a&e features
Local LGBTQ chefs share favorite Thanksgiving recipes
Happy holidays from Jamie Leeds, Patrick O’Connell, Mr. Bake and more
Delightful dishes and cool cocktails are at least one guaranteed way to bring joy to Thanksgiving when the season may look challenging. This year, we asked prominent local LGBTQ chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, and restaurateurs to offer recipes and suggestions for Thanksgiving.
Jamie Leeds, Hank’s Oyster Bar
This recipe is the ultimate ode to Chesapeake Bay oysters, using both the oyster and its juice (known as the liquor) to season the stuffing. Leeds is a pioneer in the restaurant industry in Washington, D.C., and was also a a former Washington Blade Most Eligible Single.
Chesapeake Oyster Stuffing
(8 servings)
1 pint (approx. 24) Shucked Chesapeake oysters with liquor
1 cup Celery, small dice
1 cup Yellow onion, small dice
1 stick Butter
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/8 tsp Tarragon, fresh
1/8 tsp Thyme, fresh
1/2 tsp Lemon juice
4 Cups Bread, day old, 1”cubes
3 Tbsp Parsley, fresh, chopped
2 Each Eggs, beaten with 2 T water
Steps:
Strain oysters, reserving their liquid. Place oysters in a large mixing bowl with the cubed bread. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the inside of a 2-quart (or slightly larger) baking dish with cooking spray.
In a 10-inch sauté pan, melt the butter and add celery and onions. Cook on medium heat until vegetables are tender, about five minutes. Add salt, thyme, tarragon and Old Bay seasoning, stir to incorporate. Add reserved oyster liquor and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Once cool pour over oysters and bread. Mix gently until moistened.
Gently fold in the eggs, lemon juice and parsley until fully incorporated. Transfer to the baking dish, cover and bake for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until top is browned. Can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and kept refrigerated before baking. Tip: If you do not have day-old bread, place cubed bread on a baking sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until the bread is crusty on the outside. Let cool completely before adding oysters.
Mr. Bake’s Award-Winning Banana Pudding
Kareem “Mr. Bake” Queeman is famous for not only his fabulous presence on social media and reality TV, but also his Banana Pudding, which is the perfect addition to your holiday table. In this recipe, the James Beard semifinalist baker and owner of Mr. Bake Sweets shares his award-winning banana pudding recipe that helped Kareem win his first-ever competition as a baker (the first of many!), and showcase it on the “Kelly Clarkson Show” this past Easter. This is Kareem’s variation on a Southern family recipe passed down by his late aunt Janet Wills.
This holiday dessert is a delicious combination of easy to find and affordable grocery store ingredients, and even includes an option to use store-bought pudding mix if you’re in a time crunch (just make sure to save time to put your pudding in the fridge). Just keep in mind that you’ll need to chilled a bowl in advance and a standard mixer to make sure you get that perfect fluffy texture in the pudding. If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can make a homemade whipped topping or spring for store-bought in a pinch to add as a final topping on your pudding. Serve in bowls or eat it straight out of the bowl (we won’t judge) this pudding is sure to impress all season long.
Technique Tip:
● Make sure you chill your bowl and mixer attachments before whipping your
heavy cream into cream. This helps ensure the heavy cream whips up nice
and high, and won’t take as much time.
● Make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water when placing your custard bowl
over the double boiler. You’re using just the steam to cook, dissolve and
double your custard in volume.
● Temper your eggs into the cream make sure you add about a cup of the hot
into the egg mixture. This helps make sure you don’t cook and scramble eggs.
Swap Option:
● You can use all heavy cream or whole milk for Half and Half. (Half and Half is
equal parts heavy cream and whole milk)
● You can use Cool Whip if you don’t have heavy cream to make whipped cream
(use about 3 to 4 cups of Cool Whip)
Serving Size: Serves 12 to 15 people
Yield: Makes about 5 to 6 cups of custard.
Prep Time: Custard 6-8 minutes for cook and prep, 2 hour- overnight for chilling
3-6 minutes to whip and blend in custard into the sweeten whipped cream
6-10 minutes to assemble
30 min chill time in the fridge once everything is layered
Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
Serve and keep chilled and enjoy.
