Baltimore OUTloud • June 22, 2016

OUT

AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNIJuly 22, 2016 | Volume XIV, Issue 6

BALTIMORE PRIDE 2016 Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (2nd from right), Pride 2015

(GLCCB). At 7 p.m., the GLCCB’s annual Pride cocktail party fundraiser, “Twilight on the Terrace,” is set for Gertrude’s restaurant at the Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Drive). The event includes hors d’oeuvres, a four-hour credit: Anja Saine open bar, silent auction, music by Arturo, dancing, and art. For tickets: Twilight2016.eventbrite.com.

At 9 p.m., the Baltimore Hard Rock Cafe will host “Love All, Serve All,” presented by Baltimore’s Queen of Pride, Chastity Vain, and King of Pride Tyger St. James, a night

of fabulous performances by local drag artists. Tickets available at Loveallserveall. eventbrite.com.

On Friday night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., head to Grand Central Nightclub (1001 North Charles Street) for “Lust,” the official leather / bear / fetish event for Baltimore Pride.

A Pride Week favorite is the annual Pride Parade, to be held rain or shine at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 23rd at Madison Street, continuing up Charles Street to Chase Street. Prizes will be awarded for the Best Car / Motorcycle, Best Float, Best Walking Group, Best Marching Band, and the Best Overall Contingent.

After the parade ends on Saturday, Baltimore’s biggest LGBT party of the year runs rain or shine, from 4 to 10 p.m. The “night-

Pride event digest!

BALTIMORE PRIDE WEEK 2016 runs July 17th to 24th. Here are some highlights.

On Friday, July 22nd, three very different events will raise funds to support Baltimore Pride and the GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland

Meet Ta’von Vinson

By Jacob Pierce Ta’von Vinson, an African-American gay playwright and Baltimore native, decides to take a break from writing and hops over to The Drinkery for a much needed stress reliever. One can find him frequently at the Bun Shop or in passing with a friendly demeanor and colorful locks in the community.

An outreach specialist with Johns Hopkins, he has many accomplishments, including his book Positively Me (about his experiences with HIV/AIDS) and being producer / director of the play What We’re Taught at the Arena Players under his company,

Writer & director Ta’von Vinson

Theater Coven Productions. He personifies through his writing the celebration of diversity with black gay characters in real life. Baltimore OUTloud caught up with Ta’von briefly to ask him some questions about his character choices, works in the future and the imagery of black gay men on television.

Jacob Pierce:Tell me what inspires your characters to be so versatile and different in the black community.

Ta’Von Vinson: I personally don’t care for one-dimensional characters because we all have multiple layers that make us

Reimagining black & gay

—continued on page 36

Rodney Burger, Pride 2015

credit: Anja Saine

club without walls” known as the Baltimore Pride Block Party takes place in Mount Vernon between Cathedral, Read, Eager, and Charles Streets. The party will be hosted by Baltimore’s own Queen of Comedy, Shawnna Alexander, local artist Kevin Lei, and nationally known artist Jacob Kohinoir.

The Block Party will feature regional artists throughout the evening, leading up to this year’s headliners George Lovett and Band, Crystal Waters, and CeCe Peniston.

On Saturday night, from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., head to “Heat,” the official Baltimore Pride Women’s After Party at The Attic at Flavor (15 East Centre Street #2). Prizes for best swimsuit! A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the GLCCB and Baltimore Pride.

On Sunday, July 24th, the week’s highlight, the Baltimore Pride Festival, will take place rain or shine at northwest Baltimore’s beautiful Druid Hill Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival will feature regional and local vendors and performers, the Lady Lisa Drag Stage, a Family Zone, a Park Dance Stage, and fun for all the community.

For more information on this and other Pride events, visit Baltimorepride.org. t

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news // LOCAL

Jim Becker: A Lifetime of Gay Activism

By Mary Taylor On a Tuesday night while I was attending a board meeting at the GLCCB, they opened the floor to nominations for Grand Marshals for this year’s Pride. Sitting there thinking of people I know who have done amazing things for the LGBTQ communities, a voice came into my head and the next thing I knew my hand was up and I nominated Jim Becker.

Looking around the room at the younger people, I realized that they might not be enjoying all the freedoms and privileges they do today without men like Jim. Jim is a very quiet man who prefers to work behind the scenes and avoid the spotlight.

However, he has played an important part in the progress that the LGBTQ has made over the years, especially in the pioneering early days. Let me share a little bit of Jim Becker with you.

Jim is a Baltimore native and a gay activist for more than 40 years.

He has been a lawyer with the Baltimore City Department of Social Services for 38 years and is deputy director of the agency’s legal department. He is married to Jeffrey Clagett, his spouse of 25 years. They live with their Jack Russell Terrier, Sara Lee. Jim was a founding member of the Baltimore Gay Alliance (BGA) in 1975. He was also one of the founders of the Gay Community Center of Baltimore, now the Gay, Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland.

When the membership of BGA voted to establish a gay switchboard at one of its first meetings, Jim offered to have the phone installed in his house. The BGA Gay Switchboard operated out of his home for several years. The Switchboard was a significant resource because in the 1970s the gay community was invisible and the Switchboard allowed LGBTQ youth and other isolated members of the community to learn that they were not alone.

In 1977 the members of BGA voted to spin off the Switchboard and its other non-political work in order to obtain non-profit, tax-exempt status for its health, education and social service work. This decision led to the creation of the Gay Community Center. Jim was the attorney that drafted and filed the Articles of

Incorporation and the successful application for 501(c)(3) status. In the early 1970s, some IRS offices had denied tax exempt status to gay organizations but the Center’s application was approved without difficulty. Because the Center did not have a building when the incorporation papers were filed, Jim’s home on Abell Avenue became the organization’s legal address until it rented space on Maryland Avenue.

Jim served on the Center’s board for 10 years at different times starting in 1977, and helped draft the original and numerous revisions of the Center’s bylaws—always with a focus on maintaining community involvement and control. He was also chair of the Switchboard and Health Committees, and served on the Newspaper Committee.

He was one of the founders of Jim the Gay Paper which in its most Becker recent iteration was called Gay Life. This year, Gay Life merged with Baltimore OUTloud. As co-founder of Baltimore OUTloud and an early contributor to the Gay Paper, Jim told me that he viewed the merger as coming full-circle for him and the community.

What became the Gay Paper was really an afterthought. Harvey Schwartz, center president and first executive director, had developed a several thousand name mailing list that he used to send out a monthly calendar of community events. As the size of the calendar grew, the cost of printing it on 8-by14 paper and mailing it to over 2,000 people was becoming too expensive. To save money, Harvey switched to much cheaper newsprint. Because the calendar only filled a small portion of the tabloid format that newsprint requires, the additional space was used for news stories and commentary. Jim helped lay out the first edition of what became Gay Life on the floor of Harvey’s apartment.

Jim’s early work with the Gay Paper was not his first foray into writing for Baltimore’s nascent gay press. In 1975, he wrote his first opinion piece in the BGA Gayzette. This is not at all surprising to me; I have heard that Jim got his love for newspapers from his father who worked for the Baltimore Sun for many years. Jim has been writing a news-notes column called Beyond the Beltway for several

decades. He has also written numerous opinion pieces and editorials. I can certainly see that he has printer’s ink in his blood.

Jim was also a founder of the Center’s Gay Clinic that is now known as Chase Brexton. The clinic opened in 1978 to provide treatment to gay men for sexually transmitted diseases. Jim successfully opposed the change of the name to Chase Brexton Clinic out of fear that a “closeted” name would cause the clinic to lose its gay identity. After Jim left the clinic, it changed its name to Chase Brexton. When clinic staff proposed that the clinic break away from the Center, Jim was part of a group that fought unsuccessfully against this separation.

When Jim heard that he had been chosen as one of the Grand Marshals for this year’s Pride Parade, he said, “I am truly honored by this recognition from the Community Center.

In 1975 when I became involved in the Baltimore Gay Alliance and in 1977 the Center, I was just one of an amazing group of people that happened to come together and create a synergy of activism that has endured to the present. We had our ups and downs but in the end were able to work for the common good of the LGBTQ communities in Baltimore. I am particularly mindful of our first President, Paulette Young, and our first executive director,

Harvey Schwartz, for the remarkable leadership they provided during these early days. I am so thankful to them and to all of the folks that started BGA and the Community Center and of course the people that have continued the work up to the present including the Center’s present board. With the horror of Orlando so fresh a reminder of the hate that we continue to face, I hope that our past successes will encourage current and future activists to keep up the struggle for our complete liberation.”

Jim Williams co-owner and co-publisher of Baltimore OUTloud said, “I am delighted that Jim is receiving recognition for his decades of work on behalf of our community.

He is a Baltimore native and the recognition is long overdue.”

Jim’s spouse, Jeffrey Clagett, broke down in tears of joy when he heard the news. Jeffrey said, “I did not fully understand Jim’s activism when we met in 1991 but soon learned how dedicated he was to our community. He does not like to take credit and I am grateful that he is getting the recognition that he deserves. I am so proud to be his husband.”

I could go on and on about Jim, but the best way to hear his history is to ask him. As I said, Jim is a quiet man, but trust me, when asked, he will tell you. t

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beyond the beltway compiled by Jim Becker

President Obama cuts short Euro trip to visit Dallas Dallas, Texas- President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush – in Dallas to speak at the July 12th memorial service for the five officers killed July 7th following a Black Lives Matter protest rally – both spoke this week of the need to heal and to unite to bridge the growing chasm between the black community and police departments nationwide.

The memorial service, coincidentally, took place on the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting at an Orlando gay bar that left 49 people dead and 53 more wounded. While a congressional committee marked the day by debating new ways to discriminate against the LGBT community, Obama noted the anniversary differently. He said the goal of the killer in Dallas was the same as the shooters in Orlando and at Charleston’s Emanual AME Church last year in June – to divide the country.

“With an open heart, we can worry less about which side has been wronged, and worry more about joining sides to do right,” Obama said. “But as Americans, we can decide that people like this killer [in Dallas] will ultimately fail. They will not drive us apart. We can decide to come together and make our country reflect the good inside us, the hopes and simple dreams we share.” He gave a tribute to each of the officers and commented that, “We ask police to do too much and we ask too little of ourselves,” Obama said, echoing frustrations many had expressed. “We refuse to fund drug treatment. We flood communities with guns.”

The theme that’s emerged last week in Dallas is unity. People of different religious and political backgrounds have come together. At a memorial service at Thanksgiving Square July 8th, one pastor even urged straight people to hold the hand of a gay person. That unity was clear among those on stage, especially between Michelle Obama and George W. Bush. Everyone stood for the closing of the event as the choirs sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Michelle Obama took Bush’s hand and both began singing along. The president and former first lady then took their spouses’ hands. The three clergy seated directly

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behind them joined hands. The rest of the audience joined them, singing and swaying while all holding hands. (Dallas Voice – David Taffet at Dallasvoice.com)

Equality Forum appalled by Trump’s VP choice of Pence Philadelphia, Penna. – The LGBT Equality Forum called Donald Trump’s announcement of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice-presidential running mate “deeply troubling for LGBT Americans.”

“The selection of anti-gay crusader Gov. Mike Pence, along with the homophobic Republican party platform and a deafening silence on the LGBT Equality Act completes a trifecta of hate from Donald Trump on LGBT rights,” said Malcolm Lazin, the group’s executive director. “Although Trump claims he’s a ‘friend’ of the LGBT community, his rhetoric is in direct contrast to his actions.” Trump has not responded to a letter sent to his campaign asking if he supports the federal LGBT job protection bill, Equality Act. Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has pledged her support for the act.

Governor Mike Pence has a long history of opposing LGBT rights. During his time in Congress, Pence co-sponsored a constitutional amendment opposing the rights of same-sex couples to marry, and voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), hate crimes legislation protecting LGBT people and repeal of the military’s discriminatory “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. In March 2015, Governor Pence signed a bill into law permitting business owners in Indiana to refuse service to LGBT customers due to their religious beliefs. The bill was widely condemned, leading to business pulling out projects in the state.

According to the Dallas Voice, Rich Tafel, former president of the national Log Cabin Republicans group, called Pence “about one of the worst people for gay equality based on his experience in the House and as governor.”

Current Log Cabin President Gregory T. Angelo wrote in an e-mail, “There’s no way to sugarcoat this: I’m mad as hell – and I know you are, too. The Republican Party [has] passed the most anti-LGBT Platform in the Party’s 162-year history. Opposition to marriage equality, nonsense about bathrooms,

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an endorsement of the debunked psychological practice of ‘pray the gay away’ – it’s all in there.” (Equalityforum.com)

Trump inspired candidate proud to use ‘faggot’ Littleton, Mass. – Donald Trump is fond of telling us that he is bringing new people into the Republican Party, but if Littleton’s Ted Busiek is any indication, the GOP may be better off without them. A basement-dwelling Internet tough guy, the 30-year-old Busiek is challenging progressive firebrand Sen. Jaimie Eldridge. The first-time candidate who says he was motivated by Trump to stand for Ted Busie

election, says his use of “faggots” was not directed at Eldridge, though Busiek did “enjoy his pearl-clutching, scandalized reaction to it.”

Busiek’s campaign website is a hodgepodge of misspelled bumper-sticker solutions and conspiracy theory driven drivel.

The 30-year-old Air Force veteran wants to scrap daylight savings time, eliminate all affordable housing programs, and ban abortion.

Busiek’s website also calls for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to start printing its own currency. He also has some issues with LGBT people. According to his website, Busiek strongly opposes adoption by same-sex couples because, “there are many healthy normal couples waiting patiently to adopt.”

Last month, Busiek also used Twitter to urge fellow Republican Gov. Charlie Baker not to support a new transgender anti-discrimination law. “Don’t do it,” Busiek tweeted to Baker. “These perverts aren’t who got you elected, and pandering won’t make them your friends.”

