Arts & Entertainment
Little Nas X opens up in Variety cover story


Little Nas X rode a wave of accomplishment throughout the second half of last year, and now that wave is cresting again with a brand-new cover story in Variety.
The 20-year old music artist burst onto the music scene with his song “Old Town Road,” which went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok and spent 20 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. He subsequently made headlines in June when he came out as gay via a post to his Twitter account. He went on to become the first out gay artist to win Song of the Year at the MTV Music Awards, and the first out gay artist to win a Country Music Association Award in any category, and to receive an American Ingenuity Award for Youth from Smithsonian Magazine. He has been nominated for six 2019 Grammy Awards, the most for any male artist, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist, and he’s slated to perform “Old Town Road” at the Grammy ceremony on January 26.
In the feature story, Nas opens up to interviewer James Patrick Herman about his decision to come out.
“It could have gone either way,” the musician says of fan reactions, which proved to be overwhelmingly supportive. “I hope my actions are enough to inspire other young LGBTQ children coming up to not be afraid to be themselves, but I feel pressure to be a role model for the community.”
Coming out has also had an impact on his relationship with his father, Nas reveals, “We have become closer. I mean, especially now because I don’t have anything to hide. It was a shock for him. It’s still the beginning phase. I’m not comfortable bringing a guy around yet.”
On the subject of guys, he adds, “I have met a lot of great people this year. Relationships are hard because either I end up being too busy or I end up falling for another person. I fall super-easily.”
The rising music star touches on a number of subjects, such as finding his place in the music industry (“I don’t feel like any specific place in the music industry accepts me as a whole”), his strained relationship with his mother (“She’s an addict so we don’t have the closest relationship… But there’s still love”), and his plans to release an album by mid-2020 so that he can go on tour.
“This generation supports the artists themselves more than the music, and I want to meet my fans,” he explains. “I want to put together an actual show and not just do karaoke on stage.”
Based on his success so far, there’s little doubt that Little Nas X is up to that challenge. What comes across loud and clear in his interview is the drive and determination that has taken him this far.
“I want to rule the world, baby,” says the young star. “There is a difference between wanting to be a star or a superstar. And I want the superstardom.”

Friday, February 7
“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at P.F. Changs. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, February 8
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
“Fashion Freeway” will be at 11 a.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Guests will have the opportunity to check out the clothing closet. Clothes, shoes, accessories, and other items will be available. For more details, email [email protected].
Sunday, February 9
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Dinner” at 6:30 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy an evening of Italian-style dining and conversation with other LGBTQ folk. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee and Conversation” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is ideal for making meaningful new connections and informal community building. Or just to unwind and enjoy the group happy hour. Fabulous people from all over the world are expected. Nametags will be provided. This event is free to attend and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, February 10
“Center Aging Monday Coffee & Conversation” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.
Tuesday, February 11
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. By sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, email [email protected].
Trans Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. For more details, email [email protected].
Wednesday, February 12
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Thursday, February 13
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga with Charles M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

Seeing red: it’s not just for ire toward the president’s Executive Orders. Next week is also Valentine’s Day. Your faithful gay bars and establishments are gearing up (in some cases, literally) for the holiday. Here is a list of just a few options for the LGBTQ+ set.
Crush
On Feb. 14, Crush debuts a new event, just in time for the holiday. Meet Grizzly, a monthly Bear Happy Hour. Running 5-10 p.m., Grizzly features not only discounted drinks ($4 draft, $8 pitcher, and a $9 Bear Crush), but food: there will be free hot dogs during the evening. Without skipping a beat, later that night is a Valentine’s Day Stop Light Party 10 p.m. with DJs. They’ll have green, yellow, or red stickers so your crush can see if you’re available. There’s no cover for either.
Bunker
This Valentine’s Day, Bunker is turning tradition on its head with F*CK CUPID, a high-energy celebration for those over the holiday hype. Whether you’re flying solo or just want to skip the clichés, enjoy an unforgettable night with a special performance by a to-be-announced local drag queen and a dynamic set by Miscalculated. With free entry for singles and just a $5 cover for couples, it’s the perfect chance to dance the night away without the romance-themed distractions.
District Eagle
Join District Eagle this Valentine’s Day for Leather Lovers Gear Night, an inclusive event for all members of the leather community. DJ Jason James will provide the beats throughout the night, and guests wearing gear can enjoy 10% off drinks until midnight. Whether you’re single, taken, or in a situationship, everyone is welcome to celebrate in a welcoming, gear-friendly environment.
Number Nine
Nine is also launching a new event, titled Single Mingle, a singles mixer, the event will rotate theme for differing tastes. This first event takes place on Feb. 13, 7-9 p.m., upstairs, for those interested in dating queer men. Tickets are $15 and include a complimentary first drink plus ice breakers. On Thursday, Feb. 27, along with DC Gay Girls+, Nine will host a Single Mingle event for those interested in dating in the Sapphic community.
Additionally, Uproar will host a “Cupid Undies” event on Feb. 13 with cocktail specials; Licht is offering a “Date Night” special that includes two cocktails, two glasses of Champagne, and a cheese board for $35; and gay-owned Wunder Garten’s event on Feb. 14 is apres-ski themed with drinks like Love Potion and Cupid’s Arrow.
Theater
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with one of these three plays
‘Waitress,’ ‘Love Birds,’ ‘Fuenteovejuna’ offer differing takes on love

