Friday, November 14

“Center Aging Friday Tea Time” will be at 12 p.m. in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s new location at 1827 Wiltberger St., NW. To RSVP, visit the DC Center’s website or email [email protected]. 

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Happy Hour” at 7 p.m. at Trade. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite. 

Women in their Twenties and Thirties will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for women living in the D.C. area. For more information join the group’s closed Facebook group. 

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Daytime Docs and Dramas Screening of ‘Summer Qamp’” at 12:30 p.m. This free event will celebrate queer youth, resilience and the power of living authentically. To RSVP, visit this link. 

Saturday, November 15

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 12 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation.  Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is an outlet for people of color to come together and talk about anything that affects them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

Sunday, November 16

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Salon” at 5 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. Guests are encouraged to come enjoy stimulating conversation and dining. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Monday, November 17

“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam ([email protected]).

“Soulfully Queer: LGBTQ+ Emotional Health and Spirituality Drop-In” will be at 3:00p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This group will meet weekly for eight weeks, providing a series of drop-in sessions designed to offer a safe, welcoming space for open and respectful conversation. Each session invites participants to explore themes of spirituality, identity, and belonging at their own pace, whether they attend regularly or drop in occasionally. For more details visit the DC Center’s website.

Tuesday, November 18

Center Bi+ Roundtable Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is a is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as Bi individuals in a private setting. For more details, visit Facebook or Meetup. 

The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Tae Kwon Do class” at 12:30. This inclusive and beginner-friendly class, led by Instructor Avi Rome, offers a light warm-up, stretching, and instruction in basic techniques, patterns, and striking padded targets. Each session is designed to be adaptable for all ability and mobility levels, creating a welcoming space for everyone to build strength, confidence, and community through martial arts. For more details, visit the Center’s website. 

Wednesday, November 19

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Activism at Woman’s National Democratic Club” at 6 p.m. at The Whittemore House. Guests can join other activists at the WNDC for letter and postcard writing to get out the vote this fall in Virginia and other critical state races. Postcards will be written to women in rural VA and to members of Congress on Home Rule 101 in partnership with the D.C. Democrats Statehood Committee. There will be free pizza, cash bar, a fun raffle and camaraderie. More details are available on Eventbrite. 

Thursday, November 20

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245. 

Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breathwork, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Community’s website.

For legendary professional boxer Christy Martin, never in a million years did she expect to see the riveting story of her rapid rise to fame onscreen.

“When somebody first contacted me about turning my life into a movie, I thought they were joking,” Martin said at a recent Golden Globes press event for her movie, “Christy.”

“I was so afraid that my life would be as I call it, Hollywoodized.”

Martin was put at ease once she saw how committed co-screenwriters Mirrah Foulkes, and Australian filmmaker David Michôd were to the material, and how relentless actress Sydney Sweeney was to accurately portray her. 

“Mirrah was very fair to me and treated me great on the paper … I feel like this is the most powerful group that could ever come together to tell my story,” she acknowledged.

In “Christy,” viewers see Martin’s combative spirit, in her ongoing quest to win each fight. Under her demanding coach turned manager-husband Jim Martin (played by Ben Foster), Christy is fearless in the boxing ring, yet increasingly troubled as she deals with the pressure of her mother, sexual identity issues, drugs, and a physically abusive marriage that almost ended in death.

“It’s crazy to see anybody, but especially Syd, become me,” she told the Los Angeles Blade. “It’s overwhelming! A little much for a coal miner’s daughter from a small town in southern West Virginia.” 

For Sweeney, who is also a producer on the film, playing the courageous lesbian boxer has been a life-changing experience. “This is the most important character I have ever played. It’s the most important story I have ever told or will tell. It’s an immense honor to bring her to life.”

To become Martin, Sweeney worked hard to absorb as much information on her as possible. 

“I had the real Christy, and then I had years and years of interviews and fight footage and her book and her documentary on Netflix that I was able to pull from. I like to build books for my characters, to create their entire life, from the day they’re born until the first time you meet them onscreen. So just kind of filling out the entire puzzle of Christy here.”

Sweeney said the many scenes where Martin’s mom couldn’t accept she was gay were immensely challenging to be a part of.

“That was probably one of the hardest scenes for me,” Sweeney noted. “I have very supportive parents, and I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have your mom or dad to turn to ask for help or guidance or just need support. So it was a very difficult scene to process.”

Equally challenging was the rigorous process Sweeney went through in order to become Martin in the movie. 

“It was a huge physical transformation for me. I trained for two-and-a-half months before we even started filming, and I put on 35 pounds for the role, so it was a big transformation.”

As difficult as it was to deal with a film that dives into domestic violence, Sweeney was able to shake the character off when she was done at the end of each day.

“I have a rule for myself where I don’t allow any of my own thoughts or memories into a character. So when the moment they call ‘cut,’ I’m back to being Syd, and I leave it all in the scene, and that’s the story that I’m telling. Otherwise I’m just me; so I go home when I’m me.”

Martin hopes that audiences leave the theater with a sense of faith.

“I think we showed a path of how to get out of any situation that you might be in. And also, it’s very important to be true to you. Sometimes that takes a while — it took me a little while — but I’m happy to be true to me. And that’s what we want; the whole story is about being who you are.”

Sweeney would love viewers to walk away and demand to be “Christy Strong.”

