a&e features
Best of Gay D.C. XVII
Your picks for nightlife, community, dining and more
Best of Gay D.C. is always a snapshot of life in LGBT Washington. This is the first year, for example, Town Danceboutique which closed in July, has not been represented in these awards since 2007. The legendary D.C. nightclub holds the all-time Best of Gay D.C. record with 32 total wins (counting wins for its drag queens and DJs). But it’s also a chance to welcome the new kids on the block — such as Pitchers/A League of Her Own, Dave Perruzza’s new venture in Adams Morgan.
For every perennial winner like Freddie’s Beach Bar or Miss Pixie’s, there are newer faces like Pretty Rik E (Best Drag King), Jesse Johnson (Best Fitness Instructor) and Roel Ruiz (Best Stylist). Sometimes somebody who’s been around for years but we kind of took for granted comes roaring back with a win like Kristina Kelly, D.C.’s much-loved plus-size queen. Ahhhh, I remember her from her Apex years.
Some winners and runners-up flip-flop in succeeding years. Rayceen Pendarvis and Bishop Allyson Abrams have something like a vollyeball game unfolding in these pages in the Best Clergy category.
Thankfully here, nobody has to “sashay away.” That’s the beauty of gay Washington — we can enjoy Trade one night, JR.’s another. Check out Distrkt C (“Is it hot in here or is it just me?”) one month and Mixtape another. It’s all good.
About 3,500 nominations and 20,000 votes were cast in 100 categories for the 17th annual Best of Gay D.C. Awards. The Blade’s Stephen Rutgers coordinated the process. The photographers are credited throughout. This year’s contributing writers are Brian T. Carney, Patrick Folliard, Evan Caplan, Michael K. Lavers, Chris Johnson, Mariah Cooper and Kevin Majoros.
The Washington Blade staff congratulates each of this year’s winners and finalists.
Hero Award
Danica Roem (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Danica Roem
Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) in January made history as the first openly transgender person seated in any state legislature in the U.S. The former journalist has hit the ground running on behalf of her constituents in Virginia’s 13th District.
Roem served on the Counties Cities and Towns and Science and Technology Committees.
She is among the lawmakers who voted to expand Medicaid in Virginia. Reducing congestion on Route 28, which was a cornerstone of her historic 2017 campaign against then-state Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County), remains one of Roem’s top priorities.
Roem co-sponsored several pro-LGBT bills during the 2018 legislative session. She also continues to inspire trans people around the country.
She invited an 11-year-old trans girl from Roanoke and her mother who she met during her campaign and two other young people to stand next to her during her ceremonial swearing-in that took place in the Virginia House of Delegates chamber on Jan. 20. Roem, who was wearing her trademark rainbow scarf, hugged each of them after she spoke.
“This member pin that I have right now; this is on behalf of the people of the 13th District,” she said. “This pin belongs to the people of the 13th District. This pin and every pin like it for you, for you and for you, this is ours . . . this is ours too.”
Demi Lovato invited Roem to walk with her on the red carpet at the 2017 American Music Awards, which took place in Los Angeles shortly after she defeated Marshall. Roem in June traveled to Vermont and campaigned on behalf of Christine Hallquist, a Democrat who in August became the first openly trans woman in the U.S. to become a major party’s nominee for governor.
Roem attended the annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner that took place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Sept. 13. She spoke at NOVA Pride that took place in Centreville on Sept. 29.
Roem has also spoken at events organized by the LGBTQ Victory Fund and other LGBT advocacy groups.
“I’m humbled to earn the 2018 Hero Award from the Washington Blade,” Roem said. “By focusing on the core quality-of-life issues that unite our communities and region like traffic, jobs, schools, health care and equality, I hope I’ve helped demonstrate that transgender people can be inclusive elected leaders who prioritize constituent service for all our constituents — no matter what they look like, where they come from, how they worship if they do, or who they love.”
Roem also thanked her constituents and the Blade’s readers.
“To my constituents in Manassas Park, Manassas, Gainesville and Haymarket and to the readers of the Washington Blade: You should be able to thrive because of who you are, not despite it and not for what discriminatory politicians tell you you’re supposed to be,” she said. “So, if you’re well-qualified and you have good ideas, then bring your ideas to the table because this is your America too and it’s time for you to run it.” (MKL)
BARS/ENTERTAINMENT
Best Dance Party
Distrkt C (Washington Blade photo by Ben Keller)
Distrkt C
Second consecutive win in this category.
D.C. Eagle
Second Saturday of the month
D.C. Eagle
3701 Benning Rd., N.E.
Editor’s Pick: Peach Pit, DC9
Best Bartender
Jo McDaniel (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Jo McDaniel, A League of Her Own
Runner-Up: Dusty Martinez, Trade
Dusty was last year’s winner and also a 2014 winner.
She may be a new addition to Pitchers, the new gay bar in Adams Morgan, but Jo McDaniel is no stranger to the queer D.C. bar scene. Slinging drinks since 2005 across the region, McDaniel is now leading A League of Her Own, the queer women’s bar that opened in August in the lower level of Pitchers.
David Perruzza, who runs Pitchers, knew McDaniel from her work at Cobalt and brought her in to be a strong leader to manage A League of Her Own and make it a welcoming space.
“From the moment I met Jo, I was impressed,” Perruzza says. “When I realized I could open a bar for queer women, I immediately thought of Jo and only Jo. She has been a godsend and everyone loves her.”
McDaniel is also shining beyond D.C. This summer, she won the coveted Stoli’s Key West Cocktail Classic, and as the first woman to win the regional competition here in D.C.
“We’ve had an incredible response from the community,” the Southern California native says. “With queer people meeting up and hanging out every day that we’ve been open. It’s more than humbling to provide something so needed to our community and I’m thrilled that I get to be part of it.”
Before A League of Her Own, McDaniel has been helping the LGBT community toss back vodka sodas and other libations at Apex, Phase One, Freddie’s Beach Bar and Cobalt. McDaniel’s biggest task is now bringing together the LGBT community at A League of Her Own as part of the larger Pitchers community. (EC)
Best Burlesque Dancer
Ophelia Hart (Washington Blade photo by Tom Hausman)
Winner: Ophelia Hart
Second consecutive win.
facebook.com/opheliahartburlesque
Runner-Up: GiGi Holliday
Best Avion Tequila Margarita
Winner: Nellie’s Sports Bar
900 U St., N.W.
Editor’s Pick: Left Door
Best DJ
DJ Tezrah (Washington Blade photo by Tom Hausman)
Winner: Tezrah
Runner-Up: Lemz
tezrah.com
Tezrah (real name Diana Weigel) became a DJ accidentally.
In college, a friend gave the 28-year-old Fairfax, Va., native a DJ program. She found herself “messing around” with the music software for hours and hours as she crafted her hobby. Eventually, she thought she could turn her side gig into a main hustle.
“After I graduated, I was like ‘Hey, why not try to make this hobby into something else and make money off it.’ It just snowballed from there,” Tezrah says.
This is Tezrah’s second consecutive Best DJ win for Best of Gay D.C. She says she believes her music is so appealing to partygoers because of her diversity.
“I think that I have a very pop ear which is appealing to a wide variety of people instead of just a smaller genre of music. I play house music, hip-hop, top 40. Maybe try to throw in a little dubstep now and then in my pop sets. I think it’s because my music is eclectic the audience doesn’t get bored of one genre of music because I’m playing lots of different types of music in one set,” Tezrah explains.
You can catch her DJing at multiple LGBT venues in D.C. including Cobalt, Pitchers, A League of Her Own, XX+ and more.
She’s also available to play corporate events, private events and weddings. Find out where Tezrah is playing next, or to book her for an event, at tezrah.com. (MC)
Best Drag King
Pretty Rik E (Photo courtesy Pretty Rik E)
Winner: Pretty Rik E
See Queery
Runner-Up: Ricky Rose
Best Drag Queen
Kristina Kelly (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Kristina Kelly
Runner-Up: Jane Saw
If you’ve been to a drag event in D.C., chances are you may have seen Kristina Kelly.
Kelly (real name Christopher Smith), 39, makes the rounds at various drag events throughout D.C. She’s a regular performer at Cobalt and Shaw’s Tavern. She can also be seen at drag brunch at City Tap House and Taqueria del Barrio.
Kelly’s love for drag started at age 17 in her hometown of Lexington, Va. During a talent show around Halloween, she decided to perform in drag.
