Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. 2016: COMMUNITY
Blade readers voted for their community favorites
Best Art Gallery
Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum
1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: The Phillips Collection
Best Adult Store
Bite the Fruit
1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Trick Box
Best Car Dealership
BMW of Fairfax
8427 Lee Highway, Fairfax
Runner-up: Audi of Tysons
Best Apartment/Condo Building
Atlantic Plumbing
2112 8th St., N.W.
Runner-up: The Shay
Best Doctor/Medical Provider
Ray Martins, Whitman-Walker Health
Runner-up: Dr. Robyn Zeiger
Best Fitness or Workout Spot
VIDA Fitness
1517 15th St., N.W.
1612 U St., N.W.
999 9th St., N.W.
(A perennial favorite in this category)
Runner-up: YMCA
Best Gayborhood
Shaw
Runner-up: Logan Circle
Best Hardware Store
Logan Hardware
Logan Hardware
1734 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Annieās Ace Hardware
Best Home Furnishings
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
1526 14th St., N.W.
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams is featured on the 2016 Best of Gay DC cover.
Runner-up: Room & Board
Best Home Improvement Service
The Organizing Agency
811 4th St., N.W., Suite1013
(Winner of last yearās Best LGBT-owned Business award)
Runner-up: Hourly Husbands
Best Hotel
The W
515 15th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Donovan House
Best House of Worship
Empowerment Liberation Cathedral
633 Sligo Ave., Silver Spring
240-720-7605
empowermentliberationcathedral.org
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: All Souls Unitarian
Best Lawyer
Peter Glazer
The Glazer Law Firm
Business attorney
Runner-up: Amy Nelson
Best LGBT Social Group
Gay Menās Chorus of Washington
Runner-up: D.C. Rawhides
Best LGBT Support Group
SMYAL
Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders
410 7th St., S.E.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: HIPS
BestĀ LGBT Sports League
D.C. Rollergirls
Runner-up: Stonewall Kickball
Teammates on D.C. Rollergirls say the league feels like family.
Founded in 2006, D.C. Rollergirls is centered around the groupās love for roller derby. In addition to games, the team also prides itself on contributing to community service with organizations that promote female empowerment, physical fitness and awareness of issues women, children and families face in the D.C. area.
League president Dawn Sherman, also known by her team nickname Aurora Borey All-Ass, says what makes the team stand out is the diversity of its members.
āWe have women from all different walks of life,ā Sherman says. āWe are an inclusive environment so we have cis-gender women and we are very open to LGBT women. The fact that we all come together for this crazy common sport that we love just makes it amazing.ā
Women of all skill levels are welcome on the team especially beginners. JaeLee Waldschmidt, nicknamed Switch Please, says she stepped into the world of roller derby after a friend invited her to a match.
Waldschmidt admits she was clueless and outside her comfort zone.
āMy friend was like, āYou should come watch my team play.ā I was like, āPlay what?ā āRoller derby,āā Waldschmidt says. āI was like, āWhatās that?ā I watched one of their games and showed up to D.C. Armory like, āWhere do I get in?ā and my friend was like, āThe door. You go in through the door.āā
After attending roller derby boot camp Waldschmidt found herself competing on the team.
She encourages other women interested in trying something new to do the same. Try out sessions are open to anyone regardless of experience level. Each Sunday the team has a roller derby boot camp where anybody, with the appropriate safety gear, can learn the fundamentals of roller derby. The next try out date is Sunday, Oct. 23 at the DCRG Warehouse (5706 LaFayette Pl., Hyattsville, Md.) from 12:30-3:30 p.m. The team consists of about 40 players, including dozens of volunteers, beginner boot campers and retired derby members who still like to stay connected.
Another big part of being a D.C. Rollergirls team member is picking a nickname that suits you.
For Sherman the name was all about who she was as a person.
āI wanted to find something that kind of gave people a little glimpse into my life,ā Sherman says. āMy quirky sci-fi side. Kind of just being a general science geek and my physique. So my name is Aurora Borey All-Ass and that kind of encompasses all those things.ā
Waldschmidt chose her name Switch Please, from the character Switch from āThe Matrix.ā
Feeling comfortable to share parts of themselves with their team is the best part about the league, Waldschmidt says.
