a&e features
Best of Gay D.C. XIV
Blade readers choose the best in nightlife, people, dining and community
ON THE COVER: Destiny B. Childs (Best Drag Queen) gets her makeup attended to by Wendy Rieger (Best TV personality) as Drew Fisher and Tim Baird, bartenders at Number Nine (Hottest Bar Staff) keep them fortified with the Lemon Squeeze (Best Cocktail from Duplex Diner), beer from D.C. Brau (Best Brewery), Krispy Kreme donuts (Best Donuts), pizza from &Pizza (Best Pizza) and more at the Town Patio (Best Outdoor Drinking). Decor courtesy Miss Pixie’s (Best Second Hand Stuff). (Concept and Washington Blade photo by James Neal)
The High Heel Race, the Walk to End HIV, the Town Halloween costume contest, the HRC National Dinner and yes, the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll edition, local gay October traditions all.
For our 14th installment, we decided to cast the net wide — you voted in 97 categories (up from 73 last year) with about 5,000 nominations and 20,000 votes.
From bars, venues and restaurants we’ve enjoyed for years to places we’d never even heard of but can’t wait to try, the fun of this issue is the memories it inspires — like that table you bought at Miss Pixie’s and can’t imagine life without — to starting a list of places to track down like the Red Hook Lobster Truck.
The profiles were written by Patrick Folliard, Mariah Cooper, Brian T. Carney and Kristen Hartke.
The entire Washington Blade staff congratulates each of this year’s winners and finalists.
PEOPLE
Lifetime Achievement
Vice President Joseph Biden
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Vice President Joseph Biden, delivering the keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign’s national dinner earlier this month, touted the significance of the court ruling on marriage, but also turned toward other issues relevant to the LGBT community.
“The great arc of justice is the journey of this nation, and it continues to move in the right direction,” Biden said. “We’re moving closer and closer to the animating spirit of America because of all of you, not me, because of all of you.”
Although he’s previously articulated support for comprehensive legislation prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination, Biden took the opportunity of his speech to explicitly endorse the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
“I strongly support the Equality Act, and it will pass, it will pass,” Biden said. “It may not pass this Congress. It will pass because it’s simple and it’s straightforward.” Biden’s support for the Equality Act makes him the first official in the Obama administration to explicitly endorse the bill.
Biden in 2012 dubbed transgender rights the “civil rights issue of our time,” an assertion he repeated this month as he commended Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for starting a review expected to lead in May to an end of the ban on openly transgender service.
“It took the secretary of defense about 10 minutes,” Biden said. “In July 2015 no longer is there any question, transgender people are able to serve in the United States military.” “All Americans who are able to serve physically should be able to serve,” Biden added.
Although Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 as a senator from Delaware, he later changed his position and opposed it. He opposed efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage that began in 2002 and voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006.
Most Committed Activist
Ruby Corado
Ruby Corado (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Casa Ruby
2822 Georgia Ave., N.W.
casaruby.org
Runner-up: Rayceen Pendarvis
Best Council Member
Jack Evans (Ward 2)
Jack Evans (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: David Grosso
Hottest Local Pro Athlete
Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper (Photo courtesy of the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
Runner-up: Ali Krieger
Best Massage
Eddie Weingart
Eddie Weingart (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Che Young
Best Personal Trainer
Gerard Burley
Gerard Burley (Photo by Scott Henrichsen)
“Coach G”
Runner-up: Anya Maleknasri
Best Doctor
Dr. Raymond Martins
Dr. Raymond Martins (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Whitman-Walker Health
1701 14th St., N.W.
1525 14th St., N.W.
2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., S.E.
Runner-up: One Medical
Best Real Estate Agent
Valerie Blake
Valerie Blake (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Stacey Williams-Zeiger
Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent
Chris Beagle
Chris Beagle (Photo courtesy of Beagle)
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Runner-up: Barbara Morales
Best Rehoboth Bartender
Chris Chandler (Purple Parrot)
Chris Chandler (Photo courtesy of Chandler)
Runner-up: Andrew Ennis (Blue Moon)
Best Amateur Athlete
Jeff Larivee (Stonewall Kickball)
Jeff Larivee (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Matt Pearce (D.C. Gay Flag Football League)
Best Local Columnist
Ezra Klein (Vox)
Ezra Klein (Photo courtesy of Klein)
Runner-up: John Kelly (Washington Post)
Best Bartender
Sarah Slocum
Sarah Slocum (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Jayson Smith (JR.’s)
Luckily for the patrons at Freddie’s Beach Bar, a perennial favorite in Crystal City (in, as they say, “YES, honey, VIRGINIA!”), bartender Sarah Slocum really enjoys her job, saying, “I love that when I arrive at work, I feel like I’m walking into a party with all my friends already there — I just happen to be the one that gets to make all the drinks!”
Whether you’re there for karaoke, bingo or a Freddie’s Follies drag show, there’s really never a dull moment at Freddie’s, although Slocum confesses to also enjoying the quieter nights when she can chat in a more leisurely way with customers. While she has a particular affinity for mixing martinis, Slocum likes presenting the Flashing Flamingo, an in-your-face concoction of watermelon and pomegranate vodkas and lip-puckering juices that arrives with a flashing ice cube floating in the depths of a fishbowl-like glass: “It definitely lends some liquid courage to help you get up and sing karaoke,” she says. (KH)
Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant
555 South 23rd St., Arlington
Best Stylist
Enders Barbaran
Enders Barbaran (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Bang Salon’s Metropole location
Runner-up: Shar Raigner
After working in accounts payable for several years, Enders Barbaran was ready for a change.
“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew it had to be something different and I knew it had to happen fast.” So without a lot of thought, he went to work as a shampoo assistant at Bang Salon’s Metropole location where his then-roommate was working as a stylist.
“Immediately I liked it,” says Barbaran. “I instinctively like to bring out the best in my clients whatever the job. The salon is an environment where I can do that.”
After several months on the job, Barbaran figured he could do what the stylists were doing so he enrolled in cosmetology school. For the next year he attended classes by day and shampooed clients in the evening. Following graduation, he received further training at Bang and became a full-fledged stylist with his own chair in 2009.
“I thank both Bang’s owner and my manager,” says Barbaran. “They had a lot of faith in me. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Barbaran grew up in Lima, Peru, surrounded by a family comprised of women. “I loved playing with my cousins’ hair,” says the stylist. “And even when I was working in accounts payable I played with my female co-worker’s hair. I’ve always liked hair. I’d just never thought to make it a profession.”
Today, Barbaran remains at Bang Salon where he cuts and colors both men and women. “My clients are like family to me and I want them to be happy. I’m humbled to have won among a field of excellent stylists. I didn’t campaign to win this. It’s truly a gift from my clients.” (PF)
Bang Salon Metropole
1519 15th St., N.W.
Best Lawyer
Michele Zavos
Michele Zavos (Photo courtesy Zavos Juncker Law Group)
Zavos Juncker Law Group
Runner-up: Patrick Menasco
Michele Zavos has been an attorney in the LGBT community for a long time. And throughout her career, she’s witnessed a lot of change.
“Most of it has come slowly, but over the last few years things have happened more quickly,” she says.
As the managing partner and founder of Zavos Juncker Law Group, Zavos has litigated and helped change policy in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and the Commonwealth of Virginia to extend legal protections to LGBT clients. She was the winning attorney in Port v. Cowan, in which the Maryland Court of Appeals held in May of 2012 that Maryland must recognize valid same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions, which predated the passage of marriage equality in Maryland.
“Fifty percent of our clients are LGBT,” says Zavos who is married to Ellen Cull, her partner of 22 years. “We’re a family law firm on the cutting edge for developing LGBT protection and representing people in difficult circumstances as a result of how family law has worked.”
In 1982, Zavos started the first “Maybe Baby” group for lesbians and gay men considering having children. “My daughter who is 30 was born with a donor dad,” says Zavos. “So this is my passion and interest and I’ve been fortunate to make it into a law practice. In family law there remains a ways to go regarding the rights of non-biological parents in same-sex relationships and marriages. For LGBT people in general there’s still a lot to do, particularly surrounding the area of trans rights and employment and discrimination, but that’s outside of my practice area.”
Looking ahead, Zavos says she is committed to further expanding the boundaries that protect LGBT families. (PF)
Zavos Junker Law Group
8455 Colesville Rd., No. 1500
Silver Spring, Md.
Best Artist
Chris Jay
Chris Jay (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: David Claypool
“Since I first started hanging out in D.C. three years ago, I wanted to win this,” says Chris Jay, a professional photographer in the Baltimore/Washington area. “Last year I wasn’t even nominated, and this year I turned up in three categories. It’s the result of a lot of hard work.”
Jay, who’s been taking photographs for 20 years, is currently focusing on a project titled “Kingxtaposition,” a collection of work capturing the many faces of drag kings. Her subjects to date have primarily been members of the D.C. Kings, a troupe with which she’s performed. But Jay has plans to expand.
Based in Howard County, Maryland, Jay wants to take her project on the road.
“The goal is to start traveling the country and meeting kings and photographing them. This project is big, but it’s not something I’m doing for money. I just want to tell stories from the perspective of someone who changes through the process of performing. I want to keep digging into that.”
At her business, Chris Jay Photos, Jay shoots portraits of performers, small business owners and local artists.
“I keep my prices reasonable so people can afford to promote themselves. I like to help them realize what they see in their heads.”
Her introduction to photography was at a JC Penny Portrait Studio where she worked after graduating from high school. “During the first Christmas season, I shot bazillions of family portraits and loved it. After that I worked for a company taking school portraits for seven years.”
Jay’s most personal work consists of self-portraits documenting her struggles with depression. “I like to raise awareness of what it’s like to live with a mental illness. My everyday life isn’t easy. But once I get going, it’s hard to stop me.” (PF)
Best Businessperson
Howard Brooks
Howard Brooks (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Scott Roewer, The Organizing Agency
The talented physician Howard L. Brooks, MD, has been medical director at the popular SKIN Cosmetic Dermatology Center of Georgetown since 2007. He is recognized as a leader in non-invasive body and facial rejuvenation for men and women.
Brooks says that SKIN blends the professional services of a physician’s office with the relaxing environment of a day spa, but emphasizes that patients need to play an active role in the health of their skin. SKIN offers clients a wide array of aesthetic, cosmetic and medical treatment options.
Brooks and the staff at SKIN have received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Patients appreciated their efficiency and friendliness and praised Brooks for his ability to listen and ask great questions, his skill at making quick and clear recommendations, his caring manner and honesty.
Brooks is a graduate of Howard University College of Medicine. He completed his medical internship at Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore; his residency at Howard University Hospital included stints at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Children’s National Medical Center and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
He often appears as an expert resource for local and national media outlets including the Washington Blade, CNN, Fox Morning News, NewsChannel 8 and WTOP. He is an attending instructor for the University Health Center at University of Maryland and is the author (or co-author) of numerous scientific and clinical articles in peer reviewed journals and texts. He is also a member of the Capital Area Physicians for Human Rights and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. (BTC)
Dr. Howard Brooks
SKIN Dermatology of Georgetown
2233 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., no. 230
202-298-7546
Best Clergy
Bishop Allyson Abrams
Bishop Allyson Abrams (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Rev. David Lett
Bishop Allyson Abrams, founder and current pastor of Empowerment Liberation Cathedral, made headlines last year when she married Bishop Diana Williams. Abrams was serving as the first female pastor at Zion Progress Baptist Church in Detroit when she married Williams, who is a bishop emeritus with Washington’s Imani Temple African-American Catholic Congregation. Rumors of their wedding quickly spread through the congregation and Abrams resigned from the church.
The couple moved to D.C. and Abrams founded her new LGBT-affirming church, which currently holds services in the sanctuary of the Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring. (Empowerment Liberation Cathedral was named Best House of Worship and is profiled separately.)
Abrams graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. She received her master’s of divinity and her doctorate in ministry from United Theological Seminary. She is the author of three books and two of her sermons have been published in “The African American Pulpit.” She is also recognized for her magnificent singing voice and sang with the Young Adult Fellowship Ensemble at D.C.’s Metropolitan Baptist Church. She has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary and Wayne County Community College and served as a doctoral mentor at Ecumenical Theological Seminary.
On a lighter note, Abrams also officiated at the 2014 wedding of singer Monifah Carter and her girlfriend Terez Thorpe on the final episode of the reality TV show “R&B Divas of Atlanta.”
Known for her fiery, stirring messages and electrifying prayers, she has been asked to preach at pulpits across the country. Abrams says her passion and gift is “preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and helping God’s people.” She looks forward to continuing her social justice work and ministry at Empowerment Liberation Cathedral. (BTC)
Bishop Allyson Abrams
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
633 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring
240-720-7605
empowermentliberationcathedral.org
Best Hill Staffer
Yesenia Chavez
Yesenia Chavez (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Kevin Knight
Yesenia Chavez is already a voice to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill. Since arriving in Washington in August 2013, this rising star has been an out and proud spokesperson for women, people of color and the LGBT community.
