Metro Weekly - June 16, 2016 by RP MEDIA ARCHIVE

CONTENTS

JUNE 16, 2016

PAYING TRIBUTE

The Kennedy Center kicks off its comedy festival by honoring the legendary, late Joan Rivers by Randy Shulman

Volume 23 Issue 7

TRAGEDY IN ORLANDO Sunday’s attack was the largest mass shooting in American history — and aimed squarely at the LGBT community by Rhuaridh Marr

PRIDE AMID MOURNING Orlando cast a shadow over last weekend’s Capital Pride Festival, but couldn’t break people’s spirits by John Riley

OVERTURE p.7 SPOTLIGHT p.9 OUT ON THE TOWN p.13 PAYING TRIBUTE TO JOAN p.14 MAKER’S MARK p.18 TRAGEDY IN ORLANDO p.23 A UNIFIED RESPONSE p.29 KNEE-JERK HYPOCRISY p.32 PRIDE AMID MOURNING p.34 IN MEMORIAM pg.36 COMMUNITY pg.39 SCENE: DC LATINO PRIDE AT TOWN pg.47 NIGHTLIFE p.51 COVERBOY: RICARDO p.51 LISTINGS p.67 SCENE: CAPITAL PRIDE OPENING PARTY AT DOCK 5 p.59 LAST WORD p.62 The bitches who make this shit... #masthead Editorial Editor-in-Chief Randy Shulman Art Director Todd Franson Managing Editor Rhuaridh Marr Senior Editor John Riley Contributing Editor Doug Rule Senior Photographers Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim Contributing Illustrator Scott G. Brooks Contributing Writers Gordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Frank Carber, Fallon Forbush, Sean Maunier, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield Webmaster David Uy Production Assistant Julian Vankim Sales & Marketing Publisher Randy Shulman National Advertising Representative Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 Distribution Manager Dennis Havrilla Patron Saints The 49 Victims of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting Metro Weekly 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Overture AN ATTACK ON ALL OF US A

S I WRITE THIS, IT’S BEEN OVER 60 HOURS SINCE OMAR MATEEN FIRST STARTED FIRing into the Pulse nightclub crowd. I’ve watched almost 24 hours worth of live news coverage, read dozens of articles covering the attacks, written thousands of words on Metro Weekly’s website detailing various aspects of Sunday’s tragedy, and spoken with friends, family members, coworkers and even strangers on social media about it. The first thing I wrote for this week’s issue was an opinion piece. It was filled with the very same thing Omar Mateen invoked to end 49 lives: anger. I lashed out at various aspects surrounding the shooting, my words containing the same confusion and rage as many who watched events in Orlando unfold. As details became clearer — the FBI had twice investigated Mateen, co-workers had serious concerns about him, his ex-wife considered him to be dangerous, lax gun regulation had allowed him to buy a handgun and an assault rifle a few days before the shooting — my anger grew. It peaked when Mateen’s father burst into the news coverage, telling NBC News that his son hadn’t been radicalized, despite Mateen calling 911 and pronouncing that he supported ISIS during the attacks, his prior connections with known Islamic extremists, and two previous FBI investigations. Instead, his father said his son’s action was an act of homophobia. During a family trip to Miami, Mateen had apparently seen two men kissing, and his father believed his anger at the event had triggered his violent response. If true, it represented not only the worst mass shooting in American history, but the worst act of homophobia the LGBT community has witnessed in a long time — perhaps ever. On Sunday night, as I watched gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people stand together with their straight allies at vigils, couples in tears with their arms wrapped around one another, powerful songs being sung by choruses of LGBT people, I cried. I cried for our community, for our safety, for a world in which someone could be so filled with hate that he would murder 49 innocent people and leave countless others in the hospital. On Monday, I sat and read as names and photos of the victims poured in, their stories cut short, their lives no more. There was Edward Sotomayor Jr., one of the first victims to be announced. A brand manager for LGBT travel agency ALandCHUCK, he was known for telling his friends “We cannot be afraid,” according to the Orlando Sentinel. His friends reported that he was shot in the back while trying to get his boyfriend to safety. Brenda Lee Marquez McCool entered Pulse

Nightclub on Saturday to salsa dance and have a good time with her gay son, Isaiah. In a video posted to Facebook, she can be seen enjoying herself. The mother of eleven was undergoing treatment for leukemia, after previously surviving another cancer diagnosis. When the bullets started flying, she told her son to get down and she moved in front of him. As they ran for the exit, she was shot in the back. Her niece told People that Isaiah stopped to help her. “Just run, go,” she shouted. Isaiah survived. There’s also Akyra Murray, a Pennsylvanianative and standout basketball athlete who was celebrating her high school graduation with a trip to Orlando. She was due to attend Mercyhurst College this fall. At just 18 years old, she is the youngest victim in Saturday’s killing. Whatever potential she had in her sport is now gone, her life over far too soon. Hearing these accounts — of which there are another 46 — is like a constant, sustained punch to the gut. Any mass shooting is a tragedy and any loss of life is horrific. But this wasn’t just an ordinary attack — and the mere fact that America has “ordinary” mass shootings is appalling enough as it is. Omar Mateen didn’t attack a random nightclub, he specifically targeted LGBT people. Listening to friends and families tell the stories of those they’ve lost feels personal. These are people from our community, targeted not for their age, their race, their gender or their religion, but for being gay. When people say that this was an attack on all of us, they’re right. Rhuaridh Marr Managing Editor

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

PIXAR

Spotlight

Lost and Found

As Pixar rolls out Finding Dory, its latest surefire hit, Ellen DeGeneres hints at LGBT inclusion

’LL TELL YOU A LITTLE SECRET,” ELLEN DEGENERES confided to USA Today earlier this week. “There’s a StingRay that’s becoming Sting-Rhonda, so there’s a trans-sting in the movie.” We’ll find out whether the comedian is merely joshing around on Friday, June 17, when the sequel to Pixar’s 2003 hit, Finding Nemo, hits screens. In the first film, clownfish Marlin (Albert Brooks) was aided by Dory (DeGeneres), a blue tang with memory issues, on a quest to find his son, Nemo, held captive in a dentist’s aquarium. It remains one of Pixar’s highest points, funny, energized and emotionally resonant. In the follow-up, Marlin helps Dory find her long-lost parents. The previews recycle many of the

first film’s favorite set-pieces, but under the main guidance of co-director Andrew Stanton, we’re sure there are plenty of new surprises in store. The film also stars Ed O’Neill, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy, Ty Burrell, Allison Janney, and, in a secretive cameo, Sigourney Weaver. There’s been much speculation that Finding Dory contains a glimpse of a female same-sex couple, which would be a first for a Disney movie, but DeGeneres was coy with USA Today when the question was posed. “I don’t know if it’s true,” the popular comedian said. “I don’t know if there is, or if she just has a bad short haircut. Who knows if she’s a lesbian?” — Randy Shulman

Finding Dory, rated PG-13, opens at theaters nationwide on Friday, June 17. JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Spotlight FIREFLY MUSIC FESTIVAL

Touted as “the East Coast’s Premier Music Experience,” the four-day festival features 100-plus acts for fans of pop to savor. Held in a lush wooded landscape in Dover, Del., things kick off Thursday, June 16, with a headline set by Two Door Cinema Club, also including AlunaGeorge, Robert DeLong, Oh Wonder, Felix Jaehn and Lany. Kings of Leon headline Friday, June 17, with other draws including Ellie Goulding, Disclosure, Tame Impala, Of Monsters & Men, Ludacris, Fitz and the Tantrums, Rufus du Sol, Boy & Bear and Powers. The lineup for Saturday, June 18, includes with Death Cab for Cutie, Chvrches, St. Lucia, Atlas Genius, Parson James, Florence & the Machine (pictured) and Deadmau5. The festival closes on Sunday, June 19, with Blink-182, Major Lazer, The 1975, Earth Wind & Fire, Grouplove, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and Mumford & Sons. At the Woodlands of Dover International Speedway, 1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover, Del. Passes start at $129 for a single day or $319 for a four-day pass. Quite the value! Call 855-281-4898 or visit fireflyfestival.com.

NEXT TO NORMAL

Keegan Theatre serves up Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s moving and modern Pulitzer Prize-winning show, that deals with the devastating toll that mental illness can have on a relationship and a family. Mark A. Rhea and Colin Smith direct a cast featuring Kari Ginsburg, Chad Wheeler, David Landstrom, Caroline Dubberly, Christian Montgomery and Scott Ward Abernethy. Opens Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m. To July 10. Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $45 to $55. Call 202265-3768 or visit keegantheatre.com.

CNN POLITICS CAMPAIGN 2016: LIKE, SHARE, ELECT

The Newseum has partnered with CNN — as well as Facebook, Instagram, Zignal Labs and Pivit — to offer an interactive exhibit telling the story of the 2016 presidential campaign in real time, which, let’s face it, is even more fantastical than the story of Alice jumping down the rabbit hole. The exhibit explores the ways digital and social media have transformed how candidates campaign, how journalists cover elections (when Trump doesn’t ban them), and how the public participates in the political process. Through Jan. 22. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $22.95 for general admission. Call 888-NEWSEUM or visit newseum.org.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Out On The Town

DE PALMA

Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow offer a lively, illuminating and moving documentary, illustrated with a wealth of well-chosen clips, about one of the most influential and iconoclastic filmmakers of all time. Brian De Palma plays candid raconteur in the film, noting that he gave Robert De Niro his first screen role and spilling details about many of his seminal works, including Carrie, Dressed to Kill, The Untouchables and Mission: Impossible. Opens Friday, June 17 at Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. Call 202-452-7672 or visit landmarktheatres.com.

FILM BARD IN THE PARK: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, WEST SIDE STORY

As part of its “400 Years of Shakespeare” celebration, Folger Theatre teams up with the Capitol Riverfront Business Improvement District to offer more free outdoor screenings of Hollywood’s best takes on the Bard. First up, Al Pacino’s bold, uncompromising The Merchant of Venice from 2014, the first full-length filmed version of Shakespeare’s “problem play” since the silent era. The following night offers a musical classic: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’s 1961 West Side Story, an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet with glorious music by Leonard Bernstein and a book by Stephen Sondheim. The Merchant of Venice screens Saturday, June 18, and West Side Story on Sunday, June 19. Actors from Folger’s current production of District Merchants will introduce each film, which screen at sundown (a little after 7:30 p.m.) at Canal Park, 200 M St. SE. Free. Call 202544-7077 or visit folger.edu for more information.

SHALL WE DANCE

As part of its Divas Outdoors programming on the lawn, Hillwood Estate screens the 1936 movie musical featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with music by George and Ira Gershwin. Friday, June 17, starting at 7 p.m. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-686-5807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org.

STAGE DISTRICT MERCHANTS

Aaron Posner writes for an underserved audience: neurotics who like their humor fast and sharp and their hearts and minds challenged by an irreverent but secretly optimistic view of the human condition. It’s all present and accounted for in this clever and literarily-imaginative rendering of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice set in a post-Civil War Washington D.C. in which Shylock’s rivals are African-American. Though it tracks the original plot, for Posner it’s an opportunity to jet off into race and gender issues that have contemporary urgency and relevance.

Posner injects not only his usual brand of irreverent humor, but also a powerfully intelligent ambiguity. We don’t get any pat answers to its many moral questions; Posner’s characters and conundrums are just too complex. The complexity, with all its moving parts, makes for a challenge the Folger production never quite conquers. There is an absence of necessary oomph and only a few players buck the mood. Still, even if District Merchants (THREE STARS) can’t quite drive Posner’s complex train, it’s a chance to think about race, religion and reality without the preacher. To July 3 at the Folger Theatre, 201 E. Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu. (Kate Wingfield)

EL PASO BLUE

Jose Carrasquillo directs a GALA Hispanic Theatre production of Octavio Solis’ riff on the Oedipus Rex classic, a wild and comic tale of lust, revenge, identity and the blues. To June 26. GALA Theatre at Tivoli Square, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $38. Call 202-234-7174 or visit galatheatre.org.

HEDDA GABLER

Mark O’Rowe’s contemporary adaptation of the Ibsen classic intends to provide a nuanced portrait of one of the most fascinating figures in modern drama, with a mesmerizing study of power, control and self-deception. Matt Torney directs Julia Coffey in the title role in this Studio Theatre production, also featuring Avery Clark, Kimberly Schraf, Michael Early, Kimiye Corwin, Shane Kenyon and Rosemary Regan. Closes Sunday, June 19. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org.

