OUT
AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER COMMUNI-
Police Commish’s LGBT Advisory Council Holds Listening Session By Bill Redmond-Palmer Monica Stevens Yorkman, co-chair of the Baltimore Transgender Alliance, says it’s a frequent assumption by police that all black transgender women are prostitutes. Yorkman recounted an incidence when she, dressed in a women’s business suit, approached police officers and asked why this was, and was told, “Because most of them are.” When Yorkman asked the police if she looked like a prostitute, their answer was, “Well, you never know!” That anecdote – and others – were aired at a community listening session August 31st, when the Baltimore Police Commissioner’s LGBT Advisory Council offered a chance for public input in the wake of the recent scathing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) report on the Baltimore force, sparked by the killing at the hands of Baltimore police of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.
The report alleges racial discrimination and patterns of unlawful gender and anti-trans bias. A court-enforceable consent decree following from the DOJ investigation will track progress on problems found. Those attending the meeting recounted incidents and expressed concerns about treatment by police, as well as offered ways for the council to influence the commissioner to press for change. While the DOJ report was sparked by Freddie Gray’s killing – a crime for which no officer was found guilty – many of the concerns raised at the meeting and by the DOJ report were issues of omission – such as failure to respect the preferred gender identity and / or name of transgender individuals. People speaking at the meeting offered examples of both. Accounts were given of police repeatedly misgendering trans peoSpooked out yet? At the TransAllegheny Asylum
September 16, 2016 | Volume XIV, Issue 10
ple or failing to offer aid in volatile situations. One speaker told of a victim of domestic violence who was refused aid by police and told to tell the commissioner about it if they didn’t like it. In another alleged incident, a gender-nonconforming female was told by police during a confrontation that if they wanted to “dress like a man” then the police would beat them “like one” – with the police promptly following through on their threat. A substantial part of the discussion centered around what many speakers considered the over-policing of low-income transgender women of color in the neighborhoods of Charles Village and Old Goucher – policies that were felt to be encouraged by, for instance, the Charles Village neighborhood association, which generally represents whiter, wealthier, and more socially-conforming people. Speakers cited tension on the street between the
two groups. Other attendees spoke of police harassment and arrest of outreach workers to young men who have sex with men, with police claiming to suspect those workers of illegal acts, and examples of police parking near – but out of sight of – HIV testing vans around the city, then following, harassing, and sometimes arresting those visiting the vans for alleged involvement in crime. A number of those speaking said that LGBT people were reluctant to report discrimination out of fear, that crime reports were not taken seriously, that they felt their lives were in danger in interacting with police, or that they felt the police didn’t care about their lives or safety. As the consent decree process unfolds and government funds – for instance, for equity training – follows in the steps of the highly publicized DOJ report, many at the meeting expressed that the community —continued on page 3
Committing to the Asylum
by Brian George Hose The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is an eerie and imposing structure. Built between 1858 and 1881, the Asylum is one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the U.S. and the second largest hand-cut sandstone building in the world, second only to the Kremlin in Russia. Its sprawling wings measure nearly a quarter-mile in length and consist of 242,000 square feet and four levels. During its years as a mental health facility the Asylum was home to thousands of patients and hundreds of deaths. If ever there was a building prone to paranormal activity, this is it.
I learned about the Asylum several years ago when a friend proposed an impromptu road trip. Nestled in Weston, West Virginia, the Asylum is a great destination for a day trip. The drive from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is a little over four hours and about an hour from Morgantown. We didn’t know what we were getting into when we left for the Asylum, but I’m glad we went. The Asylum is a National Historic Landmark and remains largely unchanged from —continued on page 28
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september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
news // LOCAL
Police Commish’s LGBT Advisory Council Holds Listening Session —continued from page 1 should demand its fair share for needed projects relating to LGBT public safety. Steps for improving LGBT community / police relations discussed included learning from other successful consent decrees, looking at what social science says about effecting cultural change, and building coalitions with groups beyond the LGBT community. Council co-chair Laura DePalma, told the meeting that the council works closely with Sgt. Kevin Bailey – the Baltimore police LGBT community liaison – to help conduct training and affect change in the department. She also said that the department
Chase Brexton Brings on the Mobile Mammograms Select Chase Brexton Health Care patients deemed most in need may be eligible for digital breast cancer screenings through a mobile mammography van to be located at the Chase Brexton Mount Vernon Center on September 28th. The screenings are provided in partnership with Lackawanna Mobile X-Ray and the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Breast cancer is the second most c o m m o n cancer in women, and mammograms are capable of finding it up to three years before it can be felt. The Center for Disease Control recommends mammograms every two years for women age 50 and older who are at average risk for breast cancer. The staff of Chase Brexton encourages their patients to remember that early detection saves lives! Any patient who feels they may quality should contact their Chase Brexton provider or call 410-8372050 for more info. t
commissioner is committed to working to change the department’s culture, and that he’s accessible to the council. Additional listening sessions are planned, and the Baltimore Police Commissioner’s LGBT Advisory Council welcomes emails – at bpdlgbt@gmail.com – relating to concerns, complaints, or other issues the community has with police or a particular officer. Messages go directly to the council cochair – not to any police department staff – and she promises confidentiality. t For more information about the Commissioner’s LGBT Advisory Council, visit Facebook.com/BPDLGBT.
Approved February 29, 2016
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND HEALTH
IF YOU ARE LIVING WITH HIV, YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS STUDY YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE IN MEDICAL CARE TO QUALIFY WHAT CAN YOU GET IN THE STUDY? • We will refer you to medical care if needed • Learn the benefits of taking HIV medications • Earn up to $1,030 for completing assessments • Some people may earn up to $7,300 over 2 years for providing blood samples that show that they take HIV medications regularly HOW CAN YOU APPLY FOR THE STUDY? Call the Center for Learning and Health at
1-866-857-9851
Principal Investigator: Kenneth Silverman, Ph.D. Protocol Number: IRB00044740 BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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news // LOCAL
LGBTQ United March Against Gun Violence By Bill Redmond-Palmer “We will not be silenced out of fear. Our voices will be heard. Our votes will be counted.” That’s the slogan for the LGBTQ United March Against Gun Violence, a candlelight vigil and rally set for October 1st and 2nd at Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. “The moment I saw news reports showing a terrorist brandishing weapons against our brothers and sisters at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, I knew it was time to organize the LGBTQ community to speak out,” said Mike Zuhl, the event’s organizer. “Tens of thousands of people across America have supported our cause on Facebook and social media. They agree that the violent use of weapons to commit
and funding to collect data on gun violence and its consequences, requiring licensing with gun safety training before purchasing weapons, and allowing the development of smart guns so that a stolen gun has no value. “It’s sad that we have to have this rally,” said Rik Newton, member of the event planning team, and interim vice president of Baltimore’s LGBT community center. “But I believe that together and united we can make a difference and make change happen!” Event organizers are looking for people personally impacted by gun violence to briefly share their stories from the stage – contact them via email. They are also seeking interfaith and non-denominational clergy to participate. Organizers are also seeking volunteers to work both prior to and at the event. For the Candlelight Vigil, they note that wax candles and open flames are not permitted in the park, so they recommend bringing glow sticks instead. Organizers says donations to cover the costs are needed and can be made through the event’s GoFundMe page. As well, t-shirts are available for sale before the event. Learn more at Lgbtqunitedmarch.com or email info@lgbtqunitedmarch.com. t
LGBT Ranking: U of MD College Park One of Best hate crimes against the LGBTQ people, and other minorities, must stop. That will happen only when our voices are heard by national leaders. That’s why I organized these events.” The candlelight vigil will be from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 1st. The next day – Sunday, October 2nd – comes rally, from noon until 5 p.m. Both events will take place in Lafayette Park, at the corner of 16th and H Streets NW. The organizers call for universal background checks, banning gun sales to those with a criminal record for domestic violence, banning the sale of assault and military grade weapons, giving the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) permission
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Campus Pride in Charlotte, North Carolina, has released its annual college ranking that includes the “Best of the Best” and its “Shame List.” First the good news. The “Best of the Best” list, highlighting universities that are especially welcoming to LGBT students, includes the University of Maryland, College Park, along with 29 others. In order to be in the Top 30 listing, institutions were rated based on research on policy, program and practice, conducted by LGBT experts in the field of higher education. The Shame List calls out colleges that have requested Title IX exemptions, allowing them to discriminate against LGBT students despite receiving federal funding. There are over 100 schools on the Shame List in total, from all over the country. Three North Carolina colleges and five South Carolina colleges have the ignoble honor of making this year’s list of the “absolute worst campuses for LGBT youth” in the
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Winning the race
U.S.: Belmont Abbey College (Belmont), Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary (Charlotte) and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest) represent North Carolina on the list. Anderson University (Anderson), Bob Jones University (Greenville), Charleston Southern University (North Charleston), North Greenville University (Tigersville), and Southern Wesleyan University (Central) represent South Carolina. LGBT students who attend one of the schools on the list are encouraged to reach out to Campus Pride and consider filing a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. “Religion-based bigotry is careless and life-threatening,” said Shane Windmeyer of Campus Pride. “LGBT young people face high rates of harassment and violence, especially our trans youth and LGBT youth of color. The schools on this list openly discriminate against LGBT youth and many of these schools have requested or received Title IX exemptions for no other purpose than to discriminate, expel and ban LGBT youth from campus. It is shameful and wrong. Most people are shocked when they learn that there are college campuses still today that openly discriminate against LGBT youth.” The Campus Pride Index can be found at Campusprideindex.org. (Q-Notes Online – Jeff Taylor at Qnotes.com)
Elder Services at Chase Brexton Aiming to ‘Grow,’ Not ‘Shrink’ By Bill Redmond-Palmer Clients of the SAGECAP program, focused on providing services to LGBT elders and part of the LGBT Health Resource Center of Chase Brexton Health Services, have
recently expressed concerns about the future of the program as well as the commitment of Chase Brexton to continuing its work. The SAGECAP program is the nucleus around which the LHRC was formed, and seeks to address the challenges and provide support and services for LGBT caregivers that no other organization in Baltimore currently provide. The planned program for their regularly scheduled SAGECAP ”Lunch and Learn” session on September 8th was postponed, and replaced with an opportunity for clients to discuss recent events. Nate Sweeney, director of the LHRC, provided a summary of the history of the program, its current programs, and goals for the programs future. “We are serving more people each month,” said Sweeney, “and working with other aging service providers towards building a safety net of services.” One year after they first opened their “Purple Door,” over 250 people have been served by the SAGECAP program, with about 50 actively engaged at any one time. “We have identified a clear need in Baltimore for aging services for LGBT older adults, as well as for LGBT caregivers,” said Alex Kent, SAGECAP program coordinator. “We are exploring ways to meet those needs individually and in partnership with other organizations and government.” “Our LHRC Community Advisory Board is open to people interested in helping to shape that conversation,” said Sweeney. “We are working to grow our services, not shrink them,” said Sweeney. “We want to focus on providing services in areas where others are currently not doing so.” It took little time to reach what Sweeney referred to as “the elephant in the room,” which was the recent termination of Bethany Henderson, the former LGBT Health Resource Center program manager, who was key to the creation and development of the SAGECAP programming. Henderson was abruptly terminated without explanation in August together with four other long-time Chase Brexton staffers. The clients present appeared to be in agreement, that in Henderson’s dismissal, there was a disconnect between the messages from Chase Brexton and their actions. They all expressed how warmly she had treated them, how comfortable she had made them, and how much they missed her presence. “I understand that all transitions are rough,” said Sweeney. “It’s my job to make sure that SAGECAP is a program, and not tied to any one person. I also acknowledge that we need to earn your trust back,” he told the clients.
news // LOCAL An overarching concern cited by the clients was their perception of a continuing drift of Chase Brexton away from its origins of having 100 percent gay clients, until today where, Sweeney said, only an estimated 18 percent of Chase Brexton clients are LGBT identified. That percentage is substantially lower than any of the other six U.S. LGBT Health Centers that have advanced in the past few decades to become major health centers with a collective annual budget of more than $100 million. “We are concerned that the LGBT community created the space for Chase Brexton,” said one client, “and now we are worried that it is shrinking and will go away.” Another client said that they felt that Chase Brexton “repeatedly fires LGBT workers, and that more have been fired under current CEO Richard Larison, than in the previous 20 years put together that I have been a (Chase Brexton) patient.” The majority of the five staff members terminated in August openly identified as LGBT. Yet another client, shared their perspective that “some people can interpret Bethany’s dismissal as a dismissal of those clients that she supported. It creates a bad image when you dismiss the positive face of a program,” they said. Chase Brexton “should be building bridges, not blowing them up!”
“It is devastating to be unable to work with the SAGECAP program,” said Henderson. “I miss the participants of the program and my colleagues so much. Although I am no longer able to serve in my role as SAGECAP program manager, I will continue to work to ensure that Baltimore’s aging services become LGBT welcoming, inclusive and affirming, in any capacity I can.” Sweeney offered to meet individually by appointment with any SAGECAP clients with further questions or concerns. In addition, anyone interested in serving on the Community Advisory Board for the LHRC, to help guide and develop programming, should contact Sweeney at lgbt@chasebrexton.org, or at 410-837-2050 x1107. t Baltimore OUTloud community outreach liaison Bill Redmond-Palmer, is a long time community advocate for HIV/AIDS, interfaith, and queer issues. Have a community news story idea? Email bredmondpalmer@baltimoreoutloud.com.
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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beyond the beltway compiled by Jim Becker
September is bisexual visibility month – some notables Charlotte, N.C. – This month the community celebrates bisexual visibility, shining a spotlight on part of the LGBT community that is all too often ignored. Here is an anything-but-exhaustive list of bisexual individuals throughout history starting with... Josephine Baker – dancer, singer, and actress, she was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture – 1934’s Zouzou. She rose to prominence while performing in France. She refused to perform for segregated audiences and was active in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Her adopted son described her as bisexual, claiming she had relationships with both men and women, including artist Frida Kahlo.
