Arts & Entertainment
Queery: Xion Lopez
The Transgender Day of Remembrance organizer answers 20 gay questions
Xion Lopez (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Xion Lopez says Transgender Day of Remembrance is a bittersweet experience. As the names are called and candles lit, she says she feels, “so many mixed emotions — a lot of fabulous comes into my heart just hearing those names. I don’t forget any of them but to hear those names again is just a very emotional process.”
Lopez is co-planning this year’s event, slated for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (474 Ridge Street, NW). As a young trans woman herself, Lopez says it’s important for the community to “remember those sisters who no longer have a voice — it’s a very important day for me.” Visit theindc.org for more information.
Lopez, 21, grew up in Washington. She previously worked at Transgender Health Empowerment but now volunteers there since she couldn’t be both a client and employee. She started earlier this year as an intern at HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive) and this week became its interim office manager. She has family here but is not in contact with them.
Lopez is single and lives in Deanwood. In her free time, she enjoys movies, being social, activism, performing and “me time — no hair, no makeup and just being centered.”
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I had to come out twice: at 13 as a gay male and 19 as a trans woman. The hardest person to tell both times was my mother.
Who’s your LGBT hero?
Debbie McMillian, the CRC specialist at Transgender Health Empowerment. For those of you who don’t know Debbie, make it a point to reach out and take in her awesomeness!
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Town. To me, it feels like a different type of club — very loungey.
Describe your dream wedding.
Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, Md. Custom made dress. Candles. Flowers. And HIPS party favors (free dildos, anyone?). Private and small.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Domestic violence. Being a former victim of domestic violence, it’s an issue close to my heart.
What historical outcome would you change?
Lil’ Kim’s plastic surgery. She looked so much better before.
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
When people used to put slits in their jeans and wore two polos. Popped collars for life!
On what do you insist?
Respect
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
#ican’t take this weather.
Facebook: #girlslikeus (with a picture of me Kisha Allure)
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
Xionism
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
I wouldn’t do anything! It’s wrong and I’d be lying to myself. I like being different.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
I believe in a higher power and centering myself. I want to be at peace.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Sometimes it’s best to get off the seat they hold and experience the lives of people on the ground — reminds them what they’re fighting for.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
Erykah Badu
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
That all trans women are sex workers.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
“Rent”
What’s the most overrated social custom?
I hate when people say, “I want to piggy back off of …”
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
A Grammy!
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
I wish I had known it could get better.
Why Washington?
Why not? It’s a place for equality.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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