KINKY BOOTS

Cyndi Lauper produced Tony gold with songs about a showgirl named Lola, in a story about the power of drag queens and shoes. The production stops at the Kennedy Center as part of its first national touring production. Directed by Jerry Mitchell, adapted from the British film by Harvey Fierstein. To July 10. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $25 to $199. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

Good-natured and cheerful, Signature’s La Cage aux Folles (THREE STARS) works hard to please its crowd. There will be no surprises in the story of longtime gay couple Georges and Albin and the comic conundrum of how to entertain the homophobic parents of their son’s fiancée without revealing their identities. Put simply, if you are a devotee, it delivers: you will hear the songs, enjoy the jokes, and share the moments. Director Matthew Gardiner delivers a show that’s fast-paced and punchy, moving seamlessly between the La Cage nightclub and the behind-the-scenes dramas of Georges and Albin. Lee Savage’s sets and Frank Labovitz’ costumes keep it bold with an eye-popping palette of garishly gorgeous color. Still, if there are some melodic moments — the catchy “I Am Who I Am,” there are even more of the ponderous, musical equivalents of saccharine sung in variations on a theme of monotone. With all the music in the world, why can’t musical theater be more musical? To July 10 at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., in Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $95. Call 703820-9771 or visit signature-theatre. org. (Kate Wingfield)

Paying Tribute

The Kennedy Center kicks off its comedy festival by honoring one of the craft’s greatest — and funniest — legends

HE ALWAYS REALLY WANTED A KENNEDY CENTER HONOR,” MELISSA RIVERS says. “I know she was nominated a few times, but she never got one. I figured at this point, this is pretty much the closest we’re going to get. Jumped at the chance.” That honor is coming in the form of an entire evening as Celebrating Joan: A Tribute to Joan Rivers kicks off the Kennedy Center’s first-ever, four-day “District of Comedy Festival,” featuring performances by Jane Lynch (6/24), Reggie Watts (6/25) and filmmaker Judd Apatow (6/25). The tribute to Joan, on June 22 in the Eisenhower Theater, will feature appearances by Louie Anderson, Billy Eichner, Aubrey Plaza, Bob Saget, Jordin Sparks, and Jessica Williams, with video tributes from Andy Cohen, Barry Manilow, Lily Tomlin, and John Waters. Rivers, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 81, had a devoted following in the gay community, long before her career resurgence with Fashion Police. (“I had a lot of uncles and not a whole lot of aunts,” says Melissa. “Most of the ones that were aunts probably wanted to be uncles.”) Outrageous, brash, often ahead of her time, Rivers was the first woman to host a late night network talk show and her sole film, a gag-packed 1978 comedy entitled Rabbit Test, featured a newly minted comic named Billy Crystal as a man who becomes pregnant. “Mom was honest,” recalls Melissa. “She was saying what everybody was thinking. That’s why the red carpets worked. That’s why Fashion Police worked. It was all the same things everybody was saying to each other on their couches at home.” Melissa still reels from the loss of her mother. “Grief is tricky,” she says. “Grief is ever-evolving. There’s so many times I go to pick up the phone to call her. I miss the person I’d call. I miss the person who annoyed me.” — Randy Shulman Celebrating Joan: A Tribute to Joan Rivers is Wednesday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theatre. Tickets are $59 to $125. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. 14

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

NO-NO BOY

After performances in Los Angeles, Pan Asian Repertory Theatre offers a special limited run of Ken Narasaki’s play No-No Boy in both D.C. and New York. Based on the novel by John Okada, Narasaki’s play is set in the aftermath of World War II as Japanese Americans return to the West Coast following internment. Ron Nakahara directs a cast including Leanne Cabrera, Dan Castro, Chris Doi, Scott Kitajima, Glenn Kubota, Karen TsenLee, Claro de los Reyes, Shigeko Sara Suga, Hansel Tan and Tony Vo. Saturday, June 18, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, June 19, at 2:30 p.m. U.S. Navy Memorial’s Burke Theatre, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets are $39 to $75. Call 212-352-3101 or visit panasianrep.org.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

After a ravishing production last fall of Cole Porter’s musical take on Shakespeare’s classic, the Shakespeare Theatre Company ends its season with Ed Sylvanus Iskandar’s provocative, new, allmale production that features the pop music of Tony- and Grammywinning composer Duncan Sheik (Broadway’s Spring Awakening), including a 30-minute musical intermezzo. Stage and screen actors Maulik Pancholy (Weeds, 30 Rock) and Peter Gadiot (Once Upon A Time in Wonderland) will play Katherina and Petruchio, respectively, in a cast that also includes Andre De Shields, Telly Leung, Gregory Linington, Matthew Russell, Tom

BE STEADWELL

Gohar Dashti, Untitled #1, from the series “Today’s Life and War,” 2008, Chromogenic print, 27 5/8 x 41 3/8 in.; Courtesy of the artist, Azita Bina, and Robert Klein Gallery, Boston; © Gohar Dashti

Strathmore Artist-in-Residence and live-looping artist Be Steadwell offers a blend of soul, folk, hiphop and jazz she calls “queer-pop,” drawing inspiration from her experiences as a queer, black woman. In addition to using a loop pedal for vocal layering, Steadwell sings, raps and beatboxes in her intriguing, memorable compositions, including the sweet love letter to her D.C. hometown, “Not Gonna Move to New York.” One of her latest works is the Strathmorecommissioned “Home” featuring a choral arrangement of voices with a folk/soul vibe. In addition to two concerts this month, Steadwell will offer a free workshop at Strathmore “Guilty Pleasure: An Accessible Guide to Pop Songwriting with Be Steadwell,” on Wednesday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m. The Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Her next concert is Wednesday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $17. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.

DC JAZZ FESTIVAL

SHE WHO TELLS A STORY

Subtitled “Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World,” the National Museum of Women in the Arts presents more than 70 photographs made in various settings by pioneering women with roots in Iran or the Arab world. Through their provocative work, these women offer probing ideas about personal identity, vital political issues, changing cultural landscapes and preconceptions. Jananne Al-Ani, Boushra Almutawakel, Shadi Ghadirian, Rula Halawani, Shirin Neshat and Newsha Tavakolian are among those represented in the show, organized by Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Through July 31 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave NW. Admission is $10. Call 202-783-5000 or visit nmwa.org.

Story, Oliver Thornton and Bernard White in featured performances. To June 26. Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.

THE WHO & THE WHAT

Round House Theatre presents a fierce and funny new play from Ayad Akhtar (Disgraced) about identity, religion and inherent human contradictions, focused on a Pakistani-American writer struggling between her modern life and traditional heritage. Eleanor Holdridge directs a cast including Olivia Khoshatefeh, Brandon McCoy, Tony Mirrcandani and Anu Yadav. Closes Sunday, June 19. Round House Theatre, 4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $50 to $60. Call 240-644-1100 or visit roundhousetheatre.org.

MUSIC ALUNAGEORGE

The 9:30 Club welcomes back this British downtempo soul duo,

who first made waves working with Disclosure (the brilliant song “White Noise”) and will join that hip electronic duo at the mammoth Firefly Music Festival in Delaware (see separate listing). The following night, singer and lyricist Aluna Francis and producer George Reid will stop by the 9:30 Club to give a sneak peek into songs that make up sophomore set I Remember, not due for release until September. Friday, June 17. Doors at 7 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com.

ANGIE STONE

One of the best singer-songwriters to emerge from the ’90s neosoul movement, Angie Stone has a penchant for mid-tempo balladry, balancing modern hip-hop’s breezy beats with old-school soul humidity. She returns to the area in support of last fall’s Dream. Thursday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $59.50. Call 703-5497500 or visit birchmere.com.

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BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Marin Alsop ends the BSO’s subscription season in full-throttle mode, enlisting virtuoso singers, the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the full orchestra to truly bring out the drama and heft of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. Alsop calls this classic a “conductor’s dream come true,” as it combines the theatrical flair of opera with the symphonic weight of the orchestra. Soprano Tamara Wilson, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Bishop, tenor Dimitri Pittas and bass Morris Robinson join the BSO and the Choral Arts Society led by Scott Tucker. Friday, June 17, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $32 to $99. Call 410783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.

Billed as the fastest-growing jazz festival in the U.S., as well as the largest and most diverse music festival in D.C., the DC Jazz Fest presents events at venues all over town, from the Hamilton to the Kennedy Center. Perhaps the most impressive lineup in its 12th year is the slate of outdoor concerts at the Yards, featuring well-regarded acts such as socially conscious hip-hop star Common, Grammy-winning soul jazz artist Cecile McLorin Salvant, go-go standard-bearers Chuck Brown Band and Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Septet, and a blowout with the Revive Big Band and special guest genre-bending artists Bilal, Talib Kweli and Ravi Coltrane. Festival runs to June 19. Call 855-332-7767 or visit dcjazzfest.org.

DIXIE CHICKS

We still haven’t heard new music from Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire since the trio last joined forces to release the Grammy-winning Taking the Long Way a decade ago. Talk about a long wait. But the Dixie Chicks have regrouped for the DCX World Tour MMXVI, which also features Anderson East and Josh Herbert. Saturday, June 25, at 7 p.m. Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Drive, Bristow, Va. Tickets are $42 to $350. Call 703-754-6400 or visit thejiffylubelive.com.

NATIONAL ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE AND FESTIVAL

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland presents its annual month-long festival of professional development and music-making for

COURTESY OF NATIONAL MAKER FAIRE

young classical musicians, culminating in several concerts pairing students with world-renowned conductors. Upcoming performances include: A Youth Orchestra Day performance with top musicians from the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, DC Youth Orchestra Program and the McLean Youth Orchestra, on Saturday, June 18, at 7 p.m.; Louisville Orchestra’s Teddy Abrams conducting the orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 “Titan,” on Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m.; a Family Concert of Peter and the Wolf on Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.; and a Chamber Music Showcase on Thursday, June 23, at 7:30 p.m. Festival runs to June 25. University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice.umd.edu.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Maker’s Mark

This weekend’s National Maker Faire is part of a movement to spur innovation — and more soldering

OES IT MATTER THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO SOLDER ANYMORE? According to Sherry Huss, yes. “If you’re lucky enough to have a garage, it’s probably filled with stuff that you don’t use,” says Huss. “There’s certainly no workbench, because we’ve become a throwaway economy versus a fix-and-repair economy.” Huss grew up learning how to use a soldering iron on the workbench in her family’s garage. The lost skill reflects our modern-day culture, in which people generally don’t know — and aren’t encouraged to learn — how to make things on their own. Ten years ago, Huss set out to change that. Together with Dale Dougherty, they established a series of annual gatherings called Maker Faires, intended to spur creativity and innovations in various fields as part of a broader Maker Movement. In 2014, President Obama helped spread the concept by hosting a White House Maker Faire. This year, 170 cities around the world will present Maker Faires, including D.C., which is hosting the second annual National Maker Faire this weekend. Calling it “a contemporary take on a county fair,” Huss says the focus is on “celebrating the great American dream of building, innovating and making.” It’s also geared to be a space for people to learn and do things. The event includes presentations, free and open to everyone, ranging from an informational workshop offering tips on basic analog and digital media production, to a lecture exploring the science behind CBS’s hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Other highlights include a hands-on workshop in making mixed-media fiber art, and a GE-led “beyond the lightbulb” discussion about the promises of LED technology. There will also be a “Learn to Solder Area,” sponsored by Radioshack, in which participants will solder together a badge in the shape of either a rocket or a robot and attach a blinking-LED. “You will walk away having made something,” Huss says. It’s meant to appeal to kids, but adults also get a boost from the sense of accomplishment. “That’s what is just so special here,” Huss says. “There’s this fun side to it. It brings out the best in human beings.” — Doug Rule The National Maker Faire takes place Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. Visit makerfaire.com/national. 18

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Steven Reineke leads the NSO in an all-star and extensive Pops celebration of George Gershwin, one of America’s most beloved composers. The program includes Jason Moran’s twist on some Gershwin standards with vocalist Jose James, and selections from Porgy and Bess performed by Norm Lewis and Alicia Hall Moran — reprising their roles from the recent revival on Broadway — joined by the Heritage Signature Chorale. Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $20 to $88. Call 202-4674600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

PETWORTH PARK SUMMER JAM

Every third Saturday this summer, the Petworth neighborhood will host a free summer DJ series featuring some of the area’s best spinners. Presented by Chris Burns and D.C.’s Roam collective, with support from the Petworth Jazz Project, the lineup includes Deep Sugar’s Ultra Nate and Lisa Moody, Future Times’ Beautiful Swimmers, Sam Burns, Lisa Frank, Juan Zapata, and Sol Power All-Stars. Saturday, June 18, from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Petworth Park, 8th and Taylor Streets NW. Visit petworthjazzproject.com.

THE INSERIES

Writer and director Nick Olcott sets his new English adaptation of Beethoven’s only and rarely seen opera Fidelio, about a woman who dresses as a man to rescue her husband from political imprisonment, in an unnamed Central American dictatorship. Stanley Thurston conducts a chamber orchestra in this InSeries production. Opens Saturday, June 18, at 3 p.m. Runs to June 26. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $23 to $46. Call 202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.

