Arts & Entertainment
Chaps and chains
Leather enthusiasts gear up for next weekend’s MAL events
Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend
Jan. 13-16
Various events
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill
New Jersey Ave., N.W.
Full registration: $180 or by event
Leatherweekend.com
Last year's MAL Weekend. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Gay leather enthusiasts from all over the East Coast and beyond will be in Washington next weekend for the 32nd annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, which typically draws between 2,000-3,000 to its various events.
The festivities kick off Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Eagle for a “former MAL title holders” bar night. Most events, though, will be at the Hyatt Regency — the event’s host hotel. The other main exception is the Sunday night “Reaction” dance, to be held at the 9:30 club. Having as much as possible at the Hyatt was a big reason organizers moved the weekend there after 10 years at the Plaza in Thomas Circle.
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Last year, the first held at the Hyatt, drew mixed reviews, even among organizers.
“It was OK,” says Patrick Grady, this year’s event chair. “This year should be much better though. We rented the entire hotel this time so there’ll be no non-MAL guests there. Last year was a mixed crowd but this year we have the entire 830 rooms.”
Grady says feedback from last year’s attendees was taken seriously.
“There were people who were upset last year,” says Peter Wesselton, a D.C. resident who has his own dungeon. “There were people who were upset with the way the hotel handled everything. There were a whole list of don’ts — no touching, no leather in the lobby … so a lot of guys were pretty pissed off …. These are professional people, lawyers, doctors, dentists with high standing who just want to be able to let their hair down and not be babysat.”
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Although the Thomas Circle locale gave them easy access to the Green Lantern, a pro-leather club that supports the event, Grady says overall the Hyatt makes more sense.
“We had more or less outgrown the Plaza and the guests have made comments that they like to have as much as possible under one roof,” he says. “We could never be sure how much space we’d have at the Plaza and with the potential for cold weather and snow — not that that deters many leather folks — but it just makes it more convenient. They can Metro to Union Station and then we’ll have shuttle buses to the two bars we’re visiting.”
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The full package weekend is $180 and guests can register anytime for events. Staple events like “leather cocktails” and the Mr. Leather contest are once again on the schedule. Other events, like Blowoff and a new party dubbed “Luther,” piggyback on MAL but have no official ties to the weekend Grady says.
“The only things sponsored by us are the ones at the hotel and the Reaction Dance. They have other events at the Eagle and such and that’s fine, but unless it’s in the hotel, it’s not really part of MAL weekend,” Grady says.
Grady says he has “no idea” how many come from out of town for the weekend versus attendees from the D.C. area.
The event will be held per its contract at the Hyatt for two more years at least.
Full details are at leatherweekend.com.
The Freddie’s Follies drag show was held at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va. on Saturday, Jan. 3. Performers included Monet Dupree, Michelle Livigne, Shirley Naytch, Gigi Paris Couture and Shenandoah.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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