Baker was married four times. Hans Christian Andersen – the Danish writer is well known for having written some of the world’s most famous fairy tales, including, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” The Little Mermaid,” “The Snow Queen,” and “The Ugly Duckling.” He also wrote novels, plays, travelogues, and poems for an adult audiThese 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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ence. While Andersen avoided sex and did not have any successful relationships during his life, he did fall in love with both men and women. Frida Kahlo – the painter – had a distinctive, individualistic style, often labeled with categories that do not quite stick, such as folk art and surrealism, which she rejected. She is most well known for her self-portraits. When the Louvre acquired her “The Frame” painting, it was the first work of a 20th-century Mexican artist that they purchased. She was married to fellow artist Diego Rivera and also had relationships with women throughout her life. Greta Garbo – the actress – was a star who successfully made the transition from silent films to “talkies” and was one of the biggest stars of the early film industry. During World War II, Garbo worked as a spy for the British government. She never married, but appears to have had relationships with both men and women. Simone de Beauvoir – the writer, philosopher and activist – was one of the most influential thinkers of her time. Her writing explored feminist theory, as well as existentialism, which came in the form of novels, essays, and biographies. De Beauvoir’s longtime partner was fellow philosopher, writer and activist Jean-Paul Sartre, but she also had relationships with women throughout her life. Jean-Michel Basquiat – one of the most famous and critically acclaimed painters of the 20th century – he first gained notoriety as a graffiti artist living in New York. His work married elements of figuration, abstract expressionism, neo-expressionism, graffiti, poetry, and folk art. His work often dealt with socio-political issues and spoke out against colonialism and racism. He died of a drug overdose at just 27. Basquiat never came out as bisexual, but is said to have had relationships with both men and women. Leonard Bernstein – composer, conductor, writer, and pianist – is best known for writing the score for West Side Story, as well as the film score for On the Waterfront. He left his wife when he decided he could no longer conceal his homoerotic feelings, but returned to her when she became ill, caring for her until her death. Edna St. Vincent Millay – the writer – won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1923, only the third woman to win the award. Millay also wrote prose under the pseudonym Nancy Boyd. Much of her writing explored female sexuality, feminism, and antiwar views. She was married to a man, but both of them had lovers throughout the relationship. Millay was openly bisexual. (Q-Notes Online – Jeff Taylor at Qnotes.com)
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Dharun Ravi
Bias conviction voided in Rutgers suicide case Newark, N.J. – The man who broadcast gay Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi’s embrace with another man – shortly before Clementi committed suicide – has had his convictions overturned. A New Jersey appellate court on September 9th sided with Dharun Ravi, who in February requested the overturning of bias-intimidation and other charges he was convicted of in 2012. Ravi was found guilty on all 15 charges he faced. He was eligible for up to ten years in prison but a judge sentenced him to 30 days, 20 of which he served. Prosecutors contended Ravi, Clementi’s roommate, set up a webcam to capture Clementi’s intimate moment with another man and encouraged other students to watch. Clementi committed suicide by jumping off the George Washington Bridge days later, on September 22nd, 2010. The appellate court’s opinion was largely centered on a New Jersey Supreme Court finding released after Ravi’s convictions that the state bias law was unconstitutional because its definition of a bias charge relied on the defendant’s state of mind, rather than the victim’s, the latter of which the court said the prosecution relied heavily upon to prove its case. Kashad Leverett, one of 12 jurors to convict Ravi, told ABC News after the verdict, “In my opinion I didn’t think it was a hate crime until we were presented with an indictment [that explained the law].” The court remanded the case to the Superior Court, ordering a new trial on the ten non-bias-related charges including invasion of privacy. Middlesex County prosecutors will have until the end of the month to decide whether to appeal to the state’s top court. (Philadelphia Gay News – Jen Colletta at Epgn.com)
Couple dies in murder-suicide after alleged sex with teens San Juan County, Washington – Dailymail.com reports that a Minnesota elementary school teacher and his married spouse, who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Washington state were being investigated for having sexual contact with at least three teenage boys, according to newly released court documents. South St. Paul schools Superintendent Dave Webb says 40-year-old Lincoln Elementary School teacher Aric Babbitt was put on paid administrative leave after the district learned of the allegations against him on August 17th. According to court filings, a 16-year-old boy and his parents went to police to report that the teen was having a sexual relationship with Babbitt and his 36-year-old spouse, Matthew Deyo. The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reports that Babbitt and Deyo also were under investigation for inappropriate conduct with two other youths. On August 28th, the married couple were found dead of gunshot wounds on a Lopez Island beach, according to San Juan County Sheriff Ron Krebs. A suicide note was found at the scene of the crime, which stated that the couple had visited Lopez Island years ago with their dog and loved it. According to People.com, Babbitt and Deyo allegedly took the teen to a hotel and Babbitt’s cabin for sex, and allegedly provided marijuana and alcohol to the teen. After telling his family, the teen’s brother “became upset,” according to CBS, and said a fellow student told him he also had sexual contact with Babbitt and Deyo. t (DailyMail.com & People.com at Dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3767165/ Teacher-husband-died-murder-suicide-investigated-sexual-contact-THREE-underage-boys.html & People.com/ article/couple-found-dead-amid-sexual-assault-investigation)
Dead from teen sex hysteria: Aric Babbitt & spouse Matthew Deyo
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September 6, 2016 Dear Community, Colleagues and Friends, It is with enthusiasm and pride I announce as of September 1, 2016, I have officially stepped down as Acting Executive Director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB). I intend on continuing to lead in my capacity as President of the organization. I have been honored to serve GLCCB for the past year as chief executive of the staff, leader of its Board of Directors and chairperson of Baltimore Pride 2016. During my leadership, I was pleased to oversee key organizational restructurings needed to offer GLCCB a chance for a strong future. My involvement with GLCCB taught me invaluable lessons about myself as a community and nonprofit leader, the potential of the GLCCB and the power and will of our community. During the past year, GLCCB, one of the longest-running LGBTQ community centers in the United States, took remarkable strides towards returning to a legacy of honestly and diligently uniting and empowering sexual and gender minorities in Baltimore and across Maryland. I sincerely thank all of the community members, including the new, talented staff and Board of Directors, who joined me to revive an organization our community so deeply needs. Together, we have given this organization a chance to last another forty years. This work has always been bigger than me, and I thank the LGBTQ community of Baltimore and Maryland for trusting and supporting me in this important and challenging role. Your permanent GLCCB staff team is comprised of some of the best Baltimore and Maryland have to offer. Earlier this year, our Board of Directors elected to do away with the position of Executive Director at GLCCB. This single position will instead be shared by a group of co-directors who will work collaboratively with the Board to supervise the staff and oversee the programs and operations of the GLCCB. We have been lucky to have Kenneth Morrison as Director of Programs since December 2015, and with my departure from my staff role he will fully transition into co-director and staff leader at GLCCB. Kenneth Morrison, founder and former CEO of successful arts and activism organization, DewMore Baltimore, has been responsible for revamping GLCCB’s approach to programming and outreach. I can honestly say that I am leaving this staff in the best hands possible under Kenneth’s leadership. His passion and expertise will be what drives GLCCB successfully into this new era. We are currently vetting an exciting candidate for Director of Operations, who will work together with Kenneth. In July 2016, we welcomed Tasha Stennett to the GLCCB team as our full-time Office Manager. Tasha will work with the co-directors to manage office operations and other projects at GLCCB. Christopher Strietman, our Finance Manager who has been with us since August 2015, will continue to manage sound financial practices and maintain accurate financial records. Chris has been instrumental in untangling our complicated financial history and implementing projects and processes that support a stronger financial future. Our peer navigators, Jennifer Eden, Kevin Holt and Key’Ayshia Tucker, each provide compassionate and dedicated service to community members (whom we call ‘family members’) in need of navigating services throughout Baltimore. Our peer navigators’ unique identities and experiences represent the needs of our community in Baltimore and Central Maryland. We currently have seven members on our Board of Directors, including myself as President, Rik Newton-Treadway as Interim Vice President, David Sugar as Interim Secretary, Jessi Merriken as Interim Treasurer, and Members-at-large Shelly Higgins, Selina Scipio and Octavio Njuhigu. Our work is regularly enhanced by dedicated volunteers who assist with programs, events, outreach activities and Baltimore Pride. As I move on from my staff role at GLCCB, I leave behind several notable accomplishments under my leadership I am proud to mention, many of which were specific goals of mine when first joining the Board in February 2015: • After recognizing the many limitations and drawbacks of our space in the
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september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Waxter building, GLCCB successfully moved to a new, updated location to serve community. We are now located at 2530 N. Charles Street, 3rd Floor. • Our team is completely new. I have assembled a powerful staff and capable Board who share a new vision for GLCCB. • We have successfully secured program funding that has nearly tripled the GLCCB operating budget. Though we are fortunate for the opportunity to do incredible work, much of these funds are restricted. GLCCB continues to work towards gaining the support of community donors and alternate sources of funding that may better support operational costs. • Creation of several new programs and initiatives including a youth advocacy group, Youth Against Oppression, and The Shawnna Alexander Helping Hands Clothing Closet, a resource for community members in need. • Successful collaboration with Baltimore OUTLoud to unify the LGBTQ voice and community in one publication, effectively ending a 14-year distancing between our two organizations. • Successful production of Baltimore Pride 2016, Maryland’s largest LGBTQ event in its 41st year. This year, we managed the largest geographical event footprint and largest parade in Baltimore Pride history, our very first Youth Pride celebration, and a completely revamped committee planning process. • Planned and executed Baltimore’s first-ever mayoral forum on LGBTQ issues, as well as several other important and well-attended community events including Baltimore’s vigil for Orlando victims, Black Voice, and the LGBTQ Youth Prom. • Renewed commitment to transparency and accountability to our community. Deepened understanding of compassionate community work rooted in equity and justice by centering our efforts on black and brown people, transgender and gender-variant people, youth, seniors, and people living with HIV/AIDS. I am incredibly proud of my leadership and all it has inspired, and of the team of individuals who I had the pleasure to work alongside. I am especially proud to have done the work many said could not be done for this organization. Although our team is energized by our recent success, we remain focused on growth. We are eager to prove our best days have yet to come. Although my time as Executive Director of GLCCB is done, my work as a local nonprofit and education professional is not. I am happy to share that I have accepted a position with The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) as the Director of the Baltimore chapter, GLSEN Baltimore. GLSEN, headquartered in New York City, is the leading national organization dedicated to ensuring safe and supportive environments for all students in K-12 schools, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. I have worked with GLSEN Baltimore in various roles since 2005, and am pleased to be officially hired by the national office to do impactful local work. I have also accepted a part-time position as a Mathematics Specialist at Hampstead Hill Academy #47, a PK-8 public community charter school in Southeast Baltimore City, where I will work as a content specialist and academic coach for elementary and middle school math teachers. As a former teacher, I am excited to return to the education world and to belong to a school community again. For more information about GLSEN Baltimore, visit our website at www.glsenbaltimore.org. For more information regarding this transition, the GLCCB, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact me at jlyles@glccb.org. Kenneth Morrison, GLCCB Director of Programs, may be reached at kmorrison@glccb.org. For a full staff and board directory, visit our website at www.glccb.org. With Pride, Jabari M. Lyles
Program Highlight - Trans Baltimore By: Jennifer Eden The GLCCB has a brand new support group for the transgender community, Trans Baltimore. Key’Ayshia Tucker is the facilitator of this group. Through her work as a Peer Navigator with the GLCCB, Tucker realized that Baltimore’s transgender community was in need of a social environment in which genuine support, lived experiences, and valuable information could be shared. Tucker saw this void and took it upon herself to fill it. “I started this group because I saw a need for a safe, affirming space for those who are in transition [and] those who are gender fluid,” says Tucker. The first meeting, held Wednesday September 7th, consisted of icebreaker activities as well as discussion centered on health concerns and HIV prevention using PrEP. Trans Baltimore’s meetings are open to anyone who identifies as transgender, gender non-conforming, or is in transition, as well as anyone who may consider themselves an ally or supporter. The group also provides an affirming space for those in the beginning stages of their social transition as well as those seeking resources to ensure a safe and secure physical transition.“What this group means to me,” Tucker adds, “is [that] we are here, we are united, and we are ready to make change. It means this is the beginning of more to come for our transgender/gender fluid community members; it means we are being heard… This is where we start living!” Trans Baltimore meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:00pm at the GLCCB.