She’s currently a legislative assistant for U.S. Representative Raúl M. Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona’s Third District. Her legislative portfolio includes LGBT issues, human rights, women’s rights, small business, gun violence, veterans’ affairs and voting rights. In addition, she serves as the staff contact for the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Chavez began working on the Hill when she was selected as one of four Victory Congressional Interns by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute in 2013.
Chavez is also an At-Large Director for the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, which is an official, non-partisan congressional staff organization that promotes career development opportunities for LGBT congressional staffers. Chavez’s focus is on building member outreach toward women and staffers of color and she has initiated queer people of color and women’s lunches to build community and to strengthen the group’s diversity.
In 2014, Chavez was named one of the “20 Queer People of Color You Should Know” by Houston’s Outsmart Magazine. A graduate of the University of Houston, she received the University’s Community Involvement Scholarship from the LGBT Resource Center and the Difference Maker Award from the University Commission on Women. She’s also a Hometown Mentor for the College Success Foundation. (BTC)
Yesenia Chavez
1511 Longworth House Office Building
202-225-2435
Best Trans Advocate
Thomas Coughlin
Thomas Coughlin (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Ruby Corado
This is the second year that Thomas Coughlin has been named Best Trans Advocate in the Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. Readers’ Poll Awards. He’s a staff psychotherapist and transgender health advocate at Whitman-Walker Health and is also in private practice with an office near Dupont Circle.
A long-time D.C. resident, Coughlin joined the Army in 1986 and was stationed at the Pentagon. After his service, he decided to stay in the area and earned a master’s degree in Clinical Community Counseling from Johns Hopkins University He came out as gay in 1985 and began to come out as trans in 1999. He currently lives in Silver Spring with his wife and stepchildren (and their dog Maize).
In a 2014 Queery profile in the Blade, Coughlin said his LGBT heroes were “those in the community facing harassment, discrimination and oppression every single day, but still finding the courage to live their truth. Seriously, that’s the heroic stuff.” That passion clearly underlines his approach to counseling. As he says on his website, “sometimes creating or maintaining a happy, satisfying life requires help. I support you in your journey toward your true self.”
Coughlin has also been a leader in providing transgender cultural competency training to businesses, educational institutions and private agencies that wish to learn more about transgender lives. He works with organizations to help them understand and support transgender employees and assists professionals who wish to better serve their clients in providing compassionate and competent care to members of the transgender community. (BTC)
Thomas Coughlin, LPC, NCC
1633 Q St., N.W., Suite 210
Best Chef
José Andrés
José Andrés (Photo by Blair Getz Mezibov)
Runner-up: Mike Isabella, Mike Isabella Concepts
You can’t throw a plate of tapas in D.C. without hitting a José Andrés restaurant these days, so it’s no wonder that the ebullient Spanish-born chef would get the nod in this category.
With nearly a dozen restaurants in the region, it’s easy to get your hands on Andrés’ food, whether it’s a bocata — the Spanish version of a deli sandwich — from his roving food truck Pepe, Lebanese-inspired crispy Brussels sprouts at Zaytinya, or deviled eggs spiked with jalapeño at American Eats Tavern that speak to the chef’s exploration of his adopted country’s classic dishes. Andrés’ foray into fast-casual this year with the opening of the veggie-centric Beefsteak in Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle solidified his role as a chef who wants to connect with every single diner in this city on some level, whether through tomatoes, turkey or tequila.
Still, even while building a veritable dining empire, Andrés has also committed considerable time and resources to supporting healthy eating efforts at D.C. Central Kitchen, teaching students at George Washington University about how the food supply chain affects global security and engaging local kids in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to fight childhood obesity. Always accessible, José Andrés is the kind of celebrity chef who knows how to keep it real, and that keeps us at his tables. (KH)
Best Straight Ally
Meghan Davies
Meghan Davies (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Maya Rupert
Meghan Davies, Whitman-Walker Health’s chief of operations and program integration, has supported D.C.’s LGBT community through her work with Whitman-Walker.
Her job has her overseeing many aspects of Whitman-Walker Health including community health, clinical infrastructure, therapy-based services and more.
Previously, Davies was Whitman-Walker Health’s Director of Community Health. She assisted with the Breast Health Initiative, HIV counseling, Whitman-Walker’s +1 HIV Peer Support Program and PALS, a program advocating for LGBT seniors.
Her other background efforts include being an HIV prevention volunteer in the Peace Corps. She also holds a master’s degree in public health from George Washington University. (MC)
Best Local TV Personality
Wendy Rieger
Wendy Rieger (Washington Blade photo by Jonathan Ellis)
Runner-up: Chuck Bell
NBC4’s Wendy Rieger stumbled upon broadcast journalism when she was a college drop-out looking to make money as an actress. She found a job reading the news on camera in Norfolk, Va., and fell in love with the business.
The job inspired Rieger to return to school and she earned her degree in broadcast journalism from American University.
Rieger, a frequent emcee for SMYAL’s fall brunches, was struck by the injustice young LGBT people faced when she was doing a story on SMYAL and at the time was not allowed to say the location for fear of it being attacked.
“What kind of insanity is that? In a civilized country,” Rieger says. “It turns my stomach to think that people still harbor that much hatred for something that is unlike them.”
Rieger says that growing up in the South and seeing the racism African Americans faced raised her awareness about how poorly people can be treated for being different. When she moved to D.C., she had gay friends and noticed similar injustices that made her want to speak out. She hopes her public persona can help LGBT issues progress in a positive direction.
“If my name in any way takes away some of the fear or anxiety someone may feel because this is an unknown to them and I can help show them that these people are people living their lives and it’s normal, it’s going to be for the greater good in the end,” Rieger says. (MC)
Local Hero
David Franco
David Franco (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
David Franco, principal and co-founder of real estate development Level 2 Development, has a passion for housing displacement that stems from a personal place.
Franco’s family owned Jay Dee’s Children’s Apparel, a discount department store in D.C., from 1937-1983 and were forced to shut down.
Franco, who spent his childhood growing up in the store, vividly remembers how he felt.
“I remember standing there across the street the day that the wrecking ball demolished the store,” Franco says. “It was really an impactful moment, just feeling displaced, feeling like my family had been displaced.”
That moment led Franco to spearhead housing preservation efforts. In 2005, Franco joined forces with Jubilee Housing to help preserve Cresthill Apartments for the Sankoka Tenants Association, a 48-unit building. The partnership led to creating home ownership opportunities for low- to medium-income residents specifically for the 14th Street corridor.
Franco, who also owns men’s clothing store Universal Gear on 14th Street, has also served on Mayor Fenty’s D.C. Housing and Community Development’s Housing Protection Trust Fund Board. (MC)
NIGHTLIFE
Best Cocktail
Lemon Squeeze
Lemon Squeeze (Washington Blade photo by James Neal)
Duplex Diner
2004 18th St., N.W.
202-265-7828
Runner-up: Sunday Sangria (1905 Bistro & Bar)
Best Drag Show
Ladies of Town
Town Danceboutique (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 p.m.
Town Danceboutique
2009 8th St., N.W.
Runner-up: D.C. Kings
Best Gay-Friendly Straight Bar
Dacha Beer Garden
Dacha Beer Garden (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1600 7th St., N.W.
202-524-8790
Runner-up: Black Cat
Best Happy Hour &
Hottest Bar Staff
Bartenders at Number Nine, from left, <strong>Scott Peton</strong>, <strong>Jake Reif</strong> and <strong>Kieran McGuidan</strong>, serve patrons at happy hour. (Washington Blade photo by Damien Salas)
Number Nine
1435 P St., N.W.
Runner-up: Bear Happy Hour
Best Live Music
9:30 Club
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
815 V St., N.W.
Runner-up: Howard Theatre
Best Neighborhood Bar
Phase 1
Phase 1 (Washington Blade file photo by Nicole Reinertson)
525 8th St., S.E.
Runner-up: JR.’s
Best Outside-the-District Bar
Freddie’s Beach Bar
Freddie’s Beach Bar and Grill (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
555 S. 23rd St.
Arlington, Va.
Runner-up: Blue Iguana
Best Outdoor Drinking
Town Patio
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Town Danceboutique
2009 8th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Dacha Beer Garden
Best Guys Night Out
Secrets
1824 Half St., S.W.
Runner-up: Town
Best Girls Night Out
BARE by LURe
LURe (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Every third Saturday of the month at Cobalt
1639 R St., N.W.
Runner-up: Phase 1
Best Place to Find Someone Besides Grindr
Crew Club
Crew Club (Photo by Pete Exis)
1321 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Town
Best Rehoboth Bar
Blue Moon
Blue Moon (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Runner-up: Aqua
Best Rooftop
Nellie’s Sports Bar
(Washington Blade photo by Hugh Clarke)
900 U St., N.W.
Runner-up: Penthouse Pool & Lounge
Best DJ
Matt Bailer
DJ Matt Bailer (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Rosie Hicks
For DJ Matt Bailer, the secret to his ongoing success boils down to the music.
“I don’t know how to throw a party per se. But I know how to play music that I love and think other people will love too.”
His two monthly dance parties, Peach Pit and Mixtape (with co-host DJ Shea Van Horn), have been staples of gay nightlife for six and seven years respectively. While Mixtape melds new and older music and rotates venues (Black Cat, 9:30, Howard Theatre and Town), Peach Pit is strictly ‘90s music and stays put at DC9.
Bailer also spins at Nellie’s on Fridays, and occasionally La Boum, a boozy brunch at L’Enfant Café in Adams Morgan. Unlike DJs who use laptops, Bainer relies on CDs, so technically, yes, he spins. “I describe myself as middle school,” Bailer says. “I’m somewhere between laptop and vinyl. My favorite music includes ‘90s, house, old hip hop, pop and remixes.”
Growing up in Camp Springs, Md., Bailer was hooked on radio. At 10, he was already listening to (and recording) Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. “I loved finding new music and introducing it to my family and friends. I still do.”
After studying theater at Duke University in North Carolina in the ‘90s, Bailer spent two-and-a-half years in Los Angeles DJing some, but mostly doing drugs. He returned to D.C. and got sober in 2003. Soon after he began picking up DJ gigs at Omega, a Guess Store and recovery sober dances. Eventually he connected with Cobalt and work became steadier. In 2009, he gave up his day job at an office and hasn’t looked back since.
“Today I feel like I’m doing what I’m on the planet to do. That may change one day, but not today.” (PF)
Best Burlesque Dancer
Private Tails
Private Tails (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: GiGi Holliday
Miss Private Tails is an international entertainer and professional ecdysiast who says her mission is to inspire and electrify. Born just outside of Hollywood, Calif., she has been performing burlesque since 2005 and has been based in D.C. for the past eight years. She is Miss Gay United States Capital City Femme Fatale (2013) and the eternal Miss Nubian DMV (2009) and was the First Miss Phase 1 (2010). She is also the regional promoter for Burlypicks, the only international talent competition focused on burlesque and variety.
Her scintillating act draws on a wide variety of influences including classical burlesque, hip-hop, boi-lesque and Broadway. She currently has more than 100 polished routines in her performance repertoire, but she also enjoys the creative process of developing new numbers and looks forward to the opportunity to whip up a fresh new performance for an enthusiastic audience. She’s been dancing and entertaining since childhood and received a bachelor’s degree in theater from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., with a focus on both acting and directing.
Miss Private Tails proudly notes that she knows how to charm the large bills out of the pockets of her audience, but also notes that since burlesque is the “art of the tease,” she doesn’t necessarily have to show a lot of skin to have an entertaining performance. In fact, she cleans it up every year as the emcee of D.C. Youth Pride every April.
You can see her at Unfastened: DC at Phase 1 on Nov. 6. (BTC)
Miss Private Tails
Best Singer or Band
Frankie & Betty
Frankie and Betty (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Tom Goss
This is the second win for the “insanely fun queertastic group” Frankie & Betty. The bank kicked it off four years ago when Rachel Bauchman (singer, bass, guitar) and Jessie Strick (lead guitar) met at an open mic at Phase 2. With their love of pop culture references and obnoxious jokes, the duo immediately hit it off and started performing together. Six months ago they added drummer Judy Bad to the mix.
Frankie & Betty have become active members of the D.C. music community as well as hosts for local burlesque shows. Their style is fast, fun and light. Strick says, “It’s morphed into a really fun live show now. We love to banter and interact with the audience. We love joking around with each other and to play some fun songs in between.”
They say their musical influences are Florence and the Machine, Le Tigre, Tegan and Sara, Feist and Santigold, but (with tongues firmly planted in cheek), they also admit that MGD, JB, PBR and OPP are major influences. Strick says a recent highlight was playing the 9:30 Club for Phasefest. “That was by far the most exciting gig for the band to date,” she says. “We have all dreamed of playing that stage since we were little girls, so it was honestly a dream come true and a memory we will never forget.”