Hand mixer/stand mixer
Banana Pudding Trifle (From Scratch)
● 8 large egg yolks
● ½ cup granulated sugar
● 6 tablespoons cornstarch
● ½ teaspoon kosher salt
● 3 cups half & half
● 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
● 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
● 14 oz can condensed milk
● 2 cups heavy cream
● 3 tablespoon confectioners sugar
● Vanilla wafer cookies 3 to 5 standard boxes (Nabisco preferred)
● 4-5 large bananas, sliced
● Optional: Whipped cream for topping
Preparation:
1. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and
salt until well blended. The mixture will be thick and pale in color. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat the half & half to a rolling boil (do not actually
boil). Remove pot from the heat.
3. Whisk 1 cup of the half and half into the egg-yolk mixture. Mix until
combined, then whisk in the rest of the half and half.
4. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the
bowl doesn’t touch the water in the pot). Cook and whisk constantly, until the
mixture has thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in vanilla until combined. Let the
mixture sit and cool, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Whisk in the butter until it is melted and the pudding is smooth and silky.
7. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and let cool to
room temperature, about 30 minutes to an hour.
8. Whisk in the condensed milk and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
9. In the bowl of a standard mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the heavy
cream on medium speed until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar and beat
until the cream holds stiff peaks. (Whipped cream should stand straight up
and stand in place when you remove your attachments.
10. Add the chilled pudding custard to the sweetened whipped cream, gently
folding it into each other.
11. To assemble the trifle, spoon 1/3 of the pudding into a glass trifle bowl. Top
with sliced bananas then wafer cookies. Repeat this process ending with
custard at the top, then add fresh sliced bananas, crushed wafer cookies and
fresh whipped cream (optional) as décor.
Executive Chef Harley Peet, Bas Rouge
As a longtime resident of the Eastern Shore and an avid waterman, seafood naturally takes center stage in Peet’s dishes. Holidays conjure warmth, and the very essence of comfort food is the pot pie. On the Eastern Shore, where salty air mingles with generations of watermen’s tales, the choice was clear. Sweet, tender lobster and delicate sea scallops elevate this timeless classic, where rustic tradition meets refined flavor and presentation in a dish that captures a sense of place.
Scallop and Lobster Pot Pie on a Scallop Shell
Yield: 4 servings
• 1 sheet puff pastry, cut into quarter-size circles
• 1 each egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 5 slices smokey bacon, cut into half-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup celery, small diced
• 1/2 cup onion, small diced
• 1/2 cup carrots, small diced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart heavy whipping cream, cold
• To taste pepper, freshly ground
• To taste lemon, juiced
• 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 each lemon, sliced into wedges
• Salt to taste
• 4 each large sea scallops, raw and sliced into quarters [ask for scallop shells]
• 2 each [2.5 lbs.] steamed lobster, diced into half inch pieces
• Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg and add the milk to create an egg wash. Place the quarter-size circles of puff pastry on a baking sheet and brush the puff pastry with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Set the puff pastry aside.
Brown the bacon in a heavy-bottom Dutch oven or saucepan, such as Le Creuset or Staub. Once the bacon is browned, remove it from the Dutch oven and set it aside. Do not discard the bacon fat. Add the butter to the bacon fat in the Dutch oven. Add the celery, onion, and carrot to the pot, and sweat out the vegetables until they are translucent and soft. Take the Dutch oven with the vegetables off of the heat and sprinkle the flour over the vegetables to make a roux. Return the Dutch oven with the roux to the stove over medium heat. Add the cold heavy whipping cream and whisk to remove roux balls. Season the mixture with freshly ground pepper, to taste, and a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste, for a bit of acidity. Simmer the mixture until it gets thick. Once the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat. Fold in the scallops and lobster into the mixture. Grate the Parmesan cheese into the mixture and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Set the mixture aside, and let it cool in the refrigerator. To note – the mixture can be made up to a couple of days in advance and kept in the refrigerator. (Add the seafood after to extend the lifetime of the mixture or use it immediately.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the scallop shell on a flat baking tray. If needed, arrange with some salt or oven-safe ware to hold the shells upright, in order to keep them from tipping over and losing the topping mixture [they will not fall or warp]. Scoop a [generous] tablespoon of the cold mixture into a scallop shell and top it with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown, or approximately 6-8 minutes. Top each stuffed scallop shell with a pre-baked puff pastry round. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
Chef Patrick O’Connell, Inn at Little Washington
Chef Patrick O’Connell, renowned for his three Michelin stars at The Inn at Little Washington, is excited to share one of his beloved recipes for the holiday season.
For nearly four decades, a shot of this soup was served as the first course on The Inn at Little Washington’s tasting menu during the winter months. This beloved classic from Chef Patrick O’Connell found a new life at Patty O’s Café and has been touted as “The world’s most refined version of bean soup.” Pureeing the beans and adding a touch of cream makes for a delicate soup, but all the hearty flavors remain intact. The best of both worlds, and a perfect beginning for a fall or cold weather dinner.
