Arts & Entertainment

DC Black Pride to return in-person this year

‘Bigger. Bolder. The original is back.’

Published

4 years ago

May 26, 2022

A scene from pre-COVID Black Pride. The in-person celebration returns this weekend. (Blade file photo by Molly Byrom)

Since 1991, Black LGBTQ people and their allies have flocked to the streets of D.C. during Memorial Day Weekend to celebrate the beauty of the Black LGBTQ community and to raise awareness and funding to combat HIV/AIDS. Now, after a two-year hiatus triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Black Pride has returned with a focus on creating community.

“This is really the place to be if you’re Black and queer in D.C.,” said Kenya Hutton, deputy director for the Center for Black Equity, an LGBTQ advocacy organization that plans the event. Hutton has been involved in planning DC Black Pride for the past 13 years.

“There is a heavy buzz early on about Black Pride [this year],” he said.

This year’s events will run for four days, and will attract both a local and international audience including LGBTQ advocates from England, France, and Ghana.

“We have two members from the House of Garcon coming in from Paris,” said Hutton. “A lot of international people are coming to D.C., and after a two-year hiatus, the hunger to be back [is there].”

The weekend will commence with an opening reception on Friday, May 27 at 5 p.m. at the Renaissance Washington D.C. The event, also presented by Impulse DC and Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc., will feature live performances by Queen Diva Big Freedia and Atlantic Recording artist Tai’aysha. There will also be special appearances by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other guests who will be announced at the event. The event is free — registration is available on Eventbrite— and also includes two drink tickets.

Other events to look out for during DC Black Pride include kickoff events such as the Unity Ball on Thursday, May 25 at 9 p.m. at Karma DC hosted by commentator Kirk “Boom” Balenciaga, with music performances by DJ Tony Play, and the official Saturday night main event— “The White Party”— which will feature a performance by rapper and social media star Saucy Santana on Saturday, May 28 at 10 p.m. at Echostage.

In addition to the celebratory events, there will also be workshops focusing on a myriad of topics such as LGBTQ health, diversity, body positivity, and a writer’s forum.

The Black Pride Wellness Suite Open will be on Friday, May 27 at 2 p.m. at Renaissance Washington DC. The event, sponsored by DC Health, will provide HIV and full panel STD testing, safer sex kits and harm reduction supplies, and same-day PrEP initiation and PEP to those eligible.

“Becoming You: The Body Positivity Workshop” will be on Saturday, May 28 at 11 a.m. at Renaissance Washington DC. The workshop will be hosted by Tonka Garcon, from the HBO hit show “Legendary,” who will guide attendees on how to build self-confidence, love, and appreciation “without feeling left out.”

The writer’s forum will be on Saturday, May 28 at 2 p.m. and will be hosted by author James Earl Hardy who has written books such as “Men of the House” and “B-Boy Blues.”

Given that DC Black Pride will take place with the backdrop of the May 14 Buffalo, N.Y., shooting and other recent incidents in D.C. as well, the Center for Black Equity has boosted its security measures to ensure that attendees are safe.

“We are working closely with the Maryland Police Department [and] one of their officers will walk through an active shooter training [with our staff],” said Hutton.

Hutton added that because the pandemic took away the Black LGBTQ community’s ability to gather for two years, it is essential that guests leave the event feeling a sense of belonging.

“This is home. This is where it starts. This is our culture,” he said. “DC Black Pride is always home for queer people.”

Black Pride in 2019. (Blade file photo by Molly Byrom)

Studies report that the pandemic disproportionately affected LGBTQ individuals’ mental health.

LGBTQ people faced mental health and substance abuse problems at higher rates than their non-LGBTQ peers due to lower incomes, fewer work opportunities and a lack of access to adequate healthcare, according to 2021 health analyses by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Other studies also show that 16% of Black people reported having a mental illness, and 26% of people who reported a severe mental illness over the past year are men, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

To bring to light the importance of mental health and wellness in the LGBTQ community, other organizations such as D.C. nonprofit group Us Helping Us will host events “to understand the complex issues of intersectionality that Black, gay, transgender, and bisexual men face.”

Us Helping Us will host “Pride Festival in Park” on Monday, May 30 at 12 p.m. at Ford Dupont Park. The organization works to improve the health and well-being of Black men with HIV and AIDS, and will partner with Amerigroup DC for Monday’s event.

“Every day, we see the impact our mental health services have on our clients, whether it be through individual appointments with our therapists or counselors or our support groups,” said DeMarc A. Hickson, the nonprofit’s executive director in a press release. “Mental health is critical to keeping our clients healthy physically.”

