Metro Weekly

Metro Weekly D.C.'s best LGBTQ magazine for 25 years. Daily news, politics, entertainment, and community updates for D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and beyond.

Metro Weekly has served D.C.'s LGBTQ community since May 1994, and is now the largest and longest continuously-running LGBTQ publication and website in the region! The print edition is published every Thursday and copies can be picked up for free at more than 500 distribution points. Metro Weekly is a glossy magazine read by more than 55,000 people in DC, MD & VA, and is nationally recognized for

its lively feature stories and interviews. Readers also turn to our magazine for its reliable news coverage, community event calendars, nightlife guides, and timely reviews that cover the District's rich arts and entertainment scene. We welcome you to contact us if you have any questions, comments, or requests. Visit us on the web at http://www.metroweekly.com

From the Metro Weekly archives: Jake Nodar, Naked and Afraid XL (2016). Photography by Todd Franson.
03/28/2025

From the Metro Weekly archives: Jake Nodar, Naked and Afraid XL (2016). Photography by Todd Franson.

From the Metro Weekly Archive: Spring Arts Preview Cover (2017). Created by Todd Franson.
03/28/2025

From the Metro Weekly Archive: Spring Arts Preview Cover (2017). Created by Todd Franson.

We asked our readers to cloak themselves in anonymity and tell us all about their best and worst cruising experiences."I...
03/27/2025

We asked our readers to cloak themselves in anonymity and tell us all about their best and worst cruising experiences.

"I can have a 5-minute conversation and determine if I want to go further versus spending hours or days to have the same conversation on an app..."

"I feel most comfortable with Grindr. I started using it when I was going into college, and now I don’t have the energy to learn a new app..."

"This guy was dressed for a rodeo and had his whip. He was at a table against the side wall. I had been looking around. We made some eye contact..."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE COMMENTS

Yeshiva University announced that it had reached a settlement with an LGBTQ student-run club that the university, for ye...
03/27/2025

Yeshiva University announced that it had reached a settlement with an LGBTQ student-run club that the university, for years, had refused to recognize as an official campus organization.

In the surprise move, the Orthodox Jewish educational institution said that it would end litigation related to its refusal to recognize the group, which it initially claimed was due to religious objections.

As part of the settlement, the club — formerly known as the Yeshiva University Pride Alliance — would be renamed “Hareni” and would be allowed to operate with the same rights and privileges guaranteed to other student groups...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

Cincinnati Pride announced it will cut ties with several corporate sponsors, sacrificing tens of thousands of dollars, i...
03/27/2025

Cincinnati Pride announced it will cut ties with several corporate sponsors, sacrificing tens of thousands of dollars, in response to the companies’ decisions to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives.

The organization acknowledged that it would be a struggle to replace the funding for its annual Pride parade. But it has also said it is essential to stand by its values, which include respect for the history and diverse culture of the LGBTQ community.

Cincinnati Pride says it doesn’t want to work with corporate sponsors that are viewed as hostile to those values and would rather work with companies that have demonstrated a genuine, ongoing commitment to LGBTQ causes throughout the calendar year...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

Andy Lee, a straight p**n performer who also caters to a gay audience, has opened what he refers to as a “p**n star univ...
03/27/2025

Andy Lee, a straight p**n performer who also caters to a gay audience, has opened what he refers to as a “p**n star university” in the United Kingdom for those wishing to capitalize on the gay male p**n-viewing audience.

The Irish-born Lee, known for amateur-style content that he films with his real-life straight friends, will teach aspiring adult performers how to market themselves, find their niche, and shoot better content. The university is open to both gay and straight men.

Lee’s university was profiled in a new mini-documentary from All Out podcast host Jon Dean, who traveled to Cambridgeshire to speak with some of Lee’s protégées...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

A proposed bill in Arkansas would criminalize anyone who is believed to have supported the social transition of transgen...
03/27/2025

A proposed bill in Arkansas would criminalize anyone who is believed to have supported the social transition of transgender youth.

The bill’s prohibitions are so broad, in fact, that it could lead to the prosecution of hairdressers who give youth haircuts that don’t conform to stereotypical gender norms.

Under the Vulnerable Youth Protection Act, any person found to have affirmed the gender identity of a minor that does not match the minor’s assigned s*x at birth could be sued by that minor or their parents for at least $10,000, plus compensatory damages and attorney’s fees, for up to 20 years afterward.

The amount for which a person can be sued can rise to $10 million...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

The Food and Drug Administration has set its sights on “poppers,” also known as amyl nitrite, an inhalant frequently use...
03/26/2025

The Food and Drug Administration has set its sights on “poppers,” also known as amyl nitrite, an inhalant frequently used by gay men, particularly during s*x.