White Bean Soup with Virginia Country Ham
Ingredients (serves 8)
• 1/2 pound dried Cannellini or Great Northern Beans
• 5 strips of bacon
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 5 leeks, chopped and thoroughly cleaned
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 ham bone (optional)
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
• Optional garnishes: shaved country ham; fresh cream, whipped; cracked black pepper; minced chives
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, cover the beans with cool water and soak overnight.
2. In an 8 quart stock pot, cook the bacon over medium high heat until browned. Add the onion, leeks, celery, and bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse the beans and add them to the stock pot along with the heated stock and ham bone (if using). Simmer until the beans are very soft, about 1 hour.
4. Remove the ham bone and bay leaves from the soup. Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor and strain.
5. Return the soup to the heat and add the cream. If the soup is too thick, add more stock or cream. Season with salt and cayenne.
6. At Patty O’s Café, we pour the soup tableside over a bed of shaved local Virginia ham, and garnish with fresh cream whipped with cracked black pepper and fresh chives.
Jonathan Dearden, KNEAD Corporate Chef
KNEAD, one of the largest D.C.-based restaurant groups, is owned by gay couple Jason Berry and Michael Reginbogin.
Chef Dearden’s favorite recipe from the Succotash Prime menu that is perfect for Thanksgiving: “Gochujang Brussels Sprouts on our Succotash Prime menu is one of my favorite unique Thanksgiving sides. At the restaurant we fry in the deep fryer. This recipe has been adjusted to use an Air Fryer.”
Air Fried Gochujang Brussels Sprouts
Gochujang Vinaigrette
• 380g gochujang (hot)
• 150g orange juice
• 20g garlic, minced
• 30g ginger, minced
• 20g Fresno chilies, finely chopped
• 100g lime juice
• 100g rice wine vinegar
• 10g salt
• 750g canola or vegetable oil (approx. 1 quart)
In a blender or food processor, combine gochujang, orange juice, garlic, ginger, Fresno chilies, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth.
With the blender running, slowly stream in the canola or vegetable oil to emulsify. Adjust seasoning if needed.
For Plate-Up
• 500g Brussels sprouts (about 1 pint)
• 50g gochujang vinaigrette
• 15g garlic chili crunch
• 3g sesame seeds (white and black, mixed)
• 3g scallions, sliced
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preheat air fryer to 400°F (200°C).
Toss the Brussels sprouts with a small amount of oil (just enough to lightly coat them) and season with a pinch of salt.
Place the Brussels sprouts in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the sprouts are golden brown and crispy.
Transfer the air-fried Brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Drizzle with 50g of the gochujang vinaigrette, tossing lightly to coat but keeping them crispy. Season with salt and black pepper as needed.
Plate the Brussels sprouts in a serving bowl and garnish with garlic chili crunch, sesame seeds, and sliced scallions.
Anthony Aligo, Barkada Wine Bar
Aligo Aligo and business partners Nicholas Guglietta and Nathan Fisher, all gay men, founded their cozy wine bar in late 2020. They are offering two recipes this season: mushroom stuffing and a cranberry royale drink.
Mushroom Stuffing
This savory and earthy dish is perfect for Thanksgiving, featuring tender mushrooms, aromatic herbs, and hearty bread. It’s an excellent alternative or complement to traditional stuffing, especially for vegetarians or mushroom lovers. The dish balances rich flavors and comforting textures, making it a great side that pairs well with other Thanksgiving favorites like turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce. With its umami depth and seasonal ingredients, this stuffing brings warmth and variety to the holiday table.
Mushroom Stuffing
Ingredients
• 12 cups of one-inch dried bread cubes or dried stuffing mix
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 2 onions
•1 cup celery
•1 clove garlic
•1/2 lb of your favorite mushrooms
• 2 cups chicken or turkey broth
•1/3 cup fresh parsley
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms, onions, celery and minced garlic. Cook until tender. Pour in chicken/turkey stock. Add minced parsley and rosemary and salt and pepper to your liking. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Add bread cubes to a large bowl. Pour the mixture in a bowl and mix. Stuffing should be moist but not mushy. If not moist enough, add water.
Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Add stuffing. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 375 until stuffing is slightly browned on top.
