a&e features

Asia O’Hara interview: the Queen has arrived

‘Drag Race’ season 10 favorite readies Capital Pride headlining appearance

Published

8 years ago

June 7, 2018

Mariah Cooper

Asia O'Hara interview, gay news, Washington Blade

Asia O’Hara says experience helped her go far on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 10. (Photo courtesy Project Publicity)

Asia O’Hara

Capital Pride Concert

Sunday, June 10

7 p.m.

Capitol Concert Stage

3rd and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Free admission

Asia O’Hara took home the titles for Miss Gay USofA in 2007, All American Goddess 2012 and Miss Gay America 2016 but still had to audition three times to compete for the crown on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

Hailing from Dallas, the 35-year-old veteran drag queen has now fought her way to the final five on season 10 of the drag competition show and secured her spot as a headliner of the Capital Pride Concert.

O’Hara will perform at the Capital Pride Festival/concert at 7 p.m. on the CAPITOL Concert Stage (3rd & Pennsylvania) as part of the HOT 99.5 event. It’s free. Details here.

Speaking with the Washington Blade, O’Hara dished on who she thought went home too soon, the truth behind reality show editing and what it was like getting slapped by RuPaul.

WASHINGTON BLADE: In the beginning of the season you went out of your way to help the other queens during one of the challenges and didn’t leave time for yourself. Do you regret doing that now?

O’HARA: Not at all. My viewpoint in competition is a little different than others. I feel like as long as you make it to the next week, it’s a win. Although it was scary to be that close to the bottom, once I realized that I was not lip-syncing or possibly going home, then I was fine. It’s like an investment. Sometimes it’s risky and it’s scary at the moment but once you realize that you’re going to be fine and it paid off, then there’s no sense in regretting the risk that you took.

BLADE: Why do you think the judges didn’t connect with your Beyoncé impression in Snatch Game?

O’HARA: The entire goal of the Snatch Game is to make Ru and the judges laugh. Beyoncé is not somebody that is known for being comedic. On top of that, she no longer does interviews, so it’s hard for people to connect with her personality because people don’t really know her personally. I thought that since her personality is ambiguous it gave me a lot of room to play and do whatever I wanted. Some people that are celebrities just have infectious personalities and they’re successful primarily because people just love them and their personalities. She, unfortunately, is probably not one of them. She’s a celebrity because of her talent. I think that’s why the judges had trouble connecting with her.

BLADE: You were one of the only people that broke down the Vixen’s wall and said you understood where both she and the others were coming from. Did you feel like she heard you?

O’HARA: Absolutely. I know for a fact that she did. It’s one of those things where approach is everything. I know that she heard me and understood where I’m coming from. I think that I just acknowledged that I understood what she was saying and didn’t think she was just bat crazy is what gave her the ability to be openminded with what I was saying.

BLADE: What’s your relationship like with her now?

O’HARA: It’s great. We don’t talk all the time but we text back and forth about funny stuff and talk about our goals in the future. Every time we see one another we hang out. I was recently in Chicago, which is where she lives, and she came out to the show and we hung out in the dressing room. Honestly, it’s no different than how it always was. Other than that brief moment where she was obviously upset that I said her name for who I thought should go home. But we’ve always had a great relationship.

BLADE: Where do you get your life wisdom from?

O’HARA: I don’t think that I’m wise. I was older than everybody. I think that’s just how that works. Mayhem (Miller) and I were the two oldest contestants. “Drag Race” was a new avenue for me but I’ve done drag in multiple facets of the community. Pageants, being a showgirl, being a backup dancer, being a show director, doing charity drag and now a reality show. So I’ve seen drag from multiple points of view. I think it’s sometimes easier for me to understand and communicate in the world of drag because I don’t have just a one-sided perspective of what drag is or should or should not be.

BLADE: Another memorable moment in the season was when you got accidentally slapped by RuPaul. What was that like?

O’HARA: To be honest, it was quite fun because it was so great to see her so concerned. She legitimately for a split second was concerned that I was hurt. She didn’t know what direction that was about to go in. That to me was the funnest part just to see how nervous she was. She was like, “Oh my god is she about to act a fool? Are we going to have to go stop the cameras so she can see the medic?” That was the funnest part for me because she’s completely in control of every aspect of the competition. So to see her in that brief moment not know what was about to happen was quite refreshing.

