Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 18, May 4, 2018

MAY 0 4 ,

2 0 18

V O L U M E 4 9

I SSUE 18

•

AM E RI C A’ S LGB T Q NE W S S O URCE

•

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Pelosi, speaking out With midterms looming, the former — and future? — House Speaker talks impeachment, Equality Act, AIDS and more

By KAREN OCAMB House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is the embodiment of the feminist adage “the personal is political.” She celebrated part of her 78th birthday at an LGBT equality weekend in Palm Springs, which she declared a “fabulous” fundraiser for the Democratic effort to “take away” the House from the Republicans in the November midterm elections.

Pelosi is so confident of victory, she told the Los Angeles Blade that she would appoint out Rep. Mark Takano as the next chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Naming names for leadership positions has rankled some Democrats who do not want Pelosi to assume she will be re-elected House Speaker.

But with her track record as a strategic political

thinker and vote-counter, a prolific fundraiser and one of the most recognizable leaders of the opposition to President Donald Trump and the conservative Republicans who bow his way, Pelosi is frank and assured. “’We will win. I will run for speaker. I feel confident about it. And my members do, too,” the Boston Globe reported May 2 on Pelosi’s meeting with the Globe’s editorial staff. “It’s important that it not be five white guys at the table, no offense,” referring to the president meeting with the top two leaders from the House and Senate. “I have no intention of walking away from that table.”

Pelosi’s track record includes passage of the profound change in healthcare. “The White House played a major role in getting the votes for ObamaCare, but it couldn’t have passed without Pelosi,” The Hill reported in February 2016. “Former White House deputy chief of staff Nancy-Ann DeParle called her ‘a force of nature’ in convincing Democratic members to vote yes.”

After the Affordable Care Act narrowly CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

House Minority Leader NANCY PELOSI predicts the Democrats will retake the House and she will run for Speaker.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

‘Outstanding man’ wins confirmation Trump congratulates gay appointee Grenell, new U.S. ambassador to Germany

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com The U.S. Senate confirmed Richard Grenell on April 26 as U.S. ambassador to Germany, making him the highest profile openly gay appointee in the Trump administration.

Grenell — who faced Democratic opposition over mean tweets he made about the appearance of women and other comments downplaying the significance of Russia’s influence in the 2016 election — was confirmed by a largely party line vote of 56-42.

Among the Democrats who joined Republicans in voting to confirm Grenell were Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Claire McCaskill (DM0). All Republicans present voted for Grenell’s confirmation.

Both of the senators from Grenell’s home state of California — Sen. Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein — voted “no.”

President Trump congratulated Grenell on his confirmation on Friday. Trump made the remarks at the start of his joint news conference at the White House with Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel after congratulating her on her re-election.

“We’re also pleased to have our newly confirmed United States Ambassador to Germany, Richard CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

United States Ambassador to Germany RICHARD GRENELL and President DONALD TRUMP PHOTO VIA TWITTER

0 2 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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

The BeachBus by BestBus begins Friday May 25th

202-332-2691 or 1-888-888-3269 • info@bestbus.com • www.bestbus.com

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 0 3

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

04 • MAY 04, 2018

D.C. police say gay murder linked to sex and drugs Affidavit says victim offered man charged with his murder cocaine for sex

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com D.C. police homicide detectives learned from at least two witnesses that a 35-year-old District man arrested last week for the March 24 shooting death of gay D.C. resident Sean Anderson, 48, was invited by Anderson to Anderson’s apartment on the night of the murder to have sex in exchange for crack cocaine, according to a 13-page arrest affidavit filed in D.C. Superior Court.

Police said in a statement that members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force on Monday arrested Jerome Wilson of Southeast D.C. on a charge of second-degree SEAN ANDERSON was killed murder while armed in connection with Anderson’s death. last month.

The arrest affidavit says an autopsy conducted the PHOTO COURTESY MPD day after Anderson was found dead in his apartment by his roommate shows that he died from a single gunshot wound to his head, which penetrated his brain.

According to the arrest affidavit, two witnesses, one of whom was Anderson’s roommate, told police they saw Wilson inside Anderson’s 10th floor apartment at the Marbury Plaza apartments on Good Hope Rd., S.E. on Friday evening, March 23.

Another witness who has known Anderson for 15 years and also knew Wilson told police homicide detectives that Anderson crossed paths with him and Wilson on the afternoon of March 23, on the street on Minnesota Avenue, S.E., the affidavit says. It says the witness, identified as Witness 2, told detectives Anderson indicated he knew Wilson and later invited Wilson to his apartment that evening.

The affidavit says Witness 2 told detectives Anderson was gay and that “he engaged in sexual activities with men in exchange for drugs and money.”

The other witness, listed in the affidavit as Witness 3, told detectives Wilson called him and invited him to join him and Anderson at Anderson’s apartment to engage in possible sex with several women who Wilson said were at the apartment, according to the affidavit.

When Witness 3 arrived at the apartment, much to his surprise, there were no women, the affidavit says he told police. Instead, he saw that Wilson and Anderson were the only ones present and that Anderson was “completely naked,” the affidavit says.

“Witness 3 said that the decedent [Anderson] gave Witness 3 a piece of cocaine and gave Wilson a piece,” the affidavit continues. “The men were all sitting on the couch watching pornography on the television,” it says.

“According to Witness 3, Wilson then stood up and pulled down his pants. The decedent began performing oral sex on Wilson,” the affidavit says. Witness 3 told detectives Anderson then invited Witness 3 to join in and Anderson performed oral sex on him, the affidavit says.

The affidavit says that a short time later Anderson’s roommate, who is identified in the affidavit as Witness 1, entered the apartment but left the apartment minutes later at Anderson’s request. Witness 3 told detectives that when he left the apartment a short time later, leaving Wilson and Anderson by themselves, he saw the roommate sitting in the lobby as he exited the building, the affidavit says.

It says the roommate told police he decided to spend the night someplace else and didn’t return to the apartment he and Anderson shared until the next day, when he saw Anderson lying on the couch naked and partially covered by a blanket appearing to be asleep. When he saw Anderson in the same position over an hour later he found Anderson unresponsive and called 911, the affidavit says.

It was at that time that police and emergency medical services workers determined Anderson was deceased.

The affidavit says that based on information provided to them from Witness 2, who was friends with both Wilson and Anderson, homicide detectives approached Wilson on March 29 outside his residence on Chesapeake Street, S.E., and asked him if he would agree to be interviewed voluntarily and Wilson agreed.

LO CA L N E W S

During that interview Wilson confirmed much of Witness 3’s account that Anderson invited Wilson to his apartment and once there Anderson asked him to invite another guy to join the two. Wilson confirmed he invited Witness 3 via text message to come to the apartment, the affidavit says.

The affidavit, meanwhile, says Wilson told detectives that he left Anderson’s apartment first and that it was Witness 3 and Anderson who remained there after his departure.

However, according to the affidavit, detectives observed video recordings from the Marbury Plaza’s extensive video camera surveillance system and found that it was Witness 3, not Wilson, that left the apartment first. The video shows Witness 3 entering the 10th floor elevator and leaving the elevator in the lobby before exiting the building at about 10:55 p.m. on March 23, the affidavit states.

About an hour later, at 11:59 p.m., the video cameras captured Wilson entering the 10th floor elevator and taking it to the lobby.

“He is observed handling what appears to be a wallet and putting it in his jacket while on the elevator,” the affidavit says. “He leaves the building immediately upon reaching the lobby,” it says.

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Man pleads guilty to 2016 anti-gay assault in D.C.

One of three men charged in November 2016 with committing an anti-gay aggravated assault in the city’s U Street, N.W. entertainment district pleaded guilty to a lower charge in D.C. Superior Court on April 20 as part of a plea bargain deal offered by prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A police charging document says the assault, in which a male victim was knocked unconscious and taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, took place after one of the attackers stated, “I don’t like them gay motherfuckers.”

Charging documents say the incident occurred outside a carryout pizzeria at the corner of Florida Avenue and 8th Street, N.W. near three gay bars.

Court records show that Juan Venegas of Alexandria, Va., who was 27 at the time of his arrest in the incident, pleaded guilty in exchange for prosecutors lowering the charge to simple assault, a misdemeanor, and being admitted to a court diversion program.

Under the conditions set by prosecutors for the program, the charge against Venegas will be dropped in one year if he stays out of trouble, performs 40 hours of verified community service work in D.C., completes a court supervised anger management class, and undergoes drug and alcohol testing to determine if he needs substance abuse treatment.

Court records show that Judge Marisa Demeo scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 22, 2019 to determine whether Venegas, who has been released on personal recognizance, has complied with the terms of the agreement.

“If the defendant abides by the conditions set forth in this agreement after a period of twelve months, beginning with the date of the filing of this agreement, the United States agrees to dismiss with prejudice all of the charges in this case at the time of sentencing,” the agreement states.

A dismissal with prejudice means that the charge against Venegas for this specific incident cannot be brought up against him again.

The other two men charged in the case, Derrick Diggs, 29, of Clinton, Md., and Francisco Flores, 23, of Arlington, Va., have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to go on trial for the case on Oct. 2 of this year.

News of Venegas’ guilty plea came less than one week after LGBT activists held a candlelight vigil in Stead Park near Dupont Circle in support of two gay men who were hospitalized from injuries they suffered in an anti-gay attack in the U Street area two blocks from where the attack in which Venegas was involved.

D.C. police said that incident took place about 12:30 a.m. Sunday, April 15, at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and U Street, N.W., near the U StreetCardozo Metro Station.

According to police, one or more of three male attackers shouted anti-gay slurs at the time they assaulted the two gay male victims in what police said was an unprovoked attack, which is being investigated as a hate crime.

Activists speaking at the vigil said at least one and possibly another anti-gay attack occurred in the U Street entertainment area within the past month. But police have said they have no record of another anti-LGBT attack during that time period and have urged people who may have been attacked to come forward and report the incidents to police.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 0 5

YOU SIMPLY MUST

TAKE LARGE BITES AND CHEW VORACIOUSLY

DINING ETIQUETTE TIP#4 Ring-tailed lemur

Get

$20 OFF Tickets

ZOOFARI

Use code ZFBladeP18 Valid for general admission, non-member tickets only.

Limit four.

DINE FOR WILDLIFE sponsored by GEICO® May 17, 2018 • 6:30-9:30 • Smithsonian’s National Zoo

It’s feeding time! Satisfy your appetite with the gourmet fare that has made ZooFari a local tradition for 34 years. Sample tastings from nearly 100 of Washington’s finest restaurants and savor wines from around the world. This is DC’s longest running gourmet food tasting event and, with a silent auction and live entertainment, tickets sell fast! FONZ members enjoy special pricing. fonz.org/zoofari LEAD SPONSOR: GEICO. Sponsors: Big Bus Tours, Cisco Brewers, Comcast, 94.7 Fresh FM, Giant Food, Groupon, La Prima Catering/Catering by Seasons, NBC4, PepsiCo, Washingtonian Magazine, The Washington Post, WTOP and WTOP.com

ZF_Blade_9.75 x 11.5.indd 1

4/30/18 6:39 PM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 6 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

LO CA L N E W S

Capital Pride ‘celebrates weapons manufacturers, corrupt banks’: group No Justice No Pride says ‘no substantive changes’ made since last year’s protests

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBT Pride parade and festival, announced last week that it has worked over the past year to respond to concerns raised by some that its events and policies don’t represent all segments of the LGBT community.

Although it didn’t say so directly, a threepage statement released by Capital Pride Alliance on April 25 appears to be a response to the controversy surrounding the action last year by the protest group No Justice No Pride to block the path of the Pride parade.

D.C. police chose to reroute the parade rather than arrest the protesters, who blocked its path by linking arms to create a human barrier from one side of the street to the other.

The group said its civil disobedience protest was aimed at what it claims were Capital Pride’s refusal to agree to its demands for banning police participation in the parade, banning corporate sponsors involved in the defense industry, and restructuring the Capital Pride board of directors to include greater representation of transgender people of color and Native Americans.

In its own statement released on April 26, No Justice No Pride said it carefully reviewed the Capital Pride statement and concluded that “no substantive changes have been made to address the concerns of those who feel they have been left behind and pushed out” of the Pride festivities.

“All signs indicate that Capital Pride 2018 will once again celebrate weapons manufacturers, corrupt banks, and police departments, aligning itself with those who profit off of the oppression of the most marginalized members of our communities,” the statement says.

Drew Ambrogi, a spokesperson for No Justice No Pride, couldn’t immediately be reached to determine whether the group is planning to stage another protest against Capital Pride this year, including a possible civil disobedience action such as

No Justice No Pride protesters in action last year disrupting the Capital Pride parade.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

blocking the parade route.

Capital Pride supporters, including longtime D.C. gay activist Deacon Maccubbin who organized D.C.’s first LGBT Pride celebration in 1975, have said No Justice No Pride’s views don’t reflect the views of the overwhelming majority of the LGBT community that has participated in Capital Pride in recent and past years.

Capital Pride officials were more cautious in their response to No Justice No Pride’s criticisms. But in their April 25 statement they said they reached out to the community to obtain input on how best to move forward with the Pride events, including the parade and festival scheduled for June 9 and 10.

“Over the past year, the Capital Pride Alliance Board and volunteers have carefully considered all the experiences and feedback received from diverse organizations and individuals, and our goal remains ensuring a safe, positive and memorable Pride experience for all members of our community,” the Capital Pride statement says.

“The LGBTQ+ community is exceptionally diverse and includes many people with opposing views on a wide range of issues,” said Capital Pride Alliance Board President Ashley Smith in the statement. “That includes law enforcement, veterans and active members of the military, local businesses, corporations, and the defense industry,” he said.

“It also includes those who take issue with the actions of political, educational, corporate, and other institutions,” Smith said in the statement. “Capital Pride Alliance must find a way to create an environment that fosters

dialogue, allows for a diversity of thought, and provides a space for a positive experience at Pride that is safe and affirming,” he said.

The statement says that among the actions the group has taken over the past year was an “open call” for people interested in joining its board, which resulted in several new board members and volunteer leaders, including new transgender members, women, and people of color.

“Our Board leadership team has changed and diversified from years past to include a person of color as the President of the Board and a woman to the leadership team,” the statement says.

It was referring to Smith, who’s African American, as the new board president.

Concerning corporate sponsors, the Capital Pride statement says the board has adopted guidelines requiring that corporate sponsors be committed to LGBT supportive personnel policies and support for LGBT equality as reflected in the Human Rights Campaign’s ratings of the nation’s corporations on LGBT issues.

It says any organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center will not be permitted to become a sponsor or to participate in Pride activities.

But the statement makes no mention of restricting corporate sponsors associated with the defense industry, such as defense industry firms Northrop Grumman or Lockheed Martin, which were Capital Pride sponsors last year and for which No Justice No Pride raised strong objections.

Capital Pride Executive Director Ryan Bos told the Washington Blade that arrangements

for nearly all corporate sponsorships and corporate participation in the Pride parade and festival are made by LGBT employee groups within those corporations.

“Pride is a combination of all the different organizations that show up and participate,” Bos said, including LGBT employee groups of businesses and corporations. “And a lot of these organizations have different views and we have a unique responsibility to respect those differences in a way that we can provide a place for folks to participate and feel comfortable,” he said.

Bos said that corporate sponsors, which Capital Pride identifies as “advocates,” are listed on its website. As of late Tuesday, the three corporate sponsors from last year opposed by No Justice No Pride – Wells Fargo Bank, Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin – were not listed on the website. However, at least two other defense related firms were listed on the site as sponsors – BAE Systems, a British company that produces combat vehicles such as tanks, and Leidos, a Reston, Va., based engineering company that does work for the U.S. military.

Bos said he expects more corporate sponsors to be added to the website’s list each week between now and June 9 and 10, when the Pride parade and festival are set to take place.

Among the numerous non-defense related corporations listed on the Capital Pride website as corporate sponsors this year are Marriott International, United Airlines, Nissan, Giant Food, Capital One Bank, Citibank and Amazon.com.

The Capital Pride statement released last week is also silent on another issue to which No Justice No Pride objected – the presence of law enforcement agencies’ recruitment booths at the Capital Pride Festival. In past years, including last year, the FBI and CIA were among the government agencies that set up recruitment booths at the festival. The booths were staffed by LGBT employees of the two agencies. In prior years, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department also set up a recruitment booth at the festival.

It could not be immediately determined whether those and other law enforcement agencies planned to set up recruitment booths at the festival.

Dupont Circle church faces possible bankruptcy D.C. halts construction on new St. Thomas’ building

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com St. Thomas’ Parish Episcopal Church in Dupont Circle, which is considered one of the city’s most LGBT supportive religious institutions, could be forced into

bankruptcy following a D.C. government order halting construction of its new church and an adjoining residential building, according to Rev. Alex Dyer, a gay priest who leads the church.

Dyer said the church faces a financial crisis as a result of a decision by the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to issue on April 23 a “stop work” order on the construction of the parish’s new church building and an adjoining 56

apartment residential building.

The DCRA says it issued the stop work order in response to a ruling by the D.C. Court of Appeals vacating a zoning variance awarded to the church by the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustment. The court, in siding with an appeal opposing the building project filed by the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, ruled that the Board of Zoning Adjustment failed to provide sufficient justification for

awarding the zoning variance.

The court ruling says the variance could be reissued at a later date if the Board of Zoning Adjustment provides a better legal rationale to justify it.