Cranberry Royale
This drink is a festive and refreshing cocktail, perfect for Thanksgiving celebrations. With a blend of tart cranberry juice, a hint of orange, and a splash of dry Lambrusco, it offers a beautiful balance of flavors and a light, sparkling finish. The cranberry brings a seasonal twist, while the Lambrusco adds effervescence, making it an ideal aperitif to start the holiday. Its bright red hue adds a festive touch to the Thanksgiving table, celebrating the flavors and colors of the season.
• 0.5 oz Vodka
• 0.5 oz Orange Juice
• 1.5 oz Cranberry Juice
• 3.0 oz Lambrusco (dry)
Shake the cranberry, orange, and vodka with ice, and strain into a flute or coupe. Top with Lambrusco and garnish with orange peel.
a&e features
Boomer Banks brings beats to MAL Weekend
From porn to the DJ booth, ’I’m the happiest I’ve ever been’
If you enjoy gay adult films, there is a high likelihood you have seen or at least heard of Boomer Banks. His tattoos, muscles, masculine presence, and thick mustache have made him one of the most recognizable — and awarded — Latinx gay adult performers in the industry. This weekend, Banks heads to the nation’s capital to partake in Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend.
As D.C. polishes its leather gay apparel for the annual MAL weekend, Banks, alongside a slew of other gay adult performers and leather lovers, is getting ready to make adult content, meet fans, buy some new leather goods, and perform in the name of sexual expression.
This year will be different for Banks compared to his past MAL weekends, though. He will still be go-go dancing as he has in years past, but this year he has a new hat on — headlining DJ. The Blade sat down with the 44-year-old performer to discuss his sex work career, the changing industry, and his passion for DJing.
On Friday night, Banks is one of three headlining DJs for the main dance event of the night, UNCUT XL. He explained that his love for music has always been there, but since the death of his best friend, with whom he connected on a shared love of music, his sets mean more than ever to him now.
“I loved music for my whole life,” Banks told the Blade when asked about how he got started in music. “My proximity to legendary New York DJs has always been there. I lost my best friend and brother over two years ago, and it just caused a lot of changes [for me]. We both loved music so much … I was talking to one of my DJ friends [about this connection to music], and they were talking to me, and all of a sudden I’m at their studio, playing around with the controller and all that, and it just happened. Here we are, two years later, and now I’m headlining at MAL with some legendary DJs that I have been a fan of since I was young.”
Banks went on to explain that this connection and newfound passion for DJing is what has made his career shift from studio porn to a solo career easier. He also said the continued support from his house music fans has made him want to work even harder on creating memorable sets.
And create memorable sets he has. Banks has headlined events all across the country over the past two years — from Provincetown to Rehoboth Beach and even headlining Folsom, which is the biggest leather event of the year. He explained that he has one overwhelming emotion —gratitude.
“I’m really grateful that Zach [Renovatés] and everybody at Kinetic and Bunker have really taken a liking to my storytelling through music, because that’s what it is for me,” Banks said. “I like taking people on a journey. It’s usually my journey. But I read the crowd, I read energy, and I’m always smiling, and that’s the only place that I do smile. I feel like people often categorize me as intimidating, and a lot of times that’s what I got in the porn industry. But with DJing, the people are always like, ‘You’re so happy up there. You’re smiling all the time.’ And, yeah, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s exciting. I love doing it, and I’m grateful and very humbled that people are seeing that this isn’t just a gimmick.”
He went on to explain that this happiness wasn’t always at the base of his work —especially when he was involved with the studio porn system with CockyBoys and Raging Stallion. Various factors, including race, he shared with the Blade, were why it was less than enjoyable at times. But it provided a platform in which he was able to grow and gave him an opportunity to help newcomers in the industry.
“When I got into porn, other brown men were not nice to me; other people of color [were not nice to me]. I thought that it would have been different. So when I was established, I made sure not to do that. I have a few little Banks boys that I nurtured into the industry, and, not to claim them, but it’s just so that they had someone to talk to because I didn’t have that.”
Despite some structural problems within the industry, Banks felt he was able to get what he needed from the career, including a paycheck and a platform.
“Porn did work out for me,” he said. “I was very fucking successful, and I was not white. I did the work, but I just couldn’t keep doing it any more. It wasn’t good for my mental health, and so I knew how to bow out. Who knows? It [studio porn days] might happen again. I don’t know, but I know for today, I love music. It’s my heart. I’m grateful for the platform that sex work gave me because it’s given me a heads up with the music.”
That music has kept him going. More specifically, New York house-style music has kept him going. Banks’s ability to take in the music he loves has made him a stronger DJ, he said.
