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Celebrating D.C.’s drag history

New Dupont Underground exhibit offers photos, videos, and live performances

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A drag performer entertains the crowd at the 1994 Black Gay Pride Day celebration on May 28. (Washington Blade photo by Kristi Gasaway)

As the city continues to reopen, the Washington Blade and Dupont Underground announced this week plans for a new exhibit highlighting the history and power of drag in D.C. and around the country.

The exhibition showcases a mix of photographs and video footage that authentically honor the roots of drag in America, while celebrating the power, pride, and leadership that define the community. D.C.’s drag scene inspired a generation to embrace its power and raise its voice.

The Exhibition showcases photographs gathered from the archives of the Washington Blade and video footage from interviews with Drag Queen Shi-Queeta-Lee and Drag King Pretty RikE. The photographs and interviews offer a glimpse into the past and explore the future of what drag is becoming as a culture and as an art form.

The innovative exhibit runs from Friday, June 4 to June 27 at Dupont Underground (19 Dupont Circle, N.W.).

Exhibition times:
Fridays, 3-7 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Drag shows 8-10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
Drag brunch 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays (starting June 13).

Tickets can be purchased at washingtonblade.com/royals with tickets starting at $5.

Drag show performers include Bombalicious Eklaver, Brooklyn Heights, Cake, Farrah Synclaire, Gigi Paris Couture, Pretty Boi Drag, Shi-Queeta Lee, and Sasha Adams. More performers to be announced soon.

Presenting sponsors are the Washington Blade, Dupont Underground, and the Leonard-Litz Foundation. Additional sponsors include Absolut, Ariadne Getty Foundation, Pepco, Washington Regional Transplant Community, and Devil’s Backbone.

The exhibit is part of the Focus on the Story International Photo Festival 2021, #FOTS21. focusonthestory.org.

Exhibit Preview

A scene from Gay Pride Day in 1983. (Washington Blade archive photo by Leigh Mosley)
Activists listen to Carol Lee at a rally in front of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Oct. 10, 1988. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
The competitors at the starting line of the High Heel Race in 1988 are about to take off. (Washington Blade archive photo by Doug Hinckle)
A performer entertains at the 1996 Black Pride Festival. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)
A scene from the 2001 Capital Pride Parade. (Washington Blade archive photo by Clint Steib)
The drag troupe ‘DC Kings’ pose for a photo on July 11, 2010. (Washington Blade archive photo by Michael Key)
Ba’Naka is voted ‘Best Drag Queen’ in the Blade’s ‘Best of Gay D.C.’ readers’ poll in 2012. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
A scene from the 2012 High Heel Race. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Shi-Queeta Lee performs at Town in April of 2013. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
One team poses for a picture at ‘DragBall’ at Stead Park on June 2, 2013. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Blair Williams is crowned Miss Gay D.C. America 2013 at the annual competition held at Town Danceboutique on Sept. 16. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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Photos

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

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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Dining

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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