Attorneys representing the church and CAS Riegler development company have argued in a motion asking the court for a stay on the stop work order that the court CONTINUES ON PAGE 21

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 0 7

#JUSTBE TOGETHER LA PRIDE PARADE & FESTIVAL

JUNE 9 10

KEHLANI TOVE LO

EVE ICONA POP KERI HILSON NATALIA JIMENEZ SUPERFRUIT LEIKELI47 ALLIE X

KIM PETRAS VANESSA MATEO KEKE WYATT

JESSICA 6

LELAND

CECE PENISTON

KIDD MADONNY LAUREN RUTH WARD

LAUREN SANDERSON GIO BRAVO

EUREKA O’HARA CRISTA BELLA OSCAR VELASQUEZ

Get tickets at lapride.org

TOM & COLLINS

LAITH ASHLEY

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 8 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

NATIONAL NEWS

‘Ex-gay’ therapy bans, anti-LGBT adoption bills advance in states Advocates slam Okla., Kansas for attacks on gay families

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com A host of LGBT-related bills are making their way to the desks of governors around the country and could have a major impact on LGBT Americans if signed into law.

Anti-LGBT bills that would enable taxpayer-funded adoption agencies to deny placement to LGBT homes over religious objections are heading toward passage in two states, but bans on widely discredited “ex-gay” conversion therapy are moving forward elsewhere and one state is considering a transgender nondiscrimination bill.

Two states that are on the cusp of enacting anti-LGBT adoption bills are Oklahoma and Kansas: • In Oklahoma, both chambers of the legislature passed versions of antiLGBT adoption bills that are set for consideration in conference committee before final approval and transmission to Gov. Mary Fallin.

• In Kansas, the Senate attached the bill to House Bill 2481, a non-LGBT related bill approved by the House. The House refused to concur with the amended bill, so the bill was sent to conference. The measure could be dropped or included in the final package in conference committee, but there’s also a renewed effort to convince the House to accept the amended bill.

Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign, said passage of the bills would place at risk not just LGBT people seeking to adopt a child, but other potential parents to whom adoption agencies may have objections, such as single mothers, interracial couples or couples where one parent has been divorced.

“These bills would really artificially limit the pool of prospective parents who are able to adopt,” Oakley said.

“Given that there are all these children who need adopting, and there are all of these LGBTQ adults who are interested in adoption, it seems really counter-intuitive to allow for a government agency to refuse to interact with different kinds of parents for no reason other than to allow them to discriminate.”

Oakley added the bills are also constitutionally suspect because states have obligations under the Establishment Clause and the Equal Protection Clause to treat families equally under the law

ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES NEAL

and “not to be privileging some religious beliefs for other religious beliefs.”

“They don’t get to delegate those responsibilities away when they contract with an agency, so these agencies are doing the state’s work on taxpayer dollars, they also then inherit those obligations to treat people equally under the law,” Oakley said.

Joining LGBT groups in opposition to the bills are child welfare organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Child Welfare League of America and the North American Council on Adoptable Children.

One letter signed by these groups says the Oklahoma bill would result in harm by “excluding any single class of potentially qualified parents (such as LGBTQ people)” from the pool of potential parents.

Supporters of the bills are organizations supporting Catholic adoption agencies — such as Catholic Charities, the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma and the Kansas Catholic Conference — who say these agencies will have to shut their doors if forced to place children into LGBT homes.

Another anti-LGBT adoption bill also advanced to the floor of the Senate this week in Colorado. However, the Republican-majority chamber rejected the legislation, Senate Bill 241, by a 1619 vote thanks to a united Democratic caucus and two Republicans who broke with their party on the legislation.

Daniel Ramos, executive director of One Colorado, said in a statement the defeat of the anti-LGBT adoption bill was a win for his state.

“This was another installment in a series

of horrific bills we have seen this session that would take Colorado backwards in the areas of LGBTQ equality, and its defeat today is a victory for the people of Colorado,” Ramos said.

As these anti-LGBT adoption bills are considered, other measures seeking to ban widely discredited therapy aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity are also advancing: • In Hawaii, the state legislature this week sent to Gov. David Ige a measure, Senate Bill 270, that would prohibit subjecting LGBT youth to the practice. In Maryland, the legislature sent a similar measure, Senate Bill 1028, to Gov. Larry Hogan, who’s indicated he’d sign the measure.

• In New Hampshire, the Senate last month voted to approve House Bill 587, which would seek to ban “ex-gay” therapy for youth. The House already passed a version of the legislation, which is now pending before conference committee.

• In California, Assembly Bill 2943 is now pending before the Senate after the Assembly approved the measure.

California has already banned conversion therapy for youth. The bill would take things a step further and generally classify the practice as fraud.

The practice of therapy aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or transgender status is considered ineffectual at best and harmful at worst. Major medical and psychological institutions, including the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, widely reject

conversion therapy.

Oakley said those proposals are “really important” because they’re affirmation that nothing is wrong with being an LGBT person.

“What they’re really saying out loud is that we understand LGBTQ people are who they are, they’re not broken, they can’t be cured, there’s nothing to be fixed, you are who you are and [we acknowledge] that no major medical health group believes conversion therapy is legitimate or healthy,” Oakley said.

According to a recent report at the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, an estimated 698,00 adults in the United States have undergone conversion therapy. That includes 350,000 adults who underwent the practice as teenagers. The report estimated 20,000 LGBT youth will undergo the practice before the age of 18 in the 41 states that at the time of the report didn’t ban the practice.

Another pro-LGBT bill was set for consideration in the New Hampshire Senate on Wednesday that would add a prohibition on anti-trans discrimination to the state’s non-discrimination law. The New Hampshire House already passed the bill, House Bill, 1319 in March with a bipartisan 195-129 vote. (The Senate vote was set to take place after Blade deadline for this article.)

New Hampshire is one of three states — along with New York and Wisconsin — where the law bans anti-gay discrimination, but not anti-trans discrimination, although New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order expanding state law to cover transgender people.

A New Hampshire Senate committee reported out the legislation with a “do not recommend vote, but Oakley said on the eve of the floor vote Wednesday she’s “very hopeful” the chamber will approve the bill. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu is expected to sign the measure.

“New Hampshire is the Live Free or Die State, and what could more live free or die than non-discrimination bills, making sure that people are able to be who they are?” Oakley said.

If the anti-LGBT adoption bills in Kansas and Oklahoma are rejected, it would mean no anti-LGBT bills in any state would have become law in 2018.

Oakley said movement in state legislatures of the pro-LGBT bans on conversion therapy and the prohibition on anti-trans discrimination while fewer antiLGBT bills make progress is a positive sign.

“State legislatures are at historic levels of Republican control, so it’s important to say that this is happening all at the same time that we’re looking at increased Republican leadership in the states,” Oakley said.

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 0 9

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 0 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

NATIONAL NEWS

Secretary of State MIKE POMPEO on May 1 delivered his first speech at the State Department.

WASHINGTON BLADE BY MICHAEL KEY

Pompeo praises diplomats in first State Dept. speech Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday used his first speech at the State Department to praise U.S. diplomats and other members of the Foreign Service.

“I have a great deal to learn about the State Department and how we perform our mission, but as people, I’m confident that I know who you are,” he said in remarks that he gave while standing on one of the staircases above the State Department’s C Street lobby. “I know that you came here. You chose to be a Foreign Service officer or a civil servant or to come work here in many other capacities and to do so because you’re patriots and great Americans and because you want to be an important part of America’s face to the world. My mission will be to lead you and allow you to do that, the very thing you came here to do.”

The U.S. Senate on April 26 confirmed Pompeo by a 57-42 vote margin. He succeeds Rex Tillerson, who President Trump fired in March.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius is among many senior diplomats and State Department officials who resigned during Tillerson’s tenure. Tillerson also faced criticism over his management style and efforts to restructure the State Department.

President Trump has proposed steep cuts to the budgets of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Pompeo was the director of the CIA when Trump nominated him to succeed Tillerson. Pompeo represented Kansas’ 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2017.

Pompeo co-sponsored a bill that would have allowed states to refuse to recognize the marriages of gays and lesbians. He also opposed the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and has long-standing ties with the Family Research Council, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified as a hate group.

Pompeo during his confirmation hearing reaffirmed his opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples. He also did not specifically answer U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)’s question about whether he thinks “being gay is a perversion.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Activist: Pence wants gays in ‘conversion camps’ Under fire from the right-wing media for comments he made about Vice President Mike Pence wanting gays in “concentration camps,” one of the survivors of the 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub now says he “misspoke.”

Brandon Wolf — who’s now head of the Dru Project, an organization that supports GSAs in schools — told the Washington Blade via email on Monday he intended to say

Pence wants gay people in “conversion camps” to subject them to the widely discredited practice of “ex-gay” conversion therapy.

“I misspoke on Joy’s show,” Wolf said. “What I meant to say was that Vice President Pence would have us in conversion camps. Which, of course, is a reference to Pence’s tacit support of the abhorrent practice of conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth. The psychiatric community has overwhelmingly condemned this form of torture on children while Pence and the modern GOP stubbornly stick by their support of it.”

Wolf added Pence, who had a long anti-LGBT history as a U.S. House member and governor of Indiana, should speak out against conversion therapy.

“I stand by my view that Vice President Pence is wildly out of touch with the realities faced by LGBTQ youth today and should publicly denounce the dangerous practice of conversion therapy,” Wolf said.

Wolf invoked the ire of right-wing media on Saturday during an appearance on Joy Reid’s MSNBC show when he said the focus should not be on the controversy over blog posts she wrote years ago now deemed homophobic, but the Trump administration.

Asserting the Trump administration is filled with “homophobic psychopaths,” Wolf took drew particular attention to Pence.

“If Mike Pence, God bless him, ended up in the White House, sitting behind that desk in the Oval Office, he would have us all in concentration camps hoping to pray away the gay,” Wolf said.

LGBT advocates maintain Pence supports conversion therapy and sought to transfer federal funds intended for HIV/AIDS program to the practice. That’s based on a statement from his 2000 campaign for the U.S. House that stated he supports HIV/ AIDS funds on the condition that resources are directed to institutions that “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

Kenworthy to headline DNC’s LGBTQ gala Olympic freeskier Gus Kenworthy will attend the Democratic National Committee’s 19th annual LGBTQ gala as a special guest on June 25 in New York City.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the DNC at their LGBTQ Gala this Pride season,” Kenworthy said in a statement. “Over the last year, the TrumpPence administration has pushed our community to the sidelines, attacking us for who we are and GUS KENWORTHY will headline a DNC gala. who we love. It’s time we SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF YOUTUBE take a stand against this administration by electing representatives this upcoming November who actively support and believe in equality for everyone.”

DNC Chair Tom Perez added, “Gus has been a tireless advocate for his community, standing up to hate and a Trump-Pence administration that has repeatedly attacked and demeaned LGBTQ people. The 2017 elections were a landmark moment for the LGBTQ community. Not only did we elect the first openly transgender state legislator, but LGBTQ candidates broke barriers from Palm Springs and Seattle to Minneapolis and New York. This year, we want to celebrate that success and refocus the LGBTQ community on just what is at stake in the coming 2018 midterms. With the help of people like Gus, Democrats will win up and down the ballot, from the school board to the Senate.”

Kenworthy, along with fellow out Olympian Adam Rippon, declined to attend the April 27 athlete reception at the White House.

“All US Olympians and Paralympians are invited to visit the White House and meet the President after the Games. Today is this year’s visit and USOC spokesperson says he’s never seen so many athletes turn down their invites. The resistance is real,” Kenworthy tweeted.

MARIAH COOPER

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 1

Come Celebrate ELC's 4th Anniversary Weekend May 4 - May 6, 2018 Theme: "This Is The Year Of Fulfillment"

Event Times & locations: Fri @7p & Sun @1:04p - 5301 North Capitol St NE, Washington DC Sat @9a - 9721 Good Luck Rd, Lanham, MD

Bishop Allyson Abrams, D.Min, Pastor www.empowermentliberationcathedral.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

I N T E RN A T I O N A L N E W S

Gay Nigerians targeted for extortion, kidnapping via Grindr Men lured to secluded areas and beaten, raped

By PETER OKEUGO (Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part report about gay men in Nigeria who are held hostage, blackmailed and extorted after using hookup apps.)

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian born, U.K.based LGBT activist Bisi Alimi, on March 22 sent out an alert on Twitter about men who posed as members of the LGBT community to lure victims to unknown locations where they were held against their will, extorted and blackmailed. He wrote he had responded to six cases the previous day and the victims were lured through Grindr, a mobile dating application for gay men. The tweet read: “Let’s get this right. In the last 24hrs, I have had to deal with six cases of gay men being set up on @Grindr in #Nigeria. The operation is the same. The men are tricked by men who pretend to be gay, lured them (sic) to a secluded area, beat (sic), rape (sic) and collect their money (sic).”

“These men threatened their victims not to tell the police or anyone about what has happened…”

March 21 is a day that Kelvin (not real name) may not soon forget, or perhaps, in his entire life. The day started unusually boring for him, but he hoped to make it eventful. Ironically, it turned out to be a sad event.

“I was bored that morning,” Kelvin said.

“I called one of my friends and told him that I was tired of staying at home. He encouraged me to sign up on Grindr, and possibly find someone I could talk with to get over the boredom.”

Kelvin heeded his friend’s advice and after about an hour and 30 minutes of being on the app, he was “lucky” to find someone (Charles) with whom he could talk. It was no such luck. They settled into the conversation; and when they got a bit comfortable with each other, they exchanged pictures and Instagram profile details. Because the pictures Charles had on Instagram were the same as the ones on Grindr, Kelvin felt at ease.

They set up a date and agreed to meet that morning.

“He invited me over to his house because he was bored as well,” said Kelvin. “But I declined the invitation with the excuse that I was preparing for my examinations and needed to read.”

However, he convinced Kelvin, who felt a change of environment was the motivation he needed to study and agreed to visit him.

Apart from using Grindr, it seems blackmailers have devised a new method of luring their victims. For Tunde (not real name), an accountant, it was emotional blackmail. March 4 was his doomsday.

Gay and bisexual men in Nigeria have been targeted for kidnapping and extortion through online hookup apps.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER OKEUGO

After he returned from church, he received a call from an unknown number, requesting him to visit a friend who was “seriously ill.” Sympathetic and disturbed, he did not know that he was about to fall into trap.

“I did not know the identity of the caller, but because he mentioned Obinna, my friend’s name, I did not suspect any foul play,” he said with tears in his eyes. “My wife was present when I received the call.”

Tunde got up from the sofa, informed his wife of the courtesy visit and set out to see Obinna.

Kelvin had never met anyone on the first day of communicating with them.

But he waived all suspicions of being entrapped because Charles had erased all doubts. According to him, Charles lived at Ijegun area of Lagos State and they agreed that Kelvin would call him when he got to the bus stop.

The story changed when Kelvin arrived.

“I got to Ijegun at about 11:05 a.m.,” he said. “I called to notify him but he said he was busy at the shop and would send one of his assistants at the shop to come pick me up. He sent me his assistant’s number so I could communicate with him.”

An unsuspecting Kelvin waited for about 25 minutes while still communicating with Charles. He became impatient and decided to go home, but Charles pleaded with him. Just as he made up his mind to leave, the assistant arrived. They spoke on the phone and when he identified Kelvin by the color of his gray shirt, Kelvin hopped on the motorcycle and they drove off. The journey to Charles’ house was not as short as Kelvin had thought. After several diversions, the motorcycle eventually made one last turn onto a pathway that led to the last house on Aboke Street. He had arrived at his destination — a small gateless compound that could be accessed through an entrance between a block of whitewashed bachelor’s quarters and makeshift iron kiosks. Then, the assistant

broke the news to him: “You have been set up,” he stated.

Tunde’s set-up was somewhat similar.

Agbara, the bus stop to which he was directed, was not far from his house.

According to him, that was another reason he agreed to visit Obinna. When he got to the bus stop, he called the number to inform the person who answered that he had arrived. The caller arrived a few minutes later, informed him that Obinna was recuperating in his house and offered to lead him there. The house was a one bedroom apartment. He was shocked by his discovery.

“We got to the house, but I could not find Obinna,” said Tunde. “I inquired, but I was asked to relax. Almost immediately, four other men came into the room. At that moment, I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I was afraid and did not want to believe what I thought the situation had turned into. But my suspicion was confirmed. One of them accused me of coming to have sex with their brother.

I did not even know who the brother they referred to was. I was shocked and instantly knew Obinna was not there. I had been tricked.”

Charles’ assistant warned Kelvin not to make a sound and to cooperate with them if he wanted to go home alive. They were joined by four other men and to his surprise, Charles was not present. He was made to sit on the floor; when they saw he had his textbook with him, they seized his bank debit card and the smaller phone he had with him. Then they requested that he call someone at home to bring the tablet which he had used to sign up on Grindr.

“I told them I left the tab at home because the battery had died,” said Kelvin. “I suggested I could go home to get it but they refused and insisted that I called someone to bring it for me.”

When they sensed Kelvin was being uncooperative, one of the men shouted at him, then hit him twice as hard on the head. At that moment, his prescription glasses fell to the ground and the lenses were broken. He developed an instant headache. While he was there, another victim (a student) was brought in and was surprised to learn he had been set up.

According to Kelvin, the new boy peed in his pants. They threatened to expose him to his family and kill him if he was unable to give them some money. When their efforts became unsuccessful, they beat him up, seized his phone and sent him home with only 500 naira. ($1.39).

The situation was even more extreme for Tunde.

Without any warning, the men began to beat him simultaneously. They stripped him totally naked and mocked him.

“They took nude pictures and videos of me, and threatened to post them on Facebook and YouTube, if I did not

comply with their demands,” he said. “I wished the ground would open up and swallow me but that did not happen. I cried like baby.”

When they had beaten him to their satisfaction, they asked him how much he had in his bank account and requested his debit cards. Tunde, who had just started a new job in January, told them he had no money and that his debit cards were at home. When they failed to gain access to his account through his phone, they asked him to dress up and take them to his house. He obliged, but instead of taking them to his house, he took them to Obinna’s house.

