a&e features
Drag drama
Courtney Act joins Ladies of Town this weekend for guest appearance
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season six runner-up Courtney Act says the show kicked her career into high gear. (Photo by Magnus Hastings; courtesy Project Publicity)
Meet & Greet & Seat tickets available for $20 gives you admission, access to a meet-and-greet at 9 p.m. and a chance to get seats for the show before the doors open to the general public. But to get seats, you must arrive before 10.
Regular cover is $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after
Drag show starts at 10:30 p.m. downstairs
Music upstairs by CTRL
Town Danceboutique is always a prime spot for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumni and the tradition continues.
Last week season six champion Bianca Del Rio started a new monthly comedy cabaret show there and on Saturday night, the regular Saturday night drag troupe welcomes guest star Courtney Act, who came in second this year. As Courtney, Aussie Shane Jenek, 32, delighted “Drag Race” fans with his obvious singing and stage talent and a female look that was eerily convincing. We caught up with him this week by phone from Los Angeles. His comments have been slightly edited for length.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Will you be doing the “Boys Like Me” show at Town or something else?
COURTNEY ACT: No. This is just going to be sort of the regular Saturday night at Town with special guest Courtney Act. I did “Boys Like Me” in New York and would definitely like to tour it, but not this time.
BLADE: Did you enjoy Capital Pride and Town when you were here in June?
ACT: I did. Capital Pride, can I say, was I think my favorite Pride I did in America this year. It was absolutely epic and then we performed after at Town and that was epic too. The crowd there was amazing.
BLADE: What was the big delay on the main stage at Pride? I know you were on pretty early but things seemed to be running hours behind and it was dark by the time Bianca went on. What was going on backstage?
ACT: Well, Darienne went on and then I went on and then I think Rita Ora came out. There was some confusion in the lineup because she had to leave early so she ended up going earlier in the day and that bumped everybody else later I believe. Adore and Bianca ended up going on at the end.
BLADE: Did you bring a strategy for “Drag Race” per se or were you just there to bring your A game overall?
ACT: I just brought my A game. I’m a huge fan of the show. I love watching it and I just thought, “How do I want the world to see me?” … When I found out I might be on the show, I called everybody around the world that I’d ever worked with where I’d had a good costume and tracked down, like the wings and, you know, all these difference pieces and also had some things made and put it all together with my friends and business partners. Vanity from Wigs by Vanity flew over from Australia — this is before I was even confirmed, while they were still doing the background check — I took a chance on a happy ending and Vanity flew over and we both styled wigs for a whole week. So I just got everything ready just in case so yeah, I definitely brought my A game.
BLADE: Were you exhausted by the end?
ACT: No, I had a great time. There was no television, no mobile phones, no internet, no social media … not every day to you get to wake up and do all of those things at such a high standard so it was actually kind of amazing. And every week was different. It wasn’t like we were doing some production show eight times a week. We were doing a musical one week, an interview challenge the next. Each week was different.
BLADE: Who was your favorite celebrity guest judge?
ACT: Well I did love Khloe Kardashian. I didn’t know much about her but she kind of won my heart. And then since the show, Chaz Bono and I have become very good friends and it was a great gift getting to meet him on the show and becoming friends.
BLADE: What was your take on the “Female or She-Male” segment controversy?
ACT: I thought it was probably a little ill thought out. I don’t think it was intentionally meant to be offensive but I guess the thing about transphobia, homophobia, any kind of phobia, is that it often stems from ignorance not from intentionally trying to put someone down. I think if they were to do it again, they probably wouldn’t include the word she-male. But it sort of came at a time where we’re seeing a new revolution with gender in society. We had the women’s liberation in the ‘60s and ‘70s and now it’s like the trans revolution where you have inspiring trans people like Chaz Bono, Laverne Cox, Janet Mock … coming to light and it’s kind of the first time we’ve had inspirational trans people in pop culture. I think the she-male controversy kind of sparked a lot of conversation and I think a lot of changes and conversations began because of that so, you know, in some ways it was a good thing.
