Arts & Entertainment
Heather Mizeur remembers Pulse with Melissa Etheridge, survivors in podcast finale
Melissa Etheridge speaks on the horrific event
Maryland state Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Takoma Park) (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Maryland state Del. Heather Mizeur honored the victims of Pulse in “The Pulse Legacy: Love Always Wins,” the finale episode of the first season of her podcast “#SoulForcePolitics.”
The two-part episode explores the aftermath of the 2016 Pulse massacre which claimed the lives of 49 victims and was the largest mass shooting at the time.
Mizeur traveled to Orlando to interview Barbara Poma, Pulse Nightclub owner and founder of the One Pulse Foundation; VÃco Baéz Febo, one of the survivors, Mayra Benabe-Alvear, the mother of victim Amanda Alvear; and Robin Maynard-Harris, a community activist and a founding board member at the One Orlando Alliance.
Melissa Etheridge, who penned the tribute song “Pulse” for the victims, also gives a brief interview.
“In a time when so much of the news and focus is on the negativity and the poisoned relationships around us, this podcast can be your refuge for how to defeat it with a connection to all that is beautiful and positive in this world,” Mizeur writes of the podcast on her blog.
Listen to part one and part two.Â
Celebrate the start of Pride month at the Queer Magic Dance Party at the Black Cat on Saturday, June 6. Doors open at 9 p.m.
There will be pole performances and demonstrations, a free photo booth with glitter bar, a queer vendor market, tarot readings by Skye Marinda Tarot, a drag performance by Sapphica, and dancing to a blend of smooth R&B, Afrobeats, hip-hop and pop by Slammer & Saba. Tickets are $20 at the door or $15 (plus fees) in advance, purchased here.
Local queer journalists will celebrate Pride this weekend at the annual NLGJA-DC Pride Happy Hour event at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) on Saturday, June 6, 3-5 p.m. Admission is free.Â
Out & About
DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K set for Saturday
Annual event held at historic Congressional Cemetery
The 14th annual DC Front Runners’ Pride 5K run/walk is set for Saturday, June 6 at historic Congressional Cemetery. The race starts and ends at the cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.) and passes through scenic D.C., along the Anacostia River trail and the fields at RFK campus. Registration ends Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Runners can pick up their race packets on Saturday from 7-8:30 a.m. at Congressional Cemetery; the race begins at 9 a.m.
The fee to run the 5K in person is $65 ($35 for those under age 20). Proceeds benefit local LGBTQ nonprofits, including Thrive DC, Wanda Alston Foundation, Blade Foundation, Ainsley’s Angels, SMYAL, and Team DC. Visit DCFrontRunners.org for more information.
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Queer Magic dance party planned
NLGJA-DC Pride happy hour at Trade
DC Front Runners Pride Run 5K set for Saturday
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