Unfortunately, Obinna was not at home. Obinna’s landlord, who saw them arrive, became suspicious. At that moment, they figured that was not his house and they left, promising to carry out their threats.

Tunde hurried home.

The men instructed Kelvin to call someone who could send them 10,000 naira ($27.74). He called a friend who could not understand why he was stranded and needed such amount of money. Upon sensing Kelvin may have been set up, he began to argue with the blackmailers.

“The calls were placed on speaker mode, so they could hear my conversations,” said Kelvin. “They snatched the phone from me and told him I had been set up.

They argued with him and eventually dropped the conversation. I was asked to call another friend (Paul) and request for the money. I complied and the money was sent into my account.”

Greedy and sensing they had hit a goldmine, the blackmailers called Kelvin’s mother to request the money.

They told her Kelvin had boarded a “one chance” bus (the Lagos parlance for kidnappers who pretend to pick up other passengers with the intent of extortion or rituals) and threatened to kill him.

Kelvin could barely hear his worried mother when he was put on the phone to speak with her. The negotiation was fruitless. Still pushing their luck, they sent another text message to Paul without Kelvin’s knowledge, requesting for extra money.

“Paul got the message and sent 5,000 naira ($13.87) into my account. They requested again and he sent an extra 10,000 naira, making a total of 30,000 naira ($83.22).”

The whole ordeal lasted nearly two hours and two of the men left to make withdrawals from the account. They released Kelvin and gave him 500 naira for his fare back home.

For Tunde, who hurried home in fear, his nightmare had just begun.

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 3

FREE LEGAL SERVICES LGBTQ FRIENDLY

Do you know about the D.C. Schedule H tax program?

You may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $1,000 for property taxes or rent paid. If you are a DC resident, 60 or older, call Legal Counsel for the Elderly 202-434-2120.* LCE is an affiliate of AARP.

•

•

*Income Eligibility Applies

Tattoo Convention May 4th - 6th 2018 B a l t i m o re C o n v e n t i o n C e n te r

COME GET 1 W P r a t t S t , B a l t i m o r e , M D TATTOOED VillainArts.com

21201

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 4 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

NATIONAL NEWS

Trump congratulates Ric Grenell, new U.S. ambassador to Germany CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Grenell, outstanding man,” Trump said.

Pointing to Grenell in the audience during the news conference, Trump told his new appointee, “Congratulations. Do a great job, and I know you will. Thank you.”

Trump said the delay from Democrats in confirming Grenell is happening with many of his nominees.

“This confirmation was long overdue,” Trump said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for Richard to get his clearance, and he got it, and it’s going to be special, but we have a lot of people that are awaiting approval — and the Democrats have treated us extremely unfairly and they’re going to have to move it along.”

First nominated by President Trump in September, Grenell’s confirmation means an openly gay person will take a high-profile seat in the administration and serve as U.S. envoy to the world’s fourth largest national economy.

But it’s a not a first or the most high-profile gay appointment of all time. The first openly gay U.S. ambassador was James Hormel, who served as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg during the Clinton administration. President Obama had no fewer than seven openly gay U.S. ambassadors who served at various times in his administration.

Gregory Angelo, president of Log Cabin Republicans, said Grenell’s confirmation was “historic,” dubbing him “the highestranking openly gay official ever in a Republican administration.”

“Despite the interminable delays of Democrats hell-bent on standing on the wrong side of history, today the United States Senate confirmed a gay nominee not ‘in spite of’ Republicans, or ‘with Republican support,’ but because of Republican support,” Angelo added.

Angelo said the vote on Grenell would have consequences in the upcoming congressional mid-term elections, noting Log Cabin stood alone among LGBT groups in pushing for his confirmation.

“Log Cabin Republicans will not forget the votes of the Democratic senators who voted against Grenell’s confirmation, nor the roaring silence from LGBT advocacy organizations who did nothing to achieve this tremendous milestone in LGBT history,” Angelo said.

Grenell is a foreign policy expert who has served in various roles as a public communications adviser and a Fox News commentator. Under the George W. Bush administration, Grenell became the longest serving U.S. spokesperson at the United Nations, working under four U.S. ambassadors.

Grenell, who has described himself as a gay conservative Christian, has a same-sex partner of 15 years, Matt Lashey. Lashey himself is a conservative Christian who graduated from Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.

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.

Although Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) filed cloture on the nomination on April 25, the cloture vote was withdrawn the next day, paving the way for a confirmation vote.

The Democratic opposition holding up Grenell’s confirmation lasted for months. At one point, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders slammed Democrats on the obstruction.

When McConnell tried to move forward with the nomination late last month, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the chief sponsor of the Equality Act, blocked the nomination from moving forward.

The primary reason for the hold on Grenell purportedly was comments he made years ago on Twitter about the appearance of 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.”

(Those tweets echo comments he reportedly made in 1992 as a young aide for the re-election campaign of George H.W. Bush, according to a Washington Post article.

A fellow staffer recalled Grenell telling a female aide wearing red shoes and a flowery dress, ‘Didn’t your mother ever tell you only whores and very small children wear red shoes?’”)

In a now deleted tweet, Grenell told MSNBC reporter Katy Tur in 2016 “calling yourself a journalist is offensive to real ones.

Did u intern for @KeithOlbermann or date him? Either way doesn’t make u a reporter.”

Grenell faced immediate criticism from other women on Twitter over the remarks.

Also cited as concerns over Grenell were tweets he made in 2016 downplaying the impact of Russian hacking on the election.

In one tweet, Grenell wrote, “There’s a difference between hackers from Russia and hackers from the Russian government.”

In another, Grenell objected to the Obama administration’s U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul’s criticism of Wikileaks, stating, “McFaul tells Wikileaks to not publish?!”

Despite these concerns, Grenell had significant high-profile support from both the left and the right, including the Obama administration’s U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, “Ellen” show executive

producer Andy Lassner and conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt and Greta Van Susteren. (Ironically, McFaul expressed support for Grenell even though the new ambassador’s tweet mentioning him was cited as cause for concern.)

Another high-profile individual who expressed support for moving forward with the Grenell nomination was Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). However, Coons ultimately voted “no” on Grenell’s confirmation on the Senate floor. The Washington Blade placed

a request for comment in with Coons’ office seeking an explanation for the vote.

Although Grenell is now the most highprofile openly gay appointee in the Trump administration, the Senate has confirmed others who aren’t as prominent. Two were confirmed unanimously in the Senate: James Abbott, who was confirmed to the Federal Labor Relations Authority; and David Glawe, under secretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security.

Gillibrand, Mattis clash over trans military service In the wake of all four military service chiefs reporting no problems with unit cohesion with transgender people serving in the U.S. military, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) clashed with Defense Secretary James Mattis on his report against their service — which formed the basis of President Trump’s transgender military ban.

The exchange took place last week in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Defense Secretary JAMES MATTIS clashed with Sen. over the budget request proposed by the Defense KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND Department for fiscal year 2019.

(D-N.Y.) over transgender military service.

“I’m very concerned about this report because it says that there is quote, ‘scientific uncertainty GILLIBRAND PHOTO BY surrounding the efficacy of transition-related PERSONALDEMOCRACY VIA FLICKR treatments for gender dysphoria,’ yet the American Medical, Psychological and Psychiatric Associations have all said the report misrepresents what is the scientific consensus when it comes to gender dysphoria and transition,” Gillibrand said.

Gillibrand told Mattis she was surprised the report that formed his recommendations to Trump — which purportedly was based on the conclusions of a panel of experts — claimed to have taken into account the military’s experience of allowing transgender people to serve. That was a policy change enacted in the Obama administration and has been in effect for nearly two years.

That’s why, Gillibrand said, she asked each of the service chiefs during congressional testimony whether transgender service has resulted in unit cohesion problems since that time. As the Blade previously reported, all four — Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller and Air Force Chief of Staff Adm. David Goldfein — told her they had not heard of any problems.

Gillibrand held up a copy of a new report from the San Francisco-based Palm Center and said she she’d give the document to Mattis “so you can read in full.”

The report found that out of 949 service members with gender dysphoria since the policy was changed in the Obama years until mid-2017, 40 percent were deployed in military operations overseas and only one had an issue during that deployment.

The defense secretary, however, seemed prepared to respond to Gillibrand, telling her, “I regret the way your characterize it.”

Recalling his testimony during his confirmation hearing in which he said he wouldn’t seek to ban LGBT service members, Mattis said, “I would remind you that when I came into this job, I said I don’t come in with a preordained agenda to change something.”

“I believe that service in the military is a touchstone for patriotic Americans,” Mattis added. “The military protects all Americans’ freedom and liberty to live as they choose — and we’re proud of that.”

On medical issues related to transgender service, Mattis made a point of drawing a connection between transgender status to anxiety and depression.

“If gender dysphoria has anxiety or it has some kind of depression, we don’t allow anyone in with that,” Mattis said. “I would have to make a special category that said you can have these disqualifying factors only if you’re transgender and then we can bring you in. I think you can understand why we have chosen not to do that.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 5

Join us for a Happy Hour Fundraiser to benefit Pride Fund’s Week of Remembrance commemorating the two-year anniversary of the Pulse shooting, which occurred on June 12th, 2016.

Pride Fund to End Gun Violence is a political action committee formed in the wake of the tragic loss of 49 lives at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Through your financial support, we can fully fund a week of various activities that honor and remember the victims, discuss policy solutions to end gun violence, and rally grassroots activists to help advocate for change.

Purchase your ticket today by visiting: http://www.bit.ly/pridefundevent

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 6 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

NATIONAL NEWS

Pelosi on AIDS, Equality Act, impeachment and more CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

passed on March 21, 2010, Pelosi noted that women would no longer be charged more because of their gender—women were no longer a pre-existing condition.

But the year before, she also predicted “fire and brimstone” and “shock and awe” from across the aisle. “They’re coming after us,” Pelosi told House Democrats in 2009.

Many of the darts thrown at Pelosi over the years have been acid-tipped with LGBT-hatred. “One of the things the Republicans like to do around the country is to represent me as a LGBTQ first and foremost supporter. I represent San Francisco, which they caricaturize as being a gay haven and capitol. And that’s something we’re very proud of,” Pelosi told the Los Angeles Blade in a 30-minute interview on April 27. “But the fact is the country is going to leave them behind because people have a different level of respect because of the work the LGBTQ community has done in many areas to end discrimination and in the fight against HIV/AIDS.” Pelosi says HIV/AIDS and passage of the Equality Act are top priorities. “The Equality Act is something that really should be appreciated in a very special way because it really is transformative,” Pelosi says. “It just changes everything.

It says whether it’s credit or housing or job discrimination or you name it—you can no longer discriminate. Well, you shouldn’t discriminate to begin with. But it makes it a part of the Civil Rights Act to protect [LGBT] people.”

Pelosi notes that when Equality Act sponsor out Rep. David Cicilline introduced the Equality Act, civil rights icons stood beside him. “It’s a priority for us. A day doesn’t go by that we’re not speaking out against discrimination in the workplace and any other place,” she says. “And we would hope that we could do something with the Republicans on that between now and January—but we know in January, we’ll be able to go forth with an agenda that is not only proactive in what it does but also removes all doubt that we won’t have any of these other bills that enshrine discrimination in our laws.”

But first there’s an election to win. “We are going to be focusing on the economy in our debate,” she says. “That is what elections are about across the board. And the success that we have had in recruiting candidates and we have the A-Team on the field, the very terrible numbers of President Trump means that they have over 40 retirements. The mobilization has never been bigger. People see the urgency. They want to take responsibility and that gives us opportunity.”

While many of the energized youth are fans of Rep. Maxine Waters’ call for

House Minority Leader NANCY PELOSI emphasizes the need to continue fighting HIV/AIDS. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Trump’s impeachment, Pelosi thinks that is not a winning strategy. “Maxine and I go back well before we went to Congress.

So count me as a Maxine fan. But I do say focusing on impeachment is a gift to the Republicans,” she says. “What we have to do is focus on the economic insecurity of American families and people. It’s about their apprehensions and their aspirations. And that’s what we need to be talking about.

“If there’s any movement to impeachment, it will have to come with data about what happened, vis a vis the law, and it will have to be bipartisan and we’re a long way from that,” Pelosi says. “So I do not think that talking about impeachment as our message for the election is a winning formula. Should people talk about it if they believe in it—that’s up to them. But in terms of our unifying message, it’s about the economy— our better deal. We think the American people have gotten a raw deal from the Republicans. We have a better deal—better jobs, better pay, better future. And we’re very proud of that economic message. It’s a message of unity in our party. It’s a winning message and that’s how we’re going forward.”

While impeachment may not be a winning electoral strategy, the concern about the erosion of democracy is.

Pelosi says she was pleased to see some senators challenge new Sec. of State Pompeo during his confirmation hearing, pointing out that some of his negative LGBT public policy views “are not the views of the United States.”

But, Pelosi notes with more than a hint of dismay, Pompeo is “an employee of the president of the United States. It’s about the president. This president has been a great showman. He’s done a good job in winning the election. He’s the president.

But what he is doing is harmful to our country and even if you voted for him, you would have to see that this is not constructive. And it’s not unifying. Our founders gave us guidance. They said E Pluribus Unum—from many, one. They couldn’t imagine how many that would be but we had to be one. And these Republicans in power—they can’t say from many one, except some people we

would exclude and discriminate against.”

Though Pompeo’s record “is of concern,” she hopes “with new responsibility, he will act responsibly. We’ll see.”

Pelosi also shares the concern of Rep. Adam Schiff, her appointee to the House Intelligence Committee, about the “dismantling of our democratic institutions that President Trump is so set upon, whether it is dismantling and discrediting the press, which I think is the greatest guardian of our freedom—freedom of press, dismantling of our Justice Department and law enforcement, in terms of the FBI, ignoring the system of checks and balances that exists in our Constitution, which is the strength of our country.”

Pelosi is also concerned about Trump getting rid of regulations. “They’re protections,” she says. “If he has an objection to something, let’s discuss that, make it better or not, if we think it’s the best it can be.” But it’s critical to recognize that “he is destroying the protections for clean air, clean water, food safety, consumer protections,” and the other protections, including the rollback of protections for LGBT people.

“The president is anti-governance.

He doesn’t really believe in the role of government in improving people’s situations,” Pelosi says. “So it’s a comprehensive approach to dismantling democratic institutions.

One of the reasons people should be very concerned is because the president is doing nothing to protect our electoral system, our democracy. The Russians have disrupted our election and he won’t look into it at all. And that’s a very, very bad course of action. Why not? We’re concerned about how he’s not dealt with sanctions on Russia,” among other issues. “But how does he explain not protecting our electoral system? That is the basis of our vote, our vote is the basis of our democracy, and the president is not upholding his constitutional responsibility to protect and defend our Constitution and our democracy that goes with it.”

While young people at the #ResistMarch in West Hollywood last year were stirred up by Leader Pelosi’s rhetoric, it was clear

they knew she was important—but not really who she was and why she was so passionate about LGBT equality.

Some of it is centered in Pelosi’s Catholicism, which is not the set of beliefs the Catholic Church espoused during Prop 8 and other politicalreligious battles. “As a Catholic, I was raised to respect every person. We’re all God’s children. In my family, there was never any question about that,” she says. “It didn’t teach me discrimination.

It taught me respect. And so it prepared me very well, my Catholicism, for being a representative in San Francisco.”

Pelosi is guided by a moral imperative that young people may not understand today—the deep, personal impact of AIDS. “Some people criticized me for talking about AIDS on my first day in Congress and I realized that it was not just about getting funding for AIDS research and prevention and care but it was about ending discrimination against people with HIV and AIDS,” adding that California has been a “tremendous resource” throughout the years for intellectual, political and economic response to the disease.

Pelosi responds viscerally when asked about losing friends. “Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. A little flower girl in my wedding.

My dear, dear friends in the community in San Francisco. We were going to two funerals a day. I was visiting people in the hospital all the time and quite frankly, when I say losing people,” Pelosi says, “I lost friends because I just walked away from them because they were not treating people with HIV and AIDS with respect. They would say to me, ‘I don’t know why you hire that caterer – don’t you know that everybody there has HIV?’ And I’d say, ‘Don’t bother to come to my house any more if that’s your attitude.’ It just changed my whole view of them.”

Within the span of her life and political career, Pelosi has personally experienced the heartbreak of HIV/AIDS and the political battles to fund and find a cure.

“I’ll never stop missing some of my dearest dear friends from then,” she says. “Of course we went from funerals to people saying help me make out my will because this is going to end soon, to those very same people looking for a job and then wanting to get married.

So everything has improved but I would never have thought 30 years ago when I started all this in Congress that we still wouldn’t have a cure for AIDS. We’ve improved the quality of life, we’ve sustained life. Everything is better but it’s not over, not finished.”

It appears that the quality of simultaneously never forgetting while always looking forward is what motives House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

H E A L TH NEW S

M A Y 04, 2018 • 17

Keep your promise to protect each other.

Obama-era trans protections in jeopardy WASHINGTON — The Trump administration says it plans to roll back a rule issued

by President Barack Obama that prevents doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies from discriminating against transgender people, the New York Times reports.

Advocates said the change could jeopardize the significant gains that transgender people have seen in access to medical care, including gender reassignment procedures — treatments for which many insurers denied coverage in the past.

The rule was adopted in 2016 to carry out a major civil rights law embedded in the Affordable Care Act. The law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in “any health program or activity” that receives federal financial assistance.

The Obama administration said the rule covered “almost all practicing physicians in the United States” because they accept some form of federal remuneration or reimbursement. It applies, for example, to hospitals that accept Medicare and doctors who receive Medicaid payments, as well as to insurers that participate in health insurance marketplaces, the New York Times reports.

Trump administration officials said they believed they had to modify the rule because a federal judge in Texas had found that parts of it were unlawful.

