Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 9, March 2, 2018

MARCH 02,

2018

VOLUME 49

ISSUE 09

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AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

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LO CA L N E W S

Comings & Goings News from Merkley’s office, WPA and Pride Fund

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

Congratulations to Blake Mariappa Narendra, who was named a Nuclear Security Working Group Fellow in the Office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). Narendra has an impressive background including currently serving as press lead for the U.S. Global Development Lab and Asia Bureau in the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Prior to this he served in the U.S. Department Blake Mariappa Narendra of State, Bureau of Arms Control, Verification PHOTO COURTESY OF NARENDRA and Compliance as Special Advisor for Outreach and Strategic Communications. He worked for the Ploughshares Fund as the Inaugural Hale Fellow and co-managed an outreach campaign supporting diplomatic efforts on nonproliferation negotiations with the Iranian Republic; and developed and edited informational materials including fact sheets and brochures for congressional staff and other audiences on Gregory Pratt the nonproliferation merits of a comprehensive PHOTO COURTESY OF PRATT agreement with Iran.

He has worked as a Defense Policy Analyst for SAIC and a research associate, Managing the Atom (MTA) at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He held positions with the Obama administration including Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security at the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration; Nicholas Alexander Brown and as a White House Associate in the Offices of PHOTO COURTESY OF BROWN Management and Administration and Presidential Personnel.

Congratulations also to Gregory Pratt, currently the Finance Coordinator at the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence. Pratt began at the Pride Fund as an intern.

Pride Fund to End Gun Violence is a Political Action Committee supporting candidates who will act on sensible gun policy reforms while championing LGBTQ safety and equality.

Pratt continues his education and is a senior at American University where he is studying political science with minors in communication and theater. He is working toward certificates in Advanced Leadership Studies and Campaign Management. Prior to interning at the Pride Fund he interned at the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

Congratulations also to Nicholas Alexander Brown, who was named Director of Special Productions and Initiatives with Washington Performing Arts.

Among other duties he will produce special productions and initiatives at the direction of the president and CEO, including the Mars Urban Arts Initiative and interdisciplinary collaborations with community, cultural, and civic organizations.

Prior to joining WPA, Nicholas spent many years working at the Library of Congress. His work there included being a program specialist in the Office of the Librarian and a music specialist/concert producer in the Library’s Music Division.

He interned in the White House Social Office, Office of the First Lady.

Brown is the music director and founder of the The Irving Fine Society and a freelance musician. He made numerous appearances as a conductor including with the Boston Collaborative Orchestra, the 215th Army Band, and the King’s College London Symphony Orchestra. He has sung with the London Symphony Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, and BBC Symphony Chorus.

Chase Brexton CEO and President PATRICK MUTCH took over after the controversial tenure of Richard Larison.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHASE BREXTON

Chase Brexton, staff reach bargaining agreement Chase Brexton Health Care and its 135 employees who are represented by 1199SEIU reached a collective bargaining agreement on Monday, according to a statement released by the organization.

“The Chase Brexton Board of Directors and leadership are pleased to have reached the best possible agreement to uphold the organization’s 40 years of distinctive, patient-focused care,” said Chase Brexton CEO and President Patrick Mutch. “We believe our providers and health care professionals are critical to the sustainability of our organization and are hopeful that the agreement made with 1199SEIU is a foundation that will support their vital work.”

The employees negotiated with Chase Brexton’s management over the past 15 months.

“Our goal was to create a foundation that helps our members provide the quality and individualized care our patients deserve, that is rooted in Chase Brexton’s 40 years of service,” said Stacey Jackson Roberts, a therapist at Chase Brexton and bargaining team member. “Members are encouraged and hopeful that this contract, coupled with changes in management, are a foundation for Chase Brexton to be the health center of choice for patients and health care professionals dedicated to quality care for marginalized communities.”

Chase Brexton was roiled by staff anger over the firings of five mid-level managers by former CEO Richard Larison in 2016. Protests were held outside Chase Brexton’s headquarters and a petition denouncing the firings circulated. The employees voted overwhelmingly to join 1199 SEIU Maryland/DC Division despite management’s opposition. Larison later stepped down.

Upon taking over, Mutch told the Blade in an interview, “I feel that I am making a positive impact every day in building a culture of trust, in ways that I might not have been able to make in previous roles.”

STAFF REPORTS

Manassas Park schools ban anti-LGBT discrimination Members of the Manassas Park City School Board on Monday voted unanimously to add sexual orientation and gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy.

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who represents House District 13 in the Virginia House of Delegates that includes Manassas Park, is among those who urged board members to support the additional protections.

“I’m so proud of the (Manassas Park City) School Board for unanimously voting to include gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policy so every student and faculty member knows they’re welcomed and now protected because of who they are, not despite it,” tweeted Roem.

The Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William County School Districts are among the Virginia school districts that have added sexual orientation and gender identity to their nondiscrimination policies. The city of Alexandria has also implemented these measures in their schools.

Virginia’s statewide nondiscrimination law does not include sexual orientation or gender identity.

Attorney General Mark Herring in 2015 wrote an opinion that says Virginia law allows school boards to add sexual orientation and gender identity to their nondiscrimination policies. Former state Del. Bob Marshall, who Roem defeated last November, and others contend the Dillon Rule prohibits school boards from adding LGBT-specific protections to their nondiscrimination policies unless the General Assembly were to pass a law that allows them to do so.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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NATIONAL NEWS

2nd Circuit rules Title VII bars anti-gay workplace discrimination ‘Huge’ decision a blow to Trump administration

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com In a major ruling affirming protections for lesbian, gay and bisexual workers, a federal appeals court in New York City ruled Monday employment discrimination based on sexual orientation is unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In a 69-page “en banc” decision from the full court, the Second Circuit finds Donald Zarda, a deceased skydiver who alleges he was fired from Altitude Express for being gay, can sue under existing civil rights law because sexual orientation discrimination is a form of sex discrimination.

Writing for the court in the 10-3 decision, U.S. Chief Circuit Judge Robert Katzmann, a Clinton appointee, concludes Zarda’s estate is “entitled to bring a Title VII claim for discrimination based on sexual orientation.”

“Zarda has alleged that, by ‘honestly referr[ing] to his sexual orientation,’ he failed to ‘conform to the straight male macho stereotype,’” Katzmann writes.

“For this reason, he has alleged a claim of discrimination of the kind we now hold cognizable under Title VII.” The decision vacates a trial court ruling against Zarda’s claims based on sexual orientation discrimination under Title VII, remanding the case to the court for reconsideration. The “en banc” ruling also overturns Second Circuit precedent against protections for gay workers in the jurisdiction — the 2000 decision in Simonton v. Runyon and the 2005 decision in Dawson v. Bumble & Bumble.

In the past year alone, that precedent formed the basis for two rulings from three-judge panels on the Second Circuit against the idea that sexual orientation discrimination is sex discrimination (although in one case, the court ruled in favor of the gay plaintiff anyway based on sex-stereotyping claims). The latest “en banc” ruling means lesbian, gay and bisexual plaintiffs will now unequivocally be able seek relief in the Second Circuit if they face anti-gay workplace discrimination.

The ruling is also a blow to the Trump administration, which sent Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hashim Mooppan to the court for oral arguments in September to argue employers should be able to fire workers for being gay despite Title VII. Greg Nevins, an attorney and employment fairness project director for Lambda Legal, argued on behalf of Zarda before the Second Circuit and said the court’s decision is “huge” in the effort to prohibit anti-gay workplace discrimination nationwide.

“It really changes the dynamics about

GREG NEVINS, an attorney and employment fairness project director for Lambda Legal, argued on behalf of Donald Zarda before the Second Circuit.

how people talk about who’s winning this argument,” Nevins said. “Nobody can call Hively an outlier. We now have an overwhelming victory in two circuits — out of Chicago, and out of New York now — and both of them were lopsided.”

In the reasoning for the decision, Katzmann finds three separate ways in which sexual orientation discrimination is a subset of sex discrimination.

First, Katzmann finds sexual orientation “is defined by one’s sex in relation to the sex of those to whom one is attracted,” which makes it impossible to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation without taking sex into account.

“In the context of sexual orientation, a woman who is subject to an adverse employment action because she is attracted to women would have been treated differently if she had been a man who was attracted to women,” Katzmann said.

“We can therefore conclude that sexual orientation is a function of sex and, by extension, sexual orientation discrimination is a subset of sex discrimination.”

This interpretation is also known as the “but for” argument that anti-gay discrimination is sex discrimination. In this case, Zarda would have been able to keep his job as a skydiver as a man but for his attraction to other men.

Secondly, Katzmann finds anti-gay bias is based on assumptions and stereotypes about gender, which the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear is an unlawful motive for employment discrimination under existing precedent.

“Viewing the relationship between sexual orientation and sex through the lens of gender stereotyping provides yet another basis for concluding that sexual orientation discrimination is a subset of sex discrimination,” Katzmann writes. “Specifically, this framework demonstrates that sexual orientation discrimination is almost invariably rooted in stereotypes about men and women.”

Finally, Katzmann finds anti-gay workplace

discrimination is associational discrimination based on sex because the employer is making a judgment about with whom an employee should have a relationship.

“Consistent with the nature of sexual orientation, in most contexts where an employer discriminates based on sexual orientation, the employer’s decision is predicated on opposition to romantic association between particular sexes,” Katzmann writes. “For example, when an employer fires a gay man based on the belief that men should not be attracted to other men, the employer discriminates based on the employee’s own sex.”

Joining Katzmann in the decision were U.S. Circuit Judges Peter Hall, Denny Chin, Susan Carney and Christopher Droney.

U.S. Circuit Judge Rosemany Pooler joined the decision, except for the section that determination a termination “but for” an employee’s sexual orientation is unlawful.

Four other judges on the Second Circuit — Dennis Jacobs, Robert Sack, Raymond Lohier and Jose Carbranes — filed concurring opinions in the case that affirmed protections for gay, lesbian and bisexual workers under Title VII, but reached that conclusion differently. The judges picked and chose from the findings presented by Katzmann on sexual orientation discrimination, although none disputed of any the reasoning.

One of the justices who dissented in the decision, the Obama-appointed U.S. Circuit Judge Gerard E. Lynch, objected to the majority opinion on the basis Congress didn’t intend to cover gay people when it passed Title VII in 1964.

“I would be delighted to awake one morning and learn that Congress had just passed legislation adding sexual orientation to the list of grounds of employment discrimination prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Lynch writes. “I am confident that one day — and I hope that day comes soon — I will have that pleasure. I would be equally pleased to awake to learn that Congress had secretly passed such legislation more than a half century ago — until I actually woke up and realized that I must have been still asleep and dreaming. Because we all know that Congress did no such thing.”

The two other judges who dissented were U.S. Circuit Judges Debra Ann Livingston, a George W. Bush appointee, and Reena Raggi, another George W. Bush appointee.

The court reached a conclusion in favor of Zarda despite efforts from the Justice Department to convince the court otherwise. In a strange development, one arm of the federal government, the Justice Department, had argued against gay protections, but another arm, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, argued in favor of them.

Devin O’Malley, a Justice Department spokesperson, said the department is committed to upholding civil rights, but argued against the gay plaintiff in this case because the administration believes existing civil rights law doesn’t apply to him.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil and constitutional rights of all individuals, and will continue to enforce the numerous laws Congress has enacted that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation,” O’Malley said. “We remain committed to the fundamental principle that the courts cannot expand the law beyond what Congress has provided. The position that the department advocated in this case has been its longstanding position across administrations and remains the law of nine different courts of appeals.”

Victoria Lipnic, acting chair of the EEOC, had the opposite reaction to the ruling and praised the Second Circuit for the decision.

“Today, the Second Circuit became the second federal court of appeals to hold that Title VII provides legal employment protections for individuals based on their sexual orientation,” Lipnic said. “The EEOC has advanced this legal interpretation for the past few years, and I commend the fine lawyering by the agency that contributed to today’s decision. This is a generous view of the law of employment protections, and a needed one.”

Each of the three states in the Second Circuit — Vermont, Connecticut and New York — already had state laws prohibiting workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The ruling, however, adds an additional layer for lesbian, gay and bisexual workers because under Title VII, sex discrimination need only be a motivating factor to meet the threshold for unlawful discrimination as opposed to state law, which requires it to be the only factor.

That’s why Zarda sought to sue under Title VII; his claims of sexual orientation discrimination were deemed insufficient in state court.

Nevins identified other benefits for gay workers in the Second Circuit to sue under Title VII, but pointed out they can still obtain relief under state laws.

“It helps the lawyers and the judges because it’s familiar terrain, and the remedies can be better and the procedural requirements can be clearer and, in this case, easier to satisfy,” Nevins said.

The Second Circuit is the second federal appeals court to find anti-gay discrimination is unlawful under Title VII and contributes an emerging legal consensus that sexual orientation amounts to sex discrimination under current law. In 2015, the EEOC determined in the case of Baldwin v. Foxx it would accept and litigate cases of antigay discrimination under Title VII.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Mattis advises Trump on trans military service Reports indicate Pentagon wants trans troops to stay

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Defense Secretary James Mattis delivered his recommendation to President Trump on transgender military service in compliance with a directive to the Pentagon earlier this year, officials have told the Washington Blade.

Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesperson, confirmed Mattis delivered his recommendation to Trump, but wasn’t forthcoming about the next steps.

“The White House has received the Department of Defense’s recommendations on transgender personnel in the military,” Gidley said. “It is currently under review.”

Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesperson, said late last week the “secretary made his recommendation to the White House this morning.”

The recommendation was due last Wednesday in correspondence with a directive Trump issued in August banning transgender military service. Mattis was initially scheduled to meet with Trump on Tuesday for lunch, but that was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. The recommendation had to wait until Friday.

Officials wouldn’t disclose the nature of Mattis’ recommendation to Trump.

According to multiple media reports, Mattis was expected to advise Trump transgender people should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military.

That would stand in contrast with Trump’s directive, which reinstated a ban on transgender service lifted in the Obama years, sought to bar new transgender recruits from serving in the armed forces and prohibited the U.S. military from paying for gender reassignment surgery.

Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association, said in a statement a policy that allows transgender people to serve is the only recommendation that makes sense.

“At the heart of this recommendation is the fundamental question of whether or not any qualified American should be allowed to serve our country, regardless of their gender identity,” BroadwayMack said. “The qualified transgender Americans proudly serving and enlisting in the military deserve our full support, not Donald Trump’s unfounded and reckless attempt to ban them.”

The next steps in the aftermath of the Mattis recommendation remain to be seen.

Defense officials have said Trump would announce a new policy on transgender service after March 23, which would correspond with the date in the August directive when the ban should be fully implemented.

One issue that might come up in any new policy is transgender troops who are non-deployable because they’re going through transition. Under new “deployor-out” rules implemented by Mattis, a member of the armed forces who’s nondeployable for 12 months or more will be separated from the armed forces.

If transgender service members go through transition and can’t be deployable for 12 months, they may face expulsion from the U.S. armed forces under that “deploy-or-out” policy.

Matthew Thorn, executive director of the LGBT military OutServe-SLDN, denied the “deploy-or-out” policy will be an impediment for transgender service members.

“Trans service members are currently deploying and are able to meet the standards set forth,” Thorn said.

“Further, there are waivers available for commanders and units should any service member come close to the timeline set forth in the deployability memo. So long as the standards are equitable across the board we expect this to be a non issue.”

Regardless of Mattis’ recommendation to Trump or any new policy on transgender service he may implement, multiple courts have enjoined the U.S. military from enforcing Trump’s ban as a result of litigation filed by LGBT legal groups.

That means transgender people will be able to serve in the U.S. military without fear of discharge over their gender identity and obtain transition-related care, including gender reassignment surgery, even if Trump attempts to modify his policy with a kind of “Trans Ban 2.0.”

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said in a statement “thousands of trained and capable transgender troops have been serving ably and openly for nearly two years without issue.”

“It’s no wonder the secretary doesn’t want to cause needless chaos for the military and discard valuable personnel with critical skills just because of who they are,” Keisling said. “And of course, as we have heard military leaders and lawmakers of both parties say so many times, any American who can meet the military’s tough standards and is willing to risk their life should be able to join up and serve.”

