Washington Blade - June 16, 2017

JUNE 16,

2017

VOLUME 48

ISSUE 24

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AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

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THOUSANDS DESCEND ON D.C. FOR PRIDE, EQUALITY MARCH FULL COVERAGE STARTS ON PAGE 04

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Equality March draws thousands from across country Speakers stress need to link LGBT equality to racial justice

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com Carrying rainbow flags and signs reading “Love, not hate, makes America great” and “Resist Trump,” tens of thousands of LGBT people and their supporters marched from the White House to the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol on Sunday in the Equality March for Unity and Pride.

Through dozens of signs held by marchers saying “Remember Pulse” and in speeches at a rally on the Mall, march participants noted the event took place one day before the first anniversary the shooting rampage at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., that took the lives of 49 mostly LGBT people.

Three survivors of the Pulse incident, which has become known as the nation’s worst mass shooting, spoke at the rally.

Before they spoke veteran gay activist Nicole Murray Ramirez of San Diego and one of 13 national co-chairs of the march, called for a moment of silence to remember the victims of the Pulse shooting.

Equality March founder David Bruinooge, who served as a co-chair, said he was uncertain of the exact number of people who turned out for the march.

But he said reports he received from knowledgeable observers led him to believe at least 50,000 and possibly as many as 80,000 people from throughout the nation took part in the march and rally.

The U.S Park Service, which issued a permit to allow the Equality March to hold its rally on the Mall, no longer releases crowd estimates for large events as it once did in past years.

The march began at 10:08 a.m. at 17th and I Streets, N.W., two blocks north of the White House. It took nearly two hours for all of the marchers to stream past the White House, walk south on 15th Street to Constitution Avenue and head east to the Mall at Third Street, where a stage had been built at the site of the rally.

Large numbers of marchers could been seen leaving the site of the rally shortly after arriving there. Many moved to the sides of the Mall and watched the rally in the shade under trees as the temperature rose to close to 95 degrees. As the rally continued for nearly two hours the center of the Mall in front of the stage was nearly empty.

“There was definitely tens of thousands of people at the march,” said Bruinooge.

“And the Mall was filling up but clearly on this hot and blistering day people were finding shade under the trees, which is great. It was a peaceful, safe day and we’re

Organizers estimated a crowd of up to 80,000 marched on Sunday.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

very thankful for everyone who came out for this from the beginning,” he said.

“It was a grassroots organization and we did it with zero corporate dollars,” Bruinooge said. “And we’re proud of that and that people stepped up and made their voices heard today.”

Among the more than a dozen speakers at the rally were veteran lesbian activist Mandy Carter of North Carolina, co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition; Imani Woody, founder and CEO of D.C.’s Mary’s House for Older Adults; Doug Kimmel, founder of the New York-based LGBT seniors advocacy group SAGE; Sarah McBride, transgender rights advocate and national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign; and Chase Strangio, staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBT and AIDS Project.

Javier Cifuentes, HRC’s Youth Ambassador, and Thomas Tonatiuh Lopez Jr. of the Indigenous Youth Council gave rousing speeches that captured the theme and tone of what leaders of the Equality March said was one of their key messages – that the LGBT rights movement must work in solidarity with the nation’s other progressive movements and social causes such as immigrant rights, racial justice, transgender rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, and women’s and reproductive rights.

Among several celebrities who spoke at the rally were actress, singer, and songwriter Sara Ramirez, who has emerged as an outspoken straight ally; actor and LGBT advocate Asia Kate Dillon, star of the Netflix TV series “Orange is the New Black” and the Showtime series “Billions,” who identifies as non-binary; and gay actor Charlie Carter of the ABC series “Desperate Housewives” and the MTV series “Teen Wolf.”

Also speaking was former National Basketball Association player Jason Collins.

Many of the marchers carried signs calling on President Donald Trump to respect the rights of LGBT people and refrain from rolling back LGBT rights.

Several marchers, while walking in front of the White House, began to chant, “Hey hey, ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go” and “lock him up.”

Others turned signs toward the White House that said “Shame, Shame” and “Our House.” A young gay man who traveled to D.C. from Chicago to join the march and who identified himself as Ming held a sign that appeared to draw laughter and more attention than most of the other signs. It read, “Mike Pence blocked me on Grindr.”

Many of the marchers, both women and men, were accompanied by children who held signs expressing support for LGBT equality.

Jim Martin, who traveled to D.C. from Ohio to attend the march, said he was proud to march beside his lesbian daughter Shavon Martin.

President Trump was out of town at the time of the Equality March, spending the weekend at his summer estate in Bedminster, N.J. But at 10:40 a.m., shortly after the Equality March reached the White House, a uniformed Secret Service officer could be seen standing on the White House roof looking at the marchers on the street below through what appeared to be either a camera or binoculars.

Blade wins four journalism awards The Washington Blade was honored by the D.C. chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with four Dateline Awards on Tuesday.

The Blade winners include: • Features editor Joey DiGuglielmo for best feature story in the weekly category for a piece titled, “He’s for Trump, he’s for Clinton,” a profile of a local gay couple on opposite sides of the political aisle.

• International News Editor Michael Lavers for best editorial/opinion writing for “A glimpse into another side of Cuba,” a first-person account of reporting from the Communist island.

• Blade editor Kevin Naff for best This cover image won a design award commentary and criticism for “A tribute for Blade creative director James Neal. to gay bars,” a reflection on the role of safe spaces for the LGBT community in the aftermath of the Pulse massacre.

• Creative director James Neal for his design of several front-page covers, including “Enough,” a bold reaction to the Pulse massacre.

This year, 82 entries were finalists for their TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, newsletter/trade publication and online work. Winners were announced at the chapter’s annual Hall of Fame dinner at the National Press Club.

“These awards are a reflection of the Blade’s nearly 50-year dedication to quality journalism,” said publisher Lynne Brown. “Congratulations to our team on their much deserved honors.”

STAFF REPORTS JUNE 17, 2016 VOLUME 47 ISSUE 25 • AMERICA’S LGBT NEWS SOURCE • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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LO CA L N E W S

Pride protest ignites debate in D.C.’s LGBT community Accounts differ wildly in assessment of No Justice No Pride actions

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com The actions of protest group No Justice No Pride, members of whom formed a blockade Saturday evening that required the Capital Pride Parade to be rerouted and delayed by hours, have inspired a wide range of strong reaction from parade participants, long-time D.C.-area LGBT activists, Capital Pride officials, observers and others.

Social media was ablaze Saturday and throughout the weekend with some saying the group, a self-described ad-hoc coalition of activists that “seeks to end the LGBT movement’s complicity in systems of oppression that harm LGBTQ2S (i.e. queer/ two-spirit) communities,” ended up doing little more than angering and alienating people who should be their allies while others said the loudest denunciations seemed to come from cis, white, gay men who were mad because their party got delayed.

“I think their parade interruption was ill advised,” said Lane Hudson, a longtime, D.C.based gay activist. “From what I know about Capital Pride, they are very open minded and welcoming. To suggest otherwise is simply not true. If there is a lack of LGBT, queer and twospirit involvement, it’s because of a choice (by those folks) not to get involved in Capital Pride. … It’s about who shows up.”

SaVanna Wanzer, a Capital Pride board member, trans woman of color and founder of Transgender Pride (an official Capital Pride event), agrees.

“When we have our (Trans Pride) organizational meetings, it’s the same six people who show up every year along with the executive producer and producer of Capital Pride,” Wanzer said. “I don’t know if any of the protestors have any desire to volunteer with Capital Pride or not but we would love to have more trans people of color involved.”

On Saturday, June 10 about 3:30 p.m., a couple hundred No Justice No Pride protesters held a march of their own on the Capital Pride Parade route walking together while pop songs blasted from a loudspeaker and participants chanted anti-corporate slogans.

Later another group joined hands with a chain-like material on P Street between 15th and 16th streets, N.W. in the planned route of the parade. Ten protesters formed a chain, chanting slogans and clashing vehemently with bystanders. Eyewitnesses said they saw no violence erupt though some No Justice protesters say they were kicked and spit on.

The parade was significantly delayed and eventually was rerouted. There was a strong presence of D.C. Metro Police at the site of the protest. No arrests were made.

No Justice No Pride members distributed

No Justice No Pride protesters block the Capital Pride Parade in Washington last weekend.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

pink sheets in which they demanded that Capital Pride add more trans women of color to leadership positions, more stringently vet which corporate sponsors are allowed to give money to Capital Pride, prevent uniformed police officers and military personnel from participating in the parade because of fraught histories with these groups and LGBT people and many other issues. A full list of their demands can be found at nojusticenopride.org.

The group found supporters among the D.C.-area LGBT establishment.

“It does seem to be predominantly the cisgender, white gay men who are the most upset these people weren’t dragged away and arrested,” said one long-time local black lesbian activist who is not allowed to speak on the record because of her job. “But D.C. has a long history of allowing protesters to exercise their First Amendment rights. We’re not going to drag people from the street so you can continue to party. That’s ridiculous. This is a backlash against the white gay men from Logan Circle. Did they want this to turn into the next Ferguson? Think a little bit about the pros and cons and check your privilege at the door.”

Others, though, say the No Justice protesters had no interest in having their concerns addressed in a reasonable way and refused to back down. A pre-Pride meeting at National City Christian Church on May 8 was heated on both sides. No Justice No Pride plans a “debrief and forum” on Friday, June 23.

Look for the group on Facebook for details.

“There are people out there who are never going to be satisfied, 100 percent no matter what you do,” Wanzer said. “They’re always going to have a complaint, they’re always going to have something to say. They say they’re protesting for the rights of trans people of color, but not all the local trans people of color are on the same page with them. We don’t need them to protest or speak out on our behalf. What they did was inappropriate because it took away from the enjoyment and the feel of Pride. If anything it backfired in

a way because it made those of us in Capital Pride more unified.”

Others say the protesters have several good points but did themselves more harm than good with their tactics.

“It remains to be seen if tactics like disrupting Pride parades engage or alienate the community and allies,” said Dave Kolesar, a local white gay man. “And with regard to corporate sponsorships of Pride, there was a time not that long ago when finding corporations to sponsor events was nearly impossible as a conservative backlash would inevitably follow. So while it is always a legitimate concern to be able to strike the right balance between corporate and grassroots involvement, I would be cautious about pushing corporations away.”

Hudson agrees.

“Most of the corporations they are targeting have 100 percent ratings on the (Human Rights Campaign) Corporate Equality Index. While intersectionality is much needed, it cannot always require purity. Life, including activism, is a set of choices. Progress isn’t always perfect and it can always be built upon.”

Others say the No Justice No Pride protesters don’t understand the long and tangled history the D.C. LGBT community has with some of the groups they targeted.

Cathy Renna, a longtime activist who spoke on behalf of Capital Pride this week, says she knows of trans folks who worked for defense contractors Northrop Grumman, one of the groups No Justice said was not an appropriate Pride sponsor, when they couldn’t continue their military service with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” still in effect.

And to tell military and police they weren’t welcome at the parade, Renna says, was unrealistic.

“I think there was a good faith effort during and after the community forum to try and address some of these concerns, particularly with the police contingent but Capital Pride was not going to exclude them because they did not want to exclude any groups,” Renna

said. “Most people understand the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit has a long history working with our local community and anytime you have a crowd of any size like that in D.C., there’s going to be a sizable police presence.”

“I have a lot of mixed feelings,” said Ruby Corado, a long-time D.C.-based trans activist who runs Casa Ruby, a local LGBT community center. “While I acknowledge that some of their issues are valid and I think there’s value to what the group is saying, I struggle with how they’re doing things. … I really do think shutting down the parade for three hours was a little bit too much, I really do, because there were a lot of people there, lots of trans and queer people of color, who’d worked really hard and were there to celebrate. Yes, sure, do hold Capital Pride accountable, but everyone needs to be held accountable, not just Capital Pride.”

Yet accounts of exactly what happened, how the protest was handled and who exactly was behind it differ based on whom you ask.

Several local trans residents declined Blade requests for comment for fear of angering No Justice protesters.

Renna spotted a group of about 50-75 people carrying a tri-colored banner that said “No Justice No Pride — Queer & Trans Resistance” on Friday on 14th Street, N.W. and said it appeared to be a significantly different group than those who protested at the parade.

Emmelia Talarico, a No Justice No Pride senior organizer said she had no knowledge of who that group was.

“As far as I know, that didn’t happen,” Talarico, a trans woman, said. “If some folks did that, they did not meet with us as representatives of No Justice No Pride.”

Talarico also denied other rumors circulating this week that some of the protesters at the Saturday parade were paid.

She said the reality was quite the opposite.

“That’s not at all true,” she said. “We did pay for about six or seven people, black trans women, to perform at the healing space we had but that was because we felt that they deserved to be paid for their work like anyone else would be. No one who was in the blockades who took action in the street were paid. Some of us even emptied our bank accounts to make this happen.”

She also said assertions by some that the No Justice folks were far-left radicals who are out to destroy Pride in D.C. and in other cities is wildly inaccurate.

“We don’t want to destroy Pride, we want to make it better,” Talarico said. “It’s not about destroying Pride, it’s about making it into something that’s more representative of all of us and honors those of us who are struggling at the margins. A lot of this is coming from fissures that have been boiling beneath the surface for decades. The reason people are reacting so strongly is because we’re forcing them to see it for the first time in a long time.”

Accounts also vary as to how much dialogue happened in previous years about some of CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

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LO CA L N E W S

The Uproar bar on Sunday night.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY LOU CHIBBARO JR.

DANICA ROEM is a transgender journalist who is challenging Virginia state Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William County) PHOTO COURTESY OF ROEM

Va. trans candidate wins primary A transgender former journalist pulled off a surprise victory in a Virginia primary on Tuesday, winning the Democratic nomination to face off against antiLGBT Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) in the general election.

Danica Roem, who was seeking the Democratic nomination to run for the 13th District seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates, beat out Steve Jansen, Andrew Adams and Mansimran Kahlon to win her party’s backing, the Associated Press reported at 8:30.