“The Department of Health and Human Services has submitted a draft of a proposed rule” to the White House for clearance, the Justice Department told the judge two weeks ago. And the White House confirmed that it was reviewing the proposed rule on “nondiscrimination in health programs,” the Times reports.

The Trump administration has been scaling back protections for transgender people on several fronts. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, reversing an Obama administration policy, said the main federal job discrimination law “does not encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se,” the Times reports. And Trump’s effort to bar transgender people from serving in the military is tied up in several federal courts.

The Education Department has rescinded Obama administration guidelines on how schools should accommodate transgender students.

Eight states, a network of Roman Catholic hospitals and the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, representing 19,000 doctors, challenged the Obamaera rule. A federal district judge in Texas temporarily stopped enforcement of the protections for transgender patients, saying that Congress had outlawed discrimination based on sex — “the biological differences between males and females” — but not transgender status, the New York Times reports.

“Congress did not understand ‘sex’ to include ‘gender identity, ’” said the judge, Reed O’Connor, in Fort Worth. In the Affordable Care Act, he said, Congress “adopted the binary definition of sex.”

But Jennifer C. Pizer, the law and policy director at Lambda Legal, a gay rights group, said, “That is an excruciatingly narrow and legally incorrect definition of the term ‘sex’ that would jeopardize legal protections for (LGBT) people,” the New York Times quoted her as having said.

Wills & Trusts Powers of Attorney • Living Wills Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements

(240) 778-2330 • (703) 536-0220 www.PartnerPlanning.com

Serving the LGBT Community in DC/MD/VA since 1983 Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC

JUNE 6-10, 2018

Anti-gay Colo. group cancels Calif. conference

DENVER — A Colorado group that advocates for gay “conversion” therapy has canceled its June conference in California citing progress of a bill there that would outlaw the practice, the Denver Post reports.

California bill AB 2943 aims to ban gay “conversion” therapy, as well as advertising for these commercial services, deeming it a deceptive business practice under ADVERTISING consumer protection laws. California already forbids conversion therapy by mental #1 based in ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com) health professionals on those younger than 18. Summit Ministries,PROOF a group the resort city Manitou Springs, Colo., (just outside Colorado Springs), cited the bill REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of as the reason it was canceling its conference, the Post reports. the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts REVISIONS omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is The bill cites numerous health associations’ findings that “conversion” therapy responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users REDESIGN can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or TEXT REVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any poses health risks for LGBT people. No rigorous scientific research substantiates copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, claims that sexual orientation can be changed. or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE NO REVISIONS washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contr But some religious groups have rallied against the bill, saying it would violate liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes but is n by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. and warranties. their freedom of speech and set them up for lawsuits when discussing biblical attitudes toward same-sex attraction, the Denver Post reports.

“Our speakers are leading Christian experts who base their presentations on theology, as well as sociology, psychology and science,” Summit President Jeff Myers said in a statement, according to the Post. “But the wording of AB 2943 is a dog whistle to the left that intelligent Christians holding traditional views are fair game for discrimination, smears and frivolous lawsuits.”

The bill passed the California Assembly on April 19. It now heads to the Senate.

Colorado LGBT advocacy groups have attempted to ban gay “conversion” therapy by mental health providers for years but have yet to succeed, the Denver Post reports.

AUG 15-19, 2018 SEP 5-9, 2018

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 8 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

VIEWPOINT

Behind the scenes with Kathy Griffin A provocateur who knows something about the First Amendment

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

Many people have asked why the Blade chose to invite comedian Kathy Griffin to its table at last Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The event is a celebration of the First Amendment. As a longtime LGBT rights advocate, a comedian and provocateur, Griffin has made a long and successful career out of exercising her First Amendment right to free speech. The stunt last year in which she posed with a mock severed head of Donald Trump — which needlessly led CNN to fire her from a longstanding New Year’s Eve hosting gig with Anderson Cooper — was a textbook case of satire, which is constitutionally protected speech.

Thus, the decision to invite Griffin proved an easy and obvious one. (We also invited Stormy Daniels, but her attorney, Michael Avenatti, told me without irony that it would be too much of a “sideshow” for her to attend.)

Griffin didn’t disappoint, bringing her quick wit and fearless, LGBT-centric sense

of humor to the dinner table. I met her and her boyfriend, Randy Bick, on the red carpet and held her purse as she posed for photographers and granted a series of TV interviews. Inside the heavy purse was a stapler; it turns out she suffered a lastminute wardrobe malfunction leaving the hotel, breaking a strap on her gown. After it was repaired, she feared a repeat and asked to borrow the stapler, just in case.

She proved a good sport throughout the night, posing for an endless stream of selfies with (mostly gay) fans who congratulated her on surviving the Trump machine’s attacks in the aftermath of the photo scandal. When asked how her famous mom Maggie is at age 96, Griffin replied, “drunk.”

The only awkward moment came when Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley tried to squeeze past our table. Griffin stopped him and said, “How do you sleep at night?” Gidley replied, “Very well, thank you.” When Griffin expressed doubt about that, Gidley asked, “Are we really going to do this?”

That’s when things got interesting. Griffin, in her trademark style, retorted, “Yes we are, suck my dick! No, really, suck my dick!”

There was some back-and-forth, then Gidley, who was holding a Tecate, announced he was off to enjoy his Mexican beer “before we build the wall and you can’t get these anymore.” That prompted a farewell “fuck you” from Griffin, triggering nervous laughter around our table.

Later, when Politico’s Josh Dawsey was announced winner of the Merriman Smith Award for his story about the resignation of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer — who was seated at the E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

Blade editor KEVIN NAFF with guest KATHY GRIFFIN on Saturday night.

WASHINGTON BLADE STAFF PHOTO

table next to us — Griffin stood up and applauded loudly in his direction, eliciting guffaws from our neighbors.

One personal highlight of the night: the Blade’s Chris Johnson was honored as the honorable mention for the Merriman Smith award for a story he broke in December about Trump firing all members of his AIDS advisory committee. Chris’s name was called and he stood to a round of applause from the room. That would have been unthinkable 40, 30, 20, 10 or even five years ago, when much of the journalism and political elite of D.C. wouldn’t deign to acknowledge the gay press, much less honor one of its journalists. Congratulations to Chris for his dogged work in the White House, pressing officials to address our community’s issues.

Another noteworthy moment came when gay country singer Ty Herndon took to the podium to perform “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.” Unlike last year, the party drew current and former members of the administration, including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kellyanne Conway, Spicer, Reince Priebus and Omarosa Manigault-Newman. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein attended, too, drawing curious stares from many.

But the highlight of the evening’s entertainment came when Michelle Wolf delivered a riotous keynote, roasting everyone from Trump and Sanders to Sean Hannity and the Democratic Party. Afterward, Griffin raved, saying she “loved” the performance, despite some audience discomfort with an abortion joke. I was surprised by the mainstream media’s depiction of Wolf having bombed and offended the room. She did what any fearless comedian should do in that moment — skewer everyone and make us all laugh at ourselves.

Which brings us back to Griffin. Comedians occupy a unique and important role in our popular culture. We’ve long turned to them for incisive social commentary delivered with a sting; they say out loud what most of us are thinking. Attacking a comedian for doing her job as Trump and his cronies did to Griffin is petty and betrays deep insecurities. So, thank you, Kathy Griffin for making us laugh and for holding your own in the face of scorching attacks by those humorless GOP bores.

VOLUME

49

ISSUE

18

ADDRESS

PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE

202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 FEATURES EDITOR JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com ext. 8081 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER MARIAH COOPER PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, RICHARD J. ROSENDALL, HELEN PARSHALL, ERNESTO VALLE, NICOLÁS LEVY, BUNMI JOHNSON CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown at 202-747-2077, ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC All material in the Washington Blade is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Washington Blade. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. Although the Washington Blade is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by the Washington Blade, but the paper cannot take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit any submission. A single copy of the Washington Blade is available from authorized distribution points, to any individual within a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C. Multiple copies are available from the Washington Blade office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to get to a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 52-week mailed subscription for $195 per year or $5.00 per single issue. Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Phil Rockstroh at prockstroh@washblade.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Washington Blade, PO BOX 53352 Washington, DC 20009. The Washington Blade is published weekly, on Friday, by Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. Individual Subscriptions are $195 per year for 52 issues (only $3.75 per issue mailed to you USPS). Rates for businesses/institutions are $450 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Editorial positions of the Washington Blade are expressed in editorials and in editors’ notes as determined by the paper’s editors. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Washington Blade or its staff. To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words; commentaries should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address and phone number for verification.

Send submissions by e-mail to knaff@washblade.com.

©2018 BROWN NAFF PITTS OMNIMEDIA, INC.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 9

Hate once again rears its ugly head in D.C. Combating the troubling signs of anti-Semitism

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

Too often in the District of Columbia today we are seeing hate rear its ugly head. I am not sure if what is happening here and around the nation can all be laid at the feet of Donald Trump. There clearly is more to it.

In D.C. it was reported “hate crimes motivated by hatred of a religion increased last year, with a rise in the number of crimes targeting Jews and Muslims. Of the incidents spurred by hatred of a particular religion, anti-Semitism was again the leading cause, motivating about 55 percent of those episodes, followed by antiMuslim sentiment, which spurred about 25 percent. The number of hate crimes targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people also went up last year.”

I have lived in the District for 40 years having moved here from New York City. It was evident to me then the District was more segregated than I had been used to in New York.

I was born in Harlem and my grandparents

owned a hardware/housewares store there.

I taught school in Harlem and grew up in a home where diversity was valued. My parents who immigrated to the United States to escape the Nazis wanted me to understand different races, cultures and religions. We moved to Washington Heights when I was five but my parents had me travel to a non-denominational nursery school at the Riverside Church.

When I came to the District it seemed to be very segregated and communities came together less than they did in New York. It was all about east and west of the Anacostia River. I was smart enough to understand racism existed then and still does today and is unhealthy for everyone. We continue to have structural racism in the District and we must work every day to change that. We must fight it and speak out against it. We can never let racist comments go unchallenged and must stand up to hate.

As a Jew and a gay man I still benefit from what we understand to be ‘white privilege.’ Nevertheless, I would expect everyone to also speak out and fight antiSemitism and homophobia whenever they occur. Today that seems not to be happening as often as it should in D.C. The District now has a population of 700,000 and we have not abolished hate.

We must find a way to live together and respect each other if we are to become the great city we all want us to be. We need to provide a great education for all our

children and job opportunities for all our residents. We need to fight for real equality and that includes economic equality.

So this recent incident of anti-Semitism takes us away from moving toward the better city we want for all. When Council member Trayon White first made his comments about ‘the Rothschilds controlling the weather’ I was offended but passed it off as a lack of education and was willing to see him educated about how what he said impacted Jewish people. I heard him make an apology and was willing to accept it. I was even willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when he gave $500 to Farrakhan’s Saviors Day, though not a pass that he gave it from his constituent service fund, that he may not have realized how anti-Semitic Farrakhan is.

But then I read comments from Jonetta Rose Barras, a well-known reporter and writer, make an excuse for White’s anti-Semitism and conflate the Jewish people with the policies of the State of Israel (something that’s happening all too often these days). Then Josh Lopez trying to lead what he called a ‘unity rally,’ not sure why he thought he is the person to do this and what impact he thought he could have, and allow Abdul Khadir Muhammad, a mid-Atlantic representative for Farrakhan to have his megaphone to spew his hateful antiSemitism and not take back the megaphone and immediately speak out against it publicly.

Why were the other speakers silent on this?

Why did it take a reprimand from the mayor to get Lopez to apologize? Why has Trayon

White yet to speak out and separate himself from the comments of Muhammad?

All of this is both frightening and a blot on the reputation of the District. Clearly we need to educate our children in every part of the city on why hate is wrong. We need to teach that racism, sexism, homophobia and anti-Semitism are wrong and destructive. The question is how we move forward from here. How do we move beyond the attacks on a Jewish member of the Council?

One way is for the Council of the District of Columbia to pass a sense of the Council resolution against anti-Semitism.

They could include in that sense of the Council that we will also not accept racism, sexism and homophobia in our city.

The mayor should ask the Council to do that and endorse the resolution once it is passed. It would also behoove Josh Lopez to resign from his public post on the Housing Authority as a way to demonstrate he has a real understanding of the situation he exacerbated even if his initial intent was to do some good. There are always repercussions for our actions.

Then in an effort to move beyond this I would hope some of our religious leaders across the District would join together and speak out on these issues. We must find a way to move on and a big part of that is the recognition we must educate our residents and especially our children that as our mayor has said, “Hate is wrong and won’t be tolerated in the District of Columbia.”

V I E WPO I N T

Staying resilient in high-stress D.C. 4 tips for improving your happiness and well being

By BOBBY DONOHOE Between our busy lives of work, attempting to stay fit and healthy, sustain our relationships, and keep up with the go-go-go of D.C. life, we find ourselves barraged by the Me-Too-North-KoreaRussia-School-Shootings-Trump news cycles, Facebook rants followed by unproductive Facebook arguments, and the fact that hate crimes are on the rise (see Brock Thompson’s “With hate crimes on the rise, what’s to do?”). As a result, I find myself and my peers dancing between a feeling of anxiety, exhaustion and hopelessness.

So, what’s my point? It’s certainly not to just stress you out. I’m writing to help answer the question: “How do I stay happy when everything around me is stressing me out?”

I’ve thought about this question at length.

It started over two years ago when I started a non-profit called Strength in Our Voices

(SiOV). The impetus was a desire to create a positive ripple effect in my immediate network and help people feel comfortable talking about their stuff. In the process of figuring out how we were going to accomplish that mission, I found this program called Sources of Strength, an upstream strengthbased suicide prevention program. In reality, it’s a wellness program. I fell so in love with this program that I obtained certification as a regional trainer. Though this program is trained into schools, adults often feel as if they received the most benefit after experiencing the training.

I’m no master magician – I’m not able to just summon happiness. If I could, then I would be cashing out on that like the Hollywood Medium, not consulting for the federal government. The reason I get such positive feedback is because the Sources training does a spectacular job making sense of positive psychology and teaching people the active practice of seeking happiness.

A really easy way to understand positive psychology is through a common ex-

ample, which will which will resonate with D.C. workaholics. That is, “if I work harder, I will make more money. If I make more money I will be happier.” This is a flawed belief impugned on us by society our entire lives: work hard and you will get everything you want, the American Dream.

Sources seeks to flip the recipe on happiness by focusing on happiness first. In fact, studies show that happier people tend to be more productive and successful in their professional and personal lives.

Back to the initial question: How do I stay happy when everything around me is stressing me out? Unfortunately, there is no perfect recipe and I am still no wizard.

But, based on what I’ve learned, I’ve provided some recommendations for things you can do NOW that help helped me and can improve your levels of happiness and well-being: 1. Make a list of things that have helped you when you’re down. Why do we only take care of ourselves when things are going poorly? Writing those things down will make doing them a priority regularly

2. Start a gratitude journal. Gratitude is one of the most powerful means of sustaining happiness. Write down three things for which you are happy, once a day.

3. Tether yourself to the real world. We spend so much time on our phones and in our heads. Put down your phone, slow down, and spend time in the physical world; do yoga, go for a walk, pet a dog, lie in grass. It sounds kumbaya but it can help your happiness levels.

4. De-clutter your digital life. This is one of my biggest challenges. All of the checking and re-checking of your digital devices depletes your glucose levels. Instead make your phone task-oriented – change the notification settings so that those apps do NOT show a red dot allowing you to choose when you want to check.

BOBBY DONOHOE is the founder and president for Strength in Our Voices. Tickets are on sale for its upcoming 3rd Annual Summer of Strength Benefit for Change, being hosted at the Four Seasons in D.C. on May 12 from 6-8:30 p.m. Contact info@strengthinourvoices.org with questions or inquiries.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

20 • MAY 04, 2018

VIEWPOINT

Praying away the perfidy If you disintegrate, I’ll finish your popcorn

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

The spring rains were not strong enough to wash away the smell of corruption. Here are several short takes on the news.

1. Congress doesn’t have a prayer.

Speaker Paul Ryan demanded and got the resignation of Reverend Patrick J. Conroy, the 60th Chaplain of the House of Representatives. Conroy suspects it was because he offered a prayer questioning the taxcut bill out of concern for the poor. This raises the question of why there should be a chaplain in the first place. The job of chaplain, as Ryan apparently sees it, is not to challenge legislators but to provide a

thin veneer of piety to cover their rapacity, cruelty, and arrogance. Let them call Diala-Prayer and stop wasting our taxes.

2. Punching for patriarchy. Old comments keep coming back to haunt L. Paige Patterson, president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 2000, at a conference of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, he boasted of having counseled a woman who was beaten by her husband to stay, submit to him, and pray for him. This stems from complementarity, which teaches that men and women were created for each other. It is a euphemism for male supremacy. Its true origin is not the Bible but Plato’s Symposium, which, unlike the SBC, recognized that some people’s “other half” is of the same gender. Pro tip: you can pray just as well from a place of safety.

3. Guilty, guilty, guilty. Bill Cosby’s money and past impersonation of “America’s Dad” finally failed to protect him. He was convicted on three counts related to drugging and raping Andrea Constand. In an unsealed deposition from 2005, he had admitted that he obtained drugs to sedate women he wanted to have sex with. Whether he is sentenced to 30 years

or gets off on appeal, the entertainer and philanthropist will forever be remembered as a monster who used moral scolding of the poor to conceal his predations. One advance that may come from his case is the repeal of statutes of limitations for such crimes.

4. Grifter in the oil patch. Scott “Cone of Silence” Pruitt is so corrupt and destructive of the EPA that I believe he needs his bloated security detail. Like Paul Ryan saying the social safety net hurts the poor, Pruitt had the gall to say that killing pollution regs will help the environment. So go ahead, stay home on Election Day and choke.

