first of many references to fashion on the album.
Another example is the track “Fashion!,” the second song in her discography by that name. In defense of “Fashion!,” it’s one of the few songs from “ARTPOP” where Gaga is singing rather than yelling into the microphone, albeit with a healthy amount of auto-tune. “Donatella” is simultaneously a critique of and an ode to the haughty lifestyle of models and Donatella Versace herself.
“Venus,” the first promotional single, is a dance track that alludes to the eponymous Roman goddess of love and sex. The cheeky bridge lists the planets and includes the line “Uranus, don’t you know my ass is famous?” It’s one of the more memorable moments from the album and is sure to incite giggles. For its music and lyrical themes, “G.U.Y.” may as well be called “Venus Part II,” as they’re almost indistinguishable to the casual listener. Together, they carry a Madonna-esque message of sexual empowerment.
Because the previous two tracks about sex were apparently too subtle, “Sexxx Dreams” is sure to be banned from all high school proms and be a club staple for the next year.
“Jewels N’ Drugs” features T.I., Too Short and Twista, and is a surprisingly catchy hip-hop track and a more refreshing part of the album. However, the hook’s lyrics are reminiscent of Ke$ha’s “Your Love Is My Drug,” while Gaga’s verse is yet another chance to emphasize her obsession with fame.
First single “Applause” may be the album’s worst offender. It’s the epitome of Gaga’s aforementioned fame obsession, even more so than “The Fame” from her debut album of the same name. The song actually features sounds of a cheering crowd. The pop-dance track hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, but fails to do anything more than beg her fans to keep loving her.
The album’s concepts may be tired, but it’s not without some great moments. A true gem is “Dope.” It’s very similar to her 2009 song “Speechless,” but for the best reasons. It focuses on Gaga’s vocal performance and piano skills and reminds fans of the talent underneath the spectacle.
If “Dope” is a callback to “Speechless,” “Gypsy” will remind fans of “The Edge of Glory,” as they’re both dance numbers with some of Gaga’s better vocal performances.
“Swine” is a change of pace for Gaga. It’s electronica without being a dance hit, but what’s most stunning is the intimate subject matter about a dark part of Gaga’s past. It’s angry almost to the point of being un-Gaga, but it’s a well-executed standout piece.
Ultimately, this new album fails to introduce fresh sounds the way Gaga’s first two full-length albums (“The Fame” and “Born This Way”) did. Revisiting the fame concept five years later feels tired and the new music does little to distinguish itself from previous efforts.
Does Gaga have enough good ideas to sustain a decades-long career or will she end up a late ‘00s/early ‘10s trivia question in the years to come? The jury’s still out on that, but revisiting concepts and musical styles this early in the game doesn’t bode particularly well.
Sports
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
New regulation to be in effect at 2028 summer games in Los Angeles
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday announced it will not allow transgender women from competing in female events at the Olympics.
“For all disciplines on the Sports Program of an IOC event, including individual and team sports, eligibility for any Female Category is limited to biological females,” reads the new policy.
The policy states “eligibility for the Female Category is to be determined in the first instance by SRY Gene screening to detect the absence or presence of the SRY Gene.”
“On the basis of the scientific evidence, the IOC considers that the SRY (sex-determining Region Y) Gene is fixed throughout life and represents highly accurate evidence that an athlete has experienced or will experience male sex development,” it reads. “Furthermore, the IOC considers that SRY Gene screening via saliva, cheek swab or blood sample is unintrusive compared to other possible methods. Athletes who screen negative for the SRY gene permanently satisfy this policy’s eligibility criteria for competition in the Female Category.”
The policy states the test “will be a once-in-a-lifetime test” unless “there is reason to believe a negative reading is in error.”
The new regulation will be in place for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
“I understand that this a very sensitive topic,” said IOC President Kirsty Coventry on Thursday in a video. “As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition.”
