Arts & Entertainment
Rainbow Families debuts 2nd virtual conference, ‘Forward Together’
Two-day digital event features Rep. Mondaire Jones, Indigo Girls
Prospective parents, families and kids — no matter your household makeup, Rainbow Families has you covered at its second annual virtual LGBTQ+ Family Conference this weekend.
This year’s conference, “Forward, Together…,” will offer a variety of resources, workshops and special guests like the Indigo Girls and Congressman Mondaire Jones, who is this year’s “Hero of the Year” and keynote speaker. Rainbow Families is one of the nation’s few non-profit organizations educating and empowering LGBTQ families, parents, and prospective parents.
“The theme of ‘Forward, Together…’ represented hope, to honor where we’ve been and what we’ve been through,” said Darren Paul-Vance, executive director of Rainbow Families. “And yet we still went through this year-plus, solid as a community, strong and motivated to make change.”
The conference will operate under a “come and go” model, Paul-Vance said, and will include events for kids and a silent auction. Attendees can select which programs suit their needs to avoid sitting in front of a screen all weekend, he said.
The cost of admission is reduced to $44 for two participants due to donations to the organization and the lack of in-person accommodations like meals and daycare. If families cannot afford the price, participants can email [email protected] to get the fee waived, Paul-Vance said.
“The economic hardship is by no means over for a vast majority of people,” he said. “All they have to do is reach out to us in confidence.”
Despite the event being virtual for the second year in a row, the incoming Rainbow Families board president and current Vice President Liz Dean said she’s excited to bring the digital conference to communities across the United States, especially where LGBTQ health care is not accessible.
“We’re offering our workshops and giving an overview of different elements of creating or starting or growing a family that you might not have access to in different parts of the country or the world,” she said.
Coming from an LGBTQ family himself, Paul-Vance knows first-hand the importance of resources and programming for LGBTQ families.
“We continuously hear from people how significant and powerful having these opportunities to be in safe spaces,” he said.
Rainbow Families began the Hero of the Year recognition three years ago to recognize revolutionary work in the LGBTQ community. Past honorees include local LGBTQ family law attorney, Michele Zavos; and Ellen Kahn, the senior director of programs and partnerships at the Human Rights Campaign.
Since beginning his tenure in January, Rep. Jones has introduced legislation aimed at supporting at-risk LGBTQ youth and reintroduced the Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act, which would establish a network of federally supported, locally administered child care options.
Jones said he’s honored to receive the award at this year’s LGBTQ Family Conference.
“Every LGBTQ+ family deserves the right to grow, and Rainbow Families works tirelessly to ensure that LGBTQ parents receive the support they need by offering educational programs, support groups, and so much more,” Jones wrote in an emailed statement to the Blade. “While we’ve made great strides toward true equality, our work is far from over. I’m so grateful to have partners like Rainbow Families in the fight to affirm justice for all LGBTQ+ people and families.”
The first Black and gay congressman along with fellow Democrat Ritchie Torres, Paul-Vance said Jones’s “existence at the table is revolutionary.”
“For many, he gives representation and voice to those who’ve had none,” Paul-Vance said. “He is radical. We’ve coined radicalism as a bad thing, but where would we be without radical leaders — especially queer ones.”
The Rainbow Families LGBTQ+ Family conference is set to feature 25 live workshop discussions on Saturday and a digital expo, school fair and kids programs on Sunday.
Tara Cheston, the LGBTQ and sexual health program specialist for D.C. Public Schools, will host the workshop, “Collaborating for Change: Finding, Accessing, and Advocating for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Schools” at the school fair Sunday at 2 p.m.
Cheston will give her insider perspective to parents and caregivers on how to more effectively advocate for children in school and share what resources are available. She said she’s looking forward to collaborating with Rainbow Families, a frequent partner at DCPS resource fairs.
“It’s an opportunity for us to collaborate and create more of that intentional focus on parent caregiver outreach, so that folks feel supported and know where to go for information and resources,” Cheston said.
Dr. Jessica Fish, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, will present a workshop, “Parenting Strategies to Support our LGBTQ+ Youth” on Saturday at 3:40 p.m.