5. Moon-Kim summit. The leaders of North and South Korea shook hands across their heavily armed border on April 26. This comes none too soon considering that America’s president surrounds himself with men slavering for war. Keep in mind that Congress paid for its tax cut with a massive increase in military spending, which is like balancing your béarnaise sauce with a crème brûlée for dessert. The result will not just be a spike in national debt, but countless more in foreign dead missing from our casualty lists and war memorials. Do not stray far from the bathroom.

6. Survivor: Knowhere. If you doubted that the next Marvel movie could be as good as Black Panther, congratulations. Avengers: Infinity War appears to be in a contest to see how many actors can be wasted in one movie. My favorite moment came when the ten-year-old next to me yelled “You idiot!” at Benedict Cumberbatch. Central to the plot are six “infinity stones” that together convey the power to kill half the universe, which the villain wants to do because of food shortages or some such brutal excuse. The stones are what Alfred Hitchcock called a MacGuffin, an object that drives the story. MacGuffins were parodied endlessly over the decades when TV’s Doctor Who worried about the Sash of Rassilon and other artifacts getting into the wrong hands. Infinity War got into the wrong (screenwriters’) hands, though it is breaking box-office records. It is capably made. Film lovers deserve more.

A grownup friend whispered, “We had a good run,” referring not to movie franchises but to America, which after 242 years is a theater full of hungry fans laughing at facile dialog.

Copyright © 2018 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

LO C A L N E W S

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 2 1

Dupont Circle church faces financial crisis CONTINUED FROM PAGE 06

ruling did not require DCRA to issue the stop order and the order was a mistake that will cause irreparable harm to the church.

The church entered into a partnership with CAS Riegler in which it sold twothirds of its property at 18th and Church Streets, N.W. as part of a joint project with the developer. Under the arrangement, the property sale and construction of a seven-story apartment building would pay the costs for building the new church, which the parish could not afford on its own, Dyer told the Washington Blade.

St. Thomas’ Parish has occupied that site for more than 120 years. Its original church building was destroyed by fire in 1970 in an incident that authorities listed as arson. After years of struggling to raise the funds needed to rebuild the church, while holding its worship services in what had been the church rectory, St. Thomas’ 250-member congregation was looking forward to moving into the new church building in March 2019, when it was scheduled for completion, Dyer said.

Lyle Blanchard, the church’s attorney, said he and attorneys for the developer believe they have an excellent chance

of persuading the court to reverse its decision to vacate the zoning variance on appeal. But Blanchard and Dyer said the appeal process could take months to wind its way through the court, forcing St. Thomas’ Parish to continue to foot the bill for the construction crew and equipment, including the rental of a crane.

Dyer said the only means he sees to avoid bankruptcy is for the court to agree to the church and developer’s motion for a stay on the stop work order while the appeal wends its way through the court.

“This has created a serious financial strain on our church,” said Dyer. “We are losing thousands of dollars a day for the construction crew that still needs to be paid,” he said, along with the rental fee for the crane.

Dupont Circle Citizens Association President Robin Diener, one of the lead opponents of the church-apartment building project, has said the project was too large and its modern design is out of character with the neighborhood that consists mostly of Victorian era town houses.

“The order to stop construction until a valid variance is obtained is totally consistent with law and regulation, and should have been anticipated by the developer and church,” the DCCA said in a statement. “It is a

direct result of their decision to proceed with construction ‘at risk’ during the pendency of the appeal,” the statement says.

“Had the developer and church awaited the court’s decision before proceeding, the community would not have been placed in this situation,” the DCCA statement says.

In a separate statement, Dyer said the church and its supporters have worked with the neighboring community during the entire process of planning for the construction, with many in the community supporting the project.

It is “truly shocking that our church is being targeted by the DCRA and a small group of citizens, who I have tried to work with on many occasion,” his statement says. “A vacant construction site benefits no one. We love Dupont Circle and this city,” he continued. “All St. Thomas’ Parish desires is to use its resources to make this city and this world a better place.”

In their court motion for a stay on the stop work order, the church and the developer point out that the existing zoning law allows the church to build on 80 percent of the lot that makes up the church’s long held property. In order for the joint project to work financially they needed slightly more than 86 percent

of the land for the two buildings – just over 6 percent more than what would be allowed under the zoning law.

Dyer also points out that the apartment building is narrower in its upper floors, which places the overall impact of the building on a smaller scale than the first and second floors.

Meanwhile, with the beams and outer walls of the apartment building already built to its full seven stories in height and the first two floors of the church’s planned four floors already built, most observers don’t believe the city or the neighbors would support demolishing the partially completed buildings or leaving the site as it is.

According to Dyer, the church very much wants to negotiate a settlement with the Dupont Circle Citizens Association that would allow the project to be completed.

He said that with the church’s full approval, the developer has reached out to the DCCA with an offer of financial support for neighborhood improvements.

“It was a very generous offer,” he said.

“But many neighbors I talked to did not know about that.”

Among the longtime supporters of the church building project is nationally recognized Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who’s gay and who now lives in D.C.

2 2 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

•

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

•

VOLUME

49

•

ISSUE

18

•

MAY

04,

2018

•

PAGE

23

SAMIRA WILEY as Moira in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ The lesbian actress grew up in Washington.

PHOTO COURTESY HULU

Donning the red cloak SAG-winning ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ actress is D.C. native

By BRIAN T. CARNEY

Returning to Washington is, as one would expect, nostalgic for actress Samira Wiley, a District native.

“Everything looks so different,” she says during a recent visit. “I drove past Duke Ellington, my high school, and they did a really huge renovation recently. I immediately texted one of my high school teachers and asked for a tour.”

At 31, Wiley has become something of a cultural icon for her TV work.

From 2013-2017 she starred as fan favorite Poussey Washington in “Orange is the New Black.” She and her castmates won three Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble.

Since 2017, she has starred as Moira in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Wiley was

nominated for an Emmy. The show won eight Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Drama Series), as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series.

And, in 2016, the actress was nominated for the BTVA Video Game Voice Acting Award for Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Video Game. She played the title character in “The Walking

Dead: Michonne.” She was awarded the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award in 2015; Out magazine named Wiley the “Ingenue of the Year” in 2014 and one of the Out 100 in 2017.

Wiley is currently starring in season two of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” New episodes CONTINUES ON PAGE 38

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

24 • MAY 04, 2018

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R SI G N E Y O LSO N

SIGNEY OLSON WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com The world can still be a rough place at times for children of LGBT couples.

Seeing they’re not alone is one of the main goals of the Rainbow Families Conference, slated for Saturday.

“I think it’s invaluable for kids growing up to see themselves reflected in the people surrounding them and to not feel “othered” by their immediate community,” says Rainbow Families board member Signey Olson. “Positive representation and celebration of this aspect of our lives gives the children in our community role models as well as peer groups that may have grown up with certain shared experiences, which affirms their own truths.”

About 200 adults and 75 kids are registered for the conference, to be held all day Saturday at Georgetown Day High School (4200 Davenport St., N.W.).

There are about 280 families in Rainbow Families. The conference offers networking, interaction with experts, workshops on various aspects of LGBT parenting and family planning, keynote speeches from elected officials Danica Roem and Rich Madaleno and all-day activities for children.

“LGBTQ-plus families often have many unique circumstances that aren’t reflected in much of the rest of society,” Olson, a 28-year-old Eau Claire, Wis., native, says. “For many, it’s relieving to be able to connect and build community with other families who have shared experiences.

It’s a big weekend for LGBT family events. They’re unrelated, but Sunday is Gay Day at the Zoo and International Family Equality Day. Full details on Rainbow Families at rainbowfamiliesdc.org.

Olson works in queer fertility so when she heard about Rainbow Families, joining a year and a half ago was “an obvious choice,” she says. She’s halfway through her two-year board term.

Olson, a nurse practitioner and nurse-midwife, came to the D.C. area seven years ago after a brief stint here in college. She grew up in Wisconsin on a 300acre Christmas tree farm.

She and partner Katie DePalma (“only fur babies right now”) live in Takoma Park, Md. Olson enjoys hiking with their dog, Linus, studying medicinal herbs and “trying to keep our potted plants from dying” in her free time.

Serving Our Community for 35 years

a d v i C e • m e d iat i o N • L i t i G at i o N • a P P e a L S • C o L L a B o r at i o N

FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS

Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A.

at tor N e YS at L aw • d C | m d | va

3 0 1 . 8 9 1 . 2 2 0 0 • S P - L aw. C o m

6 9 3 0 C a r r o L L av e , S u i t e 6 1 0 • ta k o m a Pa r k m d

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

Coming out was a long and gradual process for me, certainly not a sudden big reveal. My identity labels shifted considerably throughout the years, so I think ultimately the hardest person to tell was myself.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

One of my favorite queeros would be the fabulous comic Cameron Esposito (who coined the term queero).

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

Walking along the Wharf at night.

Describe your dream wedding.

When I was growing up, my best friend and I planned to have a dual wedding with our respective (at the time male) partners, barefoot somewhere in the Irish countryside. Little did we know when we were planning, that years later we would both come out less than two months apart. Our planning skills were clearly top-notch, we were just wildly wrong about the gender of our partners.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

Access to the complete spectrum of reproductive health care.

What historical outcome would you change?

The entire history of colonialization.

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

Bon Iver winning a Grammy.

On what do you insist?

Increased awareness around consent in the health care setting.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

An image of 10 concrete ways to actively reject white privilege as a white person.

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

“Little Did I Know…”

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

Find a way to fund a research study to refute their conclusion.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

Kitten memes as a form of self-care.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

We need to center the most marginalized voices if we’re going to progress forward and it’s important to acknowledge and be open to when your privilege is preventing progress.

And how most effectively to “call in” our community members to work as a team.

What would you walk a cross hot coals for?

Being able to pet cute dogs, any time, any amount of hot coals.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

I work as a health care provider in fertility so I would say the idea that masculine-of-center folks never want to conceive or carry a pregnancy-so not true.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

I know it’s cliché, but “Rent” was one of the most influential LGBTQ movies I saw at a young age.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Patriarchy

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

My partner is also a midwife so I would have to say my trophy (mid)wife.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

It’s totally OK and healthy to not be able to please everyone. Additionally, conveying that while the fight for marriage equality seems like the most important (and romantic) issue right now, it won’t be until later on that you realize the deeper importance of intersectionality and how the fight against racism is going to be the most important and pervasive issue to address.

Why Washington?

While sometimes I think Washington goes a bit heavy on the over-glorification of a busy lifestyle, I know I’m attracted to the city in large part for the neverending stream of events and ways to be engaged with my community.

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 2 5

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

26 • MAY 04, 2018

A RT S & CU LT U RE

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com Clove. Thru May 5. The Clarice. theclarice.umd.edu.

10. Embassy Series at Twin Oaks. embassyseries.org.

DANCE

MUSEUMS

Evenings at the Edge. May 10.

National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.

Aakash Odedra: Rising. May 9. The Clarice. theclarice.umd.edu.

National Archives. Remembering Vietnam. Thru Jan 6. archivesfoundation.org.

Dumbarton Oaks. Outside/IN: Martha Jackson Jarvis at Dumbarton Oaks.

Thru Aug 19. doaks.org.

Folger Shakespeare Library. Beyond Words: Book Illustration in the Age of Shakespeare. Thru Jun 3. folger.edu.

Kreeger Museum. Reinstallation of the Permanent Collection. Thru Dec 31. kreegermuseum.org.

Library of Congress. Drawn to Purpose. Thru Oct 20. loc.gov.

National Gallery of Art. Evenings at the Edge. May 10. Outliers and American Vanguard Art. Thru May 13. nga.gov.

National Museum of Women in the Arts. Free Community Day: May. May 6. Tour: Fierce Women. May 6. nmwa.org.

Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.

Celebrating Five Decades Of The Anacostia Community Museum, 19672017. Thru Jan 6. anacostia.si.edu.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. Lincoln’s Contemporaries. Thru May 19. npg.si.edu.

MUSIC Artes de Cuba May 8-Jun 3. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org

For two weeks this spring, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present Artes de Cuba: From the Island to the World, a festival celebrating the artistic richness that has emerged from this “island archipelago in the sun.”

This unprecedented gathering of Cuban and Cuban American artists represents some of the world’s greatest from the island and the Diaspora.

A Broadway Cabaret with Judy Kuhn May 5. Dumbarton Concerts at Dumbarton United Methodist Church. dumbartonconcerts.org.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times calls Judy Kuhn “the rare singer who can negotiate tricky folk pop lyrics, art songs, and popular standards with equal authority and insight” while Playbill Magazine states simply that she’s got “one of the richest and most exciting instruments around.”

Rite of Spring Thru May 27. Pointless Theatre at Dance Loft on 14. pointlesstheatre.com.

An original adaptation of Igor Stravinsky’s iconic 1913 ballet. This wordless piece will fuse puppetry, dance and pantomime to tell an original story of a future world where few humans are left to survive with minimal resources.

Jackson Art Center Spring Open Studios.

May 6. Jackson Art Center. jacksonartcenter.com.

Stroll through 40 working art studios and meet the artists at DC’s Jackson Art Center, housed in the historic Jackson School in Georgetown.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNEDY CENTER

THEATRE Iron & Coal. Thru May 4. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

Hamlet. Thru May 6. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Shear Madness. Thru Sep 21. Kennedy Center. shearmadness.com.

Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies. Thru Jun 3. Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas. mosaictheater.org.

DICTIONARY OF MARX: A Mulimedia Birthday Extravaganza. May 5.

Goethe-Institut at Capital Fringe. goethe.de.

MK Abadoo. May 5-May 6. Dance Place. danceplace.org.

Laugh Index Theatre. Thru May 9. DC Arts Center. dcartscenter.org.

The Wiz. Thru May 12. One Destiny.

Thru May 17. Ford’s Theatre. fords.org.

The Undeniable Sound of Right Now. May 5-May 27. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com.

The Crucible. Thru May 20. The Invisible Hand. May 9-Jun 10. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org.

Girlfriend. Thru Jun 10. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Comedy Showcase Night. May 5.

Stand-Up Studios. standupstudios.com.

Vietgone. Thru May 20. Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org.

Celebrate Mary Lou Williams. May 5.

Brian Wilson. May 7. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony.

May 5. National Philharmonic at Strathmore. nationalphilharmonic.org.

Elder conducts Vaughan Williams’s ‘Pastoral Symphony’ / Ravel’s Ma mère l’oye. May 10-May 12. NSO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

The Barber of Seville. Thru May 19.

Candide. May 5-May 26. WNO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Shanghai Quartet & Alexander Fiterstein, String Quartet + Clarinet.

May 6. Bender JCC. benderjccgw.org.

Hot Club of Cowtown. May 5.

BlackRock. blackrockcenter.org.

French Waves: 30 Years of French Electronic, Music Screening, Conference and DJ Set. May 10. Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org.

Maritime Voices at Friendship Heights. May 9. Washington Revels at Friendship Heights Village Center. revelsdc.org.

Sitar Performance by Anupama Bhagwat. May 5. Gandhi Memorial Center. gandhimemorialcenter.org.

Concert: Jazz in the Basement featuring ‘Just Another Foundry’.

May 6. Goethe-Institut. goethe.de.

Zakir Hussain & Dave Holland: Crosscurrents. May 6. Washington Performing Arts at GW Lisner Auditorium. washingtonperformingarts.org.

Danielle Wertz: Jazz Originals & Standards Brunch & Local Lox Tasting. May 6. JCCNV. jccnv.org.

Esperanza Spalding. May 4. Library of Congress. loc.gov.

Julia Bullock, soprano, and John Arida, piano. May 6. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.

Shenson Chamber Music Concert: ModernMedieval Trio of Voices. May 9. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.

Max Weinberg’s Jukebox. May 4-May 5. Wolf Trap at The Barns. wolftrap.org.

Annual Pops Concert. May 5. The Clarice. theclarice.umd.edu.

Gwhyneth Chen, piano. May

GALLERIES Strathmore. Jennifer Kahn Barlow.

Thru Dec 1. strathmore.org.

Arlington Arts Center. Spring Solos 2018. Thru Jun 2. arlingtonartscenter.org.

DC Arts Center. Queer(ed) Performativity. Thru May 20. dcartscenter.org.

District Architecture Center. reBirth::Washington DC 50 Years after 1968. Thru Jun 1. aiadac.com.

Dupont Circle. First Friday Dupont Circle Art Walk. May 4. dupontcirclemainstreets.org. gallery neptune & brown. Lois Dodd & Colleen Cox Two Painters: A Visual Dialogue. Thru May 25. galleryneptunebrown.com.

Gallery Underground. ‘’Hot/Cool’’ National Juried Show. Thru May 25. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

Glen Echo Park. A Fresh Palette: New Yellow Barn Faculty. May 4-May 28. glenechopark.org.

Takoma Park Community Center.

Fluid Dynamics Art Exhibition Opening Reception. May 10. takomaparkmd.gov.

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 2 7

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

28 • MAY 04, 2018

OUT & A BO U T

By MARIAH COOPER

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Chorus to hold ‘Gay-La’ May 5 Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington hosts its 15th annual spring affair, the Make America Gay-La, at the Mayflower Hotel (1127 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) on Saturday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m., there will be a special thank you reception for benefactor ticket holders. Cocktails and a silent auction kicks off at 6:30 p.m for benefactor and patron ticket holds. At 8 p.m. there will be dinner, live entertainment, a live auction, a 2017 Harmony Award presentation and an after-party. Dress code is black tie. Benefactor tickets are $350 and Patron tickets are $175.

For more information, visit gmcw.org.

PHOTO COURTESY CLEAR SPACE

‘Fun Home’ launches in Rehoboth Clear Space Theatre (20 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.) presents “Fun Home” May 4-20.

The Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of graphic novelist Alison who examines her life growing up after the unexpected death of her father. She recalls growing up in her family’s funeral home, exploring her sexuality and discovering more about her father. The cast includes Carissa Meiklejohn, Christin Thomas, Trista Harner, James Keegan (seen here), Amanda Gross and more.

Tickets are $32 for adults, $27 for seniors and $17 for students.

For more information and showtimes, visit clearspacetheatre.org.

Just like the whitewinged dove …

PHOTO BY KARLI CADEL; COURTESY WNO

Opera company invites gays to ‘Candide’ Capital Pride and Washington National Opera are offering the first-ever Night OUT at the Kennedy Center with a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s (appropriately, he was gay) “Candide” on Wednesday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Described as a “funny, philosophical and fast-paced take on Voltaire’s biting satire,” the production features classic tuns such as “Make Our Garden Grow” and “Glitter and Be Gay.” The show runs through May 26. Tickets are $30, $50 and $75 under the special Night Out rates, which are available using the promo code 289681. Call the box office at 202-467-4600 for details or visit kennedy-center.org for more information.

Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) hosts Nick’s Flix, a presentation of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac videos, on Saturday, May 12 from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.

DJ Travis Island will host the night and play a marathon of Nicks and Fleetwood Mac videos. Guests are encouraged to wear Nicks-inspired attire such as top hats, shawls and platform boots. No cover.

For more details, visit facebook.com/ uproarloungedc.

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 2 9

Vote in the Tuesday, June 19, 2018 Primary Election

Polls will be open from 7 am to 8 pm.

During the Primary, only Democratic, Republican, DC Statehood Green, and Libertarian voters may vote on the candidates. However, every registered voter, including unaffiliated and minor party affiliated voters, may vote on the Initiative Measure that will appear on the ballot.

CONTESTS ON THE BALLOT: Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives Mayor of the District of Columbia Chairman of the Council At-large Member of the Council Ward Member of the Council for Wards 1, 3, 5 and 6 Attorney General of the District of Columbia United States Senator United States Representative National and Local Party Committee Members Initiative Measure No. 77, the “District of Columbia Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2017”*

* All voters, regardless of party affiliation status, will be asked to vote “YES” to approve or “NO” to reject the Initiative Measure in the Primary. For the complete text of the Initiative Measure, please visit our website at www.dcboe.org

WANT TO VOTE EARLY? Early Voting will start at One Judiciary Square on June 4, and at ward-based Early Voting Centers on June 8. Early Voting Centers are open daily (including weekends) through June 15, 2018 from 8:30 am until 7 pm.

A DVE RT IS IN G ISSUE DATE: 10.24.14

SIONS GO REVISIONS NS

P R OOF

SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com)

REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof.

Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

ADVERTISER SIGNATURE

EARLY VOTING CENTERS:

By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, payment and insertion schedule.

MONDAY, JUNE 4 — FRIDAY, JUNE 15 Ward 2: One Judiciary Square, 441 4th Street NW

(PAPER & TOUCHSCREEN BALLOTS) FRIDAY, JUNE 8 — FRIDAY, JUNE 15 (TOUCHSCREEN BALLOTS ONLY) Ward 1: Columbia Heights Community Center, 1480 Girard Street NW Ward 3: Chevy Chase Community Center, 5601 Connecticut Avenue NW Ward 4: Takoma Community Center, 300 Van Buren Street NW Ward 5: Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Avenue NE Ward 6: Sherwood Recreation Center, 640 10th Street NE Ward 6: King Greenleaf Recreation Center, 201 N Street SW Ward 7: Deanwood Recreation Center, 1350 49th Street NE Ward 8: Malcolm X Opportunity Center, 1351 Alabama Avenue SE

NEED MORE INFORMATION? For more information on the upcoming election, on voter registration, to confirm your registration information, or to find your polling place, please visit www.dcboe.org or call (202) 727-2525.

3 0 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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

Rob Lacaze 28380 St. Michaels Rd .

Easton, MD 21601 410-770-3600

Cell: 410-310-7835 • www.RobLacaze.com • lacazerob@gmail.com

Where Knowledge and Service Come Together

If you are looking to buy on Maryland’s beautiful Eastern Shore, please call Rob Lacaze at 410-310-7835.

MARYLAND’S EASTERN SHORE

NORMANDIE - Undoubtedly one of Talbot County’s finest waterfront estate properties.

Magnificent French manor house with architectural significance sits on a 61 acre peninsula with over 3,200 feet of shoreline.

This one of a kind property is also comprised of a 2 bedroom guest/gate house, a 55+ car auto barn with office and 2 bathrooms, beautiful gunite pool, Bailey built dock with water and electric.

$6,500,000

Spectacular 4,000 sq. ft. waterfront home on 3 country acres in the Oxford/Trappe Corridor. This superbly build home has an open floor plan, hardwood floors, 3 fireplaces, sprinkler system, in-ground pool, and deeded boat slip with 3’MLW off the beautiful LaTrappe Creek.

$999,995

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 1

Rob Lacaze 28380 St. Michaels Rd .

Easton, MD 21601 410-770-3600

Cell: 410-310-7835 • www.RobLacaze.com • lacazerob@gmail.com

Where Knowledge and Service Come Together

Water Access -Beautiful home with 9’ ceilings, gas fireplace, granite and stainless in kitchen, wood floors, first floor master suite, tiled baths, screened porch. Community pool, dock & boat ramp. $259,000 | Janet M. Freeh 410-924-0658

Easton Club - Absolutely immaculate and stunning home! Gourmet kitchen with milestone counters, beautiful open floor plan allowing natural light throughout. Gas fireplace, double walk in closets in Master on first floor, double sinks in the spacious bath with granite & tile. Beautiful entrance into the foyer. A custom build screened porch off the kitchen. Lovely staircase to bonus room & 2 BRs/BA up. $489,500

Near Idewild Park & YMCA - Lovely custom designed, 3 bedroom, 2 bath Cape Cod on large lot with fully fenced rear yard. Close to all town activities.

Beautiful landscaping with mature trees. Recessed lighting and hardwood floors. High efficiency systems. Bright and spacious interior with a truly magnificent Master Suite. $399,500

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 2 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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 Leatherman of Color hosts its 2018 IML Send Off at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. The goodbye party will celebrate Leatherman of Color 2018 Dax Volpe. There will be drinks, a raffle and a farewell speech from Volpe. For more details, visit dceagle.com.

Gay District, a facilitated group discussion focused on building understanding of gay culture and personal identity, meets at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 8:30-9:30 p.m. After the meeting, the group meets for dinner in the neighborhood. For more information, visit gaydistrict.org.

Washington, D.C. History & Culture visits the 79th annual Flower Mart at the Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) today from 4-6 p.m. There will be an International Floral Exhibit, children’s activities, a carousel and food. Plants and gifts will also be available for purchase. The group will meet for dinner at a nearby restaurant following the event. Admission is free.

For more details, visit facebook.com/ dchistoryandculture.

SATURDAY, MAY 5 Stonewall Kickball’s KiQi Cornhole for a Cause Tournament is outside JR.’s and Stead Park (1519 17th St., N.W.) today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The tournament benefits SMYAL. There will be an after party at the Dirty Goose (913 U St., N.W.). Tickets are $50 per team of two. Every participant will receive one day pass to VIDA, one drink card to Jr’s, five raffle tickets and a drink bracelet for drink specials at Dirty Goose and Jr’s. For more information, visit facebook.com/kiqidckickball.

Tgirlnation hosts a cocktail party for transgender women at La Piazza in the Avenue Suites Georgetown (2500 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) tonight from 8 p.m.-midnight. No cover. For more details, visit facebook.com/tgirlnation.

The sixth annual A-RTS, an affordable arts festival, is at Rockville Town Square (200 East Middle Ln., Rockville, Md.) today from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Ceramics, drawings, glass, jewelry, metalwork, paintings, photography and more will be on display from various artists. There will also be live entertainment and food. The festival continues on Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, visit a-rts.org.

U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.) hosts Werk Ethic, an ‘80s and ‘90s house and techno party, tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ Ken Lazee and DJ Nick Garcia will spin tracks. Cover is free before midnight

PHOTO BY HUGH CARSWELL; COURTESY KENNEDY CENTER

CARSON KRESSLEY, seen here with guest judge CHRISTINA AGUILERA on a recent episode of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ will be in Washington Sunday for La Boum Brunch.

PHOTO COURTESY VH1/LOGO

and $5 after. There will be $5 margaritas until midnight. For more details, visit ustreetmusichall.com.

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts All Clubs Night, a party for all LGBT clubs, tonight from 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. For more details, visit dceagle.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 6 The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Bluf D.C., a leather party for men and women, today from 4-9 p.m. Guests can smoke cigars on the patio. For more information, visit dceagle.com.

Gay Day at the Zoo is at the Smithsonian Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) today from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The zoo will also celebrate International Family Equality Day for the first year. Activities will include live music, giant panda ice treats, elephant training demo, great ape enrichment, giant panda enrichment, meet-a-farm animal and more. Admission is free. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/events/gayday.

AIDS Walk & Run Baltimore kicks off at the Maryland Zoo (1 Safari Pl., Baltimore) today from 7-11 a.m. On site registration begins at 7 a.m. and the event starts at 7:45 a.m. Participants can choose between the 5K Run or the 2K Walk. After the event, participants can meet in the Health Village and spend the day at the zoo. Zoo admission is included in the ticket price.

Walker adult tickets are $25, walker children tickets are $10, runner adult tickets are $35 and runner child tickets are $10. Virtual walker/runner tickets for those unable to participant are $40. For more information, visit events.chasebrexton.org.

La Boum Brunch, a party brunch, is

at the Abigail (1730 M St., N.W.) today from noon-4 p.m. TV personality Carson Kressley will host the brunch. There will be a brunch buffet and a DJ will spin tracks all day. Tickets are $49. Drinks are charged separately. For more details, visit facebook.com/laboumbrunch.

Tagg Magazine hosts Ladies Tea, a women’s happy hour, at Hank’s Oyster Bar (1624 Q St., N.W.) today from 3-5 p.m. There will be raw bar specials, drink specials and more. For more information, visit facebook.com/taggmagazine.

satirical musical by Leonard Bernstein.

Tickets range from $30-75. There will be complimentary champagne at intermission and after the show. For more details, visit facebook.com/capitalpridedc.

Big Gay Book Group meets at Trio Bistro Restaurant (1537 17th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. to discuss “Speak No Evil” by Uzodinma Iweala. Newcomers welcome. For more details, visit biggaybookgroup.com or email biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com.

MONDAY, MAY 7

JR.’s Bar (1519 17th St., N.W.) hosts a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 10 viewing party tonight at 8 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/jrsbardc.

Moon Boots performs a live DJ set at Union Stage (740 Water St., S.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. This is an all-ages show.

For more details, visit unionstage.com.

OutWrite presents “The Future is Still Queer” at East City Bookshop (645 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) today at 6 p.m. Local LGBT writers will share their thoughts on queer voices in speculative fiction. K.M. Szpara, Na’amen Tilahun, Ruthanna Emrys and Rashid Darden will speak on the panel moderated by Marianne Kirby. Attendees are asked to RSVP on Facebook. For more information, visit facebook.com/outwritedc.

Catherine Maffett and Eileen Suffian host an art show and sale at Rosemary’s Thyme Bistro (1801 18th St., N.W.) tonight from 5:30-8 p.m. Proceeds will partially benefit Human Rights Campaign. For more details, visit designsbyeileen.com or catherinemaffett.art.

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.

TUESDAY, MAY 8 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts a transgender support group tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. All are welcome regardless of gender, orientation, or status.

Partners, family and allies are also invited.

For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 Capital Pride and Washington National Opera host Pride Night Out at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) for a performance of “Candide” tonight at 7:30 p.m. “Candide” turns the classic story by Voltaire into a

THURSDAY, MAY 10

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BOOKS

Trans activist Chloe Schwenke says ‘to hell with it’ in new book

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 3

A ‘SELF-ish’ memoir

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com About a decade ago when Chloe Schwenke and her then-wife Christine Lucas were ready to share the news with their two children (then 8 and 13) that their dad was going to start living as a woman, Schwenke knew she needed to get out in front with some damage control.

Schwenke and her wife met with 12 different couples whose kids were friends with theirs.

“We knew the first time the kids saw me as Chloe, they would go screaming back home to their parents,” Schwenke says. “The experts told us everything depends on how those parents react.

Once the parents were on board with it, the kids came through just fine.”

It’s one of many stories relayed in “SELF-ish: a Transgender Awakening,” Schwenke’s new memoir. It’s out today as a trade paperback from Red Hen Press, a California-based publisher.

Schwenke, who holds a Ph.D. in public policy, is a former Obama administration appointee who worked for years in international development.

Coming out as trans in 2008 wreaked havoc on her professional career — she recounts being fired four different times and long periods of unemployment. Schwenke, who doesn’t want to get specific but says she’s “in her 60s,” now works in the Association for Writers & Writing Programs, a literary support group at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The book didn’t start out being a book at all. Schwenke enjoys writing and blogging for relaxation and started with journaling, exploring her journey through transitioning and unpacking “why it took me 50-some years to get around to it.”

“It seemed sort of all over the place,” Schwenke, who is no longer married but still lives with Lucas in Olney, Md., says.

“It had integrity, but it didn’t seem to me that these stories related to one another until suddenly they did. … I started to see it as something that cohered as a way to be myself in the world in a way I thought might be helpful to other people.”

Exploring all that took work but was an illuminating process, she says. Incidents from childhood came roaring back to her consciousness with “remarkable clarity.” She spent a year writing it, then after securing a deal with Red Hen, one of three publishers she contacted (the other two weren’t interested but Red Hen bit immediately), she spent another two years working with two editors to glean

PHOTO BY CARL COX PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY OF SCHWENKE

CHLOE SCHWENKE says coming out wreaked havoc on her professional career. Despite a stellar resume and Ph.D. she was repeatedly fired.

the work into something publishable. The 260-page paperback retails for $17.95 and is available at all the usual online book channels or via chloemaryland.net.

Schwenke on: • How the book evolved: “They wanted to hear more about my explorations of dating men and a bit less about my being a Quaker. … I’d had some dating experiences end really badly and though I hadn’t initially planned to include much of that, though it was in my journal, they said, ‘Just sit with that awhile,’ because they thought that would be of interest to readers.”

• Her concerns with going public with her life: “My real concern is whether people are gonna sue me. I’ve been fired four times just for being trans, arrested, beaten up, called every name you can think of. I did name names but just first names. I thought, ‘To hell with it, these are important interactions and people need to know how people behave toward trans people.’”

• The title: “When I came out to family, some people were really angry with me.

Two of my three brothers didn’t speak to me for eight years. A recurring response was, ‘How could you be so selfish?’ There

was this wave of anger. … I decided to put the hyphen in and reclaim that word.”

• How she feels anti-trans bias is part of broader toxic patriarchy: “I think there are lots of unreconciled feelings hetero men have about sexuality because they’ve never had to think through it or deal with it because they’ve just always been the boss, they’ve called the shots. When somebody goes in the opposite direction, it raises a lot of profound questions. They think, ‘Why would anybody want to do that,’ and they have a very deep-rooted gut reaction to the operation itself. … Every time we told other couples, the men immediately crossed their legs. They have a very strong, protective reaction.”

• Working with the State Department and monthly visits to the Obama White House: “Don Steinberg (former deputy administrator at the United States Agency for International Development) was a huge ally and really pushed me and the LGBT community to be verbal and outspoken though we didn’t get much support from the administration at the time, though they also didn’t stand in our way. … The White House was fantastic.

They looked at us and said, “What can we do for you?” That was their mantra every month and that really started with (former deputy director of the White House Office of Public Engagement) Brian Bond.

• Gens. Y and Z’s comfort with gender fluidity: “They’re asking questions and not just defaulting to the binary, which is great. They’re just really sitting with their gender identity for a while before they declare anything and that’s such a healthy thing. My daughter is 18 and all her friends just think it’s cool.”

• Trans visibility in the age of Caitlyn Jenner: “She’s a really canny person.

She knows how to play the media and I really admire that in these exchanges we see, she never seems to be the victim. I couldn’t disagree with her politics more, though. She’s a stalwart Republican and with a president and especially vice president as transphobic as we have now, how she reconciles that, I don’t know.”

• Her relationship with her ex-wife: “We are no longer married but we still share the same house and jointly raise our daughter. Christine is my best friend and strongest ally.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

34 • M A Y 04, 2018

THEATER

HAPPILY EVER AFTER HAS FINALLY MET ITS MATCH.

PHOTO BY MARIA BARANOVA; COURTESY ARENA

FINA STRAZZA as Faina in ‘Snow Child.’ It runs through May 20 at Arena.

Photo by Karli Cadel /Glimmerglass

Baby it’s cold outside

Candide

May 5–26 | Opera House Music by Leonard Bernstein / Book Adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler in a New Version by John Caird / Lyrics by Richard Wilbur with Additional Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John La Touche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, and Leonard Bernstein In English with Projected English Titles Production from The Glimmerglass Festival

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

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

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

Major support for WNO is provided

by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO. WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

Additional support for Candide is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Arena musical ‘Snow Child’ visits 1920s Alaska

By PATRICK FOLLIARD “Hello Winter!” “Hello Silence!” Standing on the frozen river’s edge, Mabel, the most unlikely of homesteaders, shouts the opening lines of “Snow Child” to no one in particular.

Making its world premiere at Arena Stage in a bold and beguiling production directed by Molly Smith, “Snow Child” is a musical adaptation of Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel “The Snow Child,” a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Set in 1920s Alaska territory, it follows the travails of Mabel and husband Jack (played by golden-throated Broadway vets Christiane Noll and Matt Bogart) who’ve left more circumscribed lives behind in Pennsylvania to claim some acres and carve a working farm out of the wilderness. When we meet them, the couple is facing the onset of a bleak winter and still mourning the recent loss of their only child.