“I was like, ‘Let’s try it once’ and I’ve been doing it ever since,” Kelly says.
Now, her drag career has led her to become a full-time performer for the past decade.
Her favorite part about being in the D.C. drag community is the diversity.
“The talent in D.C. comes in all forms. What I mean by that is we have drag queens, drag kings, bio queens. It’s so much talent that people don’t get to see it. That’s why I have so many shows to show all that drag has to offer,” Kelly says.
She hopes that one day D.C. will be recognized as a city with real drag talent.
“I think there’s a lot of creativity in D.C. and I don’t think that we get to showcase our talent as much as other cities do. I hope that eventually people can see exactly how much talent there is in D.C.,” she says. (MC)
Best Drag Show
Pretty Boi Drag (Photo by Diyanna Monet; courtesy of Pretty Boi Drag)
Winner: Pretty Boi Drag
Editor’s Pick: Queeta’s Palace at Chateau Remix
Best Singer or Band
Wicked Jezabel (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Wicked Jezabel
Runner-Up: Homosuperior
Wicked Jezabel is an out, all-female, party band. Skilled musicians, they play a diverse mix of Side-A hits from the ‘60s to the present and consistently raise the energy and fun wherever the gig.
Founded by partners in music and marriage, Pauline Anson-Dross (guitar, vocals, percussion) and Davi Anson-Dross (vocals, percussion, keys), Wicked Jezabel gelled in 2004. Other bandmates are Sandra “Jump” Dumas (guitar), Heather Haze (sax, keys, vocals), Martha Capone (bass), and Jackie Yuille (drums). The band’s steadfast sound engineer is Elaine Giles, Dumas’ longtime partner. This is their second consecutive win in this category and third overall. They also won in 2013.
Pauline and Davi married in 2000, and again shortly after same-sex marriage was made legal in Virginia in 2014. For them, working and living together is far from a problem. “We love it. We’re equally passionate about music and live performing so it works,” Pauline says. “We both have different strengths in the projects so it creates a balanced working relationship, and, for us, that adds dimension to our personal relationship. The only hard part is the day jobs.”
Wicked Jezabel is a continuum of Pauline and Davi’s former band, The Outskirts. “We lost some band members about 14 years ago, so we saw that as a good juncture to stop and rethink things, and that included finding some new musicians and renaming the band.”
Pauline credits Wicked Jezabel’s success and loyal fan base to the magic of live performance: “There’s nothing like it. That connection with an audience is miraculous. It’s therapy for everybody.” (PF)
Best Transgender Performer
Riley Knoxx (Washington Blade photo by Wyatt Reid Westlund)
Winner: Riley Knoxx
Runner-Up: Salvadora Dali
Best Straight Bar
Dacha Beer Garden (Photo by Ted Eytan; courtesy Flickr)
Winner: Dacha Beer Garden
Fourth consecutive win in this category!
1600 7th St., N.W.
202-524-8790
dachadc.com
Editor’s Choice: DC9
Best Karaoke
DIK Bar karaoke (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: DIK Bar (aka Dupont Italian Kitchen)
1637 17th St., N.W. 2nd floor
Editor’s Choice: Freddie’s Beach Bar
Best ABSOLUT Happy Hour
Trade (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Winner: Trade
A flip-flop of last year’s outcome. Trade also won Best Neighborhood Bar last year.
1410 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Number Nine
Best Live Music
Troye Sivan performing at the 9:30 Club. (Photo by Katherine Gaines)
9:30 Club
A perennial favorite in this category!
815 V St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Wolf Trap
Best Neighborhood Bar
Pitchers (Washington Blade photo by Wyatt Reid Westlund)
Winner: Pitchers
2317 18th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Duplex Diner
Best Bar Outside the District
Freddie’s Beach Bar (Washington Blade photo by Doug Horn)
Freddie’s Beach Bar
21st win for this Best of Gay D.C. favorite. Freddie’s has won this award every year since 2002 in addition to several others. It’s a Best of Gay D.C. all-time record.
555 S. 23rd St.
Arlington, Va.
Editor’s Choice: Grand Central
Best Outdoor Drinking
Winner: Dacha Beer Garden
1600 7th St., N.W.
dachadc.com
Editor’s Choice: The Salt Line
Best Place for Guys Night Out
Number Nine (Washington Blade photo by Hugh Clarke)
Winner: Number Nine
1435 P St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Uproar
Best Place for Girls Night Out
A League of Her Own (Washington Blade photo by Tom Hausman)
Winner: A League of Her Own
2319 18th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Women Crush Wednesday
Best Rehoboth Bar
Purple Parrot (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Purple Parrot
Same winner and editor’s choice as last year.
134 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Editor’s choice: Blue Moon
Best Rehoboth Bartender
Zack West (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Winner: Zack West, Blue Moon
Runner-Up: Matt Urban, Purple Parrot
Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
There are many reasons the Blue Moon (just named Editor’s Choice for Best Rehoboth Bar in this year’s Best of Gay D.C. competition) has such a dedicated fan base. For more than 30 years, tourists and residents have enjoyed great food, fabulous entertainment, wonderful ambience and an unbeatable location. But, satisfied customers also say it’s the attentive and friendly staff that keep them coming back.
Zack West is proud to be part of that team. As Tim Ragan, one of the Blue Moon’s owners, notes, “Zack’s growth as a bartender, an employee and friend has made him a highly valued part of the Blue Moon team. He embodies our philosophy of customer service.”
Zack adds, “Winning this award makes me feel honored to be part of this wonderful community I love. A big thanks to all the customers who make it easy for me to come to work every day.” (BTC)
Best Rooftop View
VIDA Penthouse Pool (Photo courtesy of VIDA)
Winner: VIDA U St Penthouse Pool
1612 U St., N.W.
penthousepoolclub.com/u-street
Editor’s Choice: POV
FOOD
Best Ethnic Restaurant
Beau Thai (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Beau Thai
1550 7th St., N.W. A
Editor’s Choice: Rasika
Best Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary at Logan Tavern (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Logan Tavern
1423 P St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Commissary
Best Brunch
Brunch at Le Diplomate (Photo courtesy of Le Diplomate)
Le Diplomate
1601 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Agora
Best Locally Made Product
(Photo courtesy of Mason Dixon Biscuit Co.)
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.
Approachable, affordable and portable Southern staples. Second consecutive win and runner-up in this category.
2301 Bladensburg Rd., N.E.
Editor’s choice: Compass Coffee
Best New Restaurant
Unconventional Diner (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Unconventional Diner
1207 9th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Little Pearl
A cursory glance at the menu (chicken noodle soup, cheeseburger, iceberg salad) and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s an actual diner.
Snug inside the Convention Center, this newcomer is anything but. Opened in December of 2017, Unconventional Diner has received several accolades for its modern comfort food, including a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand award.
The space is aiming for a cool, post-industrial, “California-chic” style that meshes with funky Warhol-esque prints on the wall and an impressive cooking pedigree. Head Chef David Deshaies worked side by side with the late and beloved Michel Richard, whose signature 72-hour short ribs grace the menu. A delicious bonus: pastry chef Ana Deshaies, married to David, churns flavorful and vibrant croissants, doughnuts, pies and other sweets during the day.
The restaurant shines brightest when getting creative with American classics. The PB&J sandwich is an umami bomb of a decadent DIY affair that involves dehydrated peanut butter, grape jelly, and foie gras custard; toast comes on the side. It’s instantly Instagrammable.
Musing on his restaurant’s first year, co-owner Eric Eden says, “Our first year has certainly been an unconventional one. We have hosted heads of state, a former First Lady and a couple of rock stars.” On its reception, Eden says, “We are so touched by how warmly we have been received by the community. We think It’s the familiar with an unexpected twist that keeps folks coming back.” (EC)
Best Food Festival or Event
Winner: RAMW Restaurant Week
Editor’s Choice: Taste of DC
Best Craft Cocktails
A Spanish G&T at Hank’s Cocktail Bar (Photo courtesy of Hank’s Cocktail Bar)
Winner: Hank’s Cocktail Bar
819 Upshur St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Service Bar
Best Fast Casual Dining
CAVA (Photo courtesy of CAVA)
Winner: CAVA
Locations in Chinatown, Columbia Heights, Dupont, H St., N.E., Navy Yard, Shaw, Tenleytown and Union Station
Editor’s Choice: Sweetgreen
Best Local Brewery
DC Brau (Photo by Steph Harding Photo)
D.C. Brau
“Popular craft brewery offering free tours and tastings.” Fourth win in this category!