The band has been taking a break lately to celebrate Rachel’s wedding, but they will update their Facebook page when they start booking new gigs. And they offer this impish guarantee: “We make sure that every audience member leaves a performance with a smile on their face from having been a part of both a musical and comedic experience.” (BTC)
Frankie & Betty
Best Drag King
Avery Austin
Avery Austin (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Sebastian Katz
Avery Austin, the drag king persona of New Orleans native Anna Wimpelberg, was born in 2004 when Wimpelberg hit the drag king scene in Boston.
Since then, Wimpelberg joined Kings ‘N Things, an Austin, Texas drag king troupe, before moving to the District. Wimpelberg joined the now-defunct D.C. kings troupe in 2011.
She enjoys using plot lines and musicals to form her performances. She also likes to take inspiration from the television show “Glee” to create her character’s show.
When she isn’t performing, Wimpelberg is a HIV research specialist for Whitman-Walker Health. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she has degrees in psychology and education. (MC)
Best Drag Queen
Destiny B. Childs
Destiny B. Childs (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Summer Camp
You may have seen Destiny B. Childs (Richard Legg) performing at a number of local venues, but her act is anything but small. With stints at the Academy of Washington Inc., Ziegfeld’s/Secrets and Freddie’s Beach Bar, she has become a staple in the local drag community.
A Pensacola, Fla., native, Legg was stationed at Walter Reed when in the U.S. Army in 1996. He decided to stay in the area and later decided to try performing in drag in 2003. His drag mother Ophelia Bottoms (Charles McWilliams) praised his performance and with her encouragement, he continued performing.
Since then, Childs has continued performing all over the District. She regularly emcees on the main stage at Capital Pride and was Empress II in the Imperial Court of Washington two years ago. (MC)
Best Alt Party
Mixtape
Mixtape (Photo by David Claypool | kaloramaphoto.com)
Runner-up: Peach Pit
DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer host Mixtape, an alternative dance party, on the second Saturday of each month. Locations vary. The fourth annual Mixtape Halloween party is on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Howard Theatre. It’s at the 9:30 Club on Saturday, Nov. 14 and at the Black Cat on Saturday, Dec. 12.
DINING
Best Burger
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
(Photo by Ewan Munro; courtesy Flickr)
Various D.C. locations
Runner-up: Shake Shack
Best Coffee Shop
Tryst
Tryst (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
2459 18th St., N.W.
Runner-up: The Coffee Bar
Best Date Restaurant
Busboys & Poets
Busboys & Poets (Photo by Bossi; courtesy Flickr)
2021 14th St., N.W.
1025 5th St., N.W.
625 Monroe St., N.E.
Runner-up: Floriana
Best Dessert
Grassroots Gourmet
Grassroots Gourmet (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
104 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Three Fifty Bakery
Best French Restaurant
Le Diplomate
Le Diplomate (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
1601 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Bistrot Du Coin
Best Doughnut
Krispy Kreme
1350 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Astro Donut
Best Ethiopian Restaurant
Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant
Dukem (Photo by trotnort; courtesy Flickr)
1114-1118 U St., N.W.
Runner-up: Ethiopie
Best Farmer’s Market
Eastern Market
Eastern Market (Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
225 7th St., S.E.
Runner-up: Dupont Circle
Best Italian Restaurant
Floriana Restaurant
Floriana (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1602 17th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Red Hen
Best Pizza
&pizza
1215 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
1250 U St., N.W.
1400 K St., N.W.
Runner-up: Pizza Paradiso
Best Pricey Restaurant That’s Totally Worth It
Palm Restaurant
The Palm (Photo by Zagat Buzz; courtesy Flickr)
1225 19th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Thai Crossing
Best Rehoboth Restaurant
Dos Locos
Drinks at Dos Locos (Photo courtesy Dos Locos)
208 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Runner-up: Blue Moon
Best Seafood Restaurant
Hank’s Oyster Bar
Hank’s Oyster Bar (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
1624 Q St., N.W.
1026 King St., Alexandria, Va.
633 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.
Runner-up: Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
Best Steak Restaurant
Annie’s Paramount Steak and Seafood House
Annie’s Paramount Steak House (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
1609 17th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Best Sushi
Sticky Rice
1224 H St., N.E.
Runner-up: Sushi Taro
Best Wine Bar
Barcelona
Barcelona (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1622 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Vinoteca
Best Restaurant You’d Wait in Line For
Rose’s Luxury
Runner-up: Barcelona
Rose’s Luxury (Photo by T. Tseng; courtesy Flickr)
Just two years ago, Rose’s Luxury was barely a twinkle in the eyes of D.C. diners, who were hard-pressed to understand why anyone would stand in line for up to four hours to get a table at this Capitol Hill gem.
With a 20-year lease, Rose’s Luxury aims to stand the test of time and chef-owner Aaron Silverman thinks that standing in line — that is, not taking reservations — is the best way to make the restaurant truly open for all, since no one can book up the tables months in advance. This begs a question: Is it worth it? The simple answer: yes.
There’s a reason why Rose’s Luxury has been racking up accolades from Bon Appetit — which named it America’s Best New Restaurant in 2014 — along with just about every news outlet in D.C.: the food is innovative, intelligent and undeniably special. On Rose’s current menu, you might find yourself with a salad of crispy pig’s ear with a fresh salsa of mango and cabbage or hand-cut chitarra, a porous pasta that holds sauce particularly well — in this case, a soffritto of caramelized cauliflower and white wine. So, go ahead and get in line. It’ll be worth the wait — and you can get a treat from nearby District Doughnut to munch until your table’s ready. (KH)
Rose’s Luxury
717 8th St., S.E.
202-580-8889
Best Virginia Winery
Linden Vineyards
Runner-up: Breaux Vineyards
Just an hour outside the Beltway lies an oasis of peace and tranquility, along with some pretty impressive wine. This is Linden Vineyards, where, thankfully, you won’t find buses full of tipsy tour-goers or hobby winemakers.
What you will find is Jim Law, a true working winemaker and former Peace Corps volunteer with deep roots in vineyard agriculture who is constantly tinkering with his vines in an effort to produce character-driven sauvignon blanc, riesling and chardonnay, just to name a few of the award-winning wines in its cellars. A visit to Linden is not to be undertaken lightly, and certainly not with a boisterous group of friends, as the vineyard will not accommodate groups larger than six and limits its deck and grounds on Saturdays and Sundays only to members of their Case Club (anyone who purchases a case of wine becomes a member automatically).
Whether or not you are part of the club, it’s worth it to arrive in time for the 11:30 a.m. weekend tours of the cellar and vineyard, offering serious insight into the craft of winemaking, which just might make you the star of the conversation at the next dinner party — when you arrive with, of course, a bottle or two from Linden’s cellars. (KH)
3708 Harrels Corner Rd., Linden, Va.
540-364-1997
Best Asian Restaurant
Beau Thai
Owners, from left, Ralph Brabham, Aschara Vigsittaboot and Drew Porterfield meet at the Shaw location of Beau Thai. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Thaitanic
The original location of Beau Thai opened in Shaw in 2010 under the direction of husbands Ralph Brabham and Drew Porterfield and chef Aschara Viggsittaboot with a goal to bring authentic Thai cuisine that didn’t rely on curry from a can.
Now expanded to new sites in Shaw and Mount Pleasant (with a noodle shop at the original spot on New Jersey Ave. NW), Beau Thai continues to impress diners with fresh ingredients and thoughtful preparation. Because the curry paste is actually made from scratch at Beau Thai, it’s worth ordering up at least one curry for the table — an interesting combination is the marinated duck with grapes, pineapple and tomato — and be sure to try the Pad Thai, a classic that can sometimes be made overly sweet, ostensibly to suit the American palate, but has a tangy undertone of tamarind here. The brunch menu at the Mount Pleasant location offers some fun fusion twists on the classics, from the Egg Drop “Grits” made with Thai rice soup to the Hangover Special, a tempting concoction of fried eggs with sweet Thai sausage and taro home fries. Top it all off with a Homemade Ginger Beer, which blends a ginger-lime purée with Singha, and that hangover will be just a memory. (KH)
Beau Thai
3162 Mount Pleasant St., N.W. (Mount Pleasant)
1550 7th St., N.W., Unit A (Shaw)
202-450-5317 or 202-450-5346
Best Boozy Brunch
La Boum
La Boum (Photo courtesy of L’Enfent Cafe)
Runner-up: Level One
As they like to say at La Boum, this is not your grandmother’s brunch. No, indeed. What you’ll find at La Boum, once it transforms from its slightly more staid persona as L’Enfant Cafe & Bar (think Clark Kent coming out of that phone booth dressed as Superman), is a raucous, Champagne-filled daytime house party, where the food’s OK but the alcohol is plentiful.
And, frankly, that’s not necessarily a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Named one of the top 100 brunches in the country, La Boum offers two seatings on Saturdays, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and reservations can sometimes be booked up several weeks in advance; once you pre-pay online at $29.50 per person (which includes three courses and cover charge, but not beverages), you can just sit back and get the party started once your reservation begins. Champagne bottles arrive wrapped in flaming sparklers, eggs Norvégienne will soak up the alcohol, the DJ keeps Katy Perry and Madonna spinning, and dancing on the tables — well, why not? (KH)
La Boum
2000 18th St., N.W.
202-319-1800
Best Local Brewery
DC Brau
D.C. Brau (Photo by Steph Harding Photo)
Runner-up: Capitol City
It’s hard to remember a time when there weren’t breweries and distilleries dotting the city, but, just a scant few years ago, D.C. was actually a hand-crafted alcohol desert. That all changed in 2009 when beer buddies Jeff Hancock and Brandon Skall decided to open the city’s first brewery in more than 50 years, locating their operations in a largely industrial neighborhood in Northeast D.C. just before the Maryland line.
First they turned out some really tasty brews that have now become mainstays in bars and grocery stores across the area, then the social media-savvy duo managed to do something pretty astonishing: They actually turned their off-the-beaten-path brewery into an unlikely weekend destination, luring food trucks, deejays and artists to create a hipster’s paradise of tastings and tours. Stop by on Friday evenings for half-priced pint night and don’t forget to wear closed-toe shoes for the free brewery tours on Saturday afternoons. (KH)
DC Brau
3178-B Bladensburg Rd., NE
202-621-8890
Best Caterer
Old Blue BBQ
Old Blue BBQ (Photo by Ella M. Photography)
Runner-up: Patrick Vanas Events
If you’re on the lookout for hosting an event with some good old Southern hospitality, Old Blue BBQ is ready to pile on the comfort food. An array of meats, including baby back ribs, brisket, salmon and tri-tip are smoked over locally sourced oak and maple — but the grilling doesn’t stop there. Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers, smoked tomato jam crostini, smoked artichoke dip (oh yes), and even grilled fruit drizzled with white chocolate are other ways that Old Blue kicks it up a notch, taking the menu from down-home barbecue to rustic chic, whether you’re looking to host a company picnic or a family wedding. (KH)
Old Blue BBQ
4580 Eisenhower Ave.
Alexandria, Va.
703-552-4544
Best Cheap Eats
Amsterdam Falafelshop
Amsterdam Falafel (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Chipotle
Not only does Amsterdam Falafelshop keep hours that are designed to cater to bleary hungover mornings as well as late nights stumbling home from the bar, this quick-service local chain left no doubt as to who they think their clientele are when they created a pot-pairing menu and $4.20 sandwiches all in celebration of April 20.
What’s not to love about a sandwich called the OG Kush, a combination of beets, turnips and tahini designed to complement the “woodsy undertones” of the OG Kush strain, a pairing said to promote a heightened sensory awareness? Whether your vice is weed or baba ganoush, Amsterdam Falafelshop has got you covered with fast falafel balls served either in pita or bowls, 22 toppings, and uber-crispy fries with a lip-smacking curried ketchup, all for less than the cost of that last cocktail you probably shouldn’t have ordered. (KH)
Amsterdam Falafelshop
2425 18th St. NW (Adams Morgan)
202-234-1969
1830 14th St. NW (Logan Circle/U Street)
202-232-6200
429 L’Enfant Plaza SW (L’Enfant Plaza)
Suite 420 Promenade
202-554-1111
Best Indian
Rasika
Rasika (Photo by David Liu; courtesy Flickr)
Runner-up: Ghar E Kabob
There’s a good reason why Rasika chef Vikram Sunderam won a James Beard Award last year — the flavors and textures coming from his kitchens at both the Penn Quarter and West End locations are layered yet distinct, playful yet refined, and clearly designed to make us rethink our preconceived notions about Indian food.
