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Whole lotta Pride!

Coming days packed with celebration, music and fun

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Capital Pride Parade, gay news, Washington Blade

Capital Pride Parade (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Friday, May 31

Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) hosts the official Capital Pride Women’s Party tonight from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. Visit capitalpride.org or the Phase 1 Facebook page for details.

Ziegfeld’s Secrets (1824 Half St., S.W.) hosts the official Capital Pride Men’s Party tonight from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit capitalpride.org or secretsdc.com.

Sunday, June 2

The D.C. Center hosts the Stonewall Kickball Drag Ball Game this afternoon from 2-6 p.m. in Stead Park (1625 P St., N.W.). Visit thedccenter.org or the event on Facebook for more details.

Team D.C., One In Ten and Capital Pride present a ā€œDay In the Parkā€ from 6-10 p.m. following the Kickball Dragball game in Stead Park (1625 P St., N.W.). Guests are welcome to have a picnic, play games and watch an outdoor movie. For more information, visit the event on Facebook or capitalpride.org.

Monday, June 3

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents ā€œMusic in the Nightā€ this evening from 8-11 p.m. Joshua Morgan, an actor and co-artistic director at No Rules Theatre, will host the event’s performances and sing-a-longs. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit capitalpride.org.

Tuesday, June 4

The First Congregational United Church of Christ (945 G St., N.W.) holds the official Pride Week Interfaith Service tonight from 7:30-9 p.m. Over 20 faith communities will gather to celebrate LGBT pride, and Rev. Harry Knox is featured as the guest speaker. Visit capitalpride.org or the event on Facebook for more information.

Busboys and Poets (1025 5th St., N.W.) hosts a Women’s Spoken Word open mic night from 8:30-11:30 p.m. this evening. Women of all backgrounds are encouraged to share their stories. For details, visit capitalpride.org or busboysandpoets.com.

Wednesday, June 5

Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.) hosts a ladies Jell-o wrestling competition this evening from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. For more information, visit the event on Facebook or capitalpride.org.

Thursday, June 6

The Latino GLBT History Project hosts the annual D.C. Latino Pride Fiesta Dance Party tonight at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Performances starring Carmen Carrera from ā€œRuPaul’s Drag Raceā€ begin at 10:30. Tickets are $10 and admission is 18+. Visit towndc.com for more information and latinolgbthistory.com to purchase tickets in advance.

AARP (601 E St., N.W.) hosts a community discussion, Town Hall: LGBT Golden Years, this evening from 7-9 p.m. Continued civil rights advocacy and LGBT equity in healthcare are among the topics for discussion. For more details, visit capitalpride.org.

Friday, June 7

Brightest Young Things and Capital Pride present ā€œSpandex: Official Opening Dance Party tonight at the newly restored, historic Wonder Bread Factory (621 S St., N.W.) at 9 p.m. Admission is 18 and up. Tickets are $20 if purchased ahead of time and $25 if purchased the day of the party. Visit capitalpride.org for details.

The D.C. Front Runners launches the Pride Run 5K tonight from 7-9 p.m. starting at the Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.). Hundreds of runners from the area will participate, and a portion of the funds raised will benefit an LGBT athlete through the Team DC Scholarship program. Visit capitalpride.org or dcfrontrunners.org for more information.

Saturday, June 8

The official Capital Pride Parade is today from 4:30-7:30 p.m., starting at P and 22nd Streets and ending in Logan Circle. About 100,000 spectators are expected to attend, and around 170 organizations will participate. Lynda Carter (TV’s ā€œWonder Womanā€) is the ā€œsuper grand marshal.ā€ For more information, visit capitalpride.org or the event on Facebook.

Tagg Magazine, LURe and Capital Pride host ā€œF.U.S.E.: The Capital Pride Women’s Main Eventā€ this evening at Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.). For details, visit capitalpride.org.

Sunday, June 9

The official Capital Pride Festival is today along Pennsylvania Ave. between 3rd and 7th Streets starting at noon. The day will be full of food, entertainment, music, education and celebration. Icona Pop, Cher Lloyd and Emeli SandĆ© are this year’s headlining performers. For more information, visit the event on Facebook or capitalpride.org.

Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts the official Capital Pride Closing Party tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Admission is 18 and up and there is a $5 cover charge benefiting Capital Pride. Visit cobaltdc.com or capitalpride.org for details.

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Theater

ā€˜Bad Books’ a timely look at censorship in local library

Influencer vs. conservative parent in Round House production

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Holly Twyford (The Mother) and Kate Eastwood Norris (The Librarian) in ā€˜Bad Books’ at Round House Theatre. (Photo by Margot Schulman)

ā€˜Bad Books’
Through May 4
Round House Theatre
4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, Md.
Tickets start at $43
Roundhousetheatre.org

While a library might seem an unlikely place for a heated contretemps, it’s exactly the spot where adults go when they’re itching to battle out what books minors might be allowed to read. 

In Sharyn Rothstein’s ā€œBad Books,ā€ two women, The Mother (out actor Holly Twyford) and The Librarian (Kate Eastwood Norris), swiftly become mired in a quarrel that comes with some weighty repercussions.Ā 

The Mother is a popular conservative influencer on a mission. She’s furious that the local library has overstepped its bounds and she blames The Librarian, a woman who adheres to the ā€œit takes a villageā€ method of child rearing and is dedicated to the young people who approach her reference desk. 

There’s some background. It seems The Librarian who dresses young (tight jackets and Doc Martens) and curses a blue streak, forged a friendship with Jeremy, a teenage library regular. 

While the details are a bit hazy, it seems the troubled Jeremy confided in The Librarian regarding some personal issues. In return, she suggested a helpful book – Boob Juice.

Unsurprisingly, based solely on its title, the book has thrown The Mother into a pique of outrage. After finding Boob Juice in her son’s bedroom, she made a beeline to the library; and not incidentally, The Mother hasn’t read the recommended work and has no plans to do so. 

Set in a suburb with lax gun laws, the story explores facets of division and conciliation. The Mother insists she isn’t so much about banning books as she is keeping some books away from young people until they’ve obtained parental approval. 

ā€œBad Booksā€ is performed in the round. Built on a rotating stage, Meghan Raham’s set is simple, pleasingly serviceable, and easily transforms from the library into a small corporate office, and later the assembly room of a church. Overhead floats a circular glass shelf filled with a cache of banned books. Things like a rolling book cart and a goldfish bowl add some flavor to the different locations. 

The Mother wasn’t always a popular conservative warrior with an enthusiastic horde of followers. 

Her past includes penning a book that later filled her with guilt and regret. She refers to that early questionable literary accomplishment as her bad book. And while over the years, she has persevered to find and destroy each and every printed copy, she hasn’t entirely succeeded.  

Norris plays three women who figure meaningfully into the arc of Twyford’s mother character. In addition to The Librarian, Norris is The Manager, a broadly played piece of comic relief, and The Editor, a warm woman who reveals things about Jeremy that his own mother never knew. 

Smartly staged by Ryan Rilette, the production is part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. While Rothstein’s script offers two strong roles (skillfully performed by celebrated actors Twyford and Norris), its ending feels too neatly resolved.  

In the past, Twyford and Norris have successfully joined forces for numerous DMV productions including Studio Theatre’s production of David Auburn’s two-hander ā€œSummer, 1976,ā€ the story of a longtime and unlikely friendship between two women who meet as young mothers during the Bicentennial summer. 

Though different, both The Librarian and The Mother share a strong and ultimately hopeful relationship with words.   

There’s a quote from E.B. White’s classic ā€œCharlotte’s Webā€ that pops up a couple of times in the briskly paced 80-minute play. Charlotte, the wise spider, says, ā€œwith just the right words you can change the world.ā€

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Books

ā€˜Pronoun Trouble’ reminds us that punctuation matters

ā€˜They’ has been a shape-shifter for more than 700 years

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(Book cover image courtesy of Avery)

ā€˜Pronoun Trouble’
By John McWhorter
c.2025, Avery
$28/240 pages

Punctuation matters.

It’s tempting to skip a period at the end of a sentence Tempting to overuse exclamation points!!! very tempting to MeSs with capital letters. Dont use apostrophes. Ask a question and ignore the proper punctuation commas or question marks because seriously who cares.Ā So guess what? Someone does,Ā punctuation really matters,Ā andĀ as you’ll see inĀ ā€œPronoun Troubleā€ by John McWhorter,Ā so do other parts of our language.

