Arts & Entertainment
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby declines White House invitation
The hockey player is an avid LGBTQ advocate
Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby says he is “respectfully declining” to join his teammates on their visit to the White House on Monday in honor of the team’s Stanley Cup championship.
“Itās one of those things that we have to think about, but with me, Iāve got to stay true to my values, and Iām going respectfully decline the offer,ā Holtby, who is an avid LGBTQ ally and advocate, told reporters on Friday. “My family and myself, we believe in a world where humans are treated with respect regardless of your stature, what youāre born into. Youāre asked to choose what side youāre on, and I think itās pretty clear what side Iām on.”
Capitals players were allowed to choose if they would attend the White House visit on Monday. Holtby is the second player to decline the invitation. Caps forward Brett Connolly will also not attend.
Holtby explained that he hopes everyone on the team can support each other’s decision whether they choose to attend or not.
āIn saying that, itās a tough situation for everyone to be in, to be forced to make a decision of that standing. Youāre a team and you want to stick together no matter what, so I hope everyone kind of blows it away and that we donāt worry about who goes and who doesnāt,” Holtby says. “For me, itās just a personal thing. I believe in what I believe in, and in order to stick to those values, I think I have to do what I feel is right, but that doesnāt make a difference on everyone elseās decision.”
The visit will include a meeting with President Donald Trump and a private tour of the White House.
#Caps goalie Braden Holtby talks with the media prior to tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild. #ALLCAPS #CapsWild pic.twitter.com/LPX7pQ2suG
ā Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 22, 2019
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 HonĆ³rio Gurgel neighborhood, also joined Madonna on stage.
Congresswoman Erika Hilton, a Black travesti and former sex worker, and Rio Municipal Councilwoman MĆ“nica BenĆcio, 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,” saidĀ AssociaƧao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association ofĀ TravestisĀ and Transsexuals), a Brazilian trans rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, on itsĀ X account.Ā “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)