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gay Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who prior to being appointed to the Board of Supervisors had worked for the San Francisco Police Department as its highest-ranking civilian, handling strategic communications. The public relations nightmare, and the trickle of announced plans to boycott the event, prompted Pride organizers to come to the table to try to reach a compromise.As part of the compromise, the details of which are still forthcoming, all first responders will march in one contingent, with police and fire department command staff wearing their class AA uniforms, and a small number of on-duty LGBTQ uniformed police officers providing security for the contingent, according to a joint statement from San Francisco Pride and the San Francisco Police Officers Pride Alliance.

Anthony Cuts under the Williamsburg Bridge, Morning, a “marquetry hybrid” mixed-media image paying tribute to a hairstylist in the artist’s Brooklyn neighborhood who set up shop on the street as a Black Lives Matter-inspired fundraiser for organizations advocating for social justice.The Outwin 2022 Second Prize went to Elizah Leonard, a multilayered portrait by Native-American artist Tom Jones of a champion female dancer/wrestler embellished with culturally significant beads, rhinestones, and shells sewed directly onto the print.Third Prize went to untitled (man), Laotian-American photographer Pao Houa Her’s black-and-white image of a senior citizen who originally emigrated to the U.S. as a Hmong refugee decades ago, seen positioned in front of a printed studio backdrop alongside fake plants.An additional four mixed-media works earned a Commended, or honorable mention, designation, including Killed Negative #13/After Arthur Rothstein by Joel Daniel Phillips with Quraysh Ali Lansana, Stuart Robertson’s Self-Portrait of the Artist, People of the Sun (Grandma and Grandpa Santana) by Vincent Valdez, and Milk by Elsa María Meléndez.At least nine of the remaining 35 artworks have some degree of LGBTQ relevance by virtue of either the artist or the artistic content, including:Dad, at Manmade Pond, a poignant triptych by gay photographer David Hilliard depicting the casket-shaped urn containing the cremains of his father, a victim of COVID-19.Shira and Sarah, a portrait by Jess T.

Nouveau Productions, which Frazier runs with his husband Robert Pullen.All told, the special, star-studded programming to date has been strong in LGBTQ interest and appeal, ranging from an Ella Fitzgerald-themed Christmas show starring Vanessa Williams to the recently launched “Broadway in Concert” series featuring contemporary stars of the Great White Way paying tribute to iconic musicals.None of the specials have been quite as gay, however, as the latest, the explicitly queer-themed True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs.Timed to kick off June’s Pride month, the program features real-life stories of hope, resilience, and triumph from members of the LGBTQ community, including former NBA player Jason Collins and acclaimed Sex and the City star and activist Cynthia Nixon, tied together with musical performances by a hodgepodge of queer talent, accompanied by the APO under Frazier and hosted by transgender Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider.The performance lineup includes the pioneering lesbian folk/rock duo the Indigo Girls with their chart-topping breakout hit “Closer to Fine,” Drag Race alums Peppermint, Alexis Michelle, and Jujubee giving a spin of “(A Little More) Mascara” from La Cage aux Folles, trans opera singer Breanna Sinclairé covering “Somewhere” from West Side Story, and Tony-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning stage veteran André de Shields (Hadestown) reviving “The Colors of My Life” from the 1980 musical Barnum.Additional performers include Glee star Chris Colfer, persevering contemporary Christian singer Trey Pearson formerly of the group Everyday Sunday, and young indie-pop artist Morgxn.Premiering Saturday, June 4, on www.PBS.org, the PBS Video app, and select PBS stations nationwide.Local affiliate WETA is

Riot! Opening Party. Billed as “D.C.’s largest pride party and main event,” Riot!, at Echostage, 2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE, will kick off the weekend on overdrive, aided and abetted by headliner Symone, winner of Season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, not to mention a bevy of local queens set to work the crowd into a proudful frenzy, including S.H.E., Haus of Bambi, Molasses, Desiree Dik, Jaxknife, Bobby Decanio, and Vagenesis aka National Bearded Empress 2022.

ABC News and ESPN in an interview that aired on Good Morning America. “People will say, ‘Oh, she just transitioned so she would have an advantage, so she could win.’ I transitioned to be happy, to be true to myself.”Thomas won the 500-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships in March, just a month after 16 of her teammates wrote a letter to the school and the Ivy League saying that Thomas should not be competing against women. She also placed fifth in the 200-yard freestyle and eight in the 100-yard freestyle at the championships.Thomas said she fell in love with swimming at age 4, but began experiencing feelings of gender dysphoria as she grew up, saying she didn’t feel like a boy.

