Connect with us

Arts & Entertainment

Calendar: Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2018

Dances, concerts and more in the week to come

Published

on

gay events 2018, gay news, Washington Blade

Alex Newell of ā€˜Gleeā€™ fame performs at The Red Party Saturday night. (Photo courtesy Capital Pride)

Friday, Nov. 30

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hostsĀ Queer Tango ClassĀ tonight from 7-9 p.m. Liz Sabatiuk, instructor of Tango Mercurio, will lead the class. The course is designed for beginner dancers to learn tango vocabulary and technique. The class will also discuss the assumptions of gender in dance and welcomes students to experiment with both gender roles. There is a $10 donation to support the D.C. Center. Sliding scale tickets are also available. For more information, visitĀ thedccenter.org.

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hostsĀ Woof Happy Hour and Porn Star BingoĀ today at 5 p.m. Eddie Danger hosts the party. There will be free pizza at 7:30 p.m. Drink specials include $4 rail drinks, $4 draft beers and more. For more details, visitĀ dceagle.com.

Saturday, Dec. 1

Capital Pride AllianceĀ celebrates its 10th anniversary with the Red Party at Echo Stage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.) tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. There will be performances from ā€œGleeā€ star Alex Newell, ā€œRuPaulā€™s Drag Raceā€ alum Jujubee, local and veteran queen Kristina Kelly and Pretty Boi Drag co-producer Pretty Rik E. DJ Tezrah, DJ Wess and DJ Tracy Young will play music. Tickets are $15. Total ticket proceeds will benefit the Capital Pride Legacy Fund. For more information, visitĀ capitalpride.org.

Whitman-Walker Health and Real Talk D.C. hostĀ Walk & 5K to End HIVĀ at Freedom Plaza (14th St., N.W. and Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) today from 7-11 a.m. Check-in starts at 7:30 a.m. The 5K begins at 9:15 a.m. and the walk is at 9:20 a.m. Post-event actives begin at 10 a.m. Runner registration is $25, walker registration is $25, student/senior walkers are $15 and ā€œSleepwalkers,ā€ those who cannot attend the event, are $40. Register atĀ walktoendhiv.org.

The D.C. EagleĀ (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Daddy, a menā€™s jock and underwear party, tonight from 8 p.m.-4 a.m. DJ Strike Walton Stone and DJ Dean Douglas Sullivan will spin tracks. Bryan Thompson will be the go-go dancer for the evening. VIP meet and greet tickets are available. General admission tickets are $12. For more details, visitĀ facebook.com/eagledc.

Sunday, Dec. 2

Swazz Bazaar, a queer holiday bazaar, is at 1620 North Capitol St., N.W. today from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. There will be queer vendors selling and displaying art, fashion, magazines and other products. There will also be performances from local queer musicians, performance artists and designers. For details, visitĀ facebook.com/swazzevents.

ā€œWaiting to Exhale Twistedā€Ā is at Chateau Remix (3439 Benning Rd., N.E.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. The sold-out play follows two drag queens and two transgender female friends as they navigate relationships with transgender and gay men and each other. Shi-Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx, Tanya Clarke and Capri Bloomingdale star. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. For more information, visitĀ facebook.com/queetaspalace.

Friendship Place hostsĀ Winter Warmth,Ā a free winter clothing drive, hot meal, hair cut and shave event, at Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb St., N.W.) today from 2:30-5:30 p.m. There will be a shuttle bus from Tenleytown Metro for people attending the event. For more information, visitĀ friendshipplace.org.

Pop a cappella groupĀ PentatonixĀ performs at the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) for their ā€œThe Christmas is Here Tourā€ tonight at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $59.50-149.50. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. For more details, visitĀ theanthemdc.com.

Monday, Dec. 3

The InternetĀ brings its ā€œHive Mind Tourā€ to the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) tonight at 8 p.m. The indie-R&B band features lesbian lead singer Syd Tha Kid and bisexual guitarist Steve Lacy. Moon Child opens the show. Tickets are $35. For more details, visitĀ fillmoresilverspring.com.

Pride Fund to End Gun ViolenceĀ hosts Cocktails with a Cause Happy Hour at Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. The happy hour will celebrate the Pride Fundā€™s successes from 2018 and prepare for a new year of advocacy. General admission tickets are $50. Young Professional tickets are $25. For more information, visitĀ facebook.com/pridefund.

Tuesday, Dec. 4

Rainbow Youth AllianceĀ hosts a Happy Hour at Nellieā€™s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) today at 6 p.m. All adults who support LGBT youth are welcome to attend. Drag bingo kicks off at 7 p.m. Nellieā€™s will donate a portion of the eveningā€™s proceeds to Rainbow Youth Alliance. For more details, visitĀ facebook.com/ryamoco.

Capital PrideĀ hosts its Holiday Heat Wave party at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7-10 p.m. There will be culinary stations from Asia Nine Bar & Lounge, Mason Dixie Biscuit Co., Mixology Bartending & Catering and more. Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Heineken and Titoā€™s will provide beverages. General admission tickets are $15. VIP tickets with open bar are $30. For more information, visitĀ facebook.com/capitalpridedc.