“I hope that they want to be kind and compassionate to others around them, and be that helping hand. Christy’s story is singular, and yet her story of triumph, survival and continuation, supports those who are in experiences of domestic violence behind closed doors. She is one of the great champions.”

Sweeney loves that Martin is also a great advocate of new boxing talent. “That spark of life is something that I think at the end of the day, ‘Christy’ is about– it’s the spark to keep going and be who you are proudly.”

No conversation about legendary drag queens is complete without discussing Gottmik and Violet Chachki. 

Audiences first met these iconic performers on “RuPaul’s Drag Race;” Violet sent waves throughout the fandom with her hard-fought victory during the show’s seventh installment, with her revolutionary style instantly cementing her as a truly historic ‘fashion queen.’ Gottmik, who had made waves in LA for years as a makeup artist before getting cast, was a fan-favorite finalist on season 13 before returning to raise money for Trans Lifeline during “All-Stars 9.” Both queens made headlines during their tenure on the show, but most of their hardcore fans know them for the jaw-dropping projects they took on afterward — often with one another. One of the most famous ‘Drag Duos’ today, whether it be hilarious podcasts or high-energy songs, these performers have remained constant collaborators amidst each other’s many individual ventures. Their careers are filled with so many legendary feats, but none are as ambitious as their latest international endeavor: “The Knockout Tour.” 

Gottmik made time to speak with the Los Angeles Blade during one of his rare breaks before the next stop on their tour. He dug into tour life with his best friend and the death-defying stunts that fill each show, as well as what it means to bring such unique artistry to some of the most conservative counties across the country. Gottmik spoke about their ongoing mission of using this platform to inspire others to live as their most authentic selves — all while looking completely immaculate, of course!

“The second I was on ‘Drag Race,” we started touring together … and it just clicked!” said Gottmik, discussing how effortlessly he and Violet became best friends post-“Drag Race.” Fans have grown to adore their dynamic over the years, with the duo’s podcast “No Gorge” highlighting how each’s biting fashion sense and deep appreciation for the most niche gay slang make them such a perfect friendship match. It’s why, despite many people warning them against taking on such a big professional opportunity with a friend, it was never a question that the pair would do this tour together. “[‘The Knockout Tour’] works because, no matter how we get there, we have the same end goal: pushing the needle forward in the Drag space, breaking down barriers, and slaying together!” 

“This is drag at an extremely high level,” Gottmik gushed when describing what fans can expect at a “Knockout” show. “We have multiple aerial [stunts], these crazy props that we’re climbing on, and it’s just so wild! It’s drag in a theatrical burlesque, rock and roll style that you’ve [never seen].” In many ways, this aesthetic is a perfect fusion of the pair; Violet is a premier burlesque performer specializing in aerial work, and Gottmik has always embodied a grunge-filled perfection in his trademark drag style. These queens are bombastic and dramatic in the best way, unabashedly showing off the unique flairs that make them some of the most distinct performers working today. It’s a pairing that inspires not only awe but a sense of effortless confidence — a confidence that Gottmik knows many of his fans need right now. 

Hateful rhetoric has steadily grown across the U.S. in recent years, with certain areas becoming hotbeds of the conservative discrimination that Gottmik has always faced as a transgender man (the performer uses he/him pronouns when out of drag and she/her when in drag.) Despite this, Gottmik emphasized that it was never a question that their tour would stop in these areas — in fact, they made a point to. “We are two queer entertainers with a platform, and it’s important that we visit [those places] and share our stories and inspire people in towns who don’t get to see shows like this … to inspire them to be themselves.” 

Gottmik is especially passionate about using his platform for good because he knows how much of his large fanbase is young trans kids, just like he once was. “The ones who are growing up and figuring themselves out, and then are looking at their TVs and [seeing] their government call them crazy … it’s important for me to use my platform to show them [representation] that I didn’t get to see in the media.” He clarified that, yes, audiences are going to come to the show and see a punk rock-and-roll Goddess oozing confidence onstage — but being that person didn’t come easy. It took years of self-discovery for Gottmik to recognize his transgender identity, and it was the love and support of a found queer family that helped him become the creative powerhouse audiences know him as now. Each “Knockout Tour” show brings audiences into this intimate journey, showcasing the incredible authenticity that Gottmik has spent years developing while reminding attendees that this is all possible in their own lives.

Throughout the interview, Gottmik painted a riveting image of “The Knockout Tour” — the shows themselves, and the queer community who made it all possible. He detailed the shocking stunts fans will see onstage, the incredible music he and Violet perform each show, and the years of hard work that created these two performers that so many fans love. At the root of it all, though, is representation.

A representation of not only Violet and Gottmik’s many talents, though of course these queens’ immense expertise is the bedrock of this entire tour. But the vital image of two queer people who refuse to dull themselves just because others said they should. Of a transgender artist who stands proudly in the face of discrimination and who uses his art to inspire others to do the same. “We’re [showing] the whole world that we’re not going anywhere, and you can’t change us,” explained Gottmik, as the interview came to an end. “We create an amazing queer safe space that is really special for so many people … and it’s just really cool that [we get] to create that space for everyone every [show].” It’s a kind of space that’s hard to come by nowadays. And it’s one that Gottmik and Violet Chachki are determined to bring to thousands of queer artists just like them internationally with this tour.

Click here for information about The Knockout Tour.