Since the Trump takeover of the Kennedy Center, several shows have been cancelled as a result of the current administration’s anti-LGBTQ policies. Whether it be theater companies withdrawing as a sign of solidarity or Trump himself banning drag performances and other events, the renowned venue is now experiencing a massive overhaul since the president named himself board chair.

With WorldPride coming up in June and one of the country’s highly respected stages separating itself from queer entertainment, the Washington Blade has spoken with some of D.C.’s own drag performers about the current situation.

Tatiyanna Voche’, Miss Gay America 2023 and headliner for several shows throughout the DMV, spoke with the Blade about the current state of drag in D.C. 

BLADE: Since the beginning of the new Trump administration, have you ever had thoughts that your work as a drag queen would be under threat?

VOCHE’: Oh absolutely! We realized this during his first administration that if you don’t fit a certain mold whether it be the color of your skin, your religious beliefs, how you choose to identify, your sexual preference or hobby, your freedom or hobby is definitely under attack.  

BLADE: How does Trump making himself the chair of the Kennedy Center and banning shows there indefinitely make you feel about the future of drag for the next four years?

VOCHE’: Sadly we have been down this road before. Being gay, or drag itself wasn’t so mainstream or cool once upon a time. So I’ll say as a community we are very powerful together. I think most of us are tired of fighting the good fight but we have to continue on the same way generations before us fought for us to be able to do what we do. I do think drag is in jeopardy over the next four years, but when there’s a will, there’s a way. 

BLADE: What are your plans moving forward for your performance under the current political climate?

VOCHE’: For me personally, I will continue to spread love throughout the country wherever I go, and lift up as many community members or allies as possible. I ask questions when in a new venue to protect myself (i.e. … where the emergency exits are, always have a plan) and to just be vigilant of your surroundings. Be in groups of people in areas that you don’t feel safe, and don’t engage. We know the kind of people are on the other side of this and the true hate they have in their hearts, we are not that way and we can’t poke the bear for a lack of better words. We will win in the end.

Evry Pleasure also spoke with the Blade

She is an award-winning performer known for shows full of energy, laughter, and glamour. Evry Pleasure was voted DC’s Best Drag Queen at the 2023 D.C. Drag Awards and by the Blade.

BLADE: In times like these, how do you garner joy for yourself and the community?

EVRY PLEASURE: Focusing on my purpose. I do drag because it is a way for me to tell stories, show my creativity, connect with my community, and provide everyone who sees me with a fun time. When I focus on that purpose, and the platform I have to drive change or spread information, I find joy. There is always a way out. Times are hard, but they have been hard in the past, and we have come out of it strong.

BLADE: What do you feel like is the best way to stand up to the current pushback on queerness right now?

EVRY PLEASURE: The first thing we need to do is continue to be unapologetically and visibly queer, showing them that we have been here and will continue to be here even when they are constantly attacking us. The other thing is to find and build community. When we are organized, we can work better. We saw it in the March for Drag earlier in March here in D.C., and we have seen it all across the country. When we are together, we are stronger. We can organize and fight back stronger. Following organizations like @Qommitte can help you find more information on how to be involved and support several actions and protests around the DMV area and the country.

The last queen with whom the Blade spoke is Tara Hoot, a highly regarded performer who has been very vocal in the area’s queer scene. The Blade in 2022 voted her one of the Top 5 Drag Queens in D.C.

BLADE: How do you think World Pride will be affected by this takeover of D.C.?

TARA HOOT: So I think the world probably will be affected by the Trump administration. You know, people from around the world want to come to the United States. I mean Canada’s travel to the United States has already plummeted. Would LGBTQ people from around the world feel safe coming to Washington D.C.? That’s a big open question, so we’ll certainly need Washington D.C. and LGBTQ people from the United States to show up and show support for WorldPride and the 50th anniversary of Capital Pride.

BLADE: With opposition to queerness being a main goal of the Trump administration., do you think protests are the biggest way to push back?

TARA HOOT: I think protests are big like marches and things like that right but I also think … calling having my friends that live in states that do have representation. I think planning smaller acts of civil disobedience that make a point and show that we exist I think Is really important. Looking at ACT UP, that organization from the AIDS crisis and kind of they did things like they put a huge condom on the house of Jesse Helms who was a Republican senator who lived in Arlington. So they’re there are our ancestors before us and those who have a thought before us in the LGBTQ community kind of have given us a roadmap of kinds of things at work, things that are successful and ways that we can use civil disobedience. To bring attention to it, but also to bring joy and to bring humor I think that that’s what fascism and Republicans want to take away from us is our love our joy and our exuberance and we have to keep showing up with those things

BLADE: How are you garnering joy for yourself and the community during this administration?