In the wake of the Orlando slaughter, even conservative pols have laid off the anti-gay rhetoric. But Busiek didn’t get the memo. The alt-right acolyte took to Twitter to applaud Donald Trump for “putting self-righteous faggots in their place since 1993. How I love this fellow.” Busiek said he had refrained

from trying to score political points off of the Orlando tragedy even though the massacre “very much validated my concerns about our policies re Muslim refugees.” Massachusetts Republican Party Chair Kirsten Hughes condemned Busiek’s bigoted remarks in a statement to Bay Windows. Busiek says he has “no intention of backing down.” (Bay Windows – Kevin Franck at baywindows.com)

Pro trans ad to air on Fox during both conventions Charlotte, N.C. – A television commercial illustrating the real world consequences of anti-transgender bathroom laws, like North Carolina’s HB2, will feature a trans woman from the state and will make its debut on Fox during their Republican and Democratic National Convention coverage. The 60-second ad depicts a restaurant owner blocking the transgender woman’s access to the woman’s bathroom. Eventually two other women intervene and accompany her into the women’s room. The video has already been viewed well over 100,000 times after just five days online. The Movement Advancement Project developed the ad with support from a number of groups Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump recently voiced support for the state in the battle between North Carolina and the federal government on the law, which limits transgender individuals from using the restrooms and other public accommodations matching their gender identity. The Republican platform, which will be voted on during the upcoming convention in Cleveland, supports state laws such as HB2 and calls the federal government’s attempt to protect transgender rights around this issue an attempt to “impose a social and cultural revolution upon the American people.”

The Democratic platform, on the other hand, says, “LGBT kids continue to be bullied at school, a restaurant can refuse to serve a transgender person, and a same-sex couple is at risk of being evicted from their home.

Toilets to each according to need!

beyond the beltway That is unacceptable and must change. Democrats will fight for comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections for all LGBT Americans and push back against state efforts to discriminate against LGBT individuals.” It will be voted on at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Q-Notes Online – Jeff Taylor at Qnotes.com)

She is someone who has fought so hard for so many issues we care about and we are honored to fight for her freedom and medical care.” According to ABCnew.go.com citing the Associated Press, Chelsea tweeted the evening of July 11th that “I’m glad to be alive.”

Persons interested in writing to Chelsea must address her mail as follows: Chelsea E. Manning 89289, 1300 North Warehouse Road, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304 (Chelseamanning.org at Chelseamanning. org/featured/chelsea-helath-status)

Whistleblower Chelsea Manning confirms suicide Canadian attempt Anglicans now Oakland, Cal. – On July 11th, the attor- support same-sex neys for Chelsea Manning, Chase Strangio, Vincent Ward, and Nancy Hollander released marriage the following statement after finally being able to speak to Manning by phone. Manning is the transgender soldier imprisoned for sending classified information to the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks.

The attorneys’ statement reads, “After not connecting with Chelsea for over a week, we were relieved to speak with her this morning.

Though she would have preferred to keep her private medical information private, and Manning supporters

instead focus on her recovery, the government’s gross breach of confidentiality in disclosing her personal health information to the media has created the very real concern that they may continue their unauthorized release of information about her publicly without warning. Due to these circumstances, Chelsea Manning requested that we communicate with the media and her friends and supporters on her behalf.

“Last week, Chelsea made a decision to end her life. Her attempt to take her own life was unsuccessful. She knows that people have questions about how she is doing and she wants everyone to know that she remains under close observation by the prison and expects to remain on this status for the next several weeks. For us, hearing Chelsea’s voice after learning that she had attempted to take her life last week was incredibly emotional.

Toronto, Canada – The Canadian Anglican Church’s General Synod 2016 held a vote that initially appeared to reject same-sex marriage but after a recount, the church’s governing body of bishops, clergy and lay members approved a motion supporting marriage equality. The Anglican clergy appeared to have very narrowly voted down a motion to allow same-sex marriage but the decision was reversed on Tuesday afternoon after delegates requested a detailed hard copy of the electronic voting records and discovered that a single vote had been miscounted. That was enough to give the motion the two-thirds majority required to pass.

Quebec Bishop Dennis Drainville said there was “no great slapping of backs” when news broke that an earlier vote rejecting same-sex marriage in the Anglican church had been reversed. Instead, Drainville said, some members of his church are feeling shaken. “I’ve been in favor of [same-sex marriage] for years, but there’s no joy in Mudville today. Everybody is upset,” he told CBC News.

Speakers opposed to same-sex marriage urged delegates to reject the idea, with one saying it would cause “ghettoes of resentment” if allowed, while several aboriginal delegates denounced the resolution as condoning an “abomination” and disobedience of God. “God did not create another Adam,” said one young speaker. “He created a woman.” The vote was the culmination of three years of work that began when the last General Synod, the church’s legislative body, asked a panel to come up with the draft motion. (CBC.ca at Cbc.ca/news/ canada/montreal/anglican-same-sex-marriage-vote-reversal-1.3676340)

Gay gun group sees increased membership after Orlando Salt Lake City, Utah – Reuters reports that membership in a national lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender gun group has surged since the massacre at the Orlando Gay club last month. Before the Orlando shootings in June, the Pink Pistols, with more than 45 chapters across the U.S., had about 1,500 members. The day after the killing spree, its numbers soared to more than 4,000 and have since risen above 8,000.

At a local shooting range, the 23-year-old president of the Salt Lake City chapter of Pink Pistols helps a tattooed member improve his marksmanship. An openly gay professional body-piercer, Matt Schlentz said members of the LGBT community feel more at risk of being a victim of a hate crime or violent assault. The mass murder at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, last month, confirmed their concerns. “Every gay person, every lesbian, every transgender, everybody in-between and every street person, we all know someone who has been the victim of a crime, a hate crime or some type of violent assault,” he said in an interview. “Orlando, being the largest mass shooting in American history and pointed at gays, I think it was a huge eye opener for people,” Schlentz said.

“Pink Pistols, which was founded about 20 years ago, promotes the safe, legal use of firearms for self-defense of the LGBT community. There are no fees or forms to fill out, and membership is open to all. “We teach queers to shoot,” the group says on its website. “Then we teach others that we have done so. Armed queers don’t get bashed.” He added, “With a community of LGBT people who are arming themselves,” he said, “I think people are going to think twice, at least a little bit more.”

(Reuters.com – reporting by Jim Urquhart; Writing by Patricia Reaney at Reuters.com/ article/us-usa-guns-lgbt-idUSKCN0ZS25B)

Young politicians urge Norway to legalize sex work Oslo, Norway – Norway may soon see a dramatic change in its sex laws, as young politicians from the so-called “Blue Bloc” have been pressuring parliament to remove

the ban on buying sex and legalize brothels. Having secured the support of senior party members, the youth organizations have voiced their commitment to protecting sex workers from abuse. Sweden, Norway, and Iceland have all outlawed the purchase of sex, but offering sexual services is not a crime; these efforts to penalize the client but not the prostitute reflect efforts to support the victims of sex trafficking but many question their effectiveness.

“The laws that criminalize ‘sex acquisition’ have to go, preferably before election next year,” youth members of the Conservatives, the Progress Party, and the Liberals stated in an opinion piece advocating brothels earlier this week. Now, the youth have garnered support from their respective parties’ senior members and members of parliament.

“The Norwegian law puts sex workers in danger. It is time that the liberal parties use the parliament majority they enjoy to abolish laws criminalizing the buying of sex,” Bjørn Kristian Svendsrud, leader of the Progress Party Youth, told the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. “The current debate is characterized by ethics and morality. It’s okay to dislike prostitution – I don’t like it either, as a matter of fact – but we must look at the real political consequences of the current law,” Svendsrud said.

Tina Bru, MP and leader of the Women Conservatives, voiced her support for the cause, calling for the abolition of the ban on buying sex. “I am against the law and do believe that it does not function as intended. The law does not make the sex workers safer, on the contrary,” Bru told Aftenposten.

“Sex workers have become much more vulnerable than they were before, while the environment has become much tougher,” she said. “I always thought the political majority was in favor of removing the sex trade law, and do not know why it has stalled,” Kjos said, stating the law has made the life of sex workers much harder. t (Sputniknews.com – http://sputniknews.com/art_living/20160713/1042885861/norway-prostitution-brothels-abuse.html) These news notes have been compiled, with permission, from the online version of various newspapers and other web sites. We thank these publications for allowing us to bring you their news stories. Usually the reports have been significantly edited and you can read the full story by going to the web site mentioned following the item. Comments are strictly the opinions of Jim Becker and not of Baltimore OUTloud or Pride Media.

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Pushing boundaries.

Inspiring courage.

Creating hope.

You face challenges every day. Your health care shouldn’t be one of them.

At Johns Hopkins, our priority is to care for you as a whole person, inspiring a level of courage that can make all the difference.

jhu.edu hopkinsmedicine.org

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Johns Hopkins is proud to support and celebrate Baltimore Pride 2016 and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) individuals everywhere.

7/13/16 5:19 PM

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thinking outloud

Pointing it Out

By Sage Piper

Cry, The Beloved Community The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us. – D orothy D ay When a gunman started shooting his weapon in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, just a month and a half ago, it was the deadliest incident of violence against LGBT people in American history.

It was also the deadliest mass shooting by a single shooter and the deadliest terrorist attack in the U.S. since 9/11, and it shocked the nation as we woke up to the news on that fateful Sunday morning. We reached out to each other in our pain and our sadness, and we came together in that pain and determination that our community would stand.

In the immediate aftermath of the Orlando shooting, the eyes of the nation were on the LGBT community.

Politicians issued their statements, some even surprising us with their words of solidarity. Vigils were held, emotions were high, and we watched as in Orlando the community rallied to support the victim’s families. Here in Baltimore we gathered with the crowds spilling out into the streets, people of every color, age, religion, background, and orientation. We held candles and held hands and swayed together as one.

In the days after the shooting I sustained the hope that the senseless brutality and sheer magnitude of the slaughter of beautiful and innocent lives would shock

people into an examination of their own prejudices and their consequences, and a reassessment of those prejudices. As we came together I felt comforted by the sight of so many people helping each other to cope.

I remembered reading about the life of Dorothy Day, the social activist who founded the Catholic Worker movement and newspaper and dedicated her life to helping the poor and needy.

She was eight years old and living in nearby Oakland during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and the event would have a profound influence on the course of her life. Day watched as her mother and the rest of the people in her community reached out in dramatic ways to help each other – making and distributing food, giving clothing and supplies, pitching tents. “While the crisis lasted people loved each other,” she wrote, “It was as though there were united in Christian solidarity. It makes one think of how people could, if they would, care for each other … unjudgingly in pity and love.”

This outpouring of humanity in the wake of the earthquake had a dramatic impact on young Dorothy Day, and she immediately evolved to ask the natural follow-up question: Why don’t people act like this all the time towards each other? Day couldn’t get an answer as a child but she never forgot that question; she spends the rest of her life trying to recreate the sense of real community she experienced in the quake’s aftermath, and try to make that community a reality. This is the same community that the civil rights legend and U.S. Congressman John Lewis has articulated and striven for his entire life: The Beloved Community, the sense of “one family, one house.” It is built on the foundation that every human life has dignity and worth, and Lewis’s life is the embodiment of this ideal, the triumph of love and living with an open heart over hate.

John Lewis believes that we have to visualize the Beloved Community in our hearts and minds and then act as if it is

statements, other vigils, memorials, and funerals. We shut ourselves off, due to anguished and screaming survival instincts, to the emotional processing of each ensuing event. How else could any of us get through each day?

Maybe alone, we cannot do it. It is too much to ask. If we are to accomplish Dorothy Day’s long-ago great challenge, to achieve a revolution of the individual heart, maybe it is true that we have to continue to come together to the collective heart first.

We have to get up, out of ourselves, and be together ... the general transformation will drive the individual one after It takes a all, instead of the other way vigil around.

John Lewis has always maintained that we must “pray tion? What has happened in the weeks since Orlando? The tragedy of the with our feet.” So whatever your form of Pulse massacre has been moved off the prayer, now more than ever before: get on front pages, of course, giving way to the your feet.

March it, dance it, sing it, live it. Be toshootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, Dallas, and Louisiana again, the truck barreling gether, and stay on your feet. We are the through the streets of Nice. Other official beloved community. Pride is here. t already here. I hear him speaking this way, and it takes my breath away. How can we find the necessary place to bring about such individual and inner transforma-

“‘While the crisis lasted people loved each other,’ Dorothy Day wrote, ‘It was as though there were united in Christian solidarity. It makes one think of how people could, if they would, care for each other … unjudgingly in pity and love.’”

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quality of life

My Fabulous

Disease

By Mark S. King

The Virus Divides. It Doesn’t Have To In a cramped meeting room in New York City on May 27th, a dozen gay men, HIV-positive and negative alike, came together to answer a vexing question: How do gay men bridge a divide that has been forged through decades of HIV stigma, distrust, and mutual blame?

Or, at the very least, what might be done to start a conversation about the divide and begin to heal the wounds?

Convened by Avram Finkelstein, the HIV-negative artist and HIV activist who was part of the collective that created the iconic SILENCE=DEATH artwork in the 1980s, and

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Mark S. King, the HIV-positive blogger, the Viral Divide Flash Collective sought to begin a difficult conversation and find a graphic way to present it. The collective was sponsored

by Visual AIDS and made possible through funding from Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS and GMHC. A “flash collective” is an exercise in artistic advocacy involving group facilitation and the common pursuit of a graphic message to communicate a concept for the public sphere. In other words, the gathering of gay men had mere hours to discuss the HIV viral divide, vent their frustrations about their lives and each other, and then find common ground. It was, in a word, intense.

Before the group even finished consuming their breakfast bagels, the walls of the room were covered in reams of butcher paper scrawled with the frustrations and issues viewed as crucial to members of the collective.

Important topics were raised, such as race, privilege, and the science driving the new HIV landscape. Again and again, the group talked through these concerns and then returned to their primary purpose of crafting a message about the viral divide among gay men.

“This message is the first sentence in a

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conversation,” Avram Finkelstein reminded the collective throughout the day. “It does not have to tell the entire story. It is meant as the starting point for important conversations.”