BLADE: But accusing RuPaul of being transphobic? Isn’t that a little ridiculous?
ACT: Well no, obviously that’s ridiculous. Sometimes people can get too caught up in the heresy, like, “Oh my God, this person said this,” and it’s like, well, yeah, there are some very loud people saying things that just don’t make any sense but I think you have to use your better judgement and say, “Yeah, you know what — even though she-male wasn’t the smartest thing, is RuPaul transphobic? No. Is World of Wonder out to, you know, put down trans people? No, of course not. So I think the controversy can get extremely unbalanced and I think when the issue arrives, it’s about doing things objectively and having a balance on both sides. I think RuPaul kind of got embroiled in the controversy because he addressed, you know, the right wing if you will, of trans activists rather than focusing on the solution. I can’t remember the statistic for sure off hand but something like one in six, one in eight, trans people will end up being murdered. That’s a statistic that’s dumbfounding. And you also see the state of homelessness and all sorts of other social issues that affect trans people much more than cisgender people and that’s the real conversation that needs to come out that whole debate. How can we improve the lives of trans people? How can we see them as equal and how can we move forward?
BLADE: You’ve said what ended up on the show was only about 10 percent of your overall persona and that things were taken out of context and such. I’m sure that’s true to an extent but you had to know they were going to take the bitchiest exchanges and play those up, right?
ACT: You know they’re going to sensationalize things. They’re making a reality TV show, not a documentary. I think that’s obvious but what I didn’t anticipate — I thought those things may be heightened, but I thought they would still be honest. There was obviously some creative license taken but I guess my expectation was that when it came to the outcome of my whole experience on the show, I am almost anti- a lot of the things that Courtney came to represent. So to see myself portrayed as the mean girl or someone who was mean to Joslyn, it kind of goes against everything I stand for as a person. That was challenging for me personally to watch. I love Joslyn and we’re friends and there was no real drama between us. That was maybe a 10-minute period where we discussed how she was feeling hurt by what the judges said and then it was compounded by what I said. But that all happened in one episode for like 10 minutes but then there were all these other occurrences built into the show where I was being depicted as being rude to Joslyn and it just wasn’t like that.
BLADE: Do you and Bianca, Adore and Darienne (the season six finalists) get to see each other often or do many shows together?
ACT: Not as often as we’d like but we maintain a very active iMessage thread and everyday we’re messaging one another. We’re always in different parts of the world, so there’s always somebody awake and participating and we’re always thinking, “When is our next gig together, we really need to hang out again.” We had the best afternoon hanging out at Capital Pride.
BLADE: How much of what you do now is tied in with the Logo juggernaut if any?
ACT: None of these are official Logo or World of Wonder gigs but they’re obviously all because we were on the show and people know who we are.
BLADE: What are your thoughts on the current Facebook controversy with the real names policy?
ACT: I’ve always had a fan page and a boy page so it didn’t affect me personally but I do understand the argument. But I think Justin Bond made a good argument on Huffington Post that there are people in places around the world who need to have a fake name to protect their identity because either their family, their society, their country, their religion doesn’t accept who they are. I think the thing that’s different about drag queens is we’re talking about the algorithm picking up fake names, not somebody in the Middle East who’s trying to maintain an online identity because that’s their only outreach to the outside world. For drag queens who have a public persona, I think a fan page makes more sense but I think for people who have a personal page in their name, I don’t see why that shouldn’t be possible too. I think there can be an opportunity for people to register with Facebook privately their real details and then have a profile in a performance name.
BLADE: You always have the hottest guys on your single covers and promo photos. Who are these people and where do you find them?
ACT: There’s a “Mean Gays” of West Hollywood. … The boys in my “Mean Gays” video are just go go boys and friends in West Hollywood.
BLADE: Do you sing differently as Shane versus as Courtney?