You’ll find no bland lentil mush here or doughy samosas; instead, look for bright splashes of saffron and fresh curry leaves, crisp shards of coconut and punches of vinegar, all hallmarks of what is probably the best Indian cuisine to be found anywhere in the United States — and we’ve got it right here in D.C. Even better, Rasika is a reasonably priced fine dining restaurant that is not stingy on its hours, being open for lunch, dinner and pretty much every holiday. It offers Sunday brunch at the West End restaurant with such delights as Coconut Jaggery Pancakes and Eggs Kejiriwal; and a chef’s tasting menu that proves Indian food can be perfectly paired with fine wines instead of just Taj Mahal. (KH)
Rasika
633 D St. NW (Penn Quarter)
202-637-1222
1190 New Hampshire Ave. NW (West End)
202-466-2500
Best Food Truck
Red Hook Lobster Pound
Runner-up: Rito Loco
There’s something about the friendly red gingham-clad exterior of the Red Hook Lobster Pound truck as it perches along the curb that just makes you want to don a bib and sink your teeth into a crustacean.
If you’re a New Englander longing for some lobstah — or just a wannabe — then this truck is the place to get your fix, whether it’s the Connecticut-style lobster roll, a simple concoction of buttered roll filled with chunks of lobster meat spritzed with fresh lemon juice, the classic Maine lobster roll dressed in housemade mayo, or the utterly decadent lobster mac ’n cheese — and don’t forget to add Cape Cod potato chips and Maine Root Soda. It’s kind of like having a day at the shore, even if it’s only 30 minutes on a bench at Farragut Square. (KH)
Red Hook Lobster Pound
Find out where the truck is on Twitter: @LobstertruckDC
202-341-6263
Best Sandwich
Taylor Gourmet
Taylor Gourmet (Photo by docmonstereyes; courtesy Flickr)
Runner-up: Sundervich
When two guys from Philly decided to open up a hoagie shop on the barely burgeoning H Street corridor back in 2008, the idea was to make really good, fresh sandwiches with homemade flair. Since then, Taylor Gourmet has expanded to 10 locations in the region, proving that apparently we were all hungry for a hoagie.
With an eye on quality, all the beef, pork, and turkey is roasted in-house, the bread is baked locally, and the Italian-style cured meats are sourced from Virginia, giving a decidedly local spin on Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks and Italian hoagies stuffed with everything from sausage, onion and peppers to hand-rolled meatballs topped with fresh marinara. While you’re there, don’t forget to order up a side of the crispy polenta fries — you won’t regret it. (KH)
Taylor Gourmet
Ten locations across D.C., Maryland and Virginia
COMMUNITY
Best Local Blog
Popville
Runner-up: BYT
Best Local Podcast
L.A.C.E. Media Podcast
Chris Jay of L.A.C.E. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Download at iTunes
Runner-up: Jellyvision
Most Useful App
Uber
Runner-up: Waze
Best Radio Station
Hot 99.5
Runner-up: WAMU 88.5
Best Real Estate Group
David Bediz
Bediz Group
1918 18th St., N.W. Courtyard No. 2
Runner-up: The Evan and Mark Team
Best Art Gallery
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st St., N.W.
Runner-up: Corcoran Gallery of Art
Best Car Dealership
Don Beyer Volvo of Winchester
4015 Valley Pike
Winchester, Va.
Runner-up: MWS of Alexandria
Best Apartment/Condo Building
The Shay
1924 8th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Atlantic Plumbing
Best Workout Spot
VIDA Fitness
Vida Fitness (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1517 15th St., N.W.
1612 U St., N.W.
999 9th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Elevate Fitness
Best Gayborhood
Logan Circle
Logan Circle (Photo public domain)
Runner-up: 17th Street
Best Hardware Store
Logan Hardware
Logan Hardware (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1734 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Annie’s Ace Hardware
Best Home Furnishings &
Best Second-Hand Stuff
Miss Pixie’s Furnishings and Whatnot
Miss Pixie’s (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1626 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Hudson & Crane
Best Hotel
The W
W Hotel (Photo courtesy of the W Hotel Washington, D.C.)
515 15th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Hotel Palomar
Best LGBT Social Group
Stonewall Sports
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
Best LGBT Support Group &
Best Non-Profit
SMYAL
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders
410 7th St., S.E.
Runner-up: HIPS
Best LGBT Sports Team
Washington Scandals Rugby Football Club
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Flippin’ Not Trippin’
Best Pet Business
Doggy Style Bakery, Boutique & Pet Spa
1825 18th St., N.W.
Runner-up: City Dogs Rescue
Best Place to Take Kids
Smithsonian’s National Zoo
(Photo by Quadell; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Best Salon/Spa
Logan 14
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1314 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Bang Salon
Best Reason to Go to Baltimore
National Aquarium
The National Aquarium in Baltimore (Photo by Andrew Horne)
501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore
Runner-up: The Hippo
Best Theater
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The Kennedy Center (Photo by Steve via Wikimedia Commons)
2700 F St., N.W.
Runner-up: Studio Theatre
Best Theater Production
“Dear Evan Hansen”
Laura Dreyfuss as Zoe and Ben Platt as Evan in ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ (Photo by Margot Schulman; courtesy Arena)
Arena Stage
1101 6th St., N.W.
Runner-up: “Book of Mormon” (Kennedy Center)
Best Vet
CityPaws Animal Hospital
1823 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: D.C. Metrovet
Best Rehoboth Business
Bad Hair Day
20 Lake Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Runner-up: Blue Moon
Best Local Twitter Feed
@DCHomos
Runner-up: @popville
If you want to know what’s going on in LGBT D.C., you need to follow @DCHomos on Twitter. Described as “News, noise, food, men, sports, art, charity, fashion, TV, happy thoughts, all things gay and D.C. Sentinel, silent and sure,” it’s a delightful mélange of everything serious and sublime about the nation’s capital in 140 characters or less.
The mastermind behind @DCHomos is Josie Romero. When he moved to D.C. from Miami Beach six years ago, he didn’t know anyone in town. But with his experience in the tech industry, he knew that Twitter was just starting to catch on and that D.C. was one of the first cities to embrace tweeting.
So he decided to use the new technology to help build a circle of friends. That was before Twitter had a search function, so he looked for screen names that included “D.C.” He slowly compiled a list of kindred souls and started posting lists of local happy hours. About 18 months ago, Romero turned the feed in a different direction. He added a focus on news and social issues, especially marriage equality.
Basically, he describes the feed as “things I share on Twitter instead of Facebook.” He does note that the feed attracts a lot of negative feedback, which he tends to ignore.
“I’ve adopted a ‘Don’t Feed the Trolls’ policy. I try to keep things positive.”
As of press time, @DCHomos has made more than 110,000 tweets, is following 27,300 users and has over 75,300 followers. Romero has also started live tweeting events (he had a lot of fun at the recent Reel Affirmations “Paris Is Burning” mini-ball), so be sure to keep him in the loop. (BTC)
Best LGBT-Owned Business
The Organizing Agency
(Photo courtesy of the Organizing Agency)
Runner-up: Town
When out businessman Scott Roewer talks about organizing and closets, he’s not necessarily talking about politics. He’s probably talking about organizing your closets to harmonize your life. As Roewer likes to point out, “anyone can organize your space, but it takes a professional to organize you.”
After working as a music educator and an event planner, Roewer decided to apply his fervent entrepreneurial spirit and creative expertise to helping clients organize their lives. He founded the Organizing Agency in 2004 to help clients create productivity systems for their homes and offices. The Agency also provides stress-free moving planning and offers workshops on shaping spaces and managing time.
A native of Bellevue, Neb., Roewer earned his Certified Professional Organizer® designation in 2007 and is an active member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). He is also the co-author of “Get Organized Today,” a book about strategic organizing, and has been a contributor to Time magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, MSNBC, Today, HGTV and Martha Stewart Living.
Inspired by the excess encountered in their work, the Organizing Agency team makes giving back to the community a priority. Roewer and his staff are active supporters of the Unstoppable Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Dress for Success and Soles4Souls. He is also a member of the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
Roewer has been widely recognized for his professional and philanthropic work. In 2008 NAPO-Washington, D.C. awarded him with its inaugural Professional Organizer of the Year Award and in 2012 NAPO recognized him with its highest honor, the Founders’ Award. In 2011, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds named him Joint Base Andrews’ “Hometown Hero,” an honor that included a flight with the Thunderbirds in their F-16 Fighter Jet. (BTC)
The Organizing Agency
811 4th St., N.W., Suite1013
202-249-8330
Most LGBT-Friendly Workplace
The Raben Group
The Raben Group (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Whitman-Walker Health
The Raben Group is deeply committed to inclusion and diversity in working with clients and in managing its workplace. Founded in 2001 by former Assistant Attorney General Robert Raben, the Raben Group has grown to more than 50 employees with offices in Washington, Los Angeles and New York City.
Its mission is to identify opportunities and solve problems for clients in the corporate, nonprofit, foundation and government sectors. The Raben Group is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, diverse group of colleagues united not just by a profession, but by a common commitment to equality and justice. It brings together a diverse collection of professionals with deep roots in law and progressive public policy and works to solve complex public policy problems across a spectrum of issues.
The agency’s practice areas include strategic communications, diversity and community, and public policy advocacy, with a special emphasis on LGBT strategies. The Raben Group specializes in building bipartisan coalitions of allies (sometimes unlikely ones) to help achieve a client’s goals.
The firm is also dedicated to community service. According to its website, “We are united not only by our interest in public policy, but by our shared values. Many of us volunteer for philanthropic organizations. Others serve on the boards of national and local non-profits. As a firm, we help organize charity events and endeavor to donate a certain amount of our time to pro bono projects.” For example, Raben is also the founder of the March on Washington Film Festival.
And, they add, “We always keep our sense of humor.” That’s what keeps a workplace fresh. (BTC)
The Raben Group
1341 G St., N.W., 5th Floor
202-466-8585
Best House of Worship
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
Bishop Allyson Abrams (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Runner-up: Foundry United Methodist Church
The Empowerment Liberation Cathedral has grown rapidly since it was founded by the dynamic Bishop Allyson Abrams last year. (Bishop Abrams was selected as the Best Clergy and is profiled separately.)
While it is growing, the Empowerment Liberation Cathedral has found a home at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring. The Rector at Ascension is the openly lesbian Rev. Joan E. Beilstein, who befriended Abrams when she resigned from her position as pastor of a Detroit church after she came out in 2013.
The Empowerment Liberation Cathedral is an inclusive, welcoming congregation open to people of all backgrounds, straight or gay. As the mission statement makes clear, “Everyone is invited to experience our worship — no matter your gender, race, age, sexual orientation, identification, handicap or former faith background.” The church aims to provide a sense of worthiness and acceptance to all people and to transform lives through programs, services, advocacy and community action. It is affiliated with the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptist and the Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
In addition to Sunday services, the church offers a wide variety of activities. There are ministries focused on youth, seniors, singles, couples, people affected by HIV/AIDS, praise dance, music and social justice. There is also an active virtual ministry, which offers a conference call Bible study on Wednesday evenings, along with streaming services and a popular YouTube channel. Abrams has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help spur the growth of the fledgling church. (BTC)
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
633 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring
240-720-7605
a&e features
Exhibit showcases trans, nonbinary joy in Maryland and Virginia
‘Becoming Ourselves’ proclaims that our lives are ‘expressions of divine creation’
Gwen Andersen was putting up posters for her photography exhibition “Becoming Ourselves” in and around Takoma Park shortly following the death of Nex Benedict. “Everybody’s heart was heavy,” the lesbian photographer said, “and I’m waltzing around town putting up these posters.” At a bookstore, she asked the person working at the front desk if she could put up one of the posters. They immediately looked at it more closely because of the trans flag, and said yes.
“When they read it and saw that it was something positive, beautiful, happy, they started to cry,” Andersen said, and she instinctively asked if she could give them a hug. With permission, she walked around the counter and embraced them — and in many ways, herself — in a world where negativity and violence takes aim at and harms the LGBTQ community. It was a powerful moment, she admitted, because “the first person didn’t even see the pictures.”
“That’s when I realized.” she said, “just how the idea of this is making an impact.”
“Becoming Ourselves” is an exhibition of 26 photos featuring happy and joyful trans and nonbinary adults and children that has been displayed at six different spaces of worship and one gallery in Maryland and Virginia. From the United Universalist Congregation of Rockville (UCCR) to its eighth spot that opened at the Sandy Springs Meeting House on Oct. 1, the exhibition originally started after Andersen’s friend Marian Bowden connected her with Sandra Davis, then president-elect for the Women’s Caucus of Art. Davis, seeing that Andersen had something critical to say during a time of intense anti-trans violence, became her mentor.
Andersen decided to host the exhibition at the UCCR based on the suggestions of her friend Rev. Jill McCrory, an affirming pastor and justice advocate, who along with Stevie Neal had previously invited Andersen to help found Montgomery County (MoCo) Pride. McCrory recommended UCCR and Davis shared that the church had their own hanging system, but for Andersen, their eager acceptance of the show sealed the deal.
