a&e features
Pointer Sisters 2.0 to headline festival main stage on Sunday
Ruth Pointer says sisterly harmonics came naturally
The Pointer Sisters today are Ruth Pointer, center, with daughter Issa, left, and granddaughter Sadako. (Photo courtesy Left of Center Productions)
There’s a lot more to the Pointer Sisters than their most well-known hits.
Originally, sisters June and Bonnie Pointer started singing as a duo in 1969. By 1972, they were a quartet with sisters Anita and Ruth having joined them. Their eponymous debut album came out the following year and they worked as a quartet until 1978 and were known for highly eclectic musical experimentation. They even won a 1975 Grammy in a country category for their song “Fairytale.”
Their biggest songs came in the ‘80s with June, Ruth and Anita releasing monster chart hits like “Slow Hand,” “Jump (for My Love)” and “I’m So Excited.”
For about the last eight years, the group has continued with Ruth singing with her daughter Issa Pointer and granddaughter Sadako Pointer. June died in 2006. Anita occasionally sang with them until the last few years.
The Pointer Sisters will headline at the Capital Pride concert on the Capitol Concert Stage at 3rd & Pennsylvania Ave. on Sunday, June 11 at 4 p.m. Ruth Pointer, 71, took a few minutes last week from her home in Massachusetts where she was helping her granddaughter move into a new apartment to talk with the Washington Blade.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Your memoir “Still So Excited!” last year was noted for being unusually candid. What kind of reception did you get to it overall?
RUTH POINTER: You know, it was very positive. I think that I’m just among a group of people that are writing these types of memoirs most recently just about a life of recovery and redemption and experience, especially in this business. I really, really appreciate the response I got. I’m sure there were some negative ones as well from what I’m told but I don’t read that stuff.
BLADE: You were up front with your drug and alcohol use in the ‘80s. Do you agree that male rock stars seem to get more of a free pass on this kind of thing than women? With somebody like, say, Keith Richards, it’s treated as just part of his renegade persona whereas with Stevie Nicks, everybody acts so forlorn like, “Oh, she had a serious problem,” and she’s asked about it ad nauseam.
POINTER: In a way I think I do, but that’s sort of what I think is a gender bias in almost everything. You know, it’s just the way of the world.
BLADE: You’ve said how strict your parents were when you were growing up. Did they sort of gradually accept the kind of music the group was doing? Did it take them a long time to come around?
POINTER: Yes, they did loosen up. I think it comes from getting to a place where you’re just exhausted from fighting and disagreeing and being rigid and I know I find that in my own life with my own children. You know, after a while I just try to figure out how I can love them for who they are as opposed to how I want them to be and I think my parents came to that realization and just decided to just love us as opposed to trying to mold us and make us into these starch Christians that they were. It just wasn’t going to work (laughs). I mean you know, I consider myself a Christian today but I think a lot of religions and practices have changed over the years. You just want to kind of fit in a little bit with the world. So things are a little different now.
BLADE: I imagine gay issues were thought of as the ultimate sin, right?
POINTER: I didn’t even know anything about that when I was a kid. I had no clue.
BLADE: Do you recall when you first realized that was a thing?
POINTER: You know, I really don’t know a specific time. I’ve always had, you know, friends that were a little different in different ways, but I never thought it was anything wrong with them. They were just different.
BLADE: I’m sure your views evolved on that over the years like most other folks, right?
POINTER: Yeah, oh absolutely.
BLADE: Have the Pointer Sisters played many Pride events? Do you remember the first?
POINTER: I don’t remember the first one but we’ve always had a huge, you know, audience, gay audience, being from the Bay Area, San Francisco, you know, Haight-Ashbury. Sylvester, the Cockettes, Pristine Condition, you know, it was always just a good time. Just fun, which is what we always set out to do, just have a good time.
BLADE: What do you have planned for your D.C. performance?
POINTER: Well, we just want to have a really good time at any event. Where we’re playing determines what we’re going to have, what we’re going to wear. It’s just things that we want to be appropriate for the engagement we’re doing. We’re just excited about it. It’s always an exciting time to play for a gay audience. It’s always just so much fun.
