Arts & Entertainment

Preview of coming attractions

D.C.’s major LGBT events and festivals for March, April and May

Published

12 years ago

March 7, 2014

Joey DiGuglielmo

Cherry, Cherry Fund, gay news, nightlife, Washington Blade

Cherry Main Event (Washington Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

The “Turnabout Show” — where the guys become girls and the girls become guys — is at 11 p.m. Monday night at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.). The event has a Facebook page.

The Miss Gaye Universe D.C. Pageant is at Town on March 15. Admission is $15 for Academy members and $20 for guests. Doors open at 3 p.m.; pageant starts at 4. Details at thewashingtonacademy.com.

The Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs have an awards event in honor of Women’s History Month on March 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Fannie Mae (3900 Wisconsin, Ave., N.W.). RSVPs and photo IDs are required to attend. RSVP by e-mailing your full name to [email protected].

The “Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness” is March 27-30 and will feature workshops, panels and readings held at various spots in the Farragut Square neighborhood. Several LGBT participants are on the slate. Visit splitthisrock.org for details.

The fifth annual Charm City Fetish Fair, billed as Baltimore’s “premiere fetish event,” is April 4-6. Visit charmcityfetishfair.com for details.

Cherry is the same weekend in Washington at various gay clubs in the city. Visit cherryfund.org for details.

The Rehoboth Women’s Fest 2014 is April 10-13 in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Visit camprehoboth.com for details.

Miss Gay Maryland America is April 25-27 at the Hippo (One W. Eager St., Baltimore). Visit missgaymaryland.com for details.

Capital Queer Prom is doing things a bit different this year. A “TAGGfest & Masquerade Gala” is scheduled for April 26 at Almas Shriners (1315 K St. N.W.) as a benefit for the Wanda Alston House. Find the group on Facebook or visit taggfest.com for details.

The Capital Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has its LGBT Business Excellence Awards dinner and gala April 25 at the Mayflower Renaissance Washington (1127 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). Visit caglcc.org for information, tickets and details on other Chamber events.

Youth Pride is April 27 from noon-5 p.m. in Dupont Circle. Visit youthpridedc.org for details.

Gay Day at the Zoo is May 3. Visit the group’s Facebook page for more information.

The American Military Partner Association has its inaugural national gala on May 17 (Armed Forces Day) at the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill. Visit militarypartners.org/gala for tickets and details.

The Academy of Washington has its 52^nd annual Golden Boy Awards at Town on May 17 at 4 p.m. (doors open at 3). Admission is $15 for Academy members and $20 for guests. Visit thewashingtonacademy.com for details.

Lesbian Angie Harvey is in D.C. the same day for a “retreat tour” called Work2Work that will cover issues such as self esteem, letting go, relationships and purposeful living. It’s free. E-mail [email protected] for details.

D.C. Black Pride Weekend is May 23-25 at various locations. Visit dcblackpride.org for details.

Omega Entertainment and Daryl Wilson Promotions have their “Wet Dream Weekend 2014” May 22-26 and promise five days, 10 events and “one hell of a party.” Details at omegapartydc.com.

June, of course, brings Pride season. Get a sneak peek at this year’s events at capitalpride.org.

Up Next

Queer celluloid

Don't Miss

Cher and Cher alike

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

22 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

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.”

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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.

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

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