For more information on LULAC Lambda’s various programs and initiatives, visit www.lulaclambda.org. For a schedule of meeting and upcoming events, email lulaclambda@gmail.com.

Last week’s primary runoffs in Texas offered good news for advocates of diversity and the LGBTQ community, with three out LGBTQ Black candidates winning their contests.Prior to 2022, Texas voters had never elected an out Black LGBTQ person to the state legislature, even though a handful of LGBTQ legislators were elected in other districts. But starting in February, with the special election victory of Jolanda Jones for the 147th District seat vacated by Rep.

Roe v. Wade next month.What they’ll find is that artists played a sizable role in advancing the Irish repeal effort, many of whom committed to creating art tackling the issue of reproductive issues and rights.Among those taking up the charge was young Irish playwright Eva O’Connor, who wrote Maz & Bricks, “a passionate, funny, and touching play,” offering “a timely, compelling look at the human side of a complicated issue.”It’s set at a “Repeal the 8th” rally in Dublin circa 2017, where the play’s two young leads meet cute, and then develop an unlikely bond as the day unfolds, in a way that will go on to change each other in ways they never thought possible.Solas Nua, the D.C.-based contemporary Irish arts organization whose name means New Light in Irish, will stage a production of O’Connor’s play starring Emily Kester as Maz and Jonathan Feuer as Bricks, and directed by the company’s Rex Daugherty.“While abortion is one of the most polarizing topics in our society, this play isn’t a debate,” says Daugherty.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Danielle Drakes, and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the groundbreaking 1959 play that shed light on issues of discrimination and racism in American housing, directed by Christopher Michael Richardson.The plays will be performed by the Tour 72’s ensemble of Jordan Essex, Savannah Gomez, Ariya Hawkins, Max Johnson, Melanie A. Lawrence, Lorenzo Miguel, Walter C.A.

Unbreakable pays tribute to key LGBTQ+ figures throughout 20th-century America, honoring “the perseverance and power of people who would not be defeated and could not be broken,” to quote the official release.Next weekend, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington presents the East Coast premiere of the epic choral work from Andrew Lippa, which comes nearly a decade after his I Am Harvey Milk, another epic choral work that paid tribute to the titular trailblazing LGBTQ politician and gay martyr from San Francisco, originally commissioned by a collective of seven gay choruses from all over the U.S. (Lippa is also known for his Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning work as a musical composer and lyricist for The Addams Family and The Wild Party.)In addition to the full chorus, the Unbreakable premiere will feature two lauded soprano soloists, the Helen Hayes Award-winning vocal dynamo Nova Y.

Our Town (★★★★☆) at the Shakespeare Theatre expressively conjures an entire population and bygone way of American life.They were bygone days in 1938 when Thorton Wilder wrote his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, set just after the turn of the century in bucolic Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Wilder directed in the text that the action should unfold on a bare stage, where the span of a life might be measured over the twelve years spent with the citizenry of this small town.Bustling underneath the sturdy, arching beams of set designer Wilson Chin’s wood-frame theater-within-a-theater, Paul’s excellent cast do evoke not just the tapestry of family ties and neighborly disputes in Grover’s Corners, but also a vibrant sense of the landscape.In their eyes, we can see the sunflowers and butternut trees, smell the sweet scent of heliotrope on a moonlit night.

social channels to officially announce the name of their upcoming single and when fans can finally hear it. The tune is called “Skin of My Teeth,” and those who follow the singer, songwriter, and occasional actor will only have to wait until June 10 to press play.Everything about the promotion surrounding “Skin of My Teeth” suggests that it will be a sonic departure from much of Lovato’s most recent material.On the single cover, which was shared along with the announcement of the title and release date, the Grammy nominee is clad all in what looks like black leather, with their outfit adorned in chains and spikes.