BLADE: Mary Wilson has had several exhibits of the Supremes’ gowns in recent years. I know the Pointer Sisters were a whole different kind of act but do you have all your stage clothes from over the years and would you ever exhibit any of that stuff anywhere?
POINTER: No, we haven’t kept everything. I know my sister Anita keeps most everything. She has things that I don’t have. But we still have some things, we don’t have everything. I don’t know what she has because we were given a lot of things. Especially, like when we did “The Carol Burnett Show” and Bob Mackie was making all of our wardrobe for those shows. Carol was so gracious and just let us keep the costumes that were made for us.
BLADE: Wow.
POINTER: Yes, I know, I know!
BLADE: How is Anita. Do you see her often?
POINTER: I don’t see her that often because I’m on the East Coast and she’s on the West Coast. You know, when I’m in L.A. we try to get together and see each other so that’s when I can see her. We talk occasionally. My sister Bonnie and I text and talk on a regular basis and that’s just kind of the way we live our lives. I have two older brothers and we talk all the time. So we stay in touch pretty much like most families would. Nothing exceptional.
BLADE: Are you still friendly with (former Temptations lead singer) Dennis Edwards? (ex-husband and father of Pointer’s daughter, Issa.) Do you ever see him?
POINTER: I don’t see him. He’s in Saint Louis, I believe, and we have a daughter together who’s singing with me now and she’s in touch with him and his current wife, Brenda. But he’s in the hospital, you know, trying to recover from meningitis and now pneumonia. So we’re sort of praying every day that he makes a full recovery but we just don’t know. It’s really quite serious.
BLADE: What’s it like singing and traveling with your daughter and granddaughter? Did that just sort of come about organically?
POINTER: It was kind of a natural thing only because they were pretty much born into this business with me. I was pregnant with Issa on stage for eight months before she was born and my granddaughter has just always been around our music all her life. We had to make some adjustments in the music because unlike my sisters, they didn’t grow up singing together so that instinct that me and Anita and Bonnie and June had didn’t exist between Issa and Sadako. We had to teach them the notes and the moves whereas it was so easy for me and my sisters because we just kind of automatically moved together and automatically knew what we were going to do. It was a little bit of a challenge but they got it down.
BLADE: How long have they each been in the group?
POINTER: Issa has been with us since 2002. Sadako came in about eight years ago when Issa got pregnant with my first grandson. … They know what they’re doing by now.
BLADE: Back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, if a group won a Grammy, did you each get one or was it just one trophy for the group?
POINTER: We each got one, yeah.
BLADE: What memory stands out most in your mind from “We Are the World”?
POINTER: The fact that I realized that there would never, ever be that group of people together in one room ever again. My God, when I look back and think of all the people that were in that room. People I admired before I even got in the business and people that I will forever admire — Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Janet, no wait, LaToya, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Dionne (Warwick), oh, I could go on and on. It’s just like, wow. I was in awe of everybody.
BLADE: So even though you all were huge stars, you were still starstruck?
POINTER: Absolutely, oh yeah. I’m a fan of everybody’s.
BLADE: Were there a lot of egos on display?
POINTER: There was a banner placed across the top of the studio as we came in that said, “Leave your ego at the door.”
BLADE: Did it work?
POINTER: I think everybody did that except maybe Waylon Jennings (laughs).
BLADE: Of all people.
POINTER: It was like all of a sudden Stevie Wonder wanted to try to put in some kind of African lyric in the song and Waylon went off and he said, “I’m outta here.” Came down out of the bleachers where we were all standing and said, “I ain’t singing no Kumbaya bullshit, I’m outta here.” We all just laughed, you know?
BLADE: Do you think Bonnie felt left out when you all went through the roof after she left?
POINTER: We weren’t even in touch with her during those years. Bonnie was estranged and away from us for almost 30 years. We didn’t talk, we didn’t speak, there was nothing, no communication. And I really think that it had a lot to do with the man that she was with. So I don’t know what she was feeling but I’m sure she might have felt that way.