If Roem succeeds in besting Marshall, she could become the first openly transgender person to be elected and seated as a state legislator. The general election will be held Nov. 7.

Roem’s opponent in the general election, Marshall, has a long anti-LGBT history over the course of his 13 terms in the Virginia General Assembly. Marshall was responsible for the Marshall-Newman Amendment, which made a ban on same-sex marriage part of the state constitution in Virginia until a federal judge overturned the measure.

More recently, Marshall pushed legislation that would bar transgender people from using the restroom in any government-owned building consistent with their gender identity.

At the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund brunch last month, Roem acknowledged her victory over Marshall would have particular significance, referencing his remarks calling transgender people “gender confused.”

Also in Virginia, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam came out on top in a contested primary to win the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, besting former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello, who was endorsed by progressive leaders.

The Associated Press declared Northam the winner in the primary about an hour after polls closed in the state at 7 pm.

With 91 percent of precincts reporting, Northam had secured 55 percent of the vote compared to 45 percent claimed by Perriello.

Northam, who was endorsed by LGBT groups such as the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence and Equality Virginia, beat out Perriello despite his endorsements from progressive leaders like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

In an interview with the Washington Blade in June, Northam said there’s still “a lot of work to do” to combat anti-LGBT discrimination in Virginia and those efforts begin with “good leadership.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

Uproar bar shuttered after deck buckles D.C. Fire and EMS Structural experts evacuated Uproar gay bar & restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) about 7:40 p.m. Sunday after responding to a call about the building’s

roof deck buckling or ‘bowing,’ according to Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo.

Fire and EMS officials closed the street to cars and pedestrians while waiting for a city building inspector to arrive and assess the structural soundness of the building.

Four police cars and two fire trucks with flashing lights drew the attention of people in the area, including Uproar customers arriving from D.C.’s Capital Pride festival.

Maggiolo said the street and one adjacent building would remain closed until the building inspector assessed the situation.

In a statement, Fire and EMS officials said the “incident involved floor joists compromised from excess weight causing the roof to bow.” The statement said the department’s Cave In Task Force was taking steps to install “shoring” to strengthen the roof structure.

But a short time later someone from the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs attached a notice to Uproar’s front door prohibiting anyone from entering the building until further notice. It read in part, “This structure, equipment and/or system is unsafe and its occupancy or use has been prohibited by the code official.”

No injuries were reported. A representative from Uproar couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Norton, Capital Pride disagree over why she missed parade Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) is attributing her absence from this weekend’s Capital Pride parade to the lack of an invitation to the event and a requirement that she pay to take part, although organizers dispute her account and say the fee is customary.

Benjamin Fritsch, a Norton spokesperson, said in a statement shared with the Washington Blade and other media outlets the delegate “assumed she would go to the Capital Pride Parade” — which he said she has done each year even before her nearly 26 years in Congress — but this year never received an invite.

“She has always received a letter of invitation from the parade organizers, but this year did not receive one, so her staff reached out to them well in time for her to participate,” Fritsch said. “The organizers said they would put her on a waitlist. They also said that the congresswoman would have to pay more than $600, and an additional smaller fee to be put on the waitlist. Therefore, she decided not to participate.”

Although Norton was absent from the parade, other officials who took part included D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large), D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), D.C. Council member and former D.C. Mayor Vince Gray (D-Ward 7).

Bernie Delia, president of Capital Pride Alliance, responded to Norton by saying organizers have never extended invitations to elected officials to participate in the event at least the past nine years.

“Months in advance of the parade we inform prior parade entrants that the registration is open,” Delia said. “In this case we did what we have always done — hold a spot in the line-up for D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton for when she showed up, as she has done for every previous Capital Pride Parade.”

Delia said a Norton staffer called late last week seeking to register. Although the staffer was told that would result in an automated system generating an email indicating Norton was on a wait list, Capital Pride organizers explained they would manually override that and place the delegate’s contingent in the parade, Delia said.

The $600 fee, Delia said, is standard for participation in the parade and the same amount charged to all political contingents in the past. Delia acknowledged Capital Pride charges a $10 fee for being on the wait list, but said Norton was never really on it and that $10 “is credited to the account balance for the entry fee.”

“We regret the confusion and look forward to Del. Norton’s participation in future Capital Pride Parades,” Delia said.

CHRIS JOHNSON

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Gay Games XI Bid Rally Wednesday, June 28 • 6–9 pm National Museum of the American Indian

/ ggdc2022 @ ggdc2022 www.ggdc2022.org

Help us show the world that DC is ready to host the Gay Games!

Come to our Bid Rally on the National Mall at the National Museum of the American Indian on Wednesday, June 28th at 6:00 pm. (4th Street & Independence Av A e, SW) Washington, DC, is one of three finalists to host Gay Games XI in 2022. We expect 12,000 participants from 100 countries and 100,000 visitors to be a part of this global event.

The Gay Games site inspection team will be in town to meet YOU and see first-hand all that DC has to offer.

Please join us for food, drink, music and giveaways!

We ask that you leave bags at home to keep metal detector security lines moving.

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Comings & Goings Weaver joins exec team at HSC; Hockman sells consultancy

LO CA L N E W S

Baltimore mayor honors LGBT leaders at reception

By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

Congratulations to H. Bradley Weaver. It has been announced by the HSC Health Care System (HSC) that he will be a part of its new executive team as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Health Services for Children with Special Needs. The HSC Health Care System is a nonprofit health care organization committed to serving families with complex health care needs and eliminating barriers to health services. The System combines the resources of a care coordination plan (Health Services for Children with Special Needs, Inc.), pediatric specialty hospital (The HSC Pediatric Center), and home health agency (HSC H. BRADLEY Home Care, LLC) with its parent organization, The HSC WEAVER Foundation, to offer a comprehensive approach to caring, serving and empowering people with disabilities.

According to HSC’s new CEO, “Bradley will be part of the leadership team that will lead the organization in its effort to strengthen the coordination and delivery of high quality services for individuals complex health needs in the Washington, D.C. region.”

Weaver is a graduate of Dartmouth College and attended the Accenture Project Management Program among other training programs.

Congratulations also to Larry Ray for receiving an Excellence in Teaching Award celebrating his 30 years of LARRY RAY teaching. The George Washington University School of Law Dean Blake D. Morant presented Larry Ray with the award.

He began teaching mediation and now is a senior professor teaching negotiation. He has now taught more than 2,500 law students. The dean said, “Students praise his teaching as innovative, exciting and immediately useful in the workplace as well as home.”

He also teaches business negotiation at Capital University School of Law; is a Senior Instructor at the American Management Association (AMA); Arbitrator at FINRA and executive coach at various federal agencies. Previously, he served as a Columbus, Ohio, prosecutor and also as director of the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section.

JOHN HOCKMAN He has served as a vice president of the Stein Democratic Club.

Ray was born in Ohio and received his J.D. from the Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio, and his bachelor’s with honors from Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio.

Congratulations also to John Hockman. It was announced by McKinley Advisors new CEO Jay Younger, that they have acquired the association consultancy the d3 Group founded by Hockman.

Hockman is a widely recognized adviser and strategist to the association community and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). He said, “I’m a student of human dynamics and a specialist in the business of getting people to talk. Next to being a husband, nothing makes me more proud than helping leaders of organizations make their best decisions about big challenges related to strategy, people, and performance.”

Hockman has consulted with more than 100 associations in the U.S. and abroad. He is a longtime volunteer with ASAE. He has served as president of the International Coach Federation D.C. chapter and is on the board of the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network.

He grew up in Ohio, studied in Spain, lived in London, and worked in China, Egypt, Indonesia, the UK and now makes his home in D.C. He received his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, and did master’s work at American University.

Baltimore Mayor CATHERINE PUGH (center) with this year’s Pride honorees.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY STEVE CHARING

Celebrating ‘42 years of rallying together’

By STEVE CHARING About 50 people attended a reception at City Hall on June 12 in which Baltimore Mayor Catherine F. Pugh bestowed mayoral medallions upon leaders of the LGBT community.

The event, which kicked off the final week before Baltimore Pride, was the first LGBT awards ceremony to take place at City Hall in connection with the annual celebration.

After preliminary introductions that included Police Commissioner Kevin Davis, the 2017 Queen of Pride Dee A. Diamond, and executive director of the Center for Black Equity Baltimore Carlton Smith, Pugh noted “42 years of rallying together” in displaying the mayor’s proclamation celebrating Pride month.

“The more we understand that that we have more in common than we are different, the better we will be,” Pugh said. “LGBT residents are invaluable to our city. How wonderful your contributions have been to our society.”

Pugh presented the medallions to the following: Lillian Amaya, co-founder of IRIS (Individuality, Respect, Integrity, Sexuality), an organization that promotes unity among the various Baltimore Latino LGBT communities; Sgt. Kevin Bailey, a gay officer serving as

the Baltimore Police Department’s LGBT liaison; Ian James, who works with STAR TRACK, an organization which seeks to improve the health of youth and young adults in the city and the state; and Del. Maggie McIntosh of Baltimore’s 43rd legislative district, the first openly LGBT member of the state legislature and who has been in the forefront of the movement to expand LGBT rights in Maryland.

In addition, medallions were given to: Mark McLaurin, the political director for SEIU Maryland and D.C. and is co-chair of Police Commissioner Davis’ LGBT Advisory Committee; Merrick Moise, the LGBTQ Community Liaison for the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office; Kenneth Morrison, co-executive director of the GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB); Ava Pipitone, executive director of the Baltimore Transgender Alliance, the only peer-run transgender advocacy organization in Baltimore; and Steve Ziger, who serves on several boards including the Baltimore Community Foundation where he is co-chair for the LGBT focus group.

“I am incredibly honored to receive this award,” Merrick Moise, the only transgender African-American man who was a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, told the Blade.

“The City of Baltimore is showing its commitment to our community. We have a long way to go but we are making strides,” he said.

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Hundreds turn out for D.C. vigil for Pulse victims Activists call for channeling grief into action

for gun law reform made a difference in Orlando by helping to elect Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.) last November in the congressional district that includes Orlando. Murphy, a strong advocate for gun law reform, defeated 12-term incumbent John Mica (R-Fla.) in an upset victory that observers attributed to Murphy’s opposition to gun law changes called for by groups like the Pride Fund.

“We have the opportunity every single day to create change and honor them with action,” he said of the Pulse victims.

“Getting to know many of their families and individuals affected in Orlando even just weeks after the attack, they said I don’t want another vigil,” Lindsay told the Dupont Circle gathering.

“I don’t want to speak to the news again,” he quoted Pulse survivors as saying. “I want to create change. I don’t want another mother to go through what I have. I don’t want another brother to lose their sister.”

He called on those at the vigil to become involved in gun reform advocacy by viewing his group’s website at pridefund.org.

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined several hundred people in Dupont Circle Monday night in a candlelight vigil to commemorate the first-year anniversary of the June 12, 2016 shooting rampage at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Fla., that claimed the lives of 49 mostly LGBT people.

Many of those attending Monday night’s vigil wept as D.C. gay activist Jose Gutierrez, co-founder of D.C.’s Latino Pride, read the names and ages of the 49 mostly Latino LGBT people who were shot to death in what authorities say was the worst mass shooting incident in U.S. history.

Another 53 Pulse patrons were wounded in the incident before police shot and killed the perpetrator, Omar Mateen, 29, who police said had targeted Pulse for a hate crime and a terrorist attack that he carried out with a powerful assault rifle.

“We are here today for a very important reason,” said Jason Lindsay, founder and executive director of the national political action committee Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, which organized the vigil.

“We are here to reflect and to mark the one year since the Pulse tragedy,” he said.

“It was one year ago that the horror was being told.”

Lindsay added, “On June 12, 49 beautiful individuals were murdered in the most gruesome mass shooting in U.S. history. But that it occurred in a celebration at Pulse nightclub in Orlando during a Pride Month Latin Night party made it especially hurtful.”

He noted, as have LGBT activists in D.C., that the Pulse attack shattered the long held assumption by LGBT people that gay bars were safe havens where people could go to be themselves in an often hostile world.

Lindsay and Catherine McCarthy, a Pride Fund volunteer and close friend of two gay men killed in the Pulse massacre, told the gathering that in addition to expressions of grief and support for the Pulse victims those attending the vigil must do what they can as individuals to advocate for changing the nation’s gun laws to prevent mass shootings from happening.

“Love is not all we need,” McCarthy said. “It is not enough. We need love and we need laws,” she said. “What I’m asking you tonight is this. Let’s continue to grieve imperfectly but let us keep pushing relentlessly,” she continued.

“Lawmakers will not yield to the craven indifference of the gun lobby,” she told the gathering. “Our love cannot protect

Trump tweets ‘never forget’

D.C. Mayor MURIEL BOWSER joined several hundred people in Dupont Circle Monday night in a candlelight vigil to commemorate the Pulse massacre.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

us but it will sustain us in this fight. We are still here a year later and we will not go away.”

Bowser said she fully supports Pride Fund To End Gun Violence’s mission of pushing for both LGBT rights and sensible gun laws.

“Tonight we join our brothers and sisters across Washington, D.C., across our nation and certainly in Orlando, Fla., in honoring the 49 people who were taken from us one year ago at the Pulse nightclub,” Bowser said.

“Tonight we stand in remembrance of their lives. And tonight we stand with the city of Orlando as ambassadors of healing, hope and inclusiveness,” she said. “We offer our continued prayers and support to the victims’ survivors and their families.”

Bowser read a proclamation she issued on Monday expressing D.C.’s condolences to and solidarity with the survivors of the Pulse victims and with the residents of Orlando.

“Today we stand with our brothers and sisters in Orlando in proclaiming this Orlando United Day,” she said. “May God bless us all.”

Those attending the vigil said the somber but uplifting atmosphere at the event was boosted by about a dozen

members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, who sang three songs, including the John Lenin-Beatles ballad “Imagine” and the African-American civil rights hymn “We Shall Overcome.”

