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Bette Midler to present at GLAAD Media Awards in NYC

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(Image courtesy of Bette Midler)

Bette Midler, longtime icon and ally to the LGBTQ community, will make her first-ever appearance at the GLAAD Media Awards this Spring.

The world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization announced this week that the multi award-winning actress, singer, songwriter, and comedian will take the stage as a presenter at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on March 19. She will introduce Ben Platt, her co-star on Netflix’ “The Politician, who is set to perform.

In a statement, GLAAD said of Midler:

“Beloved actress, singer, songwriter, and comedian Bette Midler has garnered accolades across all facets of show business. Midler’s expansive body of work has been recognized with four Grammy Awards, two Academy Award nominations, three Emmy Awards, one Tony Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and nine American Comedy Awards. Midler began her legendary career as an entertainer in 1965 in New York and has long been one of the LGBTQ community’s most vocal and outspoken allies. Most recently, Midler stars alongside Judith Light and Ben Platt in Ryan Murphy’s Golden-Globe nominated series, ‘The Politician,’ which is also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award this year.”

GLAAD also announced this week that Adam Lambert and his organization “Feel Something Foundation” have partnered with GLAAD to give fans a chance to win a live FaceTime call from Lambert at the GLAAD Awards in New York. Entry to win comes with each $20 donation towards GLAAD’s LGBTQ advocacy efforts, and the sweepstakes are open until March 13. Click here for more info.

GLAAD had previously announced that Lambert will open the GLAAD Media Awards in New York with a special performance. 

Among GLAAD’s other previous announcements for the New York ceremony:

  • Multi award-winning actress Sarah Paulson and Golden Globe-winning actor Matt Bomer will present the Vito Russo Award to award-winning screenwriter, producer, and director Ryan Murphy.
  • Award-winning actress, producer, and activist Judith Light will be honored with the Excellence in Media Award
  • Lilly Singh, openly bisexual executive producer and host of NBC’s “A Little Late with Lilly Singh,” will host
  • Jimmy Fallonwill present the award for Outstanding Broadway Production, a category that makes its return to the GLAAD Media Awards for the first time since 2014.
  • Presenters will include actress and advocate Nicole Maines (“Supergirl”), beauty guru and YouTube personality Patrick Starrr, actor and activist Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy”), transgender model, advocate, and producer Geena Rocero, and HuffPost editor-in-chief Lydia Polgreen.
  • Special guests will include Jaboukie Young-White (“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”), actress Emily Hampshire (“Schitt’s Creek”), and the cast of “Pose.

The GLAAD Media Awards will continue at a second presentation in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 16.

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PHOTOS: Equality Prince William Pride

Fourth annual event held in Old Town Manassas

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Muffy Blake Stephyns performs at 2025 Prince William Equality Pride. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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)

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PHOTOS: Blade Summer Kickoff Party

Gov. Meyer speaks at annual Rehoboth event

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Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer speaks at the Washington Blade's 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. (Washington Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

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)

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Lucky Pollo stretches its wings at 14th and U

Come for the chicken, stay for the cock

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Lucky Pollo opened its doors last week above District Eagle.

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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