Program Schedule
(All programs are free unless otherwise noted)
Day
Frequency
Time
Program
Sunday
Every
11:00am – 1:00pm
Narcotics Anonymous [NA]
Sunday
Every
3:30pm – 5:00pm
Yoga ($10 drop-in)
Sunday
3rd
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Mind Travel Meditation
Sunday
3rd
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Listen & Learn Support Group
Monday
4th
1:00pm – 6:00pm
Helping Hands Clothing Closet
Tuesday
2nd & 4th
6:30pm – 8:30pm
HIV Testing
Tuesday
1st & 3rd
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Poetry Workshop ($5 suggested donation)
Tuesday
1st & 3rd
7:00pm – 9:00pm
SILhouette – Spiritually In-tune Lesbians
Tuesday
2nd & 4th
6:30pm – 8:00pm
SLAY CAMP – Dance Fitness Class ($5)
Wednesday
Every
6:30pm – 8:30pm
HIV/STD Testing
Wednesday
Every
6:30pm – 8:30pm
The Mankind Project
Wednesday
1st & 3rd
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Trans Baltimore
Wednesday
4th
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Vogue Night
Thursday
Every
4:30pm – 7:00pm
YAO – Youth Against Oppression
Thursday
2nd, 4th & 5th
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Sisters of Pride – Women’s Group
Thursday
3rd
6:30pm – 9:00pm
Baltimore Trans-Masculine Alliance
Thursday
4th
6:00pm – 9:00pm
Game Night
Friday
1st
7:00pm – 10:00pm
Giovanni’s Room Open Mic ($5)
Friday
3rd
7:00pm – 10:00pm
Drag Show
Friday
2nd & 4th
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Black Men’s Xchange
Friday
2nd & 4th
7:00pm – 8:30pm
(unnamed group)
Saturday
Every
5:00pm – 8:00pm
Alcoholics Anonymous [AA]
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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thinking outloud
Pointing it Out
By Sage Piper
Mr. Trump: Tear Down Those Lines! I am a self described political junkie, always have been. Political election seasons are like my own personal Mardi Gras, my giddy time, my happy place, weeks with baggy eyes and a voice hoarse from endless phone calls and too much rally enthusiasm. But not this time around. The Election of 2016 is different. Much has been made and written about why this is so, and how we got here. Two candidates who are more disliked than liked are at the top of
the tickets ... and where do we go from here? For me, this election is different because the overwhelming emotion I feel is ... fear. I’m genuinely afraid o f what will happen to this country if Donald Trump is elected president. Of what will be unleashed. It isn’t just that Trump is a dangerous narcissist, uneducated in whole realms of world situations and history, a thin-skinned bully, a destroyer. It is more the way he has, in countless ways spoken and unspoken, drawn the lines in this country. It’s the way he keeps drawing the lines, relentlessly and brutally. He continues even as the whole gravitational force of life in 2016 is so obviously manifesting that the only way we are going to survive at all is for the lines to be broken down. For the lines to be overcome. For the lines to merge. For the lines to eventually disappear. How can the lines Trump puts up be
taken down? How can we fight when he draws those lines between immigrants and “real” citizens, when we are all immigrants deep in our blood and in our history? How Clintonians against ‘Deplorables’
can we fight when his racism, homophobia, sexism, and bigotry seeps out to appeal to the lowest form of fear and insecurities that lie in the hearts of struggling and frightened Americans? People who need innovative ideas and new forms of problem solving, people whose hearts and minds need to be opened up – not further closed and hardened with all of the old bigotries. When Donald Trump came to Baltimore this week to speak at the Convention Center, there were supporters out and there were hordes more protesters. His speech went on, of course – there was no way to fight that. But there was a quiet protest which took place earlier that morning, outside of City Hall. It did not get as much coverage as the rest of the hoopla, but it was vital nonetheless. A small group of Maryland leaders came out and stood there – with the Maryland flag in the background, and just a few people present– stood to protest Donald Trump being in Baltimore. They needed to mark the event with their dissent and disavowal – because of everything Trump stands for. Congressman Chris Van Hollen was there, leading the way, incredulous that Trump would come to speak to the National Guard Association after all that he had done in terms of our military – trash talking military leaders, disrespecting a fallen American hero’s family, embracing adversary Russian lead-
er Vladimir Putin, attempting to undermine relationships with our closest allies among others. Congressman Elijah Cummings was at his side, and Senator Ben Cardin on the other – the three men grasping each other’s shoulders in community. Cummings spoke of the way Trump sows the seeds of bitter division, and Cardin bemoaned that he had disrespected any American war hero who was ever captured on enemy soil. Cummings related that any true leader, anyone destined to guide others, always had his eye on lifting the people up in unity, of appealing on the the grandest scale to our better natures. Soon the mighty three were joined by Catherine Pugh, who will surely be leading Baltimore after November’s election, and City Council President Jack Young. They made a quiet and tight circle together, and it was extraordinary. They were just proud to be out there. They were not there touting their own careers or their own campaigns. At one point Pugh raised up a Hillary sign but even that was not the focus of this morning, that would certainly have its time – but today it was all about being anti-Trump. That message was of the utmost importance. These leaders were just making a statement, taking a stand against someone who embodies everything that is the opposite of the kind of place Maryland should be. We’re standing here, they were saying – your lines can’t divide us, and we’re protesting – in the quintessential American way – your right to be given a chance to speak in our hometown. For me it brought a small answer to the question of how are we going to quell the fears brought about by the spector of a Trump presidency. Stand together, stand with each other. Stand in a small group, or in large crowds. But stand there, and face him down. Tell him, you aren’t fit to even visit this state of ours, much less ever, ever preside over it. t
Strong reaction to a Trump visit to Maryland
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BALTIMORE OUTLOUD
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Thinking OUTloud // mark my words
quality of life
Lesbian Love
Barb Elgin
One Simple Secret I’ve continued forward on my online dating adventure. And, here’s my best assessment of my experience so far: I’m learning! After all I’m new to this journey so of course I need to expect a learning curve. I recently took stock of my progress and asked myself: “Based on my online dating behaviors so far, what can I do now to become more successful at online dating?” Perhaps you’re in a similar spot. You don’t have to go on a date yet if you don’t want to, but let’s make some progress. One simple secret for moving things ahead is to be more consistent. One thing I noticed I was doing since beginning this adventure was letting life get in the way. Yes, I can list all the reasons I have been inconsistent. It doesn’t matter. I can give you a list of how full my life is, because it is. Too full, probably – I am usually over-scheduled, but my wise self at this stage of my life is guiding me to slow down, put less on the calendar and simplify. It’s indeed been one of my favorite mantras this year. So without turning critical, instead I noted that the following successful system has risen organically: • I keep a window open on my computer for the dating site I am using. That way as I am on my computer doing the variety of things I do, I usually run across the logo which itself reminds me to check in. • While on the dating site, I make sure to move my interaction forward a little each time I’m there, by focusing my efforts. I make my actions purposeful. I work to do something that moves me closer to connecting with another person. It wouldn’t be enough, for example, for me to look at a profile and move on. I like to make a decision “yes” or “no” on the spot as to whether I am going to reach out (versus “check back later”). If this person
responds, I continue the online conversation, moving slowly and surely forward. • Other examples of “moving it forward” could mean asking clarifying questions about statements made in a profile, commenting on a photo, blocking or hiding someone who lives too far or seems too different, or just communicating without any specific agenda. All of these help me gain a greater sense what this other person is like, especially how I feel when talking with her, paying very close attention to the reactions I have. • To support that simplifying goal I mentioned above, I continue to do things like weeding out general email subscriptions I don’t read regularly and putting less on my non-work calendar, so I am freer to feel the energy and good mood needed for me to want to get on the dating site. It’s no fun “dating” when I am tired or rushing. I believe this negativity could come across to those I am attempting to make connections with while on the site so what then is the point? I’ve already tried putting on my calendar “spend ten minutes on dating site” every other day. However, this didn’t seem to work for me. It seemed to clutter the calendar and I just kept erasing it each day without doing it, perhaps because I prefer to approach dating with a casual bent right now. I guess I don’t need more structure in my life than I do already! But that’s just me. If I were you I would experiment with this idea. Maybe doing so will work for you. Stay tuned for more online dating tips. And, most of all, enjoy the process! t Barb Elgin, MSW, Certified Singles Coach, has been coaching and counseling single, dating and coupled lesbians for over 25 years. When she’s not helping others, she’s having fun playing pickle-ball, walking her two rescue chihuahuas, or hanging with friends and family. If you’re interested in connecting with other women-who-love-women in healthy ways, join Barb’s complimentary email list here: Lastinglesbianlove.com/lesbian-socialand-travel-with-heart.
...to moving your dating life forward
Book of the Year By Mark Segal When you read this column, once again I’ll be on a plane 35,000 feet in the sky on another trip I never expected to be taking. A few weeks ago I thought I’d be in New York this September 9th for the “LGBT Democrats for Hillary Clinton” event starring Barbra Streisand, but somehow this year has been filled with wonderful surprises. And just as you think it couldn’t get any better, it does. My memoir – yes, my memoir – has just been announced as the winner of the Book of the Year Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, so I’m now headed to their National Convention in Miami Beach to accept. It’s a humbling feeling, since this is a special award to me for many reasons. One year ago at the NLGJA convention in San Francisco, my publisher pushed to get copies of the just-printed book to a session the convention was calling its “Author’s Cafe.” My memoir was not to be officially published and unveiled until October 4th, but one month early it was decided a preview of the book would be held at the journalists’ convention. As I was on that flight to San Francisco, it dawned on me that that talk would be the first I’d give on the book, and the participants would also be the first crowd to see the book, which to that date had been kept well under wraps. What should I say? What part of the book or my life would they want to hear about? It was the first lesson
that all authors must learn, and I’ll have to admit that, while I have given thousands of talks over the years, this one frightened me since this time I was not talking about a movement, I was talking about my personal life. Lucky for me that joining me for that first presentation in San Francisco were people who had taken part in various parts of my activist life: Nikos Diaman who was a fellow member of Gay Liberation Front New York 196971, Tony Russomanno from Gay Youth New York 1970, and Tommi Avicolli Mecca from my own Gay Raiders, which led the campaign against the TV networks. So when I stepped in front of that first crowd, it was almost natural to start talking about LGBT history since I had three historic individuals present and who had to be introduced and explain their importance. We sold out all copies of the book that day, and that talk has now been used in various forms for the last 11 months as I’ve traveled the country. So as I approach the first anniversary of the publication of my memoir, to have it awarded NLGJA’s “Book of the Year” not only tops off a great year but brings a sense of accomplishment to that frightened author who didn’t know what he would say. Now I’ll have to figure out what to say when I accept that award, and that really is simple: Thank you. t Mark Segal is publisher of Philadelphia Gay News. His new memoir And Then I Danced is out now. You can follow him oat Facebook.com/MarkSegalPGN or Twitter. com/PhilaGayNews.
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thinking outloud
Truth & Love
Outreach
Rev. Jeffrey D. Harris
Who Told You?
Ladies and gentleman: Who told you your soul-mate would be tall, dark, and handsome? Or even thin, blonde, and blue eyed? Who told you they would be slim, muscular, or masculine? Who told you that? Who told you the next “love of your life” would be from your city, town, state, or province? Who said that? Who mentioned they would be your “Knight in shining armor” or “Mistress of love and light”? The one who would stole your heart with a smile to light your night. Who said that? Why would someone tell you, the next time you encounter love he or she would be light skinned, dark skinned, Asian, African, Dominican, Russian, Egyptian, or Mongolian? White, black, or dark as night! Eyes might be “tight” and body not so “right”! But who told you? Who told you? Yet we sit and conjure these fantasy relationships. We imagine ourselves with the next person in our life. The one who will love us with all their heart, mind, body, and soul; never letting us go. He or she will “sweep us off our feet.” You know. Give us the surprise engagement and here come the wedding scenes! “Picture it Sicily, 19…!” Sorry, boo; wrong show. This is 2016, and you still haven’t had a date or relationship – see what I mean. Not because no one has tried, you haven’t given anyone a chance. Why? You ask “why?” I’ll tell you why! They don’t look the part! They don’t act the part. They don’t dress the part! He or she is too tall, too short, too dark, too light, too fat, too skinny, too fem, too butch! She is a fem queen, he is a butch queen, a top, a bottom, a bear, an otter, a bunny or a drag queen. But what about the fact we’re people? Created in different sizes, shapes, and colors – only displaying what the Creator meant for us. But we are still people! Who told you we are God’s people? He did! He said, “Let us make human beings; in the image of God He created them.” There was enough women in Adam that God used one rib to create Eve. (Genesis 1:27) Then the Creator formed us from the dust of the earth and gave us life by breathing His breath in us. (Genesis 2:7) You! Yup, you were created by God. But God never intended for you to be lone-
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ly or depressed. He never desired for you to ponder suicide, nor speak of death and be stressed. Spirit beings should be looking on the inside! I know. You want him to be “all that and a bag of chips.” You wishing and praying for her to be this “over piece a fish.” While those desires are good but when you get that which you “desired,” it’s more than you bargained. More drama than expected. Now Zoloft needs an increase. Now your butt is imprinted on the bench and the psychologist is nodding, tired of your story. That’s because you skipped past the fat boy, dorky girl, black guy, white girl. The one who keeps calling, wanting to share your time, happy or bad. They just want you. You, not for sex, style or profile; just you. You won’t give that one a chance. Over and over your keep getting that refill because you keep picking the wrong one. Experience the diversity of God and see His diversity in your next humanistic encounter. See pass the physical and see the heart, mind, body and soul. “God above all us; in all us, and through all us.” (Ephesians 4:5) Who told you that? God and I just did! t
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Narratives on
New Beginnings Merrick Moses
Not the Wrong Body Transition is different for all. No one person’s transition is the blueprint or rule for all. Just like there are no two roses which are exactly alike, there is no real stock narrative regarding gender/sex transition and reassignment. My own personal story is not one of the “wrong body” trope. My spirituality requires me to take responsibility for the conditions of my incarnation in this lifetime. I am very clear that I created the karma, over many lifetimes, to be born in this body, in this physical vehicle, in this lifetime. There is no mistake or wrong in that regarding my own being. With that said, a major part of my evolu-
tion as a human being in this lifetime is my transition from female to male. As I delve deeper into my own contemplative spiritual practices, I am clear that the advancement of my own consciousness actually required my transition. I was called by the highest echoes of my heart space to live out fully the seed of masculinity placed in my consciousness eons ago. I know this may sound rather “Star Trek” Zen, but for me, this is the reality. I have done much spiritual work around my transition, including chanting hours of Buddhist mantra (Nam myoho renge kyo), silent meditation, rosaries to the Blessed Mother, and Ifa prayer/ consultation to know this was my path. I had resisted so much of this for years out of fear, out of intimidation and lack of selflove. On the cusp of 40, I decided I wanted to live courageous and boldly in the truth of self-love. How could I be a good priest, knowing that Jesus said, “The truth shall set you free,” but live in a lie? As I have stated before, I reached a point where I, not only needed to live in alignment, but was compelled to find a way to walk fully in that awareness in present reality. I believe it is important that trans people tell our stories in a way that is most pertinent and important to us. The media and others in the business of mass communication enjoy stock narratives because they are cookie cutter ways of telling complex human stories and histories. However, our lives are not 140-character tweets or even a Facebook post. Human life is complex and rich in experience and diversity. It is absolutely significant that those who want to share their stories, in essence sharing parts of their heart space, do so, unfettered in an honest way. The problem with the “wrong body” story is that it is told as if it is every trans person’s story. It has mushroomed so much that there are some who I have spoken to that seemed surprised when I say I was not incarnated into the “wrong body”. It also presupposes that there is a “right” and “wrong” in this whole equation. We should ask who decides what is right and wrong regarding this? Is the person who told the story or is it the society into which this person was born? All people have the right to self determination. Transfolks are no different. I would like non-transfolks to stop expecting trans people to say we were born into the wrong body. That isn’t everyone’s reality nor should it be. My story is just one of many. And the truth is that the personal stories of transition are narratives of some of the rarest human narratives on the planet, and dare I say one of the oldest spanning across millenia, cultures, and civilizations. t