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THE LOW ANTHEM

Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky are two of the co-founders of this now five-piece ensemble combining folk and blues arrangements with chamber music, even gospel. The Rhode Island band creates often melancholic music: quiet, intimate, full of longing, and often hauntingly beautiful. The Low Anthem returns to the area for a concert presented by the 9:30 Club at the more intimate U Street Music Hall, in support of Eyeland, set for release Friday, June 17. Concert is Friday, June 24. Doors at 7 p.m. U Street Music Hall, 1115A U St. NW. Tickets are $18. Call 202-588-1880 or visit ustreetmusichall.com.

WOLF TRAP OPERA

Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, with librettist Ronald Duncan, is an intimate and haunting lyrical masterpiece based on an ancient Roman tale of corruption and tragedy. Louisa Muller directs and Craig Kier conducts a Wolf Trap Opera Company production performed in English with supertitles. Remaining performance is Saturday, June 18, at 7:30 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $32 to $88. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.

COMEDY AN EVENING OF HUMOROUS READINGS

Brian Agler of McSweeney’s and Funny or Die hosts this regular event at DC9 with some of D.C.’s funniest literary humorists. Friday, June 17, at 7 p.m. DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. Tickets are $10. Call 202-4835000 or dcnine.com.

THE SECOND CITY’S ALMOST ACCURATE GUIDE TO AMERICA

What if the history of America were written by some of the country’s most revered contemporary comedians? That’s the premise behind The Second City’s Almost Accurate Guide to America, which the Kennedy Center co-commissioned from the leading improv comedy troupe as part of the District of Comedy Festival. The show will even uproot the stalwart Shear Madness for a six-week run in the Theater Lab. Opens Sunday, June 19, at 8 p.m. To July 31. Kennedy Center Theater Lab. Tickets are $49 to $64. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

GALLERIES DECO JAPAN

Subtitled Shaping Art and Culture, 1920-1945, the latest exhibition at Hillwood explores how the Japanese interpreted the European style of art deco and made it their own. Drawn from the Levenson Collection and organized by

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Art Services International of Alexandria, Va., this traveling exhibition offers Washington a look at Japanese art deco for the first time. To Dec. 31. Hillwood Estate, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Suggested donation is $12. Call 202-686-5807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org.

REBECCA COLES: PIN AND PAPER

The Long View Gallery offers an exhibition by U.K.-based handdrawn and hand-cut paper artist Rebecca Coles, who is currently focused on the reinvention of entomological, or insect, cataloguing and displaying. Her recent works include an assemblage of intricately detailed butterfly shapes. Through July 10. LongView Gallery, 1234 9th St. NW. Call 202-232-4788 or visit longviewgallery.com.

THE ART OF ROMAINE BROOKS

The Smithsonian’s American Art Museum displays 50 paintings and drawings from its permanent collection focused on Romaine Brooks, who struck an androgynous look and explored gender and sexuality in her work, something rarely done in her time. Brooks was a leading figure of an artistic counterculture of upper-class Europeans and American expatriates, many of whom were queer, and a precursor of present-day artists whose works depict cross-dressing and transgender themes. Opens Friday, June 17. Runs through Oct. 2. Smithsonian American Art Museum, 8th and F Streets NW. Free. Call 202-6331000 or visit americanart.si.edu.

ETC. WHEDONISM: A BURLESQUE TRIBUTE TO JOSS WHEDON

An annual tribute to the man responsible for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Avengers, Firefly and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, among other pop culture sensations. Performers at this Evil League of Ecdysiasts event include Maki Roll, Miranda Lookinglass, Adora Butch, Pretty Boi Drag and Dixie Castafiore. Friday, June 17. Doors at 9 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $17 at the door. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.

WOLF TRAP OPERA’S IMPROPER OPERA

Six performers from the Wolf Trap Opera Company will sing in the (hopefully) comedic show “Opera Goes to the Improv.” Audience members will suggest the characters and the settings for an off-thecuff, off-the-wall operatic creation. Friday, June 17, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org. l

Anger is a powerful drug. It clouds judgement, blocks reason, stymies common sense and blurs morals. Anger can overpower like few other emotions. Should we let it develop, unhindered, unfiltered, it becomes dangerous. At that point, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re beyond reason. Anger becomes a weapon, a violent, brutal tool wielded by those past the point of no return.

Tragedy in Orlando A special report by Rhuaridh Marr

JUNE 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ METROWEEKLY

Anger is what drives a conservative Christian to stand on the pulpit and condemn an entire community to an eternity of fire. Anger is what causes a group of people to stomp on the head of gay couple daring to share a kiss in public. Anger is what fuels a man rejected by a lesbian woman to force her to the ground and rape her. Anger is what compels someone to stab a trans person because they can’t handle their gender identity. On Sunday, we saw anger at its most destructive. Anger transformed a night of fun, of dancing, of carefree living into the worst mass shooting ever witnessed on American soil. Fifty bodies, dozens injured, a community in shock, families forever torn apart. All because of one man’s anger. If ever America needed a reminder that being LGBT is still something to worry about, Sunday night was a loud, violent, bloody, brutal wakeup call. As the bodies of revellers lay strewn across the dancefloors of Pulse nightclub in Orlando, LGBT Americans woke that morning to the revelation that their lives were less secure, their freedom less certain, their safe-havens less safe. Anger transformed a man with a history of domestic violence, connections to extremists, and some rather troubling comments to co-workers into the nation’s most renowned mass shooter. Until Sunday, June 12, no one person had extinguished life to the same extent as 29-yearold Omar Mateen. He succumbed to the same rage that had driven him to repeatedly assault his ex-wife, an anger so powerful and so destructive that her family had to rescue her, leaving all of her belongings behind because she was so afraid of him coming home and discovering her escape. Only this time, Mateen’s anger was focused, it was amplified, it was fueled by homophobia. And it was coiled around the trigger of a high-capacity assault rifle. As America reeled from the worst case of domestic terrorism since 9/11, a vacuum formed. It was a space left in the wake of Mateen’s cowardice, his brutality, his bigotry, and the massive loss of life caused by his bullets. As grief overflowed from families and friends of Sunday’s victims, that vacuum was filled by a familiar sensation: anger. Anger at Mateen, anger at gun violence, anger at politicians who offered empty gestures of sorrow. Anger that, as a community, we were once again being reminded of how susceptible we are to violence. Many focused on gun regulation, demanding to know why a man twice investigated by the FBI was able to walk out of a Florida gun shop with a handgun, a rifle, and enough ammunition to wreak havoc in a beloved local nightclub. Why on earth was he able to buy those weapons? Why was he able to obtain a rifle fast becoming known as a mass shooter’s “weapon du

jour”? And why are we even able to sleep at night knowing that as a nation we have a rifle — which citizens can freely purchase — that has gained the moniker of “most used by people who commit mass murder”? What’s more objectionable: that we have sufficient mass shootings to have determined a weapon of choice, or that we make said weapon of choice available to mass shooters? Where do we draw the line? And if we can’t be angry at the weapons, perhaps we can be angry at those who helped foster a society in which LGBT people feel forced to retreat into nightclubs and other safe spaces, where we are free to be ourselves without fear of retribution. For decades, powered by conservative radio hosts, cable “news” and numerous bigots, the political Right has demonized and scapegoated the LGBT community as part of their efforts to drag America back to the “good ol’ days” — when men were men and gay people were left for dead on Wyoming fences. Should we even be surprised that in the wake of a murder spree that claimed fifty lives, these same conservatives were quickly moving to erase us from our own tragedy? President Obama acknowledged Pulse as “a place of solidarity and empowerment” for the LGBT community. Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, couldn’t even say LGBT when pressed by CNN. Instead, the response of so many who spend their days trying to quash LGBT rights turned to a familiar foe: Islam. Citing Mateen’s Afghan parents, his dalliances with Islamic extremists, and his apparent allegiance to so-called Islamic State, conservatives twisted the conversation away from one deranged individual slaughtering a club filled with LGBT people into us versus them, Christianity versus Islam, Republican versus Democrat, Trump versus Clinton, a travel ban versus common sense. While conservatives screamed “Radical Islam” and straight-washed an LGBT massacre, the Council on American-Islamic Relations urged its members to donate blood to help those still fighting for their lives in hospital — not least because many gay men are banned from donating their own. Empty tweets offering empty prayers and cries of extremism were trounced by pints of blood and support from a community as much the target of phobia as we are. But perhaps we shouldn’t be angry at guns, or the religious right, or even Omar Mateen. Perhaps we should just be angry with ourselves. How dare the LGBT community think that we have the right to go to a nightclub without the worry that we’ll never leave. How dare we believe that we won’t be erased from coverage of a massacre perpetrated against our community. How dare we

“If ever America needed a reminder that being LGBT is still something to worry about, Sunday was a loud, violent, bloody, brutal wake-up call. LGBT Americans woke to the revelation that their lives were less secure, their freedom less certain, their safe-havens less safe.”

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

in white light from her smartphone screen. It’s clear something isn’t right as she looks around. The video ends. Alvear is one of 49 people whose lives would end that night. It took a moment for anyone to Appreciate the congrats for being right on radcomprehend what was happening. ical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I “No one put two and two togethwant toughness & vigilance. We must be smart! er until the fifth and sixth [shot],” — Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Luis Burbano, who had been at the bar, told CNN. “Between 10 and 20, “My heart is heavy today, but I still believe in that’s when everything really started love. There’s more love than hate in this world. EFORE THE ANGER, THE PAIN getting real.” Some chose to drop #OrlandoUnited” and the near-endless stream to the floor, others crowded into — Ellen DeGeneres @TheEllenShow of questions, there was fun. Pulse the bathrooms, or shoved towards nightclub has existed on South the exits, or headed out into the “To the LGBT community: please know that Orange Avenue in Orlando for over a enclosed patio area. you have millions of allies across our country. I decade. Founded in 2004 by Barbara “I heard the first two gunshots, am one of them.” —Hillary Poma and her friend Ron Legler, it I automatically just threw myself — Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton commemorated Poma’s late brother, down to a floor,” Norman Casiano who had succumbed to AIDS in 1991. told Local 10 News. Amid the panic, Luis Vielma worked on the Harry Potter ride It was created to serve “as a place of he crawled into a nearby bathroom, at Universal. He was 22 years old. I can’t stop love and acceptance for the LGBTQ entering the disabled cubicle and crying. #Orlando community.” finding several others cowering in — J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling Every night, Orlando locals fear. As the group silently cried, and out-of-towners would flock holding one another for support, “How many people have to be killed before we to the club to enjoy drag shows, they heard the door open and a man act as a nation to #EndGunViolence? #Orlando karaoke, fundraisers, and a host of enter. But it wasn’t the shooter. @Everytown @MomsDemand other events. It even served as “a Instead, the man collapsed onto the — Julianne Moore @_juliannemoore community hub for HIV prevenfloor. He saw the dozen or so peotion, breast-cancer awareness and ple inside the cubicle and pled with There’s no such thing as a safe space. Being immigrant rights,” according to the them to help him. acutely aware of that is what makes Pride such Washington Post. “He’s bleeding everywhere and a powerful, essential part of queer culture. “The first time I ever entered he’s begging to come inside the —Bobby Finger @bobbyfinger Pulse, everything changed. For the stall,” Casiano said. “We’re trying first time in my life, I saw people that to get him in but he wouldn’t fit No Republican lawmakers who have tweeted looked like me living freely. I saw underneath and we couldn’t open about #OrlandoShooting have mentioned people in their joy. I saw people in the door.” #LGBT community or that it was a target of the their celebration of life,” Pulse regAs they tried to help, the door attack ular Daniel Leon-Davis wrote in an opened again. This time it was — Igor Volsky @igorvolsky essay for Fusion. “Pulse was where I Mateen. They watched, helpless, as learned to love myself as a gay man. he shot the man one last time. when you are scared to hold hands or kiss your Pulse was where I learned to love “The scary part was that he didn’t partner in public, a gay club becomes your my community.... Pulse was not just say anything, and what’s scarier sanctuary the way that a church does my safe haven, but a safe haven for than that [is] when he shot the boy — Pilot @pilotbacon hundreds of LGBTQ individuals in that was already shot, he laughed,” Orlando.” Casiano said. “And as he’s laughing, “50 humans are dead.” No, 50 gay humans are Saturday was a night like any that’s when he fires through the dead by assault weapon. Those details are sigother. Pulse was hosting a Latinwhole front of the stall.” nificant. themed drag show. RuPaul’s Drag Bullets tore through the door, hit — Ryan Houlihan @RyanHoulihan Race alum Kenya Michaels was ting the dozen or so people trapped scheduled to perform and the club inside. They screamed for mercy, was filled with about 300 people but Mateen was unwavering. “He enjoying its dancefloors, bars and outdoors patio. put his gun over the stall and willy-nilly fired.... I just heard him At around 2 am, the club was still busy, as crowds of peo- laugh, then he disappeared into the other room and kept going.” ple enjoyed a typical Saturday night out. In a Snapchat video, With bullets lodged deep within his body and several people 25-year-old Amanda Alvear dances with her friends. The music around him dead, Casiano waited, terrified, until he heard police is thumping, the crowd is moving, she focuses the camera on enter Pulse. Forcing his way through the bodies, blood seeping herself, all smiles. through his clothes, he was able to leave the bathroom and make And then the shooting begins. his way to safety. Casiano was one of 30 people saved when Her expression changes to one many reported from that police stormed the building, which forced Mateen to seek cover night: confusion. Uncertain as to whether it’s the music or in a bathroom. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. something else, she stares out into the crowd, her face bathed Eddie Justice was one of several people who had sought safe-

try to donate blood to help our bullet-ridden brothers and sisters, only to be reminded that we’re banned from doing so by decades-old fear and misinformation. Most of all, how dare we be so audacious to think that, in 2016, LGBT people can exist without someone getting angry, walking into a store, buying a gun, and murdering 50 innocent people.