“’I’m a New York house DJ,” he said. “That’s the style that I bring. The craziest it gets is like tech house and maybe some early 2000s mid-2000s circuit music. It’s what I grew up with and what I love and what I like to put out there. I’m really grateful that I was not only showing up to these gigs, but I was absorbing the art that is music in a way that it seeped into my pores and my soul, that now I can share how I feel about music, and that’s exciting.”
He touched on how although many people can be fans of DJ music, it takes more to become a successful DJ.
“The thing about music is you can’t fake music tastes. You can learn all the knobs and the technical parts of DJing, but if you’re not playing good music, and if the room isn’t vibing, it doesn’t matter.”
When asked about the current political climate—seeing as the host hotel for MAL weekend is a mere half mile from the Capitol building—Banks reflected on the importance of weekends like this for the LGBTQ community, which is increasingly facing the backlash of conservative politicians.
“We are in uncertain times,” he said. “These are the weekends where we’re able to be who we are. And it’s unfortunate that we have to still have these events to express ourselves. Because a lot of these guys, they wait their whole year for this weekend to be able to express themselves. With what’s going on with the world, they’re basically being told that these are the only places they can. I know that in New York we live in a bubble. I know in D.C., we live in a bubble. But I want to show people that are coming from the middle of nowhere that they can have a good time, and even if it is for this weekend, they can rely on us. I want our community to know that I am here for them.”
You can find Boomer Banks headlining Friday’s main dance event UNCUT XL from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. at REPUBLIQ Hall (2122 24th Pl NE) and go-go dancing during Saturday’s PERVERT XXL party at A.I. Warehouse (530 Penn St., N.E.) from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. as well as on X @Boomer_Banks and on Instagram @baconlvr.
For more information about MAL events visit leatherweekend.com or kineticpresents.com.
Half a mile from the Capitol building on New Jersey Avenue, the Hyatt Regency Washington is getting ready for one of the city’s biggest, gayest, and kinkiest weekends of the year — the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend.
The weekend, which has a long and fabled history that spans two different hosting Motorcycle Clubs (MC), multiple host cities, thousands of LGBTQ people dressed head to toe in leather, and as the Centaur MC website explains, all began with an hour of cocktails and a cock ring.
In 1976, members of the Links MC gathered in a room at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel to mingle and discuss shared interests (including leather and various sexual proclivities), when one of the party’s guests accidentally dropped his cock ring on the bathroom floor. The loud clang of a cock ring against the tile floor made everyone in attendance laugh. At the next party the Links MC hosted, another member intentionally dropped his cock ring on the floor too, calling back to the prior party’s fun and a tradition was established.
The event grew in popularity among LGBTQ leather lovers, moving to various East Coast cities before finding a permanent home with the Centaur MC in Washington in 1984. Since then, the city has hosted the Leather Cocktail party each year and has expanded to include an exhibitor hall, where leather makers and other kink product creators showcase their wares, the prestigious Mr. MAL Contest, and multiple high energy (and clothing optional) dance parties.
MCs comprised exclusively of queer members have been documented since at least the mid-1950s, with the Satyrs Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles being one of the earliest known examples. During the McCarthy era, when LGBTQ individuals were subjected to brutal discrimination due to unfounded fears that being queer was synonymous with being un-American or even suggested Communist leanings, the groups provided an essential refuge. While such fears were baseless, the formation of these clubs offered a vital safe space for queer people to express themselves in an environment where their identities were not just stigmatized but often criminalized. These MCs became much more than places for sexual expression — they were havens of protection and solidarity, offering a sense of community that would have been nearly impossible to find in the hostile, post-WWII social climate.
This year’s MAL is set to be the biggest year yet with four days of kinky queer fun. It all begins on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Washington (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.) with the Full Package/Three Day Pass Pick-Up from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Here guests who have purchased a Full Weekend Package can collect their wristbands.
On Thursday from 9 p.m.-3 a.m., the MAL kick-off Kinetic BOOTCAMP dance party will whip you into shape as international DJs Alex Lo and Dan Slater start off the weekend right. The venue has not been named yet, but Kinetic Events, which oversees this year’s official MAL dance parties have said the space will soon be announced and will “be complete with play zone designed for maximum seduction.”
After beginning MAL weekend on the dance floor, Friday is full of events to keep the kinky vibes going. From 3-10 p.m., guests who have not picked up their Full Package Pass on Thursday can continue to collect them in Capital Room A on the lobby level (located behind the north tower elevators) of the Hyatt Regency Washington. If you haven’t purchased a pass, no worries, both day and weekend passes for MAL hotel events are available for purchase online or at the hotel’s entrance from 3-10 p.m.