thinking outloud // David’s Thoughts
Iceland | Gay Life on the Rocks By David Placher When you travel and see a country’s gay culture and learn about its gay history, you gain both access and an opportunity to study other human experiences. Iceland’s friendly environment, forward-thinking culture, and unique gay history, places it in a progressive class that is ahead of a vast majority of other countries. I had the opportunity to visit the city of Reykjavik – Iceland’s capital and largest city – with a population of 120,000 – and a few of the area’s surrounding tourist attractions, as well as learn about the country’s gay history and cultural. The details of the travel are very simple: I booked a cheap flight on Wow Air (Wowair.us)
from Baltimore to Reykjavik for around $500. When I arrived, I purchased a ticket on Flybus, a service that takes people from the airport to their hotel for a reasonable price. (The alternative is to take an expensive cab ride because the airport is a 20-minute ride to the city.) One dollar equals 114.78 króna, which means you won’t find Iceland super cheap. I had the chance to visit the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa in the heartland of Iceland’s beautiful landscape; the Bridge Between Two Continents, a small footbridge over a major fissure that shows the presence of a diverging plate margin between Europe and North America; the Hallgrimskirkja Church, a main landmark whose tower can be seen from almost anywhere in Reykjavik; and the Northern Lights, an aurora, sometimes referred to as a polar light that is a natural light
display in the sky that’s usually seen in high-latitude regions. Iceland’s parliament has a history of supporting gay rights. In 1940, a law criminalizing samesex encounters was repealed; on June 27th, 2006, gay couples became eligible to adopt; on June 11th, 2010, the marriage law was amended to allow gay marriage; and on June 11th, 2012,
rules surrounding gender identity were relaxed and there was comprehensive recognition regarding gender identity protection. On February 1st, 2009, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir became the 24th prime minister of Iceland, the world’s first openly gay head of government, and she served
The
Drinkery The Little Corner Bar with a Great Big Heart! 205 West Read Street Corner of Read and Park • 410-225-3100 ATM Available
until May 23rd, 2013. The gay scene is small, so don’t expect a gay extravaganza. Kiki Queen Bar is the only gay bar and it is located in Reykjavik. Its first floor has a small bar and small dance floor and its second floor just has a bar and a small area to socialize. The music is great, and music is what there is: there are no screens. Although it offers free entry, the price of the drinks and measured shots (as opposed to a free pour) leaves a person paying a lot for a weak drink. There are several gay-friendly cafes and businesses. The time I visited also happened to be the “Bears on Ice” (Bearsonice.org) weekend, where the bears would take over the Blue Lagoon spa during the day and Kiki Queen Bar at night. Liquor is hard to buy, so you should purchase it at the airport when you arrive in Iceland. The water is pure, so no need to buy bottled water because the bottle water in Iceland is really the tap water just sold in a plastic bottle. The locals enjoy meeting tourists, but I rarely found a local that totally enjoyed living in Iceland because it has high taxes, although education and healthcare are free, and some locals wonder if they really benefit from the tax and benefit structure. Looking for another intriguing destination staring with “I”? In the next article, I’ll discuss Ireland. t
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HAPPY HOUR • 4 to 9 p.m. 2 FOR 1 DOMESTICS MILLER LITE LITE 24 24 oz oz Cans Cans RAIL DRINKS $4.50 MILLER $4.25 $4.25 2 FOR 1 UNTIL TILL 9 p.m. 44 p.m. p.m. to to Close Close BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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quality of life
letters
Fit
for
Life
Joshua H. Buchbinder
Road Trip Workout Part 3 Now that we have shed our excuses for why we shouldn’t workout on the road it’s time to get to work! Some of the exercises listed in the workout from the previous two issues are relatively self-explanatory while others need some clarification! So, to continue... Push-ups: three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions – Start with hands on the floor and legs extended, chest towards the ground. Keeping the body in a straight line lower yourself to the ground bending only at the elbows. My personal preference is to go through a full range of motion so the chest will touch the ground. If a regular push is too challenging drop down to your knees and try there. If the challenge is still too great, try doing the pushups with your hands on the dresser or on the wall. Push-ups are basically a moving plank so keep your core tight! This exercise will help develop your arms, chest and abs. Archer push-ups (if you can): two sets of 20 (switching from one side to the next) – This exercise is pretty difficult so it’s ok if you can’t do it just yet. First master regular push-ups before advancing to these. Start the same way as a normal push-up, spread the hands wider and turn them out wards so the fingers are pointing away from the body. Bend one arm while keeping the opposite arm straight. This is very close to doing a one arm push-up and at the end motion it will look as though you are drawing a bow to fire an arrow – hence the name! Supermans: three sets of 12 to 15 repetitions – Lay face down on the floor
the 6 pack part). B i c y c l e crunches: three sets of 30 repetitions – With your hands behind your head and your feet off the ground with the knees bent bring the opposite elbow and knee together pulling from your abdomen. Remember to not pull on your neck as this will cause pain and actually three sets keep you from using your abdominals. This of 20 repetitions – exercise will hit more of the other ab muscles Start laying on floor such as the obliques (muscles on the side on your back arms at near the ribs) and transverse abdominals your sides and legs (these keep the waist smaller and provide out straight. Lift the support to your spine – nature’s weight belt). Heel drivers: three sets of 20 repetichest and legs off the ground simultaneously. This exercise should tions – Lay on your back with your hands initially be done with bent knees and the under your butt and raise your legs off the hands on the ground (Tuck-Ups) as you get ground until there is approximately a 90-degree bend at the hip. Now, drive your feet up stronger you can progress to keeping your towards the ceiling using your abdominals hands off the ground and to lift your legs. eventually to The arms can be used to assist and will allow for a greater range of motion. Your back should come off the ground so make sure you control yourself on the way back down. Side planks: three sets of 30 seconds per side – Start on the side of your body with your knees and forearm on the ground. Then straighten your body out. There should be space between you and the ground from your ankles to your armpit. If this is too challenging the knees can be left on the ground or this can be performed with a straight arm. Now you know what to do and how to do it! It’s ok if you can’t do these all perfectly, that means you are trying. Fitness is about getting outside of our comfort zone and doSuper ing things we never thought we mans could. Good luck and have fun! t Joshua Buchbinder, M.S. is the owner and operator of B-Strong h a v - Fitness and Medi-Fit. He can be reached at ing straight legs and jbuchbinderfitness@gmail.com follow him on reaching those hands up to the feet. Instagram @jbuchbinderfitness and follow This exercise will work the full length of your his programs, clients, and personal fitness abs (predominantly the rectus abdominus – journey. with both arms out straight and both legs straight. Lift all four limbs off the floor elevating the chest and thighs. At the end of this motion the only part of you left on the ground should be your stomach. This exercise will help tighten up pretty much every muscle on the back of your body and improve overall posture and strength. Tuck-ups or V-ups:
“First we need to activate our core to get ready to work.”
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september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Archer push-ups
Chase Brexton Was a Model of What Healthcare Could Be Dear Editor, In response to your recent articles about Chase Brexton, I would like to offer my personal experiences. I’ve been a patient at Chase Brexton for 15 years and for the vast majority of that time have been treated with respect and dignity. I believed that my healthcare was more important than money, politics, or greed – which made Chase Brexton to me the model of what healthcare should be for everyone in this country. Recently my faith in them has been severely shaken. A few weeks ago on the same day that a rally was planned to support five longtime and beloved employees who were fired for supporting an effort to unionize the staff to deal with a dictatorial CEO who cares more about money than healthcare, I called the center to verify an appointment time for the following week and I told them I would be coming to the center to do blood work and pick up some critically important medication. When I arrived at the Mt. Vernon location to do that, I was greeted at the side door by security (the front door was blocked) and informed that the center had closed at 2:30 p.m. to protect staff and patients from an expected violent protest by the union organizers and no one was available to give me my medications due to the aforementioned protest. The protest actually consisted almost entirely of staff and patients and was very peaceful and dignified. Furthermore the management of Chase Brexton knew this to be the case and the closure was a typical union-busting tactic to paint the union as the bad guys in the battle to intimate the staff for the upcoming union vote. It was more important to demonize the union than to care for patient’s needs. My health was compromised for a game of one-upmanship between the staff and management. Let me make one thing very clear. The staff was not responsible for this. This was all the CEO putting money before healthcare. If the staff were treated with respect and patient care was the priority, none of this would have happened. I would want to request of the board of directors of Chase Brexton that if you value the mission of Chase Brexton you will terminate the CEO and see to it that this black eye on Chase Brexton’s valuable reputation is never repeated. I am very confident that I speak for the majority of your clients when I say this behavior can never be repeated or our great healthcare center will not survive. David Spellman
quality of life
Open Wide ask Dr Eva
Dr Eva Hersh
Symptoms of Diabetes Dear Dr. Eva, I saw your article in July about preventing diabetes. What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? Which one is worse? Worried
the blood sugar level starts to rise. Type 1 diabetics always need insulin, which can be given as several self-injected shots a day with a very thin, short needle or through an implanted insulin pump. Type 2 patients often can control their glucose levels with oral medications at first. Many require insulin treatment after a few years. Hi Dr.Eva, What are the signs of diabetes? Can you please tell me, is it possible for me to learn of some new breakthrough for natural treatment of diabetes, meds or anything that will alleviate greatly, or reverse the symptoms associated with this Type 2 diabetes? Thank you. Prefers Natural
Type 1 vs. Type 2
Dear Worried, First, keep in mind that Type 2 diabetes is common and Type 1 is rare. In the U.S. there are now more than ten people with Type 2 for every person with Type 1. Type 1 diabetes, which used to be called “childhood-onset diabetes,” happens when the body loses its ability to make insulin. Insulin is a hormone, made in the pancreas, an abdominal organ near the liver. Insulin carries glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into the cells of the body, giving the cells their basic source of energy. A person who has no insulin will starve to death no matter how much they eat. Before the 1920s’ discovery of insulin and experiments that showed animal insulin could be used in people, Type 1 diabetes always resulted in death. People with Type 2 diabetes, previously called “adult-onset diabetes,” make enough insulin, but their cells become insensitive to it. Even though insulin is there, it cannot transport glucose into the cells. The reasons for insulin insensitivity are not completely known. Weight gain, smoking, lack of exercise, and genetics (Type 2 diabetics in the family) all are risk factors. As far as which type of diabetes is worse, Type 1 often starts at a younger age and complications develop sooner. However, Type 2 diabetes can lead to all the same complications as Type 1. Either type of diabetes can lead to death if not treated. In Type 2, complications such as vision loss and nerve damage can occur even before
Dear P.N., I’ll start with describing what the symptoms of diabetes are. Early diabetes is a mild disease with few symptoms. If ignored, over time it can become life-threat-
ening. Early diabetes may have no symptoms. Nowadays, most people are diagnosed with diabetes through a blood test before they ever have any signs of diabetes. A blood sugar level over 125 fasting, or over 200 after a meal, or a Hemoglobin A1c level over 6.4, makes the diagnosis of diabetes. Hemoglobin A1c is a measure of the average blood sugar over the previous three months. If no test is done, no diagnosis made and t h e disease of diabetes continues unchecked, symptoms may not appear until blood sugar is 300 or above. The early symptoms are increased Respect urination, your dry mouth, pancreas increased thirst, unintended weight loss, and sometimes increased hunger, fatigue, and blurred vision. If the person ignores these changes or cannot get medical care, all the symptoms worsen as the blood sugar continues to rise. The person may get infections that are slow to heal or keep coming back. Finally, as the sugar rises above 400 and sometimes as high as 800, the person may lose consciousness and fall into a coma. At this point death is likely without hospital-level intervention. In both types of diabetes, glucose builds
I’ve been in the middle of arguments like this more times than I can count. So I thought it might be a good topic to discuss. Often, when we’ve come to be close to another human being we pick up clues as to how they’re feeling or even what they might be thinking. But there is a communication difference in telling a person you know how they feel. When I work with couples, this issue comes up quite often. As a therapist, it is my responsibility to check if feelings are in sync with words. When one bangs the fist on the table saying “I am not angry, dammit!” that behavior creates cognitive dissonance. The human mind seeks consistency and consonance. So in a therapeutic context, it is appropriate to challenge this. But in a relationship, when one tells the other they know how the other feels, it comes across as patronizing, and presto! an argument, at the very least, a disconnect ensues. That might, over time, lead to the buildup of a wall, which is certainly detrimental to the communication.
One may ask, why do we feel compelled to do this? In communicating, we respond based on what we perceive from the other. So stating another person’s feeling or thought state basically says: I am one up on you. To avoid this trap, there is a simple solution. Ask! Instead of saying you feel X, ask if it is possible he/she is feeling X. Sounds easy to do but harder in practice because it slows down the back-andforth of the conversation. Which is exactly what you want to do so you understand each other, but in this age of lightening speed, impatience may win the day. Not that this wasn’t an issue throughout centuries. It just has become more accentuated. One of the first techniques taught in communications is checking out what one has said. If I make a statement, you ask: I heard you say this. Is that right? Then I have the option to say “yes,” that was what I said. More often than not, it becomes: “No, I didn’t mean that; I wanted to say this.” If you can practice this for a while, it gets easier because it becomes a part of the polished back and forth. I should add that what this kind of tolerance conveys is a sense of respect. Listening and checking out what you heard tells the other person: I respect you as a person who can speak for himself/herself. I don’t have to speak for you. And that, my readers, goes a long way in building up a relationship, whether romantic, professional or familial. We all want to be listened to, heard, and not misinterpreted. t
up in the bloodstream. This changes the chemical balance of the blood, leading to the first symptom of diabetes: excess fluid loss, which causes excessive urination and thirst. As far as natural treatments for diabetes, a study several years ago looked encouraging for the use of cinnamon. Unfortunately, follow-up studies did not show any benefit from cinnamon Current treatments for diabetes all either provide insulin, stimulate the body to produce more insulin, or make the cells more sensitive to insulin. Since all these methods are identical
or near-identical to normal body function, they should also be considered natural treatments. Ways of preventing diabetes are also effective natural treatments for diabetes. These include increasing exercise, losing weight, stopping smoking, and decreasing fat in the diet. In people who have already been diagnosed with diabetes, these methods do not replace medicine, but work together with it. t Eva Hersh is a Baltimore family physician. Please send questions and comments to her by email at dr.eva@baltimoreoutloud.com or editor@baltimoreoutloud.com
Ask
Dr. J
Janan Broadbent, Ph.D.