TWEETS

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

shaken by this incident, by what they saw inside the club.” Initial estimates had suggested that at least 20 people had died, but it was only when Mateen was confirmed dead, those still alive had been taken to area hospitals, and officers had started to explore Pulse that they became aware of the number of victims. “It is with great sadness that I share that we have not 20, but 50 casualties,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced. An audible gasp rippled through the crowd of reporters. Overnight, Pulse nightclub had become the scene of America’s worst-ever mass shooting. Soon, details were coming in thick and fast. The shooter was an American citizen, born in New York and a resident of Florida. His parents had emigrated from Afghanistan in the ’80s. President Obama issued a short statement calling it “tragic.” Hillary Clinton called it “devastating.” Donald Trump congratulated himself for “being right on radical Islamic terrorism” — drawing widespread condemnation. Across Orlando, hundreds — if not thousands — of people flocked to blood banks, compelled to help fill up fast-dwindling reserves as surgeries took place all over the city. With the LGBT community prevented from donating thanks to an effective ban, city officials, celebrities, newscasters and Islamic groups urged Americans to donate. Soon, blood banks, their stocks filled, were turning people away. With blood taken care of, water, food, snacks, blankets, clothing and other items started to pour in. People lent trucks to move supplies, while community centers and churches threw open their doors to house families and friends, distribute aid, and offer people a space to grieve or to just sit and try to absorb what The hashtag #TwoMenKissing spread across social media had happened. as people demonstrated their love, their support for the A state of emergency was declared in Orlando, while the federal government directOrlando victims, and their refusal to bow to fear and hatred. ed all available attention to the city to assist in the investigation that had just begun. Cities er period of silence. Mina asked if he was safe. “No,” was the across America, from Boston to Chicago, offered Orlando’s response. “Still here in the bathroom. He has us. They need to Police Department access to their resources to aid in the invescome get us.” She told him the police were on their way. “Hurry,” tigation. he said. “He’s in the bathroom with us.” L.A. Pride, rocked by the news that a man had been arrest“Is the man in the bathroom wit u?” she asked. ed with a car full of weapons and explosives en route to West “He’s a terror,” Eddie wrote. The time was 2:50 am. Then, one Hollywood, continued with heightened security and an outpourfinal message. “Yes.” ing of love for Orlando’s LGBT community. Eddie Justice, along with several others, would be mur“Our hearts go out to the victims and survivors in Orlando, dered by Mateen before police were finally able to end the an attack not just on our LGBT brothers and sisters, but on all of siege. At around 5 a.m., a Swat team blew a hole in the wall, us,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. He followed it up allowing those still trapped to escape. Police swarmed Mateen, by telling those gathered at the parade that they “are out here to shooting and killing him. For those lucky few who were able to march, to celebrate and to mourn. This march goes on. We go on. make it out, their ordeal was over. But for many more, it was We continue to love.” just beginning. At Pride events and other gatherings across the country, people held signs declaring their love and support for Orlando. S DOCTORS AND NURSES AT ORLANDO’S HOSPITALS Several hashtags started trending on social media, among them fought to save those who had escaped the nightclub, a series #OrlandoStrong. Posts appeared on Facebook, Twitter and of press conferences revealed to the nation the extent of the Instagram sharing grief, anger, resentment, fear, love, and a host tragedy. of other emotions, as America’s LGBT citizens and their allies “Just to look into the eyes of our officers told the whole story,” responded to the attacks. Orlando Chief of Police John Mina said to reporters at one of In Orlando, however, a parallel scene was unfolding. While several press briefings later that day. “Some of those officers had those who had survived recounted their relief to friends, families 20-plus years on [the force].... You could tell that they were all and news media, others were still waiting. Many didn’t know

HOORAY4JOHNNYWOOD / INSTAGRAM

ty in the bathroom. His mother Mina was asleep at home when her phone rang. It was a text from her son. “Mommy I love you,” it said. “In club they shooting.” Mina called her son, but there was no response. “U ok,” she typed. “Trapp in bathroom,” came the reply. He urged her to call the police, telling her he was in Pulse. At 2:08, Eddie wrote: “I’m gonna die.” She called 911, told them what was happening, and then tried to contact her son. Mina called, she texted, but there was no response. “Call me,” she pleaded. At 2:39 am, he responded. “Call them mommy. Now.” He told her again that he was trapped in the bathroom. “He’s coming. I’m gonna die.” She asked if he was hurt. “Lots. Yes.” Then anoth-

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

whether their friends, children, parents, partners or co-workers were alive. Information was sparse. While 53 people had been injured, their names weren’t readily known. For those who’d lost their lives, police urged patience as they slowly worked their way through the carnage inside Pulse, trying to identify the remains. All anyone could do was wait. Christine Leinonen was one of those anxiously waiting to hear about her son. Christopher Andrew Leinonen had gone to Pulse with his boyfriend, Juan Guerrero. In the aftermath of the shootings, neither had been heard from. Those watching live news coverage would have been hard-pressed to miss Christine, who quickly gained the unfortunate position of being the face of all the families waiting to learn the fate of the missing. In an interview with Orlando’s WESH 2, overcome with worry and uncertainty, she broke down. “I don’t know where my son is,” she told WESH’s Stewart Moore outside a local hospital, tears streaming down her face. “I know that he was sitting next to his boyfriend and his boyfriend was taken by ambulance with multiple gunshots. We can’t get a hold of him.” She clung to Moore, telling him that she didn’t want to leave his side as the news media was apparently getting information faster than the families. It was heartbreaking to watch a mother desperately trying to find out the fate of her son. “It could be hours and hours,” she later told ABC News. “The hospital said there are some bodies that came in and they died and they’re not identifiable yet either.” As Sunday rolled on, city officials activated a website, where the names of those confirmed as killed were added. For many, it amplified the agony of the situation — the page would only be updated after authorities had contacted the family of the deceased. For friends not privy to those calls, it meant sitting and waiting, refreshing the website or remaining glued to news coverage, waiting to see if a name they recognized appeared. It was a process that lasted throughout Sunday and into Monday, until all 49 dead were accounted for. Cameras watched as, one-by-one, those gathered in public spaces to await news of their loved ones were overcome with grief. Some sank to the ground, others clung to one another, while many just sobbed, unable to process the news. Broadcast news became a twisted sort of voyeurism, as the nation — and, indeed, the world — watched the moments when families, friendships and relationships were forever changed by tragedy. Monday afternoon, 48 hours after the shooting had first start-

ed, Christine Leinonen’s painful wait finally ended. Christopher and Juan were added to the website.

OLITICAL REACTION TO THE TRAGEDY WAS SWIFT. Sunday afternoon, President Obama addressed the nation. “Today, as Americans, we grieve the brutal murder — a horrific massacre — of dozens of innocent people,” he said. “As Americans, we are united in grief, in outrage, and in resolve to defend our people.” Unlike many Republicans that day, who chose to ignore that the shooter had specifically targeted the LGBT community, President Obama was unashamed in recognizing the significance of Sunday’s attack. “This is an especially heartbreaking day for all our friends — our fellow Americans — who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” the President said. “The shooter targeted a nightclub where people came together to be with friends, to dance and to sing, and to live. The place where they were attacked is more than a nightclub — it is a place of solidarity and empowerment where people have come together to raise awareness, to speak their minds, and to advocate for their civil rights.” Obama also took a moment to remind America “how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub.” If he sounded at all exasperated, it could have been because the Orlando attack came almost a year after the Charleston church shooting, which claimed 9 lives. It also marked at least the fourteenth time since Obama was elected that he’s had to give a speech in the wake of a mass shooting — six of which have occurred in the last twelve months. “We have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be,” he said. “And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.” While President Obama called for unity and resolve, a man hoping to take his job was calling for division and hate. As families grieved, Donald Trump tweeted, congratulating himself for predicting a rise in Islamic extremism. It was a revoltingly crass moment of masturbatory attention-seeking, given all that had occurred that day. But it was nothing compared to his words the following afternoon. At a speech in New Hampshire, Trump railed against America’s Muslim community, ISIS, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and spewed a number of false statements and outright lies. Surprisingly, however, he acknowledged the LGBT-specific nature of the attacks, which few in his party had managed when

“Bullets tore through the door, hitting the dozen or so people trapped inside. They screamed for mercy, but Mateen was unwavering. ‘He put his gun over the stall and willy-nilly fired,’ said Norman Casiano. ‘I just heard him laugh, then he disappeared into the other room and kept going.’

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

tweeting their “thoughts and prayers” the previous day. “A radical Islamic terrorist targeted the nightclub not only because he wanted to kill Americans but in order to execute gay and lesbian citizens because of their sexual orientation,” he said, later calling it an “assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity.” Trump then tried to brand himself as best candidate for the LGBT community, telling those watching that by banning Muslims from entering the country and inciting distrust in American Muslims, that LGBT people would somehow be safe — all while attacking Hillary Clinton. “The burden is on Hillary Clinton to tell us why we should admit anyone into our country who supports violence of any kind against gay and lesbian Americans,” he stated, adding, “Hillary Clinton can never claim to be a friend of the gay community as long as she continues to support immigration policies that bring Islamic extremists to our country who suppress women, gays and anyone who doesn’t share their views.” As Vox pointed out, Trump was using tactics adapted from European far-right parties, who have attempted to pit the LGBT community against the Muslim community in an effort to gain support and advance their racist and xenophobic policies. Trump was exploiting the deaths of 49 people to try and justify his own racism. It was a message that fell on deaf ears, both within his party and with those on the ground in Orlando. There, Muslim communities had overwhelmingly come out in support of the victims. Hassan Shibly, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations drove from Tampa to Orlando to meet with the families of the victims and offer his condolences. “Our concern right now is just supporting the victims and their families, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “We need to stand united and we have our work cut out for us to...not allow hate to divide us.” It was one of several gestures from local and national Islamic organizations offering support for the victims of the shooting, including urging people to donate blood for victims. On social media, a post by Mahmoud ElAwadi, an executive at Merrill Lynch, went viral after he donated blood — despite fasting for Ramadan. “I witnessed the greatness of this country watching thousands of people standing in 92-degree sun waiting on their turn to donate blood,” he wrote. “Our community in central Florida is heartbroken, but let’s put our colors, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political views all aside so we can unite against those who are trying to hurt us.”

It was a message of unity that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoed at a rally in Cleveland on Monday. “On Sunday, Americans woke up to a nightmare that’s become mind numbingly familiar,” she said. “Another act of terrorism in a place no one expected. A madman filled with hate, with guns in his hands, and just a horrible sense of vengeance and vindictiveness in his heart, apparently consumed by rage against LGBT Americans, and by extension, the openness and diversity that defines our American way of life. “This is a moment when all Americans need to stand together,” Clinton continued. “No matter how many times we endure attacks like this, the horror never fades. The murder of innocent people breaks our hearts, tears at our sense of security and makes us furious.” Clinton laid out several policies for helping tackle extremism and defeat ISIS — “The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very much alive” — but above all else, her message was one of love and support for the LGBT community. “The terrorist in Orlando targeted LGBT Americans out of hatred and bigotry. And an attack on any American is an attack on all Americans,” she said. “And I want to say this to all the LGBT people grieving today in Florida and across our country. You have millions of allies who will always have your back. And I am one of them.”

“While President Obama called for unity and resolve, Donald Trump called for division and hate. It was a revoltingly crass moment of masturbatory attention-seeking, given all that had occurred that day. But it was nothing compared to his words the following afternoon.”