“They were so happy to have been asked,” Andersen said. “They weren’t just consenting. They were wildly enthusiastic about it. I could not have had a better first place to host this.”
Rev. Dr. Rebekah Savage echoed this affirmation. Andersen approached her in October 2023 and from the very beginning, Savage acknowledged, we knew it would be a vital gift to congregants. Showcasing queer and trans people in spaces of worship, as the portraits hung in the Sanctuary during Sunday morning worship for Transgender Day of Visibility is critical, Savage explained, and it “does more than challenge exclusion,” Savage said. “It proclaims to the world that LGBTQ+ lives are sacred, beautiful, and an essential expression of the divine creation.”
“This visibility is both healing and life-saving, especially right now: for trans youth and families who need to know that there are faith communities ready to celebrate with them fully,” Savage continued. “Becoming Ourselves,” she said, visualized the leadership of our trans loved ones and held space for joy and celebration during times of intense violence. It has, Savage said, “become a beacon of hope, within our congregation and beyond, witnessing to the power of love, equality, and justice as sacred commitments.”
But there was a time crunch — the exhibition would open in March 2024, so all photos had to be taken by December 2023 and to her surprise, there was great interest in being part of the project. She had taken some photos already, but when a friend’s child asked if their friends could be part of it, they realized they would need extra enforcements to get the photos taken and processed in time for printing, so she connected with Salgu Wissmath, a nonbinary photography who recently opened their own exhibition “Divine Identity,” and other photographers from Los Angeles, London, and Baltimore.
She also reached out to Natasha Nazareth from Gaithersburg and Elias Nikitchyuk who worked locally and contributed photos to the exhibition.
She also brought a child — Emery — on as the Formal Youth Adviser, recognizing that the show’s most important audience would be trans and nonbinary children. The resulting 26 photos of joyful trans and nonbinary adults and children were chosen by LGBTQ young people from across the United States who shared their selections through a virtual survey, and the group just made the tight deadline. Sadly, Stevie (a nickname for the beloved Petra Stephanie) Neal passed before the project was put on display, but their estate covered photography printing costs.
Soon, the UCCR was filled to the brim with photos of happy and joyful trans people. While UCCR has designated a room for its display, there were too many so the photos spilled out into the hallway, entryway, and anywhere else they would fit. It was only the first of many surprises.
She anticipated just displaying the show at the church in Rockville, but at the opening, McCrory shared that she would love for the show to be on display at Bethesda United Church of Christ (UCC) where she was then and is now working as an interim pastor, so it went to Bethesda UCC next, but that wasn’t its final stop as church members attended other parishes, they shared that they wanted the photos displayed in their own spaces of worship, and soon the photos had travelled to Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Pilgrim Church in Wheaton, Hope United Church of Christ in Alexandria, PhotoWorks at Glen Echo, and finally, Third Space in Baltimore — its most recent stop at the recommendation of one of the photographers. A friend of Octavia Bloom, a Baltimore photographer, wanted the show to come to their hometown.
The exhibition at Third Space came to an end on Aug. 8, but as before, another church —this one Sandy Springs Meeting House — stepped up to host the show. The brick Sandy Springs Meeting House was originally constructed in 1817 and has stood ever since, making the Sandy Spring Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends one of the oldest Quaker Meetings in Maryland. Sandy Spring just put up their hanging system, on loan from a local artist, this month and aims to have the show on display to the public soon.
For some, the choice to display the exhibition in churches may seem like a strange or at least surprising one, but for Andersen, it was a meaningful choice. For Andersen, it helps counter the narrative of churches being places of hostility and part of campaigns against us. While recognizing the history of harm that churches and other religious institutions have caused through conversion therapy, exclusion, hate speech, and more, Andersen’s exhibition showcases how spaces of faith can also be key centers of LGBTQ advocacy and organizing. In fact, D.C. has a rich history of LGBTQ activism based out of and supported by faith communities.
“The fact that it was held in a church made so many people so happy. It also made many people cry because the church has been a place of hostility because the resistance, the hatred, of lesbians, gays, bis and transgender people has been biblical, both in terms of its size and in terms of its purported origin, and so having churches hold this exhibit was dearly important symbolically,” Andersen said.
Andersen shared that so many friends of hers who came to the show had not visited churches in decades because they (justifiably in some cases) viewed them as completely hostile locations. When they went to the exhibitions in the churches and were treated well, she said, she believes it was a healing experience, as it was for many trans and nonbinary children and adults and their parents who are facing a world of negative representation — either hostile from conservative, Christian nationalist groups or media portraying trans and nonbinary people as victims.
Andersen wanted to create a show that offered hope to trans and nonbinary kids, as It Gets Better did many years before. sharing videos and photos of happy and joyful LGBTQ adults as a way to share positivity and hopefully prevent suicide among LGBTQ children. It was more than timely than ever following Benedict’s death in February 2024. The previous day, Benedict was assaulted by other high school students in a girls’ restroom and later died by suicide.
“The purpose of the show was to counter all of the negativity because with Republicans running and now Trump in office there was so much animosity and hostility and people trying to pass these hateful laws that I knew this had to be having a negative impact on the mental health of trans kids.”
Andersen hopes that this exhibition enriches this rich tradition and sparks new conversations — and maybe even more happy tears — at Sandy Springs Meeting House this fall.
The show will be open most days between about 10 and 4 except for Mondays and Saturdays. Viewers are advised to call Sandy Springs Meeting House at 301-774-9792 first on weekdays. The show will continue until the end of December.
In a challenging year for D.C. and the local LGBTQ community, it’s important to remember that there are people, places, and organizations that work hard each day to support us. From activists to bartenders, politicians to drag queens, the Blade’s annual review of D.C.’s best is a welcome break from the news.
We need to support our queer-owned businesses now so please review the list and then patronize as many of them as you can. Our community has a long history of pulling together and dancing our way to better days, so you know what to do.
This was a big year for our annual friendly competition with more than 5,000 nominations in 75 categories and nearly 20,000 votes. The Blade’s Stephen Rutgers coordinated the voting, while Michael Key shot most of the photos. This year’s contributing writers are: Lou Chibbaro Jr., Michael K. Lavers, Joe Reberkenny, Kevin Naff, Tinashe Chingarande, Shreya Jyotishi, Evan Caplan, and Patrick Folliard.
This year’s Local Hero Award goes to Stonewall Sports, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month, in recognition of all its leaders do to promote unity in our community and to give back. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.
Local Hero: Stonewall Sports
Sports, for a lot of LGBTQ people, stir up complicated feelings — for some, they bring back memories of uncomfortable gym classes or the sense of not quite fitting in with other teammates. Stonewall Sports, a community-based nonprofit for LGBTQ people and their allies, was created to push back against the idea that sports aren’t a welcoming space for queer people — and to build a place where the community can grow, thrive, and support one another.
Founded in D.C. in 2010 by Martin Espinoza, Mark Gustafson, Melvin Thomas, Scott Moorehead, and Scott Filter, Stonewall Sports began as a small kickball team. Fifteen years later, it has exploded into a national network with 27 chapters across the U.S., offering a wide range of sports in the DMV — including billiards, bocce, climbing, dodgeball, and kickball.
“We seek to be the premier social sports organization for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the DMV and nationwide, really focusing on building community that lasts,” Stonewall President Stu Wales told the Blade. “This is an opportunity for people to feel comfortable in their own identity in organized sports… to participate fully without having to worry about who they are.”
Stonewall Sports’s mission is clear: sports for all. At a time when trans athletes are being singled out and excluded from participation, the organization continues to provide inclusive, affirming spaces for every member of the LGBTQ community. “We make sure everyone feels welcome — from how we recruit to how we build teams — so no one ever has to question if they belong here,” Wales said.
But building community isn’t the only thing Stonewall Sports has achieved. Over the past 15 years, the organization has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities.
“We’re as much a philanthropic organization as we are a social sports organization,” Wales said. “There was one year where we raised over $100,000 just in a single year, and that really demonstrated our commitment to one of our key pillars — that was part of what we were founded on and what sets us apart from other local social sports organizations in the DMV.”
From donating money to Whitman-Walker Health, DC Black Pride, The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, and House with a Heart senior pet sanctuary — just to name a few — the organization continues to reinvest in the community in a wide array of ways.
Whether it’s on the National Mall on Sundays for kickball or in Logan Circle on Wednesdays for bocce, Stonewall Sports continues to bring people together — on and off the field — proving that in D.C., sports can be competitive, impactful, and community-driven.
NIGHTLIFE
Best Drag Queen: Cake Pop!
From her larger-than-life costumes to her beat-thumping DJ sets and growing “Pop” drag family, Cake Pop has quickly become a fixture in D.C.’s drag scene. The Chicago-born, D.C.-based queen is constantly on the move — whether she’s hosting a show, spinning a set, or running her “Pop-Up” bar that took over the top floor of Pitchers earlier this year. After first winning Best Drag Queen in 2022, Cake Pop is once again taking the crown — proving she’s a true D.C. favorite.
Editor’s Choice: Sasha Adams Sanchez
Best Drag King: King Molasses
For the fourth year in a row, the freshly crowned “King of Drag” has taken home another honor. King Molasses knows how to command a stage — delivering performances that get the crowd cheering for the sticky-sweet king. With more than 37,000 Instagram followers, Molasses showcases a bold mix of color, confidence, and masculine flair. Fresh off winning the first-ever drag king reality TV competition in July, this is one king D.C. is more than happy to bow down to.
Editor’s Choice: Dylan Dickherson
Best Transgender Performer: Gigi Paris Couture
Hailing from Arlington across the Potomac, Gigi Paris Couture is a celebrated name in DMV drag and beyond. With a career spanning decades, Miss Couture has dazzled audiences nationwide with her stunning performances and sexy, show-stopping costumes. Her trophy case is as impressive as her talent: most recently winning Miss Perry’s in 2023, along with Miss Freddie’s 2015, Miss Diamond International 2007, Miss Tennessee Continental 2003, Miss New York, New York Continental 2002, and Miss Luchos Continental 2001. With so many crowns, it’s a wonder she has room for them all.
Editor’s Choice: Brooke N Hymen
Best Drag Show: Daddy Issues at Kiki
915 U St., N.W.
Who says drag is only for the weekends? Not Daddy Issues! Each Wednesday at 10 p.m., some of the DMV’s best drag performers take over the second-floor stage at Kiki with incredible performances, games, and a vibe that “might help you catch a daddy!” Hosted by Evry Pleasure and featuring a rotating cast including Cake Pop, Druex Sidora, Indiana Bones, and Crimsyn, this midweek extravaganza proves that drag in D.C. never takes a day off.
Editor’s Choice: Freddie’s Follies
Best LGBTQ Party: Flower Factory
1223 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Since its debut in 2021, this queer DJ collective dance party has become a staple of D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife. Held once a month at Zebbie’s Garden in Dupont Circle, Flower Factory turns the neighborhood into a cross between a daytime rave, Studio 54, and your favorite gay bar. If it’s the second Sunday of the month and you spot fabulously dressed revelers radiating color, florals, and queer joy, odds are they’re heading to Flower. The collective has grown immensely over the past few years, spinning sets at Somos in Mexico City, venues across Provincetown and New York City, and even hosting a special WorldPride party in 2025 — and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Editor’s Choice: Grizzly Bear Happy Hour
Best Bartender: Stephen Sides, Little Gay Pub
1100 P St., N.W.
With his warm smile and handsome facial hair, Stephen Sides is one face you definitely want to see on the other side of the bar. Sides has an extensive history in the food service industry, and an even longer list of friends who request LGP’s signature espresso martini poured by him. Whether it’s a busy Friday night or a quiet weekday, Stephen makes every guest feel like part of the little gay family.
Editor’s Choice: Ben Oursler, Annie’s
Best DJ: DJ Honey
Honey Johnson, better known as DJ Honey, continues to break barriers as a Black lesbian DJ, spinning at venues across the country. From BET events to World AIDS Day celebrations and even the Library of Congress, her resume proves that success comes from hard work. Her unique style gives a platform to underrepresented musical talent in Thurst Lounge and beyond, making every set unforgettable.
Editor’s Choice: DJ Matt Bailer
Best Neighborhood Bar: As You Are Bar
500 8th St., S.E.
As You Are doesn’t just see itself as a café turned nightclub — it proudly brands itself as home. Owners Jo McDaniel and Rach “Coach” Pike are no strangers to LGBTQ nightlife, both having worked at A League of Her Own in Adams Morgan. This dynamic duo built their own “haven for queer expression and connection,” with a special spotlight on Sapphic events and DJs, a scene that can be hard to find elsewhere. Whether you’re coming for coffee, cocktails, or a night of dancing, As You Are makes everyone feel welcome.