BLADE: How did it come about that “I’m So Excited” was remixed and became a much bigger hit than it had been before?
POINTER: We had an album called “I’m So Excited” and the song was kind of overlooked and we had put so much love and effort into writing that song, so when the album “Breakout” came up, we told Richard Perry, our producer, we said, “Look, we need to re-release this song.” We said, “It’s just a shame that it’s been so overlooked and we know it’s a hit.” And that’s kind of how it happened.
BLADE: Labels can be funny about stuff like that. Did it take any arm twisting?
POINTER: No, they really didn’t, you know, argue with us on that issue. They accepted it and were willing to put it on the next album. And the rest is history.
BLADE: How did you decide who would sing lead?
POINTER: We knew that Anita had a lot to do with initiating that song, the writing with Trevor Lawrence and we all felt equally agreeable that her voice was well suited for that song so it wasn’t really a big issue or argument.
BLADE: But in general how would you divvy up lead vocal duties?
POINTER: We would go through a series of trying out different voices. Richard would take each of us to sing a certain song and then we would all decide which one we liked the best. So that’s just how we did it.
BLADE: The Pointer Sisters are heavily known for dabbling in many genres. Did you ever get label pushback from that?
POINTER: We never really got much pushback. We always knew we didn’t want to be pigeonholed. We liked singing everything and I just think we just were lucky and blest enough that the producers we worked with liked that kind of variety. We were willing to try things and they were willing to try things with us.
BLADE: Do you think much about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? I know it’s not just based on fame or chart stats, but there are many acts inducted that had a lot fewer hits than you guys did.
POINTER: Of course I think about that. Are you kidding me? Yes, yes indeed! But you know the other thing is that there are a lot of groups that I admire that aren’t in there either, you know? That when I hear the names come up on a yearly basis of the people going in, a lot of times I’m thinking, ‘God, I thought they were already in there.” So, you know, it is what it is.
BLADE: Is it political? Maybe because your biggest hits were ’80’s pop hits, that era isn’t taken as seriously perhaps?
POINTER: I really don’t know.
BLADE: Do you miss recording?
POINTER: I do, I do.
BLADE: Do you think you would ever do any recording with your daughter and granddaughter?
POINTER: I hope we can but right now, you know, it’s interesting. I’ve heard people talk about wanting to try out new material but the audience really loves the old stuff. You know, I remember even years ago, we’d try out new material and they just sit there looking at you like a deer in headlights so then you pull out something old and they go crazy. So we just stick with what we love and what they love.
BLADE: About what percentage of the year do you spend traveling these days?
POINTER: Hmmmm, I don’t know. I never tried to figure that out but I know it’s a lot. More than I ever expected it to be at this age, at this time in my life. But it’s OK because I appreciate it so much and I enjoy it so much. I think I enjoy it now more than I did then.
BLADE: What would you say to someone struggling with addiction?
POINTER: First of all just admit that you have a problem. People just don’t want to admit there’s a problem or they think they can handle it on their own. I’m so saddened with the deaths of Prince, Michael Jackson and I was just noticing this thing even with Tiger Woods the other day and I was saying, “God, they just don’t get it.” These opioids are gonna kill them and they’ve got to get a handle on it and realize they can’t beat the drug, you know? You gotta get help and you gotta admit that it’s an issue that you can’t just play around with and think, “Oh well, this won’t hurt me.” You gotta get help.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2025
‘Wicked,’ Lady Gaga’s new era, ‘Sexy’ Bailey and more
Although 2025 was a year marked by countless attacks on trans rights and political setbacks, the year also saw brilliant queer artists continuing to create art. From Cannes and Sundance Award winners now vying for Oscar consideration to pop icons entering new stages of their careers, queer people persevered to tell their stories through different media.
