Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 27, July 6, 2018 by Washington Blade

JULY 06,

2018

VOLUME 49

ISSUE 27

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AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Marriage rights in jeopardy? Kennedy’s retirement raises questions about how secure our rights really are By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com After announcing his retirement following 30 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy leaves a profound legacy in favor of gay rights — but questions linger over whether his legacy is in jeopardy and same-sex marriage rights are in danger now that he’s stepping down. That legacy includes decisions guaranteeing the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry.

In 2013, Kennedy wrote the opinion in Windsor v. United States striking down the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act, which barred federal recognition of same-sex marriages. Two years later in 2015, Kennedy wrote the decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which struck down state laws against same-sex marriage and spread marriage equality nationwide. But Kennedy’s legacy on gay rights extends beyond marriage and goes back decades. In 1996, Kennedy wrote the opinion in Romer v. Evans, striking down Colorado’s Amendment 2 on the basis that bare animus cannot justify anti-gay laws. In 2003, Kennedy was the author of the ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, which found state laws criminalizing samesex relations are unconstitutional. More recently, Kennedy wrote the decision in the CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

Is same-sex marriage in jeopardy now that Justice ANTHONY KENNEDY has announced plans to step down from the Supreme Court?

Attorneys reﬂect on Kennedy legacy Romer, Lawrence, Windsor and Obergefell lawyers look back By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com

From left, JEAN DUBOFSKY, PAUL SMITH, ROBERTA KAPLAN AND MARY BONAUTO. PHOTO OF DUBOFSKY COURTESY OF DUBOFSKY; BLADE PHOTOS OF SMITH, KAPLAN AND BONAUTO BY MICHAEL KEY

U.S. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy is stepping down from the U.S. Supreme Court after writing four milestone cases in favor of gay rights over the course of his 30 years on the bench. The Washington Blade contacted the attorneys who argued each of those cases — Romer v. Evans in 1996, Lawrence v. Texas in CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

2003, U.S. v. Windsor in 2013 and Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 — for their reflections on those decisions and LGBT rights in the aftermath of Kennedy’s retirement. Here are their responses: Romer v. Evans — Colorado’s Amendment 2 is unconstitutional because bare animus cannot justify anti-gay measures Kennedy: “Even if, as the State contends, homosexuals can find protection in laws and policies of general application, Amendment 2 goes well beyond merely depriving them of special rights. It imposes a broad disability upon those persons alone, forbidding them, but no others, to seek specific legal protection from injuries caused by discrimination in a wide

OVERDOSE

PRIDE DIS

‘CURED’

Local gay lawyer found in car died of meth toxicity.

Dems want answers after Pentagon refuses to issue proclamation.

New doc examines ﬁght to remove homosexuality from APA’s DSM in 1973.

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Comings & Goings

Gay attorney found in car died of drug overdose

Strang elected president of GLAA

A 34-year-old gay attorney who was found dead in a parked car on March 31 on a street near four D.C. gay clubs with no signs of injury died from “methylenedioxymethamphetamine toxicity,” according to the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. A spokesperson for the office said D.C. resident Daniel Potucek’s death from the drug, commonly known as MDMA or ecstasy, has been ruled an accident. D.C. police said Potucek was found unconscious sitting in the DANIEL POTUCEK was discovered in a front passenger seat of a Mazda parked car on March 31. SUV parked in front of a row house PHOTO VIA LINKEDIN at 2004 8th St., N.W., about 7:40 a.m. Saturday, March 31, by a pedestrian. People who knew him posted messages on social media, including Facebook, saying he was gay and patronized at least one of the four gay clubs located within two blocks of where his body was found. LGBT activists expressed concern at the time Potucek was found, when authorities said they couldn’t immediately determine the cause of death, because of reports of assaults of gay men in the area that some believed to be hate crimes. Since April 15, D.C. police have reported that one or more male suspects have attacked male victims in different locations in the city while yelling anti-gay slurs. Police have made arrests in two of the five incidents, all of which have been listed as suspected hate crimes. Potucek’s LinkedIn page showed at the time of his death that he had worked as an attorney for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration since 2013. He was a graduate of Harvard Law School and received his bachelor’s degree in international studies from Duke University, his LinkedIn page said. The initial mystery surrounding his death was heightened when the owner of the car in which Potucek was found told police he did not know Potucek and had no idea how he found his way inside the vehicle. Potucek’s mother, Lorinda Potucek, told NBC 4 News that she had many questions about the circumstances surrounding her son’s death. “We all think, with beyond a reasonable doubt, that there’s more to this story,” NBC 4 News quoted her as saying. “Daniel always has made it home.” LOU CHIBBARO JR.

By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com. Congratulations to Bobbi Elaine Strang on her election as President of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance. Founded in 1971, GLAA is an all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization that defends the civil rights of LGBT people in the nation’s capital. GLAA lobbies the D.C. Council; monitors government agencies; educates and rates local candidates; and works in coalitions to defend the safety, health and equal rights of LGBT BOBBI STRANG families. GLAA remains the nation’s oldest continuously active PHOTO COURTESY OF STRANG gay and lesbian civil rights organization. Strang previously served on the boards of GLOV (Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence) and the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Currently she co-facilitates the DC Center’s Job Club and sits on both the boards of the Office of Police Complaints and Metropolitan Community Church. She was awarded the Engendered Spirit Award in 2015 by Capital Trans Pride for her advocacy on transgender issues in D.C. SARAH LAWSON She holds a master’s degree from Salisbury University and PHOTO COURTESY OF LAWSON has worked at the D.C. Department of Employment Services since 2012 as the first openly transgender employee of the agency. In her spare time, she composes and performs music with a local punk rock band as a guitarist and vocalist. Congratulations also to Sarah Lawson, the new staff social worker and therapist at the DC Center. There she works with individuals and groups to provide behavioral health support under the OVSJG grant. This position also oversees the D.C. RENEE ROSENFELD Anti-Violence Project and engages in community outreach. PHOTO COURTESY OF Lawson has a wealth of experience, including working as a ROSENFELD Health Clinical Intern at Whitman-Walker Health and at Synergy Family Services of Langley Park, Md., as a social work intern. Prior to that she was the manager of grants and social media/contract communications consultant at Safe Shores, The DC Children’s Advocacy Center and as a Development Associate at the New Israel Fund. She earned her bachelor’s in Journalism from Indiana University in Bloomington, and her master’s of Social Work, Clinical Behavioral Health, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has her license as a LGSW. Congratulations also to Renée Rosenfeld who was recently awarded the 2018 Marc A. Levey Award for Distinguished Service to the Producers Guild of America New Media Council during the PGA’s Produced By Conference at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. She has more than two decades of experience in entertainment and strategic communications. She guided the strategic creative development and implementation for the first national broadcast PSA campaign for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, receiving more than 500 million media impressions in less than one year. A native of the District, Rosenfeld returned home to lead the strategy to create and build the AMW Safety Center for America’s Most Wanted, the television show’s brand extension into consumer and family safety. She has developed innovative media, content and communications strategies for the Kellogg Foundation, Phillips Sonicare, Boeing, Justice for Vets, and the Bill Gates led, American Energy Innovation Council, among others. Prior to creating strategic content, Rosenfeld was a member of the production team for “The West Wing,” “Felicity” and many other theatrical movies and episodic series and worked with JJ Abrams, Aaron Sorkin and Steven Bochco. Having worked with some of the television and movie industry’s most celebrated filmmakers, she brings instinctive perspective and sensibilities to building story and character to create maximum impact. She has served as Human Services Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood; on the Victory Fund board of directors and co-chair of the Victory Campaign Board; and as National Media adviser for Freedom to Work. She received her bachelor’s in history from Carnegie-Mellon University.

