Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) officially kicked off her re-election campaign this week with a grueling tour of her state that saw her visit 57 municipalities in just 57 hours. 

The tour culminated Monday evening in Rehoboth Beach with a packed crowd at the Convention Center. At least 400 attendees stood patiently in a line that wrapped around the block and snaked down Rehoboth Avenue. Once inside, a DJ entertained the ebullient crowd that kept busy batting beach balls around the venue. 

The crowd featured a large LGBTQ presence that cheered speakers including state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall, state Sen. Russ Huxtable, and Delaware Democratic Party Chair Evelyn Brady, who introduced McBride. 

McBride took the stage to Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” and the lyrics “I get knocked down, but I get up again.” In her remarks, she touched on a record of introducing more bipartisan legislation than any other freshman lawmaker and touted an award her office won for providing superior constituent service.

“People want leaders who are focused on lowering costs, solving problems, and delivering results,” she said. “That’s exactly what I’ve worked to do in Congress, and that’s why I’m running for re-election – to continue delivering for and defending Delaware.”

McBride is the first transgender member of Congress and is Delaware’s sole representative in the U.S. House. She will face the winner of the Republican primary in November. Rev. Earl Cooper — a former Democrat McBride defeated two years ago — is running for the GOP nomination. The state primary election is Sept. 15 and the general election is Nov. 3. 

Archibald’s Gentlemen’s Club, which has offered adult entertainment in the nation’s capital involving nude female dancers since it first opened in 1969 at 1520 K St., N.W., will offer nude male dancers beginning Saturday night, June 20, according to co-owner Thom Naylor.

The female dancers will continue as usual on the upper two floors of Archibald’s three-story building, according to Naylor, who released a flier promoting the opening of the male dancer venue as an event “for Gay Pride.”

He told the Washington Blade he expects a dozen male dancers to perform beginning at 9 p.m. Saturday when D.C.’s LGBTQ Pride Parade will take place earlier in the day.

Following its opening night for the male dancers, Naylor said he plans to continue offering male nude dancers on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. The club is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

“I want to have an official Champagne grand opening probably in July,” he said referring to the male dance venue. “This is like a soft opening just to get going and to get everybody acclimated.”

The decision by Archibald’s to offer nude male dance entertainment for an LGBTQ clientele will mark the first time such entertainment will take place in D.C. since March 2020, when the LGBTQ nightclub Ziegfeld’s-Secrets, which featured nude male dancers, was forced to close at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The owner of the building at 1824 Half St., S.W., discontinued the Ziegfeld’s-Secrets lease a short time later to demolish the building and construct a high-rise residential condominium.

Naylor, who identifies as gay, said he has long believed nude male entertainment should be available in D.C. for a gay clientele as well as anyone else interested in that type of entertainment.

“So, we decided to go with three days in the summer and then come September go into a full swing when we’re open five days a week,” he said, referring to the male dancers.  

About 250 people turned out on Friday, June 12, for D.C.’s annual Silver Pride celebration, which honors and recognizes LGBTQ seniors and their role in advancing LGBTQ rights.

The event was held in a large conference hall in the building of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, which was among the event’s sponsors

According to local event organizer and longtime LGBTQ rights advocate Rayceen Pendarvis, who served as host of the event, the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living and the D.C.-based Seabury Resources for Aging, a nonprofit group that provides services and support for seniors, were the two lead organizers of this year’s Silver Pride.  

In addition to presentations by several speakers, a DJ played music for dancing and two popular local drag performers — Shi-Queeta Lee and Capri Bloomingdale — performed at the event drawing loud applause.

Among the speakers were Japer Bowles, director of the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs; Jody Wright, a member of the board of the Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes D.C.’s annual Pride events; Craig McCullough, board chair of Seabury Resources for Aging; Jermaine Dillon, an official with the D.C. Department of Aging and Community Living;  and Bianca Ward, an official with the ViiV Healthcare company, which was one of the sponsors of the event.

“It is a joy to be a senior in this community,” Pendarvis told the crowd in opening remarks at the event. “And every part of every Pride movement is built on the backs and the foundations of the elders,” she said.

“We have to have a day when we’re celebrated and we are honored and we are represented in our fullness,” Pendarvis told the Washington Blade. “Because sometimes unfortunately, various Prides forget about our elders. And we have to let them know that we’re here, we’re queer, and we ain’t going anywhere,” Pendarvis said.

“It is my distinct honor and privilege to be here among the elders,” Wright, the Capital Pride board member, told the gathering. “Because what we do at Capital Pride is because of what you’ve done and you continue to do, because we are standing on the shoulders of giants,” he said, in referring to LGBTQ seniors.