McCarthy told the gathering she has yet to overcome the grief she experienced upon learning that her friend of 18 years, Christopher ‘Drew’ Leinonen and his boyfriend, Juan Ramon Guerrero, were among those killed in the Pulse shooting.

“I’m still astounded by the number of people I meet to this day who were impacted by his short time on this earth,” she said. “Between starting the first group for queer youth in our Florida county public school system to living openly and proudly and unafraid as a proud gay man, we know now that he made it easier for dozens of individuals to come out to be themselves and live without fear.”

LGBT activists in Orlando have told similar stories of how friends and family members in Orlando’s large Latino community spoke proudly about how they had accepted and loved their sons, daughters, or siblings who died in the Pulse attack.

Lindsay told of how the work of Pride Fund and other groups pushing

On the one-year anniversary of the Pulse massacre, President Trump tweeted on Monday an image of the 49 individuals killed at the gay nightclub, urging his followers to “never forget” the victims.

“We will NEVER FORGET the victims who lost their lives one year ago today in the horrific #PulseNightClub shooting,” Trump tweeted.

Trump also used the hashtag #OrlandoUnitedDay, which is one of the hashtags used by those remembering the massacre in Orlando, Fla., as well as 49 people killed and 53 wounded on that day.

Trump’s tweet is consistent with remarks he made over his presidential campaign invoking the mass shooting, the deadliest in American history, as evidence of the need to confront Islamic extremism. During his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump recalled the shooting and said he’d “protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of the hateful, foreign ideology.”

But the tweet contrasts with anti-LGBT policy initiatives from Trump over the course of his administration, such as the revocation of Obama-era guidance assuring transgender kids access to school bathrooms consistent with their gender identity, as well as anti-LGBT appointments like U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Ben Carson.

Chris Johnson contributed to this report.

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Pentagon celebrates Pride with LGBT service members Military official won’t comment on potential delay of trans accession

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com The U.S. military has entered a new era under the Trump administration as many wonder if the LGBT progress after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal will remain in place, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the annual reception at the Pentagon recognizing Pride.

The event — coordinated by DOD Pride, the Pentagon affinity group for LGBT service members and civilians — took place on Monday as it has each year after repeal of the military’s gay ban, and now after the rule change allowing transgender people to serve in the armed forces.

Representing the Defense Department at the event was acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness Anthony Kurta, who said during his remarks “all men and women who serve, including civilian and military personnel in the LGBT community are equal contributing members of the DOD total force.”

“Diversity is more than race, gender and ethnicity,” Kurta said. “It includes, among other things, diversity of thought, diversity of

Rep. MARK TAKANO (D-Calif.) delivered the keynote address at a Pentagon Pride event.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

ability, diversity of background, diversity of language, culture and skill. It is very broad.”

DOD Pride had invited Defense Secretary James Mattis to attend the event, but Kurta represented Pentagon’s leadership in place of the secretary. Later in the day, Mattis was set to testify before Congress on President Trump’s plan to fund the Defense Department in the upcoming fiscal year.

Also speaking at the event on the day she was poised to exit military service was Maj. Gen. Patricia Rose, a lesbian and mobilization assistant to the deputy chief of staff for logistics, engineering and force protection at Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

“Celebrating Pride month, or any other diversity month, is really about validating that there’s one inherent trait we all possess and our nation benefits from, and that’s the diversity of our unique backgrounds and experience,” Rose said.

Emphasizing the importance of diversity, Rose said U.S. history provides ample evidence undercutting the notion that value is “just some aspect of political correctness.”

“World War II provides bold insight to the power of inclusion as opposed to exclusion,” Rose said. “While our enemies were trying to prop up the superiority of their monolithic cultures, we were utilizing the vast and distinct skills sets our diverse military had to offer.”

Rose cited as examples Rosie the Riveter, the symbol of civilian women who supported the industrial war effort while U.S. troops fought overseas, and Alan Turing, the gay mathematician who invented the Turing machine to crack Nazi encoded messages, then was sentenced to chemical castration by the British government for being gay.

“While great advances have been made, we still ensure subtle, and not so subtle, prejudices and challenges to our right to be who we are, to serve with dignity and respect,” Rose said. “I share your apprehension as we witness efforts at home and abroad to turn back the clock on

our justified advances, so now, more than ever, we must not stand silent in face of prejudice, injustice or atrocity.”

Keynoting the event was Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who’s gay and co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus as well as the No. 2 Democrat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

“There was a time when the Department of Defense discouraged and hid its diversity instead of celebrating it as we are today,” Takano said. “The progress has made this moment possible that we should really never overestimate America’s capacity to remake itself for the better.”

Making the point the military has “been a tremendous, tremendous platform for how our country has become a more perfect union,” Takano, a Japanese American, looked back to the military service during World War II of the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which was composed almost entirely of Japanese Americans.

Takano said he had a great uncle who died in Italy fighting for the U.S. military more than 70 years ago as the nation interned Japanese Americans.

“I think about a young 23 year old giving 100 percent for his country when his country was not guaranteeing 100 percent to him,” Takano said.

Obama officials reminisce, talk road ahead ‘Not the White House Pride reception’

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com

VALERIE JARRETT urged LGBT people to ‘be a citizen’ at the Not the White House Pride reception.

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President Trump may have declined to sign a Pride proclamation or host a White House Pride reception, but that didn’t stop former members of the Obama administration from

celebrating the occasion.

Hosted by Obama White House LGBT liaisons Gautam Raghavan and Aditi Hardikar, the celebration — dubbed “Not the White House Pride Reception” in homage to Samantha Bee’s competing event with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — took place Saturday at the Brixton in D.C. Among the speakers was the first openly gay Army secretary Eric Fanning, who recalled meeting Edie Windsor, the octogenarian plaintiff in the lawsuit that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, to remind attendees the Trump administration is temporary.

“I saw Edie literally two days after the election,” Fanning said, “and she — I’m paraphrasing a little bit — points up at me and says, ‘Get over it.’ She said, ‘I started voting in 1947.’ She goes, ‘We made progress and we got knocked back a little bit, but we keep fighting and we will be back.’”

Also speaking was Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to former President Obama who oversaw LGBT issues for the entire eight years of the Obama administration, who said she’s “feeling a little nostalgic over the past five months as you can imagine.”

Recalling pro-LGBT moments of the

Obama administration — like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, winning marriage equality nationwide, and the final White House Pride reception — Jarrett said the most important thing now for members of the LGBT community is to “be a citizen.”

“We cannot only focus on our issues,” Jarrett said. “We have to be our sister’s keeper. We have to be our brother’s keeper. All of our brothers, all of our sisters, and we have to sweep up and use our voice and use our effort, and this balcony is a beautiful sight.

We’re going to take the feeling from this balcony and we’re going to go out in the streets of this great District of Columbia, where we are going to remind everybody what it means to be an American.”

Other speakers included Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality; lesbian comedian Kate Clinton; and Precious Brady-Davis, activist and organizer. Stephanie Rice, musician and contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” performed afterward.

The celebration took place on the same day as the D.C. Pride Parade and days after

former FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that he believed Trump urged him to discontinue the investigation into Michael Flynn — a move that potentially constitutes obstruction of justice.

Asked by the Blade during the event if the Trump administration was what she expected, Jarrett replied, “Frankly, It was hard to know what to expect.”

“I think one of the reasons why I wanted to be here today was to say Pride month is not just about celebrating the enormous progress that we’ve made, but it’s also about recognizing we still have a lot of hard work to go, and it’s no time to let up, and we have to be as committed as ever to bending that arc of the moral universe,” Jarrett added.

Jarrett cautioned “clearly, we could lose ground” and the only way to ensure progress is preserved would be solidarity with the progressive movement.

“The only way we’re not going to lose ground is if we build a big, inclusive tent and we help everybody understand why equality for the LGBTQ community is equality for us all,” Jarrett said.

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BA LT I MO RE N E W S

Baltimore Pride will be held this weekend.

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Stage is set for Baltimore Pride

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Baltimore Pride 2017, dubbed “Pride Unleashed,” will culminate this weekend with the parade and block party on Saturday in the Station North area and on Sunday with the festival in Druid Hill Park. Baltimore Pride, which originated in 1975, is run by the GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB).

A plethora of events and parties have already taken place during “Pride Week” that began on June 9, such as a Pride Bar Crawl, Feeding the Homeless Community Outreach, King & Queen of Pride Revue, Remembering the Pulse victims vigil, Pride Interfaith Celebration, Queer People of Color Party, a GLCCB open house, the mayor’s reception at City Hall, Twilight on the Terrace fundraiser and many others.

This year, the parade on Saturday will not terminate in the Mount Vernon neighborhood as had been the tradition but instead will wind up in the Station North area. It will originate at Charles and Eager streets, and the parade, billed as the longest ever in terms of distance and the number of contingents participating, will proceed north on Charles Street beginning at 2 p.m., traverse North Avenue and end up at 22nd Street.

Prior to the parade at 12:30 p.m., there will be a “pre-Pride extravaganza show” at City Stage (Charles St. and North Ave.) followed by the traditional High Heel Race at the same locale.

The popular block party that will run from 4-10 p.m. has similarly moved a d v i C e • m e d iat i o N • L i t i G at i o N • a P P e a L S • C o L L a B o r at i o N from Mount Vernon. Its footprint is located between 23rd Street on the north (where the Main Stage will be situated at Charles Street) and North Avenue on the south. Morton Street forms the western boundary and St. Paul Street is on the east. Charles Street runs up the center of the footprint.

In addition, there will be a Youth Zone within the area for those between ages 14 and 20 with its own set of entertainers, such as Bunns of Steele, Summer Heights, Damon, Positive Voices and Keyayshia among others.

This year’s block party headliner is Big Freedia, a New Orleans-based rapper FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN and ambassador of Bounce music, known as the Queen of Bounce. Big Freedia ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS is scheduled to perform on the main stage at 9 p.m.

Other scheduled performers include King of Pride, Miss MD P.O.A., Azra, Tara Evans, a show from the Baltimore Eagle’s Nest, Jessica Sutter, Tan Estintric Odom, Coco Wilson, Queen of Pride, George Lovett and more. at tor N e YS at L aw • d C | m d | va On the Dance Stage, scheduled performers are Life on Planets, Carolyn 3 0 1 . 8 9 1 . 2 2 0 0 • S P - L aw. C o m Victorian & DJ Oji, DJ Pope, FAQ, Malphunction, and The OGS. 6 9 3 0 C a r r o L L av e , S u i t e 6 1 0 • ta k o m a Pa r k m d There will also be special parties that night at local gay bars including the Baltimore Eagle, G•A•Y Lounge, Flavor, Grand Central, Leon’s/Steampunk and ADVERTISIN G Drinkery.

PROOF The The Sunday festival at Druid Hill Park is typically more subdued than the block ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com) party and welcoming to families with its Family Zone. An innovation this year is REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of an Elder Tent for older LGBT folks and allies to hang out. the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts NS omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is Visitors will meander through the festival visiting a multitude of vendors responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users GN can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or EVISIONS representing shops, organizations and political groups as well as enjoying the any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair /LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE food and beverages.

SIONS washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the Pride-goers sit on grassy areas at various locations to soak up the entertainment liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. on the Main Stage, the Dance Stage, and the Lady Lisa Drag Stage that features and warranties. local drag performers.

Some of the performers include Girl Named Chuck, Pretty Boi Drag, Moo Jack, Rue Pratt, Black Asset, Ultra Nate as well as DJ Deezy, DJ Alex Funk, DJ Figment, DJ Powerline and DJ Cover.

Noting its significance, Mimi Demissew, co-executive director of the GLCCB, says, “Baltimore Pride is indeed one of the greatest celebrations of SGL/LGBTQ culture held in our city. Equally important, Baltimore Pride helps the Center stay open to continue serving its Baltimore and Central Maryland residents.”

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J U N E 16, 2017 • 17

No Justice No Pride demands unrealistic, some say CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06

these issues and whether concerns were brushed aside and if Capital Pride was given a reasonable amount of time to address their concerns this year.

“I can honestly say that we as a team, and I’m speaking as a board member of Capital Pride, we are working as a team to better all or at least most of the issues they’re protesting,” Wanzer said. “But it can’t be done overnight.

It’s an ongoing effort and we are taking steps and working on it.”

Wanzer said she finds it interesting that No Justice seemed to have no issue with Transgender Pride this year.

“The fact that there even is a Transgender Pride doesn’t fit their narrative, so they just ignored that,” she said.

Sgt. Brett Parson of D.C. Metro Police, a long-time spokesperson for the department, said no arrests were made because “it was a peaceful event,” he wrote in an e-mail to the Blade.

“As long as a First Amendment assembly is peaceful, MPD makes every effort to facilitate that expression of rights while also ensuring the safety and security of the community,” he said.

Talarico said that’s not true.

“I was not surprised but I was very disappointed at the way several folks, mostly cis, white gay men, were treating the activists,” she said. “We had bottles chucked at us, trash dumped on us, I got punched, shoved, kicked and spit at. We brought our own de-escalators. We came peacefully and with people trained to make sure this would be a non-violent protest.”

In a post-parade official statement, Capital Pride organizers said they were “troubled by reports that some onlookers responded to the protesters with verbal and physical harassment.”

There’s also confusion as to the degree to which GetEQUAL, an advocacy group that fights for LGBT issues “through confrontational but non-violent direct action” is intertwined with No Justice No Pride. GetEQUAL Director Angela Peoples has been active with No Justice. Talarico said the two groups have been working together.

“We really respect them and love working with them,” Talarico said. “I definitely commend them for all the help they gave us. I would say they are a very good group.”

But as to rumors GetEQUAL may be behind similar protests in other cities, Talarico said she had no knowledge of such actions. Peoples did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We are aware of actions that have happened in Tel Aviv, in Boston, Pittsburgh and we know that there are actions being planned in Philadelphia, New York, somewhere in

Washington and in San Francisco. Some of those folks have been reaching out to us asking for tips, advice and support.”

Talarico said she is unaware of any single group spearheading the efforts, though.