The result, HIV ÷, features the tagline, “The virus divides. It doesn’t have to. No The Viral Divide Flash Collective: Mark S. King, Bryson Rose, walls between gay Damon L. Jacobs, Charles Sanchez, Frederick Weston, Bruce Ward, James Krellenstein, Alex Wilson, Durell Knights, Jordan Eagles, Leo men.” The graphic Herrera, Avram Finkelstein, and Jawanza James Williams. image includes an animation that outlines the various ways in It would appear that now, more than ever, which the divide affects gay men: age, joy, gay men can relieve themselves of the social relationships, sex, race, and love. walls that have divided them along the lines And the graphic image has an impressive of their sero status. The HIV ÷ graphic mescoming out party on the way. It will be pro- sage is only a small part of multiple efforts jected onto the façade of the Bronx Museum to repair relationships among two factions of on July 13th, as part of the opening of “Art gay men that have often been at odds with AIDS America,” a retrospective of AIDS-re- one another. lated art through the years. The Illuminators, After so many years of mortal fear, irramost widely known for their work projecting tional and otherwise, bridging the viral divide graphic messages on the New York City sky- will surely be easier said than done. The scape on behalf of Occupy Wall Street, will members of the Viral Divide Flash Collective coordinate the projection. The work of the have started an important conversation. It will Viral Divide Flash Collective is viewed by be up to countless others to continue it. t the museum as the very latest in a history of AIDS artwork that dates back more than thirty years.

The Viral Divide Flash Collective has set up a Tumblr page featuring the final artwork and of the collective’s day together. Photos of the projection onto the Bronx Museum will be added after the event on July 13. Anyone is welcome to post their thoughts on the Tumblr page or to share the images on social media.

The HIV ÷ message comes just as gay men are grappling with a host of new scientific realities that are altering the social landscape.

The increased adoption of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has re-energized activists and provided a way for HIV negative gay men to participate fully in their own HIV prevention.

Meanwhile, research has definitively shown that people living with HIV who are on treatment and maintain an undetectable viral load are uninfectious. A new group, Prevention, is aggressively promoting the scientific evidence that undetectable people living with HIV cannot pass on the virus.

Online dating apps, where divisions between HIV positive and negative gay men have been most prominently on display, have now incorporated profile choices that include being on PrEP or being HIV positive and undetectable. So there is movement afoot, even as HIV stigma remains a stubborn roadblock to bridging the viral divide.

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Thinking OUTloud // mark my words

// David’s Thoughts

They Didn’t Die in Vain Husband Hunting

by Mark Segal When you used to say the word “Orlando,” it brought up the image of Harry Potter, Disney World castles and water parks – but it now conjures a different image: that of mass murder at the Pulse nightclub. In time, that image will cease to exist for most of America; the city of Orlando will want that imagery to be lost, as will the many tourist attractions that call it home. Families will again visit in droves, and they should; it is not the fault of the city or its attractions, it’s the fault of one lone, possibly unstable, man.

The LGBT community won’t soon forget the massacre in Orlando, if ever. I truly believe that each time an LGBT person hears the word “Orlando,” they will recall the shooting, no matter how far in the future. And we should, as there are two issues that have been forever changed since this horrific event.

The first is that we are finally beginning to focus on the hate crimes committed against our community. That might sound like a small thing but in reality it’s larger than most would expect. You see, while the media has concentrated on marriage equality and LGBT people in the military, they present hate crimes as a side story. The reality is, hate crimes affect

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more LGBT people than all the LGBTs in the military. What’s more, the political right establishment knew that but didn’t want to publicize it since they refused to allow the FBI to monitor hate-crime statistics.

But the second change is more profound.

Those 49 people who perished in Orlando did not die in vain. From the deadliest mass shooting in American history has come a debate on gun violence and gun control that will bring change – maybe not today, but in the near future. Also, hate-crime laws and nondiscrimination laws are now being taken more seriously by legislatures around the country and maybe even in Congress, where LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination legislation has sat since its original introduction way back in 1974

by Bella Abzug and Ed Koch.

Instead of referring to this legislation as the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, or the newer Equality Act, why not give it a name in honor of those victims in Orlando? Maybe then, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will allow it to come up for a vote. t Mark Segal is publisher of Philadelphia Gay News. Follow him at Facebook.com/MarkSegalPGN.

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By David Placher The rainbow forest is filled with unique and beautiful creatures. There are grizzles wrapped in leather, sly foxes in search of one-night prey, shy rabbits that carefully hop along, and roaming elephants that are always searching for something better. It all can seem intimidating at first glance, standing idle at the edge of the forest, looking in at the differences and the unknown. But in order to commence the pursuit of a partner, you have to devise the best way to explore the forest and interact with as many as possible before you select the right one. Going to bars and using dating apps limits your steps into the forest by only a few feet and often leads to dead ends. In order to really explore and broaden your journey, joining an LGBT sports team allows you to make new friends, grow together by confronting successes and failures, celebrate pride, and expand the possibilities of finding that special someone.

Charm City Volleyball is an LGBT organization that serves the Baltimore and DC area. Its mission is to promote volleyball by conducting weekly and social events and social clinics. It offers two opportunities to participate most weeks: Wednesdays are reserved for everyone and is a great opportunity to socialize without the stress of having to display a desire to be better than others, and Sundays are for those with the competitive spirit. (Charmcityvolleyball.org) Baltimore Social has expanded its leagues to include Baltimore Pride Sports.

Its goal is to create something special that is inclusive, organized, and a way for people to meet others in a low intense environment. This allows the LGBT and LGBT friendly communities to meet and compete with others. There are two LGBT sports leagues in the fall: LGBT Glow Bocce that meets on Wednesday nights and LGBT Glow Kickball that meets on Thursday nights. (Baltimoresocial.com) Stonewall Sports is a community based organization founded in 2010 that strives to raise funds for local non-profits by offering various sports. Its mission is to provide an inclusive low-cost, fun sport leagues. Although many of the Stonewall Sports leagues are located in east coast cities, Baltimore is not one of them, but a majority of the sports leagues are located in Washington, D.C. (Travel between Baltimore and Washington is easy with the MARC train running seven days a week – $8 per ticket.)

Stonewall Billiards provides an in-

clusive billiards league that engages with local businesses and nonprofits to serve the community. With over 100 players, Stonewall Billiards plays Monday nights at Buffalo Billiards, and each season Stonewall Billiards offers a weekend competitive tournament that allows everyone to participate, including those not in the league.

This encourages players from all over the United States to travel to D.C. Stonewall Billiards also is community focused and it held a very successful fundraiser a couple of weeks ago for the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando, Florida. (Stonewallbilliardsdc.com) Stonewall Bocce has grown from 80 plays in 2011 to more than 400 plays today.

What is noteworthy is it has donated more than $33,000 to charities that include Whitman-Walker Health, the Washington Animal Rescue League, and PFLAG. Stonewall Bocce seasons are spring and fall and it plays in Logan Circle. (Stonewallbocce. leagueapps.com) Stonewall Darts is the nation’s largest and D.C.’s only LGBT steel tip-league.

It is open to plays of all skill levels-with many players quickly advancing their skills.

Stonewall Darts plays in the spring and fall at Nellies. (Stonewalldartsdc.com) Stonewall Dodgeball is a sport that is more popular each season. It is played in the winter, summer, and fall seasons and all games are played at the Jewish Community Center.

(Sstonewalldodgeball. leagueapps.com) The most popular sport is Stonewall Kickball and registration fills quickly. Many of the plays wear creative decorations with their colorful t-shirts. After each game, it is no surprise to see many players playing flipcup at JR’s Bar and Grill. Stonewall Kickball is played in the spring and fall seasons and there are Thursday night teams and Sunday night teams. (Stonewallsports. leagueapps.com) As each year brings new faces to the rainbow forest, many have to try new ways to explore to meet new people.

LGBT sports is the perfect way to find new friends, because as a team, you grow and learn about each other, and you can make your own path, until it leads to that special someone. t

Thinking OUTloud

‘Homosexual?’

In the Bible, No Such Word!

by Pastor Jeff Harris The “sacred book” the “Holy Bible” has been translated in many languages. As of November, 2014, the United Bible Societies declare the Bible has been translated in more than 2,530 languages to date – including 55 different forms of sign language.

However, only 531 languages have the complete text. Currently, there are 1,800 languages around the world that are still waiting for a translation in their native language. With all the modern translation tools at our disposal, why?

Some translations of the Bible include the word homosexual – a word that is nowhere in the original Hebrew or Greek.

The word homosexual didn’t exist when the Bible was written (with the New Testament dating from about 2,000 years ago, and parts of the Old Testament going back to 1,400 to 400 BCE.) It wasn’t until 1869 that Dr. Karoly Benkert, a Hungarian physician, created the term by combining the homo, the Greek word for same, with the Latin sexual.

The word homosexual did not come into use in the United States until the 1880s.

The word homosexual was first used in an English-language Bible in 1946.

In the Greek language, there are words for same-sex behavior, but never appear in the original text of the New Testament.

The concept homosexual didn’t exist when the Bible was written If you see the word homosexual or homosexuality in the Bible, it is because translators chose those words to reflect their own homophobic feelings and ideas.

Where in the Bible you might find the word homosexual used incorrectly?

The Hebrew word kedah means temple prostitute and is sometimes inaccurate-

ly translated at sodomite or homosexual.

In 1 Corinthians, sodomite or homosexual are sometimes used, but they are incorrect translations of the Greek malakos, which means something closer to effeminate or the Greek practice of pederasty, which is men having sex with boys, not among peers.

1 Corinthians also refers in Greek to arsenokaitai, which appears nowhere else in the Bible or in Greek writings about homoerotic sexuality, but probably means male prostitute.

Jude 7 sometimes refers to homosexual flesh that the Sodomites pursued.

This is an inaccurate translation of hetera sarx which means, literally, strange flesh to describe the flesh of the angels who were sent by God to evaluate Sodom and Gomorrah.

In Timothy 1:910, translators sometimes use homosexual for the original Greek words, pornoi, arsenokoitai, and andrapodistai, meaning male prostitutes, males who hire male prostitutes or the slave dealers who procure them.

Including the word homosexual in the Bible is the choice of translators and is not a reflection of the Bible. Acknowledgement that one can not translate a word from Hebrew and Greek into the English if there is no English equivalent.

The misinterpretation of this word homosexual has caused more physical and spiritual slayings, for same-gender loving persons than one cares to recall. Persons who could not find love in their families after once “coming out” went to the church, only to find no love and affirmation there either.

I am here to tell you that the Creator of the universe loves you just the way you are. You have sacred worth in His mind. He claims you as His own, scripture proves it.

He created you as a human and being that the Creator, from a “Christian” perspective is omniscient (all knowing), He knew you were going to be same-gender loving before you came into existence. So, He desires to have an intimate and personal, loving relationship with you. t

“The misinterpretation of this word homosexual has caused more physical and spiritual slayings, for same-gender loving persons than one cares to recall. Persons who could not find love in their families after once ‘coming out’ went to the church, only to find no love and affirmation there either.”

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15

Thinking OUTloud

Narratives on

New Beginnings Merrick Moses

Living My Best Life Dearest Family, It’s been a long time since we had a conversation. There have been many milestones reached and setbacka felt. But still we are here, living, at least – in a time of monumental change, with uncertainty for sure and a sliver of hope. And yet I hang onto this sliver with great fervor and promise because I know that the only constant in life is change.

Okay, granted a cliché! At any rate, I’ve had my own changes afoot. My name, my physical person, and to some my identity.

And on the inside, too, change is the strongest constant.

What you see now is really who I have

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always been. Through trial and error, self hate and loathing, to a brilliant love, I have decided to live my best life and that is a life of authenticity.

I did not expect to be here, daily living as my affirmed self. I honestly expected to trudge through life. I honestly expected to seek out some sort of happiness but not full on, uncut, raw savage happiness. But in deciding to end the war with my body, the war with my physical vehicle, I began learning how to live in unadulterated happiness and ascension-bound freedom.

The age of 40 does weird things to person. There is a certain realization that life isn’t forever... like your own life, in particular. You realize you have a past and that past has brought you to this point, for better or worse, to the middle of life. It’s really a crossroads of time and mind. You realize that you have to mind the time you have left and live your best life.

For me, the prospect of living my best life was in fact how I came to the decision to manifest the man I am. I grew tired of the feeling of being incomplete, not whole, and wandering. The Universe put in my heart the truth will make you free. In the pursuit of that truth, I found myself. t To be continued in the next issue.

quality of life

Aesthetics and Injectable Fillers

By M. Deborah Brinksman A more youthful and rested look at a reasonable cost with no anesthesia and no need to go under the knife? Is it any wonder that in 2015 nonsurgical cosmetic procedures have increased by over 700% since 2000? That’s according to the American Society for Plastic Surgery. It’s a trend that will likely continue as more of us consider anti-aging alternatives that fall between a facelift and a wrinkle cream.

Here is a short primer on some things to know before you get on the anti-aging bandwagon.

How fillers work – Second in popularity to Botox in non-invasive anti-aging procedures, fillers add volume to the face, usually by filling in wrinkles and lines, and sometimes by plumping up areas of the face that have lost fat pads (such as the cheeks, under-eye area, and temples), causing the skin to sink and sag.

The subtle improvement that dermal fillers can provide is a selling point for many. If a person doesn’t want to look dramatically different, but does want to improve their overall appearance in a short period of time, fillers are the answer. Treatment takes as little as 20 minutes.

Here’s a cheat sheet on various options: Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers (brand names include Juvéderm and Restylane) – By far the most commonly used fillers, these can plump thin lips and hollowed under-eyes; fill facial wrinkles, acne and post-surgery scars; and fill creases such as smile lines (nasolabial folds) and “marionette” lines (which run from the mouth to chin). These products can be used on their own or in conjunction with Botox to soften the lines between the eyebrows.

HA naturally occurs in the middle layer of your skin, keeping it plump and elastic.

Although HA fillers are synthetically produced, the substance is nearly identical to the HA we produce naturally.

Radiesse – Made of tiny calcium-based crystals suspended in a water-based gel, it is used in the mid-face area, often for

deep smile lines and marionette lines. The beads initially plump up the target areas, but also stimulate your body to produce its own collagen for a longer-term effect.

Platelet-rich plasma therapy (for example, the Selphyl System) – This is less commonly used than the ones mentioned above. Introduced in 2009, it treats wrinkles, crow’s feet, scars, and neck and under-eye crepiness. Doctors draw your own blood into a test tube and put it through a centrifuge to separate the platelets and fibrin from the blood cells.

