2009 Pride Roundup: No Free Nachos
Capital Pride weekend is upon us and there is so much to do, if you're queer and bored and can't find something fun to do there no hope for you. You'd have to be a pretty unimaginative and disgruntled angertwink to not be able to find something to do. Even our gaming group is celebrating gay nerd pride by playing Dungeons and Dragons on Sunday. For a few of us it's more like Dungeons and Drag Queens.
Speaking of drag queens, RuPaul is the headliner act at both Town on Friday night and at the Capitol Pride Festival main stage closing number on Sunday, preceded by Miss Martha Wash of Weathergirls fame. She's the diva who was the actual vocalist who belted out "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!" in that C&C Music Factory song "Gonna Make You Sweat."
I would contend that the hottest pick for the weekend will be Pride After Dark at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The Saturday evening event features a multi-DJ venue, booze and of course a very artsy backdrop. If you're too hip for that, there is the Pride version of Mousetrap, featuring DJs Zach and Michael of the Black Cat's Homo/Sonic, joining longtime DJ Mark Zimin for a night of Britpop and indie dance tunes. And at around the same time as the above two events there will be an off-the-hook Pride edition of Blowoff and a Black Eyed Peas CD release party at Omega as well. I am torn between all these options. Of course The Bears have their own parallel universe concave version of pride with a Bear Event Roundup for Capital Pride. Free nachos are not included in this package.
And then next Tuesday, June 16th, The New Gay will be working with the International Gay and Lesbian Footballers Association (IGLFA) to throw a dance party at Town called Kick. IGLFA's world championships will be held in DC from June 14 to 21st, which means that athletically-minded men and women will be coming in from all over the world to play soccer and enjoy the capital. This is a pretty big deal by the way. Anyway, the party will be held on Tuesday, June 16th, at Town Danceboutique, at 2009 8th St., NW. It is an 18+ event open from 9 - 2.
Whew! There are a zillion other things going on that I'm sure I missed, but the above events are what I'd like to go to, but that doesn't mean I will be able to, sadly.
If you're not proud or angry enough about today's State Of The Gay, this video piece from the New York Times interviewing the partner of a gay soldier will change your mind. It's a very gut-wrenching testimonial showing the negative effects of the foolish and unfair Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, brought to you and me by Bill Clinton and perpetuated by Barack Obama. The interview asks the question, "If your partner of 15 years died in combat, and your existence as his partner can't be validated due to secrecy, who notifies you if he dies during his tour of duty overseas?" The answer is "No one, because you don't deserve that kind of respect from the government like opposite-sex partners do." The interview painfully illustrates how our government views dedicated gay servicemembers and their partners as creatures who are not quite as human as straight people. Thinking about it really steams me up.
On a brighter note, here's an interview with hottie actor Mike Doyle who may hold the Hollywood record for number of dying or dead scenes in movies and television roles. He is happy to announce his next character is actually going to survive! I think one thing he could aspire for is to die as a Red Shirt Ensign in the next Star Trek film. That is the ultimate pinnacle of character death in any television or film role. Red Shirt Must Die.
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Actually, I think my asscheeks are the hottest things in town this weekend.
The video regarding the man who's husband is in the military. It is sad and upseting. But at the same time when you are in the military (As I was an as Rob was) You can decide who are the beneficiaries and who can be contacted when Gods forbid you die in the line of duty. Regardless if they are your genetic relative or just a friend.
I feel for this guy, but at the same time there are "loop holes" for him and his husband they can use in the military.
I still firmly believe that D.A.D.T. sucks. But there are ways around it.
Bill Clinton tried to end the ban on gays in the military. Congress (and the public) rebelled, and DADT was enacted by Congress as a compromise. The alternative would have been an outright ban by Congress. Your suggestion that DADT was some sort of scheme by Bill Clinton or something is misinformed.
@Philip"b: Bill Clinton did what he always did when faced with angry wingnuts: backed down and compromised. It was always easier to cast aside his progressive backers than to be courageous and stand up for what he knew was right. Democrats did that constantly during the reign of the Evil Dick and the Dimwit W. and continue to do it today. They refuse to learn that the right-wing noise machine won't stop just because you give the SOBs what they want. Compromising at every turn emboldens our enemies and makes selling out the ordinary course of action for Dems in Washington. And us GLBTs—and the country as a whole—suffer because of it.
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@Jimbo: Have fun this weekend!