“Some of the narrative we’ve been pushing seems to be resonating with people across the country on their own issues and I think a lot of the grievances are shared,” she said. “A lot of these Prides have a lot of corporations that are trying to exploit trans and queer youth and a lot of those grievances are shared. I would like to see a lot of these cities work tightly with their local communities that are under attack and address their own grievances.”

Another recurring theme in some of the No Justice criticism is that the group has lost sight of who the real enemy is. Renna, a longtime activist who formerly worked with GLAAD and was around during the ACT UP AIDS protests in the ‘80s, says she’s never seen the LGBT community at this level of internal conflict before.

“We’ve certainly had disagreement in terms of tactics, but it’s just a bit heartbreaking to feel like people are now attacking other people personally and that has not happened in the past. There’s been such a complete lack of any benefit of the doubt or any sense of community negotiation that both sides understand in terms of the bigger picture and trying to do things realistically. Some of these demands are so overreaching and just not true.”

Deacon Maccubbin, who started Capital Pride in D.C. in 1975, said No Justice’s actions show ignorance of Pride history and are a disservice to the trans and LGBT people of color who enjoy the parade annually.

“There were so many disappointed people at the parade,” he wrote in an online post to a GetEQUAL social media comment that he gave the Blade permission to reprint. “There were kids of all colors and gender expressions who practiced for weeks to make their contingents, their dance routines, their signs and placards be something they could be proud of. Shame on you. There were huge numbers of people of color, joy visible on their faces, their voices strong and proud. … You stomped on their day of celebration. You had no consideration for what they may have gone through to be there and what sacrifices they may have made just to survive until 2017. …

Today’s action was a total fail. There was nothing to be proud of in it.”

Capital Pride organizers said they will continue to “encourage a robust, civil and healthy conversation within the community about all of the issues that impact us … in the days, weeks and months ahead.”

Michael Key and Lou Chibbaro Jr. contributed to this report.

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An inspirational weekend Parade protest, Equality March serve as reminders of work ahead

KEVIN NAFF is editor of the Washington Blade and can be reached at knaff@washblade.com.

Pride weekend in D.C. served as a powerful reminder of the work ahead for the LGBT movement on several fronts.

The Saturday parade was interrupted twice by No Justice No Pride protesters who want Capital Pride to rethink their corporate sponsors, to ban police from the parade and to diversify its board.

Whatever your view of that group and its demands, their actions to disrupt the parade recall the very origins of Pride itself in protesting police harassment at the Stonewall Inn. Some contingents were delayed as police re-routed the parade around the protests but it remained a peaceful protest and no arrests were re-

ported.

No Justice No Pride claims Capital Pride organizers have rebuffed their requests for changes to the celebration, which triggered their protest. While we ought to encourage and applaud the D.C. police for both participating in the festivities and for protecting them, there have been legitimate concerns raised about some of Capital Pride’s corporate sponsors. And Capital Pride organizers are listening and have pledged to review the vetting process for 2018’s celebration, a welcome move.

Following No Justice No Pride’s actions on Saturday, many angry parade spectators took to social media to denounce the group. Again, regardless of what you think of their tactics, it’s unfortunate that members of our own community had to resort to civil disobedience just to be heard. Part of “resisting” the Trump administration’s attacks on all that is civil must be that we stick together. Make no mistake that this president seeks to divide and conquer.

His supporters would revel in news that divisions within the LGBTQ community somehow ruined Pride. When this administration invokes the Pulse massacre, it’s not to sympathize with us, rather it’s to stoke division and suggest LGBTQ Americans should fear Muslims and support E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

Trump’s unconstitutional travel ban.

And so the parade served as a reminder of the work ahead within the community to address issues that were pushed to the backburner during the years of fighting for marriage equality, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and other marquee issues.

Sunday brought the Equality March, another reminder of our work ahead. Organizers estimated up to 80,000 joined the march, which proceeded past the White House to the National Mall on a blisteringly hot day. Cries of “lock him up” and “this is what democracy looks like” rang out sporadically. There were some shortcomings. The crowd wasn’t as fired up as you might expect; the heat sapped many who dispersed at the end of the route rather than stick around to hear the speeches. Perhaps more would have stayed to listen if some bigger names had been brought in to fire up the crowd.

Mainstream media coverage seemed scant, a missed opportunity for greater awareness of our issues.

But the sight of all those proudly out LGBTQ people and our allies marching together proved stirring and inspirational. Let’s hope the younger generation is moved to action. After growing up during eight years of the supportive and pioneering Obama administration, that generation is now grappling with the crushing disappointment of the election result and the attacks of a hostile White House.

What a difference a year makes. Last year, many of us were celebrating eight years of progress at Obama’s final White House Pride reception. This year, many of those Obama officials, including former top adviser Valerie Jarrett, gathered on a steamy D.C. bar rooftop to hear speeches and reminisce about the good old days at a party on Saturday.

As a remarkable Pride season comes to a close, a few acknowledgments. First, to our hard-working Blade staff for pulling off comprehensive coverage of the festivities and for organizing and selling a series of successful events, including the launch of our Pride Pils beer in conjunction with DC Brau. Thanks also to the hilarious Kate Clinton, whom we hosted at a special performance on Friday night. A big thank-you also to our advertisers and sponsors; without their support none of this would be possible.

That’s a wrap on another Pride season.

Can we nap now?

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V I E W PO I N T

JUNE 16, 2017 • 19

Misguided attacks on Capital Pride Don’t tear down our celebration to fix a few flaws

By DEACON MACCUBBIN The group “No Justice No Pride” seems to have chosen the right name, as they appear to have neither. More importantly, they lack both historical context and forward-looking vision.

In 1971, police in D.C. and elsewhere were notoriously anti-LGBT (actually more anti-gay, since they largely ignored the other members of our community to concentrate on gay men). The fledgling Gay Activists Alliance (now the GLAA) had tried for nearly two years to schedule a meeting with the D.C. police chief to talk about the harassment, arrests, abuse and even blackmail being practiced by “D.C.’s Finest” but the chief refused to meet with LGBT people.

So a group of about a dozen staged a sit-in in the police chief’s office and, after occupying the office for about five hours, a smaller group of three — Bill Bricker, Cade Ware and myself — agreed that we

would be arrested, the first arrests for LGBT civil disobedience in Washington.

When we went to trial some weeks later, we pled nolo contendere, since we knew we were guilty, but it gave us an opportunity to explain to the judge how long we had tried to get a meeting with the police, how we had been stymied in that, and why we had decided that civil disobedience was our only option. After deliberation, the judge returned and said, “Because you pled nolo contendere, I have no choice but to find you guilty. But if I had been in your position, I’d probably have done the same thing. No fine. No jail time. You are free to go.” Two weeks later, the police chief agreed to meet with us.

And that began a process. It started with communication, spread into the adoption of new training for police recruits (training that members of the LGBT community helped conduct), then spread to better screening of new recruits, to more inclusive direction by subsequent police chiefs, to the establishment of a Civilian Complaint Review Board and, eventually, to the creation of the LGBT

Liaison Unit. LGBT victims of crime are now assisted by openly LGBT and LGBTsupportive police officers.

Are there still some officers who fail to live up to the standards we and their chief expect? Of course there are; in any group of thousands, there will always be a few bad officers. But the overwhelming majority of D.C.’s police force do their job without prejudice. By all means, keep up the oversight, continue to push for removal of those few bad officers, but at the same time, welcome those LGBT officers and those supportive officers to march with us, to celebrate with us, to continue to make progress in respecting all LGBT people in Washington.

There is merit in Pride looking closer at which corporate sponsorships are appropriate, but the executive board of Pride has already agreed to do that. As the founder of D.C.’s annual Pride Day event in 1975 and the sole sponsor of the event for the first five years, I have always been in favor of melding both political and social aspects in the celebration. It’s a time to celebrate our victories as well as to push for

continued progress. For every commercial booth that lines Pennsylvania Avenue (and provides the bulk of the funding for the event), there are non-profit and activist booths offering Pride attendees ways to get involved. “No Justice No Pride” would be wise to participate there, too.

As for the call to remove members of Capital Pride’s executive board, that’s an insult to those who have dedicated so much time and effort to the community.

If you look at their bios, you’ll see that they cross most gender and racial lines and they have long histories of work in LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations. Likewise, the Pride staff demonstrates that ALL are welcome to the effort.

Staging the parade, the block party, the entertainment, the parties, the workshops and all the other activities surrounding Pride is a huge undertaking. If you’ve read this far, consider volunteering to make it all even better. Just don’t tear it down in the process.

DEACON MACCUBBIN is the former owner of Lambda Rising and the founder of D.C.’s original Pride event in 1975.

I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON

HRC and Planned Parenthood rescue Equality March Thank you for helping to fund the resistance

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Two organizations deserve thanks for stepping up to the plate in a big way to help make Sunday’s Equality March for Unity and Pride the rousing success it was. The Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood came across with big donations and guarantees to allow us to pay for everything. That included portable toilets, the stage, the cost of covering the mall, hiring the organization that helped with the basics such as helping to secure the final permits, organizing volunteers, arranging security and ensuring the event would be accessible for those with a disability.

Months ago, David Bruinooge, who first

proposed the march on Facebook, was joined by a small group of activists who spent countless hours working hard on this event. They chose the co-chairs and did the work to determine the platform and program. The group working with David included, among others, Anika Simpson, Ashley Smith, Khadijhah Tribble, Marvin Bowser, Jose Plaza, Ted Jackson, Sue Doster, Layha Spoonhunter, Robert York, Ryan Bos, Daryl Levine and Chris Dyer.

They kept in mind the goal of ensuring this remained a grassroots event.

But the closer we came to the march it became clear the grassroots weren’t raising enough to pay for it. The Human Rights Campaign was the only one of our national LGBTQ+ organizations willing to front the needed money. Until the week before the march none of them even sent out dedicated emails to their constituents talking about the march and directing them to the official website where they could have donated. The thousands who came and marched in D.C. had no idea that until two weeks before the march the money to pay for the basics wasn’t there. The money for the rally and stage wasn’t guaranteed until the week before the march.

There are many reasons for this. The major one is the fear of some in the

LGBTQ+ community that corporations and our national organizations have too much control and don’t represent us fully on every issue. Some still would insist on a purity of purpose in anyone who participates, which leads them to overlook some of the history of our movement and of other movements that have fought for civil and human rights.

It is not unusual that allies in any movement don’t conform to every nuance of the movement. The corporate world has become a needed and strong ally necessary to our progress. We fought decades to get major corporations to lead the way espousing diversity and practicing what they preach. Today, the success of our community in some fights such as North Carolina and Indiana wouldn’t have been possible without them. Our national organizations are by nature political. They deal with the world the way it is, not the way we would like it to be. Sometimes that leads to making decisions not acceptable to all in our community. I stand second to no one in having criticized a number of them. But despite that it is important to recognize why they must be there and remain strong.

As a cisgender white male in no way can I feel what some in our community feel or deal with every day. The slights I

face as a gay white male can never compare to what my African-American LGBT friends, or a Latina transgender woman, face every day. But we can and do fight together for all our rights.

It was heartening that for the Equality March for Unity and Pride we all joined hands; African American, white, Latino, Asian, gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, questioning, two spirit and everyone who may self-identify in another way. For at least one day we were able to blend and raise our voices demanding equality, full civil and human rights for all.

Looking out at the crowd it was inspiring to see we were joined by allies. The straight community; immigrants fighting for their rights, women still fighting for their rights, men who understand their world will be better when everyone is equal; all speaking out for us as we must speak out with and for them. John Donne wrote the poem “No Man is an Island.”

That is truer today than ever before. We are all under attack by an administration and a congress with few morals and less understanding of what decency and equality are. We must stand together and ‘resist’ and the Equality March for Unity and Pride was a beautiful and inspirational part of the resistance.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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VIEWPOINT

Capital Pride’s defense of Wells Fargo shows we are for sale Bank’s unethical actions should preclude involvement in Pride

By ALEX MORASH What is the meaning of Pride? Does Pride stand for something? Important questions for Pride as many in our society question ourselves, our culture and our elected leaders. The Washington Blade’s recent interview with a Wells Fargo executive in response to calls that the bank be removed from Washington, D.C.’s Pride parade and Capital Pride’s defense of this corporate sponsor certainly shows us how they view what Pride is: Pride is for sale.

The Blade’s May 31 interview with E.J. Bernacki, Wells Fargo’s vice president for corporate responsibility communications, discussed calls from the activist group No Justice No Pride that the bank

be removed from Pride because the bank helped to finance the Dakota Access Pipeline and private prisons. Important issues, but what was so surprising was Capital Pride defending Wells Fargo in the piece, and ignoring the indefensible actions of Wells Fargo that recently came to light.

Wells Fargo’s lending practices are important issues, but let’s not forget that last September Wells Fargo was fined $100 million by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) after the agency uncovered the company had opened up to 2 million fraudulent accounts. Former employees have accused the company of creating a culture that encouraged fraud with unrealistic sales goals that if employees did not meet would result in termination. When this scandal came to light, Wells Fargo’s first response was not to take ownership but instead to blame its front line workers and fired over 5,000 of them. This January, Sen. Elizabeth Warren described the company’s actions

bluntly that Wells Fargo had worked their employees to the “breaking point” for the purpose of stealing from their customers — an appalling and indefensible act.

None of this seemed to bother Bernie Delia, the president of Capital Pride, who the Blade reported felt criticism of the bank “overlooked” that Wells Fargo has an LGBT nondiscrimination policy, and praised the bank. This also was not the first time Capital Pride defended the bank. Capital Pride’s executive director, Ryan Bos, made a similar defense of Wells Fargo during a community meeting in May. These defenses are nonsensical, a company not actively discriminating against its LGBT workers is not praiseworthy; it is a basic standard to be expected — just as one would expect a bank not to charge customers for financial services they didn’t ask for.

Wells Fargo’s actions are indefensible, nevertheless, Capital Pride kept trying and why it did shows us that in their view

Pride and our community are for sale.

Capital Pride admits the bank is a gold sponsor that has given at least $15,000 in donations and in-kind contributions.