“The policy that we have announced is based on science and it has been led by medical experts with the best interests of athletes at its heart. The scientific evidence is very clear: male chromosomes give performance advances in sport that rely on strength, power, or endurance,” she added. “At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”
(Video courtesy of the IOC)
Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, in 2021 became the first trans woman to compete at the Olympics.
Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer, won a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Khelif later sued JK Rowling and Elon Musk for cyberstalking after they questioned her gender identity.
Ellis Lundholm, a mogul skier from Sweden, this year became the first openly trans athlete to compete in any Winter Olympics when he participated in Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.
President Donald Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams in the U.S.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee last July banned trans women from competing in female sporting events. Republican lawmakers have demanded the IOC ban trans athletes from women’s athletic competitions.
“I’m grateful the Olympics finally embraced the common sense policy that women’s sports are for women, not for men,” said U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on X.
An IOC spokesperson on Thursday referred the Washington Blade to the press release that announced the new policy.
a&e features
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths
The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.
This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.
This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward.
Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis
Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers
ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES
- Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
— U.S. House of Representatives - Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
— Executive Director, United We Dream - Paola Ramos (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent - Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
— Founder / Producer, Play Play DC - Savannah Wade (she/her)
— Founder, OAR Agency - Suhad Babaa (she/her)
— Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision - Ashlee Davis (she/her)
— Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry - Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
— Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine - Queen Adesuyi (she/they)
— Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice - Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
— Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives) - Gaby Vincent (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
— Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra - Denice Frohman (she/her)
— Independent Artist, Poet / Performer - Vida Rangel (she/her)
— Founder, Our Trans Capital - Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
— Executive Director, Our Space - Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
— Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Diana Rodriques (she/her)
— Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center) - Wendi Cooper (she/her)
— Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women - Toya Matthews (she/her)
— City of San Antonio, Texas - Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader - Charity Blackwell (she/her)
— Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader - Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
— Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation - Em Chadwick (she/her)
— CMO, For Them & Autostraddle - Kylo Freeman (they/he)
— CEO, For Them & Autostraddle
LEGEND AWARDEES
- Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
— Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau - Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
— Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP - leigh h. mosley (she/her)
— Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography - Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
— Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University - Jordyn White (she/her)
— COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation - AJ Hikes (they/them)
— Deputy Executive Director, ACLU - RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
— Digital Creator, RL Lockhart - Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
— Educator, EEO Specialist, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign - Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
— Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group - Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
— Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame - Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
— Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction) - Letitia Gomez (she/her)
— The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Formerly of Voto Latino - Lynne Brown (she/her)
— Publisher, Washington Blade - Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
— Political Strategist and Organizer - Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
— Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures - Meghann Burke (she/her)
— Executive Director, NWSL Players Association - Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
— Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Coalition - Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
— CEO, Center on Halsted - Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
— CEO, Moxie Strategies - Alice Wu (she/her)
— Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter - Storme Webber (she/her)
— Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington - Kim Stone
— CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit - Mickalene Thomas
— American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio - Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
— Executive Director, interACT - J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
— Co-Executive Director, GSA Network
Celebrity News
D.C. goes gaga for Gaga
Bisexual icon brought ‘The Mayhem Ball’ tour to Washington this week
Lady Gaga this week took D.C. by storm.
The bisexual icon and LGBTQ rights champion brought “The Mayhem Ball” tour to Capital One Arena on Monday and Tuesday.
“Abracadabra,” “Paparazzi,” “Applause,” and “Bad Romance” are among the songs Lady Gaga performed during the 2 1/2-hour long concert. Lady Gaga also celebrated her many queer fans.
“You are precious to us,” she said on Tuesday night before she performed “Born This Way.”
‘No Kings’ protests set for D.C.
Border to border: modern slavery and human trafficking in refugee movements across East Africa
New IOC policy bans trans women from Olympics
Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people
Pa. House passes bill to codify marriage equality in state law
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