Military accepts first openly trans recruit In a first, an openly transgender person has signed a contract to join the U.S. military — a development that could occur thanks to federal court rulings against President Trump’s transgender military ban.

Maj. David Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesperson, confirmed to the Washington Blade on Tuesday an openly transgender person has signed a contract to join the armed forces, which is part of

Defense Secretary JAMES MATTIS delivered his recommendation to President Trump on transgender military service last week.

MATTHEW THORN, executive director of OutServe-SLDN, said, ‘Trans service members are currently deploying and are able to meet the standards set forth.’

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

the process for enlistment.

“DOD confirms that as of Feb. 23, 2018, there is one transgender individual under contract for service in the U.S. military,” Eastburn said.

Eastburn said the person hasn’t yet started basic training, but wouldn’t provide any additional details “as a matter of privacy and the individual’s wishes.”

The date identified by the Pentagon is the same date Mattis delivered his recommendation to President Trump on transgender service in accordance with Trump’s directive seeking to ban transgender people from the armed forces.

Court rulings required the U.S. military to begin admitting transgender people in the armed forces on Jan. 1 in accordance

with an earlier Mattis memo, which was issued before Trump’s directive and set that as the target date. Transgender people have been able to enlist in the armed forces since that time.

According to the Washington Times, Pentagon spokesperson Army Col. Rob Manning on Monday told reporters Mattis’ recommendation on whether to allow transgender troops to serve remains under review at the White House.

Col. Manning reportedly declined to comment on any details about the recommendation or conversations between Mattis and other officials on the issue. It remains to be seen what action Trump will take in the aftermath of the recommendation.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Trump claims ‘most successful first year’ of any president Delivers marathon speech at annual conservative confab

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — President Trump delivered a marathon speech last Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference to applause and acclaim from attendees at the annual confab.

The speech clocked in at one hour, 15 minutes, which means Trump gave CPAC just a few minutes short of the same time he gave in his lengthy State of the Union address last month.

Despite the long speech, in which Trump at one point asked his audience for permission to go off-script, there wasn’t much news made.

It was largely more of the same: He announced new sanctions against North Korea, belittled the media in the audience, recited an allegorical poem about a “snake” that tricks an unwitting girl into helping him before he bites her, and renewed his commitment to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“My administration, I think, has had the most successful first year in the history of the presidency,” Trump said.

But with calls for gun control building after the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead, Trump’s stated approach to combating gun violence was perhaps the most significant moment of

his remarks.

Trump recalled meeting the family of the Parkland shooting victim Meadow Pollock, whom he said had a “beautiful, beautiful smile and a beautiful life” before her life was taken.

“There are not enough tears in the world to express our sadness and anguish for her family, and for every family that has lost a precious loved one,” Trump said. “No family should ever save — and ever have to go in and suffer the way these families have suffered. They’ve suffered beyond anything that I’ve ever witnessed.”

Among Trump’s policy solutions to gun violence were improving security at schools, tackling the issue of mental health and strengthening background checks — but Trump also fleshed out his idea of arming teachers to prevent gun violence.

“I don’t want a person that’s never handled a gun that wouldn’t know what a gun looks like to be armed,” Trump said.

“But out of your teaching population — out of your teaching population, you have 10 percent, 20 percent of very gun-adept people. Military people, law enforcement people, they teach. They teach.”

Echoing comments he made earlier in the day, Trump said the armed guard at the Parkland high school who heard gun shots, but didn’t act to act to stop the violence, was “not good, I will tell you that.”

Trump may be largely unpopular throughout the country, but the audience at CPAC relished his remarks. Lines in favor of the Second Amendment and recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of

Israel garnered strong applause.

Consistent with a general new rule among conservatives to keep anti-LGBT views quiet, Trump made no mention of his administration’s anti-LGBT policies, nor did he make any veiled reference to anti-LGBT discrimination by praising “religious freedom.”

Gregory Angelo, president of Log Cabin Republicans, was present during the remarks and said the lack of anti-LGBT comments contributed to the warm reception Trump enjoyed.

“Absolutely no mention of divisive social issues — and the crowd ate it up,” Angelo said.

The main stage for Trump’s speech was filled with attendees. Many donning “Make America Great Again” hats stood, although they appeared to be not CPAC attendees but Trump supporters who were bussed in to make the audience look bigger.

One protester managed to get near the main stage and sought to interrupt Trump’s speech, but was quickly escorted out. Any remarks the protester may have shouted were drowned out by the audience cries of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” Trump interrupted his own remarks to praise security and disparage the protester, saying, “They were very gentle, he was very obnoxious.”

Clinging to the results of the 2016 election, Trump said he was able to win thanks to his focus on the Electoral College, but also attributed his win to

President DONALD TRUMP speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 23.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

having a “crooked” candidate, a reference to Hillary Clinton.

That prompted the CPAC audience to chant a few rounds of “Lock her up! Lock her up!”

Many have seen that chant as evidence of misogyny during the 2016 election, but Trump didn’t seek to quiet those chants.

“I will say this, folks: Everything that’s turning out, now it’s amazing that’s come full circle,” Trump responded. “Boy, have they committed a lot of atrocities when you look. Right? When you look. Have they done things that are wrong.”

White House lashes out at Dems for ‘obstructing’ Grenell Sanders says delay in confirmation puts national security at risk

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders lashed out Tuesday against Senate Democrats, accusing them of holding up the confirmation of the Trump administration’s most high-profile openly gay nominee.

In her opening remarks at the daily briefing, Sanders took Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to task for the lack of confirmation of Richard Grenell, whom President Trump nominated in September for the role of U.S. ambassador to Germany.

“He is waiting to represent America’s interest and be our country’s top voice in a G-7 country,” Sanders said. “In short, Sen. Schumer’s hyper-political delay of

Mr. Grenell puts our national security and America’s interests in jeopardy. The Senate should move to confirm him immediately.”

Sanders’ criticism of Schumer for withholding the confirmation of Grenell was part of a general tirade against Senate Democrats for blocking the approval of Trump nominees, which she said amounted to “historic obstruction.”

According to Sanders, the Senate has confirmed the fewest nominees by this time in any of past four administrations and made 73 fewer confirmations than the next lowest administration.

“Half of President Trump’s nominees are still awaiting confirmation in the Senate,” Sanders said. “The obstruction is so out of control, even some Senate Democrats believe it is inappropriate.”

A Harvard-educated foreign policy expert, Grenell founded the international consulting firm Capitol Media Partners in 2010 and has served in various roles as a public communications adviser and a Fox News commentator. Under the George

W. Bush administration, Grenell was the longest serving U.S. spokesperson at the United Nations and served four U.S. ambassadors.

For a period of less than two weeks, Grenell served during the 2012 presidential campaign as a foreign policy spokesperson for Republican nominee Mitt Romney, but resigned amid pressure from social conservatives over his sexual orientation. Grenell never had the opportunity to speak publicly in the role.

Grenell, who has described himself as a gay conservative Christian, has a samesex partner, Matt Lashey. According to The Atlantic, the two have been together for 15 years and Lashey himself is a conservative Christian who graduated from Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.

The Grenell nomination is being held up purportedly over comments Grenell made years ago on Twitter about the appearance of several highprofile women, including Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Callista Gingrich and Rachel Maddow. Although Grenell years

ago apologized and deleted those tweets, they stand out in the context of the #MeToo movement in which women are coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

One 2011 tweet directed at Maddow, a lesbian news anchor on MSNBC, said she “needs to take a breath and put on a necklace” and another compared her look to that of pop singer Justin Bieber. One tweet directed at Gingrich questioned whether she “snaps on” her hair. At around the same time, Grenell tweeted “Hillary is starting to look like Madeleine Albright.”

When the Senate Foreign Relations Committee considered the Grenell nomination, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) led Democrats to oppose advancing him to the Senate floor. The party-line committee vote took place in October, but months later the nomination has yet to come to a vote before the full Senate.

(Sanders incorrectly said during the briefing Grenell was reported out “with bipartisan support.”)

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NATIONAL NEWS

Trans conservatives tell CPAC: ‘Don’t tread on me’ Activists attend annual conference, asserting #SameTeam

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Being transgender doesn’t mean you have to give up your principles as a conservative, nor does it mean you should allow the Republican Party to subject you to political attacks based on your gender identity.

That was the message last week of four transgender attendees at the 2018 Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual gathering where conservative activists hear from high-profile figures in the conservative movement, including, this year, President Trump.

Late on a Friday afternoon during the conference, the transgender attendees gathered in the hallway of the hotel where CPAC was taking place and held up a Pride flag that also bore the snake from the Gadsden flag, which has become a symbol of the Tea Party movement. In their other hand, they held up small placards reading, “Proud to be conservative, Proud to be transgender, Proud to be American, #SameTeam.”

Jennifer Williams, a 49-year-old New Jersey-based transgender woman and Republican activist, said she and her group “felt a responsibility to definitely be here at CPAC.” “We wanted to make sure people knew that transgender people exist, and LGBTQ people exist, in the conservative movement and we are just like you are,” Williams said. “We may disagree on some issues, but we own houses, we rent, we have jobs, we strive to have health care and good lives and we want to make our own way in the world, but you can’t try to legislate against us because of myths and because of your fear.”

It’s not the first time Williams and other transgender activists unfurled a Pride flag in the halls of CPAC. That happened last year in the same week that the Trump administration rescinded Obama-era guidance assuring transgender kids access to the school restrooms consistent with their gender identity.

Williams recalled attending CPAC in 2016 at the time of the presidential election when she had the same goals of getting conservatives acquainted with transgender people.

“I came here two years ago by myself,” Williams said. “I was the only openly transgender person that I knew of here at CPAC, and I had to reintroduce myself to about 25, 30 different people because I had been a longtime CPAC attendee, and to a person, they all say, ‘It’s OK. We’re still

your friend. But only one question: Are you still a Republican? Are you conservative?

That’s all I’m worried about.’”

But that presence continued to grow.

Last year, two attendees appeared in the halls of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center to hold up the modified Pride flag. Last week, a total of four transgender attendees were present, with three holding up the flag and another standing nearby.

Aside from Williams, the other transgender attendee at CPAC making a recurrent appearance was Jordan Evans, a 27-year-old transgender woman from Charlton, Mass., who said she had attended CPAC starting in 2014 before she transitioned.

“There are so many different factions of conservatives and Republicans at CPAC, and while I may not agree with them on all of them, I find solace with a number of them,” Evans said. “That makes it worth it.

And as someone who came out a few years ago, I didn’t want to let that stop me from coming here, and if anything I wanted to take advantage of my unique experience and stories and try to [engage in] civil dialogue and discourse while I’m here.”

One of the new additions to the group of transgender attendees was Adelynn Campbell, who’s 23 and on the board of the College Republicans group as a student at King’s College in New York City.

“I wanted to come to CPAC because I wanted a voice and I wanted to share my voice in the Republican Party,” Campbell said. “I didn’t think I could do that, and this is just a great place to have the opportunity to do that, and to maybe get to talk to people and share my experiences when otherwise I wouldn’t.”

Another new addition was Gina Roberts, who’s president of the San Diego chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans. The most formidable of the four transgender attendees and a rifle enthusiast, Roberts stood nearby holding up the Pride flag and half-jokingly described herself as the “bodyguard” for the rest.

“Conservatives are wonderful,” Roberts said. “They basically accept you more as a human being than liberals do, especially as a conservative Republican GLBT member. I go to Tea Party meetings. I’m so accepted there, they wonder where I am when I’m not there, so I haven’t had any issues at all.”

In the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, Roberts — who said she’s been a lifelong Republican since 1968, and who transitioned a few years ago — also expressed ideas akin to Trump’s on potential solutions on arming teachers to prevent additional mass shootings.

“So it’s a two-prong approach,” Roberts said. “Let’s provide the last line of defense by volunteering — we’ll hire some

From left, trans conservatives JORDAN EVANS, ADELYNN CAMPBELL and JENNIFER WILLIAMS attend the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 24.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY CHRIS JOHNSON

security guards and things like that — but let’s give the teachers the right to protect themselves and the students. Can you imagine the football coach in Parkland if he would’ve had a gun instead of being a bullet sponge? He saved countless lives.”

Roberts said she voted for Trump in 2016 and applied to be a delegate for him at the Republican National Convention, but wasn’t selected. However, Roberts said she’ll take part in the California Republican Convention, making her the first openly transgender delegate for the event.

But can the presence of transgender attendees at CPAC really be making a difference? After all, after their appearance last year, the Trump administration followed up on rescinding the guidance for bathroom use for transgender kids with Trump’s attempt to ban transgender people from the U.S. military and the Justice Department asserted transgender people aren’t covered under existing federal civil rights laws.

In Congress, the Republican-controlled U.S. House held a vote on barring the Defense Department from paying for gender reassignment surgery as part of the military’s health care program, although the measure came up a few votes short of passage.

Williams, who said she’s been lobbying Congress on transgender issues for two years, said nonetheless she sees progress in her efforts because when she initially started, she had limited interaction, but eventually started making more progress.

“I’m now getting meetings with staffers, and some of the most hardcore conservative staffers on religious liberty, to have a chance to discuss with them how medical care discrimination particularly is un-Christian, it’s un-American and their senator, their congressman shouldn’t be involved in that,” Williams said. “That’s a

conversation we never got to have before.”

During the time on Friday afternoon when the Blade saw the transgender attendees hold up the Pride flag at CPAC, the only interaction between them and the crowd was positive, although more attention came from members of the media seeking interviews. Williams gave a wave to a CPAC attendee whom she said gave her a thumbsup as she spoke with the Blade.

After CPAC concluded, Williams later on said someone walked behind her group with a crucifix as they spoke to attendees, but she wasn’t “aware of it at the time as our eyes were forward.”

Ian Walters, a spokesperson for the American Conservative Union, which hosts CPAC, said there were “no disruptions reported” as a result of transgender attendees at the event.

Asked whether the ACU supports their presence at CPAC, Walters replied, “We appreciate all of the activists who attend CPAC.” But the transgender attendees weren’t the only LGBT presence at CPAC. For the third year in a row, the Log Cabin Republicans maintained a booth in the exhibition hall to demonstrate an LGBT presence with the conservative movement.

Gregory Angelo, president of Log Cabin, said his organization’s reception at the conference was “excellent” from the time the booth opened “there remained a constant stream of people visiting our exhibitor’s space here.”

“Without hyperbole or exaggeration, 100 percent, everyone who checked in with us was supportive — either supportive that we were here or supportive that we were here and of the work and message of the organization,” Angelo said.

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Trump is batsh*t crazy Waiting on Mueller to put an end to this nightmare

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

We have a president who is proving every day he is batshit crazy. The urban dictionary defines that term as someone who is certifiably nuts. I can think of no more appropriate term for our president after listening to his one-hour rambling obnoxious speech to the CPAC convention. In many cases it matched its audience, some of whom still chanted ‘lock her up’ a year and a half after the election.

This speech was crazier than most when placed in the context of the new Special Council charges against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates — a guilty plea

from Gates and the president’s son-inlaw likely being the latest person to lose his minimum security clearance in the White House because he lied and can’t get full security clearance.

The headlines of the day were Trump’s listening meeting with the survivors of school shootings and Florida Gov. Rick Scott saying he would go against the NRA. Yet Trump rambled on for 45 minutes before even mentioning that. The day before he said he was looking at raising the age at which young people could by guns from 18 to 21 in opposition to the NRA stance and then in the speech pledged never to go against the NRA. He either lied or stretched the truth on just about every economic fact he mentioned. Then he applauded himself after every antiimmigrant statement when those and his statements on harsher law enforcement were met with cheers from the audience.

Surely they elicited groans from anyone listening who remotely knew the facts.

He reveres Fox News and repeats as truth everything they say even when the facts prove what they say are lies. He bought the lie of the parent of a student survivor who it was found altered the E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

emails between his son and CNN. A sad example that father is setting for his son and Trump is setting for all children by repeating the lie.

In his speech, Trump attacked the guard at the Parkland school for not entering the building to try to stop the shooter when Trump had no idea what actually happened. Turns out this scenario — and we now know three other deputies didn’t enter the building either — lays waste to Trump’s claim arming others at schools would stop a shooter.