Prince William supervisors approve Pride proclamation The Prince William County Board of Supervisors last week for the ﬁrst time approved a Pride month proclamation. The proclamation was approved by a 5-3 vote margin. Three Republicans are among those who supported the proclamation. Chair Corey Stewart — the one-time chair of President Trump’s campaign in Virginia who is running against U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in November — voted against it. The Prince William Times reported Supervisor Frank Principi, a Democrat from Woodbridge who introduced the proclamation, described the county as “a forward-thinking, compassionate, thoughtful community and is ready to respect all of our residents, including those whose sexual orientation and gender identity fall within the LGBTQ community.” The Prince William County School Board last year added sexual orientation and gender identity to the district’s non-discrimination policy. State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who is the ﬁrst openly transgender person seated in any state legislature in the U.S., represents portions of Prince William County in the Virginia House of Delegates. Roem last November defeated then-state Del. Bob Marshall, an anti-LGBT Republican who had represented the 13th District since 1992. MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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Modern Family available with Xfinity On Demand

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Catania, former mayor back opponent of lesbian candidate for Council Dionne Reeder leads in fundraising for hotly contested at-large seat By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com In a development that has surprised some political observers, gay former D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) and former D.C. mayor and longtime LGBT community ally Anthony Williams (D) have signed on as co-chairs for the campaign of recently declared at-large Council candidate S. Kathryn Allen. Allen, who recently changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent, is an attorney who served as the city’s insurance commissioner while Williams was mayor and currently owns two local insurance related businesses. Catania and Williams’s decision to back her is being viewed by some as an effort to help her surpass lesbian businesswoman and at-large Council candidate Dionne Reeder as the front runner in the race against DIONNE REEDER is running for D.C. Council as an independent. incumbent Council member Elissa Silverman PHOTO VIA DIONNE REEDER CAMPAIGN TWITTER and as the preferred candidate of the city’s small and medium-sized businesses. Reeder, who also worked in the Williams administration as his mayoral coordinator for neighborhood services in Ward 8, is the current owner of Cheers at the Big Chair, one of the few full-service restaurants in the city’s Anacostia neighborhood. Reeder is also running as an independent. Representatives of the business community have been open about their strong opposition to Silverman because of her role as a leading sponsor for controversial legislation approved by the Council requiring employers to provide private sector workers paid family leave financed by a newly created business tax. Allen has joined Reeder in expressing opposition to the version of the family leave legislation backed by Silverman and passed by the Council. Mayor Muriel Bowser also opposed the legislation but decided not to veto it. Reeder has said the legislation should be revised so that small businesses are not hit with what they consider an unfair burden of paying for it through a special tax. In addition to Reeder and Allen, three other independent candidates are running in the race for two at-large Council seats, one of which is held by Silverman and the other held by Democrat Anita Bonds. Bonds and Silverman have been strong supporters of LGBT rights. Under the city’s election law, a Democrat is eligible for only one of the two at-large seats. With Democrats comprising the overwhelming majority of registered voters, Bonds is considered the strong favorite to win re-election to the so-called “Democratic” seat. That reality has created a hotly contested race among mostly independents for the second seat. In a process that sometimes confuses voters, all of the candidates are lumped together on the same ballot in the Nov. 6 general election, and voters can vote for two candidates. The two receiving the highest vote counts are declared the winners. And although a Democrat is only eligible for one of the two seats, a non-Democrat, including an independent, can theoretically win both seats if they receive more votes than the Democrat. However, that has never happened since the city’s home rule government took effect in 1974.

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With that as a backdrop, Reeder’s supporters were hopeful that she would win more votes than Silverman through a coalition that included the business community, the LGBT community, and moderate to progressive voters across the city. Some LGBT activists consider Reeder a highly qualified and credible candidate who could once again bring an LGBT voice to the Council following Catania’s departure due to his unsuccessful run for mayor in 2014. They and some political observers have pointed out that Silverman may be vulnerable this year because she is considered to be to the left of most of the Council’s progressive incumbents in a year in which every candidate challenging the incumbents from a further left-leaning position lost their races in the city’s June 19 Democratic primary. Meanwhile, the campaign finance reports filed by the at-large candidates with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance on June 10, the most recent reports filed, show that Reeder is leading the field in money raised. Her June 10 report shows she has raised $84,399 compared to Silverman, whose report shows she raised $79,847 as of June 10. The OCF did not have a report for Allen in its website records, possibly because she entered the race after the most recent filing deadline. But on her campaign website she announced that her campaign has raised $37,017 since she became an official candidate. Among the remaining independent candidates, University of the District of Columbia professor Rustin Lewis raised $16,648; and American University Professor Omekongo Dibinga raised $4,094. The OCF had no records available on its website for independent candidate Traci Hughes, the former director of the D.C. Office of Open Government. The filing deadline for running for a D.C. Council seat as an independent in the general election is Aug. 8, so more candidates could still enter the race for the non-Democratic at-large seat. Silverman, a journalist and former analyst with the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, takes strong exception to claims by critics that the family leave legislation is overly burdensome to small businesses. She has argued that in a city experiencing a severe affordable housing shortage and high cost of living, paid family leave for middle and low income workers is a necessity. Critics, including Reeder, however, point out that the legislation forces D.C. private sector employers to provide the paid family leave to employees who live in Virginia and Maryland as well as D.C. residents. ■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Bachelors Mill building sold at auction In a little-noticed development, the D.C.-based Alex Cooper Auctioneers company announced that the building at 1101-1104 8th St., S.E. near the Washington Navy Yard in which the gay bar Bachelors Mill has been located since 1988 was sold at a public auction on May 24 for $3,275,000. The announcement says the sale was part a foreclosure proceeding recorded on April 24 against the holder of the building’s mortgage. The Bachelors Mill is still open but its Community Life in the DMV, an building was sold. online newsletter that covers news of interest to the African-American LGBT WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY I. HOPE community in D.C., was the first to report the sale in its July edition. The newsletter, published by longtime gay activist Courtney Williams, says Bachelors Mill is the last remaining black-owned gay club in the city. Public land records from the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue show that the sale of the Bachelors Mill building was finalized on June 20 and that the new owner is a company called Northeast Management Consulting LLC located at 3399 Benning Rd., N.E. When contacted by the Washington Blade this week, an official with the company refused to comment on the company’s plans for the building or whether it would allow the Bachelors Mill to continue operating there. David J. Lewis is listed as the owner of the Bachelors Mill on the club’s liquor license filed with the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. Lewis couldn’t immediately be reached this week for comment. “At this time, no plans have been revealed by the new owners as to the future of the club,” the Community Life newsletter reports. “In the meantime, the club is still open and operating as of this writing.” LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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Trump keeps omitting LGBT people from HIV/AIDS statements

Rep. ANTHONY G. BROWN is seeking answers from DOD on ignoring Pride month. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

