As Baltimore commemorates the 50th anniversary of Pride, and in the spirit of the enduring declaration “We Will Not Be Erased,” Baltimore Beat is honored to dedicate this Pride issue to the diverse experiences and perspectives of our city’s vibrant LGBTQIA+ community. We invited our readers to share their reflections, stories, art, and insights on […]
Posted inPhotostory
Photostory: From drag outfits to The Hippo disco ball, Baltimore’s queer history shines in ‘We Are…Proud’
In the “We Are… Proud” section of Collecting Maryland, one of our core exhibits that shares the “greatest hits” of the Maryland Center for History and Culture, we hope to offer visitors an overview of Queer History in Baltimore and the wider state of Maryland. While the narratives in our LGTBQ+ collections are not yet […]
Posted inArt & Culture
Finding Rapture and Refuge at Leon’s of Baltimore
In 2009, the former location of Fort Worth’s oldest consecutive gay bar, The 651, reopened as the Rainbow Lounge. Just over a week later, on June 28 — the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots — Fort Worth police officers and agents from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission stormed the bar. I remember seeing news […]
Posted inStage
Baltimore Center Stage launches national Trans History Project
Baltimore Center Stage, Maryland’s State Theater, made headlines in March when it refused to comply with newly issued National Endowment for the Arts guidelines designed to restrict arts organizations from presenting programming that would promote ideas like diversity, equity, inclusion, and “gender ideology.” While the NEA would later rescind those guidelines, Baltimore Center Stage had […]
Posted inArt & Culture
pride as a corner bar
much like my poetry, i swear am queer by accident, backed into its corner by boys with playground mentalities,but this isn’t a poem about them. my chest swells when chosen familyfrom philadelphia looks around brewer’s art basement, crowds into littlered room at club charles and thanks me for bringing them there. in los angeles,someone tells me […]
Posted inArts & Culture Events
Baltimore Arts and Culture Events 6/4/25-6/18/25
Wednesday, June 4 Wu Wednesday: Sounds of Baltimore DJs present ‘’80s through early 2000s hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music. 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at The Point in Fells, 1738 Thames Street. For more information, follow @wuwednesdaysbaltimore on Instagram. The Art of Comedy Open Mic: Join Comedian Ivan Martin, Dark Mark Rules, and Alejandro Labrada […]
Posted inArt & Culture
‘Naz & Maalik’ is a charming look at the intersection between homophobia and Islamophobia
While it might have been a more potent dramatic exercise as a short film, 2015’s “Naz and Maalik,” the feature directorial debut from documentarian Jay Dockendorf, milks much mileage from its central conceit — that to a nosy FBI agent, two young Muslim men ducking into an empty alleyway to steal a secret kiss look […]
Posted inCalendar
Baltimore Government and Community Events 6/4/25-6/18/25
Wednesday, June 4 West Wednesdays: Hear about the ongoing fight for police accountability in the Tyrone West case and for all victims of police misconduct. This event happens every Wednesday. For more information, go to westcoalition.com or follow @westwednesday on Instagram and Justice for Tyrone West on Facebook. Board of Estimates Meeting: 9 a.m. at […]
Posted inNews
Letter from the editor – Issue 62
Welcome to our Pride issue. At a time when LGBTQ+ people endure further marginalization and even more inhumane treatment, we are especially proud to dedicate this space to all things Pride. In these pages, Baltimore Beat Arts and Culture Editor Teri Henderson writes about the “rapture and refuge” of spaces dedicated to queer life. “They […]