They then inject the platelets into your skin to trigger the growth of collagen and cells.

Since it is your own blood, it’s bio-compatible with lasting results.

One more consideration – Dermal filler injections should be administered by a physician or a nurse practitioner.

When considering your options, ask who will administer the filler, what kind of training or credentials they have, and how many procedures they have done in the past: more is better. Don’t choose based on the lowest price. It might mean you are not getting the top quality products injected that other physicians would insist on using.

This is your face and you should want someone who is experienced, who will listen to your questions and concerns and who will demonstrate artistry.

Your goal should be to look natural and feel better and have a safe and painless experience. t M. Deborah Brinksman is the owner and of the Brinksman Center for Cosmetic Medicine and of InShapeMD, both in Bel Air, Maryland. InShapeMD offers medically-supervised weight loss programs, anti-aging and hormone replacement therapy programs. More at Personalwellnessmd. com or 410-569-3030.

Are they right for you?

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quality of life

Ask

Dr. J

Janan Broadbent, Ph.D.

Against One’s Own Interest With all of the recent events, I shudder at the thought of what may yet happen by the time this piece is published. Even if one is not a news junkie, it is impossible not to be affected by what goes on locally or globally. Our minds seek to make some sense out of this chaos. It is the only way we can come close to having a modicum of control over the environment, a baked-in need of human beings. In that process, ourselves as well as those around us and those we relate to, feel the impact.

As I talk with people around me, and especially with those close to me, one of the topics that emerges is: Why do people act in ways contrary to their own interest? This is most obvious in the political realm. If I am barely making it, why would I vote for a person or a party that would make my life harder? In the relationship sphere, why would I stay with someone who does not treat me well? A stark example is why abused children feel beholden to their abusive parent(s). It is easier to understand in the case of a child because he/ she is not yet capable of being responsible for oneself and a lot of power is in the parents’ hands. But when it is an adult, the question becomes murky and inexplicable. An abusive partner? Reasonable minds dictate that one would leave that relationship. Yet there are many, many women and men who stay in that intolerable situation.

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To find some meaning or explanation in those cases, I turn to what motivates or moves any person. We all have beliefs, thoughts, values, and opinions. Some are more powerful than others. At the center of it all is the drive to survive. It may seem that acting against one’s own interest is contrary to this.

That is true. But this where the power of the mind as well as the comparative weight of emotions make an appearance. Fear is an extremely strong basic emotion. Accepting that a parent or a partner is abusive, thereby wrong, means I am no longer relating to that

“Growing into a responsible, mature and loving adult who treats others well takes work: Being able to look at self in the mirror and see those shortcomings, accept them, and then decide to change.” supposedly all-knowing or loving-caring figure. That leads the thought process to fear of abandonment. A basic and powerful fear that creates a huge well of anxiety that if you can’t look in the face and confront, will mask the abuse in some rationalizing fashion.

Every person has an Achilles’ heel; none of us is perfect, some much less than others.

Growing into a responsible, mature and loving adult who treats others well takes work: Being able to look at self in the mirror and see those shortcomings, accept them, and then decide to change the behavior. Easier said than done, but a much-needed step if we all want to live in a civilized and caring society. t

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quality of life

Open Wide ask Dr Eva

Dr Eva Hersh

Loss of Sexual Desire: Women Dear Dr. Eva, My wife has lost interest in sex since she went through menopause. She is rarely willing to have intercourse. She’s more willing to give me oral sex but does not usually want to receive. She is in her early 50s; I’m eight years younger. We had a good sex life until her mid-forties, then it gradually tapered off to nearly nothing.

Would estrogen therapy help with this? Or Testosterone? Also I have heard there is now a Viagra-type drug for women. Would that help?

BJ

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Dear BJ, First, let me tell you that you are not alone. More than half of women in their 50’s has significantly decreased sexual interest.

I know this may be tough for you to hear, but your wife’s (let’s call her YW) low sexual interest is not a considered a medical problem unless it bothers her. Even though she wants to be a satisfying partner for you, if pleasing you is the only reason she wants to increase her interest in sex, no method is likely to be effective. If she isn’t bothered by her lack of desire, you will have to accept that this is who she is, now.

Unfortunately, she cannot go back in time to be the person she was years ago, any more than you could.

Desire is very difficult to increase. It’s easier to increase willingness. The rest of this article will discuss some common reasons for unwillingness to have sex and how they may be changed. Talk with your wife about what might make her more willing to have sex. Feeling more comfortable, physically and emotionally, are the main requirements.

• Menopausal changes: After menopause, many women find intercourse painful.

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This is because loss of estrogen, which is the main women’s hormone, leads to lack of natural vaginal lubrication and to thinning and fragility of the vaginal walls. Although estrogen replacement therapy does not increase sexual desire, it does effectively bring vaginal lubrication and wall thickness back to normal, making intercourse more comfortable. If she medically cannot take estrogen or if it does not give enough relief, over the counter lubricants such as Astroglide and Replens can be very helpful.

• Specific physical problems: Many problems that make sex uncomfortable become more frequent in middle age. Arthritis and back pain are the commonest of these.

If unwillingness to have sex is due to pain in certain positions, it’s time for some creativity. Experiment with different sexual activities and positions that take pressure off the painful areas.

For example, for someone with back pain, putting a pillow under one side of the back so that the person is at a slight angle rather than flat on their back can greatly relieve pain.

Or, for someone who is used to being the top partner but now has knee problems, being on the bottom, or in a side-by-side position, may be a welcome change.

• Medications: the commonest classes of medication that decrease sexual interest are mental health medicines, especially SSRI antidepressants like Prozac and Zoloft and benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax. Two classes of blood pressure medicines, the beta blockers and the thiazides, also can decrease sexual interest. A person who is taking any of these medications and has loss of sexual interest or changes in sexual function such as delayed orgasm should see the prescribing doctor to discuss lowering the dose or switching to another medicine.

• Fatigue and stress remain the most common reasons, at all ages, for loss of interest in sex. If your sex life improves on vacation, this probably means fatigue and stress are major factors.

• Communication problems between the couple are another common cause of sexual problems at all ages. If you can, sit down together and discuss the issues. If

you can’t talk on your own, get help from a therapist with expertise in couple’s therapy. Just a few sessions can make a big difference not only for your sex life, but also for your relationship overall.

So what about the medicines you mentioned? Not much help there, I’m afraid.

• Testosterone: women’s’ bodies make the same kinds of testosterone as men’s do, but in much smaller amounts.

It’s believed that these “female testosterones” have a role in sexual desire, but experiments in using testosterone to boost libido have not been successful. It turns out that, for testosterone to be successful in boosting desire, the doses have to be so high that the woman’s testosterone level is almost as high as a man’s. At that dose, along with increased libido, the woman may develop a low voice and a beard.

• Flibanserin (trade name Addyi) was approved by the FDA for sale in the U.S. just under a year ago. It’s approved for the treatment of decreased sexual interest only in pre-menopausal women. This medicine was refused by the FDA twice before it was approved because of ineffectiveness and severe side effects. This medicine must be taken every day. The small benefit it has does not start until four weeks after it is started. On average, women taking Addyi reported they had sex one more time every two months than before taking the medication. The overall impression of women who took this drug was that it helped only a little or did not help at all. Common side effects include low blood pressure, fainting, nausea, dizziness, and headache. I do not recommend it.

Low sexual desire is a normal phenomenon for women after menopause. The situation may improve if attention is given to the points listed above. Yet it is important to realize that, particularly in postmenopausal women, low sexual desire is an invented disease, based on the idea that women’s libido should be similar to men’s. t Eva Hersh is a Baltimore family physician. Please send questions and comments to her by e-mail at dr.eva@baltimoreoud.com

“Low sexual desire is a normal phenomenon for women after menopause.It is important to realize that, particularly in postmenopausal women, low sexual desire is an invented disease, based on the idea that women’s libido should be similar to men’s.

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Baltimore oUtloUd Wishes everyone a safe and happy pride

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Lively Arts // out on screen

Don’t Hate on Ghostbusters

by Chuck Duncan You have had to have been living on a remote island with no internet access for the last year to not know there’s a new Ghostbusters movie hitting the big screen.

You probably also know that from the second the project was announced with an all-female cast of ʼbusters, the interwebs have been set afire with a type of vitriol usually reserved for warring political parties (and we’ve had plenty of that, too). There will be those who refuse to see the move on principle – and seriously, people, it’s just a movie! – there will be those who go to “hate watch,” and there will be those who are genuinely excited to see the film either out of curiosity or just because it’s been decades since we’ve seen a new Ghostbusters movie. And, for the most part, they will be pleasantly surprised.

The story unfolds as Erin Gilbert (Kristin Wiig) is about to get tenure at the university where she teaches. Approached by a man who asks her to help investigate a haunting, she is horrified to learn that a book she co-wrote with her friend Abby Yates about the paranormal is available on Amazon.com ... without her permission.

The two reunite, along with Abby’s new assistant Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), and are drawn into the haunting case ... which results in Erin losing her university gig.

But coming face-to-slime with a real ghost, the trio begin busting full-time, meeting subway employee Patty (Leslie Jones) in the course of another investigation.

Patty joins the group, and the four must uncover what is behind the sudden increase in ghostly activity in New York City.

The best way to really enjoy the new

Not all clients are happy with their ’busting, but there’s a lot to like

Ghostbusters is to first not think of it as a laugh between long slogs of attempts at remake. It’s not a remake of the original. humor. I also enjoyed the bits early on It has its own story, and most importantly, which seemed to address the bad internet it’s set in its own universe where no other buzz in clever ways.

The cast is also very good. McCarthy Ghostbusters movie (or characters) exist.

And with all but two of the original cast gets to play a nice, down-to-earth person making cameo appearances as alternate-uniBusting verse versions of their spectres and characters (there is a gender-stereotypes nice little nod to the late Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis refused to participate), it’s easier to accept this film on its own terms.

While it is necessary to divorce the new film from the old, it still manages to hit many of the same beats and evoke the original, especially in the terrific opening scene that reminds one of, but doesn’t completely ape, the library scene from the original. Instead of Zuul and Gozer seeking to destroy the world, this time we have Rowan (Neil Casey), a nobody who had been bullied all his life but who is also a genius who has found a way to unleash the dead from another dimension to walk the earth again and destroy who has a passion for ghost hunting. It’s mankind as vengeance for his been a while since she’s played someone treatment. It’s up to the Ghost- like this and it’s refreshing to see her play busters (not a name they original- someone who seems closer to her own ly chose) to stop Rowan and save persona (or at least the one she trots out for talk shows) than some of the more unthe world.

The script, by Kate Dippold pleasant character she writes for herself and Paul Feig, mixes laughs and (and her excellent track record with direca few good scares pretty well, and tor Feig still stands with this, their fourth finishes things off with an epic bat- film together).

Wiig is also terrific as the more tle (which some are saying is too over-the-top, but if Ivan Reitman mild-mannered and sensible of the quartet, had had today’s CGI technology at although she does go a little goofy whenhis disposal, his finale may have ever Chris Hemsworth is around.

McKinnon’s tech genius was a bit been just as epic).

While the movie does have a few big grating at the start, seemingly just weird laughs, it’s more consistently humorous for weird’s sake, but she grew on me as than laugh-out-loud, and I’m fine with that. the film went on (and she refrained from I’d rather smile and chuckle all the way making her trademark crazy eyes that she through a comedy than wait for a good relies on a bit too much on SNL, and Les-

“While the movie does have a few big laughs, it’s more consistently humorous than laugh-out-loud, and I’m fine with that.”

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lie Jones does her Leslie Jones schtick ... and I love it. She made me laugh the most.

Hemsworth’s Kevin is dumb as a bag of hammers, and he plays it to perfection, but he also gets to do a 180 later in the film (and if you’re a Hemsworth fan, be sure to

stay for the end credits as he gyrates to the updated theme song).

Feig’s direction keeps the film constantly rolling forward with no extraneous information to slow down the plot.

He keeps the cast in check, lets the laughs come naturally, and stages the epic showdown with aplomb.

I may have expected to laugh more just based on how funny Feig’s last three movies with McCarthy have been (Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy), but I really have no complaints about Ghostbusters.

Of course, not everyone is going to accept the movie on its own terms, and that’s up to them.

But, I think if you go into the movie with an open mind, you’ll find it to be an enjoyable experience and a fun time at the movies. t

Lively Arts // out on stage

Stagecoach Express: Baltimore to New York

By Ryan M. Clark While I always grateful for the wonderful theatre performances seen on a weekly basis here in Baltimore, every theatre enthusiast should treat themselves to a yearly pilgrimage to New York City – the theatre capital of the world. Luckily, transportation to the Big Apple from Charm City has never been easier, even on a budget. For those in Baltimore City, regular Amtrak service runs to New York starting from $79. Leaving from White Marsh, Megabus offers fairs as low as $10 one way to N.Y.C. I opted for Bolt Bus leaving from Penn Station, Baltimore: one-way $30.

Baltimore’s close proximity to New York offers theatregoers the option of a nice one-day trip – however, if you can swing it, spending the night is an exciting event. Numerous options are available for travelers from Airbnb to the Ritz Carlton. I opted for the Hotel Really just a hop Edison located on and a skip!

West 47th Street between Broadway and 8th Avenue. This is the perfect location for a theatre enthusiast as it is centered near Times Square – the heart of the theatre district. My rate was about $120 per night.

Several ticket options are available for the savvy theatregoer – none of which involve paying full price. The TKTS booth operates daily in the heart of Times Square offering half price or discounted tickets for numerous Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. You simply stand in the line and check out what is on the board. When you get to the window you purchase tickets to the show of your choice. If you’re looking to get your tickets ahead of time, great deals can be found through websites such as Broadwayworld.com or Playbill.com. A friend suggested I try a new app for my phone called “Today’s Tix.” Between that app and the aforementioned websites, I

paid less than $50 for the majority of shows I saw on my trip to New York. It should be noted that these options are not available for major “hot” ticket items like the current Broadway smash, Hamilton.