The idea of more and more guns helping avoid all these school incidents and other shooting deaths is proven wrong by the statistics. The staggering number of guns estimated Americans owned in 2015 was 357 million. The population of America in 2015 was estimated at 317 million. And the number of shootings continues to go up. Now there is a debate on the number of school shootings this year. Some say 18, others say seven and don’t count accidental gun shots being fired, suicide attempts by gun, or shootings on school grounds but outside the school. Reality is more guns haven’t stopped the violence so continuing to claim more guns in schools will do that is absurd. Arming teachers, even those that want to be armed, makes no sense.

In Utah a teacher who wanted to carry a gun shot herself in the leg while in school.

In Pennsylvania a teacher who wanted to carry a gun left his loaded gun in a student bathroom where students found it.

Our certifiably crazy president who often has no idea what he is talking about speaks for us to the world. They are laughing when they aren’t as scared as we are about his ability to start a war. In his CPAC speech he bragged about signing the harshest sanctions ever against North Korea. Yet his policy of bluster and denigration toward North Korea has produced nothing.

I think we will survive Trump and his administration and the voters of the country can put a stop to further erosion of our Democracy on Nov. 6, 2018 if they give Democrats back control of the Congress. We must also put our faith in Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he will find the truth and maybe a smoking gun that will bring down Trump and rid us and the world of this batshit crazy president.

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Loneliness fuels isolation, drives violent behavior Let’s commit to creating a world of belonging to keep us whole

ERIN URITUS is the CEO of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the world’s premier nonprofit dedicated to achieving global LGBTQ workplace equality. She is a longtime executive with experience in corporate, non-profit and government sectors.

On the morning before the Parkland shooting, my 6-year-old daughter had a fire drill at school — her class lined up neatly outside as the building was cleared for safety. When she got home she told me she doesn’t mind fire drills so much but that the really scary drills are the ones where they don’t go outside. Tears welled up in my eyes as she described the drills where they have to hide under their desks or in the closets

— she said she doesn’t really understand them, but she knows it’s about someone from the outside trying to hurt her.

We are in a national crisis. I am grateful for the people and organizations demanding sensible gun laws – something long overdue—and I am, like all of us ought to, doing self-reflection about what my part is in putting an end to these tragedies.

My life’s work, at its heart, is focused on solving the problem of loneliness. Loneliness fuels isolation, it feeds pain, it is the driver of irrational and violent behavior.

Loneliness at its very worst tells us that there is no one else out there, that our only hope for fullness is lashing out. Of course, all of us have felt lonely at times and of course, very few of us have acted out in violent ways, but if we can solve this for everyone, no matter how deep or shallow the feeling might run, I believe we will transform our society into one in which our children aren’t having to prepare for school shooters between math and recess. And to create that transformation, it’s key we understand what we’re facing.

We’ve learned loneliness is not about social isolation, which means it’s harder

to spot in both directions — people can be quite fulfilled alone and not feel lonely and people can be entrenched in community and still report loneliness. In fact, a study at UCSF found that the majority of people who are lonely are married and live with others. And here’s what was so worrying to me — an analytic study that drew in the experiences of more than 3 million people, found loneliness peaks in young adults. And young adults or millennials make up the largest portion of our population and in the coming years, the biggest demographic in our workforce.

And loneliness is not just a problem, it’s an epidemic. What may have been considered a concept that once lived on the pages of a meditation blog has become a serious and evidence-based area of research with half a dozen Harvard Business Review articles focused on our national wave of loneliness.

Here’s what we know: 40 percent of adults in America are lonely (and that’s self-reported so we can be fairly certain it’s actually much higher) and that loneliness reduces our lives as if we were smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Imagine someone you love was smoking nearly a pack of cigarettes a day, would you

talk to them about it? If it was 40 percent of the people you knew, would you think we ought to collectively talk to them?

The ability to be our authentic selves and to see others as theirs is the antidote to loneliness. When we’re the truest versions of who we are and we’re welcomed and included because of that, it is all but impossible to muster up a lonely feeling. My organization works with our country’s largest companies and government Employee Resource Groups to create workplaces where all of us are encouraged to be our authentic selves and all of us are included. And when we’re successful in that work, what starts out as a series of handbook policies and checked boxes gets reborn as belonging. And belonging is our holy grail.

One of my heroes, Brene Brown, reminds us that it’s harder to hate close up, that we need to move in. Go to work and move in.

Encourage your children to find someone they don’t like at school and move in. Let’s, as a country, move in. Because this is not a problem that will be fixed on Capitol Hill or in a boardroom or on television—we need Congress to pass gun laws that will keep us safe, and we need all of us to commit to co-creating a world of belonging to keep us whole.

O UR B US I NES S MATTERS

D.C. CFO: Federal tax cuts will benefit most residents Unless District rates are lowered, some will see modest hike in local taxes

MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur and community business advocate. Follow on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.

D.C. CFO Jeffrey DeWitt on Tuesday released a comprehensive analysis on the local effect of federal tax reforms enacted in December.

For a large majority of taxpayers, the tax-relief news is good.

DeWitt’s “Summary of the Effects of Major Provisions of the ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’ on District Residents and Businesses” characterizes the legislation as “the most significant revision to the federal tax system since 1986.”

The report estimates “83 percent of District taxpayers will experience a decrease or experience no change in their combined

net federal and District income taxes.”

Fully 64 percent of D.C. taxpayers will see a net drop in local and federal income taxes owed. The median combined tax decrease will be $1,159, totaling $670.6 million in the aggregate.

An estimated 19 percent will see no change to their combined federal and local income tax liability. Only 17 percent of D.C. taxpayers will see their total taxes increase, by a median amount of $929, collectively totaling $139.9 million.

The net tax-reduction benefit for all D.C. taxpayers resulting from the federal tax changes for combined federal and District income taxes will total $530.7 million. This will place more than half-a-billion dollars in the wallets of city taxpayers and the local economy.

Separating the tax liability changes affecting District taxpayers for federal taxes from D.C. tax liabilities results in slightly differing configurations.

Nearly three-in-four D.C. taxpayers, at 71 percent, will see a reduction in their federal taxes owed, by a median amount of $1,206, while 15 percent will experience no change. Only 14 percent of local taxpayers will experience a federal tax increase, at a median amount of $815. Those with a federal tax increase will collectively pay

$109.1 million more, with this increased federal levy offset by $726.4 million in federal tax cuts, or a net reduction of $617.3 million for D.C. taxpayers.

Examining the effect of federal tax reform on D.C. income tax collections, 57 percent of District taxpayers will experience a tax decrease or no change in taxes owed, while 43 percent will see a local tax increase. The median D.C. tax reduction will be $88, while the median increase will be $336 and will mostly affect taxpayers with incomes between $50,000 and $200,000, as well as incomes up to $500,000.

Notably, despite the high-profile brouhaha regarding the new federal limitation on the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT), and the panic-rush by some to pre-pay their top-end property taxes, only three percent of primarily higher-wealth residents will experience a tax increase as a result.

The D.C. income tax impact will increase the next-year city income tax haul by $56.4 million. Already-high business taxes will also rise by $2 million. The federal doubling of the estate tax exemption threshold, unless negated by local legislation, will reduce District revenue by $6.5 million. This nets a total $51.9 million additional tax revenues in FY2019.

These additional monies, however,

void an essential component of recent local tax reforms.

Most states, as does the District, adopt federal definitions of income for tax simplicity. This results in income taxable at the federal level also being locally taxable and with federal exemptions also applicable. Under recent D.C. tax reforms, the personal exemption had gradually increased to match the federal amount.

However, with the new federal law eliminating the personal exemption – now replaced by a doubled standard deduction – some middle-to-upper income taxpayers will experience a slight local tax increase if the higher standard deduction does not offset their prior combined standard deduction and personal exemption.

Preserving the widely acclaimed and locally welcomed benefits of progressive D.C. tax reforms just completed will require lowering local rates.

Whether D.C. elected officials will have adequate fortitude to enact a very modest equalizing adjustment reducing local tax rates by a microscopic amount far less than one-percent while simultaneously demonstrating sufficient spine to stare down demands by “spend-more” groups for ever-increasing city expenditures is the question.

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The glories of gay solo travel Take a break from the pack and find an adventure

BROCK THOMPSON is a D.C.-based freelance writer. He writes regularly for the Blade.

“I remember years ago a guy I knew told me that people going to England find exactly what they go looking for.” - 84 Charing Cross Road Is it D.C. gays generally, or just gays of a certain age? We do tend to travel in packs.

You know what I’m talking about. Twentyperson brunches, 12 or so gays crammed into a beach house here, a mountain cabin there. In the absence of children or family, we round up our boys and off we go, like little bands of cute, sassy gypsies. And don’t get me wrong, I love group

travel. Lots of fun, gay times to be had for sure. But have we forgotten about the glories of gay solo travel?

Recently, I took my first solo trip, and a trip abroad no less, to London and Iceland. I have to admit, I was fairly nervous going into the whole experience. There is a risk wrapped up in solo travel. But I did choose London, not exactly the end of the earth. My chief concern going into the whole experience? Will I be lonely?

Happily, for various reasons, that never panned out. And I am now completely sold on solo travel. Here are but a few reasons why.

The Good in the Gay. I do think solo travel is easier for gay men, or at least very different of course. We have the gay bar after all. These are easily recognized in practically any country, and it only takes a few seconds of Googling to figure out where to go on what nights and at what times. The gay bar has been called a haven by some.

And though that might be a bit of a stretch, certainly depending on the bar, there is a real value in walking into a space and

knowing that you have one thing in common with everyone there. Maybe it’s being fresh meat, maybe it’s people practicing the biblical principal of showing kindness to weary travelers. But I was often greeted with a smile and, ‘hey, why don’t you join me and my friends.’

Free from Compromise. As someone who grew up with two older brothers that very much played the part, I’m somewhat used to never really getting my way. Even when you travel with a group, you can really only offer suggestions on what to do. And while you can always break away from the pack at some point, traveling solo you never have to worry about any of that. Your time is completely your own.

The Confidence in Having Nothing to Lose. Washington is a tough town to date in. But that’s a topic for another column.

But it seems that gays are too often not willing to take a risk. Perhaps fearing rejection, we won’t approach a guy in a bar or ask someone out for dinner. What was completely refreshing about traveling by myself was the freedom of having noth-

ing to lose. Not connecting with someone? You tried. Now, on to the next.

And again, during this whole experience at no time was I ever lonely. After all, there are at least half a dozen apps out there to find you someone. And staying in a hotel means that these guys are vertically up and down, just mere feet from you. Aside from that, being alone does not necessarily make you lonely. Sitting in a cafe or bar, you have the excitement of the experience to feast on.

As for me in London, I met a boy on the street my second day there. On Shaftesbury Avenue, not at all far from Charing Cross Road, we both did backward glances as we walked past each other. He, French. Me, American. We ended up having one of those three-day relationships you see in movies. He told me I smiled all the time. But with his English, it came out, ‘you have all the time to smile.’

Try solo travel. Treat yourself, be selfish. Enjoy every minute of it. And smile, all the time. You never know where it might lead.

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Adventurer Cory Richards, one of this season’s speakers, after surviving a class 4 avalanche.

Learn the full story behind this iconic selfie in April.

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dcfray.com

Play with DC Fray this spring Make new friends in more than 15 leagues from basketball to cornhole

By DC FRAY

Have a couple of friends who want to play but not enough to form a whole team?

No problem, DC Fray will combine small groups into complete teams Flying solo, but still want to play? Many DC Fray players join as individuals that we place on a team (and they gain a whole new group of friends).

Playing social sports is a must if you want to make the most of your spring. Need more reasons to join a DC Fray league? Here are 5 (of the many) reasons: social sports are so awesome!

PHOTO COURTESY OF DC FRAY

DC Fray offers a sports league for every interest.

Ready to live your best life this spring? Temps are rising and the days are getting longer, so don’t get left on the sidelines fighting FOMO, sign up for spring social sports with DC Fray.

DC Fray is on a mission to make fun possible and registration for spring social sports leagues is open through March 27th. We’re talking over 15 leagues to choose from, including kickball, dodgeball, basketball, skeeball, cornhole, yoga, and more.

Have a huge group of friends who want to start a whole team? DC Fray has a league for you.

1. It’s camaraderie over competition. Winning is fun, but DC Fray is all about making new friends and building relationships.

2. Get more than just a sports league. Yeah, there are 15+ leagues that bring you on-the-field action every week, but you’ll also get post-game happy hours, player parties, and other perks.

3. You can stay active without hitting the gym. You can pay a lot less money to stay in shape by playing your favorite activity with friends.

4. You’ll spend less time living for the weekend. Why wait until Friday to have fun? Weeknight leagues help break up your same old routine and bring you fun during the work week.

5. Teammates can turn into friends or lovers. Just ask the hundreds of people who still hang out with people from a dodgeball squad they played on 10 years ago or met their partner playing kickball on the National Mall.

DC Fray spring registration is open through March 27. Visit dcfray.com leagues to find a league in your neighborhood. Join us and let’s play!

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

SPRING ARTS

MARCH 03, 2018 • PAGE 23

Oscarly debate What Academy members got right and wrong for the 90th annual Academy Awards

By SUSAN HORNIK

OSCAR PHOTO COURTESY AMPAS

Thankfully, after 2017’s “Moonlight” Oscar victory fiasco, nominations for 90th annual Academy Awards (to be handed out Sunday evening) thankfully reflect more LGBT diversity than ever before.

But while this pleases some critics, the choices fall short with others. Los Angeles Blade talked with film critics about their favorite films.

Jimmy Kimmel hosts the Academy Awards live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 4. ABC will broadcast the ceremony.

Brian T. Carney, Washington Blade From art house indies to the Academy Awards, 2017 was a great year for LGBT film. In a groundbreaking move, a mainstream movie that actually stars a transgender woman playing a transgender woman is nominated for an Oscar. The Chilean film “A Fantastic Woman,” is on the Oscar ballot for Best Foreign Language Film and star Daniela Vega will be onstage as a presenter.

Three of the nine movies nominated for Best Picture include gay characters

(one’s a spoiler), and many members of the cast and crew of those movies have been nominated as well. One of the nominees for Best Documentary was directed by Yancy Ford, a trans man. For her outstanding work on “Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison, a black lesbian, is the first woman to be nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar.

With “Negative Space” and “In A Heartbeat,” even the Short Features are becoming an LGBT showcase.

Unfortunately, there are some LGBT films and filmmakers who didn’t get

the nominations they deserve. Dee Rees should have been nominated as Best Director and Michael Stuhlbarg should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. “BPM” and “God’s Own Country” did not make it through the nomination process for Best Foreign Film, and “Wonder Woman” did not get any Oscar love.

Sadly, the best queer movie of the year, Angela Robinson’s “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women” did not even CONTINUES ON PAGE 52

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QUEERY: 20 GAY QUEST IONS FOR JOHN COPENHAV ER

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

I’ve been out for 13 years, and my mother was the hardest person to tell. My father died when I was 8; I imagine he would’ve been the hardest to tell had he lived.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Emma González, the bisexual Latinx teen and high school student from Parkland, Fla., who is standing up for gun control and having such an impact. And any young person who demands better leadership from our elected officials.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Jay Greenwood is a gay, WWII photographer in love with a guy, Robbie, who is MIA in the Pacific. We learn of their story as Bunny Prescott, who’s in love with Jay, learns it along with Robbie’s kid sister, Ceola.

That’s the premise of “Dodging and Burning,” the debut novel from D.C.based author John Copenhaver. It comes out Tuesday, March 6 in hardcover for $25.95 from Pegasus Crime.

Copenhaver, a 43-year-old Marion, Va., native who works by day as the 7-12 English Department chair at Flint Hill School, says finally seeing his book in print after four years of writing and another five to find an agent and publisher, is both an “exhilarating and terrifying” prospect.

He calls the book a mix between genre (in this case, mystery) and literary (i.e. character-driven) fiction, delineations he says are more market-driven than reality.

“As a reader, I love the entertaining mechanics of a mystery plot but without rich character development, I just don’t care,” Copenhaver says.

He cites authors such as Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott and Tana French as writers who excel at this. He credits agent Annie Bomke and Pegasus for understanding his book and advocating for it.