The passes vary in price depending on what day(s) you attend. The 3-day pass is $45 plus processing fees and provides access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall for the entire weekend, as well as the Mr. MAL Contest on Sunday. The Single Day Pass is $20 plus processing fees and allows access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall on either Friday or Saturday. The Sunday Day Pass is $30 plus processing fees and includes access to the Hotel and Exhibitor Hall on Sunday, along with entry to the Mr. MAL Contest. To purchase your pass online visit at sickening.events/e/mal-weekend-2025/tickets or at the hotel’s entrance.
To get in an elevator up to a hotel room a staff member will check for a hotel room wristband. Non-registered guests can only access host hotel rooms if they are escorted by a registered guest with a valid wristband. Registered guests are permitted to escort only one non-registered guest at a time. Non-registered guests with a wristband who are already in the hotel before 10 p.m. may remain until midnight. However, non-registered guests without a wristband will not be admitted after registration closes.
The Exhibit Hall is located on the ballroom level below the lobby. This year is slated to have 29 exhibitors selling leather and kink goods that range from harnesses to jockstraps and everything in between. The Exhibit Hall will be open on Friday from 4-10 p.m., on Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Back by popular demand, DC Health is partnering with Nasty Pig to provide preventative health services including MPox vaccines, Doxy PEP, HIV Testing, Narcan kits, and Fentanyl test strips. Their booth with these services will be available on Friday from 3-10 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at Capital Room B (located behind the north tower elevators next to Room A).
Also on Friday, the Centaur MC is holding its Welcome Reception from 6-8 p.m. on the ballroom floor. After the Centaur’s Welcome Reception, there will be an International Mister Rubber (IMR) Social from 8-11 p.m. in Congressional Room A.
Friday night’s dance party KINETIC UNCUT XL will be at REPUBLIQ Hall (2122 24th Place, N.E.) and has been billed as “largest and most debaucherous MAL event yet” with a “labyrinth of play zones” and two dance floors. DJ and adult film creator James Anthony kicks off the night and then allows for you to choose where to dance — either in room 1 with DJ Alex Ramos playing tribal beats or room 2 with DJ and adult creator Boomer Banks playing a tech house set. The dance party goes from 10-4 a.m. so make sure those boots are shined and ready to move.
On Saturday MAL will host its annual Puppy Mosh in Regency Ballroom C from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. During the Mosh, pups and their handlers can enjoy a playful puppy playdate while immersing themselves in pup culture. There are strict rules surrounding the Puppy Mosh. The Mosh Monitor has final say and has the right to eject anyone from the Puppy Park for violating the rules. For the full set of Puppy Mosh rules visit leatherweekend.com/puppy-park-rules/.
Immediately following the Puppy Mosh the Super Hero Meet-Up will be held in Capital Room A from 1:30- 3 p.m., where cosplayers and comic book enthusiasts can gather for an erotic meetup celebrating a rendezvous of capes, curves, and vibrant spandex.
From 2-6 p.m. on Saturday, the Onyx Fashion Show will take place in Congressional Rooms A & B for people of color to highlight Black brilliance in leather.
The Leather Cocktail Party that started it all will be held 7-10 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. Only those with the Full Package Pass can attend and are encouraged to show off their leather and kink fantasy.
The Leather Cocktail Party isn’t the only cocktail party happening on Saturday; from 9-11 p.m., the MAL Cocktail Party will be in Congressional Room B for other MAL attendees to mingle and get a drink.
The last event of Saturday is the KINETIC and Matinée Group’s PERVERT XXL dance party. Beginning at 10 p.m., this will mark the first time that a dance party on MAL Weekend’s Saturday night is an official MAL event. The dance is at A.I. Warehouse in Northeast (address TBA) and has a slew of talent for the celebration. Gigi Goode from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will “whip the crowd into submission” as DJs from around the world, including Erik Vilar (Brazil), Eliad Cohen (Israel), and Paulo (Los Angeles) play non-stop beats all night long (or at least until 4 a.m. when the party ends). In addition to drag royalty and internationally acclaimed DJs, the dance is held in a multi-level warehouse in Northeast D.C. complete with immersive lights, lasers, and play zones.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., the Mr. MAL Contest will be held in the Regency Ballroom. This highly sought after title gives one man the power to become the Mid-Atlantic Leather man of the year. The sash and title come with some requirements though: 1. You must be male, 2. You must be a resident of North America, 3. Must be at least 21 years of age, and 4. You must self-identify as gay. Additionally, if you enter, you must be prepared to represent the title as a contestant in the International Mr. Leather (IML) Contest in Chicago on Memorial Day Weekend 2025. Currently the list of applicants has hit its limit but if you are interested and can meet the criteria you can email [email protected] to be put on a standby list.
