Arts & Entertainment
ClexaCon brings focus to queer women in entertainment
Annual convention kicks off March 3 in Las Vegas


Lynn Chen is one of many actresses and other queer women in entertainment taking part in ClexaCon. (Photo courtesy of ClexaCon)
Editor’s note: The Blade is a sponsor of ClexaCon and will have a reporter in Las Vegas covering the convention March 3-5.
Conventions are a popular way to bring die-hard, like-minded fans together — from the star-studded Comic Con in San Diego to the D.C. Awesome Con, which has featured cast members from fantasy/sci-fi shows like “Doctor Who” and “The Walking Dead.”
ClexaCon, the first con created by queer women for queer women, will unite a more specific part of fandom culture that has been demanding attention for a long time.
ClexaCon is a three-day convention for queer women in entertainment from March 3-5 at Bally’s and Paris in Las Vegas. The name “Clexa” comes from the fan favorite couple Clarke and Lexa from the CW’s “The 100.” Lexa’s death on the show sparked outrage among LGBT fans who felt Lexa was the casualty of yet another “Bury Your Gays Trope.” A petition was started to spread awareness of the treatment of queer female characters in media and to raise money for The Trevor Project.
The con strives to rectify the “Bury Your Gays” trope and to celebrate LGBT characters in media as well as to encourage queer women to create their own content that does justice to the representation they want to see of themselves on screen.
“We want ClexaCon to be a place where fans from around the world connect and form friendships. If we can impact just one person’s life positively, then we have accomplished our goal,” ClexaCon organizers said in a statement to the Washington Blade.
Organizers say they are expecting thousands of attendees during the three-day event. The lineup includes a bevy of celebrities, panelists, journalists, artists and other fandom contributors. Top names expected to attend include Amy Acker (“Person of Interest, “Angel”), show runner Emily Andras (“Wynonna Earp,” “Lost Girl), Lynn Chen (“Saving Face”), Gabrielle Christian (“South of Nowhere”), Ali Liebert (“Bomb Girls,” “Lost Girl”), Mandy Musgrave (“South of Nowhere’) and many more.
These actresses will bring together some of the most beloved lesbian couples in fandom. Spashley (Spencer and Ashley on “South of Nowhere”), Shoot (Root and Shaw on “Person of Interest”), Wayhaught (Waverly Earp and Nicole Haught from “Wyonna Earp”), Hollstein (Laura Hollis and Carmilla Karnstein on “Camilla”), Bam (Bianca and Maggie from “All My Children”) and a reunion of the cast from romantic-comedy “Saving Face.”
Panels will include Bring Your Own Bulletproof Vest: How to Write Damn Good T.V. for Women, Creating an Original Web Series, Diversity in Comics, Fanfiction and the Art of a Good Love Scene, How to Raise Investment for your LGBTQ Business: from Crowdfundraising to Venture Backing, and Transgender Representation in the Media, among others.
The ClexaCon Film Festival will screen films, web series and documentaries from queer filmmakers. Other special events during the weekend will include Cocktails for Change, a one-hour event that gives attendees the chance to mingle with celebrities at the con while raising money for the Tegan and Sara Foundation, and Speed-Pitching, the chance to pitch a television series to professional TV writers and creators on the panel.
“This event is for the LGBT+ person sitting in their small town feeling completely alone and alienated,” ClexaCon organizers say. “ClexaCon is for those of us who have placed our hope in a fictional character just to have been let down. We are powerful and we are important. It’s time our community felt that. It’s time we are the change we want to see in the world.”
Single-day passes are $50-$55 and three-day passes are $135. Tickets for autographs and photographs are sold separately. For more information, visit clexacon.com.

Below are our picks for some of the most fun and creative things to do this week in D.C. that are of special interest to the LGBTQ community.
BenDeLaCreme “Ready to be Committed”

Monday, May 23
7 p.m.
9:30 Club
815 V Street, N.W.
$45
Facebook | Website | Ticketmaster
“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumni BenDeLaCreme performs “Ready to be Committed” at the 9:30 Club Monday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Seating is first come, first serve.
Mystery Reveal Party

Wednesday, May 25
9 p.m.
Trade
1410 14th Street, N.W.
Facebook
Meet the mystery guest at a mystery reveal party hosted by Jaxknife on Wednesday. Mystery drink specials include $3 shots and $7 beer/shot combos.
Black, Gay and Thriving

Thursday, May 26
5:30 p.m.
ANC 5D Community Meeting Room
371 Morse Street, N.E.
Facebook | Eventbrite
Gay Professional Men of Color (GPMC) holds a networking event on Thursday at the beginning of Black Pride Weekend in D.C.
LGBTQ+ Evening Out in Del Ray

Thursday, May 26
7-10 p.m.
Bar No. 9 Lounge at the Evening Star
2000 Mt Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, Va.
Facebook | Eventbrite
Join a free gathering and make some new friends at the Bar No. 9 Lounge (upstairs) in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Va. on Thursday.
Trans Agenda

Thursday, May 26
9 p.m.
JR.’s
1519 17th Street, N.W.
Facebook
A show featuring all trans performers at JR.’s includes host MasVusi, Silver Ware, Chata Uchis and St. Patrick Star.
RuPaul’s Drag Race British Invasion Tour

Friday, May 27
8 p.m.
Warner Theatre
513 13th Street, N.W.
$45-$153
Facebook | Live Nation
See the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K. as the British Invasion Tour makes its Washington, D.C. stop at the Warner Theatre on Friday.
GLOW/CRAZY

Friday, May 27
9 p.m.
Green Lantern
1335 Green Court, N.W.
no cover
Facebook
Enjoy a Kicks & Giggles dance party at the Green Lantern complete with DJs and glow paint. From 9 to 10 p.m., if you’re wearing body paint on your chest or back, you drink for free!
Anything But Clothes Party

Saturday, May 28
9 p.m.
The Lodge
21614 National Pike
Boonsboro, Md.
$5 cover before 10 p.m. / $8 cover after 10 p.m.
Facebook
Join Capital DJ Chase for the “Anything But Clothes Party” at The Lodge on Saturday. There will be a most creative outfit (not clothes) contest at midnight.
Black Pride Brunch & Babes

Sunday, May 29
11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Karma Night Club
2221 Adams Place, N.E.
$60
Facebook
Celebrate Black Pride with the Capitol Ballroom Council at a ballroom performance with a catered brunch buffet and bottomless memosas- Sunday, May 29, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Black Pride Brunch & Babes at Karma Night Club.
Flashy Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday, May 29
10 p.m.-5 a.m.
Flash
645 Florida Avenue, N.W.
$30 advance / $40 door
Facebook | Eventbrite
Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend Sunday night into the wee hours of the morning at Flash. Music by DJ Twin, DJ Sean Morris and DJ Lemz.
If you would like to let us know about an upcoming event, email [email protected] with details.
Photos
PHOTOS: Summer Kickoff Party
Washington Blade holds annual event at The Pines in Rehoboth Beach

The Washington Blade held its 15th annual Summer Kickoff Party at The Pines in Rehoboth Beach, Del. on Friday, May 20 with special guest Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)













Carson Kressley of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” served as the emcee for the Worthy Mentoring Pride Brunch at the Four Seasons Washington Hotel on Sunday, May 22. Worthy Mentoring is a nonprofit that connects mentors and mentees in the LGBTQ+ community through a mobile iOS and Android App.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)






















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