Copenhaver came to Washington in 2002 to pursue a master’s degree in fiction writing at George Mason. He and husband Jeffrey Herrity live in LeDroit Park and often spend weekends in Lost River, W.Va. He managed to write the book on holidays and weekends and says he doesn’t have lazy days because he’s “terrible at relaxing.”

Copenhaver calls himself a “film buff, music hoarder, cocktail connoisseur, true crime podcast devourer and, of course, avid reader.”

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

I’m a huge fan of live music, and the 9:30 club is a near perfect venue. The Anthem ain’t too bad either!

Describe your dream wedding.

Jeff and I were legally married in December 2016, but we haven’t had a celebration yet. I know, we need to get on it. Really I’d just like a modest wedding with close friends and family — and of course confetti cannons.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

Education. To me, it’s the issue that underlies all other issues in this country.

What historical outcome would you change?

The original sin of our nation has and will always be genocide of the American Indian and the enslavement of African peoples. I wish there were some magical way to undo those horrors.

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

“The X-files.” (By the way, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny have never looked better!)

On what do you insist?

The cocktail hour

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

“Look what came in the mail tonight!!!

March 6th is nearly here!” referring to a staged photo of a stack of my novels. Of course, it’s all about ME!

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

Something with “Tell-all” in the title and a glamorous Vaseline-lensed photo of me on the cover, hand delicately propping up my chin, a knowing look in my eyes.

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

Ask science why it wasn’t working on something more worthwhile like cancer or calorie-free tiramisu.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

The Smurfs — and the fourth dimension: time.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

Listen to trans people, highlight their stories, help them build bridges to greater visibility, particularly in the literary arts. Also, look to the youth.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

A 25th hour in a 24-hour day.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

That we love sweet, fruity cocktails.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

I loved “Carol,” based on the Highsmith novel, “The Price of Salt.”

What’s the most overrated social custom?

The chest bump. Why do straight guys do that?

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Since I’m a mystery writer, the Edgar, but there was that middle school science fair where I only received honorable mention. I’m still bitter about that.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That coming out wasn’t going to be as horrible as I imagined. In fact, it wasn’t horrible at all.

Why Washington?

D.C. is an exciting place to be. Despite its rich history, it’s still figuring out its identity as an urban space, which makes it fertile ground for writers, artists and creative thinkers.

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SEX IS...

PRIDE

Be proud of your sexuality.

Visit SexIsDC.org

LEARN. SHARE. BE.

@SexIsDC

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28 • MARCH 02, 2018

CON CERTS

Todrick, Meshell, Lorde, k.d. oh — and Britney this summer Region teeming with queer acts at the Anthem, Fillmore, Jiffy and more

By WILL OWEN Washington boasts some of the best music venues in the country and there’s no shortage of fabulous concerts to see at them this spring.

DJ Snake, the French producer and DJ responsible for massive hits like “Turn Down for What” and “Let Me Love You,” spins at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.) on Saturday, March 3. Details at echostage.com.

Bisexual feminist icon, Ani DiFranco, plays the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Saturday, March 5. The show will be opened by chamber pop duo Gracie and Rachel. Details at 930.com.

Master pianist and Wolf Trap favorite, John Eaton, presents “Indiana On Our Minds: the Music of Cole Porter & Hoagy Carmichael” on Friday, March 9 at the Barns at Wolf Trap (1635 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.). Tickets at wolftrap.org.

The original Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter, returns to the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) for her “Red, Rock N’ Blues” show on Saturday, March 17. Details at kennedy-center. org.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington presents “Make America Gay Again” at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Saturday, March 17. For tickets, visit thelincolndc.com.

Perennial pop titan and veteran gender bender, P!nk, brings her “Beautiful Trauma World Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Tuesday, March 17. For tickets, visit capitalonearena.monumentalsportsnetwork. com.

Justin Timberlake may have received tepid reviews for his Super Bowl performance, but his stop on the “Man of the Woods Tour” at Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, March 18 is sure to be a spectacle. For tickets, visit capitalonearena.monumentalsportsnetwork. com.

If you’re feeling wistful for her stellar 2014 Capital Pride performance, Betty Who plays the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Wednesday, March 21. Pretty Sister and Spencer Ludwig open the show. Details at 930.com.

Porches, a New York-based synth pop band, play the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) on Thursday, March 22. The group’s lead vocalist, Aaron Maine, identifies as straight but

has earned himself a queer following with his painted nails and spaghetti strap tops. Details at blackcatdc.com.

Queer-fronted Baltimore Indie band, Snail Mail, play Ottobar (2549 N. Howard St., Baltimore) with British rock group Shame on Thursday, March 22. Details at theottobar.com.

R&B pioneer and everyone’s favorite Cinderella, Brandy, performs at the Howard Theatre (620 T St., N.W.) on Thursday, March 22.

More info at thehowardthreatre.com.

Vocal LGBT ally LeeAnn Womack hopes you dance at the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Friday, March 23. The country crooner will perform her latest album, “All The Trouble,” as well as old hits. Details at birchmere.com.

Openly bisexual pop princess Demi Lovato performs alongside the ever-popular DJ Khaled at the Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Saturday, March 24. Details at capitalonearena.monumentalsportsnetwork. com. k.d. lang brings the 25th anniversary tour of her breakthrough album “Ingénue” to the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, Md.) on Sunday, March 25.

Details at strathmore.org.

Yo La Tengo play their Indie cult classics at the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Wednesday, April 4. Tickets at 930.com.

Meshell Ndegeocello, a Native Washingtonian and queer critical darling since the early ‘90s, is back to perform her latest album “Ventriloquism” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Thursday, April 6. Details at kennedy-center.org.

Legendary soul singer and timeless gay icon Patti LaBelle performs at the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) on Saturday, April 7. For more info, visit birchmere.com.

Lorde brings her “Melodrama World Tour” to the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Sunday, April 8. Hip-hop duo Run the Jewels and indie rocker Mitski open the show. Details at theanthemdc.com.

The Washington Symphony Players host a spring benefit concert for the Maryland Heroin Awareness Advocates on Tuesday, April 17 at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, Md.). For details and more information about the cause, visit strathmore.org.

Pritam, an Indian composer and singer famous for his Bollywood records, performs live

PHOTOS COURTESY RIGHTEOUS BABE RECORDS; CARLILE PHOTO BY DAVID MCCLISTER, COURTESY ATO RECORDS; COURTESY RCA RECORDS: AND COURTESY HIGH RISE PR RESPECTIVELY

Singers coming to the region this spring include ANI DiFRANCO, BRANDI CARLILE, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and LORDE.

at DAR Constitution Hall (1776 D St., N.W.) on Friday, April 20. Details at dar.org/constitutionhall.

Todrick Hall, the multitalented singer, drag queen, Broadway star and choreographer to none other than Beyoncé, appears at the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) on Thursday, April 26. Details at fillmoresilverspring.com.

Nancy and Beth, featuring “Will & Grace’s” Megan Mullally and “Friday Night Lights’” Stephanie Hunt, bring their eponymous “punk show-biz” tour to the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue (600 I St., N.W.) on Sunday, April 29.

Tickets at sixthandi.org.

HAIM perform at the Anthem (901 Wharf St., N.W.) on May 1, opened by rising feminist rapper and singer, Lizzo. For more information, visit theanthemdc.com.

Michael Feinstein, an openly gay singer and pianist, headlines the Strathmore Annual Spring Gala at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Ln., North Bethesda, Md.) on May 12. Tickets at strathmore.org.

Lesbian alt-country queen Brandi Carlile performs her latest album “By The Way, I

Forgive You” and old favorites at the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Saturday, May 19.

Details at theanthemdc.com.

Soul powerhouse, Bettye LaVette, performs her latest record, all Bob Dylan interpretations, “Things Have Changed,” at the Hamilton (600 14th St., N.W.) on Saturday, May 19. Details at thehamiltondc.com.

Rising pop sensation Hayley Kiyoko, whose devout fans refer to her as “Lesbian Jesus,” performs at the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.) on Friday, June 1. Tickets at fillmoresilverspring.com.

Twelve-time Grammy winner, Kendrick Lamar performs with Sza and Schoolboy Q at Jiffy Lube Live (7800 Cellar Door Dr, Bristow, Va.) on Friday, June 1. Details at pavilionbristow. com.

It’s a ways off, but always better to plan ahead for Britney Spears, who makes her East Coast return at MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave, Oxon Hill, Md.) on Thursday, July 12. The zeitgeisty gay icon will whip out choreo to all her classics from her “Piece of Me” Vegas residency. Details at mgmnationalharbor.com.

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Celebrate the Blossoms in Style at the

THURSDAY MARCH 15, 2018

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

Suzanne Ciani

PRESENTS

The city is our stage

Itzhak Perlman (5/23)

Wynton Marsalis (5/20)

Wu Man (3/16 & 4/19)

Evgeny Kissin (5/16)

Chelsey Green (5/12)

Chris Botti (4/22)

Join us for 25+ events throughout D.C. THIS MONTH!

The Philadelphia Orchestra (Mar 6) • Wu Man with The Huayin Shadow Puppet Band (Mar 16) • Diego el Cigala (Mar 29)

March 5–19, 2018

MUSIC / DANCE / FILM / DIALOGUE Be a part of today’s art—and tomorrow’s transformation.

For a full listing of events, plug in at direct-current.org

MORE WINTER/SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

Aaron Diehl Trio (Apr 7) • SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras (Apr 9-15) • Kronos Quartet & Wu Man (Apr 19) • Chris Botti (Apr 22) • Los Angeles Philharmonic (Apr 26—Ltd. Tickets!) • Crosscurrents: Zakir Hussain & Dave Holland (May 6) • Chelsey Green & The Green Project (May 12) • Evgeny Kissin (May 16) • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (May 20) • Children of the Gospel Choir (Jun 2) • and many more!

Taylor Mac

Orange Grove Dance

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TICKETS ON SALE NOW! direct-current.org Pricing, program details, and venue information at WashingtonPerformingArts.org.

TICKETS: WashingtonPerformingArts.org • (202) 785-9727

202-467-4600 / Groups 202-416-8400

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

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of the NSO.

New Artistic Initiatives are funded in honor of Linda and Kenneth Pollin.

The NSO Music Director Chair is generously endowed by Victoria and Roger Sant.

Support for Jazz at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by Elizabeth and C. Michael Kojaian.

The Blue Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation.

Support for Explore the Arts is provided by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation.

DIRECT CURRENT is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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john “Riveting, unpredictable, altogether human theater.”

– NEWSDAY

April 3 – 29 Pride Night: April 20

girlfriend A vibrant and tender musical from when mixtapes were the language of love.

Set to Matthew Sweet’s album “Girlfriend.”

April 17 – June 10 Pride Nights: May 11 & 18

the

scottsboro boys

From the creators of Cabaret, a bold musical based on a stunning true story.

May 22 – July 1 Pride Night: June 8

703 820 9771 SigTheatre.org

32 • MARCH 02, 2018

GALLERIES

Back to the ‘80s Warhol imagery pops up at Hirshhorn exhibit on logos and products

By MARIAH COOPER mcooper@washblade.com

FROM VIENNA TO BROADWAY

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 | 8 PM Join the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for a starstudded evening, featuring three Broadway singers performing memorable melodies from Lehar to Lloyd Webber, with favorite show tunes from Vienna’s The Merry Widow, Showboat and Phantom of the Opera.

VEGAS NIGHTS WITH FRANKIE MORENO THURSDAY, APRIL 12 | 8 PM

Twice named “Las Vegas Headliner of the Year,” Frankie Moreno returns to the BSO with his signature blend of rock, soul and swing.

MOVIE WITH ORCHESTRA: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK THURSDAY, MAY 10 | 8 PM

The BSO performs John Williams' epic score alongside the classic Steven Spielberg film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. PRESENTING SPONSOR:

THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE

NORTH BETHESDA, MD • ON THE RED LINE • FREE PARKING TICKETS FROM $35 • 1.877.BSO.1444 • BSOMUSIC.ORG

EXPLORE THE SEASON AT BSOmusic.org/superpops

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Independence Ave., and 7th St., N.W.) presents “Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s” on display through May 13. About 150 works explore the origin of how ‘80s artwork used defining moments such as the rise of MTV, gentrification and the AIDS crisis. The exhibit also explores how artists took consumer culture of advertising, logos and products to create a new form of art. Influential artists including Andy Warhol, Ashley Bickerton, Jessica Diamond, Peter Halley, Jeff Koons and many more will be displayed. For more details, visit hirshhorn. si.edu.

Artists & Makers Studios celebrates three years of having two locations with “at 3(three)” on tonight (March 2) from 6-9 p.m. Visitors can tour the three main galleries and open studios at Artists & Makers Studios 1 (11810 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, Md.). There will be food, drink and an open mic. At Artists & Makers Studios 2 (12276 Wilkins Ave., Rockville, Md.), residents’ artwork will be displayed as well as Montgomery County Camera Club with “Abstract Minimalism” by Ron Ames and exhibits in Gallery 209. The band Paradise Bill will perform. Arthur Harrison will also perform on the theremin. There will be wine and light refreshments served at this location. Exhibits will be on display through Wednesday, March 28.

For more details, visit artistsandmakersstudios. com.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) showcases three new exhibits from March 2-April 1. “The Long and Short of It,” an exhibit by Touchstone artists focused on shape, will be in Gallery A. “She Runs Wild” by Makda Kibour, an abstract series on canvas based on Kibour’s emotions, will be in Gallery B. Gallery C will have “Marie Antoinette” by Meg Schaap, an examination of France’s legendary queen.

There will be an opening reception on tonight (March 2) from 6-8:30 p.m. A Meet the Artist discussion will be held on Sunday, March 25 from 1-3 p.m. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.

National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) presents “Women House” from March 9-May 28. This exhibit is a sequel to the 1972 exhibit “Womanhouse”

by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro which

COURTESY OF HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN. PHOTO BY CATHY CARVER

Installation view of ‘Brand New: Art and Commodity in the 1980s’ featuring Andy Warhol at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

explored the woman’s place in the home. In the new exhibit, artists challenge the convention of women in the home with photographs, videos, sculptures and room-like installations.

Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students and visitors 64 and under. Children under 18 are free. For more details, visit nnwa.org.

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens (4155 Linnean Ave., N.W.) hosts the Fabergé Egg Festival on Saturday, March 24 from 10 a.m.5 p.m. Majorie Post’s imperial eggs and other Fabergé creations in Post’s collection will be on display. Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble will perform folk music and Kalinka Dance Ensemble will accompany with a performance.

The Happenstance Theater will present a family play telling stories from Russian Easter traditions.

There will be a traditional Russian egg rolling game and a Fabergé workshop for visitors to decorate their own eggs. Tickets range from $518. For more details, visit hillwoodmuseum.org.

Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) displays “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man” from March 30- Jan. 21, 2019.

The large-scale exhibit will take over the entire museum. The phenomenon of the festival Burning Man will be traced in room-sized installations, costumes, jewelry, photographs and other archival material. There will be an opening party on Thursday, March 29 from 7:30 p.m.-midnight. Tickets are $120 and include entry to the exhibit, food, open bar and more.

For more information, visit americanart.si.edu.

Coming up at

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SPRING

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Come Together

DORRANCE DANCE ETM: DOUBLE DOWN Tonight!

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34 • MARCH 02, 2018

ALBUMS

Moby, Kylie, Hayley and more Minogue slated for a New York Pride appearance in June

By SUSAN HORNIK If you look in the dictionary under Zen monk, you might well see a picture of Moby, who at 52, has reached the point in his life where he gives zero fucks about anything except creating music, impeaching Trump and being a tireless animal and environmental activist. Moby’s 15th studio album, “Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt” comes out today.

Fans of David Byrne are excited the Talking Heads frontman has a new album, “American Utopia,” his first project in five years.

Bisexual Azealia Banks just signed a $1 million record deal and has has a new 22-track album “Fantasea 11: the Second Wave.” Due out this month, Busta Rhymes and Spice Girls’ Mel B are featured on the rapper’s album.

Before Hayley Kiyoko brings her sexy lesbian hotness to perform at Coachella, you best be prepared to buy her latest album “Expectations,” out March 30.

If you like country music, check out Chase Sansing, who has a brand new song and video out, “Begins With You.” The music is inspired by the rising country star’s struggle as a gay musician in Nashville.