From 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Sunday, MAL will hold its Game Night in Capital Rooms A & B.
Last, but certainly not least, the final event and dance party of the weekend is the KINETIC LUST party, the perfectly sensual and sexy way to end MAL 2025. The party goes from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. as Grammy-nominated Abel and DJ Sam Blacky will end your weekend right with “dark, sexy beats and pulse-pounding rhythms” as erotic porn star performances and exclusive play zones are explored.
Each day of MAL a Recovery Meeting will be held in the Yosemite Room (located on the conference level/ second floor) from 10-11 p.m. with an additional session on Saturday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. to provide a safe space for anyone who is struggling with addiction or for anyone who needs to take a sober step away from the weekend’s events.
All weekend there will also be a Bootblack station where MAL attendees can get any leather goods cleaned and polished. The money donated to the Bootblacks for their work helps raise money for a local charity (that changes each year) and to cover the Mr. MAL travel fund. Don’t forget to tip.
Even though the weekend is called the Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, leather is not required. There are some rules regarding outfits though. All expressions of kink are encouraged. Attendees in years past have worn everything from leather to rubber, to furries and even regular street clothes. Just make sure that they abide by the hotel’s dress code rules — in publicly accessible spaces (lobby, hallways, ballrooms, exhibit halls), nudity is not allowed. Men may walk around the hotel shirtless, in a jock, or in chaps with a jock. Women are not permitted to be shirtless or have their nipples exposed. If you are dining, your buttocks must be covered, and at least a vest must be worn.
Please note that all events are 21+ and require an ID check, including every day of events at the Hyatt Regency host hotel. Please make sure you bring your photo ID. Also note that all MAL “Full Weekend Package” pass holders have access to the LUST Sunday Closing Party.
For any additional information on official MAL weekend events and policies, please visit leatherweekend.com or kineticpresents.com.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2024
Menendez brothers, Chappell Roan, ‘Wicked,’ and more
Reflecting on a year in queer entertainment is never one dimensional. You get stories of joy, hate, and everything in between.
And 2024 was no different. For every Chappell Roan, you get a J.K. Rowling. But looking back on this year is vital in recognizing what progress was made in LGBTQ spaces, and which areas need more attention to make a better 2025.
Though there are no 10 stories that are truly “the most important,” here are some events that represented the good, the bad, and the gloriously gay this year.
#10: Joaquin Phoenix abruptly exits gay film: “Joker” star Joaquin Phoenix reportedly exited a gay romance film days before production was set to begin, stirring up a controversial storm in Hollywood.
Sets were built and distribution deals were already made, which left many owed compensation.
Described as a detective love story featuring two men in the 1930s, the film was allegedly made to receive an NC-17 rating and to feature authentic and graphic sex scenes.
#9: Adele snaps back at homophobic fan:What better way to kick off Pride month this year than Adele publicly humiliating a fan who shouted a homophobic comment?
The singer was performing her Las Vegas residency show when an audience member shouted, “Pride sucks.” Her response was appropriately filled with profanities.
“Did you come to my fucking show to say Pride sucks? Are you fucking stupid?” Adele said. “Don’t be so fucking ridiculous. If you have nothing nice to say, shut up, alright?”
A video of the interaction went viral online, and fans rallied on social media to show their support of the singer.
#8: Oprah receives GLAAD recognition: Oprah Winfrey received the GLAAD Lifetime Achievement Award in March. It was a culmination of her strong history of support for the LGBTQ community.
Winfrey used her platform on her self-titled show to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ bias and hold open discussions to challenge stereotypes and promote acceptance.
“Winfrey’s unique blend of empathy, wisdom, and storytelling resonated with audiences, making her one of the most beloved and influential figures in media history,” Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters wrote.
winner after 25 seasons.
Asher HaVon, who performed on team Reba McEntire, became a staple on the show for his hypnotic and rich tone. From Selma, Ala., HaVon also represents the fight for equality.
When former President Barack Obama visited Selma in 2015, HaVon sang for him and 200,000 other people at the historic Selma Bridge crossing.