ACT: Yeah, she sings higher. I usually sing about one tone below a natural female sort of key. Then as a boy, it’s in a lower key. It’s fun on the Atlantis gay cruises I can do Courtney’s show “Boys Like Me” one night, then do a boy cabaret show on a different night in the smaller room.
BLADE: You were well established before “Drag Race.” Did that just kick everything into high gear for you? What has the effect been like?
ACT: It’s been epic since “Drag Race.” I was known in Australia and had a bit of a following around the world but yes, “Drag Race” just — I was just in Europe doing a two-week tour and in Berlin, this venue was packed with people all screaming and singing along to “Mean Gays” and it was amazing because not only were all these people there, “Drag Race” isn’t even shown on television there so they’d all had to commit a crime and illegally downloaded the show just to know who I am. In America, you know, we’re sort of accustomed to seeing the fandom of the “Drag Race” girls, but it’s really taking the world by storm. We’re in America, in Europe, in Australia, in Canada — drag queens are taking over the world.
Aussie native Courtney Act, 32, started doing drag in 2000 and came to the U.S. in 2010. (Photo by Mathu Andersen; courtesy Project Publicity)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2025
‘Wicked,’ Lady Gaga’s new era, ‘Sexy’ Bailey and more
Although 2025 was a year marked by countless attacks on trans rights and political setbacks, the year also saw brilliant queer artists continuing to create art. From Cannes and Sundance Award winners now vying for Oscar consideration to pop icons entering new stages of their careers, queer people persevered to tell their stories through different media.
With the state of the world so uncertain, perhaps there’s no more vital time to celebrate our wins, as seen through some of this year’s top pop culture moments. While there’s no collection of 10 stories that fully encompass “the most important” news, here are some events that got the gays going:
10. ‘Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ wins big at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival has become a crucial start for films hoping to make their way to the Oscars, and first-time director Diego Céspedes won the top Un Certain Regard prize for his intimate western “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.” The film is set in the ‘80s and is intended as an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. Seeing a film that unpacks vital queer history win one of the most coveted awards at Cannes has been a huge point of pride in the independent filmmaking community.
Since the film bowed at Cannes, it has been selected as Chile’s Oscar entry in the Best International Feature race. Speaking with The Blade during the film’s AFI Fest run in October, Céspedes said: At first, I was kind of scared to have this campaign position in the times that we’re living [in] here. But at the same time, I think the Oscars mean a huge platform — a huge platform for art and politics.”
9. ‘The Last of Us’ returns for an even gayer season 2
While the first season of The Last of Us gave us one of TV’s most heartbreaking queer love stories in the episode “Long, Long Time,” Season 2 doubled down on its commitment to queer storytelling with the blossoming relationship between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). The show expanded on the pair’s relationship in the original video game, making it perhaps the central dynamic to the entire season. That unfortunately came with more homophobic backlash on the internet, but those who checked out all the episodes saw a tender relationship form amid the show’s post-apocalyptic, often violent backdrop. For their performance, Ramsey was once again nominated for an Emmy, but Merced deserved just as much awards attention.
8. ‘Emilia Pérez’ sparks controversy
Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending trans musical “Emilia Pérez” proved to be an awards season juggernaut this time last year, winning the Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy. But when the lead star Karla Sofia Gascón’s racist, sexist, and homophobic old tweets resurfaced, the film’s Oscar campaign became a tough sell, especially after Netflix had tried so hard to sell Emilia Pérez as the “progressive” film to vote for. Mind you, the film had already received significant backlash from LGBTQ+ audiences and the Mexican community for its stereotypical and reductive portrayals, but the Gascón controversy made what was originally just social media backlash impossible to ignore. The only person who seemed to come out of the whole debacle unscathed was Zoe Saldaña, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress over Ariana Grande.