House Dems seek answers from DOD on ignoring Pride month A group of eight House Democrats led by Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.) is seeking answers from the Pentagon on the absence of any recognition of June as Pride month for the first time since “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal certification in 2011. In a letter dated June 28 to Defense Secretary James Mattis, House Democrats expressed concern about lack of formal recognition of Pride this year, saying the Pentagon is “backing away from supporting and celebrating” LGBT service members and Defense Department employees. “The absence of demonstrative support from DOD leadership at events like these can have the effect of isolating our LGBT service members and employees,” the letter says. “The Department of Defense cannot and must not retreat when it comes to ensuring Americans’ ability to share in our country’s promise, nor when it comes to truly living up to our founding ideals.” Joining Brown in signing the letters were Reps. Robert Brady (Pa.), Susan Davis (Calif.), Jackie Speier (Calif.), Beto O’Rourke (Texas), Donald Norcross (N.J.), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.) and Salud Carbajal (Calif.). Each of these Democrats serves on the House Armed Services Committee. The Pentagon issued no formal recognition of Pride for the first time since 2011, when “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was certified and gay people could serve openly in the U.S. military for the first time. Last year, Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness Anthony Kurta, a holdover from the Obama administration, issued a memo recognizing Pride month. That position is now held by Robert Wilkie, whom President Trump has nominated as secretary of Veterans Affairs. His nomination remains pending before the U.S. Senate. Although the Pentagon issued no memo recognizing Pride, it did hold an official event earlier this month recognizing the occasion for LGBT service members and Pentagon employees. Brown was the keynote speaker. The tension was palpable at the event as participants celebrated Pride, which came amid continuing efforts from Trump and the Defense Department to ban transgender people from the military. Meanwhile, although at least two senior Pentagon leaders — Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey and Vee Penrod — were in attendance, none were recognized on stage, nor did any senior leader address the crowd. The House Democrats pose three questions to Mattis on the absence of recognition of Pride and senior Pentagon leaders from the stage at the Pride event: 1. Please explain the decision made by the Pentagon’s Personnel and Readiness Office to not issue a memo celebrating the contributions of LGBT Americans, as it has done in years past. Please also identify the office, agency or person responsible for determining when DOD will issue memos celebrating or highlighting cultural groups or achievements. 2. What role, if any, did Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Robert L. Wilkie play in making the decision not to issue a memo celebrating Pride Month? 3. We were disappointed to learn that none of DOD’s leadership would be participating in DOD’s annual Pride event. Please explain why Department of Defense leadership declined, during DOD’s annual Pride event on Monday, June 11, 2018, to speak to their fellow service members and employees? The Washington Blade has placed a request in with the Pentagon seeking comment on the letter. CHRIS JOHNSON

For the second year in a row, Donald Trump has issued a statement recognizing National HIV Testing that omits any mention of the vulnerability of LGBT people to the disease. The lack of LGBT inclusion in statements on HIV/AIDS has been a consistent theme from Trump, who last year issued a statement on World AIDS Day that also failed to mention LGBT people being DONALD TRUMP didn’t mention LGBT disproportionately impacted by people in his National HIV/AIDS Testing Day statement. the disease. WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY To be fair, President Obama never mentioned LGBT people in his statements on National HIV Testing Day either, but did mention LGBT vulnerability to the disease in other statements, including his final proclamation on World AIDS Day. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on LGBT omission from the National HIV Testing Day statement. Trump in his statement lauded “the great progress we have made” against HIV/AIDS, including national efforts “to spread awareness about the importance of getting tested.” “Early detection of HIV — using a simple and routine test — is instrumental in helping contain the advancement of the virus to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS),” Trump said. Trump also promoted HIV testing by pointing out new medications are helping people with HIV/AIDS “live longer and healthier lives.” Alluding to PrEP, Trump noted the Food & Drug Administration approved medication dramatically reducing the risk of HIV infection in the first place. Although Trump doesn’t mention LGBT people in his statement, Trump does mention the high number of youths who are contracting the disease. “Despite this progress, in 2016, nearly 40,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the United States,” Trump said. “People between the ages of 20 and 29 received more than a third of those diagnoses. Even more troubling, 44 percent of people living with HIV between the ages of 13 and 24 were unaware that they were carrying the virus.” Trump concludes that National HIV Testing Day is “an important reminder” those who are unaware they are carrying the disease are the “most at risk for inadvertently infecting others and missing out on potentially life-saving treatments.” “As we observe National HIV Testing Day, we celebrate the advancements we have made in medical science, and I encourage all Americans to invest in their health and be aware of their HIV status,” Trump said. “Through greater awareness and education, we can all do our part to lead healthier and longer lives.” Carl Schmid, deputy executive director of the AIDS Institute, said he was “happy” with the statement despite the LGBT omission. “It doesn’t mention any of the groups,” Schmid said. “And I was thinking, gee, we did a statement, and I didn’t mention LGBT in ours either. We just focused on the number of people not being tested and the importance of testing.” “I think we should give him credit for issuing a statement,” Schmid said. “I didn’t know they were going to do it, so I’m pleased. It shows that they are providing attention to HIV.” Although Trump doesn’t mention LGBT people in his National HIV Strategy, a recently released report from the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of HIV/AIDS & Infectious Disease Policy, which adopted Obama-era goals in confronting the disease, did include statistics on the vulnerability of gay and bisexual men, as well as transgender women, to the disease. Schmid acknowledged the lack of LGBT mention on HIV/AIDS — as well as other populations — has been a theme from Trump, and said identification of youth as a vulnerable population is important because most of them are LGBT. “I hope that he will address LGBT — particularly youth — and black and Latino gay youth as well, but I give him credit for issuing this, and I think we should,” Schmid said. CHRIS JOHNSON

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Activists join protests against Trump immigration policy Lin-Manuel Miranda among speakers at D.C. rally By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com LGBT rights advocates across the country on June 30 took part in protests against President Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy. Human Rights Campaign Foundation Director of Faith Outreach and Training Lisbeth Meléndez Rivera, National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling and National LGBTQ Task Force staﬀers are among those who took part in the #FamiliesBelongTogether rally that took place in Lafayette Square across the street from the White House. Lin-Manuel Miranda is among those who spoke before a march took place on Pennsylvania Avenue. “Today we join forces to support families, immigrants and equality for all,” Milagros Chirinos of HRC tweeted. She also tweeted in Spanish. “Juntos para defender a las familias inmigrantes y la igualdad de todos,” she said, using the hashtags #FamiliesBelongTogether and #EndFamilyDetention. Hundreds of #FamiliesBelongTogether rallies, protests and other events took place across the country. Former U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James “Wally” Brewster is among those who spoke at a #FamiliesBelongTogether rally in Dallas. He and his husband, Bob Satawake, also took part in a march. The rallies and protests took place against the backdrop of continued outrage over Trump’s immigration policy that includes the separation of immigrant children from their parents along the U.S.-Mexico border. A federal judge in San Diego on June 25 ruled all of them must be reunited within 30 days. U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) told the Blade last month after he and other members of Congress visited South Texas there are no policies in place that speciﬁcally address the needs of LGBT immigrant children who are in custody.

The Human Rights Campaign and the National Center for Transgender Equality are among the groups that took part in the #FamiliesBelongTogether rally against President Trump’s immigration policy that took place in D.C. on June 30. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Bethany Christian Services in Crofton, Md., is one of the organizations that has taken in immigrant children who have been separated from their children under President Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy. The Michigan-based organization has ﬁnancial ties to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ family and has come under scrutiny for its anti-LGBT practices.