āBeing a trans woman, itās kind of hard in this world trying to find a place that accepts you for who you are,ā Waldschmidt says. āI mean there are pockets here and there but roller derby was like āAlright, cool.ā It was a really empowering opportunity to be authentic and not have to try to conform to peopleās expectations of what a man or woman is, to be myself.ā (Mariah Cooper)
Best LGBT-Owned Business
Capital Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness
1330 U St., N.W.
Runner-up: Town, Number Nine and Trade
Most LGBT-Friendly Workplace
Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.
Runner-up: Whitman-Walker Health
Best Non-Profit
Whitman-Walker Health
Runner-up: Capital Pride
Best Pet Business
Metro Mutts
508 H St., N.E.
Runner-up: City Dogs
Best Place to Buy Second-Hand Stuff
Miss Pixieās Furnishings and Whatnot
1626 14th St., N.W.
Runner-up: Buffalo Exchange
Best Place to Take the Kids
Smithsonianās National Zoo
3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Smithsonianās National Air and Space Museum
Best Rehoboth Business
Blue Moon
35 Baltimore Ave.
Rehoboth Beach, Del.
bluemoonrehoboth.com
(Also won Best Rehoboth Bar)
Runner-up: Purple Parrot
Best Salon/Spa
Logan 14 Aveda Salon & Spa
1314 14th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Salon Quency
Best Reason to Go to Baltimore
National Aquarium
501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Best Theater
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Arena Stage
Best Theater Production
āKinky Bootsā (Kennedy Center)
Runner-up: āLa Cage Aux Follesā (Signature Theatre)
Best Vet
CityPaws Animal Hospital
1823 14th St., N.W.
(Second consecutive win in this category)
Runner-up: Union Veterinary Clinic
To see winners in other categories in the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. 2016 Awards, click here.
Photos
PHOTOS: Taste of Point
Annual fundraiser held for LGBTQ youth scholarship, mentorship organization
The Point Foundation held its annual Taste of Point fundraiser at Room & Board on May 2.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Theater
Miss Kitty tackles classical mythology in āMetamorphosesā
Folger production seen through the lens of the African diaspora
āMetamorphosesā
May 7-June 16
Folger Theatre
201 East Capitol St., S.E.
$20-$84
Folger.edu
Miss Kittyās words are thoughtful and measured, occasionally punctuated by flamboyant flourishes and uplifting proclamations. Her tried and tested tagline is ālive in fierce not fear.āĀ
She describes herself as āAMAB (assigned male at birth), nonbinary, genderqueer, transfemmeā as well as āchanteuse, noble blacktress, and dancer.ā
Currently, Miss Kitty is testing her talents in Mary Zimmermanās āMetamorphosesā at Folger Theatre on Capitol Hill.
At 90 minutes, āMetamorphoses,ā is made up of interwoven vignettes from classical mythology including the tales of Midas and his daughter, Alcyone and Ceyx, and Eros and Psyche.
āItās all stories that relate to the human condition: the follies, the happiness, the love, the loss,ā Miss Kitty explains. āAnd a thorough knowledge of mythology isnāt a requirement for enjoyment.ā
The language is contemporary and with its 11-person ensemble cast ā comprised exclusively of Black or indigenous people of color ā theyāre adding their own spin to its present-day feel, she adds.
In Zimmermanās famously staged premiere production, the actors performed in and around a pool of water. At Folger, director Psalmayene 24 has ditched actual aquatics; instead, he suggests the element by introducing Water Nymph, a new character constructed around Miss Kitty.
Water Nymph doesnāt speak, but sheās very visible from the opening number and throughout the play on stage and popping up in unexpected places around the venue.
āItās a lot of dancing; I havenāt danced the way Tony Thomas is choreographing me in a very long time. At 40, can she still make theater with just my body as her instrument?
The name āMiss Kittyā was born over a decade ago.
Miss Kitty recalls, āShe was still presenting as male and going by her dead name. Someone commented that with the wig she was wearing for a part, she looked like Eartha Kitt whom she deeply admires.ā
Her penchant for illeism (referring to oneself in third person) isnāt without good reason. She explains, āItās to reiterate that however she might look, sheās always there; and if you misgender, she will let you know.ā
Initially, the moniker was a drag persona at Capital Pride or the occasional fabulous cabaret performance at a nightclub.