TARA HOOT: So my character didn’t exist before the pandemic. It came out during the pandemic right at the end of the Trump administration, so this is the first time it’s kind of existed. When I started in the world, everybody just felt bad and I didn’t wanna be a drag queen that made people feel bad and dragged them down. I wanted to lift people up and bring some joy so that’s been my mode of operating. I describe my kind of drag characters like Mr. Rogers in address and you know I do storytime events I do bingo. I do trivia. But with my storytime, people think oh those are just for little kids, but the grown-ups are the ones that get the most out of that. They’re the ones who were tearing up and crying a little bit when I’m telling them how brave and strong they can be, how gorgeous they are. You can tell the people need to hear that and me just getting into a drag makes me happy and I can tell that it makes other people happy. That’s how I’m gonna keep bringing the joy.

As the crocuses burst, here’s some of what’s happening on the spring stage. 

Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” (through March 23), the classic “where the wind comes sweeping down the plains” story about a bucolic love triangle circa 1906. This production of the always [to me] surprisingly enthralling musical makes for the perfect early spring uber gay-friendly getaway. Clearspacetheatre.org 

Closer to home, try taking a break from the unpleasant everyday and see “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue” (March 16) at Capital One Hall in Tysons, Va. Enjoy Rose, Blanche, Dorothy and Sophia, those beloved characters (here played by actors in drag) lifted from the beloved sitcom. Livenation.com

GALA Hispanic Theatre presents the world premiere of “Sucede hasta en las mejores familias (Choke)” (April 24-May 18), a timely story about an older couple and their adult daughter whose family medical crisis unleashes intergenerational conflict that mirrors the battle that they’re forced to fight against a corporation. Galatheatre.org 

For one performance only, the Alden Theatre in McLean, Va., presents “Forbidden Broadway” (Sunday, March 16, 2 p.m.). Filled with Broadway talent and tunes, and off-Broadway humor, this long-running New York favorite parodies current plays and musicals. Mcleancenter.org

There’s still time to catch Sara Bareilles’s “Waitress” at Olney Theatre Center (extended through April 6). The show is headlined by the Helen Hayes Award-winning out actor, single-named MALINDA who plays Jenna, the show’s titular server/baker in this story about love and self-exploration. Staged by Tony-nominated director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge. Olneytheatre.org   

At Arena Stage, it’s “The Age of Innocence” (through March 30). Helen Hayes-winning actor Regina Aquino (a queer-identified first-generation Filipino immigrant) plays society stalwart Mrs. Adelaide Archer in Karen Zacarias’s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s classic Gilded Age New York-set novel. Arenastage.org 

Signature Theatre’s production of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights” (through May 4) stars esteemed queer actor Ángel Lozada as the pulsating musical’s protagonist, the hardworking and awkwardly appealing Usnavi. Signaturetheatre.org. 

Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre presents the national tour of “Shucked” (April 1-6), a queer comedy poised to deliver laughs and big talent. Its publicity reads: “What do you get when you pair a semi-neurotic, New York comedy writer with two music superstars from Nashville? A hilarious and audacious farm-to-fable musical about the one thing Americans everywhere can’t get enough of: corn.” Hilarious. 

At National Theatre, there’s “Kimberly Akimbo” (May 20-June 1), the Tony Award-winning musical that portrays a quirky teen romance with a supporting quartet of queer characters. Broadwayatthenational.com

Historic Ford’s Theatre presents a staged reading of out playwright Matthew López’s Tony-winning, two-part milestone play, “The Inheritance” (May 28-June 1) inspired by E.M. Forster’s complex novel “Howards End.” López’s critically acclaimed epic explores the lives of three generations of gay men as they chart divergent paths to forge a future for themselves in an ever-changing America in the decades after the AIDS crisis. The staged reading is helmed by out director José Carrasquillo. Fords.org  

Round House Theatre presents the premiere of Sharyn Rothsteins’s “Bad Books” (April 2- 27), featuring out actor Holly Twyford and Kate Eastwood Norris as opposing forces. “Twyford plays The Mother whose genuine love for and concern about her children propels her to seek out the local librarian to discuss ‘appropriate’ reading material. Norris plays The Librarian, a woman who is equally committed to her calling and profession.” Round House artistic director Ryan Rilette directs. Roundhousetheatre.org 