Anti-gay Md. group housing immigrant children ProPublica last month reported Bethany Christian Services of Maryland in Crofton, Md., is among the facilities in which immigrant children are being held. The facility’s parent company, Bethany Christian Services, which is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., has ties to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ family. Philadelphia oﬃcials in March stopped placing foster children with Bethany Christian Services and Catholic Social Services because they will not place them

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

with same-sex couples. Bethany Christian Services on its website notes immigrant children who have been separated from their parents “will not be adopted.” The organization also says it is not “evangelizing to the children” who are in their care. The children are oﬀered the opportunity to participate in whatever religious activity they prefer, if they choose to participate,” reads Bethany Christian Services’ website. “Our faith

drives us to serve children and families.” Bethany Christian Services has also criticized Trump’s immigration policy. The organization in a June 26 statement described Trump’s executive order that ended the separation of immigration children from their parents as “only the ﬁrst step to reversing the harm caused by the ‘zero tolerance’ policy targeting vulnerable families and children who are seeking refuge, and much uncertainty remains.” “While keeping families together is

the right thing to do, keeping families in detention facilities is still extremely traumatic and harmful for children,” it reads. “Family separation and family detention should not be the only solutions to a problem that never needed to exist.” A Bethany Christian Services spokesperson on Tuesday provided the Blade with a PDF ﬁle titled “Frequently Asked Questions about Family Separation and Reuniﬁcation.” The same document is on its website.

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With Kennedy gone, some see Roberts in swing vote role CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Masterpiece Cakeshop case in favor of Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who refused to serve a custom-made wedding cake to a same-sex couple. But that opinion was a narrow ruling based on the facts of the case, only applied to Phillips and invoked strong language in favor of laws barring discrimination against LGBT people. Now that Kennedy has announced he’ll step down, will the precedent those decisions established for gay rights and same-sex marriage in particular remain in place, or will Trump’s pick to replace him be enough for the Supreme Court to reverse course and roll back constitutional protections for gay people? James Esseks, director of the LGBT & HIV project at the American Civil Liberties Union, once said in 2016 before Trump was elected the “chances are virtually nil” the marriage-equality decision would be reversed. With Trump in the White House and a second opportunity for him to name a Supreme Court justice, Esseks now has increased those odds ever so slightly, but still minimized them. “I wouldn’t say they are virtually nil right now, but I also don’t think the chances are super great that Obergefell itself would be overruled,” Esseks said. “My sense at the moment is that, look, it’s absolutely part of our opponents’ objective to overturn Obergefell. They’re going to try, and depending on what it looks like, maybe they’ll have some chances there.” Such a reversal would likely be the result of a state passing a law against same-sex marriage in deﬁance of Obergefell, or simply refusing to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Both of these possibilities would be increasingly politically diﬃcult with strong support for same-sex marriage throughout the country. A recent poll from the Public Religion Research Institute found a majority of voters in 44 states support same-sex marriage. If nonetheless a state moved to ban same-sex marriage, it would be challenged in court, giving the Supreme Court an opportunity to review the precedent. Jocelyn Samuels, executive director of the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, said “it is, of course, a concern” Kennedy’s successor might bring a new perspective to the court on marriage, but remained optimistic. “I am hopeful that in conjunction with stare decisis, which, of course, counsels against overruling precedent absent really compelling reasons to do so, the new court will maintain what has become an established right that is part of the fundamental constellations of protection that LGBT people need in order live full and equal lives,” Samuels said. Trump considers his pick to replace Kennedy — a choice he said would come

After news that Justice Anthony Kennedy is stepping down, some are speculating that Chief Justice JOHN ROBERTS will take over the role of moderate swing vote.

from a list of 25 predetermined options of conservative possibilities and would be announced Monday — about a year after he said during an interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” he’s “fine” with the ruling for same-sex marriage and considers the matter “settled.” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said Trump is “not going to talk to judges about specific cases” in deciding his pick, and another White House spokesperson dodged last week when asked if Kennedy’s successor would uphold the justice’s legacy on LGBT rights. The White House didn’t respond to the Washington Blade’s request for comment on whether Trump still thinks same-sex marriage is “settled” and if that view will inform his Supreme Court pick. Samuels said “given this administration’s hostility to LGBT rights” any nominee Trump puts forward to replace Kennedy should come under intense scrutiny. “There is, of course, a concern that any person nominated by this administration will pursue policy and legal analysis that advances and anti-LGBT agenda, and that’s why it’s so critical to evaluate the record of any nominee that the president puts forward to evaluate whether their history of either judicial decision-making or policy determinations, or arguments before courts, reflect a willingness or a desire to roll back existing protections or reject new ones,” Samuels said. Legal experts who spoke to the Blade said that while the marriage ruling itself will likely remain intact after Kennedy leaves the Supreme Court, opponents of LGBT rights may try to chip away at samesex couples marriage rights, such as spousal benefits or birth certificates, even though the Obergefell ruling assured them the “constellation of benefits.” That has already taken place: Texas Gov. James Abbott pressured the Texas Supreme Court to consider whether Houston needs to provide spousal health benefits to city employees in samesex marriages. Despite the Obergefell decision, the Texas Supreme Court last

year determined the guarantee of those benefits remained an open question. The court remanded the case to a district judge, where it remains pending. In 2016, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the state has no obligation to place the names of both lesbian parents on their children’s birth certificates. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that ruling on appeal in a per curiam decision, which stated Obergefell “applies with equal force” to birth certificates. As opposed to a decision overturning Obergefell outright, Esseks said opponents of same-sex marriage will likely pursue a case similar to those lawsuits to undermine the marriage equality decision. “What we will need to be on guard for is efforts to chip away at what it means to be married,” Esseks said. “What they may say is the government will give you the marriage license, but they may allow businesses to treat our marriages differently than straight people’s marriages, they may allow the government to treat our marriages differently than straight people’s marriages, and that could create intense inequality in many different contexts all across the country.” With Kennedy gone, supporters of LGBT rights may begin to look to U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to uphold same-sex marriage when challenges come to the Supreme Court, even though he was among dissenters to the marriage equality decision. There are signs Roberts may have changed his tune, or believes the issue of same-sex marriage has been settled and he’ll adhere to precedent on the issue. When the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the state could refuse to place both names of lesbian parents on the birth certificate of their child despite the Obergefell ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in a per curiam decision. Joining the dissent written by U.S. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch was U.S. Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, but Roberts wasn’t

among them. In the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision, Roberts was among the seven justices who joined the majority opinion narrowly in favor of the Colorado baker. The chief justice didn’t sign any of the concurring opinions, including one written by Thomas arguing for a more expansive decision finding that Colorado’s LGBT non-discrimination law infringed upon First Amendment rights. Amid discussion in the media Roberts will become the new centrist on the court, Samuels said she hopes he’ll “pursue the institutional integrity of the court” when he feels justices are called upon to make political, rather than legal, decisions. “My hope would be in the same way that he committed during his confirmation hearings to just call balls and strikes, that he will carry that forward to recognize the need to respect settled precedent and to really take into account the fundamental rights that are at stake when the LGBT community is subject to discrimination or ostracism,” Samuels said. Aside from marriage, a host of other LGBT issues could come before the Supreme Court in cases where the outcome may be in question with Kennedy gone from the court. Much like the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision, cases seeking religious exemptions to discriminate against LGBT people will likely reach the court because that decision didn’t explicitly spell out precedent on the issue. The U.S. Supreme Court recently sent back to the Washington Supreme Court a petition filed by Arlene’s Flowers in Washington State, a florist seeking to refuse service to same-sex weddings, with instructions to reconsider the case in light of the Masterpiece decision. Esseks predicted “there will be more cases” raising questions on religious exemptions that reach the Supreme Court, but was optimistic about their outcome for LGBT people based on the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision. “In Masterpiece, there’s a lot of very good language in the majority opinion that talks about the importance of civil rights laws, how harmful discrimination is and the stigma that it causes and talks about how unthinkable it would be for businesses to be able to put up a sign saying, ‘No Gay People Here,’ or ‘Cakes for Heterosexuals Only,’” Esseks said. “That’s not the holding of the case, but it’s strong language that six justices signed on to.” Another potential issue for the Supreme Court is whether federal civil rights laws against sex discrimination, which include Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 for the workplace and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, apply to anti-LGBT discrimination.

