Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Jan. 11-17
Parties, exhibits and meetings in the week to come

Friday, Jan. 11
D.C. Bear Crue hosts Bear Happy Hour at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) today from 5-10 p.m. Drink specials are until 10 p.m. and include $5 rail cocktails and $5 draft pitchers. Free appetizers will be handed out throughout the night. For more details, visit facebook.com/bearhappyhour.
Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts a weekly viewing party for “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4” tonight at 8 p.m. Trade queens will host the night along with guest hosts. There will be games, prizes and more. Wessthedj will spin tracks before, during and after the episode.For more information, visit facebook.com/tradebardc.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts Phucker, a hanky code party, tonight from 10 p.m.- 3 a.m. Let others know your kink with a hanky in your back pocket. Attendees will receive a free hanky upon entry. DJ Ryan DoubleYou will play music. No cover. For more details, visit greenlanterndc.com.
Gamma D.C., a support group for men in mixed-orientation relationships, meets at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) today from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The group is for men who are attracted to men but are currently, or were at one point, in relationships with women. For more information about the group, visit gammaindc.org.
Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.W.) hosts Anna: Warhol Dance Party, a Andy Warhol party, tonight at 10 p.m. DJ Honey and Get Face will spin tracks. At midnight there will be performances from Creme Fatale, Washington Heights, Dee Dee Derèon, Venus Fastrada and Ariel Von Quinn.Admission is free with RSVP. There will also be an open bar and snacks from 10-11 p.m. For details, visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.
LezLink hosts its January happy hour at the Hawthorne (1336 U St., N.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. Lesbian, bi and queer women are invited for food, drinks and conversation. For more information, visit facebook.com/lezlinkevents.
Saturday, Jan. 12
Haute Dish: Camp, a drag brunch fundraiser for the Unite Foundation, is at 18th & U Duplex Diner (2004 18th St., N.W.) is today from 1-4 p.m. Anna G. O’Plasty, DivaD, Judy from HR, Kiana K’Naan, Mindy Nao and Tabeeda Deadhorse will perform. There will also be surprise performers from the Unite Foundation. Regyna Rubenstein hosts the show. Tickets are $50 and include one select brunch entree of your choice, one champagne cocktail or glass of Pinot Grigio and a donation to Unite. For more details, visit facebook.com/duplexdiner.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts Freeballers today from 4 p.m.-3 a.m. Guests are invited to wear basketball shorts, sweat pants or anything that accentuates their lower physique. This is not a naked party. No cover. Drink specials run all night. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts District: Steamwerq, a bathhouse-themed party, tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Guests can purchase a commemorative D.C. Eagle-branded towel to wear. DJ David Merrill will play music. Advance tickets are $15. Tickets at the door are $20. For more details, visit thedceagle.com.
Sunday, Jan. 13
Queer Girl Movie Night hosts a screening of “The L Word” season two at Slash Run (201 Upshur St., N.W.) today from 1-6 p.m. Episodes will run continuously through the day so stop by anytime. For more information, visit facebook.com/queergrrrlmovienight.
VisArts (155 Gibbs St., Rockville, Md.) hosts its Indie Wedding Expo today from 1-3 p.m. There will be artisans and small businesses available to help with creative and thrifty wedding ideas. Admission is free but RSVP is required. For more details, visit visartscenter.org/event/indie-wedding-expo.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Sunday Cruise today from noon-2 a.m. Drink specials include $10 and $12 bottomless beer mugs, $3 off all whiskeys and bourbons and $5 Chivas Regal all day. $2 off all other drinks until 9 p.m. For more information, visit thedceagle.com.
Monday, Jan. 14
Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) presents its January exhibits today and throughout the month. Gallery A features the Touchstone Gallery Member Show. Gallery B and C will showcase “Hard Wired” by Tory Cowles. This interactive installation allows people to wear Cowles’ sculptures. For more details, visit touchstonegallery.com.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its Packing Party from 7-9 p.m. tonight. Volunteers will assemble safer sex kits to distribute to the LGBT community. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
XX+Crostino (1926 9th St., N.W.) and Taste host La Voz, a Latin karoke night, tonight from 8 p.m. midnight. Cuba Libres will be $8. No cover. For more details, visit facebook.com/xxcrostino.
Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, discusses David Plante’s diaries “Becoming a Londoner) at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, visit bookmendc.blogspot.com.
Thursday, Jan. 17
Tagg Magazine hosts financial planning seminars for LGBTQ women at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Snacks and beverages will be provided. For more details, visit facebook.com/taggmagazine.
Daybreaker D.C. hosts an early morning dance party and yoga session at Renwick Gallery (1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) today from 6-9 a.m. Yoga is from 6-7 a.m. followed by the dance party from 7-9 a.m. There will be free kombucha and breakfast bites. FDVM will play music and Haile Supreme will serve as emcee. Dress code is sparkling white. Tickets for yoga and dance are $35. Tickets just for the dance are $25. For more information, visit daybreaker.com.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

















Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

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