Arts & Entertainment
Melissa Etheridge to perform at WorldPride Closing Ceremony in NYC
Four million people are estimated to attend
NYC Pride, the official host of WorldPride 2019 and Stonewall 50, has announced that Melissa Etheridge will headline WorldPride’s Closing Ceremony in Times Square which takes place on Sunday, June 30 from 7-10 p.m.
“I am thrilled to perform at the WorldPride Closing Ceremony while commemorating the 50thAnniversary of the Stonewall Uprising,” Etheridge said in a statement. “That night, Times Square will serve as a home to a multitude of LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies on a truly momentous evening of love, pride, and community – capping what I’m sure will be an extraordinary month of celebrations.”
The Grammy winner will be joined by other performers but the full lineup won’t be announced until February.
WorldPride’s theme this year is “Millions of Moments of Pride” which will be celebrated with 25 events throughout the month of June. The closing ceremony culminates the month of festivities and “passes the torch” to the next host city.
“Over four million people will descend upon New York City for the largest LGBTQIA+ gathering in our history,” Chris Frederick, NYC Pride’s managing director, said in a statement. “We look forward to closing out WorldPride in celebration and in commemoration of our storied history and our invaluable collected experiences as a community.”
Celebrity News
More than 1 million people attend Madonna concert in Rio
Free event took place on Copacabana Beach on Saturday
An estimated 1.6 million people on Saturday attended Madonna’s free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.
The concert, which was the last one as part of Madonna’s Celebration Tour, included a tribute to people lost to AIDS.
Bob the Drag Queen introduced Madonna before the concert began. Pabllo Vittar, a Brazilian drag queen and singer, and Anitta, a bisexual pop star who was born in Rio’s Honório Gurgel neighborhood, also joined Madonna on stage.
Congresswoman Erika Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker, and Rio Municipal Councilwoman Mônica Benício, the widow of Marielle Franco, a bisexual Rio Municipal Councilwoman who was assassinated in 2018, are among those who attended the concert.
“Madonna showed that we fight important fights for the human rights of Black (people), young (people), women and LGBTQIA+ people, and against all injustice, discrimination, and violence,” said Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, on its X account. “What they call identitarianism’ is our subversion to the retrograde and conservative tackiness that plagues the country.”
The Associated Press reported the concert was Madonna’s biggest ever.
The DC Center for the LGBTQ Community, SMYAL and Rainbow Families sponsored Gay Day at the Zoo on Sunday at the Smithsonian National Zoo. The Smithsonian observed International Family Equality Day with special exhibits and an event space.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Covering Gay Day at the Zoo for @WashBlade . Here at @NationalZooDC pic.twitter.com/LqgGNOOAiM
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) May 5, 2024
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)
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More than 1 million people attend Madonna concert in Rio
Another successful Taste of Point fundraiser
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PHOTOS: Gay Day at the Zoo
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