23

TUESDAY

When Brian Freeman, founder-director of Pomo Afro Homos, began researching the life of black gay civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, everyone he interviewed invariably turned to the topic of sex. To many, that Rustin taught Martin Luther King Jr. the tenets of nonviolent civil disobedience and organized major protests was less significant than the fact that he was once arrested on sexual perversion charges for having sex in a car with two young men. Tonight’s showcase, “Brian Freeman: Black and Gay at the Corcoran,” will feature excerpts from Civil Sex, his new work based on Rustin’s life, as well as highlights from past solo performances. Freeman’s smart, funny monologues explore the dark closet of black gay life, shedding light on what was previously obscured. At 8 p.m. at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Hammer Auditorium, 17th & New York Ave. NW. $16. (202) 639-1700. (Holly Bass)