Up Next

‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ signs off after 19 seasons

Don't Miss

10 LGBTQ events this week

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP

Theater

National tour of ‘Gatsby’ comes to National Theatre

Out actor Edward Staudenmayer talks playing the show’s gangster

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2026

Patrick Folliard

Edward Staudenmayer plays Meyer Wolfsheim in ‘The Great Gatsby.’ (Photo courtesy National Theatre)

‘The Great Gatsby’
May 12-24
The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$59-$196
Thenationaldc.com

Often dubbed “The Great American Novel” for its depiction of ambition and self-invention alongside the reversals of success, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” says it all in a fast read.

Set against the excesses and energy of the Roaring Twenties, “The Great Gatsby,” novel and now the same-titled hit Broadway musical with a jazz/pop original score by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen, tells the story of Nick Carraway and his friendship with Jay Gatsby, an enigmatic millionaire intent on reuniting with ex-lover, Daisy Buchanan.

It was during a four-month 2025 run in Seoul, South Korea, that out actor Edward Staudenmayer first played the show’s heavy, Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster who helped Gatsby make his murkily acquired fortune. As Meyer, Staudenmayer opens the second act with, appropriately enough, “Shady.”

Now three months into a year-long North American tour, the show is poised to enjoy a brief run at Washington’s National Theatre (5/12-5/24).

While putting on his eyeliner prior to a recent Wednesday matinee at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, the upstate New York-based actor shared about Gatsby and a life in theater.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Despite your good looks and terrific voice, you’re rarely the leading the man. How is that?

EDWARD STAUDENMAYER: I’m definitely a character man. I’ve been painting lines on my face to play old men since I was in high school. I was the youngest freshman in college playing old Uncle Sorin [in Chekhov’s “The Seagull”].

There have been many villains. Some darker than others. Meyer Wolfsheim is a very bad guy, but he doesn’t haunt me once I’m offstage. I play a lot of pickleball.

BLADE: Is it true that like so many of Fitzgerald’s characters, Wolfsheim is famously based on someone the writer encountered in life.

STAUDENMEYER: That’s true, Wolfsheim is pretty much a direct portrayal of real-life mobster and 1919 World Series fixer [Arnold Rothstein].

BLADE: When did the 1925 novel first surface on your radar?

STAUDENMAYER: Like many of us, I was assigned “The Great Gatsby” in high school. It was short, and filled with sex and illicit activities. I thought it was great. Definitely wasn’t a Judy Blume novel.

Interestingly, the book wasn’t originally a huge a success for Fitzgerald, but because it was about war and having the girl at home, they gave it to GIs leaving for WWII. After returning, a lot of those guys went on the GI Bill and became English teachers. They assigned the book to their students.

BLADE The idea that the book’s first-person narrator, Nick Carraway, is gay and enamored with Jay Gatsby is long discussed among readers and scholars. Does the musical touch on that?

STAUDENMAYER: Yes, there’s conjecture about Jay and Nick, and it’s implied in our show. It’s also implied about Jordan Baker, Jay’s fleeting romantic interest. Ultimately, she’s a confirmed bachelor, and a professional golfer who only wears pants.

Our performers are really good. Josh Grasso who plays Nick is fantastic. I’ve had to stop watching him in his last scene; it’s not good for Meyer Wolfsheim to take his curtain call crying. Our Gatsby, Jake David Smith, is good too. He’s gorgeous like Superman and sings like an angel.

BLADE: Do you ever imagine backstory for your characters whose sexuality is undefined?

STAUDENMAYER: I do, but not with Wolfsheim. I don’t see it. I’m trying to be as butch as possible with this ruthless killer.

BLADE: Have you had to do that in your career?

STAUDENMAYER: For a long time, I wore a mask to hide my gayness. I worked hard on being believable, that I was into the girl or that I was a tough guy.

It’s a different world now, and it’s so refreshing to be around the younger actors today; they’re remarkably open and comfortable.

BLADE: What was your coming of age like?

STAUDENMAYER: I played high school football in Palm Springs [he chuckles, alluding to the arid gay mecca], and I was pretty good too. But much to the chagrin of my parents and coaches, I quit the team to act in our senior year play. My super butch dad played semi-pro football and he was an ex-cop. I’m named after him. While I didn’t become my dad, I’ve played him often on stage. He was a true Gaston [the bumptious rival in “Beauty and the Beast”]. And like Gaston, he used antlers in all his interior decorating.

BLADE: Did he live to see your success in theater?

STAUDENMAYER: He did. Life was challenging growing up but the last 10 years of his life we couldn’t get off the phone with each other [his voice catches with emotion]. He accepted me entirely, and we became very close.

BLADE: Looking ahead, is there a part you’d especially like to play?

STAUDENMAYER: Like all baritones I’d love to play Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd.” I’ve come close but it hasn’t happened yet. There’s still time.