Arts & Entertainment
MOST ELIGIBLE SINGLES: Katy Waters
Meet D.C.’s top 20 LGBT bachelors and bachelorettes
Katy Waters (Washington Blade by Michael Key)
Name: Katy Waters
Age: 28
Occupation: Manager, organizing and electoral campaigns, Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Identify as: queer
What are you looking for in a mate? Someone who is down to explore the city (the world), wants to go to a show and makeout about it
Biggest turn-off: Lack of empathy, lack of curiosity
Biggest turn-on: A contagious smile, a brilliant laugh, emotional intelligence, someone who wants to talk about social justice over a glass of whiskey.
Hobbies: Anything that makes me feel more full: spending time with my queer community, reading, going to yoga, going to shows, cooking with my roomies
Describe your ideal first date: I love getting vulnerable on the first date. Some of my favorite firsts have been at bookstores, whiskey bars or when someone sends me a list of yummy restaurants I haven’t been to and lets me pick.
Pets, kids or neither? Pets. My dream is to own a dalmatian again one day. Maybe kids, who knows?
Would you date someone whose political views differ from yours? Absolutely not. My passion and life’s work is realizing justice in our world, which is so deeply entrenched and affected by policies and politics. It comes back to that empathy thing, you know?
Celebrity crush: Kathleen Hanna, Staceyann Chin, Janet Mock, Travis Barker
One obscure fact about yourself: I want to tell you about how my tonsillectomy changed my life.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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