Capital Pride’s continued defense of Wells Fargo has nothing to do with celebrating our community, it is a blatant money grab. It is appalling that Capital Pride would lower itself in this way and shows why Pride celebrations cannot have corporate sponsors. Their recent actions are a signal to every major bank or large company that if they write a check, Capital Pride will stand with them, regardless of a company’s prior bad acts.

When I wrote in The Advocate that Pride had become too much about big business I understood Pride was for sale, I just didn’t realize it would be this cheap.

ALEX MORASH is a writer on economic issues based in Washington, D.C., and serves as a vice president of the Gertrude Stein Democrats.

Follow on Twitter @AlexMorash.

VIEWPOINT

Capital Pride gets around the block An annual celebration overcomes disruption

There is nothing constructive in NJNP and GetEqual abusing people they expect to work with.

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

“Get off the phone!” a friend in the crowd called out, smiling, as I live-tweeted the Capital Pride parade on June 10 from atop an open-air car passing the Argentine Embassy on New Hampshire Avenue.

The network was overloaded, so I took pictures to post later (@RickRosendall).

Few places are lovelier than Washington on a sunny June day. Being in the parade, swanning about and waving a rainbow flag from my perch (I was honored as one of this year’s Pride Heroes), I saw the efficient and gracious efforts of countless volunteers, in addition to the many law enforcement officers who guarded us and facilitated rerouting us when the official route was blocked by protesters from No Justice No Pride and GetEqual.

This was matched by large, festive, supportive crowds. At one point some people worked up a chant for me.

As we waited at 16th and P to be rerouted around Scott Circle, volunteers from Foundry United Methodist Church, an affirming congregation where the Clintons worship when they are in town, brought us trays of water and lemonade. As we turned south onto 16th Street, shirtless young men took in the sun. Ahead of us were the statue of Gen. Scott and, behind him, the north portico of the White House in the distance. There were no crowds beneath the shade trees on Rhode Island Avenue as we made our way east to 14th Street. I thanked the police officers I passed, wanting them to know that, unlike the protesters, I was glad they were there.

As I walked south on 14th Street after reaching the end of the parade route, the police contingent passed by and was cheered by the crowd. There is a disconnect between the protesters and the vast bulk of the LGBT community. NJNP dismissed Capital Pride supporters as white cis men, but it was a diverse crowd. In front of my car a mixed-race lesbian couple made out

to amuse the crowd, and another honoree two cars ahead, outspoken black trans and HIV/AIDS activist Dee Curry, danced.

A banner held by the protesters declared their opposition to prisons, pipelines, and deportations. As evening came, the protesters, whom police had not arrested, blockaded the Lockheed Martin and Wells Fargo contingents.

Every generation has its passion. But we need more than that. We need engagement, expertise and nuanced judgment.

The radicals’ caricature-drenched attacks on police and corporations fail by these criteria. One of their problems is their static, monolithic views. After the electoral debacles of 2000 and 2016, it should be clear that the major parties are not interchangeable. But ideological purists reject anything short of their view of perfection.

That is a recipe for remaining powerless in Congress and the White House.

Michael Petrelis, a former D.C. resident living in San Francisco and a radical in his own right, wrote on Facebook: “I find it

quite hypocritical of GetEqual ... to have taken a robust six-figure sum years ago from the gay heir to the Progressive Insurance fortune, and played a key role in getting DADT repealed. They wanted to get gays in the military, yet they have issues with gay cops? Something’s not quite right with their thinking. I found their list of demands to be obnoxious and unreasonable.” If you are too obnoxious for Mike, you might have a problem.

At the Pride brunch earlier Saturday, my friend Craig Howell, another former Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance president, told me, “You can never appease totalitarians of whatever stripe.” There is nothing constructive in NJNP and GetEqual abusing people they expect to work with. But that’s just it: they want capitulation, not cooperation. Walter Olson of the Cato Institute wrote on Facebook, “Capital Pride should reject the absurd demands of the disrupters out of hand and without negotiation, both because they are absurd, and because it is wrong to yield to intimidation tactics.”

A corollary of Howell’s dictum is that you cannot reason with unreasonable people. For me the day was summed up neatly in the evening when a small group chanting “No police in Pride!” marched below my window, escorted by officers of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Copyright © 2017 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

JUNE 16, 2017 • 21

#DCHousingExpo2017

Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents

9th Annual DC Housing Expo & Home Show Saturday June 24, 2017 | 10 am - 3 pm Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Mt. Vernon Place NW

This FREE, ONE STOP SHOP offers resources for homeowners, homebuyers, small businesses, tenants and landlords: 

Learn about First Time Homebuyers Programs.



Research Affordable Housing Options.

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Hear about Ways to Grow Your Small Business.



Attend an Inclusionary Zoning Orientation.



Take Advantage of FREE Credit Reports and Credit Counseling.

Register at dchousingexpo2017.eventbrite.com.

For more details call 202-442-7200 or visit dhcd.dc.gov/2017expo.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

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W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

From the Academy Award-winning playwright behind Moonlight.

B E G I N S J U LY 1 2

WIG OUT! I N A N U P D AT E D V E R S I O N B Y TA R E L L A LV I N M c C R A N E Y DIRECTED BY KENT GASH When Eric falls for the handsome Wilson on the subway, he doesn’t know what he’s in for. Because Wilson is also Nina, a rising drag star in The House of Light, and when a competing house calls a ball for midnight, Eric is drawn into battle. Part turf war, part pageant, all conquest, Wig Out is a mesmerizing trip into the heart of African-American drag ball culture by way of Ovid, Jay-Z, and Destiny’s Child. It's a dazzling spectacle about the timeless desires to be desired, find your home, and dominate anyone who throws you shade.

CALL 202.332.3300 OR VISIT STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG

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VOLUME

EUAN MORTON as Hedwig in ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch.’

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PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

Revisiting ‘Hedwig’ CONCERT-STYLE PUNK MUSICAL OFFERS STILL-HEADY TRANS STORYLINE

By PATRICK FOLLIARD Two of the best musicals to come out of the 1990s were “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” memoir meets rock concert, and “Rent,” a modern take on Puccini’s “La Bohème” exploring a year in the life of bohemian friends living in New York’s Alphabet City.

Both enduring works feature unforgettable genderqueer characters. And now tours of both shows are overlapping in D.C. Out actor/writer/director John Cameron Mitchell wrote “Hedwig’s” book and created the title role off Broadway in 1998. Composer Stephen Trask supplied the hard-driving score. Hedwig’s back story is riveting: Wannabe glam rock star undergoes botched gender reassignment surgery to escape East Germany for America. And that’s not that half of it. In a night, Hedwig reminisces via songs backed by the hard-rocking band the Angry Inch, and inimitably fills in the gaps.

Mitchell developed the Hedwig character in downtown New York clubs. He’s said that Hedwig is not a trans woman, but a genderqueer character. “She’s more than a woman or a man. She’s a gender of one and that is accidentally so beautiful.”

A successful revival of “Hedwig” opened on

Broadway in 2014 and currently acclaimed actor Euan Morton is playing the title role in that production’s national tour. With his gorgeous soaring tenor, Morton arguably has the finest voice of the actors who’ve donned Hedwig’s wild blonde wig (a heady roster that in addition to Mitchell includes Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rennells, Darren Criss, Taye Diggs and D.C.’s own Rick Hammerly who won a Helen Hayes Award for his efforts).

“The score is definitely an odd combo and ballads and rock songs and requires some serious vocal acrobatics,” Morton says. “The day following a performance, I can barely speak which means I can no longer sing in the shower which is one of my favorite things.

I really have to be careful, but it’s worth it — anything for the pleasure of performing this role.”

It’s fair to say he’s fallen in love with part.

“To be honest, I first really got a handle on the part when I was cast and sent to the script,” he says. “When I sat down and actually read the script, I wasn’t sure this was something for me, but I’m up for a challenge. We’re brought up being told where our box end. It’s good to go outside that box every now and then.”

Morton received a Tony Award nomination for his sensational portrayal of ‘80s icon Boy George in “Taboo.” And while playing Boy George prepared Morton to wear a lot of makeup and some wild outfits, he says that’s where it ends. No past part or any other actor’s interpretation of the role has influenced his take on the part.

“She is strong, aggressive, sexy and has led a very large life. Hedwig takes the actors who play her and molds them and uses them for her ends and not the other way around. It’s a not a character you can force. I’ve taken my cues from Hedwig.”

Morton, 39, didn’t do extensive research prior to joining the tour in November.

“My entire life has been an investigation into all things transgender. I was lucky enough to leave home when I was very young. And have been living and working with cisgender, transgender, non-binary gays and straights ever since. I’ve experienced this story through life. I’ve seen and can empathize but never really know what this is — the years of questioning and the pain. But I hope our tour can be for those on the journey to see people like themselves on stage.”

Born in Scotland, Morton left home early to study theater in London. Career highlights include Broadway’s “Taboo” and the lead in Ford’s Theatre production of “Parade” for which he deservedly snagged a Helen Hayes Award. Morton is married to theater producer Lee Armitage and their son is Iain Armitage the adorable boy theater critic who’s currently embarking on a big acting career. In March, CBS announced that it had ordered to series “Young Sheldon,” a prequel to the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” starring young Armitage as the title character.

Morton says “Hedwig’s” concert feel is part of what makes it work.

“She spends an hour and forty minutes talking directly to the audience. She’s doing her thing present day which allows me to bring in some Trump jokes. There’s no division between what’s happening and the audience.

If you want to be part of the art rather than just an observer than come see the show.”

Out actor David Merino is currently making his professional debut playing Angel in the 20th anniversary tour of “Rent.” Merino CONTINUES ON PAGE 32

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R LE E CRO MW E LL

LEE CROMWELL

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

Since I was 16 and my parents. I wrote them a letter because I was scared to say it in person, but they were great about it.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Over a 10-year period, CulturalDC’s Source Festival has developed and produced about 250 new plays, employed 1,100 artists from all over the country and performed for more than 16,000 viewers.

Running through July 2, this year’s festival offers “Perfect Arrangement,” set in a Georgetown duplex in 1950 in which two married, opposite-sex couples live next door to each other. They’re all gay but use their marriages and living arrangements to hide. The piece by Topher Payne won a 2017 Lambda Literary Award.

The festival is also offering six “best of” 10-minute plays, readings of three full-length plays, six new 10-minute plays and two artistic “blind dates,” which could be anything.

Associate Producer Lee Cromwell says the festival offers a rare chance to see “thematic work explored dramatically.”

“Even though D.C. is a good city for theater professionals, there’s always a need for artists new or recent to D.C. to make art and connections,” the 35-year-old Harrington, Del., native says. “The festival is a great way to try out new formats of art or to spend an evening laughing and discovering a new world.” Full details on the festival are online at sourcefestival.org. Productions are held at Source (1835 14th St., N.W.).

Cromwell, who came to Washington three years ago to be “back on the East Coast” after a stint in grad school in Indiana, works several part-time gigs in theater, music and education. He’s single and lives in Petworth. He enjoys Mall walks, Netflix binges and, of course, the performing arts in his free time.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Fran McDaniel, a mentor from my undergrad. The first person who helped me see how being gay is a part of my most authentic self.

What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?

I used to love Apex when I would visit.

Number 9 is pretty great. But I’ll enjoy anyplace with good food/drink and a nice rooftop view.

Describe your dream wedding.

In October, because I want photos taken with the changing leaves and to not be too hot in a tux. I also would like tons of music, both in the ceremony and at the reception.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

Support for the arts and artists. Those are two very different issues that often get jumbled together.

What historical outcome would you change?

I would change political elections, local and national, that were won through fear, intimidation and false narratives.

What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

Watching the musical “Hamilton” became a part of the greater pop culture.

On what do you insist?

Being on time, open communication and always trying to find humor in this crazy life.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

Other than press/marketing for the Source Festival, my latest posts have been YouTube music links.

If your life were a book, what would the title be?

“Passion With a Side of Humility” (or some spin on the juxtaposition of being passionate

and driven vs. the idea of humility and working collaboratively).

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

I don’t think it is changeable, but if that ever happens I would fight to make sure that it is never used for harm.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

I believe in a greater spiritual presence, but one that is not easy to define or explain.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

To serve the LGBTQ communities is to appeal to a broad range of perspectives; honoring all different types of humanity is much more complicated, but in the end, more valued and appreciated.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

People I believe in. I’m fiercely loyal to those closest to me.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

That we get locked into way too many judgments purely by our body type and physicality.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

Too many to list. “The Birdcage” comes to mind first.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Asking “How are you?” when people don’t care or take the time to really listen to the response.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Writing this on the weekend of the Tony Awards in New York brings that to mind. But it’s usually other performers or plays that I champion that I want to win accolades.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That it’s OK to start on a journey and not know the destination.

Why Washington?

The vibe of this city is unlike any other I’ve known and I feel like I fit here.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T HE ATER

J U N E 16, 2017 • 25

Brassy ballet Out choreographer calls Chamber Dance Project ‘contemporary dance at its finest’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD In an airy white rehearsal studio in Northwest Washington, Luis R. Torres smiles through the sweat. He laughs as he easily switches from Spanish to English teaching two young male dancers their parts for a piece in Chamber Dance Project’s upcoming fourth-season program “Ballet, Brass & Songs.”

“It’s work but there’s a lot of joy in the process,” says Torres, 42. He first danced with the company and now is its ballet master.

His duties include restaging choreography, rehearsing the dancers and ensuring pieces have the right count, musicality and style. Today he’s restaging the New Orleans-inspired “Rue Noir” by New York choreographer Jennifer Archibald.

Founded by choreographer Diane Coburn Bruning, Chamber Dance Project is a company of professional artists dedicated to redefining contemporary ballet in partnership with live music played by visible musicians sharing the stage. Their upcoming performance takes place at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s vast Sidney Harman Hall, giving the ingenious and thrilling company the opportunity to perform for their largest audience to date.