3178-B Bladensburg Rd., N.E.
Editor’s Choice: 3 Stars Brewing
Best Local Distillery
District Distilling (Photo courtesy of District Distilling)
District Distilling Co.
Reclaimed barn doors and brick walls are the backdrop for American fare and drinks crafted from spirits made on-site.
1414 U St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Founding Spirits
Best Burger
Shake Shack (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Shake Shack
Locations in Dupont Circle, F Street and Union Station. Second consecutive win in this category.
Editor’s choice: Duke’s Grocery
Best Caterer
Old Blue BBQ (Photo by Ella M. Photography)
Winner: Old Blue BBQ
4580 Eisenhower Ave.
Alexandria, VA
Editor’s Choice: Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company
Best Juice/Fuel Bar
Barry’s Bootcamp juice bar (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Barry’s Bootcamp
1345 19th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Jrink
Best Liquid Lunch
Commissary (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Commissary
1443 P St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Old Ebbitt
Best Chef
Jamie Leeds (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Jamie Leeds (owner of Hank’s Oyster Bar)
Leeds was last year’s runner-up. Locations at The Wharf, Dupont Circle, Old Town Alexandria and Capitol Hill.
Editor’s Choice: Patrick Vanas Events
Best Coffee Shop
Compass Coffee (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Compass Coffee
Third consecutive win in this category!
1335 7th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: A Baked Joint
Best Special Occasion Restaurant
Winner: Pineapple and Pearls
715 8th St., S.E.
Editor’s Choice: Floriana
One of the premier tasting menu destinations in D.C., Pineapple and Pearls has the city falling in love. Opened in 2016, the Barracks Row restaurant is the brainchild of Aaron Silverman, who took the city by storm with the still-popular Rose’s Luxury, where lines routinely run down the street.
Pineapple and Pearls (named for items that represent hospitality and elegance, respectively) runs several rungs more upscale and daring. One reason it’s a special occasion: that 12-course tasting menu puts you back a hot $325, inclusive of tax, gratuity and drink pairings.
A mere $150 grants access to five courses at the bar.
Eschewing convention, Silverman’s dishes are performances themselves, joyful, spirited and intricately detailed. Head Chef Scott Muns paired with Silverman on Rose’s Luxury opening in 2013; he’s back again making masterpieces, many of which come out of the restaurant’s hand-built French stove. Check out the Fluke Veronique, in which the cut of fish floats effortlessly atop a vibrant green sauce and razor-thin slices of grape sit in for the scales; it’s a touch of sweet for the savory fish.
Another reason it’s special? The Michelin Guide awarded the restaurant with two stars for 2019, putting it in company with just one other restaurant in the city, Minibar. (EC)
Best Ice Cream/Gelato
Winner: Milk Bar Bakery
Locations in center city, The Wharf and Logan Circle (flagship)
Editor’s Choice: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Best Farmer’s Market
Winner: FRESHFARM Dupont Circle Market
1600 20th St., N.W.
freshfarm.org/dupont-circle.html
Sundays 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. year round
Editor’s Choice: Eastern Market
Best Food Truck
DC Empanadas Food Truck (Photo by Connor Turner via Flickr)
Winner: DC Empanadas
Union Market
1309 5th St., N.E.
Editor’s Choice: Red Hook Lobster Pound
Best Pizza
Comet Ping Pong (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Comet Ping Pong
5037 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: &pizza
Perhaps known as much for its pluck as its pizza and its ping pong, this restaurant’s signature thin-crust pies are only part of the game. This is Comet’s second consecutive win in this category.
At once a concert space, a kids’ birthday party venue, and trendy, always-busy pop-culture museum, it also is home to top-rated pies. Toppings range from mundane to fun combos. Try out the one with bacon, smoked mushrooms and smoked mozzarella. Of course, there are also hipster-millennial options, like wood fire-roasted beets and stuffed squash blossom salad.
Infamously, Comet Ping Pong was at the center of the bizarre Pizzagate conspiracy theory that fired up the alt-right during the 2016 Clinton campaign, so much so that a gunman traveled to investigate the “controversy” and fired shots inside.
It’s a little quieter today, though less so when the punk-rock show starts. Just don’t forget the paddle skills at home to relive those childhood pleasures of smacking around a little white ball. (EC)
Best Rehoboth Restaurant
Blue Moon (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Blue Moon
Bright, remodeled Craftsman cottage serving upscale American fare with regular live entertainment. Second consecutive win in this category.
35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Editor’s Choice: Dogfish Head
Best Local Winery
City Winery (Photo courtesy of City Winery)
Winner: City Winery
1350 Okie St., N.E.
Editor’s Choice: District Winery
MEDIA
Best Local Website
Winner: Popville
Editor’s Choice: The Two Beer Queers
Best Local Influencer
Dito Sevilla (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Dito Sevilla
Runner-Up: Timur Tugberk
Initially Dito Sevilla thought “Best Local Influencer” was kind of a cheesy category, but he’s since warmed to the title.
As a longtime bartender at cozy Dito’s Bar at Floriana restaurant on 17th St., N.W., Sevilla says he has been “influencing from behind the bar for years and years. But it became clear to me recently that influencing is really just giving people a new perspective and advice that works for them in their lives. That’s ultimately what it’s about.”
Sevilla’s bar banter segued perfectly to social media where Sevilla boasts an undeniably strong presence. His popular Facebook page is rife with satire, politics and thinly veiled truths that his followers often share. Some of his pithy yet thoughtful posts go viral. It’s been a natural progression to a larger audience, he says.
A native Washingtonian, Sevilla keeps a big Rolodex: “I hold on to contacts and I remember people’s stories and why they needed something and when. Remember Malcolm Gladwell’s “The Tipping Point”? In it, he describes three types of communicators. Well, I’m the “maven,” he’s the one in the middle who hears something and passes it on. I’m like a one-man “Angie’s List.”
Currently single, Sevilla came out at 21 around the same time he started going to gay bars. “I was doing new things. It seemed only natural that people should know what I was doing and where I was going.” Always the influencer. (PF)
Best Local TV Personality
Larry Miller (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Larry Miller, WUSA9
Runner-Up: Chuck Bell, NBC 4
(Bell was also 2015 and 2016 runner-up; 2014 winner)
Larry Miller has three goals for viewers when he anchors the news for WUSA9: impact, inform, inspire.
“I think ultimately, we want to inspire people to do more for the areas in which we live, to have impact on the lives of people — especially young people, I think that can certainly use the encouragement,” Miller says. “And just to make sure that we’re engaged as well. We have a commitment to not only covering stories, but making sure that we’re out in the community, being a part of the community that we live in.”
Miller, who’s gay, joined the WUSA9 morning team in 2015, anchors the news at noon and develops original news stories for the TV station. The Baltimore County-native lived and worked as a TV journalist in Medford, Ore., Pittsburgh and Birmingham, Ala., before returning to the Washington area to work at WUSA9.
Among his honors are Edward R. Murrow and Associated Press awards for hard news reporting.
Has anything surprised Miller in his three years at WUSA9? Miller struggled to find any particular incident and said “nothing really surprises me because I think I’ve seen just about every level of weird you possibly can.”
“I think if there’s anything that I find unique about Washington is the amount of diversity,” Miller says. “I’ve lived in a lot of places, and I think really cool about the metro is there’s all these different pockets of people from all over the world. And, I think, for me, it keeps me not only interested, but it keeps me learning about different groups of people that I may not always have firsthand knowledge of or I may not have exposure to.”
Miller says his proudest moment at WUSA9 was a recent investigation of food issues in D.C. in which he profiled an 82-year-old woman who had difficulty getting to the grocery store. The woman, Miller says, had to do a two-hour roundtrip from her house to the bus stop to grocery store while carrying a cart that’s filled with groceries on the return trip.
Subsequent to the news story, Miller said a non-profit called the Justice Organization stepped up and volunteered to send free groceries to the woman’s home so she won’t have to make that trip.
“And now, a result of kind of telling this woman’s story and being open, honest and authentic, she’s now getting some help, and no one’s grandmother is now having to lug a cart around the city just to make sure her refrigerator is full,” Miller says.