In the workshop, Fish will provide tips for parents to have honest, educational and caring conversations with their LGBTQ kids about growing up and making positive choices in the outside world.
Laura Jones, a therapist in the District, will host the workshop, “Reviewing & Renewing Our Ideas of ‘Health'” and will address issues like body image and diet culture at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday.
In her practice, Jones specializes in eating disorders and gender identity and works in expanding treatment to better support marginalized identities. Jones discovered Rainbow families a few years ago and wanted to give back to the organization by presenting a workshop, she said.
“My wife and I are in the middle of family planning, and we’ve hit multiple obstacles,” Jones said. “It’s nice to know that we’re not alone.”
Sara Mindel, also a therapist in the area, will lead the workshop, “The In’s and Out’s of YELLING (for all ages!)” at 2:20 p.m. on Saturday. Mindel served on the Rainbow Families board of directors previously, as well.
“Living in the pandemic has created a pressurized system for so many folks,” Mindel said. “I’m hoping to spend the workshop time talking about what it means to even lower or lessen our relationship with yelling, and what it means to find different strategies, other than yelling so we can be effective and communicating boundaries.”
Rainbow Families delayed the conference in May 2020 like many other organizations at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to shift events to digital platforms. That effort in development last year helped the team develop this year’s programs, Paul-Vance said.
“There is a great deal that’s different about the scheduling because of doing it virtually, and that does take a great deal of careful attention,” he said.
Paul-Vance took on the role of executive director in December 2017 after undergoing an organ transplant due to kidney failure. This was “life-changing,” he said, and decided he wanted to turn his passion for LGBTQ rights and issues into a job after working in the entertainment travel industry.
Taking on the role of executive director “was the best decision, professionally, that I’ve made,” he said.
Rainbow Families also offers year-round programs like support groups, programs for kids and families and “Maybe Baby,” a multi-week course for prospective LGBTQ+ parents that educates on topics like adoption and assisted reproduction, financial and legal issues and how to build a support network.
To learn more about the Rainbow Families LGBTQ+ Family Conference, visit rainbowfamilies.org.
Darren Paul-Vance (left), Alex Paul (middle), John Paul (right). (Photo courtesy of Darren Paul-Vance)
Theater
Rorschach stages ‘Dragon Play’ in unlikely, raw space
Out sound designer Madeline ‘Mo’ Oslejsek notes ‘sound is my bag’
‘Dragon Play’
Through May 17
Rorschach Theatre
The Stacks @ Buzzard Point
101 V St., S.W.
$50 ($35 for students and seniors)
Rorschachtheatre.org
Celebrated for its site-specific, immersive productions, Rorschach Theatre puts on plays all over town. The unlikely spots have included greenhouses, church vestibules, closed retail spaces (including a vacant downtown big and tall men’s store) and historic locales like Rock Creek Cemetery’s Adams Memorial.
For its current offering “Dragon Play” (through May 17), a tale of love and longing, Rorschach is using a raw space in The Stacks at Buzzard Point, a new mixed-use neighborhood situated where the Anacostia and Potomac rivers meet.
Out sound designer Madeline ‘Mo’ Oslejsek considers all sites – whether traditional theatrical spaces or not – specific, particularly in terms of sound. She says, “Part of my practice is if you’re creating a soundscape for a theatrical production you’re also working with sound that already exists with the space.”
For instance, The Stacks space comes with its own unique qualities. It’s a large cement room that has a different reverberation, an echo.
“Some sounds (a car, dog bark) are planted or they might just happen. What starts as a live sound might be heard again as something recorded.”
Whip smart with a ready laugh, Oslejsek never set out to be a sound designer. She was going to direct. And now, the 2025 Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Sound Design (“Astro Boy and the God of Comics” at Flying V,) says, “Sound is my bag. Sometimes it seems that I’m the only one in the room thinking about it.”
As an undergrad studying theater at Ohio Wesleyan University, she was first exposed to sound design, but it didn’t make a big impression.
In grad school at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, she was interested in direction. But when students were offered a choice of three more specific tracks to choose from (performance, composition, and scenography, which includes sound design), Oslejsek was swayed.