BLADE: How do you feel about the way the show has been edited versus how it felt in the moment? Do you think you were fairly represented?

O’HARA: I think everybody is always fairly represented. People love to say that editing changes things. They basically take two or three days worth of filming and condense them into 78 minutes of footage. I feel like everything has been completely accurate for me and everyone. There were times I was terrible in the competition and it accurately showed that. There were times I was great in the competition and it was accurate as well. The editing has been exactly how I remember things happened.

BLADE: Was there anyone that you felt went home too early?

O’HARA: Absolutely. Now, when I say someone went home too early I’m saying they had more to offer the competition. I’m not saying I don’t feel like they deserved to go home based on what they presented that week. But two people I saw going further in the competition were Blair St. Clair and Monét X Change. Blair was one of the only people that on day one I thought to myself, “Clearly, she’s top four material.” I was really shocked when she went home close to halfway through. Monét X Change also had some great moments. I was surprised that she didn’t make it. Not initially, but as I got to know her and see her talent level, she was another person I could see making it to the end.

BLADE: Speaking of Blair St. Clair, how did you feel when she opened up about her sexual assault? Did it just come out of nowhere?

O’HARA: It didn’t come out of nowhere. The lead question that prompted that may have gotten missed I don’t recall how that happened in person. As we got to know Blair personally, we knew that there was something there. Unfortunately, what you don’t get to see on television, in any reality competition, is sometimes just being in the same room with someone and having a conversation with them you feel like you need to ask them, “Something else on your mind?”

BLADE: Aquaria is one of the younger queens. What was it like watching her approach the competition as a more seasoned queen?

O’HARA: It was great. The thing about Aquaria is that although she’s young, she’s more mature than most 21-year-olds and more mature than I was at that age. She’s very talented. It’s refreshing to see someone so young, so talented and so self-aware about their art. Of course when I found out how old she was I didn’t know what to expect. But as the competition progressed and I got to know her I was thrilled to know she was only 21.

BLADE: Was there any moment that didn’t make the cut featuring you that you wish viewers had seen?

O’HARA: Not really. There are more moments that I forgot happened that I was pleasantly surprised with. One logistic thing that probably just wouldn’t have made sense on television is that during the “Breastworld” challenge when I was playing the Para Salin character, the first half of that challenge they went through multiple times. I was sitting on the sidelines for probably 45 minutes before it got to my part because I was the last character to enter the scene. When I entered the scene the judges just erupted into laugher because I think they forgot I was even there because I was off to the side while they were working with the other girls. I thought that might make the cut but it probably was something production wise than it was an actual piece of the story. I think Michelle (Visage) even said “Oh my god, I completely forgot you were sitting over there.”

BLADE: What can people expect from your Capital Pride performance?

O’HARA: I call myself a chameleon queen. I don’t travel around the world presenting the same creative ideas that I presented in the competition because I feel like people like to be surprised and like something fresh and new. People can expect to be pleasantly surprised and see something that is authentically Asia but not something they’ve seen already on television.

Asia O’Hara says Capital Pride audiences will see another side of her this weekend. (Photo courtesy Project Publicity)

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Award-winning D.C. chef reaching new culinary heights

Anthony Jones of Marcus DC competing on ‘Top Chef’

Published

3 days ago

April 2, 2026

Evan Caplan

Anthony Jones (Photo by Joshua Foo)

In Anthony Jones’s kitchen, all sorts of flags fly, including his own. Executive chef at award-winning restaurant Marcus DC, Jones has reached culinary heights (James Beard Award semifinalist for Emerging Chef, anyone?), yet he’s just getting started.

Briefly stepping away from his award-winning station, Jones took a moment under a different set of lights. Recently, he temporarily gave up his post at the restaurant for a starring small-screen slot on the latest season of “Top Chef,” which debuted in March. (The show airs weekly on Bravo and Peacock).

Before his strategic slice-and-dice competition, however, Jones, who identifies as gay, draws from his deep DMV roots. In the years before “Top Chef” and the top chef spot at Marcus, he was born and raised in Sunderland, Md., in southern Maryland, near the Chesapeake.