Editor’s Choice: Number Nine
Best Outdoor Drinking: Trade
1410 14th St., N.W.
Edging out LGP, which won last year, Trade snagged the top spot this year likely due to its sizeable patio, newly expanded during Pride season. With echoes of erstwhile Town patio, Trade’s outdoor space brings the gay community together to enjoy its XL happy hour around the brightly lit tree that stands at attention in the center of the space.
Editor’s Choice: Little Gay Pub
Best Happy Hour Presented by ABSOLUT: Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse
1607 17th St., N.W.
Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse has been a Dupont Circle fixture for more than 75 years. George Katinas opened the restaurant in 1948 on the corner of 17th and Church streets, N.W., where JR.’s is now located. He later renamed it in honor of his sister Annie. Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, which is now located on 17th Street between Corcoran and R streets, continues to welcome locals and visitors alike with its signature cocktails, food, and camaraderie.
Editor’s Choice: Crush
Best LGBTQ Bar: Crush
2007 14th St., N.W.
Crush Dance Bar, which opened in the busy U Street corridor in 2023, is one of the city’s most popular LGBTQ establishments.
Its walls — adorned with posters of Lady Gaga, Kylie Mingoue, Janet Jackson, and myriad other pop divas — provide the perfect backdrop for revelers who are looking to let loose. Owners Stephen Rutgers and Mark Rutstein have succeeded in making Crush the city’s “all-inclusive nightlife destination on 14th Street.”
Editor’s Choice: Trade
Best LGBTQ-Friendly Bar: Dacha Beer Garden
Multiple locations
Dacha, a longstanding popular outdoor watering hole, is not officially a gay bar. Yet, you will consistently see groups of D.C.’s LGBTQ community hanging out at Dacha Beer Garden drinking boots of beer and enjoying a selection off the German-style beer garden’s extensive menu. With its giant murals of gay icons Elizabeth Taylor at the Shaw location and Jackie Onassis in the Navy Yard spot, it’s easy to see why gay, straight, and truly everyone can find something to enjoy.
Editor’s Choice: Jane Jane
Best LGBTQ Bar Outside the District: Freddie’s Beach Bar
555 23rd St. S
Arlington, Va.
The DMV LGBTQ bar scene discussion must mention longstanding Freddie’s Beach Bar in National Landing, Arlington. Freddie’s has been a staple in the area since it opened more than 20 years ago. Serving classic cocktails and a full menu, the bar is also known for its infamous Sunday Buffet Brunch, and daily events including drag shows, bingo, and karaoke, it makes sense that Washington Blade readers have voted Freddie’s the best “LGBTQ+ but straight friendly restaurant and bar” outside of the District for several years.
Editor’s Choice: Baltimore Eagle
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Best Theater Presented by Wild Side Media: Arena Stage
1101 6th St., S.W.
Famous for its in-the-round productions, the Tony Award-winning Arena Stage located just steps from the Wharf, is the country’s largest theater committed to presenting American plays and playwrights.
Arena is currently presenting the Broadway bound revival of “Damn Yankees” (through Nov. 9) directed by Sergio Trujillo and starring Rob McClure as Applegate, Ana Villafañe as Lola, and Jordan Donica as Joe. It’s a fresh take on a beloved classic.
Editor’s Choice: Studio Theatre
Best Theater Production: “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” Gala Hispanic Theatre
3333 14th St., N.W.
In September, GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights kicked off its 50th anniversary season with an exciting revival production of out playwright Manuel Puig’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
First a novel published in 1976 (the same year GALA was founded), then a play, followed by a Broadway musical and films, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” is a stunningly enduring work. GALA’s production was brought to life by a triad of queer talent including director José Luis Arellano, and appealing actors Martín Ruiz and Rodrigo Pedreira
Editor’s Choice: “Summer, 1976,” Studio Theatre
Best Live Music in D.C. Presented by Wild Side Media: 9:30 Club
815 V St., N.W.
No stranger to the Blade’s “Best of,” the 9:30 club has been a favorite of DMV audiences in search of live entertainment since 1980. Over the years, the key destination venue has hosted a wide range of artists ranging from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Alison Moyet to Tony Bennett, making it one of the most respected live music spots in America.
Editor’s Choice: The Anthem
Best Live Music Outside of D.C.: Wolf Trap
1551 Trap Rd.
Vienna, Va.
In nearby Northern Virginia, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts boasts a sprawling green campus with a major theater as well as smaller other venues all with pitch perfect acoustics.
Arvind Manocha, the out president and CEO of Northern Virginia’s Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts for more than a decade, loves his job. And for him, part of that means promoting diversity and queer inclusion.
As part of its impactful lineup, Wolf Trap presents “Out & About,” an annual two-day outdoor music festival spotlighting LGBTQ artists and vocal allies. With the new musical event, Manocha and his programming team bring together entertainment and visibility by featuring big queer names like headliner Brandi Carlisle.
Editor’s Choice: Merriweather Post Pavilion
Best Local Artist Presented by Wild Side Media: Miss Grace David
Miss Grace David is a Black, queer, and non-binary femme performance and textile artist based in the D.C. area. By using character performance, textile production, world-making, and storytelling, their work connects human emotion and personal experience with visual abstraction.
Editor’s Choice: Diane D’Costa
Best Museum: National Museum of African American History & Culture
1400 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Since opening its doors in 2016, the museum has engaged millions of people worldwide, sharing the unvarnished truth about African-American experiences, advances, and contributions. The anti-DEI crusade of the Trump administration serves as a reminder of the important role museums play in telling the full American story. The museum remains closed due to the federal government shutdown.
Editor’s Choice: National Gallery of Art
Best Professional Sports Team: Washington Spirit
For the second year in a row, Blade readers voted the Washington Spirit, D.C.’s premier professional women’s soccer team, as the best local professional sports team. The highly regarded team last year was ranked second in the National Women’s Sports League.
It has consistently supported local LGBTQ groups like SMYAL, and its many LGBTQ fans believe Washington Spirit understands the importance of playing hard and supporting LGBTQ representation in sports.
Editor’s Choice: Washington Commanders
COMMUNITY & BUSINESS
Most Committed Activist: Preston Mitchum
An acclaimed D.C. attorney and digital creator, Preston Mitchum is described online by people who know him as a Black, queer advocate and activist, with a focus on the power of Black people, young people, and queer, trans, and non-binary people
With more than a decade of legal and policy experience, he has worked for and or provided support for more organizations and causes you can shake a stick at in the areas of racial and gender justice, LGBTQ liberation, and reproductive health, rights, and justice policies.
As a respected public speaker, he has appeared on TV news programs and was quoted in news publications, including the Washington Post, on the wide range of issues on which he has worked. “A force to be reckoned with, Preston Mitchum isn’t just a name, it’s a symbol of commitment, passion, and the embodiment of change,” one of his admirers states in an online posting.
Editor’s Choice: Jordyn White
Best LGBTQ Public Official: George Garcia
D.C. Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnership
George Garcia served as Director of Operations for the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs since September 2024, and prior to that he served as the LGBTQ Affairs office’s Grants and Partnerships Specialist since February 2023. In early October of this year, he began a new job as Deputy Director of Operations and Finance for the Mayor’s Office of Volunteerism and Partnerships, which is also known as Serve DC.
He is described in an LGBTQ Affairs Office statement as a dedicated community leader with more than 14 years of experience advocating for underserved populations, especially within the LGBTQ community. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from D.C.’s American University, where he honed his expertise in public policy, strategic planning, and leadership. While working in the LGBTQ Affairs Office, he played a lead role in the city’s support for WorldPride events this year, “coordinating 10 community coalitions and managing a $5 million budget.”
Editor’s Choice: Council member Zachary Parker
Best Community Ally: Robert White
An At-Large member of the D.C. City Council since 2016, Robert White has emerged as one of the Council’s strongest supporters and allies of the LGBTQ community. He currently chairs the Council’s Committee on Housing. And in September he announced he is a candidate for the D.C. congressional delegate seat for which he is running in the city’s June 2026 Democratic primary.
A self-described proud fifth generation Washingtonian and an attorney, he has served prior to being elected to the Council as the city’s first Director of Community Outreach for the D.C. Office of the Attorney General. He currently also serves as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Editor’s Choice: Erin Palmer
Best Medical Provider: Whitman-Walker Health
1201 Sycamore St., S.E.
Whitman-Walker Health was founded in 1973 as the Gay Men’s VD Clinic as a volunteer operation in a church basement before incorporating as the Whitman-Walker Clinic in 1978. It was named after poet Walt Whitman and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a physician who worked in D.C. during the Civil War before becoming a women’s rights activist.
It became a leading first responder to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, providing medical care and support for gay men and others impacted by the epidemic. It has since expanded into a comprehensive community health center with services that include primary care, dental, mental health, and legal aid, with a continued focus on serving the LGBTQ community in the D.C. metro area.
Editor’s Choice: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Best Non-Profit: SMYAL
410 7th St., S.E.
Celebrating its 41st anniversary this year, SMYAL continues its role as an acclaimed service provider for LGBTQ youth in the D.C. area. Through its after-school programs, counseling services, and LGBTQ youth drop-in center, SMYAL provides LGBTQ youth with safe spaces to express themselves, find support, and build community.
Among other things, it awards $35,000 in scholarships to students each year and provides education and training for adults working with LGBTQ youth in schools, housing programs, local government agencies, and hospitals. SMYAL’s Youth Housing Program provides transitional housing for at least 55 LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.
Editor’s Choice: The D.C. Center
Best LGBTQ Center Outside of D.C.: Pride Center of Maryland
2418 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, Md.
The Pride Center of Maryland, which serves as an LGBTQ community center, provides a wide range of services for youth, adults, seniors, and families. It states on its website that its programs “are designed to meet the diverse needs of our community and provide a safe and welcoming space for all.”
Its programs include mental health counseling, HIV health services, support groups, education and training, a computer lab, and a game room along with space for community events and meetings. While its headquarters is based in Baltimore, its website points out it has “a presence throughout the state, including Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Frederick, and Charles counties, and conducts outreach and education activities within those counties.”
Editor’s Choice: CAMP Rehoboth
Best Day Trip: Annapolis
downtownannapolispartnership.org
Less than an hour from D.C., Annapolis makes the perfect day trip. With its charming streets, historic waterfront, and the Naval Academy’s good-looking midshipmen, Maryland’s state capital is filled with visual pleasures. What’s more, Annapolis offers a range of attractions, including parks, galleries, and museums that cater to the LGBTQ community. For more information go to annapolispride.org.
Editor’s Choice: Baltimore
Best Adult Store: Bite the Fruit
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W. (second floor)
Go ahead, succumb to the temptation found at Bite the Fruit. The busy queer-owned Dupont Circle retailer of adult novelties and provocative apparel specializes in promoting “healthy sexual and sensual exploration.”
Editor’s Choice: What’s Your Pleasure DC
Best Local Content Creator: Bri Battle, @queertalkdc
Bri Battle’s @queertalkdc promises to inform readers about “everything queer in the DMV and beyond.” Some of the events and organizations Battle has promoted include DMV Dyke Camp 2025, All Things Go, and the Columbia Mental Health clinics. Battle has also championed taking oneself out as a form of self-care.
Editor’s Choice: AJ Dronkers, @aj_dc
Best Local Website: Washingtonian Problems
instagram.com/washingtonianprobs
Washingtonian Problems is a website that revels in “celebrating the quirks and spirit of the District.” Some of its recent posts highlight the impact of the federal government shutdown in D.C., such as asking readers about local businesses that are “doing government shutdown specials.” Others note U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and other Capitol Hill personalities who try to make their mark in the nation’s capital.
Editor’s Choice: Popville
Best Local TV/Radio Personality: Tommy McFly, NBC4
Tommy McFly has been a fixture on local airwaves for more than a decade. Washingtonians can currently watch him doing “The Scene” on NBC4.
“I’m proud to be surrounded by so many incredibly talented queer media professionals in D.C.,” McFly told the Washington Blade. “Just like on the airwaves, our vibrant community is made better because so many people feel they can live their lives authentically here — at work, in public, and at home. I know that isn’t the case everywhere. It’s something we need to cherish. And we have a responsibility to keep bringing everyone along.”
McFly was in the closet when he moved to D.C. in 2006. He said the city since then “has embraced me and my husband, Chrys, in countless ways.”
“But the opportunity to be your neighbor — a friendly face on TV, at live events, in your feed and on the street — is the most incredible gift, and one I’ll never take for granted,” said McFly.
Editor’s Choice: Lorenzo Hall, WUSA 9
Best Fitness or Workout Spot: VIDA Fitness
Multiple locations
For the second year in a row, VIDA Fitness is the most popular gym among LGBTQ Washingtonians.