I Know How You Feel
(No You Don’t!)
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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obiturary
Rev. Edward Hougen Rev. Edward Thomas Hougen, 74 – a longtime gay publisher, activist, and Metropolitan Community Church minister, who lived mostly in Boston but whose works reached nationally and beyond – died August 29th, 2016, in Northampton, Massachusetts, after a two-year fight with pancreatic cancer. For 22 years, Hougen was owner and publisher of The Guide, which started as a Boston bar rag and through a focus on gay travel, came to be distributed around the world, but especially the U.S. and Canada. The magazine combined travel features with irreverent coverage of sexual freedom – articles on amputee sex, bestiality, and coprophilia were early internet sensations. Civil liberties were another focus, with critiques of hate-crimes statutes and the draconian overreach of kiddie-porn laws and sex-offender registries frequent themes – seen by the magazine as bastions of authoritarianism as a sanitized vision of LGBT became politically acceptable. The Guide’s coverage of then gay-teenager Bernard Baran’s conviction amidst the1980s “Satanic abuse” daycare hysteria caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal, and eventually sparked Baran’s exoneration after 21 years in prison.
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Hougen’s early life didn’t point to such controversial pursuits. Born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the son of a doctor, Hougen graduated from Harvard and later Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he met fellow divinity student Margaret de Velder. They married and a daughter and a son followed. Edward was a pastor at the United Church of Christ in Orange, Massachusetts, when he came out as gay and both husband and wife spoke out in support of an open marriage. The UCC soon pushed them out. The couple moved to Boston with their two small children and eked out a livelihood as ministers in Boson’s MCC. Around 1975, Edward led his MCC congregation on a walk from Jacksonville to Tallahassee to protest the firebombing of an MCC church in Florida. After a string of gay rights defeats in Boston, in 1975 he held a public three-day fast on the steps of city court. In a community effort starting in 1977 to protest public sex arrests and men charged with sex with willing teenage boys, Edward was co-chair of the Boston/Boise Committee, which became the center of organizing in Boston in the late 70s and garnered
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
nationwide attention. Two groups later emerged from the committee after it succeeded in its projects and wound down its work – Boston’s LGBT legal group GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) and the controversial NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association). Besides ministering, Edward found work where he could – including a stint clerking in a leather coat warehouse – but he found success building up The Guide into one of North America’s largest gay magazines, with the help of the phone-sex boom brought on by the AIDS epidemic. With the rise of the internet, the business model became less profitable, and in 2006, Edward retired, selling the magazine to Canada’s main LGBT publisher, Pink Triangle Press in Toronto. Edward leaves his wife of 51 years, Margaret de Velder Hougen; his daughter Sarah M. Hougen; his son Eddy. T. Hougen and wife Sarah Curro Hougen, all of Northampton; his boyfriend of 41 years Bobby Stevens of Chicopee; his three grandchildren and their families and other relatives and friends. t
Edward Hougen
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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Lively Arts // out on STAGE
Center Stage’s Transformations
Hippodrome’s 2016-2017 Season
By Ryan Clark Center Stage boasts an exciting season this year with four featured plays and numerous auxiliary-performance offerings. First off is Christopher Hampton’s classic tale of love and betrayal, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (November 26th to December 23rd). Next up in Head Theatre will be Mary Zimmerman’s The White Snake based on an ancient Chinese fable. Billed as a “musical homage to a soulful legend,” Twisted Melodies will be the third featured offering at Center Stage this year (March 17th to April 16th). Finally, Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Ar-
By Frankie Kujawa The Hippodrome Theatre lends itself to another fantastic season of jam-packed beloved Broadway blockbusters this upcoming 201617 season. “We are excited to kick off another amazing season at the Hippodrome,” boasts Hippodrome president Ron Legler. “We open with Jersey Boys and then have the original Four Seasons lead singer, Frankie Valli, this April.” Jersey Boys, running from September 27th to October 2nd, is the story behind the creation of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The Hippodrome will also host lead singer, Frankie Vali with a concert on April 6th, 2017. Following Jersey Boys, audiences will find that fairy tales will come true with the performance of Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella running from November 1st to 6th. As the holiday season begins A Christmas Story, running from December 6th to 11th, will help jubilant audiences bask in the festive spirit of the season. Legler adds, “We continue to bring the best of Broadway to Baltimore and look forward to the 2014 Tony award winner for best musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder which is hysterical.” The musical comedy will run from December 27th to January 1st, 2017. Fan favorite Mamma Mia will dance into Baltimore from January 13th to 15th. This final farewell tour will allow Baltimore audiences one last time to enjoy the ABBA-infused production. The music of Carole King fills the halls of the Hippodrome as Beautiful: The Carole King Musical runs from January 24th to 29th. Legler states, “The performance is sure to be a sell-out so get your tickets early.” Legler is also quite excited for the performance of The Bodyguard running from February 28th to March 5th with singer Deborah Cox. “I am really looking forward to watching Deborah Cox sing her heart out.” Stomp explodes into the mix running March 18th and 19th before setting the stage
mah will direct Nambi E. Kelley’s Jazz (May 19th to June 25th) – a world premiere happening at Center Stage. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Center Stage’s 2016-17 Season has nothing to do with plays or playwrights. It is the transformation of the company’s Calvert Street home, which is to be completed this year. According to Managing Director Michael Ross, “95% of the building is being renovated including a brand new costume shop, education suite, box office, and office space. The new lobby will feature an open floor plan with interactive screens to engage audiences as they enter the theatre.” The theatre is also adding a 99-seat flexible space with programming targeting younger audiences. The upstairs Head Theatre will be totally reconfigured with new audience seating. Meanwhile, the downstairs Pearlstone Theatre will get an upgrade to its HVAC system. Center Stage has chosen a theme of “Dramatic Transformation” this season. It will be a spectacular site to see for Maryland’s premiere regional theatre. t
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september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Celebrating Carole King
credit: Joan Marcus
for the beloved Rent running March 31st to April 2nd. The season continues with the hilarious smash Something Rotten running from April 18th to 23rd before coming to a close with the breathtaking Finding Neverland running from June 27th to July 2nd. For more information and tickets, visit BaltimoreHippodrome. com or call 800-982-ARTS. t
The Vagabond Players Take Audiences Places
By Frankie Kujawa The Vagabond Players, “America’s oldest continuously operating little theatre,” ushers in its historic 101st consecutive season 201617. The Vagabond Theatre first opened in 1916 as part of the Little Theatre Movement sweeping the nation at the time. Though others have gone dark, Vagabonds continues to endure far into the new millennium. Running from September 9th to October 2nd All My Sons is the story about an All-American businessman whose dream of success is about to be shattered when questions arise regarding his role in a wartime manufacturing scandal. Avenue Q, running from October 21st to November 20th, is the hilarious, laugh-outloud story of a recent college graduate who moves into a surprising neighborhood where his newfound friends struggle to find their purpose in life. The Complete History of America, running from January 6th to February 5th, will take audiences on an uproarious roller-coaster ride through over 600 years of history in 6,000 seconds. Motherhood Out Loud, the unpredictable story that shatters the traditional notions about parenthood in a humorous and candid way, will run from February 24th to March 19th. The classic tale of neurotic Felix Unger and slob Oscar Madison hits the stage in The Odd Couple, running from April 7th to May 7th. Boasted as one of Neil Simon’s greatest comedies, The Odd Couple will have audiences enraptured in side-splitting laughter. The Vagabond Players end their season in See How They Run, running from May 26th to June 25th. This madcap farce details the story of a conservative postwar English village and the hilarity that ensues when all hell breaks loose for an evening of misunderstandings and mistaken identities. For more information visit Vagabondplayers.org. t
Olney Theatre 2016-2017 review By Frankie Kujawa The Olney Theatre’s upcoming 2016-17 season is set to dazzle audiences with an array of entertaining and moving performances. Running from September 7th to October 30th is Angels in America Part I: Millennium Approaches & Part II: Perestroika, a joint performance by both the Round House Theatre and Olney Theatre. Performing this time at Round House Theatre, a second co-production between the two companies will be performed at the Olney Theatre Center in the 2017-18 season. The Diary of Anne Frank, the heart-wrenching tale of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II, will run from September 14th to October 23rd. Just in time for the holidays, Mary Poppins, one of the most beloved tales of all time, dances into the theatre running from November 2nd to January 1st, 2017. D.C. legend E. Faye Butler joins Phantom of the Opera alum David Benoit in Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street running from February 1st to March 5th. The murder musical of the century will keep audiences on the edge of their seats as Sweeney Todd returns to Victorian London seeking revenge against the evil Judge Turpin, who separated him from his wife and child. The world premier Adaptation of Fickle: A Fancy French Farce runs from March 1st to April 2nd. Rising American Playwright Meg Miroshnik turns her sharply comic eye on one of the funniest French comedies of the 18th century. Prepare for disguises, mistaken identities, palace intrigues, and improbable romance in this delightful comic romp that ends, of course, in more than one surprising marriage. The Magic Play, running from April 12th to May 7th, combines theatricality, emotions, and a touch of theater magic in this tale of a magician while at the top of his game must face his fears and embrace forces beyond his control. Running from May 17th – June 11th, Topdog / Underdog is the gripping drama about two African-American brothers who struggle to gain a foothold in 21st-century America and ultimately turn on each other. My Fair Lady, the romantic musical, runs from June 21st toJuly 23rd taking on new life in this intimate re-imagining of the Tony-award winning classic. The Olney season ends with the powerful Thurgood running from July 19th to August 20th. Spend an evening with the late Justice at this one-man show, and consider just how far we’ve come … or have we? t For more info and tickets, visit Olneytheatre.org or call 301-924-3400.
Lively Arts // out on STAGE
The Dark Can’t Come Soon Enough By Ryan Clark Everyman Theatre’s revival of Wait Until Dark starts out very slow… I mean very slow. About 45 minutes into the first act, the pace finally picks up but one has to question, why the theatre choose to revive this play? Audrey Hepburn earned an Academy award nomination for the 1967 film version of the play, which originally ran on Broadway in 1966 starring Lee Remick. Harkening back to the film noir days of the 1940s, Wait Until Dark is set in near-post World War II New York – 1944. Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher adapted the play in 2013. The production ran at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. The play centers around the character Susan, skillfully played by Everyman company member Megan Anderson. Susan is blind and, without giving too much of the plot away, Megan Anderson danger enas blind sues as Susan in Susan tries 1940s New York to survive while being threatened by several lotharios in search of a mysterious doll left in her West Village apartment by previous tenants or perhaps her husband Sam, played mutedly by Arturo Tolentino. The exposition unfolds in what can only be described as an eternity as we meet two of the aforementioned bad guys. The first, Roat, played by Everyman company staple Bruce Randolf Nelson, and the other Carlino, played by Todd Scofield. Finally, Susan enters and the play kicks into high gear. Completing the cast is a neighbor girl played delightfully by Baltimore School for the Arts student, Ui-Seng Francois (the role is shared with Shannon Hutchinson who did not play opening night.) I’ll preface my next comments with my joy in seeing Megan Anderson’s various performances over the years at Everyman. Her recent portrayals in Blithe Spirit and The Beaux Stratagem are particular standouts in my mind. But I find the role of Susan in Wait Un-
til Dark, troubling in two ways. First, the representation of disability is fraught in this play. Susan’s husband Sam can only be seen as abusive through a 2016 lens. He is constantly chastising her to be a more independent blind person (note that Sam is “seeing”) to the point of making her find a pencil on the floor as she is on all fours like a dog. Susan reprimands herself throughout the play for not being more independent but only in the context of her husband’s commentary about her disability. This reads as sexist and negative representation of the blind community. Susan certainly gains power by the end of the play but her dependence / insecurity rears its ugly head in the final moments in the play. After a particularly violent scene, Susan picks up a turned-over chair in front of her husband to prove that she is independent. This action totally deflates Susan’s victory and thrusts the audience back to a 1940s world that does not resonate today. Secondly, it should be noted that Anderson is a “seeing” actress. Was there no blind actress available for this part? Wouldn’t that have been interesting? For a theatre that produced the gorgeous Nina Raine play Tribes – a story about a dysfunctional family dealing with a deaf son – this is disappointing. The theatre hired a deaf actor and worked with interpreters to bring this play to life for a Baltimore audience. In the final analysis, I wonder if this is a question of play selection. In a season that boasts a world-premiere musical – Michael John Lachiusa’s and Ellen Fitzhugh’s Los Otros – and a Humana Festival of American Plays hit The Roommate, I question why the theatre would choose this relic. While reimagining classics is part of any good regional theatre’s mission, does Wait Until Dark fit that bill? Maybe plays like these should be just left on the shelf. t For tickets or more info visit Everymantheatre.org. Ryan Clark is an assistant professor and program coordinator of theatre at Stevenson University.