Early memories were steeped in afternoons on boats with his dad bonding over fishing, and wandering the garden of his great-grandparents spread with fresh vegetables and a few hogs. “It was Southern, old-school ethics and upbringing,” he said. “Family and food went hand in hand.” Weekends meant grabbing bushels of crabs, dad and grandma would cook and crack them. Family members would host fish fries for extra cash. In this seafood-heavy youth, Jones managed time to sneak in episodes of the “OG” Japanese “Iron Chef” show, which helped inspire him to pursue a career in the kitchen.

Jones moved to D.C. after graduating from college, ending up at lauded Restaurant Eve, and met famed chef Marcus Samuelson, who brought him to Miami to be part of the opening team for Red Rooster Overtown. After three years, Jones moved back to D.C., where he ran Dirty Habit, reinventing and reimagining the menu, integrating West African flavors and ingredients.

Samuelson, however, wouldn’t let a talent like Jones stay away for too long. Pulling Jones back into his orbit, Samuelson elevated Jones to help him open his namesake restaurant Marcus DC, which has been named a top-five restaurant by the Washington Post. Since then, Jones has been nominated as a semifinalist for the RAMMYs Rising Culinary Star in 2026 and won the Eater DC’s Rising Chef award in 2025.

Samuelson’s Marcus is a tour de force interpreting the Black Diaspora on the plate, from the American South to West Africa, along with his signature “Swedopian” touches. Yet it’s Jones who has deeply informed the plate, elevating his own story to date. Marcus DC is primarily a seafood restaurant, which serves Jones well.

“Where I’m from is seafood heavy, and as I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve moved away from meat.” Veggies and fish are hero dishes. His own dish, Mel’s Crab Rice, was not only lauded by the Washington Post, but is framed by his youth carrying home the crustaceans from Mel’s crab truck. It’s a bowl of Carolina rice, layered with pickled okra, uni béarnaise, and crab. Jones also points to a dish on the opening menu, rockfish and brassica, paying respect to a landmark D.C. institution, Ben’s Chili Bowl. Jones reverse engineered a favorite bowl of chili that’s seafood instead of meat forward, leveraging octopus and rockfish along with different riffs of cauliflower: showing his intellectual, creative, and cultural sides.

While “Top Chef” is showing Jones’s spotlight side, he also lets his identity show at work. “In the kitchen, I make sure we’re inclusive. We don’t tolerate discrimination. Everyone that’s here should feel confident to express themselves. There are so many different flags in the kitchen.”

Jones says that he didn’t fully express his gay identity until fairly recently. He felt reluctant coming out to certain family members, “you’re scared to tell them about being different,” he says, and while that anxiety ate at him, “I’m lucky and fortunate to have unconditional love and that weight off my shoulders.”

Today, “I’m me all the time, Monday to Sunday. I’m honest with people, and my staff is honest with me.”

“Being a chef is hard,” he says, “and being a chef of color is even more difficult.”

Yet his LGBTQ identity is a juggling act, he says. “I need to keep that balance, because once someone finds out something about you, their opinion can change, whether you want it or not.”

Being on a whole season of TV cooking competition, however, might mean millions more might have an opinion of him (Jones has appeared on TV already, on an episode of “Chopped”). To prepare, he says, “I’ve just kept a level head. It’s just an honor to be on top chef with amazing people happy to be there.”

Plus, this season is set in the Carolinas, and Jones attended Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C. “It’s a full story of my life, now a monumental moment for me.”

Jones also recently was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award. “JBF has been a north star, a dream for so long. I always had this goal on my wall.”

Being at the top spot at Marcus DC, making waves through his accolades, and cooking on Bravo means that Jones is highly visible. “I think that if someone has a similar background to me, and can see our story, trajectory, and success, they can have more ability to be themselves. This is my goal.”

Back at Marcus, Jones has plenty up his chef’s white’s sleeves. A new spring menu is in the works. He’ll be launching a new tasting menu “dining experience,” he says, and has plans to work on more events and collaborations with chefs and friends to bring in new talent and share the culinary wealth.

a&e features

Introducing the Torchbearers Awards honoring queer, trans women and nonbinary people

Meet the Legends and Illuminators lighting new paths

Published

1 week ago

March 26, 2026

Staff reports

The Torchbearers Awards are more than recognition—they are a continuation of legacy. They honor the quiet architects of progress in our community: those who organize, advocate, build, and protect, often without fanfare but always with purpose. Rooted in a belief in intentional recognition, this honor names those who carry our movements forward—those who make room for others, who remind us that change is both generational and generative. In a time marked by uncertainty and challenge, these leaders push forward with courage, clarity, and an unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity and equity.