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

S POLITICIANS TRADED barbs over Islamic extremism, LGBT support, gun control and other issues, those in Orlando watched as the world opened its heart to the victims. Orlando Police urged locals not to hold vigils in the immediate aftermath of the shootings, as resources were already stretched thin defending hospitals, resource centers, blood banks, securing Pulse nightclub and beginning the investigation into Mateen. Across America and in cities around the world, however, thousands gathered to light candles, sing songs, hold signs, and otherwise show their love and support for the city. In New York, the Empire State Building dimmed its lights out of respect, the Tony Awards were dedicated to the shootings, and thousands gathered outside the Stonewall Inn, birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement. It was a somber contrast with the year before, when thousands had also gathered — that time to celebrate marriage equality. The crowd chanted “Orlando, we got your back,” as couples, friends, and family held one another, many in tears. It carried through into Monday, where Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Tituss Burgess sang “Somewhere” and a raft of celebrities, faith leaders and

politicians spoke. Across America and around the world, buildings were lit up in rainbow colors, including the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Royal Palace in Holland, the Eiffel Tower, the “Toronto” sign in Toronto, and Tel-Aviv City Hall in Israel. Vigils were held in countless cities, drawing massive crowds. London’s Soho gay district saw its streets filled with people, who held a moment’s silence for the victims, released 49 balloons, and then had a street party to celebrate being open and proud. Crowds gathered at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, where two mass shootings have rocked the city in the last 18 months, observing a minute’s silence. The U.S. Embassy in Berlin was inundated with candles, flowers and rainbow flags. The streets of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district were filled with people carrying candles. In San Francisco, thousands gathered in the iconic Castro district, for a vigil held at Harvey Milk Plaza. It was an extra layer of poignancy, given Milk — the first openly-gay elected official in the U.S. — was shot dead while at work in 1978. At a vigil in Los Angeles, Lady Gaga offered a powerful speech to the massive crowd that had formed. “Let’s all today pledge an allegiance of love to [the victims] and to their families who are suffering so deeply,” she said. “They are sons and daughters. They were fathers and mothers. They are all our brothers and sisters.” Gaga added that she would “not allow my anger and outrage over this attack to overshadow our need to honor those who are grieving truly for their lost ones.” As news of the attack filtered out, social media responded with #GaysBreakTheInternet. Refusing to bow to fear and out of respect for the victims, users started sharing photos of themselves, their partners, and their friends. It was a display of sexuality and gender identity intended to proudly and clearly show that LGBT are here, we are visible and we cannot be cowed by fear and intimidation. It spawned other tags such as #TwoMenKissing and a revival of marriage equality tag #LoveWins. It meant that anyone who logged into social media over the past few days would have been met with two things: news about the shootings in Orlando and an overwhelming show of support for the LGBT community. Of course, it wasn’t all perfect. Many used the attack to further their own homophobia. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a vile bit of bigotry, tweeted an image shortly after news broke of the shootings that read, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” He was widely condemned and deleted the tweet shortly after, issuing a suspect statement about a scheduling error. Alex Jones, a far-right conspiracy theorist and Donald Trump supporter, condemned

A UNIFIED RESPONSE

LGBT organizations responded to the horrific events in Orlando swiftly and with a unified voice of authority, calling for action in combating the hate aimed at our community By John Riley

HEN NEWS BROKE OF SUNDAY MORNING’S MASS SHOOTing at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, LGBT organizations responded as a united force. They used the opportunity to both mourn the victims and call for solidarity with those targeted by the attack. “We are devastated by this tragic act of violence,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “We are grieving for the victims and our hearts are broken for their friends, families, and for the entire community. This tragedy has occurred as our community celebrates pride, and now more than ever we must come together as a nation to affirm that love conquers hate.” Equality Florida, the state’s top LGBT organization, was “reeling” and “heartbroken and angry” at the violence that had claimed lives in their community. “Gay clubs hold a significant place in LGBTQ history. They were often the only safe gathering place and this horrific act strikes directly at our sense of safety,” they said in a statement. “We make no assumptions on motive. We will await the details in tears of sadness and anger. We stand in solidarity and keep our thoughts on all whose lives have been lost or altered forever in this tragedy.” Several other organizations expressed shock and horror as details of the mass shooting began to emerge, with the National LGBTQ Task Force, the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, the National Hispanic Council on Aging, the Trans Latin@ Coalition, and the Trans United Fund all issuing statements. Many pointed out that a majority of the victims in the attack were Latino, and also called on others to resist the impulse to scapegoat or demonize the Muslim community for the actions of the shooter, who is alleged to have sympathized with ISIS. Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, offered prayers for the victims, their families, and friends, but also noted that more than 1 in 5 hate crimes single out members of the LGBT community for violence. “We also extend our love and support to the entire LGBT community, which is grappling with the cold-blooded violence inflicted upon those who were targeted in this attack,” Henderson said. “We owe it to the victims of this tragedy to commit ourselves to being a country that values humanity and the worth of every person.” A coalition of various LGBT groups, including the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Equality Federation, Lambda Legal, the Center for Black Equity, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Center for Transgender Equality, co-signed a letter decrying the tragedy, while looking at the broader picture surrounding the obstacles that face many within the LGBT community. They emphasized the importance of not scapegoating any single community in their grief. “This national tragedy happened against a backdrop of anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeping this country, and we must not forget that in this time of grief,” the letter reads. “The animus and violence toward LGBTQ people is not news to our community. It is our history, and it is our reality.... The Orlando shooting is simply an extreme instance of the kind of violence that LGBTQ people encounter every day. “We appeal to all in our movement and all who support us to band together in rejecting hatred and violence in all its shape-shifting forms. Let us stand united as a diverse LGBTQ community of many faiths, races, ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds.” l JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

President Obama for acknowledging that it was an attack on LGBT people. RightWingWatch reports that he blamed the LGBT community for the attack, saying they frequently hype the threat of anti-LGBT violence in order to “sexualize my children and indoctrinate them into your cult.” “I charge the LGBT community in general with endangering America and with the blood of these 50-plus innocent men and women,” he said. Anti-LGBT pastor Steven Anderson applauded the attacks, calling the victims “a bunch of perverts and pedophiles.” “That’s who was a victim here, a bunch of disgusting homosexuals at a gay bar,” he said in a YouTube video that’s since been removed. “The good news is that at least 50 of these pedophiles are not going to be harming children anymore. The bad news is that a lot of the homos in the bar are still alive, so they’re going to continue to molest children and recruit people into their filthy homosexual lifestyle.” If anyone needed to be reminded that there are still millions out there who hate the LGBT community and all it stands for, they need only have ventured into the comments sections on news websites, Facebook pages, or scrolled through Twitter. There, countless people were applauding the attacks or celebrating the murder of LGBT people. As the nation ground to a halt and thousands gathered in Orlando, across America and around the world to honor the victims, LGBT people were faced with a constant reminder that homophobia and transphobia didn’t die along with the 49 victims. It just got briefly drowned out by love.

a knife after a religious joke gone wrong. “He said if he ever messed with him again, you know how it’ll turn out.” “He was an angry person, violent in nature, and a bigot to almost every class of person,” a former co-worker, Dan Gilroy, told another CNN affiliate. “He would hit things and as he was hitting things, he would yell, and of course there was always curse words involved.” There are also reports that Mateen was scoping out Disney complexes while Disney was hosting Gay Days 2016. If it’s true, it adds an unknown number of questions into an already uncertain story. If Mateen was scoping out Pulse for an attack, why did he visit it for three years? Why was he speaking with people on gay dating apps? To what extent did his apparent radicalization, as many are reporting, aid him in committing his horrific attack? When asked by CNN if Mateen was gay, his first wife, Sifora Yusufiy, paused for three seconds and then said, “I don’t know.” What’s certain is that Mateen was a wife-beating, mass-murdering, homophobic monster. If, however, his apparent ties to ISIS transpire to be a cover-up for a man too embroiled in his religion to admit his own sexuality, it raises a number of issues. If Mateen was just a confused gay guy, ashamed of his own sexuality and driven to kill those enjoying a lifestyle he felt he could never have, it alters everything. It affects the conservative talking point that this was the fault of “radical Islam” and that we should shut our borders. If true, it also changes our perception of the type of person who can commit such atrocities: if Mateen committed mass murder because he hated himself, not just the people he’s killing, how do we prevent it from happening in the future?

“As the nation ground to a halt and thousands gathered in Orlando, across America and around the world to honor the victims, LGBT people were faced with a constant reminder that homophobia and transphobia didn’t die along with the 49 victims. It just got briefly drowned out by love.”

N MONDAY, WE WERE DEALT another twist to an ever-unfolding story. As right-wing media and politicians cried Islamic extremism and investigators worked to uncover a motive, those who had survived the shootings or were patrons of Pulse offered a startling announcement: Omar Mateen was a regular customer and he had used gay dating apps. Kevin West, a Pulse regular, told a CNN affiliate that Mateen had messaged him on gay dating app Jack’d for over a year. Two performers at Pulse, husbands Chris Callen and Ty Smith, told Canadian Press and the Orlando Sentinel that Mateen was a regular customer, who had been visiting Pulse for “at least three years.” “Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk he was loud and belligerent,” Smith said. Calleen added that he’d once pulled 30

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

HE BURNING ANGER I FELT while initially reporting on the attacks has since diminished, replaced by a mixture of grief, optimism and exhaustion. After almost three days of reading, watching, and writing about this story, I am emotionally drained. Of course, like many others I have the luxury of being disconnected, to some extent, to the attack. Hundreds of people have lost friends and family — their grief remains undiminished, their pain is still strong, their anger likely burns with the same intensity as when they first learned someone they knew was inside Pulse. For everyone else, there are flickers of hope amid the ashes of this disaster. The massive outpouring of grief, love and support in the aftermath was incredible to witness. Entire communities came together to recognize LGBT people, our pain, our suf-

$4,001,983

fering, our desire to keep on fighting. For a brief moment, we weren’t LGBT Americans, we were just Americans. We were hurting, and America was hurting, too. Pride celebrations, albeit more serious than usual, continued. Rather than succumb to fear and The amount (as of press time) raised by a GoFundMe page set suspicion, thousands marched the streets, waved up for the Orlando victims and their families. Funds will be their banners, danced at festivals and embraced distributed by Equality Florida to local organizations to help their identity. Vigils celebrated love, unity, peace, those affected. Donate at gofundme.com/PulseVictimsFund. and gave hope for the future. As a community, we’ve collectively shed an What happened on Sunday was a tragedy. There are still ocean’s worth of tears these past few days. We’ve watched, in real-time, as the death toll rose, the circumstances changed many questions to be answered, many tears still to be shed, and from homophobia to terrorism to potentially self-hatred, and much healing to be done. But what we cannot do as a commuas the victims’ lives became known to all. We’ve tweeted, nity is allow ourselves to move on from this attack and settle we’ve shared photos, we’ve written articles, we’ve hugged one back into the status quo. Whatever his motives, Omar Mateen another. We’ve witnessed one of America’s worst tragedies slaughtered 49 of our own — a toll that could rise despite the produce some of America’s most visible moments of support best efforts of Orlando’s phenomenal doctors, nurses and first for our community. We’ve forged friendships in the Islamic responders. What we cannot do is allow Mateen’s anger to community, and seen the possibility of real change, as people become just another mass-murder statistic. Omar Mateen let his anger overpower him. Time and again, focused on the idiocy of banning LGBT people from donating blood to help their fallen brothers and sisters, and the ludi- as a community we’ve proven that love conquers all. Throughout our history, people have tried to shoot us, stab us, bomb us, bully crousness of selling assault rifles. We’ve heard those who claim moral authority on the Right us, beat us up, or strip us of our rights. Time and again, we have be ridiculed for trying to ignore the LGBT aspect of this tragedy. picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off and carried on fighting. Forty-nine people, gay and straight, can no longer fight for We’ve attacked (with our words) those who seek to protect gun lobbies, or support homophobic preachers, or vote for anti- our community. If we want to best honor their memories, we LGBT legislation. Gay, bi, trans and straight, in the past few need to unite, we need to love, we need to fight and we need days we’ve risen together as a community and told those who’ve to win. The alternative is to give in to our anger — and we’ve all seen helped foster homophobia and transphobia in our society for what that can do. l decades that we’ve had enough of their bullshit.