Wait Until Dark at Everyman Theatre
Rep Stage – Hitting the Emotions By Ryan Clark Joseph Ritch is one of the most exciting theatre artists in the Baltimore / D.C. area. Originally from New York, Ritch has transformed our regional landscape through his haunting performance as a serial killer in Apartment 213, as the hilarious multi-talented drag performer Sunrise Highway, and most recently as co-artistic director of Rep Stage in Columbia, Maryland. I had a chance to chat with Joseph about Rep Stage’s upcoming season: RC: I was just at a national theatre conference in Chicago and your world premiere play, Dorian’s Closet is getting a lot of buzz! Can you share with readers the genesis of this project? JR: I am actually surprised no one has used this material yet for a musical, as it just seems like the right fit. Dorian Corey had a fascinating life, and was even more fascinating after her death with the discovery of a fully mummified body in her closet. The detail that fascinates me the most is why she kept the body and for how long. It is thought she had it for at minimum 15 years and moved three times with it. What is that about? Why do we destroy things and then hold onto them? Did this person represent something in her that she tried desperately not to become so she had to kill it and yet she killed a part of her identity? So many fascinating questions to explore with the material. RC: Obviously, Dorian will speak to our readers. Are you planning any supplemental programming to accompany the piece (talk-backs, LGBT event nights, the like?) JR: We offer supplemental programing for all of our productions, which include three post-show discussions, and a pre-show lecture. We have a few ideas in the works for the pre-show lecture which will occur before the Saturday matinee on May 13th, 2017. We are also thinking about a LGBT night at one of the performances as well as a screening of Paris is Burning. RC: You are also directing Sharr White’s The Other Place. Can you tell our readers what drew you to that play? JR: For me The Other Place is about memory and what happens when outside forces affect our memories. I once had a mentor say “emotion is the physical manifestation of a memory.” I love that idea – that a memory can be so visual it causes a physical response to reliving it, sometimes so specific, and sometimes seemingly vague. But what happens when these memories fail us? What happens when our memories betray the truth? Sharr White’s play asks these questions in a beautiful, yet disorienting way. At the heart of the play is a woman whose life is turned upside down by an unexpected “episode” that is the catalyst for her memory to derail. We as an audience are thrown into her world and are made to feel just as unsure, perplexed, and unsettled as she is. RC: What kind of artistic conversation are you hoping to have with your audience this season? JR: I feel like this season speaks to the theatrical. The Other Place has a very beautiful structure and plays with time and place, H2O is very imaginative in how it is going to be staged, Dorian’s Closet in some ways is theatrical just in its subject matter, but also the show also plays with time and place. And even American Hero which is the most naturalistic/linear of the four plays has a moment of magic realism. I think it’s a very exciting season for our audiences. I’m in love with all four plays. t For more information about Rep Stage’s season visit Repstage.org.
An interview with Rep Stage’s Joseph Rich
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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Lively Arts // out on STAGE
Jersey Boys Comes to Hippodrome By Frankie Kujawa Jersey Boys, the Tony-award winning musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, kicks off the Hippodrome’s Broadway Across America musical season with a bang. Baltimore OUTloud recently sat down with actor Barry Anderson, who plays songwriter Bob Crewe in the performance. Anderson discussed his background as a performer, Crewe’s role in the group, and the impact of the LGBT community in the 1950s. Having grown up in a small, rural town in Wisconsin, Anderson knew early on that music would be part of his life. “It was a great place to grow up.” Anderson laughed. “I think I may have had 65 people in my graduating high school class.” Anderson relented, “However, being in such a small town, we were slightly isolated from big city life and the opportunities that goes with it. Fortunately, for me, we had a community theater that did a musical each year.” While in college, Anderson worked and performed in dinner theaters. After finding his calling, Anderson decided to give New York a chance. He quickly found that doing regional theater allotted him more opportunities. “There’s a lot of theater here on Broadway, but there are tons regionally. A lot of the auditions that happen here in New York are for gigs in states all over the country. You have to be able to pick up and move if you want to go where the work is and work steadily!” Anderson worked with the Broadway Company of Legally Blonde in 2008, before going on the road touring for a year and half. “That was pretty much the gig I was doing before Jersey Boys came into my life.” Anderson added “I actually opened the tour in 2011. So this fall will be five years I’ve been with the show.”
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Anderson plays the role of Bob Crewe in Jersey Boys. The performance showcases the rise and eventual break up of famed rock ‘n’ roll group The Four Seasons. “Crewe was the record producer and co-writer for the group.” Anderson explained. “He worked closely with Bob Gaudio and they were a writing team that penned so many of the group’s hits.” Gaudio and Crewe helped to create the signature sound that was The Four Seasons. “Crewe was kind of like the shaper in the studio. He had a real sense of the sound for the group.” Crewe, who is portrayed as overtly gay in the performance of Jersey Boys, was much more discreet about his sexuality during the time he was working with the Four Seasons in the 1950s. “I think had this show had the real-life portrayal seen in the 50s there wouldn’t be so much of the overtness in the performance. In the writing, in his dialogue and all of that there’s no mistaking [his sexuality] from the moment he comes on.” Anderson continued on to share his thoughts about what Crewe and others in the LGBT community dealt with during the 50s era. “It was a completely different time and careers were on the line. I recently saw the Tab Hunter documentary, and it’s very eye opening. People tend to forget that we as gay people have always been here in society, working and contributing. I think that’s what nice about having the character of Bob Crewe in this play. People get to see that here is a gay man who was writing all of these songs that were in the collective consciousness of the time, and they have survived to still be considered mainstream pop hits. It’s a good reminder that LGBT people always have had something to contribute and now their voices can be heard even stronger for more acceptance and visibility. I always want to make sure audiences leave that show not remembering that Crewe was gay, but that in the end it’s about a music maker who was genius in the studio.” t
Interview with actor Barry Anderson
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Ashley Johnson plays Deloris Van Cartier at Toby’s By Frankie Kujawa Audiences will raise their voices (and applause) for the Toby’s Dinner Theatre’s production of Sister Act running from September 8th to November 13th. Sister Act follows the story of Deloris Van Cartier who, while in hiding at a convent, leads her fellow sisters to discover their voices while rediscovering her own. Ashley Johnson, who plays Deloris, recently sat down with Baltimore OUTloud to discuss her character, the upcoming production and the enduring popularity of Sister Act. “Audiences can expect so much from this performance!” Johnson exclaimed. “It’s a feel-good musical! There will be moments audiences can expect to laugh and cry.” Johnson impressed upon the fact that those attending should leave their worries at home. “It’s two-and-a-half hours of just feeling good. Whatever you are going through in life, once you step through those doors for this production, you just feel better. Based on the close proximity of the performers, audiences will feel the power of the singing and emotion.” Johnson, as a lot of singers do, initially began her musical training as a youngster in church. Soon after, it didn’t take her long to find her niche in the arts. “I eventually ended up going to this place called the Arena Players in Baltimore City when I was 13 or 14. The normal summer camp most kids went to wasn’t doing it for me. I didn’t feel like I fit in. The Arena Players was dedicated to African-American youth in arts. I continued to do that program before moving to New York to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA). After graduating in 2006, I stayed in New York another year before moving back home to Baltimore. Someone told me about Toby’s and I was 19 at the time. I auditioned for Dreamgirls in 2007 and have been working at Toby’s ever since.” The character of Deloris, originally made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the 1992 smash hit, was initially difficult for Johnson. “She’s probably been the hardest character for me to connect to. I love the music and her voice. I love everything about her, but I’ve always been cast at Toby’s as the funny, upbeat character with that same spirit. Deloris is a bit sassy, and I guess I do connect in that way. She’s very brassy and vocal. Sometimes in life, women are looked at a little different for having that personality. I normally shy away from that. A lot of women can be judged for having that arrogant spirit. So it was a little tough to connect with her at first. The creative team sat me down and said ‘You just have to let go. Deloris is a person who doesn’t care what people say about her. At the end of the day, she knows she’s a star. It’s just a fact of making others believe.’ So in that aspect and knowing what I have to offer the world can connect with her. Even though others around me may not see it, I know that deep down I am a star.” In regards to being asked about the enduring popularity of Sister Act in pop culture, Johnson explained “In my opinion, it’s so popular because it’s something that everyone can connect to. Watching it as a kid, I didn’t understand it the way I do now. I feel like the character of Deloris, even though someone’s trying to kill her, she still manages to rise out on top and she brings so many people with her. At the end of the day, that’s all we as human beings want to feel. We want to feel good. We want to feel like we are affecting someone in a positive way. The value of love and seeing people for who they are and accepting and loving them despite it all, that’s something that will never go away.” t
Ashley Johnson – local girl makes good!
Over 120 Years of Premiere Entertainment!
2016-17 SEASON C O N C E R T S • C O M E DY • O P E R A • DA N C E • T H E AT R E
with the award winning choreography by Artistic Director, Dianna Cuatto Danced to Tchaikovsky’s score & played live by the
CONCERT ARTISTS OF BALTIMORE EDWARD POLOCHICK, Artistic Director MICHAEL REPPER, Conductor
Photo © Donna Cole
DECEMBER 3 &4
FEBRUARY 17-19
4 Performances
SEPT. 17
THE ROOTS w/ Special Guest and Tony Award Winner
SEPT. 24
3 Performances
OCT. 4
OCT. 14
HITS TONI BRAXTON TOUR ONE UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT OF SONGS YOU LOVE
Leslie Odom, Jr. from Broadway’s Hamilton
OCT. 22
APRIL 21 &22
4 Performances
NOV. 25
NOV. 5
OCT. 29
KATHY
Joe Bonamassa
On Sale TODAY 10:00am
GRIFFIN
The
Piano Guys L I V E
NOV. 26
I N
C O N C E R T
DEC. 7
r (410) 547-SEAT C heck Ou r o f e Websit s! LYRICBALTIMORE.COM New Show
JAN. 14
APR. 7
The Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric
110 W. Mt. Royal Ave, Baltimore Box Office (Tue-Fri 10am-4pm)
The Citizens of Baltimore County
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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Lively Arts // out on STAGE
Pounds & Pounds of Funnybones By Frankie Kujawa The hilariously witty Paula Poundstone will delight audiences this month with a performance at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Fredrick, Maryland. Performing on Saturday, September 24th, the comedienne will cover an array of topics sure to keep audiences in hysterics. Baltimore OUTloud recently sat down with Poundstone for a chat about her upcoming performance, forthcoming book, and the multiple uses of airport X-ray machines. Frank Kujawa: What can audiences expect from your performance at the Weinberg Center? Paula Poundstone: I consider myself a proud member of the endorphin production industry. Those who join me will have a night of healing laughter in a room full of their fellow citizens. I talk about raising a house full of kids and animals. I talk about trying to make sense of the news well enough to cast a halfway decent vote, which we all know is a tall order. My favorite part of the night is just talking to the audience. I do the time honored, “Where do you live? What do you do for a living?” Little biographies of audience members emerge and I use that from which to set my sails. Much of the night is, therefor unscripted. It’s a delightful ride for all of us. FK: Is there anything specific that you’re looking to accomplish while in town? PP: Unfortunately, I am never anywhere long enough to do more than add another small shampoo to my collection. I remember the theater in Frederick and that I enjoyed the crowd when I was last there. What more could I ask for? FK: Your next book is due out next May 2017. Could you share any tidbits with our readers? PP: In my new book The Totally Unscientific Study Of The Search For Human Happiness, over a period of seven years, I performed experiments in activities that I or other people believed would make me happy. The book’s number one goal is to be funny. I have sent advance copies to a num-
ber of people I respect, for them to read, and if so moved give me a quote for the back of the book. So far I’ve gotten wonderful blurbs from Peter Sagal, Pete Docter, Carl Reiner, Dick Cavett, Roy Blount Jr., PJ O’Rourke, Lily Tomlin, Garrison Keillor, Trisha Yearwood, and Dick Van Dyke. I’m feeling pretty good about it. FK: You tour quite a bit around the country. How do you balance such a hectic schedule? PP: I take care of a lot of my basic needs at the airport. For example, at one
Interview with comedienne Paula Poundstone
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Paula Poundstone
point I thought I broke my wrist. So, I went to the airport early, and as I went through security, I left my hand on my bag for a few extra seconds, then I ran around and looked at the screen. I did. I had a hairline fracture. FK: You’re heralded as an early pioneer for fellow female comics. How do you feel when you see such a large number of popular comediennes performing today? PP: Since, nowadays, so many people are comics, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one. I would imagine that the percentage of women vs. men doing stand-up today is the exact same as when we first came out of the caves. t
Lively Arts // out on screen
We Already Know Sully distorts the Ending a story we
by Chuck Duncan If you were born sometime after 2009, you probably have some awareness of the event that became known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” Airline captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles were just taking off from LaGuardia Airport when their plane was struck by a flock of birds. Not an unusual incident, but this one was unprecedented when both engines were taken out of commission. The pilots remained calm and the flight attendants did their jobs, but with total engine failure there was no time to get to any runway in New York or New Jersey. Sully’s only option was to attempt a landing on the Hudson River. And he did so successfully (luckily it was the early part of January so boat traffic was virtually non-existent), saving all 155 souls on the plane. It was a remarkable story, Sully became a new American hero, and he’s used that experience to advocate for better safety measures for airplanes. So now that we already know how this story ends, how can one make a movie of the event? Of course Titanic was a monster hit even though we knew the ship was going to sink, but the added drama of a fictional romance is what drew audiences to that film time and time again. With Sully, it’s more difficult to fictionalize an event that took place less than ten years ago when the public is already so familiar with the lead character. So while the near disaster is the impetus for the film, director Clint Eastwood makes the focus the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into Sully’s and Skiles’s actions. While the scenes of the incident on the plane are intense, Eastwood amps up the drama in the investigative process by painting the members of the NTSB as the bad guys, contentiously looking to pin something on the pilots, perhaps to show human error is what resulted in the crash (which Sully always corrects to a “water landing,” since the plane remained intact
ing choice of musical score the better. It’s not easy to make a piano sound like nails on a chalkboard, but Eastwood manages to do just that. This begs the question though – did this story need to be made as an IMAX theatrical film? Probably not (and seeing and no one an IMAX-shot film not formatted properly died) for insurfor a non-IMAX screen resulted in the tops ance purposes. While the film is based on Sullenberg- of heads constantly being cut off, which er’s book, the contentious hearings were was very distracting). It really would have not as dramatic as depicted in the film. been a perfectly fine HBO movie. That’s not to say it’s a bad movie by Many NTSB officials are saying they were im- any means, it just lacks any real emotional pressed punch save for the very well-staged plane scenes (and too many flashbacks with Sully seeing planes crashing into Sully buildings in New York City are unalmost nerving and unnecessary), and the walks on manufactured “courtroom drama” water does everyone involved a huge disservice. But Hanks really carries the movie and could end up with an Oscar nomination, so that may be the biggest reason to see Sully. t
already know
by how well the men did, and the investigations were solely to find solutions on how to prevent such things from happening in the future, never to pin something on the men. Even Sully insisted the real names of the NTSB board members be changed for the movie because such dramatic license was taken. The unfortunate effect is that the film will become “truth” for those who see it, painting the government in an even worse light than most already believe. While the movie is competently made, and Hanks gives a terrifically stoic performance as Sully with able support from Aaron Eckhart as Skiles, it feels incredibly dragged out for 95 minutes. Eastwood has to indulge in a few flashbacks to Sully’s early piloting days, and there’s a totally nonsensical moment in an airport gift shop that seemed like a moment from the original Airport, and then there are the backand-forth phone calls between Sully and his wife Lorraine, which seem to only be in the film to illustrate Sully’s terrible financial state. They really were unnecessary moments of padding, but without them the film would have only been an hour long. And the less said about Eastwood’s gratBALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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People in Our Neighborhood
From Adman to Horror Writer
By Frankie Kujawa As the golden glow of autumn begins to shine on Maryland, thoughts of pumpkin picking, Harvest festivals, and eerie tales of October mayhem begin to spring to mind. No one understands and enjoys the Alan spoils of the season more than Gibson author Alan Gibson. Baltimore OUTloud recently sat down with Gibson to discuss his life, his career and what the future has in store. Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Gibson had a great life growing up northwest of Chicago. Upon entering college, he traded his enjoyable Midwest upbringing for the bustle of an East Coast education. As a university student at Virginia’s Washington and Lee, Gibson earned a degree in French and eventually started his career teaching at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland. “I also drove the school bus.” Gibson recalls. “All of the young masters were expected to do multiple things. We had to coach, drive the school busses … sort of everything. Especially if you were one of the unmarried ones.” Gibson reminisced that it was a great school for him to begin his career, and that he thoroughly enjoyed his time there. Soon after, Gibson decided that he wanted to refocus on his career and returned to school at Georgetown University for graduate work in linguistics. “From there I worked through a Masters and Ph.D. program. After I took my Ph.D. orals, I decided I would take a week off before starting my dissertation.” Gibson laughs. “That was in 1979 and I still don’t have that dissertation. I loved linguistics but ended up getting hooked on advertising.” Gibson’s foray into advertising turned out to be a successful venture. “I got started on the creative end of it and I was totally mesmerized. It ended up being a field I seemed to be good at.” Within a few months of being hired, Gibson ended up being director of the agency. “It was fun and challenging because I was starting from scratch and had to learn everything about it,” Gibson explained. “I began as a copywriter, but I had to become an art director, too. One day I woke up and had to learn how to direct a photo shoot.”
