AVALON SATURDAYS + CHORUS.DC: OFFICIAL PRE-CHERRY EVENT
The well-designed, boutique-sized downtown nightclub Soundcheck plays host to a Cherry-affiliated party this Saturday, March 23, starting at 10 p.m., with music by Steve Sidewalk and Shane Marcus, two New York DJs part of this year’s main Cherry Weekend lineup. Dougie Meyers and Avalon Saturdays co-present the Official Pre-Cherry Weekend Kick-Off event with Chorus.DC, a fledgling party production outfit heretofore affiliated with Cobalt. Doors open at 10 p.m., with open bar on Tito’s Vodka and Jameson Whiskey from 11 p.m. to midnight. Soundcheck is at 1420 K St. NW. Tickets are $15 online or $20 at the door; $25 for VIP with Express Entry and Private Lounge with dedicated bartender. Call 202-789-5429 or visit www.dougiemeyerpresents.com.
NELLIE’S DRAG BINGO & RAFFLE BENEFITING CASA RUBY
“The Stunt Queens” of Stonewall Kickball will be calling the numbers during bingo this Tuesday, March 26, at Nellie’s Sports Bar. In addition to playing the numbers for gift cards and prizes, guests can purchase 50/50 Raffle tickets — priced at $1 for 1, $3 for 5, $10 for your arm’s length, and $15 for your inseam — with half of all ticket sales going to support Casa Ruby, the only bilingual, multicultural LGBTQ organization in D.C. The charity will also reap $1 from every Tito’s Vodka drink and soda beverage sold, so definitely come thirsty. The game, hosted by Guy Barnes, starts at 6:30 p.m. Nellie’s is at 900 U St. NW. Call 202-332-6355 or visit www.nelliessportsbar.com.
OTTERMATIC/OTTEROTICA
This Friday, March 22, ushers in the third round of a new dance party at the Green Lantern named after a particular type of hirsute gay men. Conceived by Bryan Smith and Matt Strother, Ottermatic is “open to all people and self-identified animals,” especially those willing to be “vibrant and expressive” in how they dress and engage. The theme for the March iteration is set 13 years “in a dystopian future where all gay bars have all closed down.” The only thing remaining is a secret bar hidden in a back alley downtown “run by homosexual half-human, half-animal hybrids, a result of genetic experimentation.” High-quality local house DJ Dean Sullivan serves as “the post-apocalyptic pied piper” rallying “a romp of playful otter half-breeds” to move and groove on the dance floor in frisky but friendly fashion — governed by “the concept of consent and inclusion.” Grant Collins serves as party host, and the otter pinup will be aided in the cause by able bartenders Strother and Scott M. Douglass, as well as The Barber Streisand (Smith). Starting at 10 p.m. The Green Lantern is at 1335 Green Ct. NW. Cover is $5 for entry upstairs. Call 202-347-4533 or visit www.greenlanterndc.com.
The fully gay-owned nanobrewery from two redheads, Simon Bee and Bryan Van Den Oever, along with Cameron Raspet, officially opens Saturday, March 23, with a party starting at 5 p.m. (The brewery actually opens at 11 a.m.) The band Cravin’ Dogs will perform and drag queen Kitti Chanel Fairfield will welcome neighbors and guests into the large, 7,000 square-foot space, located immediately next to the REI Store in the refurbished, historic Uline Arena building in NoMa. The celebration includes samples and pours of all the new Red Bear beers on draft. Red Bear is at 209 M St. NE. No cover. Call 202-849-6130 or visit www.redbear.beer.
Thanks to the Trump administration, policing gender is becoming the norm -- and it's about much more than trans women.
By Riki Wilchins
March 29, 2025
A Tucson Walmart called the police on a Black "stud"-identified lesbian last month, claiming a man had entered the women's room.
The two male Pima County sheriff's deputies accosted 19-year-old Kalaya Morton just after she had used a tampon and while she was in the stall still trying to pee.
They demanded that she come out immediately, which she was unable to do. Even after she finished her business and exited the stall, lifting her shirt to show the two men that she was a cisgender woman, one of the male deputies still complained that Kalaya "looked like a man."
Put on your ruby slippers to strut down the red carpet as we ask what queerness means for Academy Awards voters past and present.
By Paul Klein
March 1, 2025
On March 2, Hollywood's elite will gather at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles for the glitziest night of the year -- The 97th Academy Awards. When the Oscar-cast goes live on ABC Sunday evening -- and, for the first time ever, simultaneously streams on Hulu -- seven LGBTQ individuals will sit in hushed anticipation at the possibility of winning Hollywood's highest honors.
For a body often criticized for its lack of diversity and inclusivity, and with the arts under a prolonged political attack from far-right politicians, Sunday night offers a number of potentially groundbreaking moments for queer representation in front of and behind the screen.
“People just really wanna go to their happy place right now,” says Heather Barnes. “And Awesome Con is a happy place for a lot of people. Some people look forward to it all year long. And it's finally here. It's like Christmas.”
As a senior marketing manager at LeftField Media, Barnes is well-acquainted with the inherent joys of Awesome Con. The D.C. comic-con, held annually at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is a strikingly massive event, boasting panels, showcases, celebrity guests, tons of artists, and more attendee cosplay than you can wield a Poké Ball at.
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