“An introduction to scenography by the department head radically changed the course of my life,” she says.
What struck her most about sound was the subjectivity: “The core of my practice is that sound has no meaning until it’s experienced. All sound is noise. It’s just a pitch, active, or vocalization. It becomes real when you hear it and apply meaning to it. That’s very exciting to me.”
Today, Oslejsek and partner Caitlin Hooper, an actor and intimacy choreographer, are based in Baltimore but work primarily in D.C.
“It feels good to be in a place where art and queerness in art are celebrated. It’s not like that everywhere, and making that kind of work down the street from this White House where that’s not the vibe, is real resistance. That feels really meaningful.”
Also important to Oslejsek (who identifies alternately as queer and lesbian) is “queer as a practice,” a concept suggesting that a queer identity or practice does not seek to replace other identities but to encompass and bridge them.
“I’m queer because I like women, but the work is more about making room for what everyone in the room hears,” she says. “Never do I want to come into a space thinking I have all the answers. That’s no fun.”
As its title might suggest, Jenny Connell Davis’ play directed by Rorschach’s Randy Baker is filled with magic. “Dragon Play,” blurs the past and present; one world bleeds into the next; and, of course, there are dragons. At 80 minutes with no intermission, the play moves in and out of different timelines; increasingly things start to overlap.
And it’s also about the magic of relationships – all kinds. There’s a line where the dragon girl asks a Texas boy what he dreams about and he replies “you, always you.”
Oslejsek, 30, is touched by those words: “In my little gay heart, I cried. It makes me think of my partner. This play is about the idea of people who strike a match in your heart that never really goes away.”
In creating a layered soundscape, she brings her own brand of magic to the production. Her big goal was “not to play with how we think a dragon might sound, but rather with how does the world sound to a dragon.”
Sometimes sound design takes the lead, but in some productions, sound is purposely subtle or secondary, she says. Either way, sound can be monumental in shaping theater.
Friday, April 17
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon With Yoga will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social in the City” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7:00p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Saturday, April 18
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.
The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Sunday Supper on Saturday” at 2 p.m. It’s more than just an event; it’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of life and invest in something meaningful, and enjoy delicious food, genuine laughter, and conversations that spark connection and inspiration. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Sunday, April 19
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Lunch” at 11 a.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. 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.
Monday, April 20
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” 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 information, contact Adam ([email protected]).
Tuesday, April 21
Center Bi+ Roundtable will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting.Visit Facebook or Meetup for more information.
Senior Self Defense Class with Avi Rome will be at 12:30 p.m. This inclusive and beginner-friendly class, led by Instructor Avi Rome, offers a light warm-up, stretching, and instruction in basic techniques, patterns, and striking padded targets. Each session is designed to be adaptable for all ability and mobility levels, creating a welcoming space for everyone to build strength, confidence, and community through martial arts. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Wednesday, April 22
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. 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.
Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].
Thursday, April 23
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 5:00 pm 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 Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Out & About
Team DC’s annual gala set for this weekend
LGBTQ sports organization to hold annual ‘Night of Champions’
Team DC will host “Night of Champions Gala” on Saturday, April 18 at 6 p.m. at the Georgetown Marriott.
This will be an evening of celebration and inspiration as Team DC honors remarkable individuals and supports the next generation of LGBTQ student-athletes.
There will be opportunities to support Team DC through auctions. The Silent Auction items will offer an array of unique goods and experiences. Additionally, Team DC will feature an exclusive selection of live auction items for those looking to make a significant impact.
This year, Team DC will recognize six outstanding awardees who have made significant contributions to the LGBTQ community and sports:
- Trailblazer Award – Adam Peck, District Wrestling
- Most Valuable Person Award – Sean Bartel (posthumously)
- Champion Award – Dan Martin
- Clark Ray Horizon Award – Manuel Montelongo, aka Mari Con Carne
- Bernard Jude Delia Award – Dr. Sara Varghai
- Platinum All Star Award – Centaur Motorcycle Club
To purchase tickets, visit Team DC’s website.
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