But as time passed, she realized that Miss Kitty was something she couldnāt take off. She had always been a part of her.
āSheās helped me to grow and flourish; sheās given me the strength that I never would have had before. Iām so proud of myself for realizing that before it was too late.ā
Bringing Miss Kitty into her theatrical career presented some concerns. Would theater folks be open to the new her, especially those sheād worked with before?
Not always, but sheās found new companies whoāve welcomed Miss Kitty with open arms including Avant Bard, Spooky Action Theater, and now Folger.
Last fall, Miss Kitty appeared in Spooky Actionās Agreste (Drylands), a stunning queer story penned by gay Brazilian playwright Newton Moreno.
After being invited to audition and reading the script, Miss Kitty was determined to be a part of the production.
A work dealing with love and being trans, and transphobia, and how people can turn on a dime once they learn the truth about someone, resonated deeply with the actor.
āThe play speaks to the idea that if people just let people be who they are and love who they want to love weād all be a lot happier,ā she says.
For her sublime efforts, Miss Kitty nabbed a Helen Hayes Award nomination in the Outstanding Lead Performer category (winner to be determined on Monday, May 20 during a ceremony at The Anthem).
Itās her first time nominated and first time attending. Sheās thrilled.
Miss Kitty grew up in Oxen Hill, Md., and now lives near Washington Harbor. Her entry into performance was through music followed by high school plays. She graduated from Catholic University with a degree in music/concentration in musical theater, and from there dove directly into showbiz.
Looking back, Miss Kitty says, ābeing a person of color AND queer can be a double whammy of difficulty. You have to live in light and do the things youāre afraid to do. Thatās the game changer.ā
Presenting āMetamorphosesā through the lens of the African diaspora (the cast also includes Jon Hudson Odom and Billie Krishawn, among others) helps us to realize that every story can be universal, especially for marginalized people ā South Asian, Native American, or fully queer perspectives, she says.
āHaving an all-Black ensemble opens all new worlds for everyone.ā
Las Vegas, known for its vibrant and inclusive atmosphere, embraces LGBTQ culture with open arms, making it a thriving hub for the community. Iconic events like the annual Las Vegas Pride Parade and Festival bring together people from all walks of life to celebrate diversity and unity. The 2024 Las Vegas Pride festival is scheduled for Oct. 12, so start planning now.
The city’s commitment to inclusivity is reflected in the diverse range of LGBTQ-friendly accommodations, ensuring that visitors feel welcome and respected. Beyond the nightlife, Las Vegas hosts a variety of LGBTQ-focused community organizations, support groups, and cultural events that contribute to the rich tapestry of the city’s inclusive ethos. Whether exploring the famous entertainment offerings or participating in community-driven initiatives, LGBTQ individuals and allies alike find a warm and accepting home in the vibrant tapestry of LGBTQ culture in Las Vegas.
Ever since I was young, I have always wanted to stay at Bellagio. Its iconic foundations have fascinated me for decades. The hotel stands as an epitome of luxury and sophistication, offering an unparalleled experience that seamlessly blends opulence, entertainment, and fine dining. From the moment you step into the grand lobby, it’s evident that Bellagio is committed to providing a world-class stay, especially when you glance at the ceiling adorned with Chihuly glass sculptures.
I stayed in a recently renovated room in the Spa Tower with an unobstructed view of the Vegas Strip and the fountains. The attention to detail is evident in the tasteful decor, plush furnishings, and modern amenities. Beginning at 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends, the choreographed water show set against the backdrop of the Las Vegas Strip is a mesmerizing display of artistry, combining music, light, and water in perfect harmony. It sets the tone for the exquisite experiences that await within Bellagio.
Bellagio is also home to the famous Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a lush oasis that undergoes seasonal transformations, displaying stunning floral displays and thematic installations. This botanical escape provides a serene contrast to the lively atmosphere of the casino and the bustling Strip. During our stay, the staff were completing the new springtime exhibition, which gave us Alice in Wonderland vibes.
For those seeking entertainment, Bellagio offers the spectacular “O” by Cirque du Soleil, a water-themed extravaganza that complements the hotel’s overall theme. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is another cultural gem within the hotel, featuring rotating exhibitions that display masterpieces from around the world.
