Arts & Entertainment
It takes balls to protest!
Trump inauguration inspires alternative soirees
There are several protest-type inauguration events planned.
On Friday, Jan. 20, Bar Pilar (1833 14th St., N.W.) will host “Thanks, Obama Send-off Party” at 11 a.m. with Chicago- and Hawaii-inspired cocktails. The kitchen will open at 3:30 p.m. with snacks followed by the regular dinner menu at 5 p.m.
Throughout the weekend, the restaurant will participate in the All in Service project by holding a raffle fundraiser Thursday-Sunday to raise funds for One D.C., N Street Village and Whitman-Walker Health.
On Friday during the party, guests who make a $15 donation will receive 1 raffle ticket and a door gift (Chicago-style popcorn mix from The Mad Popper & other goodies) while supplies last. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased for $10 each. Prizes include show tickets to the Black Cat, two tickets to DC Brau’s 6th anniversary show at 9:30 in April with some swag, a “key” to the Rock & Roll Hotel, plus other prizes from Meats & Foods, Two Birds One Stone, DC9 and more.
Several other local restaurants are also participating including Cafe Saint Ex (1847 14th St., N.W.), McClellan’s Retreat (2031 Florida Ave., N.W.) and El Camino (108 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) with various specials. Details on Facebook.
“Thank You, Mr. President: And Still We Dance, a Dancefloor Journey” will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19 at the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) from 11:30 p.m.-5 a.m. Music by DJs Ultra Nate and James “DJ Dub” Graham. Proceeds will benefit the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and the National Center for Transgender Equality. Details at 930.com or on Facebook.
“All Night Latin Ball: Forget Politics Let’s Party” is Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. at Las Chicas Locas D.C. (701 7th St., N.W., second floor). Details on Facebook.
“The Resistance Un-Ball” is Jan. 20 from 5-9 p.m. at Washington Ethical Society (7750 16th St., N.W.) and offers “love, support and resistance” to “launch to the social justice efforts of (the Society) in the coming years.” Details on Facebook.
“Inaugural Pall: It’s Mourning in America Again!” will be held on Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Velvet Lounge (915 U St., N.W.). Come dressed in your finest mourning attire to “lament the day’s atrocities and enter into a period of national grief with some dreamy, fuzzy, rock nihilism.” Sam Cooper & the Sleepwalkers will perform. Details on Facebook.
“Unity Ball: an Inauguration Weekend Dance Party” will be held on Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at the District Architecture Center (421 7th Street, N.W.). Details at unityballdc.com.
The 13th annual Frederick Pride Festival was held at Carroll Creek Park in Frederick, Md. on Saturday, June 27.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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PHOTOS: Fredericksburg Pride March and Festival
LGBTQ celebration held in historic Virginia town
The sixth annual Fredericksburg Pride March was held in downtown Fredericksburg, Va. on Saturday, June 27. Stafford County Board of Supervisors Chair Deuntay Diggs led the march alongside Fredericksburg City Council Member Jannan W. Holmes. The Fredericksburg Pride Festival took place at Riverfront Park after the march. Bree Fram was the featured speaker.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
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