The CooLots are calling their upcoming outdoor concert a "mini-Woodstock." Come lay in the grass and get into the groove at Langdon Park in Northeast this Saturday, April 21, at 3 p.m. The hot local rock and soul band is celebrating singer Yaz's birthday, and they're advising concertgoers to bring blankets, lawn chairs or sit-upons. Incidentally, I haven't heard the term "sit-upon" since I made one out of purple corduroy as a Girl Scout. I think that's my root. The park promises to be chock full of cool people and sunny springtime feelings. Sigh.
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Bloomingdale is quickly becoming a queer girl's paradise. Between the cute staff at Big Bear, the cheap beer bars, the flourishing farmer's market and the sidewalks teeming with cutoff-clad dykes, I rarely leave my house without feeling like I've stepped through a wormhole into Northampton, Mass. A new mural on my very own block at Quincy Place & Florida Avenue NW makes the neighborhood even more female-friendly. With a vibrant color palette and a strong focus on women of color, this eye-catching wall of a private home pays homage to important figures in women's history, including D.C.'s own Mary Church Terrell and famous bisexual Frida Kahlo. It was produced by Albus Cavus and executed by a diverse group of female street artists in March. The Mautner Project, the nation's only organization devoted to lesbian health, has signed on as a promotional partner. Albus Cavus has set forth some admirable, if ambitious,...
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Where The Girls Go founder Alexander Smith is a master networker, a soccer star and a party animal. He's also a transguy. Check out our video clip of his transition story and share yours in the comments section or on our Facebook page!
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Chief Ike's was a humid, fetid, liquor-soaked nest of queer dancehounds last night and we loved every second of it. The She.Rex DJs spun with a vengeance, as usual. In case you missed out, here's a rundown of the evening's grooviest tunes. 5. Don't Bring Me Down (Electric Light Orchestra) This was an unexpected throwback to the classic rock radio stations of my blue-collar NH hometown. At the end of the night, when we were all soaked in sweat of unknown origin and spilled Natty Boh, this song fit the mood to perfection. 4. Still Not A Player (Big Pun) Beyond the clever rhymes (we can park the Jeep / pump Mobb Deep / and just spark the leaf) and the tempting references to hot tubs and highly intelligent bachelorettes, I love this borderline-obese rapper's self-deprecating admission to being "big." 3. Every Heartbeat (Amy Grant)...
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If your organization lost a third of its funding to city budget cuts, what would you do? Would you close up shop? Quit your job? Lay down and scream? If you're super-rad queer activist Cyndee Clay, you tighten your belt, shake out your blue dreadlocks and get back to work supporting one of the District's most vulnerable populations: sex workers. The former Mormon and executive director of one of WTGG's favorite D.C. nonprofits—HIPS, or Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive—told Metro Weekly's Will O'Bryan that LGBT youth often turn to sex work when they've been kicked out of their homes. HIPS supports these clients with HIV testing, support groups, safe sex education and a bevy of other much-needed services. I volunteered for a few years on the HIPS outreach van, which trolls the streets Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. It was one of the most rewarding and...
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This Saturday, during the lunch break of University of Maryland’s Theorizing the Web Conference, one of DC’s very own will be screening her short film, Over & Out. A queer romantic comedy “about the way in which technology is transforming the time and space of our intimate relationships,” explains the writer. The film focuses on a lesbian couple whose relationship starts to disintegrate due to one character’s unhealthy obsession with technology. “Communication technologies—such as smart-phones—have made it easier and more convenient to communicate with others,” says Kelsey Brannan, the creator, writer and producer of the film. “But it has also made our relationships with those near to us less intimate. The idea of the film is that life happens, when you log off." Brannan is wrapping up the first year of her Master of Arts program in Communication, Culture and Technology at Georgetown University. She came up with the idea...
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Passover season is upon us, and like any good shiksa, I’ve unearthed my beloved Prince of Egypt VHS (featuring Whitney and Mariah’s heart-melting, Oscar-winning duet), gulped down a healthy portion of Manischewitz and lost a heated game of find-the-hidden-matzo at a very nontraditional early Seder. The Rock & Roll Hotel joins in the festivities this Thursday, April 5, with The Shondes, a Brooklyn-based indie punk powerhouse with strong roots in both the Jewish and queer communities. Riding high on the fall 2011 release of their third full album, Searchlights, The Shondes launched their current tour at SXSW and have been tearing up the southeast with the emotive vocals, thrash-worthy hooks and impish attitude that have made them modern darlings of a punk scene that’s itching for unapologetic chutzpah. Come party with WTGG and D.C.’s own Troll Tax and Fell Types this Thursday for a feisty live show that will energize you for the...
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It should happen every day. In an ideal world it could, would, and you would love it. You stroll in and the music wraps around you. It’s the perfect amount of people (although-in reality-it won’t really matter), and oh what’s that? They are playing your song. That song that not only makes you remember why it’s your favorite, but conjures up the memory of every time you've ever listened to it. You look behind with a smile that can only be meant to tell the entire club that you're all about to run this place. Because after all: It’s Girls Night Out. It should start with an idea. Perhaps it’s a glance at your calendar or a text during the day that involves the words: “Damn girl, where you been?” (Ok. So in reality it would most likely not involve commas and instead probably have an exclamation point or…five.) Perhaps...
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A quick guide to everything Queer/ Lesbian that I wish I had known when I first moved to the District. Part I of II She.Rex- the best dance party this side of the Mason-Dixie. DJs Coach Vee, Shelly Crush and Junebullet throw the closest thing to a Brooklyn/Mission dirty queer dance party every second Friday of the month at Chief Ikes. And this place is not a hipster-infested dive during the typical night; it is, in fact, an actual dive bar—complete with bartender sporting a non-ironic mullet. She.Rex brings you the best of dance rock, pop, hip-hop and electro. Not to mention 2 for $5 PBRS. Phase 1 opened its doors in 1970 and is—therefore—the oldest lesbian bar in the country. Phase has everything from a dance floor—music most frequently provided by DJ Staylo—as well as a pool table, drag shows and the DC Gurly Show. Not to mention it’s the...
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New York-via-DC-via-San Francisco artist, Najva Sol, grew up in Rockville, MD as part of a Muslim/Iranian family. At 17 she picked up and moved to New York. “Since then I’ve traveled all over with my camera and my notebook, helping organize and contribute to artistic and activist groups wherever I am,” explains Sol. Sol was one of the 25 contributors to the book Love, InshAllah a ground breaking collection of work written by—and about—Muslim women. Released on Valentines Day 2012, the writers speak “openly for the first time about love, relationships, sexuality, gender, identity, homophobia, and racism,” according to the website. “I got involved in Love, InshAllah in a very organic way,” says Sol. “It literally fell into my lap when I was opening at the New York release party for the hilarious and brilliant play ‘The Domestic Crusaders’ by Wajahat Ali, about a Muslim family. Some Columbia Professor that...
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