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In adults with HIV on ART who have diarrhea not caused by an infection IMPORTANT PATIENT INFORMATION This is only a summary. See complete Prescribing Information at Mytesi.com or by calling 1-844-722-8256. This does not take the place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

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Enough is Enough Get relief. Pure and simple. Ask your doctor about Mytesi. Mytesi (crofelemer): • Is the only medicine FDA-approved to relieve diarrhea in people with HIV • Treats diarrhea differently by normalizing the flow of water in the GI tract • Has the same or fewer side effects as placebo in clinical studies • Comes from a tree sustainably harvested in the Amazon Rainforest What is Mytesi? Mytesi is a prescription medicine that helps relieve symptoms of diarrhea not caused by an infection (noninfectious) in adults living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Important Safety Information Mytesi is not approved to treat infectious diarrhea (diarrhea caused by bacteria, a virus, or a parasite). Before starting you on Mytesi, your healthcare provider will first be sure that you do not have infectious diarrhea. Otherwise, there is a risk you would not receive the right medicine and your infection could get worse. In clinical studies, the most common side effects that occurred more often than with placebo were upper respiratory tract (sinus, nose, and throat) infection (5.7%), bronchitis (3.9%), cough (3.5%), flatulence (3.1%), and increased bilirubin (3.1%).

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• Upper respiratory tract infection (sinus, nose, and throat infection) • Bronchitis (swelling in the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs) • Cough • Flatulence (gas) • Increased bilirubin (a waste product when red blood cells break down) For a full list of side effects, please talk to your doctor. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

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Attorneys who argued gay rights cases reﬂect on Kennedy legacy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

range of public and private transactions.” Attorney: Jean Dubofsky, first female justice in 1979 appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court and the youngest person ever appointed to the court at 37. She later returned to private practice and led the legal team against Amendment 2. What was the significance of Kennedy’s opinion in Romer to the advancement of LGBT rights? Dubofsky: When Justice Kennedy asked the first question in the Romer v Evans argument: Has there ever been a law (he was referring to Amendment 2 to the Colorado Constitution, which prohibited any remedies for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation) as bad as this? I knew that we had a chance of winning. Until then there was no precedent that supported gay rights. It’s not surprising, given no precedent, that Justice Kennedy’s opinion did not follow customary equal protection analysis. Romer became the starting point for the gay rights cases that followed. Now that Kennedy has announced his retirement, to what extent is his legacy on LGBT rights in danger? Dubofsky: I’d be surprised if Romer and its progeny are overturned. (Chief Justice Roberts, then an attorney in private practice, helped me prepare for the argument). Protection for religious expression, however, may allow those who provide services for gay weddings to discriminate. Lawrence v. Texas — state laws criminalizing intimate relations for same-sex couples are unconstitutional Kennedy: “Liberty protects the person from unwarranted government intrusions into a dwelling or other private places. In our tradition the State is not omnipresent in the home. And there are other spheres of our lives and existence, outside the home, where the State should not be a dominant presence. Freedom extends beyond spatial bounds. Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct. The instant case involves liberty of the person both in its spatial and more transcendent dimensions.” Attorney: Paul Smith, who argued the case for Lambda Legal on behalf of John Geddes Lawrence Jr. and Tyron Garner, now a faculty member at Georgetown University Law Center What was the significance of Kennedy’s opinion in Lawrence to the advancement of LGBT rights? Smith: Lawrence was central to the achievement of further advances for LGBT rights. First, it eliminated the sodomy laws, which were excellent instruments of oppression because they made it difficult

Attorney MARY BONAUTO, civil rights project director at GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders, who argued the case on behalf of Ohio widower Jim Obergfell and other plaintiﬀs. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

for people to live as gay men or lesbians out in the open in some states. Second, it eliminated the odious decision in Bowers v. Hardwick, which upheld sodomy laws in 1986 and which undercut almost any constitutional argument that could be made in favor of LGBT civil rights under the Constitution. Finally, the way Justice Kennedy wrote the Lawrence opinion made it a springboard toward legal recognition of same-sex relationships. He made clear that our relationships have the same value and play the same role as differentsex relationships. He also established firmly that the government has no right to make moral judgments condemning individual choices about what kind of relationship or family to form. In our free society, those are choices individuals get to make. As Justice Scalia noted in his dissent in Lawrence, those two moves made it difficult to oppose claims to marriage equality. Our opponents struggled for the next 12 years to explain why samesex couples could be excluded from marriage, once they could no longer offer up the kind of moral arguments that Lawrence forbade. Now that Kennedy has announced his retirement, to what extent is his legacy on LGBT rights in danger? Smith: I would anticipate that the new Court will be supportive of claims like that made in Masterpiece Cakeshop for individual private exemptions from state or federal laws banning anti-gay discrimination. I would be surprised, however, if the Court were to overrule Obergefell and authorize states to refuse to marry more same-sex couples. Marriage equality is too ingrained in our national understanding of fairness and justice. But we should be watchful nonetheless.

sex marriage, is unconstitutional Kennedy: “DOMA instructs all federal officials, and indeed all persons with whom same-sex couples interact, including their own children, that their marriage is less worthy than the marriages of others. The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity.” Attorney: Roberta Kaplan, who argued the case on behalf of New York widow Edith Windsor, now founding partner at Kaplan & Company LLP. (Editor’s Note: The Blade submitted questions to Kaplan on the significance of the Windsor decision in the aftermath of Kennedy’s retirement, but she declined to provide responses before deadline.)

United States v. Windsor, Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which barred federal recognition of same-

What was the signiﬁcance of Kennedy’s opinion in Obergefell to the advancement of LGBT rights?

Obergefell v. Hodges, state laws barring same-sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses and prohibiting recognition of those marriages are unconstitutional Kennedy: “No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves.” Attorney: Mary Bonauto, civil rights project director at GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders who argued the case on behalf of Ohio widower Jim Obergfell and other plaintiffs

Bonauto: Obergefell is signiﬁcant on many levels. In practical terms, it says the constitutional right to marry includes LGBT people’s aspirations to marry the person of their choice. There are no “skim milk” marriages: The same “constellation of beneﬁts” and responsibilities government allocates to others must be available to married same-sex couples. Ideas of liberty and “central precepts of equality” both animate the ruling. The Court’s reasoning extended beyond the concrete protections of marriage to talk about the “grave and continuing harm” and “disrespect and subordination” imposed on LGBT people vis-à-vis others by our exclusion from marriage. That powerful insight is both a sword and shield to attack laws and proposals to degrade us, our families and marriages. With “equal dignity in the eyes of the law,” Justice Kennedy’s rulings have helped make meaningful changes in LGBT people’s lives, enabling us to live more openly and moving us closer to equal citizenship. Now that Kennedy has announced his retirement, to what extent is his legacy on LGBT rights in danger? Bonauto: Justice Kennedy’s legacy will be a lasting one in part because he modelled what Justice Ginsburg described in 1996 – the story of our Constitution is one of including those who had formerly been excluded. Every generation may search for meaning and refuge in the enduring promises of liberty, equality, and due process, and so he listened to LGBT people who had been “outlaw[s]” and “outcast[s].” In Romer, then more boldly in Lawrence, Windsor and Obergefell, Justice Kennedy saw LGBT people as part of the “us” in our nation. The common humanity of LGBT people is irreversible. Justice Kennedy rejected government attempts to impose double standards on LGBT people when discrimination was framed up as objections to gay people’s conduct, rather than gay people’s status, by correctly seeing them as the same. I believe the four rulings are solid, and Obergefell even explained why marriage is a fundamental right and established access to and treatment of marriages as an equality issue. But this part of his legacy will be tested repeatedly, as we already face attempted service refusals by businesses and new limits on LGBT peoples’ ability to adopt and foster children. Even as powerful people take aim at marriage in both the short and long term, one of our community’s legacies throughout the time of Justice Kennedy’s career is a commitment to engagement on LGBT and other civic issues, and to the political process at every level.