This year’s honorees reflect the full breadth of our community, spanning generations, backgrounds, identities, and industries. From Legends, with decades of leadership and having created pathways for others, to Illuminators, who are lighting new paths with creativity and innovation, each Torchbearer represents the power of intergenerational leadership and the strength found in our diversity. They are organizers, advocates, artists, policy leaders, healers, and changemakers whose lived experiences shape a shared vision for equity and liberation.

This award is our love letter to queer and trans women and nonbinary people who carry the flame when it would be easier to let it dim. To those who consistently show up, who use their voice and visibility and stand firm, often without recognition, so that others may live more freely and fully. The Torchbearers Awards celebrates not just what has been done, but the enduring spirit, responsibility, and collective care that ensure the work continues, and that the flame is always passed forward.

Co-Creators of the Torchbearers Awards: Shannon Alston, June Crenshaw, Heidi Ellis

Torchbearers Awards Advisory Board: Aditi Hardikar, Lesley Bryant, Jasmine Wilson-Bryant, Stephen Rutgers

ILLUMINATOR AWARDEES

Representative Sharice Davids (she/her), (D, KS-03)
— U.S. House of Representatives
Greisa Martinez Rosas (she/her/ella)
— Executive Director, United We Dream
Paola Ramos (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent
Meagan A. Fitzgerald (she/her)
— Journalist & Correspondent
Jessica L. Lewis (she/her)
— Founder / Producer, Play Play DC
Savannah Wade (she/her)
— Founder, OAR Agency
Suhad Babaa (she/her)
— Filmmaker/ Former Executive Director of Just Vision
Ashlee Davis (she/her)
— Global Head of Inclusive Outcomes, Ancestry
Jazmine Hughes (she/her)
— Journalist and Former Editor at New York Times Magazine
Queen Adesuyi (they/she)
— Policy Advisor & Organizer, ReFrame Health & Justice
Michele Rayner, Esq. (she/her)
— Civil Rights Attorney, State Representative (Florida House of Representatives)
Gaby Vincent (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader
Jenny Nguyen (she/her)
— Founder & Owner, The Sports Bra
Denice Frohman (she/her)
— Independent Artist, Poet / Performer
Vida Rangel (she/her)
— Founder, Our Trans Capital
Roxanne Anderson (they/them)
— Executive Director, Our Space
Ann Marie Gothard (she/her)
— Co-Founder & President, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center)
Diana Rodriquez (she/her)
— Co-Founder & CEO, Pride Live (Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center)
Wendi Cooper (she/her)
— Founder / Executive Director, Transcending Women
Toya Matthews (she/her)
— City of San Antonio, Texas
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones (she/her)
— Sports/Cultural Commentator and Community Leader
Charity Blackwell (she/her)
— Poet, LGBTQ Advocate & Community Leader
Wilhelmina Indermaur (she/her)
— Director of Communications, Tyler Clementi Foundation
Em Chadwick (she/her)
— CMO, For Them & Autostraddle
Kylo Freeman (they/he)
— CEO, For Them & Autostraddle

