This story was originally published in Virginia Pride Guide 2025. Virginia Pride Festival 2025 is presented with the support of Out RVA, Allianz, Hit Play, Virginia Lottery, CarMax, Bank of America, CoStar Group,...
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Flags on the Capitol! A Visual Triumph for Richmond’s LGBTQ+ Pride 🏳️🌈
Virginia Pride Fest 2024 is happening this Saturday, and we had the chance to do something special for the cover of the Official Pride Guide, which we've proudly designed in-house at Major Major for Diversity Richmond over the past decade. Photo by Alex Burrus, designed by R. Anthony Harris Photo by Alex Burrus We’d like to give a huge thanks to...
From Family Sing-Alongs to Virginia Pride 🏳️🌈 The Journey of Landon Elliott
As Landon Elliott prepares to take the stage at Virginia Pride Fest 2024, Elliott reflects on his journey in music—a path shaped by family, local influences, and his own personal growth. Elliott’s musical roots run deep, stemming from a childhood steeped in melody and rhythm. “I was surrounded by music as a kid,” he recalls. “My mom and uncle...
Inside A World of Richmond Queer Club Kids with LIGHTPAINTERR 🏳️🌈
Beneath Richmond’s polished marketing lies a vibrant, hidden world that few will ever understand. Queer club kids, blood painted goths, drag royalty, neon-drenched ravers — the city’s nightlife is a swirling carousel of characters, as surreal as a fever dream straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Photographer and multimedia artist Isaiah Mamo, aka...
On ‘All Across the Nation’, Knifing Around Fights Back with Big Beats and Bigger Ideas
Knifing Around, the dance-rock band known for delivering bold, politically-tinged grooves to Richmond’s music scene, sat down with me at Bamboo Café last Wednesday. I caught up with singer Owen Martin (he/him) and bassist/synth player Jack Wolfe (they/them) to talk about their highly anticipated EP, All Across the Nation, dropping on...
Alex Burrus is the Photographer the Richmond Queer Community Deserves 🏳️🌈
Richmond, Virginia—a city where history and modernity intersect, creating a vibrant backdrop for creativity and expression. Within this dynamic landscape, Alex Burruss, a photographer, is making his mark not just by documenting Richmond’s queer community, but by being an integral part of it. Photo by Alex Burruss Burruss’s path to becoming one of...
Killer Mike to Speak on Free Expression at University of Richmond
Three-time Grammy-winning rapper and activist Michael Santiago Render, better known as Killer Mike, will be a featured panelist in an upcoming discussion on the future of free expression, hosted by the University of Richmond. Co-moderated by UR liberal arts professor Erik Nielson, Mad Skillz and journalist Bonnie Newman Davis, the panel will...
ICA Reopens This Friday with Powerful New Exhibitions Highlighting Women’s Private Spaces
After a summer-long closure and with a new executive director Jessica Bell Brown at the helm, the Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University is set to reopen its doors this Friday, September 6th, from 6 to 9 p.m. The reopening marks the premiere of three new exhibitions that delve deeply into the private spaces...
Color Theory, A Richmond Queer Art Exhibit at Art Works 🏳️🌈
This Friday, August 23rd, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Art Works RVA will host the opening reception for Color Theory: The Richmond Queer Art Experience. Curated by local Chris Schoen, the exhibit features the work of 30 local LGBTQ+ artists, transforming the gallery into a space that reflects the diversity and creativity of Richmond’s queer community....
Richmond’s GirlSpit, Queer Punk Rebels with a Cause 🏳️🌈
Recently, I met with GirlSpit, a band composed of Sera (they/she) on vocals and keytar, Harley (she/her) on bass and lead synth, and Rosa (she/her) on drums, who create slightly gothic, synth-punk music in Richmond. Birthed out of connections from queer bike ride nights and kink clubs, GirlSpit embodies what it means to be musicians who know...