With the state of the world so uncertain, perhaps there’s no more vital time to celebrate our wins, as seen through some of this year’s top pop culture moments. While there’s no collection of 10 stories that fully encompass “the most important” news, here are some events that got the gays going:
10. ‘Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ wins big at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival has become a crucial start for films hoping to make their way to the Oscars, and first-time director Diego Céspedes won the top Un Certain Regard prize for his intimate western “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.” The film is set in the ‘80s and is intended as an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. Seeing a film that unpacks vital queer history win one of the most coveted awards at Cannes has been a huge point of pride in the independent filmmaking community.
Since the film bowed at Cannes, it has been selected as Chile’s Oscar entry in the Best International Feature race. Speaking with The Blade during the film’s AFI Fest run in October, Céspedes said: At first, I was kind of scared to have this campaign position in the times that we’re living [in] here. But at the same time, I think the Oscars mean a huge platform — a huge platform for art and politics.”
9. ‘The Last of Us’ returns for an even gayer season 2
While the first season of The Last of Us gave us one of TV’s most heartbreaking queer love stories in the episode “Long, Long Time,” Season 2 doubled down on its commitment to queer storytelling with the blossoming relationship between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). The show expanded on the pair’s relationship in the original video game, making it perhaps the central dynamic to the entire season. That unfortunately came with more homophobic backlash on the internet, but those who checked out all the episodes saw a tender relationship form amid the show’s post-apocalyptic, often violent backdrop. For their performance, Ramsey was once again nominated for an Emmy, but Merced deserved just as much awards attention.
8. ‘Emilia Pérez’ sparks controversy
Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending trans musical “Emilia Pérez” proved to be an awards season juggernaut this time last year, winning the Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy. But when the lead star Karla Sofia Gascón’s racist, sexist, and homophobic old tweets resurfaced, the film’s Oscar campaign became a tough sell, especially after Netflix had tried so hard to sell Emilia Pérez as the “progressive” film to vote for. Mind you, the film had already received significant backlash from LGBTQ+ audiences and the Mexican community for its stereotypical and reductive portrayals, but the Gascón controversy made what was originally just social media backlash impossible to ignore. The only person who seemed to come out of the whole debacle unscathed was Zoe Saldaña, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress over Ariana Grande.
7. ‘Sorry, Baby’ establishes Eva Victor as major talent
Back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Eva Victor (known by many for her brand of sketch comedy) premiered their directorial debut “Sorry, Baby” to rave reviews, even winning the Waldo Salt Screening Award. Victor shadowed Jane Schoenbrun on the set of “I Saw the TV Glow,” and seeing Victor come into their own and establish such a strong voice immediately made them one of independent cinema’s most exciting new voices. A memorable scene in the film sees the main character, Agnes (played by Victor), struggling to check a box for male or female, just one example of how naturally queerness is woven into the fabric of the story.
Most recently, Victor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, and she’s represented in a category alongside Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”). The film also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations overall.
6. Paul Reubens comes out in posthumous doc
While Paul Reubens never publicly came out as gay before passing away in 2023, the two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered back in May on HBO Max, giving the legendary comedian a chance to posthumously open up to the world. Directed by Matt Wolf, the documentary explores how Reubens found his alter ego Pee-Wee Herman and why he kept his private life private.
The documentary won an Emmy in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category and remains one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the year with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Also worth noting, the National Geographic documentary Sally told the posthumous coming out story of Sally Ride through the help of her long-time partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy.
5. Lady Gaga releases ‘Mayhem’
Lady Gaga entered a new phase of her musical career with the release of Mayhem, her seventh album to date. From the frenzy-inducing pop hit Abracadabra to the memorable Bruno Mars duet featured on “Die With a Smile,” seeing Gaga return to her roots and make an album for the most die-hard of fans was especially rewarding after the underwhelming film releases of “House of Gucci” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Gaga has been touring with The Mayhem Ball since July, her first arena tour since 2018. She even extended her tour into 2026 with more North American dates, so the party isn’t stopping anytime soon. And Gaga is even set to make an appearance next May in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
4. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande perform at the Oscars
While “Wicked: For Good” didn’t quite reach the heights of the first film, we will forever have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s breathtaking live performance that opened the 97th Academy Awards. The pair sang a rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” “Home,” and “Defying Gravity,” paying proper homage to the original 1939 “Wizard of Oz.” Even non-Wicked fans can’t deny how magical and brilliantly staged this performance was. With both Erivo and Grande up for acting Oscars last year, they’re hoping to repeat success and make history with consecutive nominations. Either way, let’s hope there’s another live performance in the making, especially with two new original songs (The Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home) in the mix.
