Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: Feb. 8-14
Shows, meetings and events in the week to come

Friday, Feb. 8

Tony-Award winner John Cameron Mitchell, co-creator of the hit musical āHedwig & the Angry Inch,ā presents āThe Origin of Love: The Songs and Stories of Hedwigā at the National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Mitchell will perform songs from the musical and preview songs from his new musical āAnthem.ā Tickets range from $54-79. For more details, visit thenationaldc.org.
Gamma D.C., a support group for men in mixed-orientation relationships, meets at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) tonight 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.
Qrew: Werq, a queer womenās dance party, is at Union Stage (740 Water St., S.W.) tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Late night happy hour is from 9-10:30 p.m. The first 65 21-and-over guests will receive a free drink ticket. DJ Tezrah will play music and Pretty Boi Drag will perform. There will also be giveaways. Tickets are $10. Attendees must be 18 or over. For more information, visit facebook.com/qrewdc.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Birds of Prey Drag Show, an 18-and-over event, tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. BaāNaka hosts the show. Brooklyn Heights, Iyana Deschanel, Sasha Adams Sanchez, Crystal Edge, Alicia Love and Bambi Nicole Ferrah will perform. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the show starts at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more details, visit dceagle.com.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Sashay, a weekly college dance party, tonight from midnight-3 a.m. DJ C Dubz will spin tracks. Sir and gay porn star Adam Ramzi will go-go dance all night. Attendees must be 18 to enter. Cover is $5 after the drag show. For more details, visit dceagle.com.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Scarletās Bake Sale is at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) today from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. The bake sale will benefit Brother Help Thyself. Cocktails start at 3 p.m. and the live auction is at 4 p.m. Cake drop-off is from 1:30-3 p.m. For more details, visit facebook.com/scarlets.foundation.
D.C. Rawhides takes over Ziegfelds/Secrets (1824 Half St., S.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. There will be a beginner two-step lesson on one floor and line dancing on another floor. Deejay Mein will play music. The lesson is from 7-8 p.m. and open dancing is from 8-10:50 p.m. Cover is $5 until 9 p.m. and then $10 after 9 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/dcrawhides.
Freddieās Beach Bar (555 23rd St., S Arlington, Va.) hosts Freddieās Follies Drag Show tonight at 8 p.m. A rotating cast of queens will perform. Showtime is 8 p.m. Karaoke starts at 10 p.m. Cover is $5. Reservations are highly recommended. For more details, visit freddiesbeachbar.com.
Mim Entertainment and Jaywalking Productions hosts Vamp, a ladies dance party, at XX+ (1926 9th St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. DJ Mim and special guest DJs will spin tracks. Craft cocktails and small bites will be served. Tickets are $10. Reserved tables are $50. For more information, visit facebook.com/mimentdc.
The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts SirCuit: Vanity tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. DJ Ryan DoubleYou will spin tracks all night. Gay porn star Adam Ramzi will dance all night. Online tickets are $10. Tickets at the door are $20. For more information, visit dceagle.com.
Distrkt C celebrates its third anniversary at Karma D.C. (2221 Adams Pl., N.E.) tonight from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. DJ X Gonzalez and DJ Nacho Chapado will spin tracks. Tickets are $30. For more details, visit distrktc.com.
Sunday, Feb. 10
SMYAL for the New Year is at Franklin Hall (1348 Florida Ave., N.W.) today from 3-5 p.m. Ring in the new year with SMYALās Young Donors Committee, the SMYAL allies and members of the board and staff. The event will celebrate SMYALās successes of the past year and look forward at upcoming plans for 2019. Light hors dāoeuvres will be served. There is a suggested donation starting at $10. For more details, visit smyal.org.
Nacho Mamaās (2 West Pennsylvania Ave., Towson, Md.) presents a new drag brunch today from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sabrina Sommers, Nubia Love-Jackson, Venus Starlight and KC Florence will perform. Tickets are $34 and include an all-you-cat-eat buffet. For more information, visit facebook.com/nachomamastowson.
Hotel Indigo (24 West Franklin St., Baltimore) hosts a Sunday Drag Brunch today from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sue Nami and other drag performers will appear. Tickets are $35 and include a buffet, entertainment and bottomless Bloody Marys or mimosas. For more details, visit baltimoreindigohotel.com/sunday-drag-brunch.
Monday, Feb. 11
Brother Help Thyself will screen āTongues Untied,ā in celebration of the filmās 30th anniversary at the Shaw Library (1630 7th St., N.W.) at 6 p.m. āTongues Untiedā was created by filmmaker Marlon Riggs and celebrates black men loving black men. Essex Hemphill, Wayson Jones, Ron Simmons and Christopher Prince are all featured in the film. For more details, visit brotherhelpthyself.net.
Tuesday, Feb. 12
Loganās Hardware (1723 14th St., N.W.) hosts Ladiesā Night tonight from 6-9 p.m. There will be hands-on-tool demonstrations, DIY activities, free food, beverages and giveaways. The first 50 people will receive gift bags and other prizes and gift bags will be given away throughout the night. There will be DIY demos on basic caulking, best painting practices, best toilet repair, how to patch drywall and more. Guests can also shop 20 percent off the entire store. Admission is free. For more information, visit facebook.com/loganhardware.
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Big Gay Book Group meets at 1155 F St., N.W. tonight at 7 p.m. to discuss āNo One Can Pronounce My Nameā by Rakesh Satyal. Newcomers welcome. For more details, visit biggaybookgroup.com or email [email protected].
The Lambda Bridge Club meets at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations required and new comers welcome. If you need a partner, call 703-407-6540.
Thursday, Feb. 14
Pretty Boi Drag hosts Open King Night at the Bier Baron Tavern and Comedy Loft (1523 22nd St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Both amateur and seasoned kings are invited to perform. Admission is $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more details, visit facebook.com/prettyboidrag.
Books
From genteel British wealth to trans biker
Memoir āFrighten the Horsesā a long but essential read