Poppers are sold as video head cleaners, room fresheners, or nail polish removers. When inhaled, they relax the muscles and blood vessels in the body, producing a brief, intense euphoric rush. They also relax the a**l sphincter muscle, which makes penetrative s*x more pleasurable for receptive partners.

For years, the use of poppers has been a legal gray area.

Federal law prohibits the sale or distribution for recreational use, with some states seeking to punish recreational consumption.

For example, in Louisiana it’s illegal to possess and inhale poppers...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender person ever elected to Congress, has reportedly cautioned...
03/26/2025

U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first openly transgender person ever elected to Congress, has reportedly cautioned Democrats about the need to foster conversations when it comes to engaging with those who have reservations about certain issues like transgender participation in sports.

“We have to create more space in our tent,” McBride told NOTUS about how Democrats should approach people with reservations or genuine questions about transgender inclusion. “If, for instance, we want to have a majoritarian coalition — not just electorally, but specifically on issues around trans rights — that, by necessity, is going to have to include people who have a range of thoughts.

“A binary choice between being all-on or all-off is not constructive for anyone..."

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

A federal judge blocked Texas A&M University from banning a drag show from being held on any of the university’s 11 camp...
03/26/2025

A federal judge blocked Texas A&M University from banning a drag show from being held on any of the university’s 11 campuses. The temporary preliminary injunction was issued on March 24 by Judge Lee Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

As a result, “Draggieland,” a student-produced drag event, will go on as planned at the Rudder Theatre on the university’s College Station campus this Thursday, March 27.

The pageant — which has sold out the 750-seat Rudder Theatre every year since 2020 — features contestants who wear clothing or makeup that often, but does not always, run counter to their gender identity. The contestants also dance and answer questions about what drag and LGBTQ culture means to them.

“Anyone who finds the performance or performers offensive has a simple remedy: don’t go...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

A popular LGBTQ nightclub in Sacramento, California, is prohibiting patrons who wear MAGA-related attire from entering t...
03/26/2025

A popular LGBTQ nightclub in Sacramento, California, is prohibiting patrons who wear MAGA-related attire from entering the establishment.

Badlands, in the city’s Lavender Heights district, announced the policy on social media. Management claimed they were motivated to impose the ban after a patron wore a MAGA hat while in the bar, leading some patrons to complain that they were made to feel uncomfortable and unsafe.

“At Badlands Sacramento, we are committed to creating a space where the LGBTQ+ community and our allies feel safe, welcomed, and respected...

Donnell Jetters, of Waco, Texas, was arrested after he fired a gun at a relative who came out as gay.On March 14, around...
03/25/2025

Donnell Jetters, of Waco, Texas, was arrested after he fired a gun at a relative who came out as gay.

On March 14, around 9 p.m., police officers were dispatched to a home in the North Lake Waco section of the city in response to a report of a disturbance involving a gun.

The victim in the case called 9-1-1 after escaping from the home but returned to the scene shortly after officers arrived. Investigators discovered that Jetters and the victim, who was a family member, had gotten into an argument after the latter came out as gay.

The family member told police they left the residence after hearing Jetters cocking a pistol...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

The WORLDPRIDE 2025 festival runs from June 7th through June 8th in Washington, D.C. Starting at noon and ending at 10 p...
03/25/2025

The WORLDPRIDE 2025 festival runs from June 7th through June 8th in Washington, D.C. Starting at noon and ending at 10 pm daily.

Platinum singer-songwriter Khalid, country music star Brooke Eden, and recording artist 2AM Ricky will perform as part of the WorldPride DC 2025 Closing Ceremony and Concert on Sunday, June 8.

The concert, which is free to attend, marks the finale for WorldPride festivities, which will be held in Washington, D.C. from May 17 to June 8.

The concert, which coincides with a street festival along Pennsylvania Avenue NW, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of attendees. On stage, in between acts, the closing ceremony will include remarks by organizers and the official passing of the torch to the WorldPride host city for 2026, Amsterdam.

Khalid, Eden, and 2AM Ricky will take to the stage earlier in the day...

FOR MORE DETAILS CHECK THE COMMENTS

The Walt Disney Company overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to cut ties with the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s larg...
03/25/2025

The Walt Disney Company overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to cut ties with the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization.

The proposal, submitted to Disney’s shareholders by the right-wing National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project, demanded that the company “cease” its participation in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI).

The CEI rates companies on how LGBTQ-friendly or -affirming their employment or employee benefits policies are.

NCPPR’s proposal argued that Disney’s involvement with the CEI has alienated conservatives, hurting the company’s brand by aligning itself with the LGBTQ community...

FULL STORY IN THE COMMENTS

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