Under Gibson’s direction, the agency took models to exotic jungle and desert locations around the world to shoot fashion catalogues and ads for Britches of Georgetown. “It was the number one, topof-the-line clothing store in Washington, D.C. By the time I left, they were in many other locations as well. The company was quite visionary, and they were very supportive of aggressive advertising. I mean, ads we made back then were in Time and Newsweek.” Eventually Gibson was hired away to run an ad agency for Gray & Co. “There my principal client was the Kennedy Center, and I worked with interesting performers from around the world. It helped me learn how to juggle a client with a lot of moving parts. That was when I started to do a lot of television.” Not soon after that, Gibson decided to venture out on his own and has been on his own ever since. As if a stellar career in advertising wasn’t enough, last year Gibson published his first book, The Dead of Winter. “I had always wanted to write a paperback. You know, one that you’d see at the airport kiosks. That was my fantasy. My goal was never to write great literature, but I’ve always enjoyed a fun plot. Thirty years later, but I finally did it.” Gibson explained that although he has done quite an extensive amount of writing over the years, a long form writing project was something new for him. “For so many years, my creative world consisted of 30-to-60 second commercials, and I could do a quick commercial in my head. I had been no stranger to writing scholarly papers, but the discipline of keeping track of a complex plot with twists and turns was tricky. Fortunately, the Jesuits at Georgetown pounded a sense for logic into my head. I’ve thanked them every day since.” Gibson drew upon his home, Ridgefield Farm in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, as part of the inspiration for the setting of his book. “My partner, Scott Beard, and I live on a farm. It’s one of those destination farms where people go to pick pumpkins and apples. We’ve been there for 13 years, but the farm has been around a long time, and it’s very family friendly. During the day, an elementary school visits our farm for their field trips. In the evening, though,
we bump it up a couple notches and do something very scary called Haunting Season.” Gibson laughs, “Of course, we live in West Virginia so the play on words isn’t bad. We start the evening off with a hay ride. Naturally we have creepy types that jump up on the wagon and scare people, but there are others who abduct people kicking and screaming right off the ride and drag them into the cornfields. The abductions are followed by the sounds of chain saws and more screams – it never fails to scare.” Gibson explained that it was during a trip that he had the idea for his book. “My partner and I were at Dulles Airport buckling our seatbelts to fly to LA for a week. I knew when we got back, I knew I was going to have to figure out where to plant the pumpkins and the corn maze for the fall season, and of course, where the hayride would run. It was going to be fun, but I wanted something more. By the time we had landed in LA, I had the outline for a screenplay for a horror movie. It was based off the idea of people visiting the farm, staying at the house and going on that hayride. And I thought, what if the person that gets pulled off the hay wagon never appeared again? That was the idea behind this book.”
Interview with Alan Gibson
Readers have helped to make his book quite a success. “The book covers a lot of West Virginia themes, as well as adult themes. I think it’s a pretty good story, and it’s gotten some great reviews. I’m even on the best-seller list out here in West Virginia. I’d love to expand my market to Baltimore, and I’m always up for a book-signing or reading. Hint. Hint.” Gibson is almost done with his second book. It’s a true murder mystery, so it’s quite different from the horror genre of The Dead of Winter.” Gibson laughed. “I guess I can’t write a good story without a dead body or two.” And as if advertising whiz, farmer and writer weren’t enough titles for Gibson, he’s currently working on adding social media guru to his resume. “In spite of all the hats I already wear, I created yet another company,” Gibson added. “I’ve created a start up with a college classmate and another alumnus from Washington and Lee. I can’t talk about it right now, because we are in the beta testing stage. We’re on track, though, for a January launch. I’m putting a lot of passion and energy into it, and we’ll see what happens, but I’m very optimistic. It’s to be continued…but you’ll be one of the first to hear about it.” Gibson laughed. “We’ll definitely keep you posted for things to come!” t
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out in the valley
Parenting OUTloud
Rev. Kelly Crenshaw
The Last Summer Fling As I write this, my younger kids are coming in from the beach. One of the benefits of year-round, private school is that they get a vacation schedule that is different than the public one. So, while everyone else heads back to school, our family heads on vacation. My parents have owned a condo in Ocean City for over 30 years. This is where our family has vacationed every summer. And, this year was no different. The kids have spent their time at the beach, binge-watching movies, playing games, fishing, crabbing, and enjoying the change of scenery. Of course, they have spent many hours texting and messaging their friends back home. (How did we ever survive before instant communication?) For me, the most memorable thing we’ve done is spend time together. When we’re home, we often go in a dozen different directions. But, for this short period of time, we are together more often than not.
Of course, there are always some who don’t want to participate in a given activity. Some of our needier kids don’t particularly enjoy the beach, for example. It’s hard to walk in the sand or the water is scary. But, in the evening, Some of when everyone is setour gang tling down from the day’s events, we all gather in the great room. We put on television shows or movies that everyone will enjoy. We laugh at baby Cassandra as she plays. We eat dinner together, laughing and talking. No one is worried about rushing out for practice or a meeting. And, we enjoy being together. I enjoy watching the kids as they sit together on the balcony, just chatting. I love it when they pull out a deck of cards or a board game. For some reason, when we are here, arguments are rare. We are relaxed and everyone feels the difference. But, family vacations are not always so peaceful. Just the morning, we heard the screaming from the upstairs condo. Several of our adults rushed out to see if they could
help, but the yelling stopped before they could do anything. The voice had so much anger. It’s a vacation, for pete’s sake. We all need time away from our worries and stressors. We need time when we can relax and enjoy the stillness of the day. And, in my opinion, it’s better if we can enjoy the time with our families. Take advantage of the breaks in daily routine to enjoy the time with your kids. Listen to their stories. Enjoy their discoveries. And, teach them how to relax. They will appreciate that lesson for the rest of their lives. 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
Committing to the Asylum —continued from page 1
when it was closed in 1994. It was abandoned for several years before being purchased in 2007, lending to the eeriness of the site of years of barbaric therapies and inhumane treatment of the patients who called the Asylum home. Like all large, old buildings, the Asylum comes with a number of ghost stories. In fact, the Asylum has become a sort of Mecca for ghost hunters and paranormal investigators. It has been featured on TV programs such as Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters Academy, Ghost Adventures, and Paranormal Challenge. Guests of the Asylum have reported seeing appartitions, hearing inexplicable sounds (including EVP recordings warning guests to get out), and
finding the spirits of deceased patients in photographs taken during their visit. As a skeptic who wants to believe in the supernatural, I was pleased to find “proof” of the afterlife in many of my own photos. The Asylum has something for everyone. The story of the Asylum is in many ways the story of America, mental health, and changing social values. Informative historic tours tell the story of the Asylum, its connection to the Civil War, and its unique place in history. Ghost tours are available but are not advised for the faint of heart, and for good reason: the size and layout of the building make it difficult to flee the abandoned wings and return to the safety of the center of the building, which houses the only working restrooms and the exit to the outside world.
Spirit Speaks A Ministry of Change By Rev. Kelly Crenshaw Over the years, New Light MCC has seen its fair share of change. We’ve mourned as long-term pastorates have come to an end, and celebrated when new pastorates began. Our members have come and gone as life’s journey has taken them far away because of jobs or family responsibilities. And, other congregations and organizations have welcomed us into their space until we were able to find a worship space of our very own. Some of the biggest, or at least All in most noticeable, changes have been to our church building itself. We moved into the building early on in our church’s history. Over the years, it has been a blessing and a challenge to transform that building from its prior purpose into a house of worship. Now, as we’re anticipating the call of a new pastor, we are renovating once again. This time, the renovations are taking place in the upstairs apartment. With fresh paint, a new kitchen and bathroom updates, we hope that we are creating a welcoming space for our new pastor. Change is important for any congregation and not just with the physical space. Change is necessary for any organization if it wants to stay in touch with the community it serves. Most of us don’t still drive the same car we drove in high school, or have the same job, or wear the same clothes. As time goes on, things change. People change. Attitudes change. And, if we want to relate to the people and things around us, we have to change, too. Twenty years ago, when this church was established, no one could have imagined that marriage equality would have been a reality. And now, it’s the norm. We, as a people, have changed. That’s good news. We’re excited to see the changes that God has in store for New Light MCC’s future. We invite you to join with us to experience all that change has to offer. 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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During our visit the staff politely advised buying adult diapers before committing to an overnight ghost tour on account of the frequency of “accidents” that take place when things go bump in the night in the dark, labyrinthine corridors of the Asylum. I won’t spoil any of the Asylum’s many surprises, but I will say that it gave this skeptic a lot to think about. Our tour group experienced several inexplicable incidents, captured dozens of supposed spirit photos, and had a great time. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be a patient in an Asylum, this is your chance to find out. With Halloween right around the corner, now is the perfect time to commit to
Spirit Speaks
Rev. Dr. Rob Apgar-Taylor
If Sheep Became Pharisees Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’” (Luke 15: 1-10) The sheep wander off and was in danger. He was hurting and scared. But the other sheep were mad because the shepherd searched for the lost one. All indications are they were safe and sound, but all they could see is that someone else was getting the attention. What about them? No shepherd would endanger 99 sheep to look for one. The other 99 were just
a visit to the Asylum. In addition to a variety of tours, there is also a staged haunted house in one of the Asylum’s abandoned buildings. Why not double-dip and experience the pretend terror of the haunted house and compare it to the real horrors of the Asylum? The attractions could easily make for a pleasant weekend getaway, but make sure you’ve booked a hotel before you begin your journey – Weston is a small town and finding a room may be more difficult than finding a ghost. Walkins are welcome at the Asylum, but some tours require reservations. Check out the website (Trans-alleghenylunaticasylum. com) for more information. t
fine. He would have already seen to that. But the one… the one lost sheep needed something extra in that moment. It wasn’t that the other sheep were less important or that the lost sheep was more special. That sheep mattered no more or less than the 99. But it mattered. And in that moment, the sheep’s crisis was of paramount importance. It needed extra attention or it might die. Some of the sheep were furious. They said “Wait? What are you doing? What do you mean that one sheep is getting special attention? We (I) deserve your attention? I’m not so sure I like this!” To which the shepherd assured them, “Its okay. I love you. I love you all, you all belong to me. And you all matter. But right now, in this moment, you are safe. But this one is in crisis. He’s scared. He is in danger. He needs me or he might die.” The sheep realized the greatness of the Shepherd’s love for them and that nothing will threaten their place in his heart. And so instead of feeling threatened, instead of shouting about how there were 100 sheep and they were all important, the sheep felt secure enough to let the Shepherd search for one who was lost. Some of them even went with him to help in the search. And when they found the sheep that had been lost, there was great rejoicing. Somehow, the grass even tasted a bit sweeter in the joy of that moment. They were all together. They were all safe. It was in that moment, in that moment of crisis, that they stopped feeling threatened long enough to make that one life matter, that they learned that all lives really did matter after all. . t
quality of life
Violet’s Vet
Dr. Tony Calo
Dogs in Bed So where does Violet sleep? She has a very comfy bed at the foot of our bed. She sleeps comfortably snuggled up to Daisy or Henry or all three of them may be a big dog pile. There are, or course, the occasional forays into our bed. She loves cuddling up to Connor and I as much (if not more) than with her sister and brother. When she gets into bed with us, it happens in one of two ways. The first is by invitation. It is not uncommon that she and Daisy will “ask” to come up. Daisy will place her head longingly on the foot of the bed, bat her eyes, and wag her tail in a most pleasing manner. When asked for entry onto the bed, it’s too hard to resist. Violet is less subtle. She stands on her back legs and places her front legs on the side of the bed immediately next to Connor. She cries, yips, and moans as only she can. Connor, without fail, tells her she is a pretty baby doll, and picks her up. He falls for it every time. Henry has permanently lost bed privileges. On a particularly unpleasant occasion, while on the bed, he both chewed a hole in the mattress and had a urinary accident. The obvious subtext of the question “So where does Violet sleep?” is what my opinion regarding dogs sleeping on the bed. This is a somewhat complicated question. People often feel strongly about this issue and largely fall into one extreme or other. Some people feel Time for a that a dog should nevsnooze er be allowed on the bed. Others feel that having their dog sleep on the floor would be cruel. I feel that the answer has more to do with the individual dog and the specific situation. First and foremost, when deciding if your dog should sleep on the bed with you, make sure that there are no medical reasons to keep your dog away. The most common health issue to keep pets out of your bed is allergies. Most physicians will recommend that people with aller-
gies to pet dander, not only keep pets out of the bed that they stay out of the bedroom as well. This will allow for a better environment to allow for peaceful sleep. Another health reason which may not seem as obvious, is for light sleepers. There is an increasing body of sleep research that suggests that pets can interrupt the sleep of people that have trouble falling or staying asleep. If Fido causes you to be awake all night, you will not be an effective pet owner, or parent, or employee during the day. Light sleepers should avoid sleeping with pets. If you have no pet allergies and you have no issues falling or staying asleep, then having your pet sleep with you on your bed is generally not an issue. In fact, there is historical and sociological reasons for you to share your sleeping space with your canine companion. When dogs became domesticated, they offered protection. Having your protector sleep with you served as an alert system for predators and unwanted intruders. Dogs also provided warmth. They were natural heating blankets. Laying with dogs was practical in ancient times and in modern times, may even be encoded into our collective psyche. A recent survey confirmed that nearly 50% of all dog owners share their bed with their dog. Dogs can provide comfort, warmth, and security. They are companions during the day and during the night and sleeping together can enhance the human animal bond. But it’s important to have rules. Connor and I allow Violet and Daisy on the bed but there are clear boundaries. First, they need to be invited. We like having the option of having the bed to ourselves. This may be that we need to ensure a good night’s sleep or it may be that we need the bed for something other than sleeping (wink). Other times, we want to have family time with our girls. We also have a clear signal for when it is time to relocate to the dog beds on the floor. This allows for clear communication between us and our canine family members. What about Henry? T h i s brings up the topic of when is not alright to have your dog in your bed. The most important reason is if allowing your dog on the bed causes an aggressive behavior. This includes bed-guarding aggression and being protective of one’s bed inhabitant to the exclusion of anyone else. If having your dog leads aggression or possible biting, then it is best to provide your dog with a comfortable bed on the floor in
Violet’s New Friends Meet Blackjack – Feeling lucky? How about taking a chance on me, my name is Blackjack! I’m an exuberant young gentleman looking to find my forever home. Social, happy, energetic, loving, silly – all words to describe me perfectly. I enjoy meeting people who give me attention (you can never go wrong with a belly rub) and I like treats a lot (snacks are always great, right?) I was a part of playgroups here and I did well, but it’s probably best I be the king of my new castle. I like to be the center of attention; can you blame me? I think I would make a wonderful companion, and once you meet me, you will agree! Come to the Baltimore Humane Society (1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown) today and ask for me! For more information, visit Bmorehumane.org or call 410-833-8848. t
Blackjack
order for everyone to be safe. Alternatively, if having your dog on the bed is very important to you, call in an experienced trainer to help you work through and resolve the aggressive behavior. Another reason, which pertains to Henry, is destructive behavior. Dogs that are not completely housetrained, dogs that chew bedding, or dogs that are too pushy, are best left off the bed. Another consideration is size. A Great Dane may be a loyal friend
and companion, but may take over anything but the largest bed. Overall, the dog and the situation need to be carefully examined before making a decision about sharing your bed with your dog. Once carefully thought out, you may find that having your dog in bed with you is the best decision ever! t Please email your stories and questions to violetsvet@baltimoreoutloud.com.
