Arts & Entertainment
Gay couple renews vows onstage at Edward Sharpe’s North Carolina concert
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes helped a gay couple celebrate their love during the band’s concert in Raleigh, N.C. on Friday.
Frontman Alex Ebert brought his two friends, PETA Senior VP Dan Mathews and his husband Jack Ryan, out on stage during the band’s performance of “Home.” Ebert explained he missed their wedding and wanted to officiate their vow renewal ceremony.
“Jack and Daniel, do you promise to love as freely as you want in your life and to be able to express that whenever and wherever you are as long as you shall be together?” Ebert asks Matthews and Ryan. The couple says yes and Ebert pronounces them “Jack Daniels” as they kiss and the dancing crowd cheers.
“HB2 was passed by an immoral minority – North Carolina has many thriving, creative, modern communities,” Ebert said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “We were tempted to cancel the show, but decided at the last minute to rally the crowd instead by renewing the vows of our good friends onstage.”
The Capital Pride Alliance presented the 2026 Capital Pride Honors at “The Audacity Brunch: In Full Fuchsia” at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. on Sunday, June 7.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Out & About
Congressional Cemetery hosts Gays & Graves
Daylong Pride celebration blends history, remembrance, art and community
Historic Congressional Cemetery will host the second annual “Gays & Graves: A Big Gay Festival” on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.
The event will feature pioneering activist Randy Wicker, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, and new public art installations and programs celebrating LGBTQ+ history. Gays & Graves is an official partner event of Capital Pride 2026.
This event is a daylong Pride celebration blending history, remembrance, art and community. Visitors can shop from LGBTQ+ and allied artists and makers, experience performances and interactive installations, and engage with programs exploring LGBTQ+ history and lived experience.
For more details, visit the cemetery’s website.
Baltimore Pride is underway, taking place from June 8-14.
The Pride Parade will be on Saturday, June 13 at 12 p.m. at Charles Street & North Avenue, followed by the Pride Block Party at 1 p.m. at Druid Hill Park. And then the Pride Festival will be held on Sunday, June 14 at 12 p.m. at Druid Hill Park.
There will be an array of additional events including: a fashion show, a “Suits and Sneakers” reception and a 5k race, among many other events.
For more details, visit Baltimore Pride’s website.
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