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Keep your promise to protect each other.

AIDS patients give up meds in bleak gay culture JAKARTA, Indonesia — Pernicious HIV-infection rates among gay men here that have skyrocketed in the last decade-plus amid police raids and vicious anti-gay rhetoric from officials and influential figures have created a stultifying culture for gay life so bad that some gay men with AIDS purposefully stop taking their medication because conditions are so bleak, the Associated Press reports. According to the United Nations, HIV affects more than a quarter of Indonesian men who have sex with men, up from just 5 percent in 2007, the AP reports. In Jakarta and the capital of Bali province Denpasar, the rate is one in three. Many are not tested until they exhibit symptoms of illness and by then their immune systems have been compromised. Few are on antiretroviral medication. Irregular condom use and lack of testing are lacking, officials told the AP. Many of the outreach workers interviewed by the rights group reported “substantial and unprecedented negative impacts on their ability to contact and counsel” gay and bisexual men, the report said. In Jakarta, raided venues such as saunas and clubs that were among the socalled “hotspots” for health workers to make contact with gay men closed. “The remaining locations are getting harder and harder to work at,” said a health worker interviewed by Human Rights Watch. “Fewer and fewer guys agree to get tested or take condoms each time.” Laura Nevendorff, a researcher at the HIV Research Center at Atma Jaya Catholic University, said the police practice of using condoms as evidence against gay men has had a pernicious ripple effect, turning the crucial rubber safeguard into possible grounds for criminal prosecution, the AP reports. Though deeply frowned upon, homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia. Police have used an anti-pornography law to prosecute gay men. Because of conservative morality in the world’s most populous Muslim nation and the intense LGBT backlash, Indonesia’s HIV prevention strategy does not openly target gay or bisexual men, who along with injecting drug users, female sex workers and transgender people are the high-risk groups in the Indonesian epidemic, the AP reports. Instead, overtaxed nongovernment organizations are trying to fill the gulf in a climate hostile to their work, the AP reports. About nine percent of Thai gay and bisexual men have the HIV virus, compared with 26 percent in Indonesia, according to U.N. data. More than 90 percent of the people estimated to have HIV in Thailand have been tested and know their result, compared with only one in three in Indonesia, the AP article notes.

CDC plans study on HIV and health care access

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CHICAGO — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wants to research whether gay and transgender people of color could receive better access to care and experience reduced HIV infection rates if they discuss insurance coverage with their providers earlier, Modern Health Care, an industry news service, reports. The agency is seeking approval from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget to launch the study in Chicago, focusing on black and Hispanic males who have sex with men and transgender persons. The CDC will work with 5130 Wisconsin Ave. NW • DC • (202) 966-6400 • www.JosephGawlers.com community partners to help people connect to coverage. Gay men accounted for 81 percent of new HIV infections among males and 65 ADVERTISING percent of all new HIV infections, according to the CDC. Researchers have also found HIV rates among black and Hispanic transgender womenPROOF to be #1 56 percent ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com) and 16 percent, respectively. REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of The CDC wants to evaluate whether these individuals will experience better adviC e Proof • m i a t ifinal o and N will • beL submitted i t i Gfor apublication t i o Nif revision • a isPnot P submitted e a L Swithin • 24 C hours o LofL a B o r a t i o N proof. wille bed considered 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 health outcomes if providers talk with them about coverage options during 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 sexually transmitted disease testing. Currently, these conversations tend toREVISIONS take TEXT 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 IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS place after patients receive their test results, Modern Health Care reports. competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE 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 The agency wants to determine whether the change will lead to more 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 no 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. participants obtaining health insurance, experiencing better health by achieving and warranties. viral suppression or remaining HIV-free and improve retention rates for HIV care including using medications known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN and other HIV-associated health services like mental health counseling and ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS substance use treatment, the Modern Health Care article notes. Research has shown that individuals who start antiretroviral therapy on the same day that they are diagnosed with HIV are more likely to be engaged in their care over the long term, according to Jeffrey Crowley, who served under at tor N e YS at L aw • d C | m d | va President Barack Obama as director of the Office of National AIDS policy and now oversees infectious disease initiatives at Georgetown University. 3 0 1 . 8 9 1 . 2 2 0 0 • S P - L aw. C o m

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Reflecting on my first Pride I can finally say that I am proud to be unabashedly me By ABBY WARGO Although the novelty of attending Pride has worn off for some, the significance of this year’s Capital Pride festivities was not lost on me. The Pride festival was my first time attending a Pride event of any kind. I’ve been a part of the LGBT community for some time now, but I’m not often able to express that in a public setting. I grew up in a conservative, religious community and now attend college on the Maryland Eastern Shore in another conservative area. There weren’t — aren’t — many places or events that celebrate differences or diversity like Pride. Young closeted gays didn’t have anything that would help normalize LGBT people and there was (and remains) the deep-seated alienation that comes from being somewhere you don’t feel you belong.

Pride to me is an event where people of all ages and from all over come together to celebrate the parts of themselves that not everyone is willing to accept. Even though Pride is not a new event, gay rights have only recently become prioritized and normalized in America. It still baﬄes me that same-sex marriage was only legalized three years ago. I am lucky

was a little overwhelming at ﬁrst — so many people dressed up — and there were so many people — but the happiness and positivity were infectious. And really, how often are people able to walk around in head-to-toe rainbows? It’s hard not to feel that energy and be transformed by it. As for me, I spent time working at the

Besides the $15 chicken tenders, the only other thing I purchased at the festival was a bisexual Pride ﬂag. to be able to come out during an era in which same-sex love is, at the very least, legal. I can still remember the pure joy on some of my friends’ faces when they realized that they, too, can get married. I felt that joy and freedom at Pride. It

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Blade’s booth and just having the opportunity to be a part of something as powerful as Capital Pride was an experience I will never forget. The front cover of the Pride issue of the Blade lamented the recent Supreme Court decision regarding Masterpiece Cakeshop’s unwillingness to serve gay customers, which served as a reminder that even as the LGBT community becomes more open, in many ways we are still not entirely accepted. Being bisexual is sometimes uncomfortable to acknowledge to people, and I know that I am not alone in this. Attending Pride reminded me that every sexual and gender orientation is normal and that it is possible to embrace and display an identity that differs from others in my community. I still struggle with my identity. The love and acceptance I felt at Pride reassured me that I am loved, I am not an aberration, I am free to be me, completely. Besides the $15 chicken tenders, the only other thing I purchased at the festival was a bisexual Pride flag. I’ve never felt the need to own an LGBT flag (or a flag of any kind) before, but the atmosphere stirred me to make some sort of proclamation about my sexuality. Now it hangs in my apartment on my bedroom wall. When I wake up in the morning, it is one of the first things I see. I’m glad to have the reminder of my first time at Pride, and I can finally say that I am proud to be unabashedly me.