āFrighten the Horses: A Memoirā
By Oliver Radclyffe
c.2024, Roxane Books/Grove Atlantic
$28/352 pages
Finding your own way.
It’s a rite of passage for every young person, a necessity on the path toĀ adulthood. You might have had help with it. You might have listened to your heart alone on the quest to find your own way. And sometimes, as in the new memoir,Ā “Frighten the Horses” by Oliver Radclyffe,Ā you may have to findĀ yourselfĀ first.

If you had observed Oliver Radclyffe in a random diner a few years ago, you’d have seen a blonde, bubbly, but harried mother with four active children under age seven and a distracted husband. You probably wouldn’t have seen trouble, but it was there.
“Nicky,” as Radclyffe was known then, was simmering with something that was just coming to the forefront.
As a young child, Nicky’d been raised in comfort in a family steeped in genteel British wealth, attended a private all-girl’s school, and never wanted for anything. She left all that behind as a young adult, and embraced the biker lifestyle and everything it entailed. The problem now wasn’t that she missed her old ways; it was that she hated life as a wife and mother. Her dreams were filled with fantasies of “exactly who I was: a man on a motorbike, in love with a woman.”
But being a man? No, that wasn’t quite right.
It took every bit of courage she had to say she was gay, that she thought constantly about women, that she hated sex with men. When she told her husband, he was hurt but mostly unbothered, insisting that she tell absolutely no one. They could remain married and just go forward. Nothing had to change.
But everything had already changed for Nicky.
Once she decided finally to come out, she learned that friends had already suspected. Family was supportive. It would be OK. But as Nicky began to experiment with a newfound freedom to be with women, one thing became clear: having sex with a woman was better when she imagined doing it as a man.
In his opening chapter, author Oliver Radclyffe shares an anecdote about the confusion the father of Radclyffe’s son’s friend had when picking up the friend. Readers may feel the same sentiment.
Fortunately, “Frighten the Horses” gets better ā and it gets worse. Radclyffe’s story is riveting, told with a voice that’s distinct, sometimes poker-faced, but compelling; you’ll find yourself agreeing with every bit of his outrage and befuddlement with coming out in a way that feels right. When everything falls into place, it’s a relief for both author and reader.
And yet, it’s hard to get to this point because this memoir is just too long. It lags where you’ll wish it didnāt. It feels like being burrito-wrapped in a heavy-weighted blanket: You don’t necessarily want out, but you might get tired of being in it.
Still, it remains that this peek at transitioning, however painful, is essential reading for anyone who needs to understand how someone figures things out. If that’s you, then consider “Frighten the Horses” and find it.
Celebrity News
Is Karla SofĆa GascĆ³n’s apology too little, too late?
Netflix has removed transgender actress from Oscars campaign