Chelsea Lately, during a time in which she was the only female host in TV’s late-night talk show demimonde, Chelsea Handler is now a kinder, gentler comedian.She’s even added a new title to her resume, that of an advice columnist, through her work on the entertaining and informative iHeartRadio podcast Dear Chelsea.Her latest stand-up show, the “Vaccinated and Horny Tour,” builds on “Evolution” from three years prior, in which Handler covered her journey through therapy and deftly weaved in serious subject matter and concerns into her comedy base.As the 47-year-old cracked wise to Variety last year, “This tour is so different than my past standup tours, because I’m an adult who has done this now for 20 years, and I can finally say I’m a professional.”“As a comedian, when you’re telling anything serious it feels foreign because people are there to laugh, not to cry. So it was a very tricky dance,” she said in a recent E! News interview.“This is more back to my OG roots: Observational storytelling, taking the piss out of everybody and the way we behaved during COVID — the idiotic things that we all participated in as a society.”Friday, June 3, at 7 and 9:30 p.m.

In the Flesh, the 2022 program features nine total short plays by Sharpe.The roster includes: Bad Date starring Antwain Cook-Foreman and Zukeh Freeman. A Visit to the Ladies Room with Abbey Asare-Bediako, Adrianne Foster, and Ashley Nicole Lyles.One Day in the Park featuring Gregory Ford and Larry Hull. After Ours with Moses Princien and Ameirah Neal.

Between Us.The title peaked inside the top five on the U.K. albums chart, and it produced a pair of top 40 hits with new songs “Love (Sweet Love)” and “No,” which rounded out a decade-plus of churning out smashes.

Into the Woods is currently lighting up the stage at Virginia’s ArtSpace Falls Church.Creative Cauldron’s production is the latest overseen by Helen Hayes Award-winning director Matt Conner (Beauty and the Beast), whom the company celebrates for his adeptness at “creating intricate worlds in Cauldron’s intimate space without losing spectacle.”In Conner’s production, the story springs to life from the ruins of an old castle wall, where multiple protagonists eventually learn the thorny consequences of getting exactly what they wish for. Happily ever after this is not.The large cast is led by Susan Derry as The Witch, John Loughney as The Baker, and Erin Granfield as The Baker’s Wife, Brett Klock as Jack, and Brooke Bloomquist as Cinderella.The creative team includes Elisa Rossman as music director, Margie Jervis as scenic and costume designer — incorporating her sculpture and puppetry background in the elements of this production — and Lyn Joslin as lighting designer.Through May 29.

Rea Carey is the former executive director, National LGBTQ Task Force (2008–2021), and principal of Carey Forward consulting.

There’s Always the Hudson (★★★★☆) follows partners-in-crime Lola and T all over New York City in one turbulent night that could end anywhere in the five boroughs.Although, for Woolly Mammoth’s terrific world-premiere production, director Jess McLeod and scenic designer Misha Kachman have boldly suspended over the action a haunting clue of exactly where Lola and T’s odyssey might lead, foreshadowing a final destination from which one or both might not return.Whether apprehended or not, that hint won’t spoil a thing, but rather adds a tinge of pathos to the powerful undercurrent of danger bubbling beneath the pair’s audacious mission. Lola and T, played by Lázaro and Justin Weaks, are sexual assault survivors who met and became friends in a support group.

For more on Us Helping Us and the organization’s events at the 2022 DC Black Pride, visit www.ushelpingus.org. For more on DC Black Pride, visit www.dcblackpride.org.

Chase Brexton Health Care, the Baltimore-based federally qualified health center that specializes in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, as well as LGBTQ-affirming care, raised $315,000 at a gala earlier this month, with proceeds going to benefit two of the health center’s programs.The gala, held on May 14, took place at six separate locations across Maryland, in six “castles,’ or houses decorated to the theme of the Broadway hit Six, a play presented as a pop concert that focusing on the woes and lives of Henry VII’s six wives. Gala attendees also watched a video presentation detailing Chase Brexton’s recent work and new initiatives.Proceeds from the event will benefit two programs. The first is Chase Brexton’s Center of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which focuses on reducing health inequities among historically marginalized and underrepresented communities, including people of color and LGBTQ individuals. The second program that benefits from the gala is Every Meal Matters, an initiative to create a food pantry accessible to any patient that needs it.

Men (★★★☆☆) doesn’t aim for perfect clarity in its nightmarish vision of a woman alone in a country house being stalked by strangers. The movie doesn’t demand to be concisely understood or interpreted.

Stonewall Democrats President Jatarious Frazier told Metro Weekly that all candidates who received a spot on the primary ballot were invited to attend and participate in the forums, in keeping with the club’s bylaws, but some individual candidates may have chosen not to participate, which in turn may have affected their chances of winning the club’s endorsement.For instance, in the Attorney General’s race, Bruce Spiva and Ryan Jones participated in the forum. But even though candidate Brian Schwalb did not, he was invited, and ended up getting the second-highest number of votes from club members when it came to deciding on an endorsement.Incumbent Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, who had been seeking the AG post, was left off the primary ballot after a three-judge panel of the D.C.