Metro Weekly’s Capital Pride photo issue will be out June 23

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

GAGE SKIDMORE

Clockwise from upper left: Cruz, Pence, Walker, Huckabee, Palin and Rubio

KNEE-JERK HYPOCRISY

Anti-LGBT politicians may have expressed “thoughts and prayers,” but they’re part of what caused the problem in the first place. By Rhuaridh Marr

MERICA HAS TWO TROUBLING CONSTANTS. FIRST is that with such an overwhelming number of guns in our society (about 4 million of them rifles) and lax regulation, mass shootings are going to happen. Second is that when those mass shootings do occur, politicians will offer their “thoughts and prayers,” then resume taking NRA funds to block any attempts at curbing future shootings. After Sunday’s tragic events in Orlando, that second constant took on a rather twisted nature. As condolences flocked in for the families and victims of the Pulse Orlando nightclub massacre, which left 49 dead and another 53 injured, among them were a number of staunchly anti-LGBT politicians. Given that Pulse was an LGBT nightclub and the dead were mostly LGBT or queer-identifying, we were suddenly confronted by an odd dichotomy where many politicians who work tirelessly to strip rights from LGBT people were expressing profound sorrow at a barbaric event in that community. Of course, 32

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

expressing condolences is only human; the problem is that these same politicians helped engender the environment that led to so many deaths. Whether through anti-trans bathroom bills, attempts to block marriage equality, discriminatory “religious freedom” laws, or just being openly homophobic or transphobic, the conservative Right in America has helped foster a belief system in this country that is entirely hostile to LGBT people and everything we stand for. Those same conservatives flocked to decry the shooter, Omar Mateen, as a “Radical Islamist.” They slammed ISIS, extremism, and Islam. But they failed to realize one important fact: while Mateen may have been influenced by ISIS, as an American born in New York, he grew up in a country where it’s perfectly acceptable to hate gay people. As politicians sent out their “thoughts and prayers,” Twitter users quickly seized upon the hypocrisy of those who spend

their days enshrining hatred for LGBT people into law decrying someone gunning down people in an LGBT nightclub. “You know what is gross — your thoughts and prayers and Islamophobia after you created this anti-queer climate,” tweeted Chase Strangio, an attorney for the ACLU. “Marco Rubio, who opposes marriage equality, adoption equality, and LGBT civil rights laws, is on CNN condemning Muslim bigotry against gays,” wrote Angus Johnston, a professor at CUNY. After former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee asked his followers to “join Janet and me in praying for the victims,” Gabe Ortiz, Online Organizing Manager for America’s Voice, issued a scathing put-down: “You’ve palled around [with a] pastor who has called ‘for the death penalty for homosexuals.’ You are part of the problem.” After some conservatives complained about people politicizing the attack (read: demanding that someone on the FBI’s radar not be allowed to buy an assault rifle), Twitter user @spooloflies tweeted: “Also, ‘don’t politicize this’? Really? You’ve politicized queer people using bathrooms and having jobs, you can’t depoliticize their deaths.” Numerous prominent anti-LGBT Republicans used the attack to share their “thoughts and prayers,” each missing the hypocrisy of their statements. Huckabee, for instance, believes gay relationships have the “ick factor.” He opposes marriage equality, once called homosexuality a lifestyle choice like drinking alcohol, slammed the nomination of Eric Fanning, an openly gay man, as Army Secretary, and was called “disgusting” for comments he made about trans students. Sen. Ted Cruz, in a lengthy statement posted to his Facebook page — predominantly aimed at blaming Islam for the shootings — made a rather curious statement. “For all the Democrats who are loud champions of the gay and lesbian community whenever there is a culture battle waging, now is the opportunity to speak out against an ideology that calls for the murder of gays and lesbians,” he wrote. He belittled the efforts of Democratic politicians to halt or reverse the damage wreaked by both him and the Republican party on the LGBT community, and inferred that he has the moral high ground on LGBT issues by supporting carpet bombing ISIS. From someone as vehemently anti-LGBT as Ted Cruz, that’s laughable. He once tried to get journalists to stop commenting on how homophobic he is by saying that, unlike ISIS, he doesn’t throw gays off buildings. Instead he considers marriage equality one of the “darkest hours of our nation,” believes that President Obama is more concerned with “promoting homosexuality in the military” than defeating extremists, and thinks that homosexuality is a choice. And let’s not get started on the ridiculously transphobic comments he’s made. Sen. Marco Rubio was one of the first to connect the dots between the shooter and the LGBT community, telling CNN “he targeted the gay community,” and urged people to donate blood for victims. However, Rubio also focused on Mateen’s religious background, blaming the shooting on Islamic extremism. He

then said: “We have seen the way radical Islamists have treated gays and lesbians in other countries.” It was an unfortunate choice of words, as Rubio hasn’t exactly been the gold standard of treatment in Florida. He openly flaunted his opposition to marriage equality during his failed bid for president, denounced marriage equality when it was legalized in Florida, opposes employment nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people, helped raise money for a backer of “ex-gay” conversion therapy, and opposes gay adoption because children shouldn’t “be part of a social experiment.” And there’s more. A host of rightwing politicians offered messages or statements in the wake of the attacks, each of them ignoring their anti-LGBT pasts to mourn the lives of people they would otherwise have thrown under the bus for an extra vote. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tweeted “I extend our prayers for those killed.” Last year, he told CNN “I don’t know” when asked if being gay was a choice, he opposes marriage equality, and as a county executive “opposed even basic rights for LGBT couples.” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said it was “horrifying to see so many innocent lives cut short by such cowardice.” He wanted to keep Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, opposes gay adoption, supports a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and recently helped his Republican colleagues pass legislation with an anti-LGBT amendment. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin tweeted her (all-caps) “profound sorrow for victims.” Palin helped give rise to the large bloc of Tea Party Republicans in Congress, who work their hardest to oppose LGBT rights. She opposes same-sex marriage and recently posted an anti-trans image to her Facebook after an ESPN anchor was fired for his transphobic comments. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said he was “saddened by the horrific news” on Twitter, but happily signed into law Indiana’s anti-LGBT “religious freedom” bill last year, despite widespread criticism. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory issued a statement calling the attack “a tragedy” and “something that should never take place in our country,” but he signed that state’s anti-LGBT HB 2 into law this year, which forces trans people to use a restroom that corresponds with their birth gender. Just last month, almost 300 (Republican) Congresspeople passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which allowed employment discrimination against LGBT people by federal contractors. In a time of tragedy, it’s only natural to express grief, sorrow, anger or offer support to the families and friends of the victims. But when it’s a tragedy that so explicitly targeted the LGBT community, thanks in part to a hostile environment perpetuated by the very politicians who are now rushing to send their “prayers” to Orlando, a line must be drawn. Rather than send empty tweets and issue nondescript statements, those who have worked so hard to keep LGBT people second-class citizens would do well to examine exactly why someone decided to take a rifle into an LGBT nightclub. Here’s a hint: hating LGBT people isn’t exclusive to Islamic extremism. You’re just using legislation instead of guns. l

“The conservative Right in America has helped foster a belief system in this country that is

entirely hostile to LGBT people and everything we stand for.”

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

RANDY SHULMAN

PRIDE AMID MOURNING

An anti-LGBT attack in Orlando cast a shadow over last weekend’s Capital Pride Festival. It did not, however, break people’s spirits. By John Riley

T HAS BEEN SAID AT THE FUNERALS AND VIGILS OF transgender people mowed down by violence that “every breath a trans person takes is an act of revolution.” To borrow that sentiment, perhaps it’s accurate to say that the mere existence of the LGBT community constitutes an inherently political act. An LGBT person who lives openly, without fear, 34

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

and takes pride in their identity, is committing an act of defiance against those who seek to subjugate or eradicate them. Perhaps resiliency is just an inextricable part of the LGBT community’s DNA. Ours is a history that came of age in the riots at Stonewall, that survived the Upstairs Lounge fire, that fought, quite literally, for our lives throughout the AIDS epidemic, and

Bernie Delia leads the Pride Crowd in a moment of silence at Sunday’s festival.

that suffered various indignities throughout the years. It is a community that has been subject to attacks, both physical and political, against our character, our families, our livelihoods. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that, even as news trickled in of a deadly shooting at a gay Orlando nightclub, and an Indiana man armed with an arsenal of weapons and explosive materials headed to L.A. Pride, the LGBT community refused to be cowed into staying home and hiding from the world. “Today is the most important time to come out to Pride, to show that we can get through it,” said Kevin Rieck, a 27-yearold D.C. resident who hails from Orlando. “The most important thing right now is to prove that these kind of activities are not

going to harm us. They may keep us down for a short while, but we’re going to get back up and get right back in it, and we’re not going anywhere.” “[It’s important] not to let anyone break our spirit, and to know that we are a people, LGBTA, who persevere through everything, and we celebrate the love, the unity and our freedom,” said Rayceen Pendarvis, a 2016 Capital Pride Hero award winner. “That’s the greatest gift. Keep celebrating. Keep living and walking in your light.” That’s not to say that this year’s festivities weren’t dampened by the news out of Orlando. In contrast with the atmosphere at the Capital Pride Parade the previous day, Sunday’s festivities were noticeably more subdued, with organizers holding a moment of silence at 1 p.m., and again at 6 p.m., in memory of the victims. But the shift in tone didn’t drive away the crowds who braved the blazing heat on a four-block-long stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue blocked off for the festival. “I don’t think people stayed away — I think people resolved to come here to show their solidarity and support,” said Bernie Delia, president of the Board of Directors of the Capital Pride Alliance. “I don’t think we had any diminution in the number of people. If anything, I think we had an increase. People wanted to be here with their sisters and brothers, celebrating the community.” Following news of the Orlando attack, Mayor Muriel Bowser, coordinating with Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, announced there would be an increased police presence at Capital Pride. The visible increase in manpower gave people an additional measure of confidence to attend. “We were a little concerned, but then we thought about it: You don’t mess with D.C.,” said John Watson of Fort Washington, who attended with his husband, Jayson. “The people that were killed would want us to be out here and support them,” the 58-year-old Watson said. “To let everybody know that we can’t live our lives in fear. If we live our lives in fear, the people that hate us win.” For others, attendance was all but mandatory, as the ideas that fuel Pride celebrations are based around being visible and making the outside world recognize the LGBT community’s existence. “That’s the whole Pride thing, because we’re proud of who we are,” said Linda Roberts, 67, of Gaithersburg. “We as a community no longer need to feel shameful or marginalized or less than anyone else. We’re equal with everyone else, and it gives us an opportunity to celebrate and express that.” Another aspect that drew revelers was the idea of community, of being able to gather with other LGBT people, and to celebrate in a safe space where they knew they would be accepted. For Gary Eavers of Stuarts Draft, Va., Sunday marked his first-ever Pride experience. “Being from rural Virginia, you don’t see a lot of this,” the 33-year-old said. “It’s great just to see everyone being who they are and loving who they love.” Those themes of love and community permeated the entire weekend, serving, even unintentionally, as a tribute to the victims of the Orlando massacre, who had themselves sought out a safe space where they could be free from fear and judgment. “I grew up in a place where I was the only gay person,” said Andy Kirk. Raised in Kansas, the 29-year-old watched Saturday’s Capital Pride Parade make its way past his apartment on 17th Street. “Seeing all of these queer people united is really inspiring.” l JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Memoriam

Stanley Almodovar III, 23

Amanda Alvear, 25

Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33

Cory James Connell, 21

Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25

Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31

Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25

Miguel Angel Honorato, 30

Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40

Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25

Akyra Monet Murray, 18

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36

Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24

Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34

Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33

Martin Benitez Torres, 33

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24

JUNE 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ METROWEEKLY

Antonio Davon Brown, 29

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29

Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28

Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25

Luis Daniel Conde, 39

Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22

Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22

Paul Terrell Henry, 41

Frank Hernandez, 27

Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32

Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25

Kimberly Morris, 37

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35

Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37

Luis S. Vielma, 22

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37

Jerald Arthur Wright, 31

JUNE 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ METROWEEKLY

DAVID UY

Community

Town Danceboutique

PULSE VICTIMS FUND FUNDRAISER

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.

Town Danceboutique and the Latino History Project to raise money for the victims of the Orlando shootings

N THE LGBT COMMUNITY, NIGHTCLUBS ARE OUR SAFE PLACE,” SAYS ED Bailey, co-owner of Town Danceboutique, reflecting on Sunday’s mass shooting at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. “For this event in Orlando to have taken place at what is historically the safe space for our community is a very horrifying moment for us, because it strikes right at the heart of the place where we generally feel the safest.” Recognizing that many in the LGBT community want to do something for the families and victims of the Orlando tragedy, Bailey approached the Latino History Project to do a joint fundraiser. On Thursday, June 16, Town will donate 100 percent of its proceeds to Equality Florida’s Official Pulse Victims Fund. While there is no cover charge, it’s suggested patrons give a small donation at the door. “Hopefully, this is a way for some people to express themselves, however they feel that’s appropriate for their own [grieving] process,” says Bailey. “It’s also important that when we do what we can to honor those who lost their lives, we do it in a place to reclaim the space that is ours. And for us to make that statement at a nightclub feels appropriate to me.” — John Riley The Official Pulse Victims Fund fundraiser will take place on Thursday, June 16, at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. NW, at 9 p.m. No cover, but donations suggested. For more information, visit towndc.org. THURSDAY, June 16 The DC Center holds a meeting of its POLY DISCUSSION GROUP, for people interested in polyamory, non-monogamy or other non-traditional relationships. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Town Danceboutique and the Latino History Project hold a special fundraiser for EQUALITY FLORIDA’S

OFFICIAL PULSE VICTIMS FUND to benefit the victims of

the recent Orlando mass shooting. 9 p.m. 2009 8th St. NW. For more information, visit towndc.org.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH

offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). Call 202-2914707, or visit andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group features mainstream through advanced square dancing at the National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org. The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-

Walker Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours, call Gaithersburg, 301300-9978, or Takoma Park, 301-422-2398. METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. 202-5673155 or testing@smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics

Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group is independent of UHU. 202446-1100.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE for young LBTQ

women, 13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@ smyal.org.