The latest in the scandal involving “Emilia PerĆ©z”ās trans star and Best Actress nominee Karla SofĆa GascĆ³n is Netflix deciding to part ways with her even after her public apology and statement regarding not withdrawing from the nomination.
āI have been labeled a racist and I need to be clear that I am not. I feel like Iāve been judged, sentenced, crucified, and stoned without a fair trial and without an option to defend myself,ā said GascĆ³n in an interview with CNN en EspaƱol.Ā
According to Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has cut GascĆ³n out of the campaign for the Oscars. This move comes even after GascĆ³n issued an apology through a statement on her social media and in an interview with CNN en EspaƱol. On Thursday she was set to be seated with co-star Selena Gomez, Zoe SaldaƱa and the filmās writer-director, Jacques Audiard for the AFI Awards luncheon ā a gathering at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. On Friday, she was set to attend the Critics Choice Awards. On Saturday, she was set to serve as presenter at the Producers Guild Awards, which happen to be going on at the same time as the Directors Guild Awards. According to THR, she will not be attending the events.
The Spaniard actress found herself at the center of controversy surrounding the Netflix original being nominated for 13 Oscars after freelance culture writer Sarah Hagi uncovered the actress’s stream of consciousness on display on X, formerly Twitter. Hagi found tweets from as far back as 2020, revealing GascĆ³n’s views on Muslims, George Floyd, China, and vaccines.
In her hour-long interview with CNN en EspaƱol, she defended her position on the issue stating that she feels that she was unfairly targeted, while not being given the opportunity to defend the position she stood behind while writing those tweets.
She goes on to say that she āsupports the Black Lives Matter movement obviouslyā and that the tweets about George Floyd āwere taken out of context.ā In the interview, she goes on to say she was highlighting the hypocrisy of humanity in that moment in history. According to GascĆ³n, what she noticed during that time was that only after Floydās death did people care about him, but prior to his death, they did not help him or care about his struggles.
āI do not identify with any political party and I have my own opinions about issues that might have been one thing in the past, but have now shifted because I have learned many things about respect, love and with the spiritual practice of Buddhism,ā said GascĆ³n.
In the interview, she also pulls the “I have a friend whoās Black, so Iām not racist,ā card by saying she has a very close family friend who is Muslim, in response to the line of questioning about her being Islamophobic and only through very heavy discussions with her, has GascĆ³n truly come to understand the implications of her words against the culture and religion, as well as theĀ differences between the cultures.Ā
“Emilia PerĆ©z” was already facing an upward battle to gain popularity, as it was a French production about MĆ©xico. Audiences criticized the film for various reasons and yet, it was still nominated for Best Picture, Critics Choice Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Directing, and many others.
GascĆ³n deleted her X account shortly after the tweets were discovered and is now facing the cold shoulder from Netflix. Variety and THR, reported that the streaming giant is no longer directly communicating with GascĆ³n ā only through representatives.
Whether or not this is a witch hunt for a trans actress at the height of her career, GascĆ³n now has first-hand experience in dealing with what it means to misuse a platform by sharing her views on issues she said herself, she did not understand.
Out & About
Camp Rehoboth Theatre Company kicks off new season
Poetry jam to be followed by ‘5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche’

CAMP Rehoboth Theatre Company will kick off its 2025 season with its first-ever poetry jam followed by a full-stage production of ā5 Lesbians Eating a Quicheā on Friday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. at CAMP Rehoboth’s Elkins-Archibald Atrium.
CAMP Rehoboth Poetry Jam Poets / Performers include: Debbie Bricker, Kari Ebert, Shelley Blue Grabel, Lavance John, Vanita Leatherwood, Syd Linders, Ellie Maher, Jane Miller, Gwen Osborne, Coco Silveira, Guillermo Silverira, Laura Unruh, Paul Unruh, and Sherri Wright.
ā5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche,ā which will run from March 7-9 debuted at CAMP Rehoboth in fall of 2022, and features returning cast members Karen Laitman, Kelly Sheridan, Gwen Osborne, Darcy Vollero, and Shelley Kingsbury, and is directed by Teri Seaton. The absurdist comedy follows the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein having their annual quiche breakfast in 1956. Winner of the 2012 NYC International Fringe Festival as Best Overall Production, ā5 Lesbians Eating A Quicheā is a tasty recipe of hysterical laughs, sexual innuendos, unsuccessful repressions, and delicious discoveries. For more information, visit CAMP Rehobothās website.
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