Felix Mendelssohn was a 19th-century musical prodigy in Germany whose stature in the 19th century came close to rivaling that of a towering Austrian giant from a century earlier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.Both were acclaimed pianists, conductors, and teachers in their respective eras, and compositions from the two are represented in the last concert of the National Chamber Ensemble’s Season 15, dubbed the “Reuniting with the Masters, Live!” season.The Arlington-based group’s “Marvelous Mozart and Mendelssohn” program features a piano quartet from each composer: the Piano Quartet No. 2 in E Flat Major, which Mozart composed in 1786, or just five years before his death at age 35; and the Piano Quartet No.

American Idol finalist, and fully-exposed star of his own just-published book of nude photography — has entered that sweet stage of his career where he’s unafraid to do all the things that excite him artistically, regardless of what his critics might have to say about it.A prime reflection of the out performer’s take-me-as-I-am attitude is his latest EP, Don’t @ Me, a soul-baring collection of pop and R&B led by the saucy title track.Diving headfirst into the most notorious period of Hernandez’s past, the song opens with audio of local news anchors reporting on the revelation that, prior to competing on season 7 of Idol, then-24-year old Hernandez had worked as a dancer at Phoenix gay strip club, Dick’s Cabaret.“I remember when that news clip came out,” recalls Hernandez, on a Zoom call from his L.A. home.

GoGo for the Gold, hosted by Hey Qween‘s Jonny McGovern, will pit 12 of the nation’s hottest male GoGo dancers in a contest to crown “America’s #1 Champion GoGo Superstar Star.”McGovern created the show with GoGo dancer extraordinaire Greg McKeon, known to Hey Qween viewers as the talk show’s house lapdance specialist (if not from his growing presence as a content creator on OnlyFans).McKeon got his start dancing when he was in college at U.C. Berkeley, and worked the box for years in big clubs and naughtier bars in San Francisco, followed by L.A., where he moved after graduating.He and McGovern met on the set of McGovern’s “Sexy Nerd” music video and became fast friends and collaborators.

questionnaire, which is based on GLAA’s policy priorities (outlined in a policy brief that serves as an election guide), asks candidates where they stand on various issues.Candidates’ responses are then graded by GLAA members, with certain numbers of points awarded for agreeing with GLAA’s stated positions, for the depth and breadth of answers explaining their positions, and for their demonstrated record of pro-LGBTQ advocacy, both in and out of elected office. All scores are on a scale of -10 to +10, and candidates may have points deducted for any positions or records that demonstrate hostility to LGBTQ people or to GLAA’s priorities.In past cycles, incumbents — who have the benefit of amassing a record of pro-LGBTQ actions while in office — have typically fared better in GLAA’s ratings.

John Waters‘s lovable 1988 indie film about a big girl with big dreams in ’60s-era Baltimore danced its way to wild success on Broadway, courtesy of the savvy, perfectly realized musical adaptation by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.The life and creative partners won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Original Score, just one of eight total trophies racked up by the heart-warming Hairspray, including the top trophy as Best Musical and wins for the show’s director Jack O’Brien, book writers Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and three members of the original cast, led by Harvey Fierstein, who donned drag to play the show’s leading matriarch Edna Turnblad.“There was no gay agenda behind Edna being played by a man,” Shaiman told Metro Weekly in 2005. “First of all, it’s just there because that’s the way it was in the movie.

A new investigation from the Wall Street Journal has shown that from 2017 to 2020, Grindr was selling its users’ data. The investigation revealed that Grindr sold over 13 million users’ data to the highest bidder. While the data in question didn’t include personal information such as names or phone numbers, it did collect data on location.

The Glass Menagerie, a slowly building drama that makes you think and feel, evoking memories of the past and of what might-have-been.A sideways tribute to the gay playwright’s real-life sister, the focus is on Laura, a slightly disabled, horribly shy young woman, who is also pretty, pure, and sweet. Metaphorically speaking, she’s akin to the rare and fragile unicorn among the herd of equines in the collection of glass figurines that gives the play its name.Set during the Great Depression, the play revolves around interactions taking place in the confines of a cramped St.