Miller has a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Point Park University and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh. Miller is also a graduate of Montgomery College, Rockville Campus, where he received an Associate of Arts degree. Miller also teaches speech communication as an adjunct professor at Prince George’s Community College. (Chris Johnson)
Best Local Columnist
Eugene Robinson (Photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons)
Winner: Eugene Robinson, Washington Post
Runner-Up: Brock Thompson, Washington Blade
Best Radio Station
HOT 99.5 at the Capital Pride Festival (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Hot 99.5
Editor’s Choice: WAMU 88.5
A flip-flop of last year’s results.
PEOPLE
Best Amateur Athlete
Grace Thompson (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Grace Thompson, DC Front Runners
Also won in 2016; was last year’s runner-up.
Runner-Up: Kevin McCarthy, Capital Tennis Association
Best Artist
Lisa Marie Thalhammer (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key / “LOVE” mural © 2017; Lisa Marie Thalhammer; Commissioned and funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, DC Creates Public Art Building Communities Program. Located in DC Alley Museum: Blagden Alley, 926 N Street rear NW, Washington, DC. www.lisamariestudio.com)
Winner: Lisa Marie Thalhammer
Runner-Up: John Jack Photography
John Jack Gallagher was the 2016 and 2017 winner.
Best Businessperson
Van Goodwin (Photo courtesy of Goodwin)
Winner: Van Goodwin, Van Allen
Runner-Up: Robert Safro, LOGOmotion
Van Goodwin is the founder and managing director of Van Allen, a boutique technology strategy consulting firm. Drawing on his extensive experience working in the government, non-profit and private sectors, Goodwin founded Van Allen in 2014 to help large companies assess their long-term technical challenges and goals and to develop personalized solutions. Their clients now range from innovative tech startups to well-established Fortune 500 companies.
Goodwin also volunteers as the president of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC). The Chamber is the non-profit, non-partisan network of several hundred queer and allied businesses and business leaders in the metro DC area. Its services include workshops, messaging and networking events. According to Goodwin, the Chamber helps “LGBT business owners and professionals create their success.”
“I’m honored and surprised to be getting this award,” Goodwin says. “It’s a vote of support from the LGBT community and also from the Blade, which has supported the area’s LGBT businesses and professionals for decades.” (BTC)
Best Clergy
Rayceen Pendarvis (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Rayceen Pendarvis
Runner-Up: Bishop Allyson Abrams
A two-spirited clergyperson who answers to “he,” “she,” “Reverend and “Miss” and identifies as gay, a “gender-bender” and “earth mother to the gays,” native Washingtonian Rayceen Pendarvis isn’t connected to a single denomination or one house of worship: “I’m the goddess of love and the church of life. I can’t be tied down to one thing.”
He and runner up Bishop Allyson Abrams are perpetual flip-flops in this category. Abrams won in 2015 and 2017. Pendarvis won in 2016 and was last year’s runner-up. Abrams was the 2016 runner-up. Pendarvis is host of the D.C.-based monthly “Ask Rayceen Show” which features a wide spate of varied content.
Pendarvis’ wide-ranging spiritual mission includes wedding officiant. “It’s something I do and would love to do more of. I’m a licensed and ordained to all I’ve read the Quran, the Bible and the Torah, and I embrace all faiths and nonbelievers alike.”
Despite his exceptionally positive outlook, Pendarvis ([email protected]) readily concedes that the struggle for LGBT and racial equality remains real. Still, he refuses to let it get him down: “Every morning when I get up, the first moment I breathe, that is my gift and that is my blessing. Our community comes from a strong tradition of fighters and we don’t give up. Every little bit matters and all of us have a role to play: Letters. Protest. Write checks. Organize. There is a part for all of us.”
“I’m the father of five and the mother to many,” adds Pendarvis who has five children from two relationships. “While I’m their father, I’ve served as both mother and father to them with the help of my own mother and extended family,”
“Love,” he says, “is the greatest gift, lesson, and it will live forever.” (PF)
Most Committed Activist
Ruby Corado (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Ruby Corado
Second consecutive win in this category. Corado was named Best of Gay D.C. Local Heroine in 2014 and Most Committed Activist in 2015.
Casa Ruby
2822 Georgia Ave., N.W.
Runner-Up: Earl Fowlkes
Best DC Public Official
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Mayor Muriel Bowser
Runner-Up: Randy Downs
Same winner and runner-up as last year.
Best Hill Staffer/LGBT Bureaucrat
Sarah Jackson (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Sarah Jackson
Runner-Up: Ben Rosenbaum
Despite Republican control of both chambers of Congress, Sarah Jackson said she’s motivated to work as a legislative aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) because she’s able to work on issues important to her, including issues affecting the LGBT community.
“I came to Capitol Hill thinking I would work on women’s and LGBTQ issues, but what drives me to stay in this male-dominated, heteronormative environment is working on issues that women, and especially queer women have traditionally been shut out of,” Jackson says. “As a staffer working on taxes, trade, financial services, housing and energy issues, I’m often the only woman in the room and usually the youngest. This gives me more motivation to continue learning and to continue the work to ensure a more equitable nation.”
The San Francisco-native has worked on Pelosi’s staff for three years and now serves as membership director of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association. Previously, Jackson was a congressional intern with the LGBTQ Victory Institute.
“The Hill’s energy, dynamism, and unpredictability is addicting; but what really motivates me is the power of believing in your boss and your caucus, especially in our current climate,” Jackson says. (Chris Johnson)
Best Local Pro Athlete
Elena Delle Donne (Photo courtesy of the Washington Mystics)
Winner: Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
Runner-Up: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
In addition to her success on the basketball court (as the “small forward” for the Chicago Sky and the Washington Mystics she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 and the WNBA MVP in 2015 and is a five-time WNBA All-Star), openly lesbian athlete Elena Delle Donne is an award-winning author.
Her memoir “My Shot: Balancing It All and Standing Tall” recently won a Parents’ Choice Award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation. Aimed at middle school readers, the book is an amazingly frank but age-appropriate discussion of both her career highlights and her personal challenges, including her decision to come out.
Earlier this year, she also launched the “Hoops” series of novels for young readers (ages 8-12). “Elle of the Ball” introduces Elle Deluca, who closely resembles Delle Donne herself. Elle’s height is an asset on the basketball court but a liability in her ballroom dancing class where she towers over her male dance partners. The series continues with “Full Court Press” and “Out of Bounds.”
Like her fictional counterpart, Delle Donne is very tall and had an early growth spurt. She’s 6’5” and wears a size 12 shoe. She gets her height from her parents. Her dad, a real estate developer, is 6’6” and her mom is 6’2.”
She also gets her feisty spirit and determination from them. When Delle Donne was in elementary school, her doctor wanted to start her on injections to stunt her growth. Her mother refused, and, according to an interview with ESPN, she told her daughter, “Why try to be like the rest of the pack? Be your own person.”
The young athlete also had to come to terms with the fact that she could do things that her beloved older sister Lizzie would never be able to do. Lizzie, with whom Delle Donne remains close, was born deaf and blind, with both cerebral palsy and autism, and is unable to speak.
Born in Wilmington, Del., in 1989, Delle Donne rose to national prominence as a high school basketball star at Ursuline Academy. She led her team to three straight Delaware State Championships and was ranked as the number one recruit by Scout.com.
Delle Donne was recruited by the University of Connecticut but ended up playing for the Blue Hens at the University of Delaware. In 2010, she was named both “Player of the Year” and “Rookie of the Year” by the Colonial Athletic Association. Although she was diagnosed with Lyme disease during her sophomore year, she continued to excel as a college athlete and was selected second overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. She joined the Washington Mystics in 2017.
In 2016, Delle Donne won a gold medal as a member of the Unites States women’s basketball team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Delle Donne officially came out in an interview with Vogue magazine in August 2016 where she announced her engagement to girlfriend Amanda Clifton. The couple was married in 2017.
The award-winning out athlete, who has signed endorsement deals with Nike, DuPont and Octagon, is also a noted philanthropist. She founded the Elena Delle Donne Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for Lyme Disease research and special needs programs and is also a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics. (BTC)
Best Local Pro Sports Team
Washington Capitals (Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr)
Winner: Washington Capitals
Editor’s Choice: Washington Nationals
Best Fitness Instructor
Jesse Johnson (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Jesse Johnson
VIDA Fitness U Street
1612 U St., N.W.
Runner-Up: Mark Raimondo
Jesse Johnson worked in a typical office environment where he wore “a suit and tie” every day. Unsatisfied with his work life, he decided to get fitness training certificates in his spare time.