Vida has locations in Logan Circle, the Navy Yard, City Center, U Street, Ballston, and Reston. The exclusive Penthouse Pool at the U Street location remains the go-to summer destination for locals who don’t want to schlep to the beach.
Editor’s Choice: Barry’s Bootcamp
Best Lawyer: Erin Palmer
Erin Palmer has been the associate director of the Pro Bono Institute’s Corporate Pro Bono project since 2024. The organization’s website notes she “brings extensive experience in legal ethics, litigation, and public interest advocacy.”
She is an alum of the American University Washington College of Law and of the University of Pennsylvania. Palmer is also a former member of the D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
Runner-up: Chase Strangio
Best Dentist: Dr. Robert McKernan, Big Gay Smiles
Dr. Robert McKernan of Big Gay Smiles continues to make Washingtonians “smile with Pride.”
“Big Gay Smiles Dental is an LGBTQ2IA+ owned practice that prioritizes comfort, quality, and community,” says Big Gay Smiles on its website. “We understand the stressors related to going to the dentist and actively work to redefine what it means to provide queer- (and ally-) focused dental care.”
Big Gay Smiles also donates 10 percent of its annual revenue to HIV/AIDS service organizations.
Editor’s Choice: Dr. Gregory Martin, DDS
Best Amateur Sports League: Rogue Cornhole
Rogue Cornhole describes itself as a “fun, socially minded, LGBTQ+ non-profit that strives to better our communities through volunteer efforts and raising funds for local non-profit organizations. The group, while championing cornhole, pledges to “have fun, cherish friendships, meet new people, and to be engaged with and committed to bettering our community through educational efforts.”
Editor’s Choice: DC Front Runners
Best LGBTQ Social Group: Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, has inspired gay men and many others since its founding more than 40 years ago. The chorus, which has performed at the White House, the Kennedy Center, and many other famed institutions, currently includes more than 250 members. It remains “the LGBTQ+ voice of equality in the nation’s capital.”
Editor’s Choice: Capital Sapphics
Best Local Businessperson: Russwin Francisco, Bite the Fruit
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W. (second floor)
Established in 2012 in D.C., Bite the Fruit is gay-owned, straight-friendly and kink forward. It is a peerless retailer of adult novelties and provocative apparel that promotes healthy sexual and sensual exploration.
Editor’s Choice: Gregory Jones, Capital Center for Psychotherapy & Wellness
Best Clergy: Bishop Thomas Wieczorek
Thomas Wieczorek is a priest with the D.C.-based affiliate parish of St. Mary’s National Catholic Church of North America; he was elected auxiliary bishop in 2022.
Wieczroek has held many titles during his lifetime: award-winning newspaper reporter, baker, police officer, fire chief, deputy and director of public safety, city manager, and consultant. He is active in D.C. and other communities, having been the vice chairperson of Capital Pride, chairperson of Ionia-Montcalm County Domestic Violence Program, and other groups.
Editor’s Choice: Rev. Dr. Adalphie Johnson
Best Real Estate Agent: Michael Moore, Compass
1313 14th St., N.W.
Michael Moore cares about doing good work for people through each step of the buying and selling process. For him, the client experience is the heart of the business, and his commitment to investing in the longevity of those relationships defines his career. He’s also been a longtime advocate for AIDS LifeCycle bike rides, Caron Treatment Centers, and Food and Friends.
Editor’s Choice: Lamar Brathwaite, Coldwell Banker
Best Real Estate Group: Bediz Group, RLAH
Multiple locations
202-642-1616
The Bediz Group is a real estate team of seven agents and this is its fifth win in this category. In addition to real estate services, Bediz Group also offers an in-house creative team that provides high-caliber marketing collateral that ensures your property stands out. The group’s weekly emails reach more than 3,600 readers and it promotes its listings on its social media platforms.
Editor’s Choice: The Tom Buerger Team, Compass
Best LGBTQ-Owned Business: LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative
This collaborative is a dedicated team of queer and trans-identifying psychotherapists serving LGBTQ+ clients, their families, and allies. The group’s mission is to provide culturally competent, social justice oriented, queer affirming, neurodiverse-informed, and trauma informed therapeutic services to clients who want to actively engage in healing and processing around personal history, generational cycles, and systemic issues with clinicians who have similar lived experiences and values.
Editor’s Choice: Urban Adventures
Most LGBTQ-Friendly Workplace: Stratus Firm
Stratus specializes in events that are dynamic, large-scale, and production-heavy and produces high-impact experiences for a wide range of corporations, associations, and nonprofits.
Editor’s Choice: Whitman-Walker Health
Best Home Furnishings: Miss Pixie’s
1830 Columbia Rd., N.W.
Established in 1997, Miss Pixie’s opened at 1810 Adams Mill Rd. NW in Adams Morgan in a tiny 550-square-foot space with 18-foot ceilings. Miss Pixie quickly learned to “stack it deep and sell it cheap,” and most of the weekly inventory was gone by the end of each week.
Sadly, Miss Pixie’s announced the store is closing on Oct. 31 so stop by soon for 20 percent off many items.
Editor’s Choice: West Elm
Best Pet Business or Vet: City Paws Animal Hospital
1823 14th St., N.W.
City Paws has assembled a team of caring, compassionate, and highly skilled veterinary professionals who share the same dedication to delivering the highest quality veterinary care while building solid and lasting client relationships.
Editor’s Choice: Canino Dog Boutique
Best Salon/Spa: Logan 14
1314 14th St., N.W.
Logan 14 Aveda Lifestyle Salon & Spa is the winner for the ninth consecutive year. The salon places an environmentally conscious, queer-affirming focus on hair, skin and makeup services. The LGBTQ-owned salon strives to create a nurturing environment and uses entirely naturally derived Aveda products. Guests can opt for medspa treatments in addition to traditional salon services, all of which promote rejuvenation. The 14th Street salon opened in 2010 and features a 75% LGBTQ clientele.
Editor’s Choice: Bang Salon
Best Med Spa: ProMD Health
1003 K St., N.W. #835
Editor’s Choice: Javan Wellness
Best Hotel: Eaton DC
1201 K St., N.W.
Eaton DC was the 2024 Editor’s Choice in this category. A member of World Rainbow Hotels, Eaton DC is focused on diverse cultural programming, equitable community-building, and environmental sustainability. This flagship location is LGBTQ-friendly and offers an inclusive safe space for guests. The boutique hotel is also home to a Pride-themed hotel suite, featuring Marsha P. Johnson’s quotes on the wall, rainbow decor and decorations based on feedback from LGBTQ hotel staff. The hotel is nestled downtown, walking distance from the National Mall. Eaton Workshop’s original location is in Hong Kong.
Editor’s Choice: Dupont Circle Hotel
Best House of Worship: Sixth & I
600 I St., N.W.
Sixth & I is the winner for the second year in a row. The multi-denominational and non-membership institution is housed in a historic 1908 synagogue. The synagogue offers cultural and spiritual programming ranging from comedy, concerts, and live podcasts. Past live entertainment included talks from Janelle Monáe, Jonathan Van Ness and Ocean Vuong. Sixth & I also offers a range of LGBTQ-inclusive services and events, including Pride Shabbat services, gay weddings and other community events.
Editor’s Choice: Metropolitan Community Church of DC
Best Tattoo Parlor: Second Son Tattoo
1712 14th St., N.W. (third floor)
This tattoo and piercing shop located just north of Logan Circle prioritizes safe and enjoyable experiences for its clients. While the shop isn’t LGBTQ owned, Second Son Tattoo strives to create custom tattoos best fit to customers’ wishes. The shop’s eight artists specialize in a variety of artistic specialties, including black and grey realism, florals, anime, and line work.
Editor’s Choice: Tattoo Paradise
Best LGBTQ Event: Capital Pride
Capital Pride, an annual LGBTQ parade and festival held in June, is Washington’s premier Pride celebration. A parade featuring community organizations, corporate sponsors and local businesses, a street festival, a gala and a block party are just some of Capital Pride’s many featured events, all organized by the Capital Pride Alliance. The event originated as Gay Pride Day, a one-day block party, in 1975; the event is now a multi-day celebration that lights up a variety of neighborhoods. Capital Pride is set to be held from June 8-14 in 2026.
Editor’s Choice: Miss Adams Morgan Pageant
Best WorldPride Event: WorldPride Music Festival
worldpridedc.org/events/music-festival-global-dance-party/
The WorldPride Music Festival served as the District’s dance party on June 6 and 7 for the 50th year of Capital Pride. The two-day music festival was held on RFK Festival Grounds on the banks of the Anacostia River. Featured artists included Jennifer Lopez, Troye Sivan and Reneé Rapp. The WorldPride Music Festival is set to be held in Amsterdam in 2026.
Editor’s Choice: MIXTAPE Pride Party
Best Diversity of Pride: DC Black Pride
1001 16th St., N.W.
DC Black Pride, held on Memorial Day weekend, raises awareness and funding for HIV/AIDS while celebrating Black Pride and community. The event began with a Black Gay and Lesbian Pride event in 1991 and has since blossomed into an event of 500,000 Black LGBTQ attendees and allies. As the catalyst for Black Pride events, more than 50 cities globally center their celebrations around Washington’s model. The Center for Black Equity produces DC Black Pride annually.
Editor’s Choice: Trans Pride
Best Pride Outside of DC: Baltimore Pride
Baltimore Pride is the best non-D.C. winner for the second consecutive year. The Pride Center of Maryland hosts Baltimore Pride annually in celebration of LGBTQ contributions and diversity. The event began in 1975 with a peaceful activist demonstration and has since evolved into a range of events spread throughout the downtown area. The celebration takes place in and near Mount Vernon, Baltimore’s “gayborhood.” Typical events include the Pride Parade and Block Party, the Twilight on the Terrace Gala, Youth Pride and Pride in the Park.
Editor’s Choice: Virginia Pride, Richmond
Best Car Dealership: BMW of Fairfax
8427 Lee Hwy
Fairfax, Va.
Editor’s Choice: DARCARS
Best Private School: Edmund Burke
4101 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Editor’s Choice: Maret School
FOOD & DRINK
Best Coffee Shop: Spark Social House
2009 14th St., N.W.
Spark Social House, which opened in March 2025, is Washington’s first LGBTQ alcohol-free bar, but is also so much more than that. A community gathering place in the heart of D.C.’s LGTBQ nightlife center at 14th and U Streets, N.W., the two-story space serves coffee and tea during the day, bringing in friends, colleagues, and dates in an inclusive, welcoming space. And in the evening, it becomes a sober party, with DJs, performances, and events.
Editor’s Choice: Three Fifty Bakery & Coffee Bar
Best Outdoor Dining: Hank’s Oyster Bar
Multiple locations
With locations in Dupont, the Wharf, and Alexandria, this 20-year-old institution has collected numerous Blade awards, like Best Chef (owner Jamie Leeds) and Best Craft Cocktails. In Dupont, the outdoor patio is a classic scene, located right off 17th Street, for everything from first dates to catch-ups to events. As a community-oriented space, Hank’s has placed a sincere focus on being inclusive for its two decades, meaning that everyone is welcome on its breezy patio with both great food and great people watching. On the Wharf, The sweeping vistas pair especially well with oysters and lobster rolls.
Editor’s Choice: Barcelona
Best Restaurant: Tabard Inn
1739 N St., N.W.
One of the oldest hotels in Washington, D.C., the Tabard Inn opened in 1922 in the style of an English manor and has been oozing charm ever since. While not gay-owned, it’s become a welcoming gathering space for LGBTQ locals and visitors, owing to its geography in Dupont Circle, eccentric nature, somewhat hidden locale, and diverse staff and clientele. The restaurant, started as a tea room, is full of art and warmth, and places a focus on mid-Atlantic cuisine.
Editor’s Choice: Red Hen
Best Brunch: Shaw’s Tavern
520 Florida Ave., N.W.
Shaw’s Tavern has been a mainstay of the LGBTQ community for many years, with LGBTQ management and a prime location by nightlife and culture. Boasting a large outdoor patio, this New American restaurant is primed for big brunch business (running an impressive seven hours, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.), especially wrapped around its bottomless mimosas and brunch cocktails and shots. Brunch brings sandwiches, flatbreads, waffles, lots of eggs, and a healthy dose of socializing.
Editor’s Choice: HER Diner
Best Brewery: Red Bear Brewing Company
209 M St., N.E.
Having taken home Best Brunch, Best Neighborhood Bar, and Best Local Brewery awards in the past, this year, it’s back to win the Best Brewery award yet again. This gay-owned venue in the District hosts drag shows (including brunch), trivia, and stand-up performances, among other events, along with a big space for board games and casual conversation. It has poured brews with suggestive titles like “Hefe Don’t Preach,” “OktoBEARfest,” and “Tall, Dark and Nutty,” to name a few.