Conversation is an odd thing. It’s spontaneous, it ebbs and flows, and it’s often inferred. Take, for instance, if you talk about him. Chances are, everyone in the conversation knows who him is. Or he. That guy there.

That’s the handy part about pronouns. Says McWhorter, pronouns ā€œfunction as shorthandā€ for whomever we’re discussing or referring to. They’re ā€œpart of our hardwiring,ā€ they’re found in all languages, and they’ve been around for centuries.

And, yes, pronouns are fluid.

For example, there’s the first-person pronoun, I as in me and there we go again. The singular I solely affects what comes afterward. You say ā€œhe-she IS,ā€ and ā€œthey-you AREā€ but I am. From ā€œBlack English,ā€ I has also morphed into the perfectly acceptable Ima, shorthand for ā€œI am going to.ā€ Mind blown.

If you love Shakespeare, you may’ve noticed that he uses both thou and you in his plays. The former was once left to commoners and lower classes, while the latter was for people of high status or less formal situations. From you, we get y’all, yeet, ya, you-uns, and yinz. We also get ā€œyou guys,ā€ which may have nothing to do with guys.

We and us are warmer in tone because of the inclusion implied. She is often casually used to imply cars, boats, and – warmly or not – gay men, in certain settings. It ā€œlacks personhood,ā€ and to use it in reference to a human is ā€œbarbarity.ā€

And yes, though it can sometimes be confusing to modern speakers, the singular word ā€œtheyā€ has been a ā€œshape-shifterā€ for more than 700 years.

Your high school English teacher would be proud of you, if you pick up ā€œPronoun Trouble.ā€ Sadly, though, you might need her again to make sense of big parts of this book: What you’ll find here is a delightful romp through language, but it’s also very erudite.

Author John McWhorter invites readers along to conjugate verbs, and doing so will take you back to ancient literature, on a fascinating journey that’s perfect for word nerds and anyone who loves language. You’ll likely find a bit of controversy here or there on various entries, but you’ll also find humor and pop culture, an explanation for why zie never took off, and assurance that the whole flap over strictly-gendered pronouns is nothing but overblown protestation. Readers who have opinions will like that.

Still, if you just want the pronoun you want, a little between-the-lines looking is necessary here, so beware. ā€œPronoun Troubleā€ is perfect for linguists, writers, and those who love to play with words but for most readers, it’s a different kind of book, period.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

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Calendar

Calendar: April 18-24

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, April 18

ā€œCenter Aging Friday Tea Timeā€ will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Social in the Cityā€ at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. 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.Ā 

Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 6 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This will be a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome and there’ll be card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.Ā 

Saturday, April 19

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Brunchā€ at 11 a.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 peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events for LGBTQ People of Color, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.Ā 

ā€œSpark Sapphic Socialā€ will be at 8 p.m. at Spark Social House. This weekly sapphic social is an opportunity to mix and mingle with other sapphics in D.C.’s newest LGBTQ bar. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

ā€œDC Drag Brunch on Rooftop – Penthouse (Formerly at Lima Twist)ā€ will be at 12 p.m. at Baby Shank Rooftop. Hosted by Miss Capital Pride, this is the ultimate drag brunch experience in Washington, D.C., featuring the fiercest queens around. Prepare to be entertained by glamorous drag queens and celebrated celebrity impersonators, including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, BeyoncĆ©, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston, Cher and many more. Tickets cost $27 and are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

Sunday, April 20

Queer Crayon Club will host ā€œQueer Sketch Socialā€ at 3 p.m. at Sinners and Saints. This is a fun event for LGBTQ+ adults to come together and color. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, April 21

ā€œCenter Aging Monday Coffee & Conversationā€ 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 details, email [email protected].Ā 

Tuesday, April 22

Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This support group is for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis – this is your group. For more details, visit www.genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.Ā 

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group and a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.Ā 

Wednesday, April 23

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 ā€œapplicantsā€ toward being ā€œcandidates.ā€ For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Asexual and Aromantic Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom.Ā This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Thursday, April 24

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

DC Anti-Violence Project Open Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more and getting involved in lessening violence both within and directed towards the LGBT communities. For more information, visit Facebook or Twitter.

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