After friends told Johnson he could make a living doing what he loved, he decided to become a full-time fitness trainer. He’s been working for VIDA Fitness since 2011.
A training session with Johnson will be “comprehensive.” Johnson, 32, says he writes down everything that takes place in his sessions and trains people on how to work out and what foods to eat. He also likes to prep clients on how to keep up training when they aren’t in sessions with him. His favorite fitness tip is simply to “go to the gym. Eighty percent of it is just show up.”
It’s a position that’s finally fulfilling to Johnson.
“D.C. is full of a lot of professionals. A lot of people here work really hard and at the end of the day when it comes time to take care of themselves and their bodies they might not know what to do. It’s a good place to help someone get something that they were having trouble getting on their own. I’m happy to do that,” Johnson says. (MC)
Best Real Estate Agent
Stacey Williams-Zeiger (Photo courtesy of Stacey Williams-Zeiger)
Winner: Stacey Williams-Zeiger, Zeiger Realty Inc
Runner-Up: Christopher Leary, Washington Fine Properties
Real Estate Group
The Evan+Mark Team (Photo courtesy of The Evan+Mark Team)
Winner: The Evan+Mark Team, Compass
Last year’s runner-up.
Runner-Up: The Bediz Group, Keller Williams
Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent
Lee Ann Wilkinson (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)
Winner: Lee Ann Wilkinson
Runner-Up: Karen Gustafson
Best Straight Ally
Sean Doolittle (Photo courtesy of MLB)
Winner: Sean Doolittle
Runner-Up: Leigh Ann Hendricks
Ace relief pitcher Sean Doolittle was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Washington Nationals in July 2017. He eloped with his then-girlfriend, Eireann Dolan one day after the regular baseball season ended last year. Doolittle was named a 2018 All-Star this summer; he was a member of the 2014 MLB All-Star team and this season is rounding out to be one of the best of his career.
Doolittle and Dolan received national attention in 2015 when they purchased hundreds of tickets to the Oakland Athletics Pride Night after the event received backlash from fans. The tickets were donated to local LGBT groups and an additional $40,000 was raised.
Local LGBT youth leadership and housing program SMYAL had caught the attention of Doolittle and Dolan and they donated 52 tickets to the organization for Night OUT at the Nationals in June. Going a step further, they stopped in personally to deliver the tickets at the SMYAL youth program’s headquarters and the SMYAL transitional housing program.
“In advance of the Nationals Pride night, we wanted to get involved,” Doolittle said in a July interview with the Blade. “We wanted to do something more than catch the first pitch or meet some people on the field before the game. And we love this community, we love being here, and we wanted to give back.” (KM)
Best Transgender Advocate
Charlotte Clymer (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Charlotte Clymer
Runner-Up: Rayceen Pendarvis
Politically savvy transgender woman Charlotte Clymer didn’t set out to be a transgender advocate. She was pushed into the part. “Earlier this year, I had a bad night at a downtown restaurant. I was asked to show my ID before using the restroom at Cuba Libre. When I refused, the manager threw me out even though I used my phone to show him that he was breaking the law. But because of the work of longtime transgender advocates, I was able to have a sense of safety that night and I stood up for myself.”
Out of an unpleasant experience came a lot of good, she says. “The restaurant changed its policies. We got a huge donation for Casa Ruby and Cuba Libre partnered with Casa Ruby and other D.C. restaurants in becoming more LGBTQ inclusive.”
Currently single and dating, Clymer lives on East Capitol Hill. Her challenging job as Human Rights Campaign press secretary for rapid response keeps her busy. “Essentially, I direct all messaging strategy against the Trump White House.” How does she keep her sanity? “Alcohol,” she laughs. “But seriously, I have really good friends and a great support network.”
Future goals include strengthening workers’ rights for transgender folks, especially transgender people of color, she says. “But more than anything, I want to amplify the people who are longtime trans advocates. I want to help ensure that they’re supported in their important work.” (PF)
Best Stylist
Roel Quiz (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Roel Ruiz
Logan 14 Aveda Salon Spa
1314 14th St., N.W.
Runner-Up: Quency Valencia
Valencia won in 2016-2017.
Roel Ruiz has been styling hair for 10 years. He’s spent three years as a stylist in D.C. at Logan 14 Aveda Salon Spa where he specializes in men’s’ grooming and does color.
Ruiz built his Logan 14 book of business pretty quickly. “For a while I was bartending at Cobalt and styling hair. I asked bar customers to come for a haircut, and encouraged clients to come by for a drink. It worked hand in hand.”
Before entering hair biz, Ruiz studied nursing.
“As a stylist I found that I got to help people out differently while using my creative juices. And I had an instant knack for it and I love the industry.”
He grew up in small town Texas. “I had loving, gay-friendly parents in a red state. I like to say my mom allowed me to be comfortable with my sexuality and D.C. is where I found my pride.” Today, Ruiz lives around the corner from work. “My commute is five minutes from my bed to the salon.”
Future goals? Ultimately, he would like to open something of his own and currently is adding a barber’s license to his resume, he says. “This allows me to do razor work and straight blade. Logan 14 is working on merging the salon and barber experience. We have a lot of LGBTQ clientele. Many men with beards, me being one of them.” (PF)
COMMUNITY
Best Art Gallery
Renwick Gallery (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Renwick Gallery
1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Best Adult Store
Bite the Fruit
Third consecutive win in this category!
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Lotus Blooms
Best Car Dealership
DARCARS
New and used cars at locations in Suitland, Temple Hills, Silver Spring, Md. et. al. Second consecutive win.
Editor’s choice: BMW of Fairfax
Best Apartment/Condo Building
Winner: F1RST Residences
1263 First St., S.E.
Editor’s Choice: Atlantic Plumbing (2016-2017 winner)
Best Doctor/Medical Provider
Dr. Robyn Zeiger (Photo by Red Leash Photography)
Winner: Dr. Robyn Zeiger
10300 Sweetbriar Pkwy.
Silver Spring, Md.
Runner-Up: Dr. Ray Martins, Whitman-Walker Health
Dr. Robyn S. Zeiger is a licensed clinical professional therapist with 40 years of experience working with individuals and couples. In her practice, Zeiger emphasizes that patients should not approach counseling with feelings of shame or guilt.
“It’s important for you to know that I am not in practice to judge you or the information you share with me,” she says. “Thus, I am not likely to be shocked by anything you tell me.”
She also notes that “by exploring the issues that may have held you back in the past, you can open doors to many possibilities. The overall goals are for you to be happy, satisfied, and empowered, which will allow your true self to flourish and grow.”
As a passionate lover of animals, Zeiger is a member of the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement and also offers pet loss counseling to help people through the loss of beloved animal companions.
Zeiger, who is winning this award for the second year in a row, is also an adjunct senior lecturer at University of Maryland School of Public Health where she teaches in the Department of Family Science. In addition to teaching courses on counseling families and individuals, Zeiger also designed a class called “Exploring Homophobia: Demystifying LGBT Issues,” for the Honors College.
A native of Baltimore and a dedicated fan of the musical “Hamilton,” Zeiger completed both her master’s and her doctorate at the University of Maryland,
She is married to Stacey Williams-Zeiger who is the winner of the Washington Blade’s 2018 Best of Gay D.C. Award for Best Real Estate Agent. (BTC)
Best Fitness or Workout Spot
Barry’s Bootcamp (Photo courtesy of Barry’s Bootcamp
Winner: Barry’s Bootcamp
1345 19th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: VIDA Fitness
Best Gayborhood
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Shaw
Third consecutive win in this category!
Editor’s choice: Logan Circle (2016 runner up)
Best Hardware Store
Logan Ace Hardware (Washington Blade photo by Antwan J. Thompson)
Logan Ace Hardware
A perennial favorite in this category. Also won last year.
1734 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s choice: Annie’s Ace Hardware
Best Home Furnishings
Mitchell Gold, on left, and business partner Bob Williams (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams
1526 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Miss Pixie’s (last year’s winner)
Best Home Improvement Service
Case Design
“Full-service home remodelers building your dreams.”
Editor’s choice: The Organizing Agency
Same outcome as last year.
Best Hotel
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington, D.C. (Photo by Cris Molina)
Winner: Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington, D.C.
An upset — The W won the last three years.
