PHOTOS: Annapolis Pride

Thousands attend inaugural parade and festival in Maryland capital

Published

2 years ago

June 30, 2019

Annapolis Pride, gay news, Washington Blade — Annapolis Pride Parade (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Thousands attended the inaugural Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival on Saturday, June 29. (Washington Blade photos by Adam Hall and Michael Key)

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Photos | Dupont Underground ‘Royals’

Blade gallery of D.C. drag opens with a performance

Published

1 week ago

June 5, 2021

Michael Key

Shi-Queeta Lee leads the festivities at the 'Royals' drag show on June 4. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Washington Blade and Dupont Underground opened the exhibition “DC’s Royals: A Celebration of Drag” on Friday. The event included photos, video and a live drag performance. The exhibit is presented by the Leonard-Litz LGBTQ Foundation and can be viewed through June 27. For tickets and more information, visit washingtonblade.com/royals.

Washington Blade gallery of D.C. drag opens with a performance

Arts & Entertainment

Celebrating D.C.’s drag history

New Dupont Underground exhibit offers photos, videos, and live performances

Published

3 weeks ago

May 27, 2021

Staff reports

A drag performer entertains the crowd at the 1994 Black Gay Pride Day celebration on May 28. (Washington Blade photo by Kristi Gasaway)

As the city continues to reopen, the Washington Blade and Dupont Underground announced this week plans for a new exhibit highlighting the history and power of drag in D.C. and around the country.

The exhibition showcases a mix of photographs and video footage that authentically honor the roots of drag in America, while celebrating the power, pride, and leadership that define the community. D.C.’s drag scene inspired a generation to embrace its power and raise its voice.

The Exhibition showcases photographs gathered from the archives of the Washington Blade and video footage from interviews with Drag Queen Shi-Queeta-Lee and Drag King Pretty RikE. The photographs and interviews offer a glimpse into the past and explore the future of what drag is becoming as a culture and as an art form.

The innovative exhibit runs from Friday, June 4 to June 27 at Dupont Underground (19 Dupont Circle, N.W.).

Exhibition times:
Fridays, 3-7 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Drag shows 8-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Drag brunch 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays (starting June 13).

Tickets can be purchased at washingtonblade.com/royals with tickets starting at $5.

Drag show performers include Bombalicious Eklaver, Brooklyn Heights, Cake, Farrah Synclaire, Gigi Paris Couture, Pretty Boi Drag, Shi-Queeta Lee, and Sasha Adams. More performers to be announced soon.

Presenting sponsors are the Washington Blade, Dupont Underground, and the Leonard-Litz Foundation. Additional sponsors include Absolut, Ariadne Getty Foundation, Pepco, Washington Regional Transplant Community, and Devil’s Backbone.

The exhibit is part of the Focus on the Story International Photo Festival 2021, #FOTS21. focusonthestory.org.

Purchase tickets

Exhibit Preview

A scene from Gay Pride Day in 1983. (Washington Blade archive photo by Leigh Mosley)

Activists listen to **Carol Lee** at a rally in front of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Oct. 10, 1988. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

The competitors at the starting line of the High Heel Race in 1988 are about to take off. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

A performer entertains at the 1996 Black Pride Festival. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)

A scene from the 2001 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)

The drag troupe ‘DC Kings’ pose for a photo on July 11, 2010. (Washington Blade archive photo by Michael Key)

**Ba’Naka** is voted ‘Best Drag Queen’ in the Blade’s ‘Best of Gay D.C.’ readers’ poll in 2012. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

A scene from the 2012 High Heel Race. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Shi-Queeta Lee performs at Town in April of 2013. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

One team poses for a picture at ‘DragBall’ at Stead Park on June 2, 2013. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

**Blair Williams** is crowned Miss Gay D.C. America 2013 at the annual competition held at Town Danceboutique on Sept. 16. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Photos

PHOTOS: Dupont Circle fountain turns 100

Iconic landmark site of protests, vigils and meetings for decades

Published

4 weeks ago

May 17, 2021

Washington Blade photography department

Two young men read a copy of the Washington Blade at the Dupont Circle fountain on May 31, 1991. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

The 100th anniversary celebration of the dedication of the iconic Dupont Circle fountain is to be held from noon until sundown today. The fountain has long been considered a center for the LGBTQ community in Washington, D.C. The park in the circle has been the site of many protests, vigils and a place to meet people. Here are some photos from the Washington Blade archive documenting Dupont Circle through the years.

A group of Russian and Ukrainian activists hold a rally on Feb. 22, 2014 at Dupont Circle to bring light to the abuses of the Putin regime against the LGBTQ community before the Sochi Olympics. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The fountain has long been a gay cruising spot and a place to meet up with friends. Here is a scene from Nov. 3, 1990. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

Members of the community gather at the fountain on June 15, 2016 to mourn the deaths of dozens of people at the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

A view of Dupont Circle taken from above on July 22, 1985. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

Revelers cool off in the fountain following the 2012 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade file photo by Pete Exis)

Ruby Corado, executive director of the LGBTQ services organization Casa Ruby, stands with fellow trans activists at the fountain on June 21, 2019 to mourn the violent deaths of transgender women over the past few years. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Whitman-Walker holds an observance for World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 2009 at the Dupont Circle fountain. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The LGBTQ+ marching band D.C. Different Drummers perform in a surprise flash mob at the fountain on Aug. 15, 2011. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jane Gamble and Priscilla Hayner enjoy a meal at the fountain on Feb. 1, 1989. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

Religious and civic leaders attend a 20 year memorial ceremony for the death of Matthew Shepard on Oct. 25, 2018. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Distenfano Kitchens dips his toes in the water at the Dupont Circle fountain. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin speaks at an anti-violence rally at Dupont Circle on June 19, 2012. (Washington Blade file photo by Blake Bergen)

Local media covers a snowball fight at the fountain on Jan. 24, 2016. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A march for transgender rights kicks off from a rally at Dupont Circle on May 17, 2015. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The DC Dyke March begins with a rally at Dupont Circle on June 7, 2019. (Washington Blade file photo by Molly Byrom)

Members of the community hold vigils for the slain of the Orlando massacre for several days at the Dupont Circle fountain. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)