At Constellation Theatre, it’s “Head Over Heels” (May 1-June 1). A jukebox musical featuring music of 80’s rock band The Go-Go’s. This celebration of self-discovery and queer identity, weaving together Renaissance romance and Greek comedy. The company’s artistic director Allison Arkell Stockman directs. Constellationtheatre.org 

The last time I saw Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” was in 2011 at the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre featuring Cate Blanchett in a stunning turn as Yelena, a glamorous young woman married to an older processor. And now, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents the heartbreaking comedy “Uncle Vanya” (March 30-April 20) starring Hugh Bonneville from TV’s “Downtown Abbey” as Vanya, the besotted brother of the professor’s late first wife. Shakesearetheatre.org 

And finally, here’s something from the department of silver linings. After Trump’s Kennedy Center cancelled “A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride,” a concert featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., the International Pride Orchestra will present the same concert at the Music Center in North Bethesda on June 5. Let’s make it sell out. Internationalprideorchestra.org

Springtime, where the livin’ is already easy, the sun is warm, the fun is just starting, and the bookstores are full of great new releases like these.

NOVELS

For the reader who wants a thriller with a tinge of realism, look for “Sleeping Children: A Novel” by Anthony Passeron, translated by Frank Wynne (FSG, $27). The year is 1981, and American doctors are baffled by the presence of a disease that’s been popping up. How curious. Across the ocean, French doctors are also seeing the same confusing disease but Passeron’s family – his entire village, in fact – is dealing with addiction in addition to whatever illness is striking gay men. Yes, this is a novel. Keep telling yourself that. Out April 29.

If you’re up for a little romance this summer (and who isn’t?), then look for “Pioneer Summer: A Novel” by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, translated by Anne O. Fisher (Abrams, $27). It’s the story of Yurka, a wild child who’s afraid his time at summer camp is about to be filled with boredom – until he meets Volodya, who’s nothing at all like Yurka. What’s that they say about how opposites attract? This book is said to have been banned in Russia, where the authors are TikTok “sensations.” Out June 3.

So you’re the type who judges a book by its title. Then meet “Everyone Sux But You,” a graphic novel by K. Wroten (Henry Holt, $27.99). It’s a tale of a girl who doesn’t give a, well, you know, about anything but mosh pits, dancing, and her BFF. The two have particularly bonded over a deep loss and that doesn’t help their dark outlook but sometimes, you have to see the bright side of life to really live. Out May 20.

MEMOIRS

Fans of Star Trek or of actor George Takei will absolutely want “It Rhymes with Takei” (Top Shelf Productions, $29.99). It’s a graphic memoir that tells Takei’s story, from childhood to adulthood, about being in the closet for most of his life, and how coming out at age 68 was such a revolution for him. But it’s more than a biography; this book also helps readers understand what it was like to be gay for most of the 20th century and why it’s important to know. Out June 10.

Here’s another must-have for TV watchers: “So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All” by Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey (St. Martin’s Press, $32).  This is the story of two women, a show that might have bombed (hint: it didn’t), and the making of a beautiful friendship. If you’re a fan of “The L Word,” the other word you’ll use with this book is L-ove. Out June 3

One more, for TV fans: “Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home” by Jonathan Capehart (Grand Central, $30) is a biography from the MSNBC host and member of the Washington Post editorial board. It’s Capehart’s story of fitting in, finding his way to success, and standing with feet in two different worlds. Out May 20.

NONFICTION

If you’re already eyeballing the idea of eating al fresco, then you must read “Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America’s Gay Restaurants” by Erik Piepenburg (Grand Central, $30). Once upon a time, meeting new people wasn’t just done in bars or nightclubs. Piepenburg says that even a century ago, gay restaurants were great places to make new friends, find new loves, and have a good meal, too. This fascinating book takes you around the country and through the decades, and it’s a fun, fun read. Out June 3.

And when times are bad and you’re feeling low, you’ll want to pick up “Generation Queer: Stories of Youth Organizers, Artists, and Educators” by Kimm Topping and Anshika Khullar (Lee & Low, $22.95). It’s full of inspiring stories of young people, teen leaders, under-30 folks who want to represent and make change. The short biographies in this book are quick to read and they’ll help you understand that the next generation is not about to let things slide backwards. Out May 27.

If these great books aren’t enough for you, be sure to talk to your favorite bookseller or librarian. There are lots of books out this spring and coming for summer, and you’re not going to want to miss them.