Pride
weekend
always
involves
sensory
overload.
With
all
the
wigs,
sequins,
muscles,
bare-breasted
women,
pamphlets
and
fliers,
it’s
easy
to
feel
overwhelmed
by
all
there
is
to
see
and
do.
So
make
sure
to
take
a
break
from
all
the
businesses
and
politicians
seeking
the
pink
dollar
and
watch
a
fierce
lineup
of
local
and
international
divas
on
the
main
stage
of
the
street
festival,
on
Sunday,
June
11.
Toward
the
end
of
the
main
stage
set,
which
begins
at
11:40
a.m.
and
ends
at
7
p.m.,
the
headliners
are
set
to
arrive.
CeCe
Peniston,
Thelma
Houston,
Kimberly
Locke
and
Rachel
Panay,
who
are
all
straight,
will
take
the
stage,
located
at
the
far
end
of
Pennsylvania
Avenue,
NW,
near
4th
Street,
giving
their
fans
a
healthy
dose
of
dance
anthems.
Thelma
Houston’s
singing
career
has
spanned
40
years,
and
she
says
she’s
been
performing
at
Gay
Pride
celebrations
since
they
began.
“I
have
been
supported
by
the
gay
community,”
Houston
says.
“For
me,
it’s
a
big
fan
base.”
Among
Houston’s
long
list
of
achievements
is
the
Grammy
for
Best
R&B
Female
Vocal
Performance
for
her
1976
hit
“Don’t
Leave
Me
This
Way.”
“‘Don’t
Leave
Me
This
Way’
would
not
have
been
as
big
a
hit
as
it
was
had
it
not
been
for
the
gay
community,”
Houston
says,
adding
that
her
gay
fan
base
also
partially
arises
from
her
work
on
gay
civil
rights
and
AIDS
causes.
Kimberly
Locke,
one
of
the
three
finalists
on
Fox’s
“American
Idol”
in
2003,
sees
gay
men’s
fascination
with
vocal
divas
a
little
differently.
“My
manager
is
gay,”
Locke
says.
“He
said,
‘We
like
strong
women.’
I
can
deal
with
that.
I
don’t
question
it.
I
go
with
the
flow.”
Locke
has
worked
with
Houston
at
other
Pride
events,
which
isn’t
surprising
considering
the
senior
diva’s
extensive
Pride
tour
history.
“The
biggest
I’ve
done
is
Washington,
New
York,
Sydney,
San
Francisco,
Long
Beach,
Texas,
Arizona,
Rhode
Island
and
Louisiana,”
says
Houston.
“I
have
not
done
Pride
in
any
Asian
country.
That’s
what
I
have
to
hit.”
Traveling
the
Pride
circuit
is
not
uncommon
for
performers
who
are
well
loved
by
gay
men
and
lesbians.
Locke
started
performing
in
Los
Angeles,
San
Francisco
and,
in
2005,
Columbus,
Ohio.
Two
of
the
day’s
emcees,
Derek
Hartley
and
Romaine
Patterson
of
the
Sirius
OutQ
satellite
radio
Derek
&
Romaine
show,
have
12
cities
on
their
tour
this
summer.
Four
emcees
will
host
the
stage
events
throughout
the
day.
Dallas-based
comic
Paul
J.
Williams
is
on
the
first
shift.
Drag
performer
and
celebrity
impersonator
Christopher
Peterson
takes
the
mid-afternoon
slot,
and
Hartley
and
Patterson
are
the
day’s
final
hosts.
Their
daily
radio
program,
airing
from
6
p.m.
to
10
p.m.,
covers
a
variety
of
topics
and
includes
guest
interviews
with
celebrities
—
gay
and
otherwise.
“Derek
and
I
go
to
more
Pride
events
than
anyone
in
the
country,”
says
Patterson.
“Because
we’re
on
satellite
radio,
our
listeners
are
all
across
the
U.S.
It’s
allowing
us
to
go
out
and
meet
the
listeners.”
Before
beginning
the
daily
show
in
April
of
2003,
Hartley
worked
as
a
syndicated
columnist,
and
his
writings
have
appeared
in
the
New
York
Times,
Instinct,
Out
and
on
PlanetOut.com.
Patterson
first
made
headlines
after
the
shocking
murder
of
Matthew
Shepherd
in
1998.
She
faced
down
protesters
at
Shepherd’s
funeral
while
wearing
an
angel
costume,
and
the
image
became
a
ubiquitous
one
in
the
gay
and
mainstream
media.
The
pair
returns
to
Capital
Pride
after
emceeing
the
event
in
2005.
“I
think
D.C.
is
definitely
more
serious
in
nature,”
says
Patterson,
28.
“You
get
a
lot
more
of
a
political
vibe.”
Hartley
shares
a
view
similar
to
that
of
his
costar.
“D.C.
is
a
town
of
lawyers,”
says
Hartley,
36.
“Abercrombie
baseball
hats
and
a
polo
shirt
is
cutting
loose.”
WHILE
MANY
OF
this
year’s
top
entertainers
are
from
anywhere
but
D.C.,
there
is
one
up-and-comer
who
is
a
native:
Rachel
Panay.
“This
is
my
first
[Pride]
in
my
town,”
Panay
says.
Born
in
Washington
State
and
raised
in
D.C.,
the
singer
went
to
D.C.’s
Duke
Ellington
School
of
the
Arts,
where
she
studied
vocal
music,
dance
and
musical
theater
throughout
high
school
before
attending
the
Berklee
College
of
Music
in
Boston,
Mass.
She
moved
to
New
York
this
past
winter
to
pursue
her
career,
which
includes
a
love
of
musical
theater.
“That’s
what
I
trained
to
do
as
a
kid
and
a
teenager,”
says
Panay.
“It’s
a
bigger,
broader
market
[in
New
York.]”
Panay’s
performances
have
been
seen
at
the
White
Party,
Mr.
Miami
International
and
at
D.C.’s
mega-club,
Nation.
Her
hit
single,
“Back
to
Love,”
was
number
two
on
the
Billboard
dance
charts
in
February
of
2005,
and
it
remained
there
for
three
weeks.
She
attributes
her
popularity
with
gay
men
to
her
upbringing.
“I’ve
been
involved
in
the
arts
since
I
was
a
child,”
Panay
says.
“I’ve
always
been
attracted
to
people
who
are
marching
to
their
own
drummer.
That’s
a
common
trait
that
I
think
is
within
me.”
In
honor
of
Pride,
Panay
will
be
debuting
a
new
song
during
her
performance.
“Three
weeks
ago,
as
I
was
taking
a
trip
from
D.C.
back
to
New
York,
the
...
