Jul 10, 2009  |  By: Staff & Wire Reports  | COMMENTS     

White Attire Affair rebounds after hiatus

Washingtonians are invited to don their whitest whites for the return of the White Attire Affair on July 18. The annual ball, presented by the Al Sura Foundation, is an LGBT-focused event that raises money and awareness for HIV and AIDS.

Abdur-Rahim Briggs is co-chair of Al Sura, an organization dedicated to improving communication and education about HIV/AIDS for the local black community. After a one-year hiatus, Briggs is excited to bring back the event, which he says will be low key this year, with a capacity of 500 guests.

Briggs plans to present a $25,000 check to Transgender Health Empowerment, a D.C. LGBT non-profit, at the event. Metro Teen AIDS, Bishop Rainey Cheeks and others will be honored at the ball. Although the event is targeted to both the African-American and LGBT community, all are welcome to attend.

The White Attire Affair on July 18 runs from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the “Experience,” located at 1100 First Street, S.E. Tickets, which are still available, cost $75 and $125 for the VIP reception.

For more information about the event and organization and to purchase tickets, visit www.alsura.org.

G-Spot lesbian party debuts

EFN Lounge hosts G-Spot, a new ladies party, every Thursday night (the first edition was slated for last night but will continue on July 16 and each Thursday thereafter). B.O.I. is teaming up with the ladies of LURE to bring a new weekly party to the lesbian scene. DJ Kas plays everything from top 40 hits to hip-hop and drink specials include $3 Absolut and $5 pitchers.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and there is no cover. EFN Lounge is located at 1318 9th St., N.W. For more information, visit www.efnlounge.com.

Gay playwright featured at Fringe

Gay playwright Scot Walker brings two of his latest plays “Count Dracula’s Café” and “Molasses Toast and French Fried Eels” to the Goethe Institut Gallery Saturday through July 26 for the Capital Fringe Festival. They’re performed together as “2 Shorts in Black and White.”

Walker is an accomplished and award-winning playwright, who also writes poetry, short stories and nonfiction.

In his eccentric short “Count Dracula’s Café,” Dracula is in a creative rut after being denied gay blood by the government. Dracula’s answer to his dilemma is to open a Starbuck’s to woo his targets. Walker’s piece explores whether AIDS is the real reason the FDA has refused gay blood since 1983.

Walker continues using supernatural themes in his second short “Molasses Toast and French Fried Eels.” The play’s main character has come back to life with a new power to foretell the future, which changes both his and his friends’ lives forever.

The Goethe Institut Gallery is located at 812 7th Street, N.W. Show times vary and tickets cost $15. To purchase tickets, visit www.capitalfringe.org. For more information about Walker, visit www.scotwalkerauthor.com.

Gay violinist to play recital

Albert Yan, a gay violinist based in Chicago, has a recital at the Lyceum Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. This free performance is part of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association’s Summer Chamber Music Series and will include selections of Brahms, Mendelssohn, Bartok and Chopin. The Lyceum is located at 201 South Washington St. in Alexandria, Va. For more information, visit www.wmpamusic.org/html/ performances/chamber.html.

Trophy Wife to play Black Cat Saturday

Local queer band Trophy Wife plays the Black Cat Saturday. The punk rock duo of Katy Otto and Diane Foglizzo have toured the country, playing events like “Mothertongue: Women’s Spoken Word” and a benefit for Join the Impact, an organization committed to repealing California’s Proposition 8. Otto also runs local record label Exotic Fever Records.

Trophy Wife is not a newcomer to the Black Cat stage. The July 11 show that begins at 8 p.m. at the backstage is part of the Black Cat’s “Second Saturdays” series, which invites local bands to perform at the venue. The Black Cat is located at 1811 14th Street, N.W. Tickets are $8. For more information, visit www.blackcatdc.com.