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quality of life
The Law & You
Lee Carpenter
Will the Right Person Arrange Your Funeral? When planning any kind of an event, nothing is more important than putting the right person in charge. And when the “event” is as personal and important as your own funeral, it’s essential to have it managed by someone who knows what would be meaningful – to you and the loved ones you leave behind. So who will plan your funeral? Will it be someone who wants to honor your life appropriately and has your best interests at heart? Each of us would like to think so,
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but as members of the LGBT community, we need to take special care to ensure that the right person oversees our final arrangements. Stories abound of disapproving family members taking charge and ignoring the wishes of the deceased’s partner or closest friend. As a matter of law, the authority to dispose of someone’s remains generally lies with the next of kin. If you are fortunate enough to be married, that would be your spouse. If you have a partner but are not married, he or she will have no say in the matter, unless you prepare a legal document that grants that authority. For those of us who are single, the person in charge of our final arrangements would be a parent, an adult child, or a sibling. Any one of these people could do a fine job putting a funeral together, or they could plan something completely inappropriate, leaving the guests wondering, “What were they thinking?” To prevent a mishap and ensure that your friends and relations find meaning in your farewell, consider taking the following steps: • Have your attorney prepare an advance directive that authorizes your health
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
care agent to dispose of your remains. The main reason to have an advance directive is to appoint someone you trust – whether your spouse, partner, or close friend – to manage your health care if you become unable to. But this document can also give your agent the legal right to be in charge of your funeral and burial. • Make sure your will includes language allowing your personal representative (executor) to make your final arrangements. Just make sure you name the same person(s) in your will and advance directive, in order to avoid a conflict. In addition, the will can include some burial instructions, such as the desire to be cremated. • You can also make advance arrangements with a funeral home, stating your burial preferences and even paying for them ahead of time. In addition, instructions can be left with a house of worship you attend. It is especially helpful if these arrangements include a statement of who is to be in charge of overseeing the service and interment when the time comes. • Less effectively legally, but no less helpful, is a “burial preferences” form, which your attorney can provide you. This
form enables you to state specific details of your last wishes, including things like hymn choices, open casket versus closed, and how your remains are to be disposed of. The form may not be legally binding, but having it among your important papers will be an invaluable aid to the person you have put in charge. • For those of us who are coupled but not yet married, the best option is simply to get married. Marriage enables you to put the law on your side. It makes the surviving spouse your next of kin with the legal right to dispose of the remains as he or she sees fit, as well as rights of tax-free inheritance. One of the benefits of estate planning is peace of mind. Whether your final wishes include a traditional religious service, a secular gathering, or an informal burial at sea, put the right person in charge and take comfort in knowing that your wishes will be followed. t Lee Carpenter is an associate attorney at the law firm Semmes, Bowen & Semmes and can be reached at 410-576-4729 or lcarpenter@semmes.com. Learn more about LGBT estate planning at Mdlgbtestateplanning.com. This column offers general legal info, not specific legal advice.
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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real estate
quality of life
Tech
Talk
David Sugar
Designing & Builiding a Website Are you looking at your website and saying, “It’s so outdated – I need an update”? Well look no further. Depending on what you’re looking for there are a number of different options ranging from online website builders to full customization. This article covers those two approaches. If you have a website, you probably know about sites such as Weebly.com. These sites allow you to build your own website without programming. They guide you through everything from the site layout to adding content. Though you are limited to a certain set of designs, this is probably
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the most economical way and quickest way to get your site up and running. If you want a little more flexibility in building a site but you aren’t ready to hire a web developer just yet then consider Wordpress.com. The advantage of Wordpress is it allows for a little more customization of the theme. There are also many different plugins available for Wordpress allowing your site to be an e-commerce site or a membership site. If getting a website up quickly without any programming knowledge necessary then these options are best. If you want special features, the other option is to hire a web developer. Though much more expensive – since you are paying for someone’s time – you can get everything want, from custom design to special features. Depending on the needs of your company this may be the best way to go. Though it most likely will take longer to launch, your site will stand out. In my next column, I’ll discuss some web technologies to become familiar with if you would like to start coding websites yourself. t Send your tech questions to me at outloudtech@gmail.com.
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
When Should You Trust the Internet? By Wayne Curtis For many people, especially in the Millennial Generation, the Internet is the go-to reference for the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) revolution. There are, however, some subjects that are bigger than the Internet can handle, and real estate is one of them. Someone who relies only on the web can get incorrect, inaccurate – - and even illegal-in-Maryland – advice and innocently make their lives a complicated mess. So, here’s a rundown of common Internet sources of information, and the cautions you might want to implement if you use them. • House-listing websites – The 500-pound gorilla in this class is Zillow.com, but there are dozens. Their information can be old and incorrect, and their estimates of value have been proven to be wildly inaccurate. Click Zillow’s legalese the next time you get one of their estimates and you’ll be taken to a page of disclaimer language that tells you just how inaccurate you can expect their figures to be. Also, I’ve had clients find homes for sale on Zillow that sold two years earlier and were never removed. This can apply to websites that bear the brand of one of the major brokerages. Some have the habit of leaving a few of their own listings on their website long after being sold which, whether accidentally or intentionally, makes it look as if they have lots of things for sale to tempt the internet buyer. • Buying advice websites and blogs – Real estate is a state-by-state operation. For example, agency laws in Maryland are nearly the opposite of what they are in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and the process of buying and settling a house in the Mid-Atlantic is very different than it is in New York and New England, and on the West Coast. This patchwork
of procedures makes it unlikely that any Internet advice will be useful to a Maryland buyer or seller. Make sure you’re reading information specific to Maryland, and that its up-todate. For instance, Maryland will be changing its agency laws effective October 1st, 2016. Nothing on the web right now is taking those changes into account (even agents haven’t gotten final word yet on how the changes in law will affect how we do business). The one way to make sure you get accurate, timely information is to hire a realtor. Interview the agent first, or get a raving referral from a good friend. If you’re not happy with him or her after awhile, fire them and find another. Buying or selling a home is an important life-changing event. You need to have someone assisting you that you can trust and with whom you get along well. • Social media chat – I recently took part in an exchange on a neighborhood chat board that was debating various real estate related topics. I read a lot of posts from people who had very firm opinions, but who had no clue as to what it took to become licensed as a real estate agent, what other steps had to be taken in order to actually practice, and what the costs of setting up a practice really were. Most did not have any idea as to how the real estate industry has evolved to take care of issues like security, liability, and making sure that the contract most people use is fully legal – short of hiring your own lawyer and hoping that he or she knows enough about real estate law to actually perform the service. DIY can end up costing you dearly. Why risk it? t Wayne Curtis has been a Maryland realtor since 1998. You can reach him with questions or concerns at wcurtis@remax.net.
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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leather line
Leather
Line
Rodney Burger
Sash Season is Here It is that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and the leaves are starting to change. In the Mid-Atlantic area, the leaves are not the only thing that change in the fall, it is also the time of year that we selected a whole new crop of leather titleholders. Up in New York City on the weekend of September 31st to October 2nd Mr. Eagle NYC 2017 will be selected at the Eagle NYC (554 West 28th Street). The meet-and-greet begins on Friday evening at 10 p.m. and the contest is on Saturday at 9.p.m. There will also be a victory party for Mr. Eagle NYC 2017 at the bar on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. The puppy community is quickly becoming
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a big subsection of the leather community and last year we saw the first ever Mid-Atlantic Puppy and Mid-Atlantic Puppy Handler contest. On October 14th and 15th the Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps (MAKK) will proudly present the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Puppy and Handler Contest at the D.C. Eagle. (3701 Benning Road NE) The meet-and-greet will be held on Friday evening and the contest is scheduled for 9 p.m. on Saturday evening. It is not too late to embrace your inner puppy and be a contestant. Applications and more details can be found at Makkorps.org. American Brotherhood Weekend (ABW) is being held at the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago on the weekend of October 7th to 9th, but on Friday, September 30th a sendoff party is being held in Baltimore at The Loft at Grand Central, hosted by Sir Kevin Lowery, Margaret Irene, and David Zeidler, three well-
september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com
Wear the sash with pride! credit: Rich Wertman
known members of Baltimore’s leather community who will be representing our area at the American Leatherman, American Leatherwoman, and , and American Leatherboy 2016 contest. You will not want to miss this chance to wish them well at the 27th ABW. Fall is a beautiful time to visit the shore and there is no better time to visit than October 21st to 23rd for the New Jersey Leather Weekend in Asbury Park, New Jersey, featuring the Mr. and Ms. New Jersey Leather 2017 Contest. The Empress Hotel (101 Asbury Avenue) just off the boardwalk will once again be the host hotel and Le Chateau Exotique will sponsor the opening reception hosted by the Jersey Amazons on Friday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. honoring Ms. New Jersey Leather 2013 Babygirl and the ten-year anniversary of the Ms. New Jersey Leather title in the hotel’s nightclub, Paradise. Afterwards the Gay Asbury Guide will sponsor the uniform / gear meet-and-greet party. Saturday afternoon will bring demos provided by the Jersey Kollege of Kink including a seminar by International Mr. Leather 1994 Jeff Tucker and a cigar party presented by the Jersey boys of Leather. Doors open for the contest
on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. There will also be leather vendors in the hotel’s lobby all weekend. This event is always well attended but you can expected an even bigger crowd this year after Mr. New Jersey Leather 2016 David “Tigger” Bailey brought the International Mr. Leather 2016 title home from Chicago. You will want to hurry and book a hotel room at the rate of just $129 a night. Details can been found on Facebook. November will be a busy month in Baltimore with the Mr. Maryland Leather 2017 Contest presented by COMMAND, MC, on November 3rd to 6th. Baltimore’s Hotel Indigo (24 West Franklin Street) is the host hotel. The fun starts on Thursday evening this year with a gear / fetish party and cigar social at the Baltimore Eagle, the meet-and-greet party will be Friday night starting at 10 p.m. at The Loft and the Mr. Maryland Leather 2017 Contest will be held on Saturday, November 5th at 2 p.m. at the Baltimore Eagle. There will also be lots of cocktail parties, a dinner, a play party at the Charm City Play Space and much more. The full schedule can be found at Commandmc.org. Mid-Atlantic Leather Woman 2017 will also be selected in Baltimore in November at the Baltimore Eagle over the weekend of November 11th and 12th. This is the eighth year for the Mid-Atlantic Leather Woman title. This year the contest will also include the selection of the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Leather Woman Bootblack. Details can be found on Facebook. Mr. D.C. Eagle 2017 will also be selected in November as part of the bar’s 45th anniversary wekend. Mr. D.C. Eagle is the longest-running leather title in the world and this year’s contest will be held at the bar on November 19th. Check the D.C. Eagle Facebook page for all the details. I love fall weather and I can’t wait to see the leaves change and greet our new leather titleholders. What are you doing this season? One of our new leather titleholders could be you! It would change your life. t
BALTIMORE OUTLOUD september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com t
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september 16, 2016 • baltimoreoutloud.com