FRIDAY, June 17 GAY DISTRICT, a group for

GBTQQI men between the ages of 18-35, meets on the first and third Fridays of each month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit gaydistrict.org.

LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP

for adults in Montgomery County offers a safe space to explore coming out and issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m. 16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512, Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing,

9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

offers free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-

affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-3190422, layc-dc.org.

SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a social atmosphere for GLBT and questioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games. More info, catherine.chu@ smyal.org.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-5673155, testing@smyal.org.

SATURDAY, June 18 The DC Center hosts an LGBTQ

HARM REDUCTION SUPPORT GROUP FOR SUBSTANCE USE,

facilitated by psychotherapist and licensed professional counselor Kris Oseth. 3-4 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit krisoseth.com or call 202-600-8353. The DC Center hosts a monthly LGBT ASYLEES SUPPORT MEETING AND DINNER for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers. 5-7 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing,

9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

BET MISHPACHAH, founded by

members of the LGBT community, holds Saturday morning Shabbat services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddush luncheon. Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St. NW. betmish.org.

BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/time, email braziliangaygroup@yahoo. com.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club welcomes all levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, socializing afterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m. for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.

DC SENTINELS basketball

team meets at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4 p.m. For players of all levels, gay or straight. teamdcbasketball.org.

DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for

LGBT community, family and friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For more info, visit dignitynova.org.

GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW. RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@gmail.com.

IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments other hours, call 301422-2398.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT, God-centered

SUNDAY, June 19

Join LINCOLN

ADVENTURING outdoors

group hikes scenic loop trail in Shenandoah National Park, passing numerous waterfalls and cascades. Moderate hike is 6.4 miles long, with 1400 feet of elevation gain. Bring plenty of beverages, lunch, sturdy boots, bug spray, and about $20 for fees; no dogs, please. Refreshments at Skyland Resort follow. Carpool at 9 a.m. from East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. Craig, 202-462-0535. adventuring.org.

Weekly Events LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS

MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH

celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244, allsoulsdc.org.

BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive

and radically inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217 Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DIGNITYUSA offers Roman Catholic Mass for the LGBT community. 6 p.m., St. Margaret’s Church, 1820 Connecticut Ave. NW. All welcome. Sign interpreted. For more info, visit dignitynova.org. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.

FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON meets for worship,

10:30 a.m., 2111 Florida Ave. NW, Quaker House Living Room (next to Meeting House on Decatur Place), 2nd floor. Special welcome to lesbians and gays. Handicapped accessible from Phelps Place gate. Hearing assistance. quakersdc.org.

HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria. hopeucc.org.

HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT GROUP for gay men living in the

DC metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For information on location and time, visit H2gether.com.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

new age church & learning center. Sunday Services and Workshops event. 5419 Sherier Place NW. isddc.org.

CONGREGATIONAL TEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for

an inclusive, loving and progressive faith community every Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincolntemple.org.

LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites all to

Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for 25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. reformationdc.org.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led

by Rev. Emma Chattin. Children’s Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax. 703-6910930, mccnova.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

services at 9 a.m. (ASL interpreted) and 11 a.m. Children’s Sunday School at 11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.

NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, inclusive church with

GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org.

RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH,

a Christ-centered, interracial, welcoming-and-affirming church, offers service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330, riversidedc.org.

ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION, an “interra-

cial, multi-ethnic Christian Community” offers services in English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900, saintstephensdc.org.

UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an LGBTQ welcom-

ing-and-affirming congregation, offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING

invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave. uucss.org.

UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL CHURCH, a welcom-

ing and inclusive church. GLBT Interweave social/service group meets monthly. Services at 11 a.m.,

Oral Fixation you can listen to any story at

MetroWeekly.com just look for the “speak” button

Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th St. NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.

MONDAY, June 20 CENTER FAITH, a program of The DC Center, hosts a meeting for the LGBT community and their religious allies. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. METRO DC PFLAG, a support

organization for families, friends and allies of the LGBT community, holds a monthly meeting. 7-9 p.m. 1701 14th St. NW. For more information, call 202-638-3852 or visit pflagdc.org.

Weekly Events DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH

HIV/AIDS Support Group for newly diagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m. Registration required. 202-939-7671, hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.

TUESDAY, June 21 CENTER BI, a group of The DC Center, hosts a monthly roundtable discussion around issues of bisexuality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Weekly Events ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly

GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. NW. getequal.wdc@gmail.com.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

HIV Testing at WHITMANWALKER HEALTH. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-7457000. Visit whitman-walker.org.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St.,

Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIV testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202638-0750. NOVASALUD offers free HIV test-

ing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703789-4467.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-5673155 or testing@smyal.org.

THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee Drop-In for the Senior LGBT Community. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org. US HELPING US hosts a black gay men’s evening affinity group. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100.

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome. Tom, 703-2990504, secretary@wetskins.org, wetskins.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9

dinner in Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m. afwash@aol.com, afwashington.net. practice session at Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org.

DC FRONT RUNNERS running/

walking/social club serving greater D.C.’s LGBT community and allies hosts an evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org.

THE GAY MEN’S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free

HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. james.leslie@inova.org.

Party,” where volunteers assemble safe-sex kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m., Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. thedccenter.org.

IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walkins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours, call Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978 or Takoma Park at 301-422-2398.

KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, at 3333 Duke St.,

Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIV testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.

METROHEALTH CENTER

offers free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750.

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—

LGBT focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m. St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from Virginia Square Metro. For more info. call Dick, 703-5211999. Handicapped accessible. Newcomers welcome. liveandletliveoa@gmail.com.

SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-5673155, testing@smyal.org.

SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at

SMYAL, 410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.

US HELPING US hosts a support

group for black gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100. Whitman-Walker Health’s GAY

MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/ STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701

14th St. NW. Patients are seen on walk-in basis. No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available for fee. whitman-walker.org.

WEDNESDAY, June 22 The Broadcasting Board of Governors Office of Civil Rights presents SOLIDARITY THROUGH PRIDE, an LGBT Pride month event, featuring keynote speaker Tracy Sharon Brackett, the President and CEO of Tiresias Technologies and Board Chair of Gender Rights Maryland. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington will perform. Photo ID required for entry. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wilbur J. Cohen Auditorium, 330 Independence Ave. SW. For more information contact Janice Roane, jdroane@bbg.gov or call 202-382-7805.

THE LAMBDA BRIDGE CLUB

meets for Duplicate Bridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center, 721 8th St SE (across from Marine Barracks). No reservations needed. All welcome. 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

Weekly Events AD LIB, a group for freestyle con-

versation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m., Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174.

ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing,

9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org.

DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC)

practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org.

DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds

practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress.com.

FREEDOM FROM SMOKING, a group for LGBT people looking to quit cigarettes and tobacco use, holds a weekly support meeting at The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH

offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N. Washington St., Alexandria. 703549-1450, historicchristchurch.org.

HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org. IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave. Walk-ins 2-7 p.m. For appointments other hours, call Gaithersburg at 301300-9978. JOB CLUB, a weekly support program for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 6-7:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more info, www.centercareers.org. NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467. PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gay men, hosts weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m., Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316. Submit your community event for consideration at least 10 days prior to the Thursday publication you would like it to appear. Email to calendar@metroweekly.com. l

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Scene

La Fiesta the 10th Annual DC Latino Pride Dance Party featuring Yara Sofia at Town - Thursday, June 9 - Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

JUNE 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

NightLife Photography by Julian Vankim

JUNE 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

CoverboyConfidential Ricardo

Photography by Julian Vankim Interview by Randy Shulman

HIS IS MY ‘MARY JANE’ THERE. THIS IS MY GAY TATTOO. THIS OVER HERE MEANS peace, love, and happiness.” Ricardo is showing off his multitude of tattoos. “This is my music. And I have a barcode on the back of my neck. Everyone always asks, ‘Can you scan?’ And I’m like, “I actually haven’t tried.” The 29-year-old D.C. native is as congenial and laid-back as they come. An hour conversation with him is casual and candid. He’s worked at the Crew Club for the past 5 years, a job he enjoys. “I like that I can be myself there,” he says. “I don’t have to come in and wear a suit and tie and be this other person. I can just come in, do my work, and go on home.” As for that barcode, when prodded that he should get it scanned to see if it rings him up as worth $1 million, he laughs, “I’d be like, ‘Give me my money, then!’”

What’s on your nightstand? Lube, poppers, and condoms.

DrinksDragDJsEtc... Thursday June 16 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Music videos featuring DJ Wess COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: $6 Call Martini, $3 Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm • $3 Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight, $5 Red Bull, Gatorade and Frozen Virgin Drinks • Locker Room Thursday Nights • DJs Sean

Morris and MadScience • Best Package Contest at midnight, hosted by Ba’Naka • $200 Cash Prize • Doors open 10pm, 18+ • $5 Cover under 21 and free with college ID DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com DC EAGLE Doors open at 5pm • Happy Hour, 5-8pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • Strip Down Thursdays — Happy

What’s the last thing you bought? I have this obsession with Monster High Dolls. I have nineteen of them now, so

Hour starts with shirtless men drink free rail and domestic, 5-8pm • Men in jocks drink free rail and domestic, 10pm-12am • DJ Kudjo Onyx starts spinning, 9pm-1am • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Ladies Drink Free Power Hour, 4-5pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • DJs BacK2bACk JR.’S All You Can Drink for $15, 5-8pm • $3 Rail Vodka Highballs, $2

JR.’s drafts, 8pm-close • Flashback: Music videos from 1975-2005 with DJ Jason Royce, 8pm-12am NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines and HalfPriced Pizzas • Lobster Thursdays, 5pm-close

THROBBING THURSDAYS @THE HOUSE NIGHTCLUB 3530 Georgia Ave. NW Diverse group of all male, all nude dancers • Doors open 9pm • Shows all night until close, starting at 9pm • $5 Domestic Beer, $6 Imports • $12 cover • For Table Reservations, 202-487-6646 • rockharddc.com TOWN “We Stand With Orlando,” 9pm • A fundraiser by Town and the Latino History Project • 100% of proceeds go to Equality Florida’s Pulse Victims Fund

TOWN PATIO Open 6pm • Happy Hour all night, $4 drinks and draughts • 21+ TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Shirtless Thursday • DJ • 9pm • Cover 21+

Coverboy of the Month Contest

Welcome to the All-New Nightlife Coverboy Contest! At the close of each month, we’ll have a mini-Coverboy Contest at MetroWeekly.com to select a finalist who will then go on to compete in the Coverboy of the Year competition in November. June’s finalist will receive a miniprize package from this month’s sponsors. Join our e-mail list and be alerted as soon as the contest goes live online, as well as get the full coverboy interview and more photos delivered directly to your inbox! Sign up now at MetroWeekly.com/join.

June’s Prize Package

June’s Coverboy is Sponsored By

Avenue Jack - $50 Gift Certificate Bite the Fruit - $50 Gift Certificate JR.’s - 10 free drink cards Shaw’s Tavern - $100 Gift Certificate Signature Theatre - A pair of tickets to Signature Theatre’s upcoming production of Jelly’s Last Jam

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

that was the last thing I bought.

of water something because if you can do ice you can probably do water.

A Monster High Doll? It’s like my modelling thing. I pose them up, I dress them up, and stuff. It’s fun for me. I like little, weird stuff.

For what purpose? To make your own Slushies? I guess it’s more or less kind of how I am. I kind of close myself off to people, so I’d envelope myself in ice.

If you could have any superpower what would it be? I would want to be Iceman. Ice powers. Probably some type

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Smirnoff, all flavors, all night long • Kylie Night Videos, featuring VJ Tre, 9pm-close • No Cover JR.’S Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm • $2 Skyy Highballs and $2 Drafts, 10pm-midnight • Pop and Dance Music Videos with DJ Darryl Strickland • $5 Coronas, $8 Vodka Red Bulls, 9pm-close

Friday June 17 9 1/2 Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Friday Night Videos with resident DJ Shea Van Horn • VJ • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES All You Can Drink Happy Hour • $15 Rail and Domestic,

$21 Call & Imports, 6-9pm • Guys Night Out • Free Smirnoff Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6 Belvedere Vodka Drinks all night • DJ MadScience upstairs • DJ Keenan Orr downstairs • $10 cover 10pm-1am, $5 after 1am DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com

DC EAGLE Doors open at 5pm • Happy Hour, 5-8pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • No Cover • 21+ • The Endup with DJ Kudjo Onyx & GoGo boys, 9pm-4am on 3rd Floor Exile • Endup Cover $10 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR DJ Matt Bailer • Videos, Dancing • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines and HalfPriced Pizzas • I’ll Cover

What was the last movie you saw? I went to see Warcraft last night. And? It’s a good movie. The actors were very mediocre. They didn’t draw you in. Paula Patton was a bad fit for that movie.