3. Indya Moore speaks out against Ryan Murphy
Indya Moore has consistently used social media as a platform for activism, and in September, posted a 30-minute Instagram live speaking out against “Pose” co-creator Ryan Murphy. Moore claimed that Murphy wasn’t being a true activist for trans people. “Ryan Murphy, we need you to do more. You need to address the racism, the violence, and the targeting of people on your productions, Ryan Murphy. You do need to make sure trans people are paid equally. Yes, Janet did the right thing,” Moore said. Murphy was also back in the headlines this year for the critically panned “All’s Fair” and the controversial “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” starring Laurie Metcalf and Charlie Hunnam.
2. Cole Escola wins Tony for Best Leading Actor
Few pop culture moments this year brought us together more than Cole Escola winning a Tony award for “Oh, Mary!” the Broadway show they created, wrote and starred in (we love a triple threat!) Escola made history by becoming the first nonbinary person to win a Tony in the leading actor category, and seeing them excitedly rush to the stage wearing a Bernadette Peters-inspired gown instantly became a viral social media moment.
The cherry on top of Escola’s major moment is the recent news that they are writing a Miss Piggy movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone producing — news that also broke the internet for the better. We cannot wait!
1. Jonathan Bailey makes gay history as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’
The same year as his on-screen roles in blockbusters “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good,” Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay man to be named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” The fact that it took 40 years for an openly gay man to earn the title is a signifier of how far we still have to go with queer representation, and seeing Bailey celebrated is just one small step in the right direction.
“There’s so many people that want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can’t,” he told PEOPLE, “and I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment. So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.” In 2024, Bailey founded the charity titled The Shameless Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ+ organizations.
a&e features
Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
a&e features
Local, last-minute holiday gift ideas
Celebrate the season while supporting area businesses
The DowntownDC Holiday Market is bustling. Union Station is decked out with its annual Christmas tree. Washingtonians have wrapped their houses and apartment balconies with festive lights and holiday decorations. The holiday season is here. And with stockings to fill and empty space under the tree, Washington’s local shops and artists have plenty to offer.
Show your LGBTQ and D.C. pride with the Washington Blade’s annual holiday gift guide.
To embrace the holiday buzz: The Blanco Nwèl cocktail from Alchy Cocktails. This Caribbean eggnog is one of Alchy Cocktail’s seasonal holiday cocktails. The flavor profile is similar to coquito, a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas drink with a coconut base. As a queer and Caribbean-owned business, Alchy Cocktails has been based out of Washington since 2021. Blanco Nwèl is available in both cocktail ($24) and mocktail ($12) online and at a variety of holiday markets, including the Tingey Plaza Holiday Market, the Flea Market at Eastern Market, Union Station’s Main Hall Holiday Market, and more. ($24)
A spicy bite: Gordy’s Cajun Okra from Salt and Sundry. These spicy, tangy pickles pull on Southern Cajun-style flavors, packing a punch with paprika, cayenne, and more. Gordy’s is an LGBTQ-owned and Washington-based brand, making this gift an opportunity to support a local LGBTQ business straight from the jar. This pantry staple is available on Salt & Sundry’s website and at its locations in Union Market, Logan Circle, and its Georgetown holiday pop-up store. ($14)
To celebrate Washington pride: The DC Landmark Tote Bag from The Neighborgoods. Native Washingtonians, visitors, friends and family alike will find something to love about this Washington-themed tote bag. Food trucks, the 9:30 Club, the Metro logo and pandas from the National Zoo are just some of the city’s landmarks depicted across the tote in a red, white, and blue color palette. The tote is a part of the DC Landmarks collection, which donates 10 percent of its sales to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Neighborgoods itself is a local, woman-owned business built out of a passion for screen-printing in 2013. The 100 percent cotton canvas tote is for sale online or at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($22)