After spending time in Nashville, expect Kylie Minogue’s new album “Golden” to have a country music-inspired feel. Her 14th album drops April 6. And if you’re in New York for the weekend in June, she headlines Pride Island.

It’s so clear watching Janelle Monae’s new sexually ambiguous video, how much Prince has influenced her. Even the name of her new CD, “Dirty Computer,” brings back the memory of Prince’s song, “Computer Blues.” Her project is out April 27.

Ian McCullough is still one sexy mofo.

Watching him perform his iconic new wave songs like “The Cutter” and “Do It Clean” is a can’t miss. Echo & the Bunnymen’s new album, “The Stars, The Ocean & The Moon” comes out in May. The new record will feature a mix of both new material and updated Bunnymen classics.

The gayest music to be on the lookout for: Troye Silvan’s new album will be released this spring. Via Twitter, the much-loved, gorgeous gay pop singer announced a music collab with Ariana Grande. “I’m just doing what all the other

PHOTO COURTESY BMG

KYLIE MINOGUE’s new album ‘Golden’ is slated for an April release.

pop stars are doing: writing love songs, singing love songs and putting love interests in my music videos,” he told the Guardian. “I think there’s power in living openly and truthfully, while also being gay.”

Pull up to your bumpers with the always fantastic Grace Jones, who has a new music documentary out in April. You’ll get to see live performances of her songs.

Later this year, Lady Gaga will be singing the songs Barbra Streisand performed so gorgeously, in the latest remake of “A Star is Born.” Gaga will also be starting a new residency in Las Vegas.

Madonna is working on new material, and we so hope things get better for her in the studio. On a recent Instagram, Madge responded to a post a Guy Oseary had up, saying, “Remember when I made records with

other artists from beginning to end and I was allowed to be a visionary and not have to go to songwriting camps where no one can sit still for more than 15 minutes.”

Former boy band star Zayn Malik has been teasing beautiful new music from his third album on Instagram. Recently, the British-Pakistan pop star showcased his Hindi singing skills with a cover of Kailash Kher’s song “Teri Deewani.”

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36 • MARCH 02, 2018

THEAT ER

‘Ease on Down the Road’ ‘The Wiz’ comes to D.C., Synetic returns to silence and Gardiner gives gay ‘Girlfriend’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD This spring, local theater is a mix of familiar and less known. Expected and quirky. Lulling and provocative. Here’s a peep of what’s coming.

Ford’s Theatre (511 10th St., N.W.) presents “The Wiz,” the Tony Award-winning stage musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s classic “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” March 9-May 12. The production features Ines Nassara as Dorothy, the star-making role created by Stephanie Mills on Broadway and played by Diana Ross on the screen. Kent Gash directs.

Full details at fords.org.

Forum Theatre (8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, Md.) presents “Nat Turner in Jerusalem” staged by out director José Carrasquio and featuring out actor Jon Hudson Odom in the title role March 15-April 17.

Written by Nathan Alan Davis, the play visits Turner, leader of the eponymous slave revolt, in a Virginia jail cell on his last night alive. Full details at forum-theatre.org.

Mosaic Theater Company (1333 H St., N.E.) presents the American premiere of Philip Himberg’s “Paper Dolls” directed Mark Brokaw March 23-April 22. Adapted from the sametitled Israeli documentary, it’s the story of Filipino guest workers in Tel Aviv who care for elderly Jewish men and headline a karaoke drag show by night. Full details at mosaictheater.org.

At Theater J (1529 16th St., N.W.) it’s Karen Hartman’s “Roz and Ray,” a drama about a doctor in the early years of the AIDS crisis who offers a new miracle drug to save the lives of hemophiliac twins, April 3-29. Directed by Theater J’s out artistic director Adam Immerwahr, the production’s cast includes Susan Rome and out actor Tom Story. Full details at theaterj.org.

Arena Stage (1101 6th St., S.W.) presents “Snow Child,” a premier musical staged by Arena’s out artistic director and former Alaska resident Molly Smith April 13-May 20.

Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel “The Snow Child,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, has been adapted for the stage by John Strand with a score by Bob Banghart and Georgia Stitt that combines Alaskan backcountry string-band traditions and contemporary musical theater. Set against the 1920 Alaskan wilderness, Mabel and Jack struggle to save their seemingly hopeless marriage. Things take a turn for the better when

PHOTO COURTESY SIGNATURE

LUKAS JAMES MILLER, left, and JIMMY MAVRIKES play boyfriends in ‘Girlfriend’ at Signature Theatre. Miller is straight in ‘real’ life; Mavrikes is gay.

they’re visited by a mysterious girl from the dark, snowy forest. Full details at arenastage.org.

At Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va.) two young actors play boyfriends in “Girlfriend,” a coming-of-age musical duet from the time when “mix tapes were the language of love.” It runs April 17-June 10.

Set in small-town Nebraska over the summer following high school, the melodic young love story follows the nascent romance of collegebound jock Mike (Lukas James Miller) and cocky but directionless Will (out actor Jimmy Mavrikes). The excitement surrounding the pair’s first big passion is captured in singer/ songwriter Matthew Sweet’s alternative rock score. “Girlfriend” is staged by Helen Hayes Award-winning out director Matthew Gardiner.

Full details at sigtheatre.org.

With “Titus Andronicus,” Synetic Theater (1800 South Bell Street, Crystal City, Va.) mounts its 13th installment in the movement-based company’s legendary “Wordless Shakespeare” series. It runs April 25-May 27. Out actor Philip Fletcher plays the title military general character in this bloody, revenge-driven tragedy. Irina Tsikurishvili plays Tamora, queen of the Goths turned Roman empress, and she also choreographs. Synetic’s artistic director Paata Tsikurishvili directs. Full details

at synetictheater.org.

Kensington Arts Theatre (3710 Mitchell St., Kensington, Md.) presents “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” May 11-26 at the Kensington Town Hall/Armory Building. Details at katonline.org.

Venus Theatre (21 C St., Laurel) tackles Maureen Chadwick’s dark comedy “The Speed Twins,” intriguingly set in the Gateways, the famed London lesbian bar featured in the film “The Killing of Sister George,” May 3-27. Full details at venustheatre.org.

Folger Theatre (201 E. Capitol St., S.E.) hosts a special engagement of director Eric Tucker’s exciting, pared-down production of George Bernard Shaw’s “Saint Joan” from Bedlam, the acclaimed New York theater company, May 12June 3. With just four actors playing about 25 parts, the work gives an unflinching glimpse of Joan of Arc, a young illiterate farmgirl who donned men’s clothes and led France to victory against England in the battle of Orléans before being captured, tried and ultimately burned at the stake. Full details at folger.edu/folgertheatre.

Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) presents the premier of Ken Urban’s thoughtful comedy “The Remains” May 16-June 17. It’s the story of a seemingly idyllic same-sex couple who

gather family for a dinner party to reveal the truth of their union. Staged by Studio’s David Muse, the production features Maulik Pancholy (TV’s “Weeds” and “30 Rock”). Full details at studiotheatre.org.

In early summer, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D St., N.W.) presents Jordan Tannahill’s “Botticelli in the Fire” directed

by Marti Lyons with Jon Hudson Odom in the title role. It runs May 28-June 24. The young out playwright portrays Botticelli as a troubled libertine who is romancing both his patron’s wife and his young genius lover Leonardo da Vinci in the shadow of threatening conservatism. The cast includes D.C. veteran actors Cody Nickell and Dawn Ursula. Full details at woollymammoth.net.

At Round House Theatre (4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda, Md.), out actor/director Tom Story is staging “The Legend of Georgia McBride” June 6-July 1. Written by out playwright Matthew Lopez, the comedy follows Casey, a broke Elvis impersonator who makes a sudden and daring career change. The fiveperson cast includes out actors Desmond Bing and Rick Hammerly who plays experienced drag queen Miss Tracy Mills. Full details at roundhouse.org.

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38 • MARCH 02, 2018

books

Fact, fiction and beyond Queer themes — especially trans memoirs — abound in spring book crop

By WILL OWEN In her much-anticipated memoir, “Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss and the Fight for Trans Equality” (Crown Archetype, March 6), Sarah McBride tells the story of how she went from closeted student body president at American University to the first transgender person to speak at a national political convention at the age of 26. One of the most prominent transgender activists of her time, McBride interweaves thoughtful analysis of contemporary political issues, such as bathroom access and trans health care, into her own triumphant journey. The book begins with a foreword by Joe Biden.

“Speak No Evil: A Novel” by Uzodinma Iweala (Harper, March 6) just might be the coming-out story of the year, and a Washingtonian one at that. Iweala’s heartwrenching sophomore novel follows Niru, a seemingly charmed track star at an elite D.C. private school bound for Harvard. Only his best friend Meredith knows he is gay until his sexuality is discovered by his conservative Nigerian father. The repercussions are swift and violent, catastrophic for his relationship with his family and taxing in his friendship with Meredith.

The novel is a visceral but compassionate portrait of what it means to be different within a family, let alone society at large.

In “The Affliction” (Four Way Books, March 6), award-winning poet C. Dale Young makes his fiction debut with a novel told in fantastical short stories, spanning the United States and Caribbean. Among the novel’s many memorable characters are a man who can disappear, a woman who can see the future and a man raised in a cult who believes he is doomed to die. Young is openly gay and of Latino and Asian descent. He is also very much left- and right-brained in that he is a fulltime physician when not writing and teaching creative writing at Warren Wilson College.

“The Sparsholt Affair” by Alan Hollinghurst (Knopf, March 13) begins with a covert gay relationship at Oxford University in 1940 and spans three generations, masterfully unfolding the social and sexual revolutions that have taken place through present day. Instantly a bestseller in the U.K., the novel is anchored by David Sparsholt and Evert Dax, whose evening trysts at Oxford feel especially under the radar with the world at war. Hollinghurst, who won

the Man Booker Prize in 2004, is an openly gay English author.

“Berlin 1936: Sixteen Days in August”

by Oliver Hilmes (Brodley Head, March 27) is a fascinating historical account of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Hilmes, a gay German historian, paints an intoxicating picture of the city of Liza Minelli’s “Cabaret” — where queer life flourished under the Weimar Republic — contrasted with the terrifying rise of Adolf Hitler. In addition to analyzing the events of the Olympic Games, namely Jesse Owens’ triumph, Hilmes also introduces us to the lives of ordinary (some queer) Berliners. The book is ultimately an ode to the city, which has since reestablished itself as one of the most dynamic creative queer capitals in the world.

Chelsey Johnson’s debut novel, “Stray City” (Custom House, March 20) is the queer anti“Gilmore Girls” you didn’t know you needed.

This warm, hysterical story follows 23-year-old Andrea Morales, who escaped her Midwestern Catholic childhood to create a life for herself in Portland’s vibrant lesbian community. One especially debauched evening, Andrea hooks up with a man and later finds herself pregnant.

The novel jumps to a decade later, as Andrea’s precocious daughter Lucia starts asking questions about the father she’s never met.

“Written on the Body,” edited by Lexie Bean (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, March 21), is a collection of essays written by and for trans and non-binary survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. With contributions from Dean Spade, Nyala Moon, Alex Valdes, Sawyer DeVuyst and Ieshai Bailey, this book offers support, guidance and affirmation for trans survivors, whose stories are too often met with incredulousness and skepticism.

Amber Dawn, a Lambda Literary Award winner, returns with her second novel, “Sodom Road Exit” (Arsenal Pulp Press, April 3). This spellbinding paranormal thriller takes place in the summer of 1990 in Crystal Beach.

Queer picaresque heroine, Starla Mia Martin, drops out of college and returns to find her lakeside village a ghost town after its beloved amusement park shuts down. Starla soon discovers an unnerving energy in the air — strange sounds, phantasmagoric sightings — and instead of hopping off the rollercoaster, she confronts every twist and turn head-on.

If you’re a poetry fan, “Nepantla: An Anthology Dedicated to Queer Poets of Color” (Nightboat Books, May 1), edited by Christopher Soto, is a stunning celebration of the diversity of the queer poetry community, as varied in style and form as it is in the experiences held by each contributor. Soto

launched Nepantla with the Lambda Literary Foundation as an online journal to share the work of queer and trans poets of color. This is its first time in print, featuring canonical pieces by legends like Audre Lorde and James Baldwin alongside their contemporaries, such as Natalie Diaz, Tommy Pico and Chen Chen.

Celebrated novelist Alexander Chee makes his nonfiction debut with “How to Write an Autobiographical Novel” (Mariner Books, April 17). This revealing collection of essays is Chee’s manifesto on what it means to be a contemporary writer and gay man, Korean American, artist, activist, lover and friend. While tracing the most decisive moments of his own life, Chee also examines some of the nation’s biggest historical turning points, from the AIDS crisis to the election of Donald Trump.

“Little Fish” (Arsenal Pulp Press, May 1) is the debut novel from Lambda Literary Awardwinning short story writer Casey Plett. The protagonist, Wendy Reimer, is a 30-year-old trans woman who discovers that her late grandfather, a pious Mennonite farmer, was likely transgender as well. In distracting herself from the problems in her own life and those of her friends — from alcoholism, to sex work to suicide — Wendy finds herself fully consumed by this familial mystery and the need to uncover the truth.

“SELF-ish: a Transgender Awakening” (Red Hen Press, May 4), a memoir by Chloe Schwenke, tells of her life and adventures living in five countries and working on projects in more than 40, mostly in Africa and the Middle East. This former Obama Administration appointee, has committed her life to assisting marginalized groups in some of the world’s most challenging countries.

If you haven’t gotten a chance to see it live, snag the paperback of legendary playwright Tony Kushner’s “The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures” (Theatre Communications Group, May 8). The play opens with Gus Marcantonio, a retired longshoreman, who has gathered his family together to discuss his decision to commit suicide. Kushner, who wrote “Angels in America” and has won a Pulitzer and two Tony Awards, uses his signature wit in telling a story of revolution, family and challenging the systemic constructs we consider inherent to our society. It will be interesting to see how it translates to the page; Theater J’s D.C. production a few years ago felt like three hours of overlapping screaming.

Other releases of note include: •“The Routledge History of Queer America” (Routledge Histories), edited by Don Romesburg, offers one of the most comprehensive overviews of LGBT U.S. history,

featuring nearly 30 chapters spanning the colonial era to present day. The book is $210 and releases March 14.

•“Post-Borderlandia: Chicana Literature and Gender Variant Critique”(Rutgers University Press) by Jackie T. Cuevas synthesizes Chicana/o studies with queer theory and transgender studies, exploring gender identity and expression using the Chicana feminist canon and contemporary thinkers and artists.

The book is $26.96 and releases March 28.

•“Transforming: the Bible & the Lives of Transgender Christians” (Westminster John Knox Press) by Austen Hartke challenges the way readers conceptualize faith and the transgender experience, analyzing Biblical figures and providing representation to modern-day trans Christians. The book is $16 and out April 7.

•“Picture Us in the Light” by Kelly Loy Gilbert (Disney-Hyperion) is a poignant gay YA novel about Danny Cheng, a young artist bound for college who finds himself inexplicably panicked that he’ll be moving far from his best friend, Harry Wong. He’s also shaken by a disturbing discovery in his father’s closet. The book is $17.99 and releases April 10.

•“Not Here” (Coffee House Press) is the latest from critically acclaimed queer VietnameseAmerican poet Hieu Minh Nguyen. Nguyen uses a wide variety of styles to provocatively confront whiteness, evoke both pleasure and pain, and find a sense of home in deep loneliness. The book is $16.95 and out April 10.

•“The Bride Was a Boy” by Chii (Seven Seas, May 1) is a delightful autobiographical manga novel about a transgender love story, drawn in the style of diary comics. Chii, who was assigned male at birth, begins with her childhood and continues through her latest adventure: marrying the man of her dreams.

The book is $12.59 and available May 1.

•“Now the Night Begins” (Semiotext(e)/ Native Agents) is gay French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie’s first foray into literature, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. Adopting his signature film themes, the novel is driven by disconcerting, overpowering sexual desire, centered on 40-year old protagonist Gilles Heurtebise’s all-encompassing obsession with a 90-year old man in his neighborhood. It costs $24.95 and is out May 11.