“For the rest of us, in the LGBTQ community, in the dance clubs, and in the hearts of ones needing a new diva to love, Asher has arrived,” Los Angeles Blade reporter Rob Watson wrote in May.
#6: Out and proud: Many notable celebrities came out this year, including country singer Maren Morris, track star Trey Cunningham, actor Julia Fox and former “Saturday Night Live” star Sasheer Zamata. From sports stars to country idols, these icons are paving the way for LGBTQ visibility in underrepresented entertainment spaces.
#5: Defying box office charts: Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” is ‘Popular’ with audiences, to say the least.
Roughly one week into its box office run, it became the biggest-grossing movie based on a Broadway musical in North America. It beat previous smashes like “Grease” and “Mamma Mia!” Beyond providing audiences with a faithful yet unique adaptation of the popular book and play, it also gave us numerous viral interviews between its two leading ladies, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, as well as a plethora of fan cams gushing over out actor Jonathan Bailey.
Your move, “Wicked: Part Two.”
#4: Emmys and Grammys and Tonys, oh my!: It was a historic year for queer representation at the biggest nights in entertainment. Jodie Foster collected her first Emmy for her role in “True Detective: Night Country,” while Jonathan Groff accepted his first Tony for his role in “Merrily We Roll Along.”
The Grammys were huge for women and queer artists, recognizing performers like Billie Eilish, SZA, Miley Cyrus, and Victoria Monet. It was a much different story than in 2018, when Grammy organizers responded to a lack of female recognition by telling women to “step up.”
#3: Misinformation fuels hate at Olympics: Olympic boxer Imane Khelif was the center of right-wing rage during this summer’s Paris games after many prominent celebrities and personalities said she is transgender. Khelif has differences of sex development (DSD), which is a group of rare conditions that causes one’s sex development to differ from most others. Women with DSD can have both an X and Y chromosome, which is typically only found in men, but it doesn’t make one transgender or intersex.
The facts didn’t matter to public figures like J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, who were mentioned in a cyber harassment lawsuit after spreading misinformation online about Khelif’s identity. Rowling labeled Khelif a “male” on X, while others called for Khelif to be banned from competing. This outcry over false claims about her identity overshadowed her gold medal win.
#2: The rise, not fall, of a Midwest princess: It was a stellar year for women and queer performers, headlined by Chappell Roan’s rapid ascension to fame. The singer drew global recognition with notable hits like “HOT TO GO!” and “Good Luck, Babe!”.
More importantly, as a member of the community herself, fame never got in the way of her pro-LGBTQ messaging. She dedicated her Best New Artist VMA win to the “queer youth in the Midwest.” Roan, who’s from Missouri, also used her platform to support the art of drag. She enlisted local drag queens to open her shows this year, and gained instant approval when paraphrasing Sasha Colby’s famous saying: “I’m your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen.”
#1 Ryan Murphy strikes controversial gold again: The ethical implications of “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” were hotly debated when it debuted on Netflix in September.
Some loved the show’s aesthetic and its gripping portrayal of the two brothers who killed their parents in 1989. Others criticized it for its flimsy factual representation and glorification of murder through its two overly attractive leads. Whatever your opinion, there’s no denying the show’s impact, which sparked a national debate over releasing the brothers from prison early. With LA electing a new district attorney in November, the push for an early release remains in the headlines and a strong possibility.
Regardless of your opinion of the show, there’s no denying the cultural impact it sparked. Out creator Ryan Murphy isn’t new to producing shows that divide people while generating ratings. The first installment of the “Monster” anthology, centered on Jeffrey Dahmer, was a huge hit despite facing intense scrutiny for similar creative decisions.
‘Hand to God’ showcases actors and their puppets
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25K people attend People’s March in D.C.
All charged up about EVs
Transgender woman who protested against Cuban government released from prison
D.C. police demoted gay captain for taking parental leave: Lawsuit
Biden to leave office revered as most pro-LGBTQ president in history
Ugandan minister: Western human rights sanctions forced country to join BRICS
Many LGBTQ residents escaping D.C. for inauguration weekend
Kidman – and chemistry – drive provocative ‘Babygirl’
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District of Columbia4 days agoD.C. police demoted gay captain for taking parental leave: Lawsuit
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Politics4 days agoBiden to leave office revered as most pro-LGBTQ president in history
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Uganda4 days agoUgandan minister: Western human rights sanctions forced country to join BRICS
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District of Columbia4 days agoMany LGBTQ residents escaping D.C. for inauguration weekend