Jack spends days clearing the land while Mabel remains alone often sketching. Her isolation is interrupted with the appearance of a mysterious girl from nowhere. Mabel is intrigued with the illusive snow child Faina (tween actor Fina Strazza) accompanied by her tamed white fox. Initially Jack and downto-earth homesteader neighbors George and Esther (played with folksy humor by Dan Manning and Natalie Toro) and their expert trapper son Garrett (Alex Alferov) doubt Mabel’s sanity, suggesting she’s imagined the girl.

But as Faina warms up to both Jack and Mabel, her appearances become increasingly frequent. A skilled hunter who’s thoroughly adept in the outdoors, Faina helps the novice settlers adjust to their new lives, subtly assisting Jack with his first kill — a gigantic moose that gets them through the first winter.

Then just as things begin to look up for

Jack and Mabel, a spooked plough horse kicks Jack, breaking his back. It’s here that Mabel, the inept frontierswoman, is forced to prove her mettle. Trading ladylike duds for workpants, she successfully plants a crop of potatoes with the help of young Garrett. Armed with newfound confidence, Mabel asserts herself and takes her rightful place on the farm.

A toe-tapping score by Bob Banghart and Georgia Stitt combines Alaskan string-band traditions and contemporary musical theater. And the design elements are pleasing. The various animals, so important to the story, are marvelously crafted puppets, designed by Emily Decola and expertly handled by a skilled ensemble (Dorothy James, David Landstrom, and Calvin McCullough).

Designers Todd Rosenthal (set), Kimberly Purtell (lighting), and Roc Lee (sound) transform Arena’s Kreeger Stage into the wilds, chilly and remote, with colorful northern lights, snowcapped peaks, the surround sound of wildlife, frozen river and cozy rustic cabin.

At times, John Strand’s book feels thin.

Jack’s re-learning to walk and magically shaking a newly acquired laudanum addiction are glossed over. Still, the leads have created nuanced performances.

Handsome Bogart exudes good humor and strength as Jack, and Noll wonderfully assays a sensitive and ultimately strong woman who is charmingly out of her element.

A co-production with Perseverance Theatre, the Alaska company founded

by Arena’s artistic director Smith before coming to D.C., “Snow Child” is in many ways a love letter to her former home’s ruggedness, vastness and possibilities.

In part it’s about healing. It’s also about surviving that first winter. But for Jack and Mabel both are one in the same.

‘SNOW CHILD’ Through May 20 Arena Stage 1101 Sixth Street, SW $40-$90 202-488-3300 Arenastage.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

S P O RTI N ’ I N DC

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 5

All Stars spotlight: Stonewall Climbing Queer league welcomes all genders, identities

By KEVIN MAJOROS This week in the Washington Blade’s All Star series, we meet two athletes from Stonewall Climbing whose fourth season is starting this week. Registration is still open for limited spots in the season which runs through September.

The Stonewall Climbing league offers recreational climbing in a team format.

After moving to D.C. in December of 2015, Ari Dolmon started looking for a rock-climbing option. Even though she had never climbed before, it was an item on her checklist. She gave D.C. Fray Frisbee a try first but didn’t click with any of the players. Now entering her third season with Stonewall Climbing, she has found the niche that she was looking for in D.C. “I fell in love with rock climbing immediately and the people have been incredibly welcoming. I had been missing that feeling of being connected to something since moving here,” Dolmon says. “I didn’t think it was going to be my thing, but it really has been for the past year.”

Dolmon grew up in Woodstock, Ill., and didn’t play in organized sports except for one attempt at soccer. While attending the University of Illinois she played pickup frisbee, rugby and soccer along with taking on several hiking trips in Colorado.

She is enjoying the challenges that rock climbing present and finds correlations with her ongoing transition as a transgender woman.

“When you start out in rock climbing, you go through a period of accomplishments and then reach a plateau. You have to develop skills to reach the next level,” Dolmon says. “Through that you are pushing yourself to be a better person and you have teammates that are there to push you along the way.”

After college, Dolmon worked in Israel as an English teacher. Now working as an associate for a law consulting firm, she came to D.C. because of its strong queer presence and a desire to stay connected to the international community. The welcoming space provided by Stonewall Climbing has been integral to her path.

“One of my challenges is that I want other people to see me the way I see myself,” Dolmon says. “Even over time there is always going to be a masculine and feminine dynamic since I identify as a butch woman. I want to be strong, but strong as a woman.”

Every day things such as the type of clothing Dolmon wears are made just a bit easier when she is heading to a session with Stonewall Climbing.

PHOTOS COURTESY DOLMON AND VIVERITO

ARI DOLMON (left) and CV VIVERITO are members of Stonewall Climbing.

“I just throw on a sports bra and women’s cut clothing. It makes me happy that I can put myself out there and have the full backing of everyone I know,” Dolmon says. “My mental transition is long past; now I am working on the physical.”

CV Viverito enjoys a team environment and believes that sports lead to being more focused and organized in all aspects of life. While they were recovering and doing physical therapy from a soccer back injury, a friend suggested rock climbing as a possible outlet.

“I love having a sport and a team. Rock climbing is individual but not with the team format of Stonewall Climbing,” Viverito says.

“The sport is both a physical and mental workout and it gives you a Zen feeling. When I am on a treadmill, I am thinking about my day. When I am on the wall, I don’t have the capacity to think about anything else.”

Growing up in South Brunswick, N.J., Viverito was a three-sport athlete in soccer, softball and basketball. They (Viverito’s preferred pronoun) switched over to soccer full-time playing on their high school team as well as on a state club team, the Jersey Knights. They

played four years of varsity soccer at Muhlenberg College.

Viverito studied abroad in Spain during college and ended up moving there to teach English and work in ESL curriculum for two years. Their first job back in the States was at Human Rights Campaign before taking a career detour at the Art Institute of Washington.

Citing a desire to return to work in the LGBT community, they are now working as an international programs manager with the Victory Institute.

Soccer was still their sport of choice in D.C. and they played with the Washington Area Women’s Soccer League before discovering rock climbing. The environment at Stonewall Climbing has been a welcoming experience and this will be their third season with the league.

Viverito identifies as non-binary and as a genderqueer womyn.

“The last time I played organized soccer was four years ago and I wasn’t out as genderqueer,” Viverito says. “It is no big deal at Stonewall Climbing because the teams aren’t divided by gender. I don’t really have to think about it.”

The leadership of Stonewall Climbing has been encouraging more diversity in the league in the hopes that it will increase the levels of understanding among the athletes and the staff at the rock climbing gyms. There is also outreach and social events with other climbing groups including Brown Girls Climb and Brothers of Climbing.

Recently, some of the gym management sat down for a conversation initiated by Stonewall leadership and facilitated by Viverito.

“We discussed topics such as respectful language, commonality of language, appropriate questions, locker rooms and facilities,” Viverito says. “It was great, and the gym staff learned a lot.”

Viverito started as a beginner and says they are at an intermediate level now and feeling more comfortable on the wall every week. The safe space offered at Stonewall Climbing has allowed them to thrive in their new sport.

“I am in spaces in life where I am not comfortable and that is not the case at Stonewall Climbing,” Viverito says. “It’s a great feeling just getting on the Metro knowing I am heading to climbing.”

Answers and Resources For Your Questions About Aging

DC DC20016 20016 na.org DC 20016 ona.org na.org

Vivacious ‘Vida’

T E LE V I SI O N

By BRIAN T. CARNEY

Since 1975, Iona Senior Services has provided the community-based services, solutions, and relief that make aging well possible.

Services has provided provided the community-based community-based services,solutions, solutions, or Services has provided the the rr Services community-based services, solutions, WE OFFER:services, relief that make aging well possible.

We offer: reliefthat that make aging well well possible. We offer: elief WeHelpline offer: to connect you to • Informationpossible. & Referral

448 448 448

36 • M A Y 04, 2018

New STARZ dramedy features Latinx diversity

D D D OR FOR OR ONS ONS ONS G

more more more es and esand and es you. you. you.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

resources and services • Information & Referral Referral Helplinetotoconnect connectyou youtotoresources resources and services Information & Helpline and services • Information & Referral Helpline to connect you to resources and services • Consultations & Care Management to help you explore care options plan • Consultations & Care Management to help you Consultations & Care Management to help you explore care options or or plan •for Consultations & Care Management to help you explore care options or plan your future, and coordinate services explore care options or plan for your future, and coordinate services future, and coordinate services for your future, coordinate services • Mental healthand counseling and supportgroups groups build community and health counseling and support totobuild community and • Mental health counseling support to build •provide Mentalcoping healthstrategies counseling and supportand groups to build groups community and and resources coping strategies and resources community and provide coping strategies and resources provide strategies and resources • Adultcoping Health Services tooffer offerstimulating stimulatingactivities activities and nursing care Day Health Services to and nursing care • Adult Day Health Services to offer stimulating activities •during Adult Dayday, Health Services offer stimulating activities and nursing care day, and respite respite forto caregivers the and for caregivers andday, nursing care during the day, and respite for caregivers during and respite for caregivers • Dailythe social activities, activities, exercise, anda anutritious nutritiouslunch lunch Iona’s Active social exercise, and at at Iona’s Active • Daily social activities, exercise, •Wellness Daily social activities, exercise, and a nutritiousand lunchaatnutritious Iona’s Active Program at at St. St.Alban’s Alban’s Program Wellness Program atmeals St. Alban’s lunch at Iona’s Active Program at shop St.shop Alban’s • Home-delivered meals forolder olderWellness adultswho who can’tgrocery grocery prepare Home-delivered for adults can’t oror prepare •healthy Home-delivered meals for older adultsfor who can’tadults grocery who shop or prepare dishes dishes • Home-delivered meals older can’t healthy dishes •• Classes for older older adults oncritical criticalhealthy topicslike like downsizing, aging solo, Classes for adults on topics downsizing, aging solo, andand grocery shop or prepare dishes •finances Classes for older adults on critical topics like downsizing, aging solo, and finances • Classes for older adults on critical topics like downsizing, •• Exercise classes and andart artworkshops workshopstotonourish nourishyour yourmind, mind, body, and spirit finances Exercise classes body, and spirit aging solo, and finances • Exercise classes and art workshops to nourish your mind, body, and spirit • Exercise classes and art gallery to nourish your mind, body, and spirit

Call now to learn more about Iona’s services and how we can help you.

202-895-9448 4125 ALBEMARLE ST NW, WASHINGTON DC 20016 202.895.9448 | WWW.IONA.ORG | INFO@IONA.ORG

On Sunday, STARZ breaks down some serious barriers with the premiere of “Vida.” Set on the Eastside of Los Angeles, the series was created by a queer Latinx woman who also serves as showrunner, features a non-binary actor in a lead role and has a writer’s room where the entire staff is Latinx and most of the team is LGBT and/or female-identified.

The series got started when executives at STARZ called Tanya Saracho in for a meeting. Saracho is a Chicago-based writer who has written for “Devious Minds,” “Girls,” “Looking” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” Her plays include “Mala Hierbe” and “Fade,” which was inspired by her experience as a “diversity hire” for a television studio.

“They asked me if I know what a ‘chipster’ was, and I said, ‘Of course.

It’s a Chicana hipster,’” Saracho says.

“Then they asked me if I knew what gentrification was. Then they asked, ‘Can you do a pilot about it?’ and I said, ‘yeah.’”

Saracho recalls that the outline of the series came quickly.

“It’s all very simple really,” she says.

“It’s about two girls who come home and find out a secret about their late mother.

Using this area of L.A. as backdrop, everything just kind of filled up around them. These girls are very much my children now.”

A novice showrunner, Saracho learned that time is money in television.

“The first scene I turned in was seven pages,” she says. “My producer said, ‘You know, it costs $100,000 to shoot a page of dialogue. Do you think you have a $700,000 scene here?’”

She didn’t and she cut the scene in half.

She also noticed TV is more diverse.

“I do think there is something happening in TV that is really cool and I want theater to catch up,” she says.

“I’ve been in the theater for 17 years.

We’ve been talking about diversity and inclusion and LGBTQ narratives and brown narratives and Latinx narratives for years. But, the theater seasons still look the same as when I started.”

Things have happened more quickly on TV, she says.

“From my lived experience, I feel very supported in the conversations I’m having with STARZ,” she says. “They might not have the right terminology all the time, but they’re being active. It’s not just talk.”

This commitment to tackling complex social issues is embodied in the plot of “Vida.” When Lyn (Melissa Barrera)

PHOTO COURTESY STARZ

TANYA SARACHO says TV has evolved more quickly than theater.

and Emma (Mishel Prada) return to their childhood home for their mother’s funeral, they discover that their mother has come out as a lesbian. As they deal with their grief and anger, they must also deal with their own sexual identities, childhood memories, new and old lovers, suspicious neighbors and saving their mother’s bankrupt bar from developers who are trying to gentrify the neighborhood.

The sisters must also come to terms with their mother’s lover Eddy Martinez, played by non-binary actor Ser Anzoategui who uses the pronouns they/ them/their. They are a Los-Angeles based writer and performer whose work as an “artivist” brought them to the attention of fellow theatre artist Saracho. Anzoategui is proud to bring this character to life.

“Eddy is this beautiful soul who looks intimidating,” Anzoategui says. “I think Eddy will break stereotypes and expectations and reach everyone’s heart.

This character lives in truth, where a lot of the other characters are trying to avoid the truth. It’s really fantastic to show viewers who Eddy is because Eddy reflects a lot of LGBTQ-plus people in Los Angeles.”

Anzoategui says the time is right for a show like “Vida.”

“We need this show right now,” they says. “The word ’vida’ literally means life and this show is literally a lifeline. ‘Vida’ may not leave you with answers. It’s not like this nicely wrapped-up beginning, middle and end and here’s the resolution.

It’s real, like you’re living a life with these people. This amazing show opens up the eyes and the mind to what else is possible when you honor the communities you are telling a story about.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A D V I CE

M A Y 04, 2018 • 37

琀栀攀

The other ‘L’ word 22-year-old weighs pros and cons of speaking up

MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who works with gay individuals and couples in Washington. He can be found online at michaelradkowsky.com. All identifying information has been changed for reasons of confidentiality. Have a question?

Send it to michael@michaelradkowsky.com.

MICHAEL, I’m 22 and in my first real relationship with another guy.

I think we’re at a standstill because neither of us has said, “I love you.”

I’m scared to say it unless I know he feels the same way. What if he doesn’t?

I would be so embarrassed about being premature or misreading him.

I think he does love me — he’s very sweet and romantic and looks really happy whenever we’re together. Last week was my birthday and he sent flowers to my office! But I’m still scared he might not be “there” yet.

When I was in high school another boy and I were really close. We were always hanging out together (nothing physical).

I was in the closet and didn’t come out to him, or him to me, and in junior year his family moved away. I had really intense feelings and wanted to tell him I loved him, but I was afraid I might be wrong and he wouldn’t talk to me again or would tell people I was gay.

I know this isn’t the same situation at all. Jeremy and I are boyfriends and it’s clear we like each other a lot. But I’m still scared of making myself vulnerable and then feeling foolish.

When I think about telling Jeremy I love him, I can’t help thinking that he hasn’t said, “I love you” to me either. Maybe he’s scared, too. That’s hard for me to believe, because he is a very confident guy. So then I think if I tell him and he doesn’t feel that way he will see me as needy or clingy and dump me.

But right now it just feels to me like there’s some barrier that we have to cross if we’re going to really be a couple. I’d like to cross it but I’m scared of ruining what we have right now or feeling like a fool.

Thoughts?

一䄀䬀䔀䐀 夀伀䜀䄀 䴀漀渀搀愀礀猀 ☀ 眀攀搀渀攀猀搀愀礀猀

MICHAEL REPLIES: You can either have an intimate relationship or be safe. Take your pick.

Intimacy means letting someone know you well. This includes stuff you might get judged on, such as saying “I love you” when you’re the only one who feels that way. So if you want to be in a close relationship, you have to be up for facing rejection, disappointment and heartbreak at times. There’s no way around this.

Yes, I know it’s scary to go out on a limb, but you do love Jeremy and you want this relationship to move forward.

Here’s your opportunity to advance.

I have to say, from your description, it does seem likely that Jeremy will be glad to hear your words. He sounds like a sweetheart who cares a lot about you.

But you do not get a guarantee as to how he will respond.

That’s true for everyone in life. We all have to take chances and do what we think is right without knowing how it’s going to turn out.

Of course, you could wait for Jeremy to tell you he loves you before you tell him how you feel. That would certainly be the safer route, because you’d eliminate the risk of his not reciprocating your feelings.

But it may be that Jeremy is also scared to tell you. If you each are waiting for the other person to make the first move, you’re going to have a long wait. Why should you not be the one to go first?

Keep in mind that this isn’t the only time you’re going to face a situation like this, where you believe it’s important that you speak up about something, but are scared about the outcome.

Taking a pass now won’t make it any easier to do this down the road. But if you do tell Jeremy how you feel, you will learn that you can survive making a scary move without knowing how it will turn out. Because no matter how Jeremy responds, you will survive. Going through this experience will help you to make similar moves going forward.

If you’re going to be in a strong and solid relationship, you need to be able to handle the possibility of disappointment, and soothe yourself when things don’t go the way you’d like. Perhaps the coolest and most spiritual gift of being in a relationship is that you are handed one opportunity after another to become more resilient. You are being handed such an opportunity now.

