Arts & Entertainment
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW EVENTS: Notes to self …
D.C.’s LGBT spring social calendar swirling as always
Helen Hayes Awards (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
SPRING ARTS PREVIEW 2015: Some upcoming events don’t fit in our regular spring arts categories. Here are a few to mark on your calendar.
• The Miss Gaye Universe D.C. Ball is Sunday at 4 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.).
• The Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC) has its seventh annual mega networking event on March 25 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.). It’s free.
• Allied in Pride, an LGBT group at George Washington University, hosts Trans Day of Visibility with Laverne Cox on March 31 at 7 p.m. at the Lisner Auditorium (730 21st St., N.W.). The event is sold out.
• Brother Help Thyself has a town hall meeting on March 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Place Baltimore Inner Harbor (511 South Central Ave.). Another is planned for Washington. The mission is to discuss community needs and available resources.
• Family Equality Council and the D.C. Center are co-hosting a “family dance” on April 3 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Center (2000 14th St., N.W.). It’s part of the Council’s “family weekend in D.C.” event running April 3-5.
• The Helen Hayes Awards for local theater are April 6.
• The Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch is April 19 at 11 a.m. at the Marriott Marquis (901 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.).
• The Equality Virginia Commonwealth Dinner is April 18 in Richmond.
The Equality Virginia Commonwealth Dinner in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
• The Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance has its annual Distinguished Service Awards on April 23 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Policy Restaurant and Lounge (1904 14th St., N.W.). Tickets are $55. Chuck Hicks, Alexandra Andrea Beninda and Anne Phelps will be honored.
• Comedian Judy Gold will headline the CAMP Rehoboth Women’s FEST April 9-12.
• Cherry is April 16-19 at various locations.
• Pride at Work has its third LGBT Labor Leadership Training April 17-18 at the AFL-CIO Building (815 16th St., N.W.).
• Dining Out for Life is April 30. Details on participating D.C. restaurants at its site.
• Gay Day at the Zoo is May 3 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave. N.W.).
• Youth Pride is May 3 from noon-5 p.m. in Dupont Circle. Details at youthpridedc.org.
• The Blade’s annual Rehoboth summer kick-off party is May 15. Details coming soon.
• Hagerstown Hopes Pride 2015 is May 16 from noon-4 p.m. at Doubs Woods park (1307 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown, Md.).
• Miss Gay Maryland America is May 16 at the Hippo (1 W. Eager St., Baltimore).
• Capital Trans Pride is May 16 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Reeves Center (2000 14th St., N.W.).
• The 53rd annual Gay Golden Boy Awards for the Academy of Washington are June 6 at Town (2009 8th St. N.W.) at 4 p.m.
• The GenOUT Chorus, a new youth chorus spin-off of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, makes its debut May 15-16 at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.).
• D.C. Black Pride weekend is May 21-25. Wet Dreamz 2015 from Daryl Wilson Promotion and Omega Entertainment is the same weekend.
Black Pride Picnic at Fort Dupont Park. (Washington Blade file photo by Damien Salas)
• The Capital Pride Heroes Gala is June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Carnegie Library (801 K St., N.W.). Many other Pride-related events are also planned for June 5-14. Details at capitalpride.org/pride-2015.
• The Capturing Fire Queer Spoken Word Summit & Poetry Slam is June 4-6. Details at capturingfire.org.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
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.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
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.
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
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