Arts & Entertainment
Broadway stars record song to benefit Orlando LGBT community
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rosie O’Donnell and more to participate
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Scores of Broadway stars will record a new version of the 1965 song “What the World Needs Now is Love,” originally sung by Jackie DeShannon, with proceeds going to the LGBT Center of Central Florida.
People magazine reports SiriusXM Radio host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley, organized the recording which was inspired by the We Are the World benefit recording for Africa in 1985.
“The Broadway community was so terribly shaken and devastated by the horrific tragedy in Orlando. Everyone wanted to do something as quickly as possible that would truly make a difference,” Rudetsky said in a press release.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Audra McDonald, Idina Menzel, Sara Bareilles, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Kristen Bell, Joel Grey, Sean Hayes, Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Rosie O’Donnell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nathan Lane, Fran Drescher, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Rosie Perez, Billy Porter, Bernadette Peters, Chita Rivera, Alice Ripley, Tommy Tune, BD Wong, Whoopi Goldberg and more will sing on the track.
Pre-order purchase for the song is $1.99 on BroadwayRecords.com and will be available for download on Monday, June 20.
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
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