Arts & Entertainment
Deck the halls
Gifts for the home make lasting, tangible treasures
Gifts for the home make lasting, tangible treasures. (Photo by Bigstock)
Gay-owned Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams (1526 14th St. N.W.) specializes in furniture, but the store also has an array of eye-catching accent pieces for your home, including a set of mercury glass jars. The jars come in assorted styles and range in price from $75-108. For a more affordable option, consider the decorative glass balls in various styles and sizes, ranging in value from $25-120.
HomeMade Gin Kit
Hill’s Kitchen (713 D St. N.E.) has the perfect gift for anyone who appreciates a fine spirit. The HomeMade Gin Kit ($50) has everything you need to make gin out of your favorite vodka. It includes instructions, spices and all necessary tools. Refills of the spices can be ordered at any time at homemadegin.com. Now through December, take advantage of the limited edition Christmas botanical blend, which includes cinnamon and other seasonal spices. The kit is the product of a small business based in Arlington. Complement the Gin Kit with a few D.C.-themed cocktail glasses ($9.95-10.95 each) from Hill’s Kitchen, and round out your order with a sphere ice mold for $11.50.
Miss Pixie’s (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
For vintage home furnishings and accessories, look no further than Miss Pixie’s (1626 14th St. N.W.). The store has everything from chairs and tables to rotary phones, but art lovers should consider one of the many paintings, ranging anywhere from $150-700. On Dec. 5 from 6-8 p.m., Miss Pixie’s is hosting a customer appreciation event, which includes a 10 percent discount throughout the store. Miss Pixie’s also offers a delivery service for $35 within most of the D.C. metro area or $45 outside of D.C.
Salvage Modern is an increasingly popular source for mid-century modern and vintage furniture and accessories in the greater Baltimore/D.C. area. Check out the ever-changing inventory through online store fronts, or contact the owners for an appointment. Looking for something specific? Let them know and they will source it for you. Salvage Modern offers incredibly low prices and multiple item discounts, as well as limited curb-side delivery to the metro area. They also offer some refinishing and painting services. Mention the Blade Gift Guide and get 10 percent off select items. More info is atetsy.com/shop/salvagemodern, krrb.com/salvagemodern or facebook.com/salvageforthesoul
For a simpler, more affordable gift option, visit Millennium Decorative Arts (1528 U St. N.W.). Their assorted Blenko glass paperweights come in a variety of shapes and colors and will make a lovely addition to a home office ($35 each). For someone unafraid of bold colors, consider the tri-colored laminate cubes ($110 each). They can be stacked and rearranged to fit in with the design theme of the room and make for great additional surfaces.
iPhone users may enjoy the iPhone Wood Stand from Appalachian Spring (1415 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.). The product is handcrafted in the U.S. and comes in a variety of designs. Rest your phone on it overnight on your bedside table when using it as an alarm clock or as a tidy spot to place your phone when charging. The wood stand is valued at $26.
For Virginia residents, Merrifield Garden Center is a great place to stop by when shopping for holiday supplies. With locations in Fairfax (12101 Lee Highway), Merrifield (8132 Lee Highway) and Gainesville (6895 Wellington Road), it’s a convenient resource for anything from silk and dried flower arrangements to collectible ornaments and decorations. Merrifield Garden Center also sells fresh cut and everlasting Christmas trees as well as custom wreaths and centerpieces.
D.C. residents can get their fill of holiday decorations at World Market (5335 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.). The store offers a range of options from nutcrackers and ornaments to themed kitchenware, like this four-piece Victorian Christmas Plates set for $24.99. Some nice gift ideas from World Market include the Painted Wood Desk Box, on sale for $19.99 or the beautiful wood and glass Chemex 8-cup Coffeemaker for $39.99.
Logan Home Rule (1807 14th St. N.W.) has several noteworthy gift options. Corkcicles can be frozen, inserted into bottles to chill wine and reused. At $24.99, it would be a welcome addition to any kitchen. They also carry models for beer bottles designed to let you drink as it chills your beverage. For something a little more personal, coffee drinkers will appreciate a horoscope mug ($12.99 each).
Piggy Cutting Board (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
tabletop (1608 20th St. N.W.) offers several gift options great for anyone who knows their way around a kitchen. The Copenhagen carafes come in a variety of sizes, and their simple design will complement almost any serving set at a dinner party ($34-40). One of their more popular products, however, is their piggy cutting board, which is only $24. Spice up your dinner prep work by having a cute piggy to look at as you chop.
Anthropologie (950 F St. N.W.) has a set of Cholet hollow vases in the shape of a goose, a doe and a hare. The individual vases sell for $24-38 and make a quirky gift perfect for anyone with a casual design sense.
While Design Within Reach (3306 M St. N.W.) sells many high-end products, they also offer affordable, practical gifts Consider the Kaleido Trays, which sell for $16. The multi-colored trays come in a variety of sizes and abstract shapes and are perfect for organizing anything from keys and mail to jewelry.
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)
— Director of Programs, Pride Live (Stonewall Visitor Center) - Diana Rodriques (she/her)
— Program Leader, Pride Live (Stonewall 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.”
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
A surtax would end this war quickly
PHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
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Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary gala draws sold out crowd
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Photos3 days agoPHOTOS: Capital Stonewall Democrats 50th anniversary
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Poland3 days ago
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