My first production was a Wednesday matinee performance of the theatrical adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Without a doubt it ranked in the top ten plays I have ever seen in my life. This creative and genius piece of theatre takes the audience on a magical ride through the mind of an autistic young boy named Christopher. The play defies the rules of traditional theatre and left me breathless. I’m excited to report that the play will be coming the Kennedy Center in D.C. in October!

On Wednesday evening I saw Ivo Van Hove’s revival of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible at The Walter Kerr Theatre.

The experimental director brought fresh energy to this classic piece by updating the costumes and setting and simplifying the action. While it was quite interesting visually, I thought the play strayed from Miller’s original intention of the play – a metaphor for 1950s McCarthyism.

Thursday night, I caught the 2015 Tony winner for best musical – Fun Home at Circle in the Square Theatre.

This was a fascinating musical that was staged completely in the round (audience on four sides.) It’s a coming-out narrative between a lesbian daughter and her gay father. While I longed for more text and less music, the story was original and captivating.

Finally, on Friday night I went off-Broadway to Manhattan Theatre Club’s City Center space to see Nick Payne’s new play, Incognito. The four-person cast features Charlie Cox from the Netflix

3.5 hours away to world-class theatre!

drama Daredevil and Heather Lind from AMC’s Turn-Washington’s Spies. This odd and fascinating play is an exploration of the inner-workings of the human brain told through various vignettes. It had a wonderful simplicity that drew me into the action.

The performances were stellar.

Many of these shows are scheduled to close in the next few weeks so get your tickets soon! If you are a theatre-enthusiast like I am, treat yourself to a trip to New York. It’s easier than ever! t Ryan Clark is an assistant professor and program coordinator of Theatre and Media Performance at Stevenson University.

Nashville-based Roanoke Brings Americana to Germano’s

By Frankie Kujawa Roanoke, the Nashville-based band, is performing at Germano’s Piattini on Wednesday, August 10th at 6 p.m. With its folk-blended melodies, Roanoke’s collaborative band members bring different sounds culminating in a talented taste of Americana right here in Baltimore.

“We tried to write something that was really raw and honest. Something that really capitalized on the Americana sound,” explains the band’s Taylor Dupuis. “And we listen to a lot of old music, old country, blues, jazz – a lot of old Appalachian and Gospel music.

We wanted to make an album that blended in all those styles that really inspire us with all the arrangements and harmonies.”

Their album Roanoke was released in May to the acclaim of many critics within the music industry. The band’s humble beginnings in Nashville allowed them to come together in a very organic way. “We all lived in Nashville, originally, and met there. We all have similar musical tastes. We believe in writing honest music along with the similar type of instrumentation and songs. It helps that we really get along so well. Once we get into the room and we all come together to create a piece of art; we are very lucky to have that.”

Along with her Roanoke bandmates, Dupuis will also be joined by front man Joey Beesley, and the two are a real-life couple both on and off the stage. Their working relationship Roanoke and personal relationship perfectly credit: Alex Sumner complements the other. “It’s really nice because it’s like a duet. We have both our guy and woman perspective and it does inspire us. One of the things that people tell us is that it comes across on the stage. People can really see the connection live. It’s also really nice to be on the road together and share the stage together. It shows in our music, as well.”

Dupuis and the rest of Roanoke are very excited to bring their music to Baltimore.

“We haven’t been to Baltimore before so this will be our first time. We are very excited to play there!” Dupuis also explains that audiences at Germano’s are in for a real treat when the band hits the stage. “Our show is really put together in a format that takes the listener on a journey through storytelling and songs. Some of the songs are a little bit slower and are kind a little sad, but we also have our songs that are upbeat and fun. We definitely want to take the listener on the ride that they will truly enjoy and remember.” t Visit Germanospiattini.com/events/ for more info.

BALTIMORE OUTLOUD juLY 22, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t

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Lively Arts // out on screen

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BALTIMORE OUTLOUD

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Cineastes Set to Salivate

By Frankie Kujawa In the season of Baltimore Pride, the Creative Alliance is offering a remarkable cavalcade of LGBT films and presentations during Rainbow Fest. Running from July 28th to 30th, the fifth anniversary of the film festival is expanding to include the comedic wit of author Isaac Oliver, a glittering assemblage of happy hours, as well as a drag party hosted by Betty O’Hellno.

“The benefit of having such a condensed festival is we get to pick some of the best narrative films and documentaries, as well as two excellent shorts,” explains festival film curator K.J. Mohr. “Everything is condensed into the cream of the crop.”

Among the films being shown, Akron, by Brian O’Donnell, explores the relationship between two young freshmen at their rural Ohio college.

Once the two meet, while playing football, they begin to fall for each other.

Mohr explains, “Akron is a beautiful love story and it’s not an ‘in your face’ gay movie – it just happens to be two people who are gay and it’s their love story. It’s a beautiful film.”

Akron’s writer, director, and producer O’Donnell adds, “Audiences can expect to see something that they haven’t seen before. We really wanted to focus on and create characters that were true to life. Benny and Christopher are two young, healthy gay men in college and have goals.

Isaac We’re catching up Oliver with them once they have already have come out and gained acceptance from their family. The movie isn’t based on any shame or homophobia from a parent or that may come from coming out. There isn’t any tension from that. We’ve seen that before and we wanted to come in with a different perspective.”

Joining the celebration of these films is the witty Baltimore-native and writer Isaac Oliver. Oliver, whose debut collection of es-

says, Intimacy Idiot, has been hailed by critics and fans for its hilarious, raw honesty. He’s returns to Baltimore to celebrate the paperback release of his book, as well as bringing some new stories with him. “I’m going to be sharing all new material.” Oliver states. I’ve been at residence at Joe’s Pub in N.Y. and have a lot of new stories that I’m sharing in Baltimore.”

Oliver also shared why events such as Baltimore Pride and Rainbow Fest are so important to both our community. “It’s been a really tough year and a hard year. There are so many acts of violence happening, like in Orlando and all the gay brothers and sisters we lost. I think it’s important more than ever to be openly gay and be counted

Rainbow Fest: Baltimore ‘s LGBT film extravaganza timed for Pride

and to celebrate our history and presence.

We need to share our stories and be as authentic and honest as possible. That’s what I try to do in my work and in my stories. It feels doubly meaningful because I’m incredibly proud and thankful to be gay.”

O’Donnell adds, “I think this year it’s even more important for people to come together. There is an urgency for people to show a real sense of togetherness and power that is really important for us to experience.”

“We’ve made so many strides in the community and I’ve been shocked how quickly things have been changing,” says Mohr. “But I think that, after what happened in Orlando, we can’t take it for granted. We need to celebrate and come together. Film festivals are about celebrating and coming together and celebrating our community.” t For more information on Rainbow Fest, please visit Creativealliance.org for more details.

Lively ArtS // qmusic

Women in the Lead

By Gregg Shapiro As more and more people get used to the idea that the U.S. might soon have its first woman president, now’s a good time as any to acknowledge some of the women in leadership roles in bands.

Released following Benjamin Curtis’s passing, SVIIB (Vagrant) by School of Seven Bells put surviving member Alejandra Deheza firmly in the lead. Collaborating with producer Justin MeldalJohnsen and Curtis’s brother (and former Secret Machines band member) Brandon, Deheza was able to parse together SVIIB from existing material created before Curtis’ death. Sounding like a 21st century Cocteau Twins concoction, most of the album is a refreshing and exciting take on modern dance music. “A Thousand Times More,” “Signals,” “Ablaze,” and “Music Takes Me” are all potential dance-floor sensations. As you might expect, the mood turns mournful on occasion as in the case of “Confusion” (which is reminiscent of Julee Cruise’s collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti), “This is Our Time” and “Elias.”

If you lapped up Lucius’s delicious 2013 debut album Wildewoman than you are practically guaranteed to dig the band’s latest, Good Grief (Mom + Pop). The disc’s 11 tunes, co-written by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, are a pleasurable experience. Kicking up the beats a bunch, Lucius embraces its inner 1980s dance-pop diva on songs such as “Almost Makes Me Wish for Rain,” “Something About You,” “Truce,” and the completely amazing one-two punch of “Almighty Gosh” and “Born Again Teen.” Lucius also confidently switches things up on “My Heart Got Caught on Your Sleeve” and “What We Have (To Change).” Play this one loud, you won’t be disappointed.

If you prefer swing dancing to doing the Cabbage Patch then you’ll probably have a taste for N.Y.C.-based octet The Hot Sardines. Featuring vocals by “Miz Elizabeth” Bougerol, French Fries + Sardines (Decca) the new album by The Hot Sardines finds the group leaving its mark on standards such as “People Will Say We’re in Love,” “Comes Love / L’Amour S’en Fout” (in French, no less), “Until the Real Thing Comes Along,” as well as the

more recent “Addicted to Love.” That’s Alan Cumming joining Miz Elizabeth on “When I Get Low I Get High.” The band also perform originals, including “Here You Are Again,” the instrumental “Gramercy Sunset” and the appetizing title cut.

Women are the focus of a couple of sibling twosomes; Broods and Wild Belle, both of whom have recently released sophomore albums. The less than subtle religious undertones of “All Your Glory” and “Free” aside, Conscious (Capitol)

by Broods, made up of sister Georgia Nott and brother Caleb Nott, is a dance party in the making. Dare your party guests to sit still when they hear “We Had Everything,” “Recovery,” “Couldn’t Believe,” and “Full Blown Love.”

If Conscious is something an invigorating dance-club workout, then Dreamland (Columbia) by Wild Belle, consisting of sister Natalie Bergman and brother Elliott Bergman, is made for the after-hours chill-out experience. Not that the album isn’t without its upbeat energy, found on “Giving Up on You,” “Coyotes” and the Lorde-y “Throw Down Your Guns.” On the whole the flow of the disc is at a different pace than the Broods record, on songs such as “Mississippi River,” “It Was You (Baby Come Back To Me),” “Our Love Will Survive,” and “The One That Got Away.”

How to say this nicely? These Mad Dogs Need Heroes (EJRC) by The Everymen is at its most inviting and intriguing when Catherine Herrick is singing lead. There! Herrick’s knock-you-down vocals on retro-rockers such as “Bridge and Tunnel of Love” and “Nick Lower,” as well as brassy rocker “Co-Dependent’s Day” and the blistering “Chum” have an attention-grabbing vigor lacking in some of the other songs. Otherwise it feels generic at best.

Laura Weinbach, lead vocalist of Foxtails Brigade exhibits a magnetism similar to Herrick’s on the band’s eponymous third album onOIM. Like The Fiery Furnaces, Foxtails Brigade crafts non-traditional pop tunes, including “Dirtbagz and Dozers,” “We Are Not Ourselves,” “Long Route,” “Don’t Look Down” and “Far Away And Long Ago.” Fear not, “No Fate,” “Last Still Standing,” and “Watch Me” are among the more immediately accessible songs. t

“As more and more people get used to the idea that the U.S. might soon have its first woman president, now’s a good time as any to acknowledge some of the women in leadership roles in bands.

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Lively Arts // Between the Book Covers

A Twisted Maze of Fright

By Megan Sandwick A.B. Gibson’s ability to paint a vivid picture with words that you can literally feel as you read draws you in to his latest thriller, The Dead of Winter, from the start. The detailed description of the Winters’ farm, family, and orchard makes it feel like someplace you know from countless fall visits. I was almost able to smell the apples, see the families picking out the pumpkins, and feel my heart beat faster as the plot picks up.

Gibson has a knack for casually introducing details and elements into the story that later turn out to be elements in a twisted plan. The foundation of the story is four friends meeting for a weekend getaway at a quaint orchard and farm celebrating the end of their annual six-week pumpkin festival.

I mean what could possibly go wrong?

Josh and Julia are a married couple that bicker endlessly. Dillon and Tara are single friends who love to travel, experience adventures together, and were smart enough

to bring wine along not realizing the only thing they could drink during their stay was Ma’s cider. But it becomes clear quickly that all is not right at the pumpkin festival.

A fifth friend who was supposed to come is a no-show.

While the others think nothing of this, we are introduced to a pattern of too-quick answers, cover-ups, and distractions from owners “Ma” and “Pa” who can’t shake an air of eeriness.

The four friends are clueless about what is happening and the horror that awaits. Almost too clueless, as disappearing guests pile up... though I understand their idiocy is important

Something creepy about pumpkins

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to the story.

While it seems the ending was developed with the intention of leaving the story open for future installments I felt there were too many unresolved elements and answers.

When Julia, Josh, Tara, and Dillon figured out their futures were in danger and started to fight for their lives, I would have liked more details about some of the shocking truths that were revealed about this twisted and demented family.

This fast-paced thriller is filled with action, blood, and truly disturbing images that keep your mind fascinated and engaged throughout the story. The Dead of Winter is a captivating quick read to pass a lazy afternoon. t

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BALTIMORE OUTLOUD juLY 22, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t

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People in Our Neighborhood

The Exotic, Enchanting World of Dino Locklear

BY JOE GARVEY Dino Locklear was born in Tampa, Florida in 1967 and spent his youth there and in Daytona before moving to Orrum, North Carolina, a small town near the South Carolina Border. After he graduated from Orrum High School in 1985, Dino attended Brevard College, a private, United Methodist College located in western North Carolina where he majored in voice, singing opera in Italian, French, and English.

Halfway through his degree program he switched his major to psychology and physical education, while simultaneously being elected captain of the Cheerleading Squad and Homecoming King!

At first glance, Dino’s switch in majors may seem a bit unusual, but it fully complimented his youthful and still developing personality both as an emerging gay entertainer, singer and dancer, and as a latent female impersonator. As Dino explained to Baltimore OUTloud, “I knew I was gay as a kid, but I only came out when I moved to Baltimore. I remember going into my first gay bar, Club Atlantis, at the Fallsway.

I went there at 1:30 a.m. while I was visiting Baltimore over my Christmas break, and the first person I met was the drag queen Tia Chambers who looked directly at me and said, ‘My Xmas present just walked in the door.’ Well, I was so shocked

30 t

BALTIMORE OUTLOUD

I turned around and walked out.”

That brief encounter with Tia began a lifetime friendship with her and eventual employment for Dino as a male stripper at Club Atlantis. Soon Dino compiled an impressive number of titles for his multifaceted performances as a gay entertainer, singer, and dancer, becoming “Mr. Zippers” in 1991; “Mr. East Coast” in 1992; “ M r.