700 F St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: The Line
Best House of Worship
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
Fourth consecutive win in this category!
633 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring
240-720-7605
empowermentliberationcathedral.org
Editor’s Choice: Foundry United Methodist Church
Best Lawyer
Michelle Zavos (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Michele Zavos
Zavos Juncker Law Group
Runner Up: Glen Ackerman
Flip-flop of last year’s outcome.
Best LGBT Social Group
Stonewall Sports (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Stonewall Sports
Also won last year.
stonewallnational.flywheelsites.com
Editor’s Choice: Team DC
Best LGBT Sports League
Stonewall Kickball (Washington Blade photo by Tom Hausman)
Winner: Stonewall Kickball
Second consecutive win; 2016 runner-up.
stonewallkickball.leagueapps.com
Editor’s Choice: DC Frontrunners
Best LGBT-Owned Business
Crew Club owner DC Allen (Washington Blade file photo by Pete Exis)
Winner: Crew Club
1321 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: District Title
Most LGBT-friendly Workplace
Whitman-Walker Executive Director Don Blanchon and Deputy Executive Director Naseema Shafi at the Whitman-Walker gala. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Whitman-Walker Health
Second consecutive win.
1525 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: National LGBTQ Task Force
Best LGBT Event
Capital Pride Parade (Washington Blade photo by Cecily Kidd)
Winner: Capital Pride Celebration
Second consecutive win.
Editor’s Choice: D.C. Black Pride
Best Museum
National Gallery of Art (Photo by John Menard via Flickr)
Winner: National Gallery of Art
6th & Constitution Ave., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: National Museum of African American History (last year’s winner)
Best Non-Profit
SMYAL Executive Director Sultan Shakir addresses the crowd at the annual Fall Brunch. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
SMYAL
Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders
410 7th St., S.E.
Editor’s Choice: Center for Black Equity
Best Private School
The Maret School (Photo by Aaron Siirila via Wikimedia Commons)
Maret School
A coed, K-12 independent school founded in 1911. Also won this category last year.
3000 Cathedral Ave., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Edmund Burke
Best Pet Business
Doggy Style Bakery (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Doggy Style Bakery, Boutique & Pet Spa
Second consecutive win.
1642 R St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: District Dogs
Best Place to Buy Second-hand Stuff
Miss Pixie’s (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Miss Pixie’s Furnishings and Whatnot
A perennial favorite in this category! Same outcome as last year.
1626 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s choice: Buffalo Exchange (2016 runner-up)
Best Movie Theater
Landmark Theaters Atlantic Plumbing (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Landmark Theaters Atlantic Plumbing
New releases plus indie fare, foreign and avant garde. Second consecutive win.
807 V St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: AMC Loews Georgetown
Best Rehoboth Business
Purple Parrot (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Winner: Purple Parrot
134 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Editor’s Choice: Blue Moon
Flip-flop of last year’s outcome.
Best Salon/Spa
Logan 14
Third consecutive win in this category!
1314 14th St., N.W.
logan14salonspa.com
Editor’s Choice: The Burrow
Best Alternative Transportation
Winner: Lyft
Editor’s Choice: Capital Bike Share
Best Day Trip
MGM National Harbor (Photo by Robb Scharteg; courtesy MGM)
Winner: MGM National Harbor
101 MGM National Ave.
Oxon Hill, Md.
Editor’s Choice: Easton, Maryland
Best Place to Take Kids
Winner: National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: National Aquarium Baltimore
Best Tattoo Parlor
Tattoo Paradise
2444 18th St., N.W.
Second consecutive win.
Editor’s Choice: Jinx Proof Tattoos
Best Theater
Winner: Studio Theatre
An upset — Kennedy Center won the last three years. A flip-flop of last year’s outcome.
1501 14th St., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Kennedy Center
Best Theater Production
Winner: Hamilton – Kennedy Center
Ran June 12-Sept. 16
Editor’s Choice: Waitress – National Theatre
Best Vet
CityPaws Animal Hospital
1823 14th St., N.W.
Fourth consecutive win in this category.
Editor’s Choice: Friendship Animal Hospital
a&e features
Boomer Banks brings beats to MAL Weekend
From porn to the DJ booth, ’I’m the happiest I’ve ever been’
If you enjoy gay adult films, there is a high likelihood you have seen or at least heard of Boomer Banks. His tattoos, muscles, masculine presence, and thick mustache have made him one of the most recognizable — and awarded — Latinx gay adult performers in the industry. This weekend, Banks heads to the nation’s capital to partake in Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend.
As D.C. polishes its leather gay apparel for the annual MAL weekend, Banks, alongside a slew of other gay adult performers and leather lovers, is getting ready to make adult content, meet fans, buy some new leather goods, and perform in the name of sexual expression.
This year will be different for Banks compared to his past MAL weekends, though. He will still be go-go dancing as he has in years past, but this year he has a new hat on — headlining DJ. The Blade sat down with the 44-year-old performer to discuss his sex work career, the changing industry, and his passion for DJing.
On Friday night, Banks is one of three headlining DJs for the main dance event of the night, UNCUT XL. He explained that his love for music has always been there, but since the death of his best friend, with whom he connected on a shared love of music, his sets mean more than ever to him now.
“I loved music for my whole life,” Banks told the Blade when asked about how he got started in music. “My proximity to legendary New York DJs has always been there. I lost my best friend and brother over two years ago, and it just caused a lot of changes [for me]. We both loved music so much … I was talking to one of my DJ friends [about this connection to music], and they were talking to me, and all of a sudden I’m at their studio, playing around with the controller and all that, and it just happened. Here we are, two years later, and now I’m headlining at MAL with some legendary DJs that I have been a fan of since I was young.”
Banks went on to explain that this connection and newfound passion for DJing is what has made his career shift from studio porn to a solo career easier. He also said the continued support from his house music fans has made him want to work even harder on creating memorable sets.
And create memorable sets he has. Banks has headlined events all across the country over the past two years — from Provincetown to Rehoboth Beach and even headlining Folsom, which is the biggest leather event of the year. He explained that he has one overwhelming emotion —gratitude.
“I’m really grateful that Zach [Renovatés] and everybody at Kinetic and Bunker have really taken a liking to my storytelling through music, because that’s what it is for me,” Banks said. “I like taking people on a journey. It’s usually my journey. But I read the crowd, I read energy, and I’m always smiling, and that’s the only place that I do smile. I feel like people often categorize me as intimidating, and a lot of times that’s what I got in the porn industry. But with DJing, the people are always like, ‘You’re so happy up there. You’re smiling all the time.’ And, yeah, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s exciting. I love doing it, and I’m grateful and very humbled that people are seeing that this isn’t just a gimmick.”
He went on to explain that this happiness wasn’t always at the base of his work —especially when he was involved with the studio porn system with CockyBoys and Raging Stallion. Various factors, including race, he shared with the Blade, were why it was less than enjoyable at times. But it provided a platform in which he was able to grow and gave him an opportunity to help newcomers in the industry.
“When I got into porn, other brown men were not nice to me; other people of color [were not nice to me]. I thought that it would have been different. So when I was established, I made sure not to do that. I have a few little Banks boys that I nurtured into the industry, and, not to claim them, but it’s just so that they had someone to talk to because I didn’t have that.”
Despite some structural problems within the industry, Banks felt he was able to get what he needed from the career, including a paycheck and a platform.
“Porn did work out for me,” he said. “I was very fucking successful, and I was not white. I did the work, but I just couldn’t keep doing it any more. It wasn’t good for my mental health, and so I knew how to bow out. Who knows? It [studio porn days] might happen again. I don’t know, but I know for today, I love music. It’s my heart. I’m grateful for the platform that sex work gave me because it’s given me a heads up with the music.”
That music has kept him going. More specifically, New York house-style music has kept him going. Banks’s ability to take in the music he loves has made him a stronger DJ, he said.
“’I’m a New York house DJ,” he said. “That’s the style that I bring. The craziest it gets is like tech house and maybe some early 2000s mid-2000s circuit music. It’s what I grew up with and what I love and what I like to put out there. I’m really grateful that I was not only showing up to these gigs, but I was absorbing the art that is music in a way that it seeped into my pores and my soul, that now I can share how I feel about music, and that’s exciting.”
He touched on how although many people can be fans of DJ music, it takes more to become a successful DJ.