Torres, who is gay, first connected with the company’s artistic director Bruning when he was completing a master’s degree at George Mason University. He restaged some of her choreography after having seen the piece on video. Bruning was mightily impressed. Soon after, she asked Torres to dance in her male duet “Exit Wounds,” a piece first performed early in Chamber Dance Project’s meteoric four-year tenure, and then hired him as the company’s ballet master.

“Luis is brilliant at what he does,” Bruning says. “He allows me to focus on the choreography while he takes care of the mechanics. He’s the master of all things related to dancers partnering. He’s the skeleton behind my ideas. It’s been a great collaboration.”

“Ballet Brass & Song” features the premiere of “Songs by Cole”, a ballet with a live jazz trio performing the beloved music of Cole Porter; sultry tangos of Sur by Argentinean choreographer Jorge Amarante; and the soaring athleticism of the poignant male duet “Exit Wounds” by Diane Coburn Bruning; and the aforementioned “Rue Noir.” The onstage music includes the company’s string quartet, Mosche Brass Band and a jazz trio led by acclaimed singer Lena Seikaly.

“The Cole Porter piece is a reaction to a contemporary driving work I did last

PHOTO COURTESY CDP

LUIS TORRES says being gay informs his artistic endeavors as a dancer and choreographer.

season,” Bruning says. “It was time for me to do something on the lighter side. But I also wanted to include his wit and incisive intelligence.”

For Torres, Chamber Dance Project is a month of intense rehearsal leading up to its annual program, but the job also entails promotions and the various events throughout the year. Torres is also an adjunct professor at George Mason University and a guest teacher and choreographer in many locations around town, and he is a company member and ballet master at the Washington Ballet. Before the Washington Ballet, he was a soloist with Ballet Theatre of Maryland in Annapolis, Md., and performed soloist and principal roles with Ballet Arizona.

He says restaging other choreographers’ work never gets old.

“To keep it fresh I go to the music. I love music. It’s the main reason I dance and I want to translate that excitement. Chamber Dance Project is contemporary dance at its finest.

We invite dancers with top-notch classical training who are interested in exploring space and movement to the next dimension with live music. Our dancers may be on point or wearing sneakers or cowboy boots.

It’s my time to think outside the box and to create a new image or feeling. I’m explaining to dancers how to approach the work and break through despite misgivings they have.”

After a several years he was awarded a scholarship to Point Park University in Pittsburgh where he trained under Roberto Munoz who was to become Torres’ longtime mentor.

June 22–24 | Concert Hall Steven Reineke, conductor With the Choral Arts Society of Washington From a galaxy far, far away to the magical Hogwarts, John Williams’s scores have transported moviegoers for decades.

Journey through a catalogue of music composed by the most Oscar®-nominated man alive, including an all-Star Wars second half celebrating the franchise’s 40th anniversary.

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Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400. � CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM ‘BALLET, BRASS & SONG’ June 22-24 Chamber Dance Project Sidney Harman Hall 610 F St., N.W. $30-45 Chamberdance.org

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO. AARP is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2016-2017 NSO Pops Season.

NSO Pops: The Music of John Williams is sponsored in part by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management.

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After ‘Ellen,’ a new perspective on love Local rainbow family launches program to help foster kids with luggage

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While dining at Rosa Mexicana in D.C., Rob and Reece Scheer found themselves interrupted from enjoying an evening out with their four adopted children. A woman sitting nearby hurled comments in their direction that the parents were “destroying” their little boys and “turning them gay.”

“We thought we were the only gay dads in the entire city when we lived there,” Rob says.

Not only are Rob and Reece a samesex couple raising children, but they are also white parents raising black children.

Despite living in the nation’s capital, the community wasn’t as understanding of the blended family as the Scheers would have hoped.

“We were down at the Mall and I had my baby on my shoulders,” Rob says. “My daughter was holding my hand. My other two boys were holding my husband’s hand. We had an African-American couple literally come up to us and say, ‘How dare you take our children? You can’t teach them how to be black.’ I remember looking at the woman and telling her, ‘You’re right I can’t, but I can teach them how to not be an ugly human being which is what you’re being right now.’”

The couple, who met in D.C. 12 years ago and have been married for seven years, originally wanted to adopt only one baby. In 2009 while waiting for a child, they received a request to foster 4-year-old Amaya and her brother, 2-year-old Makai.

The Scheers fell in love with the kids.

Instead of the one baby they were planning on, they decided to make both Amaya and Makai a permanent part of the family. Later that year the Scheers also adopted two brothers, Greyson and Tristan.

When their children arrived, Rob noticed a disturbing sight. They were carrying trash bags filled with their belongings. It was eerily familiar for Rob, who was a child of the foster care system before becoming homeless at 18.

“I carried my trash bag around my senior year of high school. To jump 30 years later and my children arrive at my home and still have trash bags and hear a social worker tell me, ‘It’s just easier.’

I believe we’re all leaders, but as leaders we do not have the option to stand on the sidelines and watch things that are wrong go by,” Rob says.

Rob and Reece decided to take action and their charity, Comfort Cases was born.

The idea was to give foster children real

PHOTO COURTESY THE SCHEERS

The Scheer family. DADS ROB (left) and REECE SCHEER says it took time for their family unit to jell considering what their children had been through.

luggage to put their belongings inside. The luggage would also include a toothbrush, a book, a blanket and a new pair of pajamas.

Comfort Cases started out with helping children in the D.C. area but has since expanded to distributing cases to Texas, Detroit, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Seattle, Tennessee and North Carolina.

So far, Comfort Cases has distributed 25,000 cases. Donations can be made at comfortcases.org.

The Scheers’ good work has been recognized nationwide and even landed the couple as guests on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” DeGeneres gifted Comfort Cases a check for $10,000 and $40,000 in Samsonite luggage. While the couple expected a surprise, they weren’t prepared to be given one of the show’s largest gifts.

“I watch ‘Ellen’ so I knew that something was going to happen. There’s no doubt.

They don’t ask you to come to ‘Ellen’ and you don’t think something is going to happen,” Rob says.

The check was staggering for the Scheers but the luggage made them even more emotional.

“I get choked up thinking about it. That changed so many kids’ life. We take it for granted how a case can change a child,” Rob says.

Amaya who is now 12; Makai, 10; Greyson, 10; and Tristan, 8, are also involved in helping with Comfort Cases.

“My kids realize it is a privilege to be able to give back. People say it’s a responsibility.

No, it’s not a responsibility. Stop patting yourselves on the back. It’s an absolute privilege for us to be able to give back,” Rob says.

The Scheers haven’t just gone to incredible lengths to help foster children but also their own kids. Makai was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Reece began researching ways to help children with the condition. After reading that

animal therapy could cause improvement with the frontal lobe, the couple decided to make a big life decision and bought a farm in Darnestown, Md., in 2011.

“We never once in a thousand years thought we would be milking a goat or taking eggs from a chicken coup much less canning vegetables, but we learned how to do it,” Rob, who admits he and Reece are city boys, says. “Thank God for YouTube and Google.”

Within a weekend of buying the farm, Rob and Reece purchased chickens, ducks and goats. Since moving to the farm, Makai’s improvement has been significant.

“My son Makai has good days and bad days.

Last year for the first time, he’s been with us almost nine years, he looked at me and my husband and said ‘I love you,’” Rob says.

While Rob and Reece are the parents, they say their kids have also taught them plenty. Rob says as a father he’s learned the true meaning of patience and unconditional love. For Reece, he learned a special lesson from raising Makai.

“Because of our son, it’s (inspired me) to look at the world upside down. That you’ll see the world at a different angle,” Reece says.

Both these fatherhood life lessons were recently put to the test when Amaya was featured in American Girl Magazine earlier this year. The story delved into Amaya’s foster care background, finally finding her forever home with Rob and Reece and her family’s charity work. The story was vehemently attacked by the conservative organization One Million Moms.

Suddenly the Scheers found themselves a more public target than they had been inside Rosa Mexicana. Rob was forced to leave work early after receiving calls and emails calling him a faggot. Rob and Reece told the children they would lock their doors, shut the windows and ignore their emails until the incident blew over. � CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Pride Alley premieres at 2017 Awesome Con New feature is spotlight for queer creators and fans

By KEITH LORIA This weekend, Awesome Con returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, promising plenty of fun, excitement and costumes worthy of Fantasy Fest.

At its heart, Awesome Con embraces all aspects of geekdom and pop culture, offering a wide assortment of comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay and more. Special events include discussion panels, costume contests, trivia contests, gaming tournaments, and tons of activities for kids.

A new feature this year is Pride Alley, which involves a dedicated programming track celebrating LGBT comic creators and a special area of its Artist Alley. It will also offer three days of panels and special events.

“Awesome Con is proud of all of our fans, guests, exhibitors and artists and as we started to build this year’s event, we wanted to do more and create a bigger platform to better celebrate and educate D.C.’s LGBTQ community,” says Ben Penrod, founder of Awesome Con. “This is important to us and who we want to be.”

Joey Stern, president and co-founder of Geeks OUT, a non-profit community organization that has been obsessed with making queer geek safe spaces since 2010, was a big part in bringing Pride Alley to life. Stern was the mastermind behind Flame Con, a two-day comic, art, and entertainment expo showcasing creators and celebrities from all corners of LGBT fandom.

“This is a joint venture between Awesome Con and Geeks OUT,” Stern says. “We have been going to Awesome Con now for three years and it’s one of the most accepting and open creative conventions we attend. We developed a relationship with the organizers and through that, we discussed ways to better integrate the LGBTQ presence already there to make it more visible.”

Those who have been to Awesome Con before understand that there’s a lot going on and it’s wall-to-wall people, booths and events, so it’s easy for things to be lost in the crowd.

“If you’re serving a niche market, like primarily making queer art, you want to make sure that people who don’t know about you can find you,” Stern says.

“The same thing goes for panels and

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Last year’s Awesome Con drew enthusiasts of many realms of pop culture and sci-fi.

DentalBug.com

convention at any given time,” says Matthew discussions. You might need to seek it out Levine, LGBT HQ’s director. “We provide a and people may miss out on events they Cosmetic, Implants, Sleep Apnea, Sedation safe space for everybody who is there.” want to see.”

The booth has a superhero background, Pride Alley was created as a way to CALL TODAY • WEEKEND HOURS • MULTILINGUAL offering fun photo opportunities, and will better get LGBT artists and creators in “We believe we can make the play host to the panel, Cosplay Rule 63, front of their fan base as well as open up a dissecting the difficult navigating of genderchance to be discovered by more people. dental experience better.” bent and cross-play cosplay with speakers “We wanted to put ourselves on Jay Justice, Danny Lantern, Les Levi, Jazmine the floor in a way that was clear and Cosplays and Mischief Matthew. noticeable and gives it its own breathing “In addition, we do a LGBT passport space, while also being integrated with program, which acts as a scavenger hunt the convention itself,” Stern says. “It’s part and brochure all in one,” Levine says. of the show, it’s part of the experience, “It lists all the active LGBT cosplayers, yet it’s called out special.” vendors and supporters at the Con, and Numerous interesting and thoughtpeople go around getting their signatures provoking panels are part of Pride Alley, DentalBug Staff 2016-2017 for a chance to win great prizes.” there’s a special T-shirt designed for the LGBT HQ will also sponsor its third occasion and some of the best LGBT PROOF #1 unofficial cosplay ISSUE DATE: 01.13.2017 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: JOE HICKLING (jhickling@washb annual contest at Green artists working today.

Lantern Bar (1335 Green Court, N.W.), “This is unique integration that I hope REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, proof.

June 17. other conventions will think about,” Stern the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts REVISIONS llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is GuestREDESIGN judges include Aaron Paul omnimedia and Mr. says. “You as a queer person who is attending responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or REVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any GreenTEXT Lantern 2017 Danny Lantern. can find it, can see what you’re looking for, copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, “You can’t ask for a better name for but at the same time are not shifted away Jeanette SuhAdvertiser agrees to John or any other right of any person or entity. idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the AD NO REVISIONS Tsaknis DMD washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By s DDS an after party of a comic con than aloss, bar from the rest of the convention.” liability, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees andIndra expenses that may be incurred wash Mustapha by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of Maria or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations paym Hodas DDS, MS and warranties. named Green Lantern,” Levine says.

DDS LGBT HQ will be among those “There are no presumptions. The event exhibiting (booth 1434) featuring its is just so much fun and very tongue-andinfamous LGBT Passport with interactive cheek. It provides the campy atmosphere programming, Kid Riot comics courtesy that people want when they put on of the Demon Hotel, cosplayer/actress/ costumes and go to Awesome Con.” advocate Jay Justice, Mr. Green Lantern 2017 Danny Lantern, and the cosplay and advocate staff of LGBT HQ. AWESOME CON “This is our second year exhibiting and June 16-18 1221 Mass. Ave, NW • 202.628.7979 • (Free Parking) Washington Convention Center our booth is primarily a hub for whatever 703 D Street, NW • 202.628.1288 801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W. interactive LGBT programing happens at the L’Enfant Plaza,SW • Promenade #325 • 202.628.2177 awesome-con.com/pride-alley

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E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade. com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specific events or those with LGBT participants. Recurring events must be re-submitted each time.

TUESDAY, JUNE 20 The “Rent” 20th anniversary tour kicks off at National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $48-103. The show runs through Sunday, June 22. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit thenationaldc.org.

Black Lives Matter hosts its D.C. open house at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ (3845 S Capitol St., S.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. Attendees can discuss project ideas with activists, advocates, artists and other community members. Food and childcare will be provided. Donations are encouraged. Black Lives Matter T-shirts will be sold for $20. For more details, visit facebook.com/blacklivesmatterdmv.

TODAY Reel Affirmations presents a screening of “Kiki” at Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-10 p.m. The documentary follows LGBT youth of color in New York City’s ballroom scene. A catered reception with director Sara Jordeno and a cast member is in the works. Rayceen Pendarvis hosts. General admission tickets are $12. VIP tickets are $25 and include one complimentary cocktail, beer or wine and candy or popcorn. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/events/kiki.