LEGEND AWARDEES

Sheila Alexander-Reid (she/her)
— Executive Director, PHL Diversity, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Cassandra Cantave Burton (she/her)
— Interim Director of Thought Leadership & Senior Research Advisor, AARP
leigh h. mosley (she/her)
— Photographer / Educator, PhotoFlo Photography
Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them)
— Assistant Professor of Political Science; Author & Columnist, Syracuse University
Jordyn White (she/her)
— COO, Washington Prodigy / VP of Leadership Development & Research, HRC Foundation
AJ Hikes (they/them)
— Deputy Executive Director, ACLU
RaeShanda Lias (she/her)
— Digital Creator, RL Lockhart
Donna Payne-Hardy (she/her)
— Educator, EEO Specialist, Founder of NBJC, Former Leader at the Human Rights Campaign
Courtney R. Snowden (she/her)
— Principal, Blueprint Strategy Group
Gaye Adegbalola (she/her)
— Musician & Activist, Musician / Inductee of the Blues Hall of Fame
Cheryl A. Head (she/her)
— Independent Author, Novelist (Crime Fiction)
Letitia Gomez (she/her)
— The American LGBTQ+ Museum, Board Chair
Lynne Brown (she/her)
— Publisher, Washington Blade
Shay Franco-Clausen (She/Her/Ella/Queen)
— Political Strategist and Organizer
Melissa L. Bradley (she/her)
— Founder & Managing Partner, New Majority Ventures
Meghann Burke (she/her)
— Executive Director, NWSL Players Association
Victoria Kirby York, MPA (she/they)
— Director of Public Policy & Programs, National Black Justice Collective
Joli Angel Robinson (she/her)
— CEO, Center on Halsted
Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her)
— CEO, Moxie Strategies
Alice Wu (she/her)
— Film Director (Saving Face, The Half of It) / Screenwriter
Storme Webber (she/her)
— Interdisciplinary Artist / Educator, University of Washington
Kim Stone
— CEO of the Washington Spirit, Washington Spirit
Mickalene Thomas
— American Visual Artist, Mickalene Thomas Studio
Erika Lorshbough (any/they/she)
— Executive Director, interACT
J. Gia Loving (she/ella)
— Co-Executive Director, GSA Network

a&e features

D.C. springs back to life with new, returning events

Cherry blossoms, Rehoboth season kickoff, and more on tap

Published

3 weeks ago

March 12, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

D.C.’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off later this month. (Blade file photo by Marvin Bowser)

Longer and warmer days are back meaning: It’s time to get out of the house and enjoy Washington D.C.’s many events. Below are a few to check out this spring.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts will host “Making their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection” until Sunday, July 26. This exhibition illustrates women artists’ vital role in abstraction, considers historical contributions, formal and material breakthroughs and intergenerational relationships among women artists over the last eight decades. For more details, visit. NMWA’s website.

Art in the Attic will host a pop-up on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. at 1012 Madison St., Alexandria, Va. There will be a variety of vendors selling products across different modes of art. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Play Play will host “Indoor Recess – The art of play” on Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m. This event will embody classic recess energy, including opportunities to build and experience community and connections through games, movement, art stations, and creative freedom. Tickets are $12.51 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Spark Social will host “Gay Bar Crawl on U Street” on Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. This will be a fun night out in gay D.C. with other gay people, whether you’re visiting D.C., new to the area, or just looking to expand your social circle. Many crawlers have formed lasting friendships and even romantic relationships after just one night out. Tickets are $35.88 and are available on Eventbrite.

Creative Suitland Arts Center will host “EFFERVESCENT: House of Swann” on Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m. This will be a gay, good time where we will celebrate love, joy, wellness, and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community. Tickets start at $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

SWAG Works DC will host “Unapologetically Her” on Saturday, March 14 at 2 p.m. at 701 E St., S.E. This event is a powerful celebration of womanhood, resilience, creativity, and self-expression in honor of Women’s History Month. This all-women exhibition highlights the diverse voices, stories, and artistic perspectives of women who create boldly, live authentically, and stand confidently in their truth. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

9:30 Club will host “Gimme Gimme Disco: A Dance Party Inspired by ABBA” on Saturday, March 14 at 6 p.m. There will also be a “Donna Summer Power Hour – The Queen of Disco” segment during this event. It’ll be one hour of music with no skips. Tickets are available on 9:30 Club’s website.

Harder Better Faster Stronger will host “Heated Rivalry Rave” on Friday, March 20 at 9 p.m. at Howard Theatre. This event is open to all ages. Tickets are available on the theater’s website.

CAMP Rehoboth hosts its 25th annual Women’s+ FEST, April 9-12 in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Entertainers include headliner Mina Hartong, a comedian, storyteller, and founder of Lez Out Loud; and singer Yoli Mayor. There are dances, dinners, pickleball, and much more. Details and tickets at camprehoboth.org.

Also in Rehoboth Beach, the Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is set for Friday, May 15 featuring Ashley Biden, who will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau. State Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall will also speak. More speakers and the venue to be announced soon.

The annual D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off March 21 at DAR Constitution Hall and culminates with Petalpalooza on April 4, the day-long, outdoor street party with music and art, stretching across Navy Yard, and ending with fireworks over the Anacostia River.