Capitol City D.C.” in 1994; and “Mr. Dino, the Maryland” in 1995. florist During this time, Dino was also appearing as a female impersonator “Diamond,” having been mentored by Randy Mullins, a.k.a.

Champagne Douglas, who “…taught me how to do my makeup.”

Both Dino and Diamond comfortably coexisted as male and female performers until 1996.

Then at the urging of Russell Marcum, a.k.a. Sabrina White, Diamond performed as Paula Abdul at the Hippo during Halloween week. That’s when Dino began his slow transition from exotic gay entertainer, dancer and singer, to the captivating and enchanting female impersonator that we know today.

Two years later, Diamond appeared

juLY 22, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com

a wedding with us, you get a 15% in her first pageant running discount for your ‘special day’, as for “Ms. Hippo.” She did not well as a 15% discount for your imwin, but gained immeasurably mediate family, bride and groom, from the experience, so that in for an entire year when they pur1999 she was the second runchase a minimum of $50 worth of ner-up in the “Ms. Maryland flowers from us, excluding taxes Pageant.” Success followed quickly, as Diamond noted, “I didn’t have and delivery.”

Always thinking forward, Dino is foto run numerous times [to win].” Following that achievement, in 2000 Diamond ran for cused on expanding his business and “Ms. Headquarters” in Hagerstown, win- increasing his marketing. Already, he is ning the preliminary contest for the “Ms. already preparing for the 1840s Building Maryland Pageant.” Later that same year, Bridal Show in September and the Maryshe achieved her lifetime dream being land Wedding Professionals Association crowned “Ms. Maryland 2000.” Dino-Dia- Wedding Expo (MWPA) scheduled in Janmond is the only entertainer to hold both ti- uary, 2017.

Diamond is still a classy and enchanttles as “Mr. Maryland” and “Ms. Maryland.”

Over the ensuing years, Diamond re- ing female impersonator, entertaining visflected on how much female impersonation itors to Baltimore at the Hotel Indigo’s Pohas changed. “I try to impersonate a fe- ets Restaurant located at 24 West Franklin male as close as possible. To actually look Street in Baltimore. Sue Nami, her close like a woman,” she explained to Baltimore friend, directs a show there that includes OUTloud. “My female friends, however, Diamond and two other female impersonask me if drag queens are ‘making fun of ators. “We do a two-and-a-half hour brunch us’ as females when they exaggerate their show once a month on the second Sunday of every month,” Diamond informed Baltieyebrows, lips and makeup.

I assure them it isn’t about being real more OUTloud, inviting readers to, “Come for brunch and see us perform for any more. Drag queen makeup free.” Reservations are rehas evolved to a different quired if you want to see level than what female Diamond perform and impersonation used to lip sync her favorite be, where they are song “Friends” by creating characters.

Michael W. Smith, It is not good nor a contemporary is it bad. It is simChristian musiply where it has cian. As a female gone.” entertainer, DiLike most amond is a rare people, Dino gem: she is has worked for flawless! a living too, purBut what ties suing a career as both Dino’s and a florist in a variDiamond’s exotety of area flower ic and enchanting shops and saving bouquet of talent money for the right and life together is opportunity to have her loving and supporthis own store. That goldDino, as ive partner Jeffrey Ireland, en opportunity appeared Diamond! with whom she has had a 27on April 1st, 2015 when Dino year relationship ... after meeting purchased “Flowers by Gina D.” On July 1st, Dino renamed the store “Dino De- him as a male stripper at Club Atlantis! t For more information about Dino’s signs of Baltimore.”

Now Dino is busily preparing flower first-class floral services, please contact arrangements for weddings, birthdays and him at Dino Designs of Baltimore (330 other special events. “We go out of our way North Charles Street, Suite 101, Baltimore, to make sure that our clients are happy,” Maryland 21201) or call 410-385-8552 or he exclaimed to Baltimore OUTloud. “We dinodesignsofbaltimore@gmail.com. The pride ourselves on our work and prepar- store’s hours are Monday through Friday ing quality arrangements. When you book from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

a.k.a.

‘Diamond’

out in the valley

Parenting OUTloud

Rev. Kelly Crenshaw

Baby’s First Pride My kids love Pride Season. They get excit- will wander off or be emotionally delayed. ed about going to each of the festivals and Right now, her biggest struggle is with anxiety. watching the drag shows. The younger ones She gets nervous when other people come to enjoy the festival atmosphere and the older the house. She can’t handle smells and will ones enjoy being surrounded by like-minded often react when someone who smokes holds her. Loud noises scare her. And, don’t even folks.

Baby Cassandra went to her first Pride think about taking her out in a crowd. Most of event in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It’s a the time, she won’t react right away. She just small event, held in a local park. I took the gets serious.

We will see the reaction later on. She will baby, three-year-old Ryan and four teenagers. We visited with friends. The children get upset and begin to cry. And, the crying will played at the park. We watched the drag get more and more intense until she begins to vomit up everything in her system. Finalqueens perform. It was a good time.

Two years ago, Ryan went to this Pride ly, she will collapse from exhaustion. That is, event and saw his very first drag show. My unless we are able to calm her. It’s horrible to favorite memory is of him waving dollar bills at watch and even more difficult to experience. the drag queens as they danced. He laughed I’m usually the only one who can calm her when she reaches a certain point. and clapped. It was a great day for him.

But, we know that she cannot hide at Cassandra is not quite eight months old. home forever. We know that And, she is much more reserved. she has to learn to deal with If she is comfortable, she’s the people and crowds. So, I happiest baby in the world. Evdecided to take her to Pride. erything makes her laugh. She And, she did okay – not waves and babbles. No one is great, not happy – okay. immune to her charms. But, if The atmosphere at most she’s anxious, she is the most Pride events is joyful. Peoserious baby on the planet. ple are celebrating. They are She barely grinned when we proud of who they are and, met up with one of our friends. most times, a general hapShe refused to look at some of piness surrounds the event. the men she knows fairly well.

I wanted Cassandra to exShe didn’t cry. She didn’t comperience that. And, I feel plain. She was simply serious. the same way about taking And, I take that as a step in the Cassandra at her first Pride all of my kids. I think Pride right direction. celebrations are a wonderful When Cassandra was born, addicted to eight different substances, we way for children to see what it means to be knew it would be hard for her to adjust. We’ve truly accepting. And, in the wake of the horraised quite a few drug- and alcohol-affected rors of Orlando, I wanted my older kids to see children. Each one is different. Some are su- that, in spite of true evil in the world, love still per friendly. One of my girls never experienced wins.

So, we went. We visited. We shopped. stranger danger. She would go home with anyone. She wandered off more times than I can We celebrated. And, we felt the love.

I was tired when we got home. I wanted to count. She was fearless. And, in today’s society, that’s not a good thing for a child. Others relax, but I worried that Cassandra was going experience delays in maturity and have diffi- to need a lot of attention. Was I going to be up all night with a sick baby? Was she going culty getting along with their peers.

Cassandra is still too little to know if she to have a reaction? I waited and I waited. But,

she was fine.

She’s making such progress. We’re so proud of that little girl. She’s been a fighter throughout these early months of her life. It’s as if she’s determined to let us all know that this is not going to get her down. She’s going to win and she’s going to be better for it.

So, my thanks to Panhandle Pride for giving me a way to give my little girl the opportunity to feel the love. And, if you happen to run into us on Sunday at Baltimore Pride, look for the smiles. She’ll be feeling the love. t Rev. Kelly Crenshaw is the mom of 16 adopted kids, two biological kids, guardian

of one baby girl and foster mom of dozens.

Some are lesbian, some gay, some straight, and some bisexual. Kelly founded a K-12 day school where kids could have a safe, bully-free environment for learning. She is co-owner of a counselling agency that works with children and their families. Send your parenting questions to her at pastor.kelly@ comcast.net

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out in the valley claimed June as LGBT Pride Month. More and more young people are feeling safe to be out at school, and our list of straight allies grows every day. The world my teens had so desperately hoped for is becoming a reality much sooner than any of us had Brian George Hose expected.

A few years ago, none of this seemed possible. It’s easy to see why the teens felt the way they did. When an LGBTQ issue was discussed in public it usually came with a reminder that not everyone is gay-friendly. We were still fighting for marriage equality and had many opponents A few years ago I had the privilege of work- whose voices overpowered us in the meing with a group of local LGBTQ youth. The dia. It became difficult to focus on the light teens themselves were as diverse as the when we were seemingly surrounded by colors of the rainbow that represents our darkness.

At times it still seems that the world is community, but they all had a few things in common. These brave young people band- against us but, like the art of drag, this is ed together to create a safe place for them- an illusion. The proof is in the faces of the selves and others like them because, sad- smiling, dancing children at Hagerstown ly, they felt their community was not a safe Pride. These are children growing up in a place for them. They had all experienced more loving, accepting world than many of harassment and discrimination; their lives us. It means that our efforts are working, that we are changing the world. It were filled with means that new generations are experiences that more accepting of diversity and proved the world view equality as a fundamenwould not accept tal right. It means that we have them. They longed more allies than we realize. It for change, but means the world is becoming a change seemed safer place for our children, and impossible. it means that it is becoming safer I thought of for our allies to voice and show these young peotheir support. ple yesterday, When I wonder how things years after our last could have changed so much I’m meeting.

Hagerreminded of the butterfly effect. stown Pride was in We all play a part in these changfull swing and drag es. Being out reminds the world performers were that LGBTQ people are here, that wowing the crowd Aurora Sexton – Pride we are friends, neighbors, and in downtown Hag- comes in many sizes credit: Paisley Grahl coworkers. Being out lends facerstown. The front es to theoretical political issues. of the crowd was dotted with children enthusiastically watch- Being out allows us to be humanized and ing the show and losing themselves in the seen as people deserving of rights. Being rhythm of the music. Swaying turned to out tells our youth that they are not alone, dancing and suddenly one of the girls was that there is life after high school. Being trading moves with 2016 Miss Gay USA, out tells our leaders that we want and deAurora Sexton. The two danced together serve equality. Collectively, these small briefly, garnering a roar of cheers and ap- things amount to big changes.

This Pride season, I’m proud that I plause from the crowd. It was a beautiful moment that proved change is not so im- (and you) have in some way contributed to changing the world. I’m proud that the possible after all.

In fact, everything about this moment LGBTQ teens I spent time with created a was beautiful. I realized that this was hap- safe place for themselves and that in doing pening in the heart of Hagerstown where, so made their community that much better only a few decades ago, patrons of a gay for their peers. I’m proud that the world is bar were harassed and sometimes beaten becoming more inclusive and safe for our as they made their way back into the con- community. But mostly, I’m proud that drag servative community. Now, Hagerstown queens and children danced side by side has an openly gay mayor who recently pro- on the streets of the town I call home. t

Brian’s

Brain

Becoming Possible

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Beyond the Ice

Machine L:aura Anderson

Getting to Know Us According to a 2015 Pew research poll, 88% of Americans say they personally know someone who is gay or lesbian. That’s really good news for the gay community and likely a major cause for the social gains made in the past several years. In contrast, only 16% know a transgender person (according to a report from GLAAD in 2015) – only 9% of Americans over 45 say the same. For transgender folks, although the number has doubled in the last eight years, the challenge is clear. We have a long way to go in making ourselves more familiar, especially on a personal level. It is up to us to change things – to allow people around us to know us and to better understand us. That can be a difficult task.

As we transition, many of us feel compelled to go stealth. Our hope is to blend into society, living our true gender while leaving behind no clues of who we may once have been. We strive to live our daily lives at work and at school, in restaurants and in grocery stores, at church and in our communities with no one suspecting our past. We feel pressured to live secretive lives – not wanting to be identified, desperately seeking to “pass” ... and with good cause. It can be really important to conceal one’s past.

The consequences of being read or outed can be terrible – in most states we can be fired from our jobs without cause or even denied housing. In some places we are restricted from using restrooms. We are met with ridicule and suspicion. I have been laughed at and called names – disparaged as if I were back in middle school. The world can be a dangerous place, especially for trans women – especially for trans women of color.

I hesitate to come out to certain groups to which I belong because I fear dispelling the “myth” of their perception. At church, I feel comfortable using the ladies room. If I outed myself there and everyone knew that I had previously lived as male, I would be perceived differently. Not wanting to inflict an awkward situation on those around me, I would no longer feel comfortable using the restroom. In addition, I have no desire for people to identify me differently – to examine

me closely, looking for the “maleness” I have so desperately sought to eliminate – seeing it in all that I say and do.

Several studies have shown that expectations have a powerful influence on perception. In one study reported in Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach (Kessler & McKenna, 1985) participants were shown drawn figures with a blend of different secondary sex characteristics and all with gender ambiguous faces. When participants believed a particular figure had a vagina, it’s face was identified as feminine. When they were led to believe that the same figure had a penis, that same face became masculine.

For the figures shown, regardless of what the secondary sex characteristics may have been, participants perceived the same faces as male or female based upon the expectations of certain genitalia. Just knowing that I may have (or had) a penis changes everything. I go from being an “us,” to suddenly becoming a “them.”

This is our dilemma, especially on a personal level. We know that people need to see and become familiar with transgender people in every walk of life. We know that by doing so, we enhance our cause for equality and acceptance. We know that by becoming more visible we make the world a safer place for transgender children facing a lifetime of struggle. Yet, many of us waver.

So, think about this. What would you do?

If you were compelled to live another gender with the capability of blending into a society that greets you with full acceptance, would you do it quietly? If you could avoid being overly scrutinized by others looking for evidence of your past, would you remain silent?

Would you stay quiet to keep your job, to keep your friends, to maintain the perception that you are like everyone else? Or, would you begin to introduce yourself to that 84% that claims they do not know a transgender person?

For many transgender people, especially those who have transitioned, this ongoing inner struggle is one we confront daily. t Laura Anderson is an educator, author, researcher, parent, and granddad. Her years teaching in public school classrooms as male provided the foundation for her more recent role educating future teachers. Living female for the past decade, she has come to appreciate the privileges she once held – both male and cisgender – privileges now replaced with the fulfillment of living as her true self. .