“The thing about music is you can’t fake music tastes. You can learn all the knobs and the technical parts of DJing, but if you’re not playing good music, and if the room isn’t vibing, it doesn’t matter.”
When asked about the current political climate—seeing as the host hotel for MAL weekend is a mere half mile from the Capitol building—Banks reflected on the importance of weekends like this for the LGBTQ community, which is increasingly facing the backlash of conservative politicians.
“We are in uncertain times,” he said. “These are the weekends where we’re able to be who we are. And it’s unfortunate that we have to still have these events to express ourselves. Because a lot of these guys, they wait their whole year for this weekend to be able to express themselves. With what’s going on with the world, they’re basically being told that these are the only places they can. I know that in New York we live in a bubble. I know in D.C., we live in a bubble. But I want to show people that are coming from the middle of nowhere that they can have a good time, and even if it is for this weekend, they can rely on us. I want our community to know that I am here for them.”
You can find Boomer Banks headlining Friday’s main dance event UNCUT XL from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. at REPUBLIQ Hall (2122 24th Pl NE) and go-go dancing during Saturday’s PERVERT XXL party at A.I. Warehouse (530 Penn St., N.E.) from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. as well as on X @Boomer_Banks and on Instagram @baconlvr.
For more information about MAL events visit leatherweekend.com or kineticpresents.com.
Half a mile from the Capitol building on New Jersey Avenue, the Hyatt Regency Washington is getting ready for one of the city’s biggest, gayest, and kinkiest weekends of the year — the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend.
The weekend, which has a long and fabled history that spans two different hosting Motorcycle Clubs (MC), multiple host cities, thousands of LGBTQ people dressed head to toe in leather, and as the Centaur MC website explains, all began with an hour of cocktails and a cock ring.
In 1976, members of the Links MC gathered in a room at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel to mingle and discuss shared interests (including leather and various sexual proclivities), when one of the party’s guests accidentally dropped his cock ring on the bathroom floor. The loud clang of a cock ring against the tile floor made everyone in attendance laugh. At the next party the Links MC hosted, another member intentionally dropped his cock ring on the floor too, calling back to the prior party’s fun and a tradition was established.
The event grew in popularity among LGBTQ leather lovers, moving to various East Coast cities before finding a permanent home with the Centaur MC in Washington in 1984. Since then, the city has hosted the Leather Cocktail party each year and has expanded to include an exhibitor hall, where leather makers and other kink product creators showcase their wares, the prestigious Mr. MAL Contest, and multiple high energy (and clothing optional) dance parties.
MCs comprised exclusively of queer members have been documented since at least the mid-1950s, with the Satyrs Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles being one of the earliest known examples. During the McCarthy era, when LGBTQ individuals were subjected to brutal discrimination due to unfounded fears that being queer was synonymous with being un-American or even suggested Communist leanings, the groups provided an essential refuge. While such fears were baseless, the formation of these clubs offered a vital safe space for queer people to express themselves in an environment where their identities were not just stigmatized but often criminalized. These MCs became much more than places for sexual expression — they were havens of protection and solidarity, offering a sense of community that would have been nearly impossible to find in the hostile, post-WWII social climate.
This year’s MAL is set to be the biggest year yet with four days of kinky queer fun. It all begins on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Washington (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.) with the Full Package/Three Day Pass Pick-Up from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Here guests who have purchased a Full Weekend Package can collect their wristbands.
On Thursday from 9 p.m.-3 a.m., the MAL kick-off Kinetic BOOTCAMP dance party will whip you into shape as international DJs Alex Lo and Dan Slater start off the weekend right. The venue has not been named yet, but Kinetic Events, which oversees this year’s official MAL dance parties have said the space will soon be announced and will “be complete with play zone designed for maximum seduction.”
After beginning MAL weekend on the dance floor, Friday is full of events to keep the kinky vibes going. From 3-10 p.m., guests who have not picked up their Full Package Pass on Thursday can continue to collect them in Capital Room A on the lobby level (located behind the north tower elevators) of the Hyatt Regency Washington. If you haven’t purchased a pass, no worries, both day and weekend passes for MAL hotel events are available for purchase online or at the hotel’s entrance from 3-10 p.m.
The passes vary in price depending on what day(s) you attend. The 3-day pass is $45 plus processing fees and provides access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall for the entire weekend, as well as the Mr. MAL Contest on Sunday. The Single Day Pass is $20 plus processing fees and allows access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall on either Friday or Saturday. The Sunday Day Pass is $30 plus processing fees and includes access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall on Sunday, along with entry to the Mr. MAL Contest. To purchase your pass online visit at sickening.events/e/mal-weekend-2025/tickets or at the hotel’s entrance.
To get in an elevator up to a hotel room a staff member will check for a hotel room wristband. Non-registered guests can only access host hotel rooms if they are escorted by a registered guest with a valid wristband. Registered guests are permitted to escort only one non-registered guest at a time. Non-registered guests with a wristband who are already in the hotel before 10 p.m. may remain until midnight. However, non-registered guests without a wristband will not be admitted after registration closes.
The Exhibit Hall is located on the ballroom level below the lobby. This year is slated to have 29 exhibitors selling leather and kink goods that range from harnesses to jockstraps and everything in between. The Exhibit Hall will be open on Friday from 4-10 p.m., on Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Back by popular demand, DC Health is partnering with Nasty Pig to provide preventative health services including MPox vaccines, Doxy PEP, HIV Testing, Narcan kits, and Fentanyl test strips. Their booth with these services will be available on Friday from 3-10 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Capital Room B (located behind the north tower elevators next to Room A).
Also on Friday, the Centaur MC is holding its Welcome Reception from 6-8 p.m. on the ballroom floor. After the Centaur’s Welcome Reception, there will be an International Mister Rubber (IMR) Social from 8-11 p.m. in Congressional Room A.
Friday night’s dance party KINETIC UNCUT XL will be at REPUBLIQ Hall (2122 24th Place, N.E.) and has been billed as “largest and most debaucherous MAL event yet” with a “labyrinth of play zones” and two dance floors. DJ and adult film creator James Anthony kicks off the night and then allows for you to choose where to dance — either in room 1 with DJ Alex Ramos playing tribal beats or room 2 with DJ and adult creator Boomer Banks playing a tech house set. The dance party goes from 10-4 a.m. so make sure those boots are shined and ready to move.
On Saturday MAL will host its annual Puppy Mosh in Regency Ballroom C from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. During the Mosh, pups and their handlers can enjoy a playful puppy playdate while immersing themselves in pup culture. There are strict rules surrounding the Puppy Mosh. The Mosh Monitor has final say and has the right to eject anyone from the Puppy Park for violating the rules. For the full set of Puppy Mosh rules visit leatherweekend.com/puppy-park-rules/.
Immediately following the Puppy Mosh the Super Hero Meet-Up will be held in Capital Room A from 1:30- 3 p.m., where cosplayers and comic book enthusiasts can gather for an erotic meetup celebrating a rendezvous of capes, curves, and vibrant spandex.
From 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, the Onyx Fashion Show will take place in Congressional Rooms A & B for people of color to highlight Black brilliance in leather.
The Leather Cocktail Party that started it all will be held 7-10 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. Only those with the Full Package Pass can attend and are encouraged to show off their leather and kink fantasy.
The Leather Cocktail Party isn’t the only cocktail party happening on Saturday; from 9-11 p.m., the MAL Cocktail Party will be in Congressional Room B for other MAL attendees to mingle and get a drink.
The last event of Saturday is the KINETIC and Matinée Group’s PERVERT XXL dance party. Beginning at 10 p.m., this will mark the first time that a dance party on MAL Weekend’s Saturday night is an official MAL event. The dance is at A.I. Warehouse in Northeast (address TBA) and has a slew of talent for the celebration. Gigi Goode from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will “whip the crowd into submission” as DJs from around the world, including Erik Vilar (Brazil), Eliad Cohen (Israel), and Paulo (Los Angeles) play non-stop beats all night long (or at least until 4 a.m. when the party ends). In addition to drag royalty and internationally acclaimed DJs, the dance is held in a multi-level warehouse in Northeast D.C. complete with immersive lights, lasers, and play zones.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., the Mr. MAL Contest will be held in the Regency Ballroom. This highly sought after title gives one man the power to become the Mid-Atlantic Leather man of the year. The sash and title come with some requirements though: 1. You must be male, 2. You must be a resident of North America, 3. Must be at least 21 years of age, and 4. You must self-identify as gay. Additionally, if you enter, you must be prepared to represent the title as a contestant in the International Mr. Leather (IML) Contest in Chicago on Memorial Day Weekend 2025. Currently the list of applicants has hit its limit but if you are interested and can meet the criteria you can email [email protected] to be put on a standby list.