StartOut Rising D.C. hostsĀ a LGBT entrepreneurs and startup happy hourĀ at Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) tonight from 6-8 p.m. StartOutā€™s mission is to connect and educate LGBT entrepreneurs and to create jobs for LGBT individuals in the local community. No cover. For more details, visitĀ meetup.com/startout-rising-dc.

Wednesday, Dec. 5

Bookmen D.C., an informal menā€™s gay literature group, discusses ā€œThe Immoralistā€ by Andre Gide at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For details, visitĀ bookmendc.blogspot.com.

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge ClubĀ meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.

Thursday, Dec. 6

GLOE, Bet Mishpachah, Nice Jewish Boys DC and Nice Jewish Girls hostĀ Oh Gaydel, Gaydel, Gaydel! Queer Chanukah Happy HourĀ at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. This is an annual gathering of the local LGBT Jewish community. No cover. For more information, search the event on Facebook.Ā 

Reel AffirmationsĀ screens ā€œBuddiesā€ at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. in honor of World AIDS Day. The film, directed by Arthur J. Bressan Jr., tells the story of a young gay man who volunteers to be a ā€œbuddyā€ to an AIDS patient. There will be a possible cast talk back and catered cocktail reception with co-star David Schachter. Rayceen Pendarvis hosts the screening. VIP tickets are $25 and include VIP seating, one complimentary cocktail, beer or wine and movie candy or popcorn. General admission tickets are $12. For more details, visitĀ thedccenter.org/events/buddies.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Photos

PHOTOS: Franklin County Pride

Fifth annual LGBTQ celebration held at Wilson College

Published

on

Franklin County Pride was held on the campus of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa. on Sunday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2024 Franklin County Pride Festival was held on the campus of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa. on Sunday, Oct. 13.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Continue Reading

Books

Thom Gunn bio explores joys, complexities of modern gay life

ā€˜A Cool Queer Lifeā€™ presents authorā€™s humanity, poetic genius

Published

on

(Book cover image via Amazon)

ā€˜Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Lifeā€™
By Michael Nott
c.2024, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
$40/720 pages

A confession: Until reading ā€œThom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life,ā€ I hadnā€™t known much about the accomplished, controversial gay poetā€™s life or read many of his poems. But this first biography makes me feel like I know him and his large body of work intimately. Michael Nott, coeditor of ā€œThe Letters of Thom Gunn,ā€ draws on interviews with friends and family, as well as Gunnā€™s letters, notebooks, and diaries, to tell the triumphs and tragedies of his life.

Born in England in 1929 to journalist parents, when he was 15, he and his younger brother Ander found their mother dead from suicide. He would not discuss this tragic event in his poetry for years, including one of his last poems ā€œMy Motherā€™s Pride.ā€ He published his first book of poems, ā€œFighting Terms,ā€ while still an undergraduate at Cambridge University.

At Cambridge, Gunn met his life-long partner, Mike Kitay, an American studying theater. Gunn followed Kitay to America, studying poetry under Yvor Winters at Stanford University. At one point, Kitay, doing his military service, was investigated as part of suspicion of homosexuality among his unit. Gunn wrote to friends of his worry both of what might happen to Kitay as well as to himself. While nothing happened, the event reminds us of the precarious state in which gay men lived until recently.

Eventually, they settled in San Francisco, which Gunn loved. Even when he became worldwide famous, he enjoyed the anonymity of the cityā€™s gay bars, where he could pick up men. He taught at UC Berkeley for 40 years, one term every year so he could concentrate on his poetry. His and Kitayā€™s home was filled with friends and sex partners, usually of Gunn. This arrangement seems common for many gay men of the time, reminiscent of Dan Savageā€™s idea of ā€œmonogamish,ā€ where committed gay couples might have other side partners.

In San Francisco, Gunn discovered leather and drugs, both of which he took to readily. He caused a stir by appearing in his British publisherā€™s conservative club in leather gear. Toward the end of his life, he became a crystal meth addict, frequently using with other addicts whom he also slept with. In 2004, his housemates found him dead from substance abuse.

He explored leather, drugs, and gay sexuality frequently in his poems. His collection ā€œMolyā€ (named after the drug in The Odyssey protecting from the witch Circeā€™s magic), looked at the appeal and downfall of drugs. The Man with Night Sweats, perhaps his most famous collection, dealt with the AIDS epidemic, the painful death of so many friends and lovers. He won the MacArthur Foundation ā€œGeniusā€ grant afterwards.

The biography presents Gunn in all his humanity, from his poetic genius to his insecurities. After each book came out, he struggled with writerā€™s block, which led to hookups and drug use. As he aged, he worried about finding ā€œgerontophilesā€ who would sleep with him. I hope this book encourages readers to discover or revisit his work, filled with the joys and complexities of modern gay life.

Continue Reading

Out & About

Blade to mark 55 years, celebrate Best Of LGBTQ DC

Published

on

The Washington Blade will celebrate 55 years of delivering LGBTQ news and also the best LGBTQ things in the city on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Crush Bar.

First drink courtesy of Absolut. Must be 21 to attend and the eventā€™s sponsors are ABSOLUT, Crush, and Infinite Legacy.

Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at bestoflgbtqdc.com.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Sign Up for Weekly E-Blast

Follow Us @washblade

Advertisement

Popular