•“50 Queer Music Icons Who Changed the World” (Hardie Grant, May 15), written

by Will Larnach-Jones and illustrated by Michele Rosenthal, is a beautiful tribute to the LGBT musicians who have been pushing boundaries since the 1920s, featuring everyone from Little Richard to Frank Ocean. It’s $14.99 and available May 15.

FILM

MARCH 02, 2018 • 39

‘Simon’ says he’s gay?

Teen coming-of-age story among cinematic spring highlights

By BRIAN T. CARNEY The spring 2018 movie season gets off to an explosive start today with the wide release of “Death Wish,” a contemporary reimaging of the classic 1974 revenge thriller. Bruce Willis takes on the role made famous by Charles Bronson.

“Love, Simon” (March 16) is about a gay teen (Nick Robinson) who can’t quite get up the nerve to come out of the closet. The problem isn’t his supportive parents (Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) or his close-knit group of friends, but rather his own insecurities. Things change when he befriends another gay teen online and then tries to track down his elusive electronic pen pal.

Also opening on March 16 is “Tomb Raider,” a continuation of the Lara Croft saga starring Alicia Vikander, who won an Academy Award for “The Danish Girl.”

One of the most highly anticipated releases of the spring is Disney’s adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time.” Based on the beloved novel by Madeline L’Engle and directed by Ava DuVernay (“Selma,” “Queen Sugar” and “13th”), the all-star cast includes Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, Zach Galifanakis and Oprah Winfrey as Mrs. Which. Newcomer Storm Reid plays Meg Murry who goes on a dangerous multi-dimensional journey to save her scientist father.

One of the highlights at the AFI Silver is “Wes World: The Films of Wes Anderson” which runs March 19-April 26. The AFI tribute to this stylish auteur includes his first film (“Bottle Rocket”) along with a number of fan favorites (“Rushmore,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Moonrise Kingdom” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel”). Starting on March 28, AFI will also screen Anderson’s latest film, “Isle of Dogs,” a delightful stop-motionanimated adventure about a boy who rescues his dog from the awful Trash Island.

Other special programs at AFI include “Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy on Screen”; “Directed by Michael Curtiz” featuring “Casablanca,” Errol Flynn in “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” Joan Crawford’s star turn in “Mildred Pierce” and a gory double bill of “Doctor X” and “The Mystery of the Wax Museum”; and two films screened in recognition

PHOTO BY ILSE KITSHOFF; COURTESY WARNER BROS.

ALICIA VIKANDER as Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider.’

of Sexual Assault Awareness Month: “The Rape of Recy Taylor,” and “The Color Purple.” will be co-presented with a variety of local partners, including AHA! Moment and the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, home of the Reel Affirmations Film Festival.

In addition to its partnership with AFI, Reel Affirmations will continue to present monthly screenings at the HRC Screening Room.

Upcoming movies are slated to include “Q Mason,” “A Moment in the Reeds” and “Water in a Broken Glass.”

From March 22-25, the increasingly popular Annapolis Film Festival returns to several scenic venues around Maryland’s state capitol.

The schedule for the sixth annual festival has not been announced yet, but the staff have a few sneak peeks.

The LGBT feature-length films at the festival will include “Stumped,” a documentary about gay filmmaker Will Lautzenheiser who turns to stand-up comedy as therapy after he becomes a quadruple amputee; “Kiss Me,” an effervescent French lesbian comedy; and “Finding Home,” a moving portrait of three LGBT people who sought refugee status in the U.S. shortly before the 2016 elections.

The various programs of shorts also offer several queer films including “Men Don’t Whisper” about a gay couple who go to extremes to prove their masculinity; “Humbug,” a holiday story that features a hot lesbian kiss beneath the mistletoe; and the wonderful “The Whole World” about the special bond between a man and his mother.

The non-profit Avalon Theatre offers a wide variety of diverse films. In addition to its regular programming, the Avalon presents a number of special events, including “Exhibition on Screen” and the “Wednesday Signature Series.” On May 6, the theater will host “We’ll Always Have Casablanca,” a fundraiser that includes a special screening of the movie and a presentation by film historian Noah Isenberg.

Slated for an April release, “Disobedience” is a tumultuous lesbian romance set among London’s Orthodox Jewish community. Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams play childhood friends who reunion turns into a romance.

Sebastián Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”) directs and Alessandro Nivola plays McAdam’s rabbi husband.

The recently “rescued” SNF Parkway Theatre in Baltimore includes three theaters

and offers innovative cinematic programming year-round. Some of the queer programming on tap for the spring includes a free community screening of the award-winning documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk” on March 22 and “Queer Edward II,” Derek Jarman’s bold and beautiful queer reconsideration of Christopher Marlowe’s gay Elizabethan play “Edward II.” Other programming at the Parkway includes “The Young Karl Marx,” directed by Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”) and Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott’s delicious “Big Night,” part of the Parkway’s exciting ongoing collaboration with Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre.

The Parkway, named for philanthropist Starvos Niachros, will also be one of the sites for the 20th annual Maryland Film Festival which runs May 3-6. Programming for the festival has not been announced, but one event is guaranteed. Baltimore film provocateur John Waters will be on hand to personally introduce one of his favorite cringe-inducing camp classics. Past choices have included the mother-daughter team of Tippi Hedren and Melanie Griffith in “Roar” and the husband-wife team of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Tennessee William’s “Boom.”

The popular Washington Jewish Film Festival runs May 2-19. The festival slate will officially be announced in April, but the producers have already confirmed that the fascinating “Rated LGBTQ” series will be returning.

Other notable spring openings include: “Journey’s End” (March 23), a stirring World War I drama based on the famous play by gay author R. C. Sherriff, “The Death of Stalin” (March 16). a political satire about a dark period of Soviet history.

Steve Buscemi stars as Nikita Khrushchev and Andrea Riseborough (“Battle of the Sexes) appears as Stalin’s daughter Svetlana, “Avengers: Infinity War” (May 4), another visit to the Marvel Comic Universe, And, on a much lighter note, a treat for the whole family: “Sherlock Gnomes” (March 23), a sequel to the clever and punny “Gnomeo and Juliet” (2011).

In the lead-up to Memorial Day and the summer blockbusters, three very different movies (with three very different LGBT fan bases will vie for box office dollars: Melissa McCarthy stars in the raucous comedy “Life of the Party” (May 11), Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga star in the fourth Hollywood remake of “A Star is Born” (May 18), and on May 25, the off-year franchise movie “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” zooms into theaters.

40 • MARCH 02, 2018

T ELEV ISION

Small screen delights ‘Rise,’ ‘Roseanne’ reboot, ‘Handmaids’ return pepper TV season

By BRIAN T. CARNEY The spring 2018 television season may lack some of the sparkle of last year’s schedule, but there are still some new offerings and returning favorites that LGBT TV fans may want to watch.

On March 27, the outspoken Roseanne Barr returns to network television in a continuation (season 10) of the ground-breaking show that bears her name. Most of the original cast will be back. John Goodman returns as Dan Connor (one of the show’s early promos made fun of his return from the dead). Lecy Goranson, Sara Gilbert and Michael Fishman return as the Conner children. In an interesting twist, Sarah Chalke, who briefly replaced Goranson as Becky, will return to the series as a middle-class woman who hires Becky to be her surrogate.

Many of the guest stars will also return, including Roseanne’s lesbian friend Nancy Bartlett (Sandra Bernhard), Roseanne’s AfricanAmerican neighbors, Natalie West as Crystal and Johnny Galecki as David Healy. The new cast will also be rounded out by several grandchildren. It is not clear if Martin Mull and Fred Willard, whose characters were married on the show, will return.

Early reports from the set say that the series will address the support of both Roseanne Barr and Roseanne Conner for Donald Trump; the death of Becky’s husband Mark Healy — actor Glenn Quinn died in 2002; and that Roseanne’s youngest son Jerry Garcia Conner will not appear because he is “out on a fishing boat.”

“Rise” on NBC has caused controversy even before its premiere on March 13. The series is loosely based on the nonfiction book “Drama High” by Michael Sokolove which tells the true story of high school drama teacher Lou Volpe, who came as gay later in life. Some media outlets have accused producer Jeff Katims with “straight-washing” Sokolove’s book, but the Writers Guild of America has ruled that Katims should be listed as the creator of the television series, instead of saying he “developed” the show from Sokolove’s book.

The show does focus on the drama teacher, played by Jordan Roth, as a straight family man, but Katims adds several LGBT characters, including Michael (played by trans actor Ellie Desautels), a transgender student at the high school; Simon (Ted Sutherland), who is exploring his own sexuality after being cast as a gay character in the school’s production

of “Spring Awakening;” and, Volpe’s married lesbian sister-in-law. The cast also includes Rosie Perez as a fellow teacher Volpe and Auli’I Cravalho (the voice of Moana) as a student.

Meanwhile on Paramount, “Heathers” will premiere on March 7. Based on the iconic 1988 movie starring Wynona Ryder, the “pitchperfect black comedy anthology series” is set in the present day. The story still focuses on “good girl” Veronica Sawyer, along with her boyfriend JD and “the Heathers,” a vicious clique who ruthlessly control life at Westerburg High. This time, however, one of the Heathers is played by a man. Shannon Doherty, one of the cinematic Heathers, will make a guest appearance.

On April 25, a year after the first episode of season one aired, season two of “The Handmaid’s Tale” will premiere on Hulu.

The entire main cast will return, including Elisabeth Moss as June/Offred, Ann Dowd as the terrifying Aunt Lydia, openly lesbian actress Samira Wiley as June’s best friend Moira and Alexis Bledsel as the lesbian Handmaid Ofglen, who was formerly known as Emily. New cast members include Clea DuVall as Emily’s wife, openly lesbian actress Cherry Jones as June’s mother, Bradley Whitford as Commander Joseph Lawrence and Marisa Tomei.

Working closely with novelist Margaret Atwood, writer Bruce Miller has continued to expand the world of Gilead, a dystopian vision of the United States after a theocratic regime has taken power. Fertile women, known as Handmaidens, are forced to be surrogates for the Commanders and their infertile wives; women who resist are forced to clean up toxic waste dumps known as “the Colonies.” Details about season two are sparse, but it is known that there is a large state funeral and that some scenes are set in the horrific Colonies.

And, on April 13, Netflix will reboot a classic sci-fi series, but without an iconic character generally assumed to be gay. In the original “Lost In Space,” Dr. Zachary Smith was played

by Jonathan Harris with a delicious campy flair.

In a fascinating gender swap, Parker Posey take over the role of the nefarious stowaway.

In another interesting casting move, Ignacio Serricchio will claim the role of Major Don West created by Mark Goddard.

In addition, several returning or continuing shows continue to include LGBT characters, although generally in supporting roles.

Season two of “Jessica Jones” returns to Netflix on March 8 (International Women’s Day).

Part of the Marvel Comic Universe, the series is grounded in a feminist sensibility with strong women on both sides of the camera. The series stars Krysten Ritter, who was nominated for

PHOTO COURTESY ABC

The cast of the ‘Roseanne’ reboot.

a Dorian Award from the LGBT critic’s group GALECA, and Carrie Anne Moss as Jones’ lesbian boss Jeri Hogarth.

“Black Lightning,” which premiered on the CW in January, is based on the DC comic about a family of African-American superheroes.

Cress Williams plays the title character and Nafessa Williams plays his daughter Anissa Pierce, a crime-fighter who is developing her superpowers under the name of Thunder.

Fox’s airline comedy “LA to Vegas” debuted in January to weak reviews and strong ratings, but it has made a star of Nathan Lee Graham who plays gay flight attendant Bernard. The openly gay actor played Miss Understanding in the original Broadway cast of “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and was recently presented with the Jose Esteban Munoz Award from CLAGS: the Center for LGBTQ Studies at the Graduate Center, CUNY. The award is given to an LGBT activist who promotes queer studies

outside of academia.

Some of the other shows that continue to feature members of the LGBT community include “Dynasty” with Nicollette Sheridan joining the cast as Alexis; Tig Nataro on Amazon’s “One Mississippi”; the rebooted “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”; “The Bold and The Beautiful” where Kayla Mosley heats up the set as transgender woman Maya Avant; “Supergirl”; Lena Waithe’s “Chi”; the popular ABC comedy “Modern Family” which was recently renewed for a 10th and final season (although there are talks of a spinoff); and “Grown-ish,” a spin-off of ABC’s “Black-ish.”

There’s also “Call the Midwife” (PBS), “Valor” (the CW), “Madam Secretary” (CBS), “The Fosters” (Freeform), “Riverdale” (the CW), “Portlandia” (IFC), “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC), “How To Get Away With Murder” (ABC), “Arrow” (the CW) “One Day At A Time” (Netflix) and “Jane the Virgin” (the CW).

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MARCH 02, 2018 • 43

A new spin on Durufle’s ‘Requiem’ Gay Men’s Chorus director revoices famous work

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Classical music is funny when it comes to LGBT stuff — on one hand, it’s no big deal.

Nobody cares if the talent is there.Yet sometimes it’s taken to such an absurd degree that it feels disingenuous. Or the artists sometimes feel talking about their personal lives will cheapen their art or dilute its impact in an arena where it’s not supposed to matter.

All that to say — comb through the classical spring concerts coming up and there’s very few LGBT themes or personnel to point to. And yet many folks active in that world say our regional orchestras, opera companies and choirs are just as healthily outfitted with gays as the rest of the city. Maybe not quite as high in number as, say, the uber-queer D.C. theater community, but not off by much. It’s anecdotal so yeah, take it with a grain of salt, but that’s what you go by when there are no hard numbers available.

The gayest classical concert this season by far comes from an unlikely source — our Gay Men’s Chorus. While their musical chops have never been questioned — they’re enjoying a rich new era under the direction of Artistic Director Thea Kano — the fact that they do so much Broadway, camp, music-with-a-message, pop covers, you name it really, folks who love the classical canon around here tend to gravitate to local choirs (and there are many) that stick to the traditional repertoire.

It’s even a “thing” in the chorus. Kano, with a chuckle, refers to the “SMQs” (i.e. “serious music queens”) in the massive choir. Those SMQs, she says, were giddy with delight when she told them one of their 2018 concerts was a new tenor/bass arrangement of Maurice Durufle’s “Requiem.” The Chorus performs it this weekend (Saturday, March 3) at 8 p.m. at the Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St., N.W.).

Tickets are $60. Full details at gmcw.org.

Kano, as big an ally as it gets, was in her third year of graduate school at UCLA in 2003 working on an advanced conducting degree when she first became aware of the famous “Requiem,” or “Mass for the dead.” She and her mentoring professor were considering ideas for what she might do her dissertation on and he suggested the “Requiem.”

“He said the Durufle ‘Requiem’ and I was like, ‘The who, the what?,’” Kano says. “He said, ’Shame on you,’ and sent me home with a

bunch of CDs. I put the first one in and was just moved to tears. There’s something just glorious about it.”

It did become her dissertation piece and longtime chorus accompanist Teddy Guerrant suggested she adapt it for tenor-and-bass chorus.

“He actually kept bugging me about it over the years,” Kano says.

She had contacts with the Durufle Association (the composer, who was straight, died in 1986; the “Requiem” premiered in 1947) and went to Paris last summer to do the work of actually transcribing the nine-movement, about 40-minute piece, a process she says was, yes, tedious at times, but a process akin to working on a crossword puzzle that she came to love.

Composed for soprano-alto-tenor-bass (SATB) chorus with occasional divisi, Kano adapted it for tenor 1, tenor 2, baritone and bass (TTBB) a process that in many cases was as simple as taking the soprano and alto parts down an octave, although that wasn’t feasible in all places. It’s in the same key as the original; the same orchestral and organ accompaniments Durufle wrote are being used. Soprano Breanna Sinclaire (a trans Baltimore native who’s making a name for herself as an opera soloist) will perform the fifth movement, “Pie Jesu.”

“There are some passages where the sopranos (in the original) have the melody and they’re up in the rafters but now it’s been assigned to the baritones and it’s … kind of more smushed in there so we had to really bring the other sections’ volumes down and bring the other up to make sure it’s voiced so that what is prominent stands out to the ear of the audience,” Kano says. “The first few times I heard it live in the TTBB, I was like, ‘Wow, this sounds like Durufle but different.’ We’ve been working on it about seven or eight weeks and I think it’s just glorious. The audience is in for a real treat.”

