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10 LGBTQ events this week

A drag pageant, a gala dinner and lots of parties in the days ahead

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(Washington Blade file photos by Michael Key)

Below are our picks for some of the most fun and creative things to do this week in D.C. that are of special interest to the LGBTQ community.

Not Another Drag Show

A scene from a previous “Not Another Drag Show.” (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Monday, May 9
8-10 p.m.
Dupont Italian Kitchen Bar
1637 17th Street, N.W.
Free
Eventbrite

This weekly drag show is the perfect way to cure the “Mondays.” Door to DIK bar is just to the right of Dupont Italian Kitchen proper along 17th Street. Go up the stairs and enjoy the show!

Noches Locas

(Promotional poster via Facebook)

Tuesday, May 10
10 p.m.
The Majestic
7203 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, Va.
Facebook

Join Kimberly, Jocelyn and Marisela for an evening of fun at NOVA’s latinx LGBTQ+ night.

The Palace Presents: Gender F*ck

Performers from last month’s ‘Broadway Beauties’ show at Earp’s Ordinary. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Tuesday, May 10
Doors 8:30 p.m. / Show 9 p.m.
Earp’s Ordinary
3950 University Drive, Suite 210
Fairfax, Va.
$15 cover
InstagramFacebook

The hottest drag show in Fairfax is sure to pack Earp’s Ordinary in Fairfax City again on Tuesday. Bring dollar bills to tip the performers!

50th anniversary of Fryer speech

John Fryer, on right, spoke in disguise at the American Psychiatric Association’s 1972 national convention. (Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen via New York Public Library)

Thursday, May 12
Reception 6 p.m. / Panel discussion 7 p.m.
The Corner at Whitman-Walker
1701 14th Street, N.W.
Free
Facebook | Eventbrite

There will be a panel discussion at The Corner at Whitman-Walker on the 50th anniversary of John Fryer speech to the APA, which led to the declassification of homosexuality as a mental illness.

The panel discussion will feature four experts on the topic: Dr. Saul Levin, CEO and Medical Director of the APA; Dr. Karen Kelly, a friend and mentee of Dr. Fryer; Katherine Ott, Ph.D., a curator in the history of medicine at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History where she documents LGBTQ+ history; and Dr. Amir Ahuja, president of the Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists (AGLP).

Annapolis Pride Proclamation Party

Annapolis Pride (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Thursday, May 12
5-7 p.m.
Graduate Annapolis, the Trophy Room
126 West Street
Annapolis, Md.
Free
Facebook

The community is presented with proclamations declaring June LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Pick up your Annapolis Pride swag and find out how you can get involved with Annapolis Pride.

Reignited and Resilient

Friday, May 13
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Metrobar
640 Rhode Island Avenue, N.E.
Free
Facebook

Join the National LGBTQ Task Force, including Executive Director Kierra Johnson and Deputy Executive Director Mayra Hidalgo Salazar for a fundraising social event. RSVP here.

Miss Gay DC America

The crowning scene from Miss Gay DC America 2010. This year’s pageant is on Saturday. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Saturday, May 14
Doors 4 p.m. / Pageant 5 p.m.
As You Are Bar
500 8th Street, S.E.
$20
Facebook

Miss Gay DC America returns for a pageant at As You Are Bar on Saturday. “There’s No Place Like Home” will feature Miss Gay America 2022 Dextaci.

Cop Cakes for a Cause

Saturday, May 14
6-9 p.m.
Hook Hall
3400 Georgia Avenue, N.W.
$30
Facebook

Annual fundraising event benefits the LGBT Fallen Heroes Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors.

GMCW Spring Affair

A scene from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s Spring Affair in 2012. This year’s event is on Saturday. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Saturday, May 14
Cocktails and silent auction 6:30 p.m. / Dinner 8 p.m.
The Ritz-Carlton
1150 22nd Street, N.W.
$30
Website | Facebook

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington holds their gala awards dinner “Spring Affair 2022: Once Upon a Time . . .” at The Ritz-Carlton on Saturday.

Stonewall Kickball Closing Party

Stonewall Kickball (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Sunday, May 15
4-8 p.m.
Soundcheck
1420 K Street, N.W.
Facebook

Following an eventful season of kickball, its time to party with vogue performances, drag and DJs. You must be a registered Sunday Spring 2022 Player/Friend Of and wear your Spring 2022 Stonewall shirt.

If you would like to let us know about an upcoming event, email [email protected] with details.

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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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