Editor’s Choice: DC Brau
Best Distillery: Republic Restoratives Distillery
1369 New York Ave., N.E.
Winning this honor multiple times, Republic Restoratives is women-owned, community-led, made in the District, and as activist-oriented as they come. Republic’s vodka, Civic Pride, was created out of frustration with popular brands co-opting the rainbow flag while also supporting organizations or efforts that directly harm LGBTQ people. It created and then quickly sold out bottles of “Madam” a bourbon-rye whiskey on whose label Kamala Harris’s smiling visage is featured.
Editor’s Choice: Cotton & Reed
Best Burger: Duke’s Grocery
Multiple locations
The 2021, 2023, and 2024 winner, Duke’s Grocery serves burgers with a British accent. With locations in Dupont Circle (recently refreshed), Woodley Park, Navy Yard, and Foggy Bottom, this restaurant serves guests hearty portions of bar food. The burger has landed it on a whole bunch of lists, from Zagat to the Washington Post. Besides its famed Proper Burger, it also has salmon, Impossible, and Wagyu burgers. The Dupont location was closed for a year, undergoing a renovation, and recently reopened to royal fanfare.
Editor’s Choice: Lucky Buns
Best Pizza: Andy’s Pizza
Multiple locations
Andy’s Pizza serves up pizza straight from the long and storied New York tradition. Featuring stone deck ovens, long-fermented dough, Wisconsin mozzarella, California tomatoes, and a skilled pizzaiolo named Andy, this neighborhood pizzeria brings New York to D.C. while serving classic combinations. Andy’s has seven spots across the area, including one spot in Shaw across from 9:30 club and near popular gay bars. Options include flavors like pepperoni and white sauce, but the whole pies come in a range of options, including a Buffalo crispy chicken and a vegan pie with plant-based cheese.
Editor’s Choice: We the Pizza
Best Ice Cream/Gelato: Yala Greek Ice Cream
3143 N St., N.W.
The newest scoop on the block, Yala Greek Ice Cream, started by Chrys Kefalas and Salah Czapary, blends flavors from their heritage with sugar and cream to create D.C.’s latest frozen treat obsession. From classics like chocolate and vanilla to adventurous flavors like “Mornings with Thea,” a Greek yogurt ice cream with orange preserves, Yala uses mix-ins like pistachios sourced from the EU and milk from Maryland “A2” cows, known for being easier to digest. With lines often stretching around the block, it’s easy to see why Yala has quickly become a favorite for locals craving something sweet and unique.
Editor’s Choice: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Best Winery: Chester Gap Cellars
4615 Remount Rd.
Front Royal, Va.
chestergapcellers.com
Located in Front Royal, Virginia, just a little over an hour from Washington, gay-owned and gay-friendly Chester Gap Cellars offers the best in valley vistas and delightful vintages. The small estate winery’s owners also have an Airbnb where guests can eat, sleep, enjoy the outdoor fire pit, and indulge in more vino.
Editor’s Choice: District Winery
REHOBOTH BEACH
Best Rehoboth Drag Queen: Magnolia Applebottom
She’s done it again. Magnolia Applebottom (aka Jeremy Bernstein) is your pick for Best Rehoboth Drag Queen for the fourth consecutive year. At a time of anti-DEI crackdowns and legislative attacks on everything from drag to trans healthcare, the queens will show us the way as they have bravely done for decades. Magnolia remains a constant fierce and fearless presence not just in Rehoboth but throughout the Eastern Shore, from Salisbury to Milton, Del. Catch her at Diego’s in Rehoboth and during the month of October at the Milton Theater where Bernstein stars as Frank N Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Editor’s Choice: Regina Cox
Best Rehoboth Drag Show: Splash Party with Magnolia at Diego’s
37298 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
A second win for Magnolia this year and a repeat winner in this category from last year. The Splash Party at Diego’s remains one of the hottest events in town, Saturdays at 5 p.m. on the outdoor patio.
Editor’s Choice: Follies at the Beach, Freddie’s
Best Rehoboth-Area Live Show: Pamala Stanley at Diego’s
37298 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
diegosbarnightclub.com
The beloved Pamala Stanley celebrated her 20th year of performing in Rehoboth Beach this summer with her Sunday night dance party and Monday night piano show. The Monday event is on pause now that the summer season is over, but you can still catch Pamala on Sundays starting at 5 p.m. through New Year’s. After 20 years, Pamala’s show remains the place to be seen on Sundays as locals and tourists alike come together to party. It’s two hours of upbeat, infectiously joyful pop and disco peppered with Pamala’s inimitable humor and wit.
Editor’s Choice: Naughty Bingo with Magnolia Applebottom at Diego’s
Best Rehoboth Outdoor Dining: The Back Porch Café
59 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Many locals know about the important role that the Back Porch Café played in elevating Rehoboth’s culinary scene but not many realize how pivotal the 51-year-old restaurant was in bringing together the quiet town’s gay, straight, and trans communities. The Back Porch was an important gathering place for the town’s creative residents and a place not just for excellent food but for art exhibitions. Today, the Back Porch continues to serve up top-notch French fare in an unpretentious, welcoming setting. The outdoor patio is one of the few places in Rehoboth where you can dine al fresco in a private, convivial courtyard. After dinner, take time to stroll the restaurant and take in the art that adorns the walls. There’s a lot of fascinating history to be found in this irreplaceable icon of Rehoboth Beach.
Editor’s Choice: The Purple Parrot
Best Rehoboth Coffee Shop: Rise Up
502 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Rehoboth’s coffee scene is in flux after the recent closure of the town’s Starbucks. Rise Up is part of a small regional chain of coffeehouses that offers a small menu and a cocktail bar. But most visitors grab a coffee or latté and relax in the spacious lounge or outdoor patio complete with complimentary Wifi enabling you to work or just quietly doom scroll.
Editor’s Choice: The Coffee Mill
Best Rehoboth Restaurant: Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Perennial favorite Blue Moon remains on top after winning this category last year. With so much competition from regional and out-of-town chains like Atlas Restaurant Group, it’s nice to see a local, gay-owned restaurant continue to serve up the best food in town. Go early for the Moon’s excellent happy hour specials or to hear John Flynn on the piano then indulge in the luxurious lobster risotto or perhaps a comforting bowl of short rib stroganoff.
Editor’s Choice: Henlopen City Oyster House
Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent: Andy Staton
18949 Coastal Highway, Suite 304
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
After seven consecutive wins in this category by local legend Lee Ann Wilkinson, there’s a new agent atop the list. Longtime local Realtor Andy Staton is your pick for Best Rehoboth Realtor. The Andy Staton Group at Monument Sotheby’s “combines concierge style attention to customer detail to meet seller and buyer needs in a modern service-oriented approach,” according to its website. You may have seen Andy in his role as a TV host for the American Dream Network or in one of his videos promoting his love of pickleball.
Editor’s Choice: Chris Beagle
Best Rehoboth Business: Diego’s
37298 Rehoboth Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Diego’s dominated this year’s awards with multiple wins, showcasing the hard work of owners Darryl and Joe Ciarlante-Zuber to create an unabashedly queer space with year-round entertainment, friendly bartenders, and multiple indoor/outdoor spaces to gather with friends. Whether you come for an intimate happy hour with friends, a Sunday T-dance with Pamala Stanley, or late-night dancing with internationally renowned DJs, Diego’s never disappoints.
Editor’s Choice: Freddie’s Beach Bar
Best Rehoboth Bartender: Katie Lyell, Aqua Bar& Grill
57 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Katie Lyell is a first-time winner in this competitive category but she’s no stranger to the regulars at Aqua. Fighting the crowds to the bar in summer, you will be greeted by Katie’s always-smiling face.
Lyell, 39, is straight and has been married for two years. She grew up in Newark, Del., and attended Frostburg State University.
She’s in her eighth year bartending at Aqua and says the bar has become much more of a year-round destination since she started.
“We’ve been able to extend our season because of it,” she said, noting Aqua will hold its annual closing party on Jan. 1 and likely reopen for St. Patrick’s Day in March.
She plans to “hibernate” during the break and travel with her husband.
The best part of working at Aqua? “Getting to meet so many different people, even if it’s just for a 60-second interaction. I enjoy chatting with everyone. I really love my community.”
What’s her most dreaded drink order? “Three martinis at one time because I can only make two in a shaker.”
Lyell says the highlight of her summer was Memorial Day Weekend because customers count down to the unofficial summer kickoff weekend.
“I also really love Bear Weekend, it’s always a great time.”
Editor’s Choice: Eddie Adam, Diego’s
a&e features
Jennifer Lopez talks ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ queer representation
Latest version of iconic story ‘a love letter to humanity’
With its riveting storyline and gorgeous dance scenes, it’s no wonder that one of the standout films this awards season is “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Originally a bold novel published by Argentine writer Manuel Puig in 1976, it was adapted into a play and then a screenplay. In 1985, the film earned four Academy Award nominations, with William Hurt winning Best Actor — the first ever awarded for a portrayal of an openly queer character.
Ten years later, in 1993, the story was turned into a Broadway musical starring the iconic Chita Rivera, and won several Tony Awards. Fast forward to 2025: for this new version, Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna both play dual roles in the film, which also stars newcomer, Tonatiuh.
The film takes place in 1983, during Argentina’s troubled times; two prisoners are forced to share a confined cell in Buenos Aires. Valentín (Luna), a Marxist revolutionary, is committed to his political idealology, despite being tortured and deprived by the guards. Molina (Tonatiuh), a gay window dresser who is in jail because of his sexual orientation, survives the insanity by fantasizing about his favorite movie, telling Valentin all the details. While their connection begins as a way for them to emotionally escape, it grows deeper, in the most profound way.
Through stories, confessions, and sacrifice, the duo discover unexpected tenderness and the possibility of love in a place designed to annihilate the human spirit.
“These two men who could not be different in every single way, everything is stripped away from them in their lives, the politics, class, education, all this stuff goes away, and they start to see themselves as individuals,” said Bill Condon, the Academy Award-winning writer-director known for such films as “Gods and Monsters,” “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls” and “Beauty and the Beast,” who was deeply moved as he wrote the script.
Producing the updated version of the film was vital to Lopez, who is also an executive producer. “I think it’s more relevant than ever,” she said at a recent Golden Globes press event.
“The idea of a trans or gay character in this movie…the kind of divisiveness that we’ve experienced in the world in the past few years. A story about two people who are thrown together, who are so opposite, who are so different from each other. And find the humanity and fall in love with each other. Who would never probably even find themselves in the same circles. That’s really important to have queer representation in movies. In my own family, I know how important that is for people to see that.”
Tonatiuh, who steals every scene he is in, lost 45 pounds for the role.
“I think there’s a certain moment that’s happening right now that we need to remind ourselves that dignity and humanity and love transcend gender,” he said. “They transcend sexual orientation. They transcend all of those things. And so, yes, we deal with queer themes in our film, but I do think that it is a love letter to diversity. It is a love letter to humanity as a whole.”
Condon loved every version of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” each of them was “revolutionary” for its time.
“But when you read that novel, it’s taken us this long to really catch up to what it was saying. And specifically, this was well before the election season and well before we knew what was going to happen. But it was clear that trans people were going to be demonized, that they were going to be a part of the conversation…it did feel that this was something that was bubbling up and happening. So that’s what made it feel very urgent.”
Lopez added: “The revolution that you’re saying that we need right now is exactly the reason why I think the movie is so important right now for people to see. Because it reminds you that it’s really, at the end of the day, about two people getting along and falling in love, when you really forget about all of the other things, that we’re all just human. And it is about humanity.”
Tonatiuh hopes that the film inspires people to step up.
“We constantly see the news, we see everything that’s going around and we wonder, ‘What is it that I can do? I’m just one person.’ But this isolationist mentality is the thing that gets us here. Every one of us has little actions to take and little moments to do. And especially in a moment where Latinos in general in this country are experiencing massive negative public relations, just attack after attack after attack, it’s really wonderful to showcase what Latino dignity is and reminding people of, like the talent, the joy that our culture adds to the United States and the world.”
US bishops ban gender-affirming care at Catholic hospitals
Pro-trans candidates triumph despite millions in transphobic ads
Federal government reopens
Sydney Sweeney embodies lesbian boxer in new film ‘Christy’
Democratic Socialism won’t win the whole country
Supreme Court rejects Kim Davis’s effort to overturn landmark marriage ruling
Capital Pride files anti-stalking complaint against local LGBTQ activist
Pro-trans candidates triumph despite millions in transphobic ads
Spark Social House to start serving alcohol
Turks and Caicos government ordered to recognize gay couple’s marriage
-
U.S. Supreme Court3 days agoSupreme Court rejects Kim Davis’s effort to overturn landmark marriage ruling
-
District of Columbia4 days ago
Capital Pride files anti-stalking complaint against local LGBTQ activist
-
Politics14 hours ago
Pro-trans candidates triumph despite millions in transphobic ads
-
Dining3 days ago
Spark Social House to start serving alcohol