Kano was delighted that about 140 of the chorus’s 300 (give or take) members signed on for the concert (they’re not required to). She was concerned some members who enjoy the more camp/pop stuff might not be up for such a major work from the classical canon, although the chorus has in previous years done adaptations of major works such as the Faure “Requiem” and “Carmina Burana.”

Because the “Requiem” was written in a style based on Gregorian plainchant (traditionally sung by male singers), the TTBB version required no great musicological backflips. And Kano says the majesty of the piece transcends its Christian text. If it seems an odd choice for

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has a busy spring.

Although the chorus has always interspersed classical selections in with its contemporary, more LGBT-themed material, it has done more classical major works in recent years.

the chorus, which specializes in more rah-rahgay-type contemporary repertoire (although they’ve always done classical works as well), Kano says it’s its own statement of equality.

“Just the fact that we’re out as an LGBT chorus

standing there and singing anything, you know, the stereotype of what the classical snobby choruses can do, just shows that we can raise our voices any way we feel is appropriate for our abilities. It puts us on the map that yes, we can sing anything and hopefully the audience will agree.”

Chorus member Tim Gillham, a tenor who joined the group in 2014, had previously sung the “Requiem” in the traditional voicing and said it’s been “truly a joy” to rediscover it in Kano’s version.

“Thea’s treatment brings an added depth and warmth to the work, which is especially appropriate for a ‘Requiem,’” he says.

“It’s been a total treat to have Thea work us through the music sections and share and feel her true passion for the music,” says Ed Oseroff, a bass who’s been with the Chorus since 2000. “I hope the audience will sit back, relax and let the emotion and power of the music take them away.”

As usual, it’s a busy spring for the Chorus. Its “Make America Gay Again” concert is Saturday, March 17; small ensembles’ “Extravaganza” is Saturday, April 14 at the Barns at Wolf Trap and “Transamerica,” a show about trans issues that will also feature Sinclaire, is June 2-3. Full details at gmcw.org.

Under a gay baton …

Urban Arias, Virginia Opera planning major spring productions Other gay classical highlights of the D.C. season include: • Many events at the Kennedy Center and elsewhere associated with the Leonard Bernstein Centennial such as a concert at the Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium (10 1st St., S.E.) on Friday, May 18 at 8 p.m. It’s free but tickets are required. Details at loc.gov/ concerts. Bernstein was married to a woman but was gay.

• Urban Arias, a gay-helmed contemporary opera company based in Washington, will perform “Florida,” (music by Randall Eng, libretto by Donna Di Novelli) April 7-14. Dubbed a “rhythmic delight (of) vocal virtuosity,” the work examines how people foster, embrace and rebel against “the claustrophobia of contemporary American society.” Details at urbanarias. org.

• The D.C. Different Drummers Capital Pride Symphonic Band perform a concert devoted to dance music on Saturday, April 7. Details at dcdd.org.

• The gay-helmed Virginia Opera will perform Donizette’s “Lucia De Lammermoor” in Fairfax April 7-8. Details at vaopera.org.

• Washington National Opera, under lesbian leadership, performs “Don Carlo” March 3-17, “The Barber of Seville” April 28-May 19 and “Candide” May 5-26. Details at kennedycenter.org/wno.

JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

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EV ENTS

This ’n that Many events don’t fit in our usual spring arts categories — here’s the catch all

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com There’s a statue dedication for former (and late) Mayor Marion Barry, Jr. on Saturday, March 3 at 11:30 a.m. at 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. He was mostly LGBT-affirming until his final years in office. Look for the event on Facebook for details.

SAGE and Human Rights Campaign join forces on Sunday, March 4 for “Looking Back, Living Forward: SAGE Multigenerational Discussion” at Social Tables (1325 G St., N.W.).

Look for the event on Facebook for details.

“Pure: the Movie” has its premier at the Green Lantern at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 5.

Look for the event on Facebook for details.

“The Ask Rayceen Show” has installments on March 7 (season premiere), April 4 (mini ball) and May 2 (community forum). Details at askrayceen.com.

Comedian Randy Rainbow, known for his spoof interviews with Trump, plays the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) on Friday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m. Details at concerts1.livenation.com.

Mixtape is Saturday, March 10 at 11 p.m. with DJs Matt Bailer, Tezrah and Chaotic. Look for the event on Facebook for details.

Story District, which always has LGBT components to its events, has “Beauty & the Beast: Stories About Mismatched Partnerships, Odd Couples or Unlikely Alliances” on Tuesday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.).

Tickets are $19.50 at storydistrict.com.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” champ Bianca Del Rio has a sold out show on Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.).

Tickets at ticketfly.com.

BARE has its Military Appreciate Night and St. Patty’s Day party on Saturday, March 17 at 10 p.m. at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.). Admission is $7 before midnight or $10 after. Look for the event on Facebook for details.

The 11th annual National Rainbow Seder: Reflections on Resistance is Sunday, March 18 at 5 p.m. at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $31.50-

55.50 at thejdc.convio.net.

The National LGBT Bar Association has its D.C. Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award Reception on Tuesday, March 20 at 6 p.m. at Atria (101 Constitution Ave., N.W.). Details at lgbtbar.org.

Veterans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” join up for “Haters Roast: the Shady Tour” on Thursday, March 22 at 8 p.m. at Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.). Tickets are $35-50 on ticketmaster.com.

Team D.C.’s Spring Sportsfest is Thursday, March 22 at Room & Board (1840 14th St., N.W.). Its Night of Champions Award Dinner is Saturday, April 14. Details at teamdc.org.

Pretty Boi Drag has its Amateur King Night on Thursday, March 22 at the Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St., N.W.). Tickets are $12.61. Look for the event on Facebook for details.

The D.C. Area Transmasculine Society will have a transmasc and NB (i.e. non-binary) game night will be held on Friday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at 83 P St., N.W. Look for the event on Facebook for details.

CTRL is Saturday, March 24 at Town. Details at towndc.com.

LGBT-affirming author/former pastor Rob Bell brings his “Holy Shift Tour” to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Tuesday, March 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $35-60.

Beyonce vs. Rihanna is Friday, March 30 at 9 p.m. at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.).

Tickets are $15 at ticketfly.com.

Awesome CON, always a gay ole’ time with its Pride Alley, is March 30-April 1 at the Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W.).

Details at awesome-con.com.

The GAG Ball 2018: Gays Against Guns is Saturday, March 31 at 6 p.m. at the Living Room D.C. (1008 Vermont Ave., N.W.). Tickets ($10-20) at eventbrite.com.

The Capital Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce has its annual LGBT Mega Networking and Social Event on Wednesday, April 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.).

It’s free.

Light City runs April 6-21 in Baltimore with 21 large-scale light installations from local artists. Details at lightcity.org.

The Victory Fund’s National Champagne Brunch is Sunday, April 8 at 11 a.m. at the Omni Shoreham Hotel (2500 Calver St., N.W.). Tickets at victoryfund.org.

HRC’s Global Innovative Advocacy

Summit is April 9-12 at HRC Headquarters.

Details at hrc.org.

CAMP Rehoboth Women’s Fest is April 1215 in Delaware. Details at camprehoboth.com.

Food & Friends’ Dining Out for Life is Thursday, April 12. Find participating restaurants at diningoutforlife.com.

Queer-helmed Church Night has its fifth anniversary event on Friday, April 13 at 9:30 p.m. at the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.). Look for the event on Facebook for details.

The Cherry Blossom Festival is Saturday, April 14 from 7 a.m.-noon on the National Mall.

Tickets at eventbrite.com.

Equality Virginia’s 15th annual Commonwealth Dinner is Saturday, April 14 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Details at equalityvirginia.org.

There are many events associated with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The parade is Saturday, April 14 from 10 a.m.-noon on Constitution Ave., N.W. Search for the event at ticketfly.com for tickets.

The National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals has its LGBT Housing Policy Summit April 17-18 at HRC Headquarters (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.).

Details at naglrep.com.

GLAA usually has its Distinguished Service Awards the third week in April but no details have been announced yet.

Out comedian David Sedaris plays the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Monday, April 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $39-79. Details at kennedy-center.org.

The Imperial Court of Washington has its Spring Fling! event Saturday, April 21 at 6 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.).

Details at imperialcourtdc.org.

BARE has its Spring Fling on Saturday, April 21 at 10 p.m. at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) Look for the event on Facebook for details.

The sixth annual Superhero 5k & Fun Run is Saturday, April 21 at 8 a.m. at East Potomac Park (1090 Ohio Dr., S.W.). Registration details at racewire.com.

GLSEN’s National Day of Silence is Friday, April 27. Details at dayofsilence.org.

Capital Pride’s Spring Outdoor Movie Night is Monday, April 30 in Stead Park. Details at capitalpride.org.

We the People and Us Helping Us are joining forces for a month-long series of events in

the region devoted to “May Is? All About Trans: 31 Days Celebrating, Being, Living & Loving Transgender People” including a trans summit, trans awards dinner, mini ball for youth and more. Look for the series on Facebook for full details.

Rainbow Families has its 2018 Family Conference & Gathering on Saturday, May 5 at 8: a.m. at Georgetown Day High School (4200 Davenport St., N.W.). Details at rainbowfamilies. org.

The AIDS Walk & Run Baltimore is May 6 at 7 a.m. Details at chasebrexton.org.

Gay Day at the Zoo is Sunday, May 6 from noon-5 p.m. at the National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). Look for the event on Facebook for details.

The Capital Pride Heroes Gala is Saturday, May 12. Details at capitalpride.org.

The Helen Hayes Awards for Washington theater is Monday, May 14. Details at theatrewashington.org.

Capital Trans Pride is May 18-20. Details at capitalpride.org.

Out comedian Margaret Cho brings her “Fresh Off the Bloat” show May 18-19 to the D.C. Improv. Comedy Club (1140 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). Tickets at dcimprov-com.seatengine. com.

The D.C. Front Runners Underwear Run is Saturday, May 20. Look for the event on Facebook for details.

GLOE (GLBT Outreach & Engagement at the Edlavitch D.C.-JCC) will host “Hineni: a New Seminar on LGBT Jewish Leadership” on Tuesday, May 22 at 7 p.m. at Adas Israel Congregation (2850 Quebec St., N.W.). Details at thejdc.convio.net.

Whitman-Walker Health’s Going the Extra Mile benefit is Wednesday, May 23 at the Hamilton (600 14th St., N.W.). Details at whitman-walker.org.

D.C. Black Pride is, as always, Memorial Day Weekend and runs May 24-29. Omega Entertainment’s Supreme Fantasy Event is May 24, one of 10 scheduled throughout the weekend. Various packages are available.

Details at omegapartydc.cp, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” vet Shangela plays Black Pride on Friday, May 25, among many other official Black Pride events. This year’s theme is Communities Together Building Community. Full details at dcblackpride.org.

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SAVE THE DATES! OUR UPCOMING EVENTS! All film events are held at HRC at 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW. Cocktails and Cinema Open Bar Happy Hour with DJ Honey begins at 6pm.

Film Screenings begin at 7pm

March 30, April 20, May 11

COCKTAILS AND CINEMA

What better way to unwind after a long week than to join us from 6pm7pm every month before our film screenings for a cocktail! When you purchase your ticket for any of our monthly film screenings you are invited to enjoy our Cocktails and Cinema Open Bar from 6-7pm at HRC at 1640 Rhode Island Ave NW!

April 20

March 30

Q MASON: GEORGE MASON STUDENTS TELLING LGBTQ STORIES

Mason’s LGBTQ Resources and Film and Video Studies presents Q-MASON, a selection of films from the Film and Video Studies program telling LGBTQ stories.

May 11

A MOMENT IN THE REEDS

A MOMENT IN THE REEDS is an intimate drama about the chance encounter of two men by the Finnish lakeside. Leevi, who has left Finland behind to study abroad, returns for the summer to help his father renovate the family lake house. Tareq, a Syrian asylum seeker, has also been hired to help, and when Leevi’s father returns to town on business, the two young men give into their mutual attraction, spending a few midsummer days discovering one another.

Among the first queer-themed feature films made in Finland, A Moment in the Reeds casts the long-marginalized voices of sexual and ethnic minorities centre-stage in a story about the search for freedom, acceptance and a place to call home.

WATER IN A BROKEN GLASS

Tonya Mimms is a successful artist who feels firmly rooted in her rise to fame until her ascent is challenged in the most unexpected ways.

While meandering through the throes of a love triangle, with a charismatic man and a stunningly beautiful woman, Tonya takes on an assignment that pushes her completely out of her element.

Now, in the midst of total chaos, Tonya is forced to come to terms with herself, as an artist and a woman.

Tickets and more info for all film events at www.reelaffirmations.org

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THE PASS is the most flexible, affordable way to enjoy the plays you want, when you want them. Starting in quantities of six, eight, or ten tickets, the pass gives you ultimate flexibility, unlimited free exchanges, and no fees ever.

STUDIO THEATRE’S SPRING SEASON MUST CLOSE MARCH 18

THE WOLVES

BEGINS APRIL 25, 2018

VIETGONE

BY SARAH DELAPPE

BY QUI NGUYEN DIRECTED BY MARTI LYONS DIRECTED BY NATSU “[A] sensational portrait of ONODA POWER American high school girl In this high-octane comedy, power.”—The Washington Post Nguyen recreates (and kinda Winter indoor soccer, Saturdays.

Over the course of a season, the undefeated Wolves warm up, banter, head into battle, and come a bit of age. A group of 16-yearold girls turn into warriors on the field in this Pulitzer finalist play.

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makes up) his parents’ reluctant courtship: Fresh from Saigon, they meet in an Arkansas refugee relocation camp in 1975. Vietgone follows these new Americans through a bewildering land in a story full of lust and heartache, hip-hop and motorcycles.

BEGINS MARCH 21, 2018

BEGINS MAY 16, 2018

TRANSLATIONS

THE REMAINS

BY BRIAN FRIEL DIRECTED BY MATT TORNEY

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English. A modern classic from A comedy about the tragedy of an Irish master that reminds us loving. how person the political can be.

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CA LE N D A R

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

TODAY David Hamilton Events presents Blackout: Underwear Glow Party at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ MoMoney will spin tracks. There will be a body paint section, drink specials and a clothes check. Tickets are $10. For more details, visit greenlanterndc.com.

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Night Grooves, a monthly dance party, tonight from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. ICYFUNK will play a mix of house, disco and more.

For more information, visit dceagle.com.

D.C. Front Runners hosts its monthly happy hour at JR.’s Bar & Grill (1519 17th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-9 p.m. Drink specials will include buy one rail drink, get another rail drink free. All are welcome.

For more details, visit facebook.com/ jrsbardc.

DC9 (1940 9th St., N.W.) hosts ‘90s Tracks tonight from 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m.

Underground house music that was popular in clubs in the ‘90s will play all night. There will be $2 drink specials. For more information, visit dcnine.com.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts a transgender discussion group tonight at 7 p.m. All are welcome. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 The statue dedication for Mayor Marion Berry Jr. is outside of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) today from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Mayor Muriel Bowser and Chairman Phil Mendelson will be present. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. For more information, visit facebook.com/ thedcarts.

Shi-Queeta-Lee’s Drag Brunch is at Chateau Remix (3439 Benning Rd., N.E.) today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The drag performers will impersonate Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Tina Turner, Adele, Dolly Parton and more. There will be an all-you-can-eat buffet and the first mimosa or bloody Mary is free. Tickets are $40. For more information, visit facebook.com/salutetodivas.

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts DILF Washington DC: Coach Edition, a jock-themed party, tonight from 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Guests are encouraged to wear coach shorts, football pads and other sports gear. Cover is $10. For more details, visit dceagle.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) presents its original drag cast for a special show tonight at 10:30 p.m. Ophelia Bottoms, Destiny B. Childs and Regina Jozet Adams will perform. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover

PHOTO COURTESY ARTECHOUSE

‘Parallel Universe’ by Ouchh is on display now at ARTECHOUSE.

is $15 from 10 p.m.-midnight and $12 after midnight. For more information, visit towndc.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4 Human Rights Campaign hosts “Looking Back, Living Forward: Sage Multigenerational Discussion” at Social Tables (1325 G St., N.W.) today from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. The brunch will discuss aging in the LGBT community. All are welcome.

