Arts & Entertainment
Sundance to include LGBTQ panels by Outfest
LA’s Outfest has been hosting a famous Queer Brunch at the Sundance Film Festival for years, but this year the organization has announced plans to expand its presence there for the first time in more than a decade.
The world-renowned LGBTQ Film Festival announced Tuesday that it was launching the Outfest House @ Sundance, an afternoon of celebration and education for festival alumni, community and fans of cinema. Celebrating the LGBTQ films at Sundance, Taking place in the heart of the festival at Kimball Terrace (675 Main Street in Park City, Utah), it will offer a program of panels and discussions with industry professionals, exploring the history, politics, and purpose of queer cinema.
The panels include:
THE PAST AND FUTURE OF QUEER CINEMA
A panel discussion moderated film critic and scholar B. Ruby Rich, who almost three decades ago coined the term “New Queer Cinema” to describe the 90s wave of boundary-pushing filmmaking from queer artists like Cheryl Dunye, Gregg Araki, and Isaac Julien. She will lead a discussion with filmmakers whose work spans that 30 year period, as well as talents who represent the future of queer filmmaking. Panelists include filmmaker Andrew Ahn (“Spa Night,” “Driveways”), producer Christine Vachon (“Go Fish,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” Sundance 2020 selection “Shirley”), and filmmaker Tom Dolby (“Last Weekend,” “The Artist’s Wife,” Executive Producer, “Call Me By Your Name”).
THE POLITICS OF QUEERNESS
This one is described by Oufest as follows: “Existing as an out member of the LGBTQIA+ family, and putting our stories onscreen, are inherently political acts. There is virtually no country on Earth where the basic rights of our community are not consistently up for debate in the political sphere, and ensuring our voices continue to be heard in that debate through queer storytelling and activism unites the talent on this panel.” The conversation will include queer filmmakers, actors, and activists featured in Sundance 2020 films, moderated by Zackary Drucker. Among the participants are Levan Akin and Levan Gelbakhiani (director and lead actor, respectively, “And Then We Danced”), and Jen Richards (actor, HBO’s “Mrs. Fletcher,” Netflix’s “Tales of the City”).
THE FULL RAINBOW: CENTERING UNDER-REPRESENTED QUEER VOICES
Exploring the topic of visibility in today’s media landscape, this panel will include discussion of both the strides that have been made with intersectional representation on screen and the long road still ahead to achieve true parity. As Outfest puts it, “On the heels of yet another #OscarsSoWhite, we ask: how do we make it past the gatekeepers to have our stories seen and heard?” Queer and trans artists and filmmakers representative of underserved communities will candidly discuss authentic storytelling, their experiences working in the industry, and how opportunities have changed in the past few years. Moderated by Tre’vell Anderson, the panelists will include Justin Simien and Angel Lopez (both of Sundance 2020 selection “Bad Hair,” and Dear White People), Rain Valdez (“Razor Tongue,” “Why Women Kill,” “Transparent”), and Wilson Cruz (“My So-Called Life,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Visible: Out on Television”), with possible “surprise guests” teased in the lineup.
The Outfest House @ Sundance has WarnerMedia as House Sponsor and the Los Angeles Times as Media Sponsor. Lyft, Adobe, Storyblaster, Post Hub and Vybes are the Event Sponsors, and Rava Wines is featured as well.
The programming is presented in partnership with Apple TV Plus’ “Visible: Out on Television.”
The Sundance Film Festival happens in Park City, UT, January 23 – February 2. Outfest House@ Sundance will follow the Outfest Queer Brunch (10am-12:30pm) from 2-5:30pm on January 26.
For more details visit the Outfest website.
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.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
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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