Although it is possible to never leave the hotel, we wanted to experience other MGM Resorts properties, so we headed to LPM at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas for dinner. LPM offers an exquisite dining experience that effortlessly marries Mediterranean charm with the vibrant energy of the Strip. From the moment you step through the entrance, you are greeted by an ambiance that strikes a perfect balance between sophistication and conviviality.
LPM’s interior is a visual feast, adorned with chic decor, warm lighting, and an intimate atmosphere. The combination of contemporary design elements and classic French accents creates a welcoming space that feels both elegant and comfortable. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or seeking a romantic dinner, LPM’s ambiance sets the stage for an unforgettable dining experience.
LPM’s menu is a culinary triumph, highlighting the rich and diverse flavors of the French Riviera. The emphasis on fresh, high-quality ingredients is evident in every dish. We began our meal with a variety of appetizers, including the Yellowtail Carpaccio, Escargots, and their signature Burrata prepared with heritage tomatoes and basil and topped with white truffles. For our main courses, we decided to focus on seafood entrees, so we tried the Lobster Risotto and grilled Chilean Bass. Both were prepared to perfection and paired very well together if you are looking to share entrees.
Of course, one of the biggest attractions of Las Vegas is the Strip itself. Spend a few hours meandering through each hotel and taking in the Vegas vibe. There is no other place in the world quite like it.
If you are in the mood for a little adventure, head to Area15, located about 10 minutes from the strip. Area15 is an immersive entertainment complex that blends art, technology, and entertainment in a unique and captivating way. Boasting an otherworldly exterior and a dynamic interior, Area15 is home to a variety of innovative experiences, including interactive art installations and virtual reality adventures. Its anchor tenant, the Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, is a surreal supermarket-like environment filled with mind-bending art and hidden mysteries. The venue also hosts concerts and live events including Beyond Brunch, a variety show hosted by drag queen extraordinaire Andrew Ryan. The two-hour spectacle includes a wonderful buffet and performances by talented acts ranging from hoop dancers to Cirque-style entertainers. The show is well worth the price of admission; it is not your typical drag brunch.
Spend the afternoon touring Area15 or head to The Sphere, Las Vegasās newest concert venue. Rock icons U2 opened the venue with a 40-night run, but guests can purchase tickets to Darren Aronofsky’s multi-sensory film āPostcard from Earth.ā
For a trip down memory lane, especially if you are in you were born in the ā70s or ā80s, check out Retro by Voltaggio at Mandalay Bay. The restaurant owned by Top Chef stars, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, takes diners on a nostalgic journey through time, blending modern culinary techniques with comforting flavors reminiscent of classic American dishes set in a retro-chic environment. The space is adorned with quirky memorabilia, neon accents, and a colorful palette that captures a sense of nostalgia without feeling overly kitschy, creating a welcoming environment for diners to unwind and enjoy the culinary adventure.
Retro by Voltaggio’s menu is a playful exploration of classic American favorites. We started our dinner with the deviled eggs with smoked trout roe along with the beet steak tartare, which was incredible. Next came the bluefin tuna ceviche served over coconut crushed ice. For our entrees we tried the trout meuniere, which was served in a lemon and caper sauce, as well as the lobster thermidor with lobster waffles ā yes, you read that correctly. It was as delicious as it sounds.
Save room for the dessert cart, which contains innovative creations that satisfy the sweet tooth. Whether you’re a fan of nostalgic flavors or simply seeking a unique and enjoyable meal, Retro by Voltaggio is worth the visit.
After dinner, catch a performance of Michael Jackson āONEā by Cirque du Soleil also at Mandalay Bay. The show is a captivating tribute to the King of Pop that seamlessly blends the magic of Cirque du Soleil with the timeless music and iconic choreography of Michael Jackson. From the moment the lights dim to the final bow, the show is a high-energy, emotionally charged celebration of the legendary entertainer’s life and legacy. This isnāt your typical Cirque du Soleil show and is more like a concert featuring all of Michaelās greatest hits, memorable dance moves, and state-of-the-art production. I felt like āONEā is the type of concert Michael would have wanted to perform if he were still with us.
The thing I like most about Vegas is it is always evolving. Every time you visit, there is something new to see or do. Viva Las Vegas!