// health

Health Chat

Debbie Anne

The Rest of the Story At the beginning of 2016, I wrote a column about the obesity epidemic and how I’m one of every three Americans who is obese. I had made a commitment to myself to try to make some changes to my diet that would result in weight loss over time. I was equally committed not to “diet” in the traditional sense by denying myself the things I like.

I had committed to exercising five days a week and to becoming more aware of what I eat by writing down what I was eating every day. And I’m happy to report that strategy was working fairly well. Even though I wasn’t exercising like I had first thought because the arthritis in my knees was getting worse, and I wasn’t losing tons of weight, still the scale was going in the right direction, and I had lost six pounds over a few months without even really trying. The “not really trying” is the part I like the best. I don’t have either the energy or the desire to work really hard at losing weight. Call me lazy; I’ll own it.

Then at the beginning of June I woke up at 6 a.m. one morning lying on my left side and thinking, “Man I must have been laying on this side all night ‘cause it really hurts.” So I rolled over to my right side, but that didn’t help the pain in my left side at all, so I decided to just get up. I walked out to the kitchen and put the coffee pot on, and the pain on my left side just wasn’t letting up. It just kept coming through my left shoulder down my left arm and up my left neck and jaw. Within minutes, I was also short of breath and nauseated. That’s when I knew I was having a heart attack.

True to the good nursing education I’ve gotten, I got out my emergency bottle of 325mg, uncoated aspirin and took one and got dressed to go to the hospital. Contrary to my good nursing education, I made the decision to have someone drive me to the hospital instead of calling 911 like you’re supposed to do. I wanted to go to a dif-

ferent hospital than the one an ambulance would have taken me to. At this point, I’ll say, “Please do as I say, and not as I do.”

Yes, I’m a nursing hypocrite, and nurses do make the worst patients.

By the time I arrived at the hospital, the aspirin had been doing its job and my pain was beginning to subside. As soon as I reported that I had chest pain at the desk, I was whisked off to a room where about ten nurses and techs surrounded me and within the first minute got an EKG, a reading of what was happening to my heart. The emergency room doctor was there within two minutes saying that the EKG confirmed I was having a heart attack and that the Heart Cath Lab was being prepped for my arrival in the next few minutes.

In the Heart Cath lab four stents – tiny wire mesh tubes that hold the artery open – were placed overlapping in my right coronary artery and I was comfortably in my room by 10 a.m.

It all happened so fast it has taken me weeks to absorb what it means to the rest of my life. I have six So small, so major risks for corosignificant nary artery disease and heart attack – age, obesity, stress, high blood pressure, a sedentary life-style, and a family history.

My father has had a quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery and both of my brothers also have high blood pressure.

I survived my heart attack because I knew the less typical symptoms of heart attack and because I knew to take an aspirin and to get to the hospital immediately (preferably by calling 911). If I wasn’t making big changes to my diet before, I certainly am now, but I’m still not counting calories or denying myself. Instead I’m looking at fat grams and sodium (salt) content and choosing to eat things that won’t hurt my heart. In addition, I’m learning how to exercise to keep my other coronary arteries and my stents in good shape, even though I still hate it. In just a few weeks, I’ve lost another five pounds, and that’s the rest of the story – at least for now.

To learn more about Coronary Artery Disease go to: Mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronary-artery-disease/ home/ovc-20165305. t Debbie Anne is a Public Health Nurse with Frederick County Health Department in Frederick, Maryland. In 2014 was awarded a Governor’s Citation for her work with Marylanders living with HIV/AIDS.

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out in the valley // spirit speaks

Spirit Speaks

Rev. Dr. Rob Apgar-Taylor

Sticks & Stones, Please I am not sure why, but the concept of “words” has been on my mind a lot recently. The Facebook posts about the shooting in Orlando being a result of a crazy person reacting to anti-LGBT rhetoric, the current climate of race relations in America and the words that we use to talk at each other rather than to each other. Even this morning we are hearing much about the words being used in Cleveland and on both sides of the political aisle.

When we were little our parents told us a lie. So did our teachers. And the lie went like this: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.”

Sorry if I offend anyone, but that’s a lie.

I am not trying to minimize the damage of physical abuse, please don’t mis-

understand. It is awful and demeaning and hurtful and it needs to stop. There is no reason to be physically abusive to anyone.

However, I do think we tend to underestimate the effects of words in our society.

Verbal abuse is hurtful. It can be damaging in much more long lasting ways than physical abuse. The child who is told they are fat or ugly or stupid. The teenager who is tormented and bullied because of who they are, how they look or who they love. A spouse or partner who is belittled or shamed.

The reality is that words have power.

Our words can build up or tear down. The Bible says the tongue is like a rudder of a ship. It may be one of the smallest parts but it directs the movement of a mighty vessel.

Our words have power. When we speak about people of color in ways that dehumanize or subjugate, people will listen and some will take those words to heart in ways that destroy and kill. When we use the same generalizations about police, we can’t be surprised when unsta-

Pride Events

By Rev. Kelly Crenshaw It’s Pride season and the church has been decorated for over a month. Even though our Pride service was the first of June, we decided to leave those decorations in place to honor the fact that Pride now seems to last fully summer-long.

Our church enjoys setting up our booth at Pride events throughout the season. Kelly & family We meet with old friends, make new at Pride friends, and enjoy the festival atmosphere. Some years, we’ve provided beads for people to make bracelets or necklaces. This year, we’re handing out coloring pages and crayons.

It’s a time when parents can bring their kids by for some family friendly fun or adults can take a few minutes to sit down and relax in the middle of the day.

Going to Pride events and seeing all of the LGBTQ-friendly organizations advertising their services is such a powerful message to the community. It shows that there are places without judgment. Places that are safe and welcoming.

Places like New Light! t For more info about New Light contact one of the co-pastors at 301-797-5698 or newlightmcc@hotmail.com.

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// Real Estate

What Type of Home Should I Buy?

By Charlotte Ashton So you’re tired of paying rent and you are ready to buy. What type of home should I buy? Well, that depends on many factors.

The reality is that you will probably not be able to buy your “dream home” first time around; there is almost always some sort of compromise (house size, lot size, location, condition). Here is what I recommend: 1) Location, location, location! There really is something to that. It’s usually best to compromise on the house than it is the get the better house in a location you won’t be quite as happy in. You can change the house but not the location. You will be happy you did when you go to re-sell it; even the nicest

ble people take them literally and act out in destructive ways. The same condemnation (even worse) applies to my own faith tradition which has demeaned and dehumanized not only people of color but same gender loving people for generations. It is our words as people of faith (Christian, Muslim and Jew) that led to the shooting in Orlando.

Like it or not, our words have power.

Power to give life or take it away. Power to make us better people or play to the basest level of our humanity. Choose your words and choose them wisely.

Careful the things you say / Children will listen / Careful the things you do / Children will see / And learn / Guide them along the way / Children will listen / Children will look to you / For which way to turn / To learn what to be / Careful before you say / “Listen to me” / Children will listen t

homes have trouble selling if not in a desired location.

2) Get what you can actually afford.

Just because a lender approves you for a certain amount does not mean you should go out and shop in that price range. In addition to monthly payments, make sure you are clear on all other related expenses including utilities, insurances, homeowners’ fees, general upkeep expenses. Don’t end up “house poor” (a situation where most all of your income is going into the house and its related expenses). You don’t want to be so tied to your home financially that you don’t have the funds to do anything else.

3) Make sure you have researched with your lender and/or your realtor, the best loan program available to you. You may be eligible for 100% programs or for area-specific loans and or grant monies you may not know about. It is best to be sure you are still left with some money in your pocket after all is said and done.

4) Consider the best home match for yourself. If you aren’t handy you may want to stay away from an older home and stick with newer or more mechanically updated homes. If you spend a lot of time at work or on the road and/or have an active lifestyle a townhouse or condo may be a better fit.

Maintaining a yard can be time consuming.

5) Consider your future plans. It really makes a difference in what you buy and how much you pay based on how long you plan to stay in the area and/or how quickly your family may grow. For example, it’s not a good idea to pay top dollar for a property if you will be relocated in a couple years or get a home that you will outgrow very quickly.

I love working with first-time buyers. Right now in my Tri-State area more often than not, I am finding homes where the payments are below the market rent for similar homes, sometimes well below. I have a young couple now that looked at a townhome in Martinsburg and a single family in Hagerstown recently. Total mortgage payments would be about $700 a month; rents for similar homes would be $1,000 to $1,100. You can’t beat that! To me that is an incredible incentive to buy. The deals are out there… don’t let them pass you by! t Charlotte Ashton has been a full time realtor since 1997. She works at Remax Results in Hagerstown and is licensed in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. She can be reached at 240-707-3200 or cashton61@yahoo.com.

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getting to know you

Meet Ta’von Vinson —continued from page 1 who we are. One of my biggest goals is always to have the audience identify and relate with one of my characters or be reminded of someone they know.

JP: What are you working on at the moment?

TV: My first web series, titled “Prophecy.” I’m really excited about this project because it is so different from my last one.

I don’t want to give too much away until it’s actually released but I can say there will be powers, demons, and fighting.

JP: How did you get started writing?

TV: I’ve always been an imaginative child. It wasn’t until I was in the third grade at William Paca Elementary School that my teacher took notice of my writing. We had to write a story using the title “The day the music died.” After the stories were collected, she entered it in the fifth grade writing contest and it placed third.

JP: How do you think black gay men are viewed on TV and how do you feel about the argument that the “effeminzation of black men ruins the black family or it

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holds them back?”

TV: I do think it’s important to show different areas of homosexuality. Some are more masculine energies and some are feminine. Growing up, I didn’t identify

Ta’Von Vinson

with any characters so I would always pick the female because that’s who I identified with. When I would see a gay character, it would be more of a satire or the joke in-

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“I think it’s important to show ditfferent areas of homosexuality. Some are more masculine energies and some are feminine.” stead of something believable. This is not to say these characters do not exist or that there is anything wrong with it but I would like to see something more tangible.

JP: Why do you think that some black gay men tend to relate more to black women?

TV: I do think some women are quicker to relate to us. I’ve never gone looking for females as friends but I can definitely say some females meet me and want to stick around. My best friend for instance is a straight man whom I’ve known since college. I think some women like being around us so much because there is a certain air to us. Especially the more feminine male, I can’t really say what that is but they kind of get the best of both worlds. t

out ON campus

L’Affaires du Coeur Publique

By Roger E. Hartley & Monica Queen Happy Pride! It’s been a great pleasure to have the opportunity for the University of Baltimore to contribute to this special column “Out on Campus.” Our institution is committed to civic engagement, diversity, and social justice among the day-to-day work of excellence in higher education. We have been periodically described as a “hidden gem.” We are a great institution doing great things in Baltimore, but we don’t want to be described as “hidden” again.

We wanted to tell you a bit about our College of Public Affairs and let you get to know us a bit. By reaching out this past year, we have formed so many new, exciting relationships and community partnerships. Many partnerships are having an impact on students’ lives and careers but also on our neighbors here in the city.

The University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs (CPA) is an innovative, strategically focused urban college engaged in personalized teaching and innovative research

that promotes excellence in the public and nonprofit sectors. We are a community of students, faculty, staff and alumni who are all dedicated to improving the lives of others. We believe that public service is the highest of callings.

Through our three schools – the School of Criminal Justice, the School of Health and Human Services and the School of Public and International Affairs – the College of Public Affairs offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields ranging from forensic science to global and human security to health systems management. Our students learn from internationally known scholars and award-winning teachers who bring their professional expertise into the classroom, helping them gain practical experience and find new pathways toward rewarding careers in public service. Our college also houses the William Donald Schaefer Center for Public

An introduction to the University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs

Policy that does public service work in the region like evaluation research and trainings.

Schaefer brought us just this year mayoral and senatorial candidate forums and this year opportunities to assess the opinions of Baltimoreans on the most important issues of the day.

The University’s location in the heart of Maryland’s largest city – just across the street from Penn Station – provides our students with a “built-in” laboratory, with opportunities to put theory into practice and create change right outside our doors.

Students in residence at the University of Baltimore find themselves only blocks away from opportunities to solve real-world problems inside city, state, federal and international organizations as well as local and national nonprofits and foundations. Internships and jobs are sometimes just steps away from campus.

Since its inception in 1925, the university has been known for providing educational access to those who otherwise might be denied the opportunity: working adults, first-generation college students and those who require the flexibility not found in traditional college settings.

The College of Public Affairs continues that same practice today – as do the other

three colleges and schools that, along with CPA, comprise the university – offering classes during the day, in the evenings, on weekends and online to accommodate the different schedules of our diverse student body.

Further, the College of Public Affairs offers several of its most popular degree programs at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland, affording students outside of the Baltimore metropolitan an opportunity to earn a UB degree without having to travel to Baltimore.

As Baltimore is set for an incredible summer of events, including the upcoming Pride Celebration, I invite you to come see us at the University of Baltimore. As you may know, a large part of the annual Artscape Festival is on our campus; we are just north of Mount Vernon and just blocks south of the Station North Arts District, and our neighbors are The Lyric and the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Better yet, visit us online at Ubalt.edu/ cpa. Reach out to us if you are interested in learning more about one of our 17 degree programs or if you would like to partner with us, take on an intern or hire a UB grad. t Roger E. Hartley (cpadean@ubalt.edu) is dean of University of Baltimore’s College of Public Affairs. Monica Queen is a college communications specialist at UB.

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dining out

Finger’s Food

Richard Finger

Marie Louise Bistro

904 North Charles Street, Baltimore 410-385-9946 marielouisecatering@comcast.net After completing some weekend errands, we decided to stop for lunch at Maria Louise Bistro. Many times I’ve walked by this restaurant with its outdoor seating reminiscent of a Paris bistro. But since the mercury was reading close to 90 degrees, we decided to sit indoors. A quick walk through the front of restaurant leads us to a back dining room. As with brasseries across France, it is cozy with small tables, simple décor, and a rich menu.

While perusing the lunch offerings, we ordered beverages. I decided to try the white sangria ($6.50), while my lunch companions went for Presque non-alcoholic options. magnifique!