㘀㨀㌀ 倀䴀

琀甀攀猀搀愀 礀猀 ㄀⼀㈀ 瀀爀椀挀攀 氀漀挀欀攀爀猀 ☀ 爀漀漀洀猀 㠀 愀洀 ⴀ 洀椀搀渀椀最栀琀

猀愀 琀甀爀搀愀 礀猀 最爀愀戀 愀 ␀㔀 漀昀昀 挀愀爀搀 愀琀 吀刀䄀䐀䔀 昀愀挀攀戀漀漀欀⸀挀漀洀⼀琀栀攀挀爀攀眀挀氀甀戀

㄀㌀㈀㄀ ㄀㐀琀栀 猀琀 一圀

“ Before

I could be she I had to be me.

”

T H E G AY M E N ’ S C H O R U S O F WA S H I N GTO N , D C P R E S E N TS

TransAmerica Because everyone has the right to be their authentic selves.

June 2nd, 8pm June 3rd, 3pm

877.435.9849 gmcw.org

Special guest soprano: Breanna Sinclairé

Lincoln Theatre 1215 U St. NW

Tickets and Groups of 10 or more, 202.293.1548

Brought to you by Presenting Sponsor

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

38 • MAY 04, 2018

A RT S & E N T E RT A I N ME N T

Wiley’s parents are retired D.C. pro-gay pastors CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

are being dropped weekly on Hulu.

The series, based on the monumental dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, is set in the repressive republic of Gilead, which has been established by theocratic terrorists after the overthrow of the U.S. government.

“I think it’s important for people not to think of this as in the future or in the past, but as a parallel reality,” Wiley says.

“When we were making it, we knew it was going to be timely and relevant. We didn’t know it was going to be this relevant.”

Wiley plays a black gay woman who has become a handmaid in Gilead where 95 percent of the women are sterile and the fertile are enslaved as red-cloaked sexual surrogates. In the first season, she and best friend Ofglen (Elisabeth Moss) navigate the strange new world together.

Wiley credits the talented crew with helping her ground her performance.

“It feels so real to me because they have gone out of their way to make it seem real. Every detail is so planned out.

Reed Morano directed the first three episodes and created the look of the show with us. She’s created a world that is insanely gorgeous. There is heartbreak in that because it is so beautiful and so horrible all at the same time.”

One of the sequences that made the biggest impact on Wiley was when Moira and June try to escape Gilead. As they walk through the town, they are under continual surveillance from armed guards and other security personnel in marked vehicles.

“The thing that was most striking to me walking through Gilead that day was the lack of signage anywhere,” she says.

“There are no words. For women in Gilead, reading is illegal. To try to make your way through this town and escape and get on a train to Boston when you don’t have anything that says where you’re going makes you feel small.”

Wiley also notes the complex way the red cloaks worn by the Handmaids also display the beauty and the horror of life in Gilead.

She credits costume designer Ane Crabtree for creating such “amazing garments.” Donning the cloak, Wiley says, is an exercise in getting into character.

But, the beautiful red costumes are also a source of potential danger and punishment for the Handmaids.

“It has lots of pieces to it — I don’t even have words for all the pieces. It looks like a wash of red, but there are all these little details. When I’m getting ready, it helps me think of Aunt Lydia — is she going to say something isn’t on right?

And the wings, the hats that we wear.

You literally can’t look to your neighbor without turning your entire body. Just looking at your neighbor is a crime, so your body will betray you. It’s so intricate.

I think it’s so well thought out. It feels like

SAMIRA WILEY as Poussey in ‘Orange is the New Black.’

a real collaboration between the costume designer and the actors.”

At the end of season one, Moira escaped across the border to freedom in Canada, leading into her season two storyline, where she lives as an ex-pat in a region dubbed Little America across the Canadian border. She says this brings highly mixed emotions for her character.

“It’s two things. It’s this wonderful elation. She’s escaped, she’s not getting raped every day, she’s able to get health care, she gets handed money and other things that women aren’t even allowed to possess in Gilead,” Wiley says. “But then there’s also the incredible dark lonely side of it. She doesn’t have best friend June. Her fiancé from before Gilead is dead. She is really alone, and her only family is June’s husband Luke. In season two they’re trying to figure out how to live together and how to be a family without their star.”

Before Wiley donned the red

Handmaid’s cloak, she wore an orange jumpsuit in “Orange is the New Black.”

She played Poussey Washington, a lesbian inmate at Litchfield Penitentiary, and a popular character whose death at the end of season four left viewers bereft.

She says audiences fell in love with her character as much as she did. Her mother said it was like losing a best friend when she told her Poussey was being killed off, a notion she says is an “awesome compliment” for an actor.

Wiley was bartending when she auditioned for “Orange.” She calls the role and the fact that she “got a wife out of it, not a bad deal.”

Wiley married “Orange” writer Lauren Morelli on March 25, 2017. They met on the set and their relationship thrived, even though Morelli wrote the episode where Poussey dies, but she doesn’t hold it against her since it was a decision dictated by higher ups.

“If I had to pick someone to write my

PHOTO COURTESY NETFLIX

death scene, I would have picked her,” Wiley says. “I wouldn’t want to put that in someone else’s hands.”

Wiley’s parents, Christine and Dennis Wiley, are the retired co-pastors of the Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ; their church was the first traditional black church in D.C. to perform same-sex marriages.

“They are the antithesis of what you think of when you think about Baptist pastors,” she says. “My parents are super liberal cats.”

That made her coming-out process very simple.

“It was really really easy-breezy,” she says. “When I came out to them, my father basically leaned back in the chair and said, ‘That’s cool. Give me a hug.’ And that was it. It was such a non-event.”

As for a third season of “Handmaid’s Tale,” Wiley, like many, is hopeful.

“This world that Margaret has created is so complete, there are endless possibilities. It’s just there.”

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

Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute May 6 • 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. • Free Enjoy special animal enrichment demonstrations, field games, ice cream social, and live music by 80s tribute band Reflex.

nationalzoo.si.edu

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 9

4 0 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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

Spring fever? How about a dose of Vitamin Sea! Visit LeeAnnGroup.com to see the full range of opportunities at the beach!

558 Pilottown Road

15 Church Street

110 Front Street

116 W. Third Street

MLS 729036

MLS 730171

MLS 729039

MLS 729065

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 4 1

37527 Golden Eagle Boulevard

4 DeBraak Preserve

19909 Ames Drive

35613 Marabella Lane

MLS 730806

MLS 729044

MLS 710608

MLS 731069

1 6 6 9 8 K in g s Hig h w ay Ste . A, Le w e s, DE 19958 • (302) 645- 66 64 • LeeAnnGroup.com

4 2 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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

We believe that to create an exceptional community of culture it takes all kinds.

The Ingleside communities are proud. We are proud to be advocates for an entire new generation of diversity. We are proud of our great history and heritage of serving Washington DC area seniors for generations. We are proud of our legacy of promoting a culture of inclusion that provides extraordinary service and exceptional care.

We’re Ingleside proud! Visit us today and discover what Engaged Living can mean to you.

An Ingleside Community

An Ingleside Community

For more information call 202-470-3413

For more information call 240-380-2678

3050 Military Road NW • Washington, DC www.ircdc.org

701 King Farm Blvd. • Rockville, MD www.inglesidekingfarm.org

Ingleside at Rock Creek and Ingleside at King Farm are CARF accredited, not-for-profit, Life Plan communities.

Attorneys that are OUTthinking |OUTspoken |OUTdoing ackermanbrown.com

W A SH I NGTO N B LA D E.C OM

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 4 3

Transportation solutions increasing mobility options in area Overcoming ‘worst traffic in the nation’ stigma

By LAURA VAN EPEREN In the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region, we have the dubious distinction of having the ‘worst traffic in the nation.’ We are all negatively impacted by transit congestion, and it is projected to get worse with the increasing number of residents moving into our area.

The good news is that the leaders in our region are committed to building and supporting public and private multimodal solutions to address the issue. Some of these regional projects that have recently launched, or are underway, include: Metrorail SafeTracking improvements to ensure a more safe and reliable mass transit option that riders can trust.

Metro’s Silver line in the Dulles Corridor has five new stations and will connect with Dulles International Airport when its second phase is completely built.

Metro’s Purple line, the new 16-mile east-west line that will connect New Carrollton in Prince George’s County and Bethesda in Montgomery County, and directly connect to four Washington Metrorail lines, three MARC commuter rail lines, Amtrak Northeast Corridor, and regional and local bus services.

E-ZPass Express Lanes on I-495 from the Springfield Interchange to north of

the Dulles Toll Road.

I-66 widening will add an additional travel lane on eastbound I-66 from the Dulles Connector Road to Fairfax Drive.

More docked and dockless bikeshare programs throughout the region.

Increased access to more ridesharing car companies.

RideOn Extra, a faster bus service, along state Route 355 (Rockville Pike).

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line on US 29.

In Maryland, the widening of three of its most heavily trafficked highways: I-270, I-495 and MD-295 (the BaltimoreWashington Parkway), In greater Baltimore, arguably, the larger road improvements are the inner and outer loops of I-695, from I-70 to MD 43, a new configuration for the I-695 and I-70 interchange, and an extension of the northbound I-95 express toll lanes from north of MD 43 in Baltimore County to MD 24 in Harford County.

“While many of these transportation projects are not perfect, collectively, they do show our regional leaders are taking head-on, one of our biggest economic development roadblocks,” said Wes Guckert, CEO of The Traffic Group, Inc. “They are working to mitigate the challenges traffic congestion presents to ease mobility angst, which will allow our economy to grow.”

The commitment to these improved transportation mobility projects will help ease our traffic woes in the next few decades, but ul-

We also host private events LINCOLN Restaurant 1110 Vermont Ave., NW Washington, DC 20005 www.lincolnrestaurant-dc.com

202-386-9200

TEDDY & The Bully Bar 1200 19th St., NW Washington, DC 20036 www.teddyandthebullybar.com

202-872-8700

Many projects underway are attempting to alleviate regional traffic woes.

BIGSTOCK PHOTO; COURTESY OF PDSCI

timately, traffic solutions of the future, such as autonomous vehicles and smart city technologies, are poised to significantly improve our overall mobility experience.

For more information, or to share your feedback via public involvement and engagement processes, on the region’s projects listed above, go to these state and local transportation websites: ddot.dc.gov mdot.maryland.gov

Virginiadot.org montgomerycountymd.gov/dot fairfaxcounty.gov/transportation baltimorecountymd.gov

LAURA VAN EPEREN is a public outreach and engagement communication consultant and a board member of the Maryland Public-Private Partnership Marketing Corporation. Reach her at laura@vaneperen.com, 301.836.1516 x1 or via vaneperen.com.

A Walk in the Woods: Living next to Rock Creek Park can be lovely...until you meet the creatures of the night.

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

4 4 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

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

NTS:

PRESE

ENTERTAINER TO BE ANNOUNCED MAY 13TH. Use our weekly hints to guess who it is.

Guess correctly for your chance at FREE TICKETS! Enter at washingtonblade.com/standup

HINT #3: NEW YORK TIMES DESCRIBED THIS COMEDIAN AS “LIVING, BREATHING BONFIRE.”

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM So They Can Be Included in That Week’s Edition of Washington Blade and washingtonblade.com

SHARE ADS ARE FREE. Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.* *25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

W A SH I N GTO NB LA DE.C OM

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 4 5

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

MASSAGE Rosslyn - CMT available for massage in Arlington, Sun-Tues or DC, Wed, Fri & Sat. Call or text Gary 301-704-1158. mymassagebygary.com.

SWEDISH MASSAGE with deep tissue/stretching & reflexology elements.

I am seeking serious clients who want stress relief. EZ parking/5 min walk from metro. 202731-9737. $90hr.

COUNSELING COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN. Individual/ couple counseling w/ volunteer peer counselor. Gay Men’s Counseling Community since 1973. 202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling. org. No fees, donation requested.

BULLETIN BOARD ATTENTION IF YOU WORKED AT CENTRAL Fuel Co., Washington DC (now known as Hess Oil) between 1962-1964, please contact Asbestos Investigator Sherry Day at (734) 878-5236 or email Sherry@ SLDinvestigations.com.

EMPLOYMENT HIRING CAT SITTER. PROFESSIONAL Independent Contractor. Daytime availability. Car required. http://www. patrioticpetcare.com Email kim@ patrioticpetcare.com.

WHOLISTIC SERVICES, INC. seeking Full Time Direct Support Professionals to assist intellectually disabled adults with behavioral health complexities in group homes & day services throughout DC. Requirements 1 year exp., valid drivers license, able to lift 50-75 lbs, complete training program, become DDS Med Certified within 4 months of hire, ability to pass security background check. Associates degree preferred. For more information, please contact the Human Resources (HR) Department at 202-832-8787.

LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay men’s naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring Locker Room Attendants. We all scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You must be physically able to handle the work & have a great attitude doing it. No drunks/druggies need apply.

Please call David at (202) 319-1333. from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

LEGAL SERVICES ADOPTION & ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer Fairfax represents clients in DC, MD & VA. interested in adoption or ART matters. 301221-9651, JFairfax@ jenniferfairfax.com.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Results-Oriented • Affordable

Larry Cohen, LICSW

30 years serving the LGBT community

202-244-0903 socialanxietyhelp.com

See website for NPR story on my work

Dr. Melvin L. Phillips, Jr., Ed.D., LICSW, LCSW, CSAC

Offering psychological solutions for depression, anxiety, chronic pain and illness

(202) 544-5440

www.drleephillips.com

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES Top 1% Nationwide NVAR Life Member Top Producder

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET ENTHUSIASTICALLY SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

CLEANING PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM Representing the GLBT community for over 35 years. Family adoptions, estate planning, immigration, employment. (301) 891-2200. Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.

SP-Law.com.

FERNANDO’S CLEANING: Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/ Move-Out. (202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183.

TELL ‘EM YOU SAW THEIR AD IN THE Blade classifieds!

LIMOUSINES KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE Since 1987.

Gay & Veteran Owner/ Operator. 2016 Luxury BMW 750Li Sedan.

Properly Licensed & Livery Insured in DC. www.KasperLivery.com.

Phone 202-554-2471.

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE O’TOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art Photographer for Portraits & Weddings & more! Check out my website - www. steveotoolephotography. com. Specializing in Bears & Big men.

Steve 703-861-4422.

HANDYMAN PLASTERING & STUCCO QUALITY WORK. DC licensed http://www. rtbullard.com. 703-845-1565.

MOVERS AROUND TOWN MOVERS. Professional Moving & Storage. Let Our Movers Do The Heavy Lifting. Mention the ‘Blade’ for 5% off of our regular rates. Call today 202.734.3080. www. aroundtownmovers.com

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM So They Can Be Included in That Week’s Edition of Washington Blade and washingtonblade.com

SHARE ADS ARE FREE. Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.* *25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

4 6 • MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8

Place your HOUSING TO SHARE ad online at washingtonblade.com and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*

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

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

Playmates and soul mates...

*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

SALE / WV PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Washington:

202-448-0824 ENHANCE YOUR AD WITH OUR UPGRADES PICTURES BOLD TEXT LARGE TEXT COLOR AND MORE CONTACT US AT 202-747-2077

GREAT SCOTT MOVING INC. Local & Long Distance, Pianos! A Great Move at a Great Price call (301) 699-2066. Highly` rated by Consumer Check Book, Better Business Bureau, Yelp & Angie’s List. We’ve moved the Blade, let us move you!

PEST CONTROL EJ’S PEST CONTROL

Insect, Rodent, & Critter Control. Effective Experience Detecting & Eliminating All Types of Household Pests including Ants, Bed Bugs, Termites & Rodents.

Schedule your Pest Inspection Today (202) 455-9924. DC, MD, VA, DE.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS HEAVEN MANOR PARK HOUSE 2316 sq.ft. 3 BR, 2.5 BA CAC. Utilities included.

3300/mo. 5919 4th St NW. Walking distance to EVERYTHING! (202)486-5092

RENT / MD BIG ROOM FOR RENT IN BLADENBSURG MD BIG HOUSE CLOSE TO SHOPPS METRO BUS STOP OFF 295 CAL 301-3791725 OR EMAIL RAFAELTAPIA72@YAHOO.COM

FOR RENT / DC HUGE SPACE One Stop from Dupont! Huge! $3075.00 https:// my.matterport.com show/?m=6wT31 VnEu29&brand=0

BODYWORK THE MAGIC TOUCH: Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts 202486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

SALE / MD

LUCAS IS BACK

SHARE / MD ROOM FOR RENT: $600 IN MT RAINIER woman only & LGBT friendly please contact Roomrent201712@ gmail.com

BERKLEY SPRINGS B&B DREAM SPACIOUS 1890 Victorian 5BR, 2BA w/ original woodwork, hdwd floors, pocket doors, 9’ Ceilings, over 2900 sq. ft. 79 S. Green Street. Only $145,000.

Teresa White, Perry Realty, 304-2583681 (Office), 304-676-7832 (Cell).

INCREDIBLE RENOVATED VICTORIAN (1892) house has 7 bedrooms, a TV room, an office, 4 working fireplaces, a gorgeous garden. Patio level has two bedroom licensed apartment that brings $2000 a month. $1,150,000. Call Karen Maury, 301-587-2322 or email for appointment KarenMaury@gmail.com available immediately!

5’ 9”, 170 lbs, 36 yo, Latino Masseur offering Swedish to Sensual massage on my heated table, in a private atmosphere. In/ out, Hotels welcome, Parking Available, 24/7.

Call Lucas, 240-462-8669. fromlucas@yahoo.com.

BLONDE GOOD LOOKING 5’11” 165 lbs 32 waist, well endowed. Deep Tissue, oils or lotions. Call 703-599-2668 ask for Eli.

PLACE YOUR FREE AD ONLINE WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

18+ MegaMates.com

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

MA Y 0 4 , 2 0 1 8 • 4 7

FREE and all ages are welcome!