To give friends and family their flowers: The Flowers Bandana from All Very Goods. This 100 percent cotton bandana was designed in Washington and hand printed in India. Its uniqueness comes in being covered with the faces of Black women, representing a “love letter to all women but especially Black women,” according to All Very Goods. The Black woman-owned and operated business, based out of Northwest Washington, has a mission to celebrate diversity and representation through its products. The bandana intends to give Black women their “flowers.” The Flowers bandana is available for purchase online. ($24)
To unlock culinary creativity: The Curious Chef Gift Collection from Each Peach Market. This customizable collection of kitchen oddities — ranging from tinned fish to chili oil — is a quirky gift for the most inventive chefs. The collection is available in a Standard Santa, Extra Goodies and Super Holiday Size for up to $165. The Washington-based market, founded in 2013, permits customers to make the collection special by specifying what unique ingredients are packaged, including products made by local or LGBTQ brands. Each Peach Market offers assembly and pick up in-person at its Mount Pleasant shop and also offers local delivery and nationwide shipping via its website. ($85)
To give a touch of sweetness: The DC Landmark Chocolate Covered Oreo Holiday Cookies from Capital Candy Jar. Wrapped in a festive red bow, this box of nine cookies embraces love for Washington and the holiday season in one. Among the dark and milk chocolate covered cookies are images of the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and festive hollies. The treat, packaged in a Hill East facility just a few blocks from the Capitol, is available for purchase online and at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($23.95)
To celebrate queer gaming: Thirsty Sword Lesbians from Labyrinth Games & Puzzles. This roleplaying game embraces lesbian culture by unlocking a world of swords, romance, and battle. Ideal for group settings, the book presents a system of world building and character identities that are best brought to life by creative minds. Labyrinth, which has been a local Washington business for more than 15 years, celebrates non-digital fun through games and puzzles that connect the community. This gift is offered online and at Labyrinth’s Capitol Hill location. ($29.99)
To make a bold statement: The “Resist” T-shirt from Propper Topper. This locally screen-printed black tee features the Washington flag designed within a raised fist, symbolizing both Washington pride, and political resistance. The shirt is made exclusively by Propper Topper, a local Washington business that evolved from a hat shop to a gift store since opening in 1990. The tri-blend unisex shirt is available both for pickup at Propper Topper’s Cathedral Heights location and shipping via the online site. ($32)
To keep it c(g)lassy: The Glass Ball earrings from Blue Moon Aquarius. Gifting can rarely go wrong when it comes to a new pair of earrings. The unique statement earrings — made of polymer clay, glass, and 18k gold plating over surgical steel — are hand cut, sanded and assembled in Washington, meaning each set is unique. Blue Moon Aquarius, a local brand, is known for its small batch jewelry and home decor designed with clay materials. Available in oxblood, hunter green, lavender, and bluestone color palettes, these earrings are available for purchase on Blue Moon Aquarius’ website and at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($48)
To elevate a holiday tea or charcuterie party: The Honey Flight: Tea Lover’s Selection from BannerBee. This local honey company presents the ideal gift to make cozying up with a cup of tea slightly more special. The Honey Flight contains three types of raw wildflower honey infused with fair trade Ugandan vanilla bean, chai spices, and locally sourced lemon thyme herb. The gift is also an opportunity to uplift a family company based in the Mid-Atlantic that offers all-natural, sustainable products. The flight is available online, at the DowntownDC Holiday Market or at the Arlington Courthouse and Dupont Farmers’ Markets. ($36)
For Baltimore shoppers: If you’re in Charm City, don’t miss Balston Mercantile, opened by a gay couple in June. Their gorgeous shop in the Hampden neighborhood offers an array of unique, upscale finds, from barware and artwork to cookbooks and home decor and more. (849 W. 36th St.)
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