ABBY WARGO, a Blade summer intern, is a student at Washington College and editor of The Elm student newspaper.

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Stop our downhill slide and vote in November

Roe, Obergefell at risk in corrupt Trump era

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

We now know without a doubt that a vote for Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8, 2016, would have made a positive diﬀerence in so many people’s lives. We would not be staring at the demise of our democracy and a return to the 1950s on social issues with a new Supreme Court Justice. Time to stop blaming Hillary for how she campaigned and place the blame where it belongs, on the disgusting pig in the White House and those who put him there either by staying home, voting for a third party, or casting a vote for Trump. Shame on those who listened to the likes of elitist white privileged Susan Sarandon who said Clinton was the

same as Trump or even worse. But here we are and now we need to face the future together no matter how dim it may look. Every person with an ounce of decency must do everything they can to stop Trump and his right-wing Republican Congress. Never thought I would agree with George Will but I urge you to listen when even he says, “Don’t vote for the GOP in November.” We must put a stop to the downhill slide of our nation and stop a president who is having us turn our backs on our friends while he cozies up to our enemies. We need to take back the House of Representatives and the Senate if we are to stop the insane person occupying the White House before he does any more damage. I am more convinced than ever that Vladimir Putin is blackmailing him. If he isn’t then Trump is even more disgusting than I thought, which is hard to fathom. With the retirement of Justice Kennedy, we will face a more hostile majority on the Supreme Court. It can only be hoped there are two or three Republicans with enough decency to reject a nominee committed to turning back the clock and overturning Roe v. Wade allowing states to once again make abortion illegal; and Obergefell v. Hodges once again making

same-sex marriage illegal. In order to move forward we must elect every Democrat on the general election ballot on Nov. 6. Every one of them, from those running for school board and county council, to those running for state legislature, governor and Congress. If we do that we can put a halt to the downward spiral this president and this Congress have us on. With our vote we can say, “We won’t take it anymore.” We can say to this president we see through your lies and deceit when you say your tax cut helped the middle class when it was just a big giveaway to the rich. We can say to him your tariﬀs are hurting us and because of them union workers in Wisconsin are losing their jobs and farmers in Iowa are hurting because they can’t sell their crops. We can tell the president that cozying up to Putin and Kim Jong-un while chastising Justin Trudeau, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron is total insanity and a threat to world peace. We have the chance with our votes this November to say our country is going to defend the rights of immigrants and redeem ourselves and live up to the words on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” With a united

voice we must say we will not let women go back to the times when getting an abortion meant doing it in a dirty back room with a coat hanger. We will not go back to the time when those in the LGBTQ community stayed in the closet to protect themselves and their families. We will not go back to a time in our country when it was legal to discriminate based on the color of one’s skin. And we will say with our votes we will not accept a president who thinks it’s OK to support candidates who accept the support of white supremacists and Nazis such as Corey Stuart in Virginia. The majority of the people in our country are decent. Nearly three million more of them voted for Hillary than for Trump. In the last six out of seven presidential elections the Democratic candidate for president got more votes than the Republican. The majority of the people understood the diﬀerence it would make even if our Electoral College system didn’t allow the majority to win. This November we must vote in overwhelming numbers to show the world not only are the majority of the American people decent and caring, but we will not stand by while the despot currently occupying the White House and his lackeys in the Congress endanger not only our nation but the world.

O UR B US I NES S MATTER S

Red Hen reaction is why blue donkey keeps losing Shaming and shunning public officials may feel good but wins nothing

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

Two weekends ago, after joining her husband and a handful of friends at the 26-seat Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Va., White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave the establishment. The following Monday, after Sanders tweeted a statement regarding the incident in response to media inquiries, the story went viral. Red Hen co-owner Stephanie Wilkinson was at home when she received a call from the chef. Staﬀ had recognized Sanders when she arrived late and were huddled in the

kitchen discussing her presence. The venue’s gay service staff was upset, objecting to the Trump administration’s opposition to transgender personnel serving in the military. Wilkinson hurried to the restaurant, in a town of 7,000 located 200 miles to the south of D.C., assessed the situation and polled her staff. They voted to ask Sanders to leave. The tiny dining room prompted the restaurateur to request the group follow her to an outdoor area, where she politely asked Sanders to leave. Sanders indicated she would comply, absent complaint or fuss. Despite the request being limited to Sanders, the entire party decided to depart. The reaction on social media was both rapid and repulsive – on both sides. There were those on the right who condemned the imbroglio as if children and pets were being beheaded, and there were those on the left who sounded as if they thought that might actually be a good idea. That is, if the kids and animals were Republicans or, more precisely, Trump administration officials. Congresswoman Maxine Waters weighed in, sounding a call just this side of advocating White House personnel be confronted at gas stations when refueling their cars or shamed and shunned when seen shopping.

Her public exhortation, quickly spreading like, well, a gasoline ﬁre, prompted David Axelrod, former Obama administration oﬃcial, to tweet, “Couldn’t disagree more with Maxine Waters. … Rousting Cabinet members from restaurants is an empty and, ultimately, counter-productive gesture that won’t change a thing.” That’s the lesson, here, actually. Only a few months ago cultural historians lamented the lack of social interaction by opposing sides in political Washington. We’re far beyond such quaint regrets, moving to community combat while consuming cocktails. Has Trump’s coarseness and insensitivities, and indeed some policies, contributed to creating this situation? Absolutely. Are some politically frustrated Democrats adopting the notion it’s time to drop behind the sandbags? Absolutely again. This “both-sides-do-it” attitude only alienates those outside virtue-signaling ideological cocoons regardless of which side you’re on. There is an irony here for D.C. residents and the LGBT community. While federal anti-discrimination laws, and those in Virginia, don’t address what occurred at the Red Hen, the D.C. human rights law would seem to. Although not tested through court complaint, District law prohibits

discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of political affiliation or ideology. If not a technical violation, it would be counter to the spirit of the law were the refusal of service to have happened here. Instructive are the words of local Cork Wine Bar co-owner Diane Gross, telling the Washington Post last week that the Logan Circle establishment “has hosted prominent figures ‘of various political persuasions’ and would never ask a customer to leave unless they were being disruptive.” Gross, and co-owner husband Khalid Pitts, are no GOP sympathizers. They have filed a some-say-frivolous-publicity-stuntbut-some-say-has-legal-merit lawsuit alleging that Trump’s ownership of his downtown namesake hotel is unfair competition due those hoping to curry presidential favor, thereby harming their business. “I think the bottom line is that we’re in the hospitality industry, and we need to be hospitable,” Gross said. “That’s why we do this, to welcome people into our restaurants or hotels or other hospitality establishments and provide folks with the same level of service regardless of who they are or what their political affiliation is or their background or whatever.” She gets the last word on this.