Hampton Roads Pride hosts its sixth annual Pride block party at Norfolk Scope Arena (201 E Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va.) tonight from 7 p.m.-midnight. The circusthemed party will have games, performers and drinks. All ages are welcome but must be 21 to drink. Admission is $10. All proceeds benefit Hampton Roads Pride. For more information, visit hamptonroadspride.org.

Awesome Con kicks off today for a threeday weekend of activities at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Pl., N.W.). The convention will have a Pride Alley filled with LGBT vendors, cosplayers and photo opps. There will also be LGBT and diversity panels. Gay actor John Barrowman will appear. Other guests include David Tennant and Catherine Tate from “Doctor Who,” and comic creator Stan Lee. Admission for Friday is $35, Saturday is $45 and Sunday is $35. Three-day passes are $75. For more details, visit awesomecon.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 17 Lure D.C. hosts Bare, a ladies pride celebration, at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ Rosie and DJ Keenan Orr will spin tracks. DystRucXion Dancers will perform. Cover is $7 before midnight and $10 after. For more information, visit facebook.com/lurewdc.

D.C. Rawhides host Town & Country at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight from 6:3010:50 p.m. An intermediate and advanced two-step lesson will be from 7-8 p.m.

Open dance is from 8-10:50 p.m. Cover is $5. For more details, visit facebook.com/ dcrawhides.

Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.) gives a free docent-led tour of the LGBT graves today from 2-3 p.m.

Guests should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring water. Registration is required. For more information, visit congressionalcemetery.org.

Baltimore Pride kicks off today with numerous events. The High Heel Race starts at 1:30 p.m. on Charles Street. The Youth Zone will be in the Y Not Lot (4 W North Ave., Baltimore) today from 3-8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21 The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge.

No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.

Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, discusses “Gay Travels in the Muslim World” by Michael Luongo, at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St.., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome.

For more information, visit bookmendc. blogspot.com.

THURSDAY, JUNE 22

PHOTO COURTESY SIDE CAR MGMT.

BENDELACREME, an alum of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race” season six, plays the Birchmere on June 22.

Details on the event will be announced.

Pride Unleashed, Baltimore Pride’s block party, will be at the Y Not Lot from 4-10 p.m. Big Freedia headlines the party with a performance at 9 p.m. There will be DJ sets from Life on Planets, DJ Pope, FAQ, Malphunktion and more. Admission is free.

Baltimore Pride Festival is at Druid Hill Park today from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. DJs will include Deep Sugar Residents, Alex Funk, DJ Figment, DJ Powerline and Beast. For more details on Baltimore Pride events, visit baltimorepride.org.

Hampton Roads Pride hosts its Pride Festival at Town Point Park (100 Waterside Dr., Norfolk, Va.) today from noon-7 p.m.

Martha Wash and the Village People will perform. There will also be a silent disco, local LGBT history and walking tour, caricatures, Pride Boat Parade and more.

Admission is free. For more information, visit hamptonroadpride.org.

SUNDAY, JUNE 18 Petworth Citizen (829 Upshur St., N.W.)

hosts a Pride celebration happy hour today from 4-7 p.m. A portion of drink sales will benefit SMYAL. For more information, visit facebook.com/petworthcitizen.

The 18th Street Singers perform their annual spring concert, “The Key of Life,” at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) today at 2 p.m.

The performance will include the D.C. performance of “What Do You Think I Fought for at Omaha Beach?” by Melissa Dunphy.

There will also be a special arrangement performance of “Glory” from the film “Selma.” Early bird tickets are $15. Senior tickets are $10. Student tickets are free. For more details, visit 18thstreetsingers.com.

MONDAY, JUNE 19 Queer Girl Move Night hosts a screening of “Paris is Burning” at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free.

All are welcome. For more information, visit facebook.com/queergrrlmovienight.

Heurich House Museum (1307 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.) hosts Pride in Preservation, an examination of projects aimed at preserving LGBT history, tonight from 6-8 p.m. Speakers include Barbara Little, Patsy Fletcher, Megan Springate, Kathryn Smith and Vincent Slatt. There will also be a cocktail reception. D.C. brewmaster Christian Heurich’s house will be open for viewing during the reception. Tickets are $30. Proceeds benefit Heurich House Museum. For more details, visit facebook.com/heurichhouse.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum BenDeLaCreme brings her show “Inferno-A-Go-Go” to the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29.50. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit birchmere.com.

Camp Variety Cabaret hosts “Queerview Mirror: a Celebration of Queer Artists Through Time,” at the Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St., N.W.) tonight from 7:30-10:30 p.m. The event will honor queer artists of the past and present. Dr. Torcher hosts.

Midori Minx, Carlita Caliente, Tempete La Coeur, Freddy Boi Jonesy and more will perform. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 in cash at the door. A limited number of pay-what-you-can tickets are available online. Doors open at 7 p.m.

For more details, search “Queerview Mirror” on Facebook.

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W/ SARAH BORGES & A FEAST OF SNAKES FRIDAY JUNE

D.C. Shorts offer ‘Laughs’ June 23-24

16

SAT, JUNE 17

MELODIME

W/ WYLDER AND SUNBATHERS SUN, JUNE 18

RONNIE BAKER BROOKS W/ PATTY REESE

MON, JUNE 19

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LIVE: SIRIUS XM’S “BUDDY & JIM RADIO SHOW”

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New Kids play Verizon Center next weekend

TUES, JUNE 20

New Kids on the Block bring their “Total Package Tour” to Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m.

The group will be joined by Paula Abdul who will perform a set of seven of her number one singles. This will be Abdul’s first tour in 25 years. Boyz II Men will also open the show to perform their greatest hits. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $28-183. For more details, visit ticketmaster.com.

FEATURING

W/ SPECIAL GUESTS SCOTT MILLER AND DC MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR ERIC HENNING

MAJOR & THE MONBACKS W/ AZTEC SUN

D.C. Shorts presents “Laughs,” a combination of live comedy acts accompanied by funny short films, at GALA Hispanic Theater (333 14th St., N.W.) June 23-24 with shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Comics performing include Mike Finazzo, Michele Sometimes, Jared Stern, Katherine Jessup, Nate Johnson and Natalie McGill. The short films will be from D.C. Shorts’ film festival. The Laughs Bar will be open for the evening. The 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. showcases will feature different comics and films. General admission is $20. Tickets for both showcases are $30.

For more details, visit laughs.dcshorts.com.

WED, JUNE 21

THE BAND OF HEATHENS W/ REED FOEHL

THURS, JUNE 22

BOKANTÉ

FRI, JUNE 23

FLOW TRIBE

SAT, JUNE 24

START MAKING SENSE

PHOTO COURTESY RPP

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THURS, JUNE 29

AN EVENING WITH LOVE

CANON

Organist Ramirez to play at First Baptist

SUN, JULY 2

BJ BARHAM OF AMERICAN AQUARIUM W/ CHARLEY CROCKETT THURS, JULY 6

PUMPSTATION ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS JESSE ROYAL W/ RAS SLICK FRI, JULY 7

SWEAR & SHAKE W/ CAROLINE ROSE SAT, JULY 8

AN EVENING WITH SUPERFLY

DISCO: A RETRO 70’S DANCE PARTY

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PHOTO COURTESY LA TI DO

La Ti Do celebrates trans artists La Ti Do hosts its annual celebration of transgender artists at Bistro Bistro (1727 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) on Monday, June 26 from 8-10 p.m.

Lady Dane Figeroa Edidi curated and co-produced the event. She will also host the celebration. Guest performers include Marco Monroe, Venus Di’Khadijah Selenite, GoddessX, Samy El-Noury and more. Tickets are $10 in advanced and $15 at the door. Portions of the proceeds will benefit advocate, Monica Stevens.

For more information, visit facebook.com/latidodc.

Organ virtuoso Raul Prieto Ramirez will give a free recital on Sunday, June 18 at 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Washington (1328 16th St., N.W.).

Ramirez, an internationally known touring artist, will perform on the church’s 118-rank Austin organ, one of the largest and most highly regarded pipe organs in the District. It was installed in 2013. Several world-class organists, including Diane Bish and Ken Cowan, have performed at First Baptist.

The Blade called Ramirez a “colossally talented organist” who plays “fearlessly” and “brazenly” in a 2015 review.

A reception featuring the artist will follow the recital.

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Actor says ‘Hedwig’s’ punk score is off-putting to some CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

was born in 1995 just months before “Rent” opened on Broadway in the spring of 1996.

“It’s meaningful for me to be part of this particular tour. To play this character and be part of this story and show at this time in this country is incredible. I’m happy that this is my job. The fact that the show and I are the same age is not lost on me. This story and the characters still resonate strongly.”

Angel is a drag queen and talented drummer who makes her money performing on the street. She and her partner Tom Collins are both dealing with having HIV and very little resources. Angel’s spotlight moment is the high energy number “Today For You Tomorrow For Me” which she sings costumed in a saucy Santa suit.

The tour is Merino’s third time playing Angel. Originally he assayed the role with a group of high school friends who formed their own company in his native Los Angeles. More recently he played Angel in college production at New York University where he was noticed by Broadway casting agents. He’s interrupted his studies to go on the road with the tour.

Merino took time to understand an

era when people were dying from AIDSrelated complications at a terrifying rate.

“I had to fill the gap with research and dive in,” he says. “I had to watch documentaries about covering pop culture and AIDS to figure out it. It wasn’t difficult to modernize Angel. But it was important for me to get across that’s she’s not a frivolous party person. She emanates a lot of love and light. She wasn’t a frivolous person.”

“I’ve never known a person like Angel in my own life. To portray her I had to discover her on my own. Now I work to bring her to the stage and show her to people.”

Coming out was difficult for Moreno.

His family didn’t understand his sexuality or his love for theater. In his teen years, he spent hours secretly watching the screen version of “Rent” again and again.

Within the last several years his family has grown proud and supportive, he says.

And for that Moreno is very grateful.

Not everyone is comfortable with the material “Rent” or “Hedwig.” For Monero, touring with “Rent” through red states during campaign season was poignant.

He felt an obligation to bring the musicals stories to those who valued them and those who had never heard them before.

DAVID MERINO as Angel in ‘Rent.’ The actor was deeply inspired by the film version in his teen years.

PHOTO COURTESY NATIONAL THEATRE

“And it’s not just subject matter,” Morton says. “Hedwig’s score is very punk rock. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

One audience member who left midway famously commented, ‘I thought this was a show about Harry Potter’s owl.’”

Both Morton and Moreno leave their respective tours after Washington.

Moreno plans to finish up his degree at New York University. And Morton says he’s eager to get back to singing Whitney Houston songs in the shower again.

‘HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH’ Through July 2 The Kennedy Center Tickets start at $59 202-467-4600 Kennedy-center.org ‘RENT’ June 20-25 National Theatre 1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Tickets start at $48 800-514-3849 Thenationaldc.com

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PHOTO COURTESY SONY PICTURES

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, center, in ‘Rough Night,’ a raunchy comedy that’s fun at times, but has some pacing and tone issues.

Rough ‘Rough Night’ Gay characters, casting can’t save movie from ‘Broad City’ team

By BRIAN T. CARNEY On one hand, “Rough Night” seems like the standard summer shenanigans movie, a mash-up of “Bridesmaids” and “My Weekend with Bernie.” There’s an out-of-control bachelorette party, some loud sex, a dead stripper, an unconscious stripper, crude jokes and lots of drugs and alcohol.

On the other hand, there’s an admirable display of sexual diversity in both the cast and the script. Two of the five members of the bachelorette party are a former lesbian couple. There’s the wacky swinging bisexual couple (Demi Moore and Ty Burrell) next door; they’re a little creepy, but they serve the purpose of true love. The groom-to-be helps two gay men to hook up. Two of the cast members (Kate McKinnon and Colton Haynes) are openly gay, but play straight characters.

For Hollywood, that’s noteworthy progress.

Written by Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs and directed by Aniello, “Rough Night” is about the wild bachelorette party for Jess (Scarlet Johansson) set up by her rather desperate college friend Alice (Jillian Bell). The party also includes Frankie (Ilana Glazer) and Blair (Zoë Kravitz), who were lovers when they were all in college 10 years ago, and Pippa (Kate McKinnon), Jess’ friend from Australia. They all meet up in Miami at an immaculate beach house owned by one of Jess’ donors (she’s running for state senate).

Hijinks ensue when two strippers show up (one’s not really a stripper). One is Colton Haynes; the other is not. One ends up unconscious. The other ends up dead

and the bridal party decides to dump his body instead of calling the police.

Meanwhile, the bachelor party is a much more subdued affair where Peter (Paul W. Downs) and his groomsmen enjoy a wine tasting led by a droll Daniel Raymont. Their civilized affair is disrupted when a dropped call from Jess leads Peter to think the wedding is off. He decides to “go astronaut” and heads to Miami with boxes of adult diapers and Red Bull (Google Lisa Nowak for more details).

More hijinks ensue, but everything ends up happily at a foam party.

The story is not very believable, which becomes distracting. The accidental murder of the stripper gets written off too quickly and rather lightly. The drug use is wildly exaggerated and doesn’t really fit into the plot. Pippa’s character is awkwardly wedged into the story and McKinnon’s accent veers all over the place.

But more importantly, the movie’s nearly not as funny as it should be. There are a lot of great gags, but the pacing is slack. Some of the acting is great (Glazer and Kravitz are wonderful together and Downs is a riot), but most of the cast members seem to be acting in different movies. The overall tone is uneven, an uneasy blend of raunch and sticky sentimentality. The parts don’t really fit together well.

Despite all of this, fans of the popular show “Broad City” (once a webcast, now part of the Comedy Central line-up) are likely to be big fans of “Rough Night.” After all, Glazer is the creator and star of the show. Downs is a writer and series regular, Aniello has written and directed several episodes. But, unfortunately, their television success hasn’t created movie magic yet. Hopefully, their next movie will be stronger and funnier.

For moviegoers who aren’t fans of “Broad City,” “Rough Night” may be a rough night.

Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image Opening June 16, 2017

The biggest Hollywood star of her time, Marlene Dietrich brought androgyny to the silver screen. Dietrich earned international fame while challenging limited notions of femininity through her lifestyle and fashion.

Marlene Dietrich: Dressed for the Image was organized in cooperation with Deutsche Kinemathek—Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin. This exhibition has been made possible through the generous support of Tom L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia with additional support from the American Portrait Gala Endowment.

Smithsonian

8th and F St. NW • Washington, DC 20001 • npg.si.edu

Marlene Dietrich in “Morocco” by Eugene Robert Richee, 1930. Deutsche Kinemathek—Marlene Dietrich Collection Berlin

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A D V I CE

Forgotten generation?

Gay Boomer feels scorned by marginalized Millennials

MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who works with gay individuals and couples in D.C. All identifying information has been changed for reasons of confidentiality. Have a question? Send it to him via michaelradkowsky.com

MICHAEL, I’m a gay man in my late 60s. And I am heartsick over the message I’ve hearing lately, louder and louder it seems to me, that cis-gendered, middleaged white guys like me are “establishment,” part of the “elite,” not radical enough to be worthy of full citizenship in our community.

I feel like I am being marginalized and rejected by a generation for whose well-being and freedoms I was fighting long before they were born.

Life was very difficult for gay people when I came to D.C. in the early ‘70s coming from a small town where I learned very well as a teenager how it feels to be ostracized, hated and bullied.

I worked for the federal government and was terrified of being found out, as there was a ban on gays and lesbians working for the government the first few years I was here. I remember being afraid to call any of my gay friends from work for fear I’d be “caught.”

Still, I fought to help make things better for our community, volunteering at the gay hotline to help people who were closeted and needed someone to talk to, marching in the Pride parades even though I was scared someone from the office would see me. But all of us knew it was important that people did see us, no matter the consequences.

You can’t know what it was like to be gay back then unless you lived it. I do feel proud that we helped to create the freedoms that we enjoy today. The National March on Washington back in 1979 was an empowering event.

I lost my lover to AIDS in the 1980s back when the federal government didn’t give a damn about a bunch of “fags” dying. I still tear up about all of that, writing this 30 years later.

I lost most of my friends too. Yes, I protested plenty, including the FDA takeover to get some action on drug treatment. And I volunteered as a “buddy” for PWAs for a long time.

That’s why it hurts now to hear that I am not an authentic part of my own community, the community that I’ve worked to help over my whole adult life.

I don’t need gratitude but the judgment and contempt are hard to take.

MICHAEL REPLIES: I wish you had been at the Gay Men’s Chorus concert that I attended a few weeks back. The audience gave a loud, sustained ovation to those attendees who had been at the 1979 March in which you participated.

So, yes — many in the LGBT community are grateful to you and your generation for all the difficult, sometimes dangerous work you did to help make our country so much freer for LGBT folks and are profoundly moved by your bravery and sacrifices.

That said, none of us can get everyone to see the world in the way that we do. As time goes by, newer generations will always see history through their own varied lenses and judgments. And communities — LGBT included — often have a tendency to splinter.

Alas, venom can come with the splintering.

Sure, there are people out there who are going to put you down, minimize or ignore all you’ve done and say you’re just not good

enough to meet their standards. But you don’t have to listen to or agree with them. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Your job is to hold onto your own knowledge of all that you have accomplished so far and to keep believing that your life has been worthwhile. If someone else has a different view, that doesn’t make them right and you wrong.

Please consider that you already know how to do this, because you grew up in a homophobic world and still managed to keep believing in your own worth. You have a lifetime of experience discarding the judgment of others when you know that their judgment is not accurate.

I’d like to make a suggestion: Start speaking in public about your life. A lot of LGBT people would be fascinated to hear from an eyewitness participant to our struggle over the past decades and I sense it would do you some good to share your story and experience our community’s gratitude in person.

I would also like to suggest that if you have not already done so, you record an oral history with the Rainbow History Project, an organization dedicated to collecting and preserving LGBT history in metropolitan Washington. Future generations will want to hear stories like yours.

Take care of yourself, and keep your head high.

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FIAT 124 SPIDER

Top down please!

Latest convertibles well-made, sporty and fun to drive

By JOE PHILLIPS Not everyone looks good in a Speedo, but it’s easy to look great in a convertible. That’s the case with the three ragtops below, which also stir up plenty of wanderlust and envy.

FIAT 124 SPIDER $25,000 Mpg: 26 city/35 highway 0-to-60 mph: 6.8 seconds Chris or Liam Hemsworth? Sometimes it’s hard to choose between hotties. That’s also true for Mazda’s MX-5 Miata, celebrating its silver anniversary this year, and Fiat’s all-new Spider. Both are built on the same platform, with many of the same parts.

Cargo room? Identical. Pricing? Ditto. Even the interior cabins look alike, except for the infotainment systems and steering wheels.

Sure, the Spider is five inches longer, but it’s still itsy-bitsy like a Miata.

The main differences between the two are looks and handling. While the Miata’s recent redo is stunning, this sportster has been toddling around for a quarter century.

The Fiat has a fresher face, even though it trades heavily on its retro roots, especially the long hood and squared-off trunk, which harken back to the original Spider of the 1960s and 1970s. Another plus: the Spider is a tad quieter, thanks to an acoustic windshield and more sound insulation.

And cornering is tighter, too, with the Fiat’s extra 100 pounds helping it hold the road.

In the end, though, opting for a Spider over a Miata is really about selecting a ride that’s brand new versus one that’s tried and true.

VW BEETLE $26,000 Mpg: 24 city/33 highway 0-to-60 mph: 7.3 seconds As if choosing between the Fiat Spider and Mazda MX-5 Miata wasn’t hard enough, there’s the VW Beetle. First

introduced some 80 years ago, this iconic ride remains fresh. That’s because VW keeps reinventing it, such as with this year’s limited-edition #PinkBeetle with Fresh Fuchsia metallic paint and a pinktrimmed interior.

But pink or not, this softtop is a fun and surprisingly sporty ride. It hugs corners and handles potholes better than expected. And the bolstered seats feel like they were built for a luxury sports car.

Three trim levels, but opt for the diesel or turbo models for more spunk. Most impressive is the long list of standard features, including power folding top, 17-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler, keyless entry, heated seats, heated side mirrors and heated windshield washer nozzles.

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE $44,000 Mpg: 21 city/29 highway 0-to-60 mph: 7.6 seconds When the cutting-edge Evoque crossover debuted a few years ago, Range Rover proved it could go wild over mild. Now there’s a convertible version, with the same Transformer-like styling and hoity-toity interior. This includes a tasteful, speckled-dot pattern on the brushed-aluminum trim and some topnotch stitching on the seats, dash and center console. A head-up display on the windshield is a nice touch, helping keep your eyes on the road. And the finished headliner and tasteful interior mood lighting jazz things up.

Other plusses: Heated seats that warm up quickly, and a fat, heated steering wheel that feels good in your hands. And be sure to turn off the pitchperfect, 10-speaker Meridien stereo before parking, or you just may sit back and listen to tunes all night long. Sadly, there are some rattles, and the doors sound tinny when being shut. Also, those thick backseat headrests and the nifty low-slung roof — so eye-catching on the outside — reduce rear visibility. But the Evoque was never meant to be a truly practical car; its mission is to turn heads.

And this droptop does that perfectly.

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M U SI C

THE KENNEDY CENTER

DISTRICT OF

J U N E 16, 2017 • 37

COMEDY FESTIVAL Presenting Sponsor

PHOTO COURTESY CAPITOL RECORDS

KATY PERRY’S new album ‘Witness’ lacks both catchy hooks and innovative production.

Katy’s fumble Popster’s first album in four years feels phoned in, uninspired

By CHRIS GERARD In the eight years since her breakthrough smash “I Kissed a Girl,” powerhouse pop diva Katy Perry has scored a remarkable nine no.

1 singles and 14 Top 10 hits over the span of four albums.

Her latest, “Witness,” will be hard-pressed to add to her tally of chart-topping singles if the performance of its first three releases can be used as a gauge. Lead single “Chained to The Rhythm,” featuring a guest spot by Bob Marley’s grandson Skip, reached no. 4, but the two subsequent releases, “Bon Appetit” and “Swish Swish,” have failed each to make the Top 40, her first two major singles to miss that mark since “I Kissed a Girl” made Perry a star.

If it seems Top 40 radio has been slow to embrace Perry’s latest effort, it’s not hard to understand why: there are very few strong melodic hooks. Musically, with its sparse electronic beats and swirls of synth, “Witness” sounds like every other pop album that’s been released in the last five years with nothing fresh or exciting to be found. That wouldn’t matter so much if the album was jammed with earworms like prior Perry hits “Firework,” “Hot n Cold,” Teenage Dream,” “Roar” and “Dark Horse,” but unfortunately there is nothing here that holds a candle to any of those pop classics. There’s little to distinguish one track from another on “Witness,” and while there are certainly tracks with hit potential (“Roulette” and the titlesong in particular), overall it’s hard to envision this album performing on the same level as her prior megahits.

“Witness” is not without its high points, but they are few and far between. It opens strong with a title song that probably should have been a single by now; it’s more substantial and melodic than most anything else on the album. “Bigger Than Me” is another winner, oddly tucked away near the end of the album despite being one of the more immediate and engaging tracks.

Unfortunately the proceedings quickly lapse into formula. “Hey Hey Hey,” with its heavily autotuned vocals and cloying chorus, is a simplistic throwaway that bafflingly

required five writers to create. “Roulette,” with its jittery rhythm and a spidery keyboard riff, is one of the stronger moments, but even here it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is Katy Perry-by-numbers. We’ve heard it all before and better.

“Swish Swish,” with a guest slot by the ubiquitous Nicki Minaj, is a novelty “disstrack” that ends up more silly than badass.

Presumably we’re not supposed to snort and giggle at the half-whispered faux-Britney catch-phrase, “Swish, swish, bish.” More successful is “Chained to the Rhythm,” the vaguely Latin-flavored lead single, although it also pales when compared to Perry’s key singles of the past. The spark just isn’t there, and like much of the album it ends up too repetitive. “Bon Appetit” is a curious choice as second single and does little to break up the soulless monotony.

Perry has a powerful voice but one would be hard-pressed to prove it with “Witness” because nearly everything she sings is slathered with autotune that, along with the rather stale synthetic beats, gives everything an artificial, detached vibe. Any genuine heart and feeling that may have otherwise helped salvage some of the tracks has been sapped away and wiped clean. Forgettable tracks like “Pendulum,” “Tsunami” and “Deja Vu” serve only to fill slots on an album that’s too long to begin with. Even the ballads are lackluster and meandering.

At 15 tracks and nearly an hour long, “Witness” is a slog to get through. The sameness in sound and vibe is numbing.

Whatever Katy Perry was trying to accomplish with her first album in four years, she has unfortunately missed the mark. There aren’t enough big pop melodies to make it a great summertime album, and one of the key ingredients in her best work — sheer exuberance and fun — is largely missing here.

Katy Perry seems to be in that stage that many young artists go through, trying to transition from fun-loving bouncy teenfriendly pop star to edgier and more serious artistry, but she doesn’t go far enough or bold enough to make it work. “Witness” is a step back for Perry, but other singers have recovered from such missteps and thrived, and Perry certainly has the talent to do so.

Time will tell if “Witness” is an aberration or the start of a long-term downward trend in both sales and entertainment value.

June 17–August 13 | Theater Lab Who better to comment on the state of our nation than the comedians who mock it best? The Second City returns for another summer of uproarious irreverence in The Second City’s Almost Accurate Guide to America: Divided We Stand. You may think you know America, but if the last year has taught us anything, it’s that there are many different Americas to get to know. Alas, there is still one thing the blue states and red states share—the need for a good laugh! Age 16+

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600

Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.

For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

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P H OTO S B Y M I CH AEL KEY & D ANIEL TR U ITT

JUNE 16, 2017 • 39

The annual Capital Pride parade was held on Saturday, June 10.

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P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y

The national Equality March for Unity and Pride moved past the White House and onto the National Mall on Sunday, June 11.

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P H OTO S B Y M I CH AEL KEY & DANIEL TRU ITT

JUNE 16, 2017 • 41

The Capital Pride Alliance held the annual Capital Pride festival and concert along Pennsylvania Avenue on Sunday, June 11. The Pointer Sisters and Miley Cyrus were headliners in the concert.

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THINKING OF BUYING IN REHOBOTH?

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“AS IS CONDITION”

TRANSLATION: BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.

Call Joe, Your Working Broker.

To be used at the top of collateral:

VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship Dupont Circle Office • 202-518-8781 (o) • 202.246.8602 (c) Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com • www.DCHomeQuest.com

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THE CAPITAL PRIDE ALLIANCE THANKS OUR

AMAZING VOLUNTEERS BOARD Michelle Benecke Jesse Bonales Sarah Booth Kyle Collins Bernie Delia Rachel Gleischman Brian Horn Vince Micone Raymond Panas Mary Paradise Vicente Rodriguez Ashley Smith Colin Stewart Vernon Wall SaVanna Wanzer Thomas Wieczorek Robert York STAFF Mike Alexander Nicole Barnes Ryan Bos Rob Corbett Megan Eimerman-Wallace Devin Hansen Peter Morgan Al Pellenberg Amy Pepin EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Justin Ahasteen Joey Allen David Arwood Zach Bach Joshua Beeson Chelsea Bland Omar Clarke Michael Creason Bryan Davis Aaron Fischbach J. Clarence Flanders Matt Gillette Holly Goldmann Jerry Houston Matt Kuder Deonte Leach Bianca Rey Sid Roberts Tiffany Royster Jonathon Sorge Natalie Thompson Vernon Wall PRODUCERS Jewel Addy Free Akins Rose Aruta Kavita Avasthi Chris Avery Eddie Ayala Destiny B. Childs Christopher Barth Gregory Bates Bryan Blanchard Ophelia Bottoms Doug Bradshaw Tina Bressert

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JUNE 16, 2017 • 47

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