7. ‘Sorry, Baby’ establishes Eva Victor as major talent
Back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Eva Victor (known by many for her brand of sketch comedy) premiered their directorial debut “Sorry, Baby” to rave reviews, even winning the Waldo Salt Screening Award. Victor shadowed Jane Schoenbrun on the set of “I Saw the TV Glow,” and seeing Victor come into their own and establish such a strong voice immediately made them one of independent cinema’s most exciting new voices. A memorable scene in the film sees the main character, Agnes (played by Victor), struggling to check a box for male or female, just one example of how naturally queerness is woven into the fabric of the story.
Most recently, Victor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, and she’s represented in a category alongside Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”). The film also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations overall.
6. Paul Reubens comes out in posthumous doc
While Paul Reubens never publicly came out as gay before passing away in 2023, the two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered back in May on HBO Max, giving the legendary comedian a chance to posthumously open up to the world. Directed by Matt Wolf, the documentary explores how Reubens found his alter ego Pee-Wee Herman and why he kept his private life private.
The documentary won an Emmy in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category and remains one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the year with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Also worth noting, the National Geographic documentary Sally told the posthumous coming out story of Sally Ride through the help of her long-time partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy.
5. Lady Gaga releases ‘Mayhem’
Lady Gaga entered a new phase of her musical career with the release of Mayhem, her seventh album to date. From the frenzy-inducing pop hit Abracadabra to the memorable Bruno Mars duet featured on “Die With a Smile,” seeing Gaga return to her roots and make an album for the most die-hard of fans was especially rewarding after the underwhelming film releases of “House of Gucci” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Gaga has been touring with The Mayhem Ball since July, her first arena tour since 2018. She even extended her tour into 2026 with more North American dates, so the party isn’t stopping anytime soon. And Gaga is even set to make an appearance next May in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
4. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande perform at the Oscars
While “Wicked: For Good” didn’t quite reach the heights of the first film, we will forever have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s breathtaking live performance that opened the 97th Academy Awards. The pair sang a rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” “Home,” and “Defying Gravity,” paying proper homage to the original 1939 “Wizard of Oz.” Even non-Wicked fans can’t deny how magical and brilliantly staged this performance was. With both Erivo and Grande up for acting Oscars last year, they’re hoping to repeat success and make history with consecutive nominations. Either way, let’s hope there’s another live performance in the making, especially with two new original songs (The Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home) in the mix.
3. Indya Moore speaks out against Ryan Murphy
Indya Moore has consistently used social media as a platform for activism, and in September, posted a 30-minute Instagram live speaking out against “Pose” co-creator Ryan Murphy. Moore claimed that Murphy wasn’t being a true activist for trans people. “Ryan Murphy, we need you to do more. You need to address the racism, the violence, and the targeting of people on your productions, Ryan Murphy. You do need to make sure trans people are paid equally. Yes, Janet did the right thing,” Moore said. Murphy was also back in the headlines this year for the critically panned “All’s Fair” and the controversial “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” starring Laurie Metcalf and Charlie Hunnam.
2. Cole Escola wins Tony for Best Leading Actor
Few pop culture moments this year brought us together more than Cole Escola winning a Tony award for “Oh, Mary!” the Broadway show they created, wrote and starred in (we love a triple threat!) Escola made history by becoming the first nonbinary person to win a Tony in the leading actor category, and seeing them excitedly rush to the stage wearing a Bernadette Peters-inspired gown instantly became a viral social media moment.
The cherry on top of Escola’s major moment is the recent news that they are writing a Miss Piggy movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone producing — news that also broke the internet for the better. We cannot wait!
1. Jonathan Bailey makes gay history as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’
The same year as his on-screen roles in blockbusters “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good,” Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay man to be named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” The fact that it took 40 years for an openly gay man to earn the title is a signifier of how far we still have to go with queer representation, and seeing Bailey celebrated is just one small step in the right direction.
“There’s so many people that want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can’t,” he told PEOPLE, “and I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment. So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.” In 2024, Bailey founded the charity titled The Shameless Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ+ organizations.
a&e features
Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
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