Honestly, I felt the sangria tasted more like lemon water rather than sangria. Perhaps I had let the ice melt too long? We did not wait terribly long for the very attentive waiter to take our orders. The lunch menu consisted of soups, sandwiches, salads, and entrees. I had decided on the Mediterranean Chopped Salad (Italian cured meats, tomato, cucumber, red onion, pepperoni, feta, and oregano vinaigrette) at $14. For an additional $8, I added shrimp to the salad. Other salad options included a Beet and Cheese Salad (goat cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts) for $12, a Duck Confit Salad (mixed greens, duck confit, goat cheese, toasted almonds with sherry vinaigrette) $15, and the Salad Nicoise (fresh mixed greens, grilled ahi tuna, saffron potatoes, haricot vert, egg, nicoise olives, French vinaigrette) for $15, among a few other options.

My vegan son decided on the Grilled Portabello Sandwich (Portobello mushroom,

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zucchini, eggplant, red pepper) for $14. All sandwiches are served with Pommes Frites.

Lunch offerings skew to sandwich options.

There is a Lamb Burger (feta and tzatziki) for $14, Ongalt Aux Eschalotte (grilled beef Hanger steak on brioche with horseradish aioli and melted shallots, pommes frites) also $14, and Triomphe (turkey on French baguette with olive tapenade, pear gastrique, roasted red pepper, and fresh mozzarella cheese) for $13.

My remaining lunchmates – my fiancé and soon-to-be-mother in law – decided on a traditional French dish, Coq au Vin (marinated chicken slow braised with mushroom, pearl onion, and baby carrots) for $19. Other lunch options are priced between $18 and $26, starting with the Spinach Lasagna (four cheeses and marinara sauce) for $18.

While it is true that our water glasses had been refilled many-a-time, it felt as if grass grows faster than our meals took to be served. Furthermore, our waiter failed to provide us with a status on when we could expect our food. From what we could see, the dining room was half-full, so the kitchen could not have been too busy, but then again, it could be there was a rush of takeout orders.

Once served, my fiancé and motherin-law-to-be were quite happy with the Coq au Vin, with its taste, quantity, and presentation.

As for my salad, I was quite disappointed that for $8, I had received only five pieces of jumbo shrimp, and felt a bit upset to spend $22 on a salad!

In addition, the oregano vinaigrette was barely detectable by my taste buds.

My son’s Portobello mushroom sandwich was also a bit small for the price.

I will not argue that Marie Louise does “offer delicious quality fare using only the finest and freshest ingredients available.” The Bistro atmosphere is casual yet upscale, and offers an expansive wine selection, to guarantee an affordable and enjoyable meal.” I do take issue with the quantity of food served for the prices listed. Is that just me? I’d suggest you go check it out for yourselves. At the very least, you will enjoy the food, the wine, and the atmosphere, even if you spend a few more dollars than you had planned. t

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Real Estate

your money

How’s the Market?

By Wayne Curtis When you’re a realtor, everyone asks that question when we meet. So, here’s a mid-year report on our local markets, using data from our Multiple List for May (the last month fully reported as of the paper’s deadline).

Properties in Baltimore City and County have been selling at a breakneck pace. The average number of properties sold over the last five years in the month of May is 642 for the city and 804 for the county. This May the number of properties sold is 803 for the city, and the county clocks in at 969 (125% and 121% of the average, respectively). Similar trends are underway in the surrounding counties in central Maryland.

Inventories of homes for sale have not increased, however. We’re currently well within the five-year averages when it comes to number of houses on the market.

The result of increasing sales and steady inventory means that sellers will generally have shorter listing times, and the “months of supply”, i.e., the number of months it would take to sell every house currently on the market, have dropped significantly over the five-year averages: in the city, from 6.4 months down to 5.0. In the county, the five-year average is 4.7 months of supply, and currently they are down to 3.5.

How do these numbers translate to everyday experience? We are now in a seller’s market. Buyers don’t have the leverage they had a couple of years ago to bargain on price and contract terms. This year we have routinely received multiple offers on listings that are priced well, in good condi-

tion, and in sought-after locations. Unlike the “bad old days” of the last boom, however, lenders and appraisers today are not allowing the type of price inflation we saw a decade ago. Most predictions have been for a 5-6% price increase in 2016, and I don’t think we’ve seen anything so far this year that would alter that prediction.

I’m expecting that the market numbers for June will drop significantly from May because we’ve seen a steep decline in showings around mid-month as summer weather arrived and schools let out for the season. That seasonal drop is not unusual and is not a cause for alarm.

Great Britain’s vote to exit from the European Union, or “Brexit,” has not had any effect on our real estate markets so far.

Looking forward, the only predicted effect of Brexit is that our mortgage interest rates will continue to be at historically low levels – previous predictions were that the rates would rise through the end of the year.

Rents are not expected to drop, either.

So, if you are starting to get hives whenever you write that monthly check to your landlord, it will continue to be a great time to buy. In many cases, mortgage payments will actually be smaller than current rent payments. Start looking this summer, when traffic will be slower and your interest will be more appreciated! Even if you don’t find the perfect home, you’ll be market educated and ready to snap up that perfect house that goes up for sale in the fall. t Wayne Curtis has been selling real estate in Baltimore since 1997. He can be reached at wayne@charmcityrealestate. com or at Waynecurtis.realtor.

A midterm report

The More you Know About

Business

Richard Finger

Upholding the Dress Code Policy Let me get it right out: this article will be controversial but timely. We’ve all been witness to recent events involving stressed police / community relations. It’s become a social issue of epic proportions. Until last week, for me personally, these events have happened outside of places of business, relegated to the news cycle. As days go by, people are gaining energy and voicing their opinions openly on all sides of the equation.

One of my colleagues had reported that an employee wore a “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt to the office. In an environment where t-shirts are prohibited, and a strict business attire dress code reigns supreme, wearing this t-shirt was likely to raise a few eyebrows. It became the gossip of the office that morning, for not only white employees, but for employees of all races.

Naturally, HR was called in to speak with the employee, and to encourage her to change into another shirt (provided by the company). The HR manager explained to this individual, in a private setting, that the t-shirt violated the dress code policy, and explained that we always attempt to keep the workplace “neutral.” She went on to explain that if an employee would wear a “Trump 16” t-shirt, the same conversation would take place. Reluctantly, the employee changed her shirt. Later that evening, the employee took to Facebook to state her displeasure about the incident,

calling out the company for not supporting her cause.

This event left me contemplating where the line between the Right of Free Speech begins, and the right of a company to maintain its culture ends? While I do agree with the Black Lives Matter movement, I do not believe this employee should be allowed to wear this t-shirt to work. Objectively speaking, a company has a right to maintain a dress code conducive to stimulating productivity. Given that this employee is not an officer of the company, the company does not have jurisdiction over what a person wears or says before or after work hours. From my perspective, this company is not discriminating against this individual. The same conversation has happened in the past for inappropriate attire (tube tops, tank tops), or even in situations where religion has played a part (auto-signatures with company logos and a cross, large crosses or stars of David hung in cubicles). The key is to be consistent in upholding the dress code policy or the code of conduct in general.

In this situation, rather than single out the employee, my recommendation to the company would be to put out a statement addressed to all employees, reminding them of the dress code.

By taking this approach, all employees are reading the same message, and the feeling that the company is sympathetic to one side or the This tie other is minicrimps mized. Failure my free to address all speech! employees in a timely mann e r by ignoring the incident, and not taking proactive steps to address the issue at hand, signals weak leadership.

There is a fine line between allowing employees to express themselves and offending others. I am certain that as our collective social consciousness increases, we’ll see more of a push to raise personal opinions by other methods of expression.

Hold on to your hats! Until November, we are all in for quite a ride. t

...for our interesting times

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Have a Listing?

Real Estate

Urban Lifestyles Real Estate Joins National Weichert Network Urban Lifestyles, a family-owned real estate agency with longtime community roots and history of charitable giving, has joined the national Weichert franchise network.

The new office, now known as Weichert, Realtors – Urban Lifestyles, is lead by broker/co-owners Mary and Ron Zimmerman,

The team at Weichert, Realtors – Urban Lifestyles

Our Real Estate Section Is the Right Place!

Call or Email us for great deals Taylor@BaltimoreOutloud.com 410.802.1310

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siblings who’ve lived in the Baltimore area their entire life.

“When looking to partner with another real estate company, and seeing what the competition had to offer, it was an easy decision to sign with Weichert,” said Mary Zimmerman. “From their decades of proven success to the continuity in support they provide our office and agents to the indepth resources, we now have the backing of one of the most respected real estate brands in the industry.”

The business was started 30 years ago by Mary and Ron’s father and originally named Ron Zimmerman Realtors.

Mary and Ron always envisioned growing the company after taking ownership while at the same time maintaining a close connection to the residents and businesses in the area, especially charitable organizations. Helping others is something the Zimmerman’s learned from their parents.

“We’ve always considered ourselves more than just a real estate company; we are part of this community. We’re all one big family,” said Ron Zimmerman. “I remember my parents telling me when I was a kid ‘Family always takes care of family’ and that’s what we do here. Whether it’s helping someone who grew up in my neighborhood buy their first home or fundraising for the many charities here that are hard at work trying to help people in our community, it’s something we are glad to be a part of and continue to do.”

Weichert Realtors also is a family-owned business, started in 1969 by James Weichert and now operating in 39 states, with over 440 offices, between company-owned and affiliate outlets. Weichert, Realtors – Urban Lifestyles is located at 1234 Light Street in Baltimore. For more info, contact Mary Zimmerman at 410-752-1050. t

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leather line

Leather

Line

Rodney Burger

Partying Together for 40 Years!

On April 4th, 1969 the Spartan Motor Cycle Club called together members of five gay motor cycle clubs to have a meeting. They met at the apartment of one of the members of the Lost Angels in Washington, D.C., and decided to form an umbrella organization that would help the leather clubs work together. One of the main objectives was to help coordinate the scheduling of events so that clubs would not be competing with each other for attendees. The Spartan MC of Washington, Lost Angels of Washington, Cycle MC of New York City, Second

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the D.C. Eagle City MC of Chicago, and Vikings for a meeting MC of Boston formed the Atlantic in the afternoon Mid-West Coordinating Council and in the evewith the mission of coordinating ning returned to schedules, developing common the bar for anrules for membership, and assistother “All Club ing in the forming of new clubs.

Night.”

The They sent out letters to other gay leather clubs motorcycle clubs and asked them are the foundato join. The organization contintion of the leathued to grow and by 1974 was er community made up of clubs from not just and the meetFlorida, Colorado, and many othing focused er states, but also Canada and on retaining Europe. Growth brought prob- The proud memberships lems. With so many clubs from all insignia in clubs and atover the U.S. and beyond, the Atlantic Mid-West Coordinating Council was tracting new members. With many of the just not manageable. The solution was to leather clubs membership comes in waves. break into three organizations: European The bars are no longer a big part of the Council of Motor Cycle Clubs, Mid-Ameri- LGBT community and many clubs have ca Conference, and the Atlantic Motorcycle struggled to attract younger members.

One example is the D.C. Boys of LeathCoordinating Council.

In 1976 in honor of the nation’s bi- er which was founded in 1999 as the first centennial the Atlantic Motorcycle Coor- leather club geared towards leather boys. dinating Council (AMCC) decided to hold The D.C. Boys of Leather inspired similar an all-club event. It was a big success. leather clubs all of the country that provide Forty years later on Saturday, July 16th, a safe space for leather boys. Unfortunate2016 members from the current 23 leather ly in 2015 the D.C. Boys of Leather club clubs that form the AMCC got together at became inactive as many of the members had moved on to other organizations and other foci. One of the current goals of the AMCC is to help leather clubs continued to grow and prosper.

I got to the D.C. Eagle around 10:30 and since Sir Steve was unable to make the trip due to taking care of his father, I arrived with my favorite D.C. sidekick, Mr. Maryland Leather 2013 Bob Rose. Although not a large turnout from the leather clubs – after all it is summertime and many folks are at the beach, on vacation, or have other weekend plans – it was still wonderful to see so many friends from as far away as Maine. The Pennsmen from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were there in force. They are a fun bunch and it is hard to believe

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but I have known some of them for over 20 years. (You can catch the Pennsmen starting at 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 6th when they host “Leather Night” at The Brownstone Lounge at 412 Forster Street in Harrisburg.) That is the beauty of the leather community. You will make friends that you will run into at leather events year after year. It was really a fun night at the D.C. Eagle. There were great Jell-O shots, raffles, and a nice display by Steve’s Leathers. I was glad I was able to be there.

Come out and support your local leather clubs. You will meet fun people and may be inspired to step up and become a member of one of these great organizations.

As the Baltimore leather community awaits the grand reopening of the Baltimore Eagle, my friends Tina Landi and Rik Newton-Treadway, a.k.a. Evil Twin Productions, have announced that due to the delay in getting the Baltimore Eagle open, the Mid-Atlantic Leather Woman and Bootblack Contest has been moved from August 19th to 21st to November 11th and 12th at the Baltimore Eagle. The producers want to show their support for the Baltimore Eagle and did not want to move their popular event to another venue. The Atlantic States Leather Weekend is still scheduled for August 19th to 21st and has moved to The Charm City Play Space located not far from the Baltimore Eagle at 252 W. 23rd Street. The meet and great will be held there on Friday night starting at 9 p.m. and will include demos. The contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Saturday with the doors opening at 7 p.m. There will be a cash bar. The contest will be $15 or for $20 you can attend both nights of the inaugural Atlantic States LeatherSIR / Leatherboy / Community Bootblack Contest.

This weekend you can look for the Baltimore Eagle float and the leather contingency in the Baltimore Pride Parade. See you at Baltimore Pride and come party with the leather community. t

SATURDAY NOVEMBER

5TH 2016

THE BALTIMORE EAGLE

DOORS OPEN AT NOON. CONTEST AT 1:30 PM.

NOVEMBER 3-6 2016

Eli Onyx

Check online weekend guide for participating bars, events and club info. @ www.commandmc.org

Mr. Maryland Leather 2016

NEW HOST HOTEL To book a room, go to http://tinyurl.com/hahof82 or call (410) 625-6200 SPONSORS

BENEFITING

FLAVOR SM

APPLICATIONS & INFO AVAILABLE AT

(443) 296-2198

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