Arts & Entertainment
Fourth Annual ClexaCon to bring together LGBTQ+ creators and fans in Vegas
Las Vegas will soon be the setting for ClexaCon, a huge multi-fandom event celebrating LGBTQ+ women, gender nonconforming individuals and allies who work to bring empowerment and diversity to the entertainment industry’s progressive and prolific LGBTQ+ community.
Committed to leading the push for diversity, equality and inclusion of quality LGBTQ+ content in entertainment, the convention is set to hold its fourth annual installment (and its fourth consecutive in the Nevada city), from April 16-19, at the Tropicana Hotel. It’s the largest multi-fandom event of its kind, promising a program of panels, meet and greets, celebrity autographs and photos, and workshops from elite LGBTQ+ “gamechangers, industry tastemakers, media influencers and actors,” according to their press release.
ClexaCon is an event that hopes to bring together creators and fans as it strives toward promoting better and equal LGBTQ+ representation in the media, by providing resources to teach and motivate more LGBTQ+ individuals to participate in creating narratives that accurately reflect the diversity of American culture.
The festival’s creators hope to challenge the tropes about lesbian, bisexual and queer women and gender nonconforming individuals, and use ClexaCon to champion them behind and in front of the camera, by driving the conversation on how to achieve a more inclusive industry.
Danielle Jablonski, one of ClexaCon’s co-directors and producers, says, “We believe that it is vital to support and nurture LGBTQ+ women and non-binary creators so that they are able to write authentic stories and push for better representation in all aspects of the entertainment industry moving forward.”
More than 50% of the featured guests and speakers at this year’s convention identify as LGBTQ+, and panels will focus on topics such as LGBTQ+ actors playing LGBTQ+ roles, transgender representation, bisexual representation, queer people of color representation, improving representation in front of and behind the camera, and supporting LGBTQ+ content creators to tell our stories.
They’ve also put together a roster of big ticket participants that includes cast members from both the original “L Word” and the rebooted “Generation Q,” as well as stars from “Person of Interest,” “Buffy the Vanpire Slayer,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” and Marvel’s “Runaways,” among many others. Some of the names include Kate Moennig, Leisha Hailey, Sarah Shahi, Amy Acker, Amber Benson, Felicia Day, Jaime Murray, Jes Macallan, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Janet Varney, and Lyrika Ocano.
This year’s edition also adds a music showcase with several featured LGBTQ+ musicians, a cabaret event featuring LGBTQ+ performers, and Karaoke, to go along with a full film festival, a burlesque show, and several parties.
For more information about the schedule, lineup, and tickets, visit the ClexaCon website.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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