Admission is free but RSVP is required.

For more details, visit facebook.com/ hrcgreaterwashingtondc.

D.C. Film Society hosts its 26th annual “And the Winner Is…” Oscar night party at Arlington Cinema ‘n Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pk., Arlington, Va.) tonight at 6:30 p.m. There will be a “Predict the Winners” contest, a silent auction, door prizes and promotional giveaways from movie studios. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the red carpet pre-show. Oscars will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit dcfilmsociety.org.

Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts Glam Box, a celebrity-themed party, tonight from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. House music will play all night. There will be a walk-off at 11 p.m. with a prize for the winner. No cover. For more details, visit facebook.com/traded.

ARTECHOUSE (1238 Maryland Ave., S.W.) closes out its winter installation “Parallel Universe” by Ouchh. The interactive exhibit holds four installations that give a multi-sensory experience.

There is a cocktail bar available during exhibit hours. Daytime admission (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) is for guests 12 and over.

Evening admission (5:30-11 p.m.) is for guests 21 and over. For ticket prices and more information, visit artechouse.com.

MONDAY, MARCH 5 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) holds a support group for gay black men to discuss topics that affect them, share perspectives and have meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its ”FUK!T Packing Party” from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

Republic (6939 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, Md.) hosts Alegre Happy Hour, an LGBT happy hour, from 5-7 p.m. For details, visit republictakoma.com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 Jenna and Barbara Bush bring their “Sisters First Tour” to the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. The former first daughters will share neverbefore-told stories about their family and personal lives from their new book of personal essays “Sisters First.” Tickets range from $43-53. and include access to the talk and an autographed copy of “Sisters First.” For more information, visit warnertheatre.com.

Bookmen D.C., an informal gay men’s literature group, discusses “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror.”a poetry collection by John Ashbery, at the Tenleytown Library

(4450 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. For more information, visit bookmendc.blogspot. com.

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social bridge. No partner needed. For more information, call 301-345-1571.

The Ask Rayceen Show presents its season premiere show at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight at 6 p.m. Sylver Logan Sharp and KiDe will perform live music. Ophelia Zayna Hart will perform burlesque. There will be special guests, a raffle, free food, a cash bar, exhibitors and more. Rayceen Pendarvis hosts. Anthony Oakes will serve as the announcer. DJ Heat will play music.

For more details, visit askrayceen.com.

Prime Timers of D.C., a social group for mature gay and bi men, meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Windows above Dupont Italian Kitchen. Details at primetimersdc.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society D.C. and Asian Queers United for Action host a support group for the Asian and Pacific Islander queer community tonight at 7 p.m. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts an opening party for its new exhibit “Women House” tonight at 7:30 p.m. The party will also be a celebration of International Women’s Day. There will be a first look at the exhibit, behind-the-scenes tours, local music performances, an open bar and light refreshments. General admission tickets are $40. For more information, visit facebook.com/womeninthearts.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

D I N I NG

M A R C H 02, 2018 • 49

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Cocktails at Maydan from left, the Za’atar Martini made with Irish Gunpowder Gin, Capitoline Blanc Vermouth, olive-sesame oil, and winter savory; the Hanging Garden made with London Dry Gin, cucumber, fennel, dill, lemon and arak; and the Sangueinello Soda made with Ilegal Joven Mezcal, blood orange, ginger, serrano honey and club soda.

Gathered ‘round the hearth Maydan takes broad international culinary inspiration to epic delight

By EVAN CAPLAN Walk past the beer hall and hipster coffee shop, turn into a Blagden-esque alley, steer past the hipster shared work space and stop at a mighty, though slightly unassuming blue door (then take a selfie).

Enter Maydan (1346 Florida Ave., N.W.), the new and celebrated restaurant, and prepare to get lit (maydandc.com).

Before being led to your table, you’ll be led by a roaring fire. It starts the day at 950 degrees Fahrenheit, and then slowly cools to 650. At this balmy temperature, it takes about 45 seconds for raw dough to become a pita-style bread, tender and puffy, with the occasional pizza-crust blister, which will guide diners through their meals.

This is not your conventional (or convection) oven. This is Maydan’s famed hearth, a hearth that sits center in a gorgeously appointed two-story former warehouse space, over which everything is cooked, from cabbage to dripping slabs of lamb shoulder. It’s daring and hot.

To sit down at Maydan is to be lifted into a caravan traveling along ancient trade routes across the ancient Roman and Ottoman empires, encountering new lands, deep flavors and welcoming faces.

Each visit here is a new journey, each bite marries far-flung locales, each sip brings together old and new.

Yet Maydan is also anti-fusion, a

rallying cry against over-complicated, pretentious small plates. Dishes are simply, beautifully prepared, with liberal use of olive oil, plus touches of salt and pepper and not much more. Using this bread as a centerpiece means that diners themselves can take a similar journey across the world, just as owner Rose Previte and chefs Chris Morgan and Gerald Addison took themselves in order to open the restaurant.

“Maydan’s entire menu is influenced by our travels,” says Previte, her sleeves rolled up as she stands next to the roaring flame, a tattoo of a compass peeking out. “We cooked alongside people in their homes while we were crossing five different countries last summer. All of those people were strangers before they welcomed us in.”

While on the road, they realized what they were cooking and eating.

“This is the food of grandmothers,” Morgan says. “There was so much hospitality. It was mind-blowing.”

The intrepid culinary travelers went to Morocco, Lebanon, Georgia and beyond, with plans to travel again this summer.

To understand it all, Morgan says he read every morning. “I’m a big nerd when it comes to history and culture.”

And at every turn, in every country, they saw this grand fire over which meals were prepared. Much like a Maydan, translated as “town square,” a central fire for cooking brings people together.

It’s used all over the Asian continent (perhaps the one Americans are most familiar with is the Indian tandoor).

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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O U T & A BO U T

PHOTO BY JESSICA GRIFFIN

Philly orchestra to play Strathmore

By MARIAH COOPER

Washington Performing Arts presents the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Ln., Bethesda, Md.) on Tuesday, March 6 at 8 p.m.

The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform the “Leningrad” Symphony by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Out music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin (seen here) will lead the performance. Tickets range from $65-110.

For more information, visit strathmore.org.

PHOTO COURTESY DEFY MEDIA

Over the (Randy) Rainbow Comedic singer Randy Rainbow performs at the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) on Friday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Rainbow is known for his song parodies and political spoofs which have generated millions of views on YouTube. He also penned the lyrics to the musical tribute to Hillary Clinton performed by the cast of “Will & Grace.” Tickets range from $30-37.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For more details, visit warnertheatredc. com.

PHOTO BY TAYLOR WOLFF; COURTESY KENNEDY CENTER

Taylor Mac’s musical history lesson Drag artist Taylor Mac presents “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Abridged)” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m.

Mac tells the history of the United States from its founding in 1776 until present day using songs of the time. The performance incorporates styles ranging from murder ballads to disco and highlights important figures such as Walt Whitman and David Bowie. Tickets range from $39-119.

For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

Different Drummers conduct outreach D.C.’s Different Drummers host an LGBT music education panel as part of the Maryland Music Educators Association Conference at the Baltimore Convention Center (1 W Pratt St., Baltimore) on Saturday, March 10 at 3:40 p.m.

The panel will discuss how classroom teachers can create a safe space for LGBT students. Conductor Anthony Oakely will present the panel which will feature members of the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band. All are welcome.

For more details, visit dcdd.org.

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A FATHER’S POWER. A SON’S PASSION. A ROYAL FAMILY DESTINED FOR WAR.

Don Carlo

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TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG | (202) 467-4600 Tickets also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.

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52 • MARCH 02, 2018

SPRING ARTS

‘Call Me’ lauded but had problems for some gay critics CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

get an Oscar campaign from Annapurna Pictures. Hopefully the brilliant Robinson will find a more supportive studio for her next film.

Nonetheless, there will certainly be a lot to celebrate Sunday. I’ll be cheering on the breathtaking and revolutionary “The Shape of Water.”

Daniel Montgomery, GoldDerby.com This has been an encouraging year for LGBT movies. Twelve years after “Brokeback Mountain” was the subject of so much debate and controversy, and one year after “Moonlight” broke new ground by winning Best Picture at the Oscars, the presence of “Call Me by Your Name” in the awards conversation has seemed almost matter-of-fact.

And the fact that it wasn’t the only option for awards voters this year felt refreshingly ordinary. I thought the French film “BPM” and the British film “God’s Own Country” deserved a lot more awards attention — they’re both among my favorite films of 2017.

Beth McDonough, AfterEllen.com My favorite 2017 film was “Battle of the Sexes,” which I think was hugely overlooked this year during awards season. I did love “Call Me By Your Name” though. “Thelma” and “My Days of Mercy” were really great films that didn’t get enough attention. The documentary, “A Fantastic Woman” was incredible and will hopefully won the Foreign Film award.

Jeremy Blacklow, GLAAD Two-thousand-seventeen has been a banner year for LGBT representation at the Academy Awards, albeit mostly still relegated to limited release or independent films. Following the huge breakthrough moment of “Moonlight” winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, we’ve seen a record amount of diverse LGBT inclusion among this year’s nominees.

While a lot of the buzz has focused on “Call Me by Your Name” (and its nominations for Best Picture, for Timothée Chalamet for Lead Actor, for James Ivory for Adapted Screenplay

and for Sufjan Stevens for Original Song “Mystery of Love”), when you look a bit deeper, you’ll see a tremendous amount of LGBT talent nominated for their work behind the camera.

Some of the most exciting nominations are for women, transgender people, and people of color, showing the beginning of a concerted effort by activists and advocates, the film industry, and the Academy to be recognize more diverse nominees. For “Mudbound,” Dee Rees is the first black woman ever nominated for Adapted Screenplay, and Rachel Morrison is the first woman ever nominated for Cinematography (they are both out lesbians).

Trish Bendix, Into LGBT-themed films I would liked to have seen recognized this year: “Professor Marston & The Wonder Women,” for its progressive queer take on polyamory, kink and feminist themes from out director, Angela Robinson.

“Thelma,” the lesbian-themed horror film, was one of the most overlooked offering of the year, despite getting early Oscar buzz. I also liked the documentary, “Whitney: Can I Be Me?” an inside look at one of the most tragic stories of homo and biphobia as it related to one of the most talented pop stars of our time.

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET, left, is up for an Oscar for his role in ‘Call Me By Your Name.’ He’s seen here with director LUCA GUADAGNINO, center, and co-lead ARMIE HAMMER. PHOTO COURTESY SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Frank J. Avella, GALECA I don’t think there are necessarily more gay characters/movies than last year. It seems that way because a few big name films (“Call Me By My Name” in particular but also “BPM,” “God’s Own Country,” “A Fantastic Woman”) have been written about more than most LGBT fare most years. And “Call Me” has been especially controversial for many because of the non-nudity clause in both lead’s contracts which many LGBT media writers have mixed feelings about, myself included.

I personally feel it compromised Ivory’s brilliant script.

“BPM” (Beats Per Minute) deserved to, at least have gotten a Foreign Language Film nomination. It’s a daring and startling depiction of LGBT life (something “Call Me” is not) and far better than any of the five nominees in that category. Also “God’s Own Country” which BAFTA recognized, deserved some

love. This was my favorite because it never compromised in hopes of reaching a larger audience. It’s real and resonant.

Matthew Todd, author “Straight Jacket”/former editor of U.K.’s Attitude “Call Me By Your Name” is a love story and that always plays well with audiences and the great performances really ensure it’s a must-see film. That said, despite it winning the Dorian award, and huge support from the LGBT community, it has also created some controversy.

Some believe it doesn’t show the power of the gay identity that was emerging then, they believe it perpetuates the everlasting idea that gay people can’t have happy endings. It’s a reminder that LGBT audiences still don’t have a variety of stories to choose from from big studios.

There is an audience for them who are

keen for fresh stories and hopefully even more will be made.

Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch Every year we will see more and more LGBT characters who are their own, fully realized people and not just the props they used to be. This is both because of the positive progression LGBT rights have taken as well as a response to the pushback over the last year from the current regressive administration. Art and the voices that supply it will always stand up and speak louder when told to sit down and keep quiet.

I wish “The Wound” had gotten a nod for Foreign Language Film. I was shocked and heartbroken that “In a Heartbeat” was snubbed in Animated Short. And I was really happy that “Strong Island” made it in Documentary Feature.

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REALESTATE

Preparing for a home inspection Simple fixes like caulking and leaf removal can speed the process

By VALERIE M. BLAKE Congratulations, Mr. Seller! Your house is now under contract — but you may not want to start packing yet. Your contract may include contingencies, which are conditions that must be met before a real estate transaction can be completed.

Unless your buyers are paying cash, they will likely have a finance contingency to ensure that they are approved for their loan. Another common contingency requires that your home appraise at or above the agreed-upon price, often requiring renegotiation of the sales price if it does not.

The third most requested contingency is for a home inspection, which allows buyers to hire an inspector to outline the home’s positive features and scrutinize it for defects. Any subsequent repair requests made by the buyers may result in further negotiations and may ultimately affect your profit, so it’s often in your best interest to address some frequently encountered items prior to the home inspection or even before listing your home for sale.

First, when preparing for inspection, make the inspector’s job easier by having all utilities turned on. This is normally a requirement of your contract.

Next, create a path to fixtures and systems by moving your possessions, particularly in attics and basements. If the inspector can’t reach a critical item to check it, then he may have to make a second trip. This could extend the deadline of the contingency, leaving your contract in limbo longer, and possibly obligate you to pay the cost of a second visit.

An inspector will normally start his review by looking at the exterior of the home for roof, foundation and drainage issues, so clean your gutters and sweep snow and leaves from your roof. Remove dirt, mulch and firewood from direct contact with siding, divert water away from the foundation and clear basement exterior drains of debris.

Areas ripe for water penetration can also pose a problem, so if your budget permits, point up failing mortar joints in your brick or concrete block exterior. At a minimum, caulk around trim, chimneys, windows, doors and any exterior wall protrusions.

On the interior, check the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, windows and sump pump to be sure they are operating properly and put a fresh filter in your furnace.

Repair any plumbing leaks, ensure toilets and fixtures are secure, and apply fresh caulk around tub and shower fixtures.

Easy electrical fixes include replacing burned-out lightbulbs and installing ground fault interrupting receptacles near water sources in kitchens, baths and laundry areas. Make sure you also leave any remote controls for ceiling fans or garage doors in sight.

Below are some common requests that buyers make of sellers after home inspections. Consider whether to do some of these in advance or wait to see if they are even issues of concern to the buyers.

Professional cleaning of the chimney and fireplace.

Air duct cleaning, particularly if you smoke or have pets and your buyers have allergies.

Repair of windows with cracked panes or broken seals.

Cleaning and servicing of heat and air conditioning systems.

Removal of peeling lead-based paint on exterior wood surfaces.

Anything related to mold, such as sealing masonry walls in an unfinished basement or installing a vapor barrier in a crawl space to keep the area dry.

Even if you’re selling your home in “as is” condition, buyers will generally want to know what “as is” means for their budget, so expect a request for a “take it or leave

it” inspection with the buyers ultimately deciding that they do or don’t want to proceed without asking for additional repairs or monetary concessions.

Alternatively, be prepared for a potential buyer to request a “pre-offer inspection,” a limited look at major systems by an inspection professional before an offer is made so that the buyer can eliminate the need for a home inspection contingency altogether. Since there is no contract in place at this juncture, you may wish to secure a written agreement from these buyers to release you from any liability and be responsible for repair of anything they damage before agreeing to allow a pre-offer inspection.

Finally, remember that buyers often inflate in their minds the price of a repair beyond its actual cost and may fear that a “honey-do” list of small items identified at a home inspection reflects a lack of proper maintenance in other areas.

Making your home “inspection ready” will help to allay those fears, allow you to pack up your troubles, and speed you on your way to settlement.

VALERIE M. BLAKE is a licensed Associate Broker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director of Education & Mentorship at Real Living| At Home. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email her at Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com, or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.

Love Among the Ruins: A soft-spoken man and his carpenter bond during a kitchen renovation.

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