You — Live Karaoke Band, Second Floor, 8pm • $10 Cover TOWN Patio open 6pm • DC Bear Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm • $3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles • Free Pizza, 7pm • No cover before 9:30pm • 21+ • Drag Show starts at 10:30pm • Hosted by Lena Lett and featuring Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx and Ba’Naka • DJ Wess upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk downstairs following the show • GoGo Boys after 11pm • Doors open at 10pm • For those 21 and over, $12 • For those 18-20, $15 • Club: 18+ • Patio: 21+ TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, hosted by LaTroya Nicole • Ladies of Ziegfeld’s, 9pm • Rotating Hosts • DJ in Secrets • VJ Tre in Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+

Saturday June 18 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • $5 Absolut & Tito’s, $3 Miller Lite after 9pm • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover • Music videos featuring various DJs COBALT/30 DEGREES Drag Yourself to Brunch at Level One, 11am-2pm and 2-4pm • Featuring Kristina Kelly and the Ladies of Illusion • Bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys • Happy Hour: $3 Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm • The Ladies of LURe present BARE, the Ladies’ Night Party, 10pm-close

Do you think it would have been better if you were stoned? I was stoned. Name three musical artists you’re currently listening to. LaRue. Sia. Fall Out Boy. What are your three favorite night spots? If I had to pick, it would be Cobalt, The Fireplace, and Nellie’s. Pick three people, living or dead, that you’d like to have drinks with. Prince, David Bowie, and Scarlett O’Hara. I know she’s a fictional character, but that’s my bitch. I love her.

• Doors open 10pm • $7 cover before midnight, $10 cover after • 21+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 4-6pm • dcnine.com DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Happy Hour, 8-10pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • No Cover • 21+ • KUERO: D.C.’s Hottest Latino Dance Party — 3rd Floord Exile • $5 in advance, $10 at door • Tickets available at kuero.ticketleap.com/ kuero FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Drag Queen Broadway Brunch, 10am-3pm • Starring Freddie’s Broadway Babes • Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, 8-10pm, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs • No Cover

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • 495 Bears presents Bears Can Dance, 9pm-close • No Cover JR.’S $4 Coors, $5 Vodka Highballs, $7 Vodka Red Bulls NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Guest DJs • Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer, House Rail Drinks and Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm • Buckets of Beer, $15 NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • Jawbreaker’s 2nd Year Anniversary Party, 9:30pm • Featuring DJ Chord and DJ Kelly • $5 Absolut and $5 Bulleit Bourbon • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5

Describe your dream guy. It would have to be a dude, very laid back, very just go with the flow, lots of tattoos, some piercings, any color, any race, not very skinny, not overly muscular. What’s the most unusual place you’ve had sex? On a smoking balcony. What was your worst date ever? I got catfished. Different picture, yeah. He was out of shape, not that attractive. It wasn’t him at all. It was just a totally different picture. I’m just sitting there the whole time like, “You lied to me and you’re still trying to come on to me and trying to talk to me.”

Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas • The Harvey Sometimes Band, 9pm, Second Floor • No Cover TOWN Patio open 2pm • Guest DJS Upstairs • DJ Wess spins downstairs • Drag Show starts at 10:30pm • Hosted by Lena Lett and featuring Miss Tatianna, Shi-QueetaLee, Riley Knoxx and Ba’Naka • Doors open 10pm • $12 Cover • 21+ TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion with host Ella Fitzgerald • Doors at 9 p.m., first show at 11:30 p.m. • DJs • Doors open 8pm • Cover 21+

Sunday June 19

Anderson Cooper or Rachel Maddow? Anderson. Anderson Cooper or Don Lemon? Anderson. Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blitzer? Wolf, actually. He’s fun. He’s cute. Let’s get this straight. Anderson beats Rachel. Anderson beats Don. But Wolf beats Anderson? He’s the older, white gentleman with the white hair, right? Yes. With the glasses.

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Champagne Brunch Buffet, 10am-3pm • Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm-1am

9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES $4 Stoli, Stoli flavors and Miller Lite all day • Homowood Karaoke, hosted by Robert Bise, 10pm-close • 21+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 2-6pm • dcnine.com DC EAGLE Doors open at 12pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts all day and night, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • Highwaymen TNT Cookout, 5pm • No Cover • 21+

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Mama’s Trailer Park Karaoke downstairs, 9:30pm-close JR.’S Sunday Funday • Liquid Brunch • Doors open at 1pm • $2 Coors Lights and $3 Skyy (all flavors), all day and night NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted by Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm • $20 Brunch Buffet • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-close • Buckets of Beer, $15 NUMBER NINE Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • No Cover

ROCK HARD SUNDAYS @THE HOUSE NIGHTCLUB 3530 Georgia Ave. NW Diverse group of all male, all nude dancers • Doors open 9pm • Shows all night until close, starting at 9pm • $5 Domestic Beer, $6 Imports • $12 cover • For Table Reservations, 202-487-6646 • rockharddc.com SHAW’S TAVERN Brunch with Bottomless Mimosas, 10am-3pm • Sunday Funday Karaoke, 2nd Floor, 3-7pm • $5 Stoli Cocktails • Happy Hour, 5-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines & Half-Priced Pizzas TOWN PATIO Open 2pm • Cornhole, Giant Jenga, and Flip-cup inside Town TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Yes. He beats Anderson Cooper? I mean, Anderson Cooper is gorgeous but I like people who are more interesting. Which of these daddies would you want to get a spanking from: George Clooney, Hugh Jackman, or Mark Cuban. Who is Mark Cuban? Ever see Shark Tank? The bald headed gentleman? No. He’s the one who owns the Mavericks. Oh. Definitely Hugh Jackman. What’s your greatest fear? To die alone.

huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Decades of Dance • DJ Tim-e in Secrets • Doors 9pm • Cover 21+

Monday June 20 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover ANNIE’S 4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $4 Small Plates, $4 Stella Artois, $4 House Wines, $4 Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4 Manhattans and Vodka Martinis COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3 Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm • Monday

Night’s A Drag, hosted by Kristina Kelly • Doors open at 10pm • Showtime at 11:30pm • $3 Skyy Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red Bull • $8 Long Islands • No Cover, 18+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com

If your home was burning, what’s the first thing you’d grab while you leave? I live with my brother, so I’m making sure my brother is up and out. But I would grab clothes just to make sure I’m not just out here looking crazy because who knows who is going to be there. Would you leave the dolls to melt? I would not leave the dolls if I could get them, but the clothes would come first. What if it were a choice between the dolls or Wolf? It would probably be my dolls, because he has done nothing for me.

GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long • Puppy-Oke: Open Mic Night Karaoke, 9:30pm-close JR.’S Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm • Showtunes Songs & Singalongs, 9pm-close • DJ James • $3 Draft Pints, 8pm-midnight

DC EAGLE Doors open at 5pm • Happy Hour, 5-8pm • Free Pool all day and night • Endless Happy Hour prices to anyone in a DC Eagle T-Shirt • $1 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • No Cover • 21+

NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Texas Hold’em Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm

SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines and HalfPriced Pizzas • Trivia with Jeremy, 7:30pm

NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Tuesday June 21 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover ANNIE’S 4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $4 Stella Artois, $4 House Wines, $4 Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4 Manhattans and Vodka Martinis COBALT/30 DEGREES DJ Honey Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3 Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm • SIN

Poor Wolf. Is Donald Trump a racist? I wouldn’t say he’s a racist. I will say he is privileged and only knows his very own, so he doesn’t know how to be a president for everyone. He knows how to be a president for his people but not for everyone. I wouldn’t say he’s racist though. He says those type of things and he doesn’t mean anything. It just means, “I’m rich, and I’m powerful, and these people are beneath me.” Do you think he’d be a bad president? Yeah. He’s not for the people, he’s just for his people.

Service Industry Night, 10pm-close • $1 Rail Drinks all night FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long, 4pm-close JR.’S Birdie LaCage Show, 10:30pm • Underground (Indie Pop/Alt/Brit Rock), 9pm-close • DJ Wes Della Volla • 2-for-1, 5pm-midnight NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Karaoke and Drag Bingo NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Safe Word: A Gay Spelling Bee, 8-11pm • Prizes to the top three spellers • After

9pm, $3 Absolut, Bulleit & Stella SHAW’S TAVERN Half Priced Burgers & Pizzas, 5pm-close • $5 House Wines & Sam Adams Drafts, 5pm-close TOWN PATIO Open 6pm • Yappy Hour • Bring Your Dogs • $4 Drinks and Draughts TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4

Wednesday June 22 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports

And Hillary? I would rather Hillary but I don’t really know too much about her, either. What would you like to be remembered for? Being kind. Being a good singer. What do you like best about your life? I love that my family still loves me. I live with my brother. I see my mother and sister all the time. I have great friends that I’ve had for, the last ten, eleven years. Would you rather live longer or be wealthier? Be wealthier. Unfortunately in this life you have to have money to enjoy everything.

• Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3 Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm • Wednesday Night Karaoke, hosted by Miss India Larelle Houston, 10pm-2am • $4 Stoli and Stoli Flavors and Miller Lite all night • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • $6 Burgers • Drag Bingo Night, hosted by Ms. Regina Jozet Adams, 8pm • Bingo prizes • Karaoke, 10pm-1am GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long, 4pm-close

JR.’S Buy 1, Get 1 Free, 4-9pm • Trivia with MC Jay Ray, 8pm • The Feud: Drag Trivia, hosted by Ba’Naka, 10-11pm, with a $200 prize • $2 JR.’s Drafts and $4 Vodka ($2 with College ID or JR.’s Team Shirt) NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR SmartAss Trivia Night, 8pm and 9pm • Prizes include bar tabs and tickets to shows at the 9:30 Club • $15 Buckets of Beer for SmartAss Teams only • Bring a new team member and each get a free $10 Dinner NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover SHAW’S TAVERN Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $3 Miller Lite, $4 Blue Moon, $5 Rails and House Wines and HalfPriced Pizzas • Piano Bar Second Floor, 8pm-close

What’s your philosophy of life? Peace, love, and happiness. Your tattoo. Yeah. Everything would be so much better if there was peace in the world. If people loved each other it would be so much better and everyone would be happy. l

TOWN PATIO Open 6pm • $4 drinks and draughts, 6-9pm • Nashville Wednesdays: Pop-Country music and line dancing, with line dancing lessons from DC Rawhides every other week TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Shirtless Night, 10-11pm, 12-12:30am • Military Night, no cover with military ID • DJ Don T. in Secrets • 9pm • Cover 21+ l

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY

Scene

Hex: the Capital Pride Opening Party at Dock 5 - Friday, June 10 Photography by Ward Morrison See and purchase more photos from this event at www.metroweekly.com/scene

JUNE 16, 2016 â&#x20AC;¢ METROWEEKLY

LastWord. People say the queerest things

“I want us to remember that the victims of this attack were living in an America that had newly recognized their fundamental right to marry; that had draped the White House in a rainbow flag; that had declared in one voice from our highest court that ‘love is love.’

”

—Attorney General LORETTA LYNCH, speaking at the United State of Women Summit. “We are still that country,” she continued. “Far from dividing us as terrorism aims to do, this attack has brought us together — in support, in solidarity and in love.”

“Theater is a place where every race, creed, sexuality and gender is equal, is embraced and is loved. Hate will never win. Together, we have to make sure of that. ” —JAMES CORDEN, speaking during the opening of the 2016 Tony Awards on Sunday. The ceremony was dedicated to the victims of the Orlando shootings early that morning.

“Do you really think you’re a champion of the gay community?” — ANDERSON COOPER , in an interview on CNN with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. In the aftermath of the attacks, Bondi told reporters, “Anyone who attacks our LGBT community, anyone who attacks anyone in our state, will be gone after to the fullest extent of the law.” It drew widespread condemnation after her recent anti-LGBT rhetoric and opposition to marriage equality. A day earlier, reading the names of the victims, the openly gay Cooper became visibly emotional. “They are more than a list of names,” he said. “They are people who loved and who were loved.”

“I am waiting for the church to be as outraged about gun violence as much as we seem to be about who pees where in a Target bathroom.” — NELBA MÁRQUEZ-GREENE, who lost her daughter in 2012’s Sandy Hook massacre, in a post on Facebook. “I am sorry that our tragedy here in Sandy Hook wasn’t enough to save your loved ones,” she continued.

“ We just have to move forward and find a way to keep their hearts beating and keep our spirit alive, and we’re not going to let someone take this away from us.” — BARBARA POMA , owner of Pulse nightclub, in an interview on the Today show, vowing to reopen the club as a “ a safe, fun place to come be who you are.”

JUNE 16, 2016 • METROWEEKLY