John Proctor Is the Villain (★★★★☆) grabs hold early, building through pungent twists towards a fierce, freeing climax.Riffing on a feminist reading of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Belflower’s high school-set crucible, like Miller’s play, operates adroitly as both think-piece and thrilling drama. As Miller used the Salem witch trials to obliquely portray the witch hunt of the McCarthy-led Red Scare, Belflower remixes The Crucible‘s plot to produce an incisive allegorical take on another age of paranoia, fear, and accusations: the #MeToo era.The play is set in the bygone days of 2018, and it’s through that cultural lens that the kids in Mr.

Signs of Life, the product of months of self-reflection and assembled in the relative stillness and isolation of 2020.It bears signs of a pandemic and a world in tumult, but even more so into Vance’s own concurrent personal struggle.“Sapling,” the first single, opens the album with a cathartic swell of emotion and captures the spirit of renewal that Vance brought into writing and recording the album, as well as offering a window into Vance’s mental state at the time as he attempted to turn around a problematic relationship with drugs and alcohol.Much more than a vehicle for its radio-friendly, folk-rock singles, the real gems can be found scattered in between on Signs of Life, some of them unfolding more slowly and rewarding a more attentive listen.Ultimately, the magic holding Signs of Life together is Vance’s songwriting, which demands attention and keeps things interesting when they might otherwise end up plodding.On a casual listen, the nuance and finesse that Vance brings to tracks like the album closer “Percolate” could easily be missed.On tour, the new songs will no doubt travel well with his knack for live performance and the energy and stage presence he’ll bring to them, showing Vance back on his game.Tuesday, May 10, at The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.Call 703-549-7500 or visit www.birchmere.com.

The Washington Post, if Republicans retake the House of Representatives, as expected, Jean-Pierre could face questions about GOP investigations into the Biden White House, although the White House Counsel’s Office is already bringing in another communications official, Ian Sams, to handle such inquiries. Anita Dunn, a former White House advisor, is also returning to help with the administration’s messaging efforts.Jean-Pierre’s promotion has been hailed by several LGBTQ advocacy groups, who have noted that she has not been shy about speaking out on LGBTQ issues when it matters, such as when various states have proposed anti-LGBTQ legislation, or earlier this year, when she denounced an order issued by Texas Gov.

RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Symone, the show’s Season 13 titleholder.DNCE, a Los Angeles-based trio comprised of vocalist Joe Jonas, drummer Jack Lawless, and guitarist JinJoo Lee, first broke through into popular culture in 2016 with the release of the band’s RIAA quintuple-platinum certified single “Cake By the Ocean.”The song landed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine in its 19th week on the chart. It spent 46 weeks on the Hot 100 in total.The group’s self-titled full-length debut album, DNCE, released by Republic Records, featured hit singles including the platinum-certified “Toothbrush.” The band closed out 2016 at No.

Crush (★★★☆☆). In one pivotal scene between two amorous teens, a rainbow, distinct though far in the distance, arcs across the horizon, a bellwether of good fortune for young lovers.Just as fortunately, director Sammi Cohen, and screenwriters Kirsten King and Casey Rackham, seek to subvert their movie’s candy-coated innocence with a keen edge of tart and bawdy humor that keeps the ship from sinking into cheesy oblivion.That contrast bears out in the characters, too, with never-been-kissed high school junior Paige, played by Rowan Blanchard, often embarrassed by her oversharing, sex-positive mom Angie, played by Megan Mullally, a comic actress who, of course, knows her way around, over, and through a double entendre.Angie’s a “cool mom” to the extreme, so fully supportive of lesbian daughter Paige that she gifts her packs of glow-in-the-dark dental dams.

it’s not a trip it’s a journey (★★★★☆), centering the four-woman dramedy around a character who can’t put into words the pain she’s feeling, yet talks plenty in trying to make sense of it all.In the throes of a crisis perhaps too profound to be reduced to a few sentences, June, a seemingly stable and strong New Yorker, speaks in abstractions and ellipses. She plucks analogies from wherever she can, searching for an image or expression that might help her understand her pain, so she can in turn help her friends understand what’s consuming her.June’s struggle to articulate her feelings comes through in the clipped, pointed, often very funny, dialogue spoken between her and the three dear friends — Willie, Frankie, and Rain — whom she invites on a girls’ road trip to the Grand Canyon.June needs the journey.

free, but timed-entry passes are required this year. Call 202-633-2614 or visit https://nationalzoo.si.edu/.