For theatergoers seeking to mark Valentine’s Day with live music, love, and friendship, the DMV offers some new spins on traditional themes.
Poised to make its regional debut at Olney Theatre Center, Sara Bareilles’s hit musical “Waitress” (Feb.13-March 30) may not seem like a usual love story, but it’s a love story nonetheless.
“It’s about learning to love and value yourself,” says MALINDA who plays Jenna, the show’s titular server/baker with aspirations to bake prize-winning pies and change her life. “It’s also about sisterhood. From the start, the women involved in the show decided to be there for each other onstage and off, and it shows. For anyone with girl group love in their lives, this is an especially good show to see.
“Jenna doesn’t get a lot of satisfaction out of her primary partnership. Along with self-love she explores the antithesis of that — partner violence. Our director [Marcia Milgrom Dodge] took the lesson of community support and community love to heart.”
Prior to coming out as bisexual in 2022, MALINDA considered herself more of a “quiet queer.” However, the inspiration derived from Irish music (“music of the oppressed”), which she’s famed for singing on TikTok, compelled her to go public.
She didn’t always believe her queerness to be special: “For me,” MALINDA says, “it was like saying my eyes are hazel. There wasn’t much to celebrate. But then I realized there were missing voices in my community. Felt like the right thing to do, and it’s been one of the great blessings of my life.”
Six years ago, after her Helen Hayes Award-winning turn in “Once,” MALINDA took a break from musical theater. She needed time to age into dream parts, and one of those roles was Jenna. She recalls, “Going back to theater was prominently featured on my vision board, so when Marcia asked me to commit to ‘Waitress,’ I happily agreed.”
For her, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to reach out and tell friends, family, and, of course, romantic partners, just how much you love them.
And she adds “that’s exactly how I plan to celebrate.”
D.C.’s delightful Holly Twyford is spending Valentine’s Day working at the Folger on Capitol Hill. She’ll be on stage, her wife will be in the audience, and depending on the length of the program, they’ll go out to dinner afterward.
For four performances, the multi-Helen Hayes award-winning actor is serving as narrator for “The Love Birds” (Feb. 14-16), a new Folger Consort work that blends medieval music with a world-premiere composition by acclaimed composer Juri Seo and readings from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “A Parlement of Foules” by Twyford.
Standing behind a podium, she’ll read Chaucer’s words (translated from Middle English and backed by projected slides in the original language), alternating with music played on old and new instruments.
“The new music is kind of dissonant with the sounds of birdcalls and nature sounds, painting a picture of what’s going on in Chaucer’s poem that’s beautiful and funny. Chaucer describes the male eagles pleading for the hand of the female eagle. Chaucer seems almost unwittingly feminist when he has the female eagle ask her eagle suitors to give her a year to think about it.”
GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights presents “Fuenteovejuna” (through March 2), a timely production staged by out director José Luis Arelleno. Penned in 1613, this work from the Spanish Golden Age ranks among playwright Lope de Vega’s most performed plays.
It’s about tyranny and love, Arellano explains. Within Lope de Vega’s timely tale of brutish power lies an intense love story. In fact, at the top of the show, four characters, two males and two females play a game. What is love? One of the players asserts that love doesn’t exist, while the others disagree. It’s a charming way to kick off the play.
The celebrated director isn’t one to telegraph messages, preferring audiences think for themselves. That said, he does, of course, make strong directorial choices: “If I have to choose between love or war, it’s more important to talk about love. For me, it’s a revolution.”
And apropos of a Valentine’s Day date, GALA’s production of “Fuenteovejuna” (performed in Spanish with English surtitles) is imbued with live music and verse, an important part of any romantic experience, adds David Peralto, the production’s poetry and verse consultant as well as Arellano’s longtime partner.
The busy Spain-based couple will celebrate Valentine’s Day in Seville and couldn’t be happier. Arellano describes Seville as the most romantic city in the world.
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