From 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Sunday, MAL will hold its Game Night in Capital Rooms A & B.
Last, but certainly not least, the final event and dance party of the weekend is the KINETIC LUST party, the perfectly sensual and sexy way to end MAL 2025. The party goes from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. as Grammy-nominated Abel and DJ Sam Blacky will end your weekend right with “dark, sexy beats and pulse-pounding rhythms” as erotic porn star performances and exclusive play zones are explored.
Each day of MAL a Recovery Meeting will be held in the Yosemite Room (located on the conference level/ second floor) from 10-11 p.m. with an additional session on Saturday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. to provide a safe space for anyone who is struggling with addiction or for anyone who needs to take a sober step away from the weekend’s events.
All weekend there will also be a Bootblack station where MAL attendees can get any leather goods cleaned and polished. The money donated to the Bootblacks for their work helps raise money for a local charity (that changes each year) and to cover the Mr. MAL travel fund. Don’t forget to tip.
Even though the weekend is called the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, leather is not required. There are some rules regarding outfits though. All expressions of kink are encouraged. Attendees in years past have worn everything from leather to rubber, to furries and even regular street clothes. Just make sure that they abide by the hotel’s dress code rules — in publicly accessible spaces (lobby, hallways, ballrooms, exhibit halls), nudity is not allowed. Men may walk around the hotel shirtless, in a jock, or in chaps with a jock. Women are not permitted to be shirtless or have their nipples exposed. If you are dining, your buttocks must be covered, and at least a vest must be worn.
Please note that all events are 21+ and require an ID check, including every day of events at the Hyatt Regency host hotel. Please make sure you bring your photo ID. Also note that all MAL “Full Weekend Package” pass holders have access to the LUST Sunday Closing Party.
For any additional information on official MAL weekend events and policies, please visit leatherweekend.com or kineticpresents.com.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2024
Menendez brothers, Chappell Roan, ‘Wicked,’ and more
Reflecting on a year in queer entertainment is never one dimensional. You get stories of joy, hate, and everything in between.
And 2024 was no different. For every Chappell Roan, you get a J.K. Rowling. But looking back on this year is vital in recognizing what progress was made in LGBTQ spaces, and which areas need more attention to make a better 2025.
Though there are no 10 stories that are truly “the most important,” here are some events that represented the good, the bad, and the gloriously gay this year.
#10: Joaquin Phoenix abruptly exits gay film: “Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix reportedly exited a gay romance film days before production was set to begin, stirring up a controversial storm in Hollywood.
Sets were built and distribution deals were already made, which left many owed compensation.
Described as a detective love story featuring two men in the 1930s, the film was allegedly made to receive an NC-17 rating and to feature authentic and graphic sex scenes.
#9: Adele snaps back at homophobic fan:What better way to kick off Pride month this year than Adele publicly humiliating a fan who shouted a homophobic comment?
The singer was performing her Las Vegas residency show when an audience member shouted, “Pride sucks.” Her response was appropriately filled with profanities.
“Did you come to my fucking show to say Pride sucks? Are you fucking stupid?” Adele said. “Don’t be so fucking ridiculous. If you have nothing nice to say, shut up, alright?”
A video of the interaction went viral online, and fans rallied on social media to show their support of the singer.
#8: Oprah receives GLAAD recognition: Oprah Winfrey received the GLAAD Lifetime Achievement Award in March. It was a culmination of her strong history of support for the LGBTQ community.
Winfrey used her platform on her self-titled show to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ bias and hold open discussions to challenge stereotypes and promote acceptance.
“Winfrey’s unique blend of empathy, wisdom, and storytelling resonated with audiences, making her one of the most beloved and influential figures in media history,” Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters wrote.
winner after 25 seasons.
Asher HaVon, who performed on team Reba McEntire, became a staple on the show for his hypnotic and rich tone. From Selma, Ala., HaVon also represents the fight for equality.
When former President Barack Obama visited Selma in 2015, HaVon sang for him and 200,000 other people at the historic Selma Bridge crossing.
“For the rest of us, in the LGBTQ community, in the dance clubs, and in the hearts of ones needing a new diva to love, Asher has arrived,” Los Angeles Blade reporter Rob Watson wrote in May.
#6: Out and proud: Many notable celebrities came out this year, including country singer Maren Morris, track star Trey Cunningham, actor Julia Fox and former “Saturday Night Live” star Sasheer Zamata. From sports stars to country idols, these icons are paving the way for LGBTQ visibility in underrepresented entertainment spaces.
#5: Defying box office charts: Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” is ‘Popular’ with audiences, to say the least.
Roughly one week into its box office run, it became the biggest-grossing movie based on a Broadway musical in North America. It beat previous smashes like “Grease” and “Mamma Mia!” Beyond providing audiences with a faithful yet unique adaptation of the popular book and play, it also gave us numerous viral interviews between its two leading ladies, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as well as a plethora of fan cams gushing over out actor Jonathan Bailey.
Your move, “Wicked: Part Two.”
#4: Emmys and Grammys and Tonys, oh my!: It was a historic year for queer representation at the biggest nights in entertainment. Jodie Foster collected her first Emmy for her role in “True Detective: Night Country,” while Jonathan Groff accepted his first Tony for his role in “Merrily We Roll Along.”
The Grammys were huge for women and queer artists, recognizing performers like Billie Eilish, SZA, Miley Cyrus, and Victoria Monet. It was a much different story than in 2018, when Grammy organizers responded to a lack of female recognition by telling women to “step up.”
#3: Misinformation fuels hate at Olympics: Olympic boxer Imane Khelif was the center of right-wing rage during this summer’s Paris games after many prominent celebrities and personalities said she is transgender. Khelif has differences of sex development (DSD), which is a group of rare conditions that causes one’s sex development to differ from most others. Women with DSD can have both an X and Y chromosome, which is typically only found in men, but it doesn’t make one transgender or intersex.
The facts didn’t matter to public figures like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, who were mentioned in a cyber harassment lawsuit after spreading misinformation online about Khelif’s identity. Rowling labeled Khelif a “male” on X, while others called for Khelif to be banned from competing. This outcry over false claims about her identity overshadowed her gold medal win.
#2: The rise, not fall, of a Midwest princess: It was a stellar year for women and queer performers, headlined by Chappell Roan’s rapid ascension to fame. The singer drew global recognition with notable hits like “HOT TO GO!” and “Good Luck, Babe!”.
More importantly, as a member of the community herself, fame never got in the way of her pro-LGBTQ messaging. She dedicated her Best New Artist VMA win to the “queer youth in the Midwest.” Roan, who’s from Missouri, also used her platform to support the art of drag. She enlisted local drag queens to open her shows this year, and gained instant approval when paraphrasing Sasha Colby’s famous saying: “I’m your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.”
#1 Ryan Murphy strikes controversial gold again: The ethical implications of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” were hotly debated when it debuted on Netflix in September.
Some loved the show’s aesthetic and its gripping portrayal of the two brothers who killed their parents in 1989. Others criticized it for its flimsy factual representation and glorification of murder through its two overly attractive leads. Whatever your opinion, there’s no denying the show’s impact, which sparked a national debate over releasing the brothers from prison early. With LA electing a new district attorney in November, the push for an early release remains in the headlines and a strong possibility.
Regardless of your opinion of the show, there’s no denying the cultural impact it sparked. Out creator Ryan Murphy isn’t new to producing shows that divide people while generating ratings. The first installment of the “Monster” anthology, centered on Jeffrey Dahmer, was a huge hit despite facing intense scrutiny for similar creative decisions.
Capital Pride board member resigns, takes role as Trump’s acting Sec’y of Labor
Va. Senate committee tables three anti-transgender bills
Historic Oscar showing for ‘Emilia Pérez’ stirs controversy
New State Department policy bans embassies from flying Pride flag
Thailand marriage equality law takes effect
Trump-Vance administration removes LGBTQ, HIV resources from government websites
Trump previews anti-trans executive orders in inaugural address
Va. Senate approves resolution to repeal marriage amendment
Meta’s policy changes ‘putting us back in the dark ages’
Trump executive order bans passports with ‘X’ gender markers
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