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Town, 2007-2018 Mourning the closure of a space for all

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

Last weekend saw the closure of Town Danceboutique. But no one really called it that. It was really just simply, Town. Social media was full of D.C. gays sharing memories, stories, pictures of themselves in front of that brick facade, “when I ﬁrst went to Town I was just. . .” That sort of thing. Honestly, people seemed to take it pretty hard. Gays, like so many other minority groups, seem to mourn spaces more than most. But why, why here? What was Town? I can rattle oﬀ a litany of gay bar names, all now shuttered since I moved here 12 years ago — Titan, Remington’s, EFN Lounge,

Chaos, MOVA, Omega, our only lesbian bar, Phase One. But they didn’t receive a send-oﬀ close to what Town earned. Town was special. Sleek, modern, thoughtful in design. I never really cared for the upstairs and the music there, the drag show I never thought was really for me, but I did enjoy the outside patio. That space was indeed thoughtful in its design and gave us a space to congregate that we really deserved. And that was more or less the beauty of Town, a space for everyone, and a space we deserved. Not some dive space that hadn’t seen a renovation, or even a mop, in years. Town made and kept itself relevant. A space of self-discovery, the feeling of almost absolute freedom of dancing all night. Minority groups need their own space, especially in times such as these when we have no real friends in an executive branch that only two years ago used to actively celebrate us. When Town opened it was unquestionable why we needed a space like that. And now, later, it may seem superﬁcial, or as some have suggested, unnecessary. But we

need it. We still see oppression. Courts can still rule against us, and we can all be suddenly reminded that there is a substantially large portion of the population out there that would rather not have us around. At the very least, after a week of

we’ve seen, spaces come and go. Will some other Town open soon, in some fashion and in some variation, somewhere in the city? And I see more deserved spaces, more thoughtful renovations in new spots like Dave Perruzza’s

Town made and kept itself relevant. A space of self-discovery, the feeling of almost absolute freedom of dancing all night. living in the straight world, we could dust all that off our shoulders at Friday’s Bear Happy Hour. Gays Against Gun Violence held its first fundraiser after Pulse at Town. Dozens of other charities held events there as well. On the micro level, boys were able for the first time to enter a gay space, peel back the curtain for the first time on a new life and all the possibilities that it offered. That sort of thing should never be discounted. So what now? What now that our city has no real permanent dance club? As

new venture, Pitchers in Adams Morgan. Like Town, there’s the promise of varied queer spaces under one roof. Even a lesbian bar. Our city currently has none. Where does this leave us? And what does our community really need? Do we need another dance club, a drag club, a patio, or do we just need another space. Clearly we need all of that. A space to dance, a space to mourn, a space to celebrate, or simply to be one’s self. Town managed to give us all of that. And I’ll miss being there for sure.

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BARBARA GITTINGS, FRANK KAMENY and JOHN FRYER. PHOTO BY KAY TOBIN LAHUSEN; PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

The overshadowed LGBT ﬁght for ‘normality’ Upcoming doc examines protests against the American Psychiatric Association By CHRISTOPHER KANE For decades, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) labeled homosexuality a mental illness, thereby justifying the criminalization of homosexuality and permitting discriminatory practices against gay men and lesbians by government agencies, businesses, schools and churches repulsed by those branded “sick” and “perverted.” But homosexuality was also believed to be a deviant behavioral choice that could be “cured” through medical

and psychological treatments such as electroshock, chemical castration, ice pick lobotomies or aversion “therapy” akin to the torture in “A Clockwork Orange.” Not all mental health professionals thought gay people were degenerates. In 1953, with Republican Sen. Joe McCarthy in his prime demagogically chasing down and destroying communists (the “Red Scare”) and homosexuals (the “Lavender Scare”), Evelyn Hooker, Ph.D., sought funding from the National Institute

of Mental Health to research “normal homosexuals,” prompted by her close friendship with a former UCLA student, Sam From. Through him, she gained access to Los Angeles’s secret gay subculture and volunteers from the Mattachine Society. Hooker’s presentation at the APA’s annual convention in 1956 was groundbreaking — there was no scientiﬁc data on gay people who were not incarcerated or in mental wards. The result: expert clinicians could not distinguish between gay men

and straight men, ﬁndings that were soon validated by other researchers. But the APA did not remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III until 1973. “Cured,” an in-production documentary directed by award-winning ﬁlmmakers Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer, details the story of how LGBT activists joined forces with other minority CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

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RO B E RT ME D I NA How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? I’ve been out for 13 years. I think the hardest person to tell was myself. I don’t think I truly accepted or even liked myself until maybe a year ago.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEDINA

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Regional Pride events in smaller towns throughout the region continue next weekend with Hagerstown Pride in Hagerstown, Md. Hagerstown Hopes, the coordinating agency, presents its seventh annual Hagerstown Pride Festival on Saturday, July 14 from 12-6 p.m. with live entertainment, vendors, speakers, food and more. “This is Me” is this year’s theme. Pride will be held in the Central Parking Lot in downtown Hagerstown, a new location because of renovations at the Maryland Theatre. A kickoff show is at the Lodge (21614 National Pike, Boonsboro, Md.) on Friday, July 13 from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. with DJ Sidekick and a drag show at 10:45 p.m. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” vet Kennedy Davenport will perform on Saturday night at 9 p.m. at the Lodge with an official after party. Full details at hagerstownhopesmd.org. Robert Medina, strategic planning chairman and Hopes board member, got involved with the organization last fall. “Everything is falling right into place and we are super excited about this year’s festival,” says the 34-year-old Waynesboro, Pa., native. About 2,500 attended last year. They’re hoping for 3,000 or more this year. Medina says Hagerstown Pride is more family friendly and community oriented than bigger events in Baltimore and Washington. “We want everyone to feel like they belong,” he says. “We want to connect with each person and create life-long relationships.” Medina works by day as a Realtor with RE/MAX. He’s single and came to Hagerstown five years ago. He lives in Hagerstown and enjoys his dog, movies and hanging out with friends and family in his free time.

Who’s your LGBT hero? I don’t really have a hero per se. I’m more motivated and inspired by my local community. If I had to pick one person it would have to be Nicole James aka Jimmy. One of the most caring individuals I have ever met and a supreme story teller. What’s Maryland’s best nightspot, past or present? The Lodge. When I was ﬁrst coming out it was called Deer Park Lodge. That is where I ﬁrst felt like I belonged somewhere. I have made these life-long friendships and relationships and that to me is truly special. You can get great music, a light show, drag shows a lot of places, but this place is about family. I don’t know where I would be without the Lodge. Describe your dream wedding. Haha, I don’t plan on getting married. I don’t think I have ever thought of a dream wedding. What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about? Revitalizing our great city. I love Hagerstown. What historical outcome would you change? Besides the obvious recent one? I’m not sure. I’ve always been a everythinghappens-for-a-reason-type-of person, even if at the moment I am not sure what the reason is. What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? Harry Potter On what do you insist? The path to your best life lies through helping, caring and supporting others. What was your last Facebook post or Tweet? It was a quote: “The trees that are pruned, watered and nurtured by caring hands bear the greatest fruits; it is the same with people.”

If your life were a book, what would the title be? “Charismatic Bore” If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? Remind everyone to just be who you are. What do you believe in beyond the physical world? I’m not a religious person. I’m not really sure what I believe. I do feel a lot lately that I’m being steered a certain way, so I would say that I am a ship navigating this life and just going where the wind takes me. What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders? Always take the high road. Love and compassion. What would you walk across hot coals for? My friends and family. What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

All of them!

What’s your favorite LGBT movie? I don’t have one. I remember the ﬁrst LGBT movie I saw was the “Broken Hearts Club.” What’s the most overrated social custom? I would hardly say they are overrated. Things like holding doors, please, thank you, etc. I don’t think we do them enough anymore. We are all “too busy” rushing around. I think we all need to work on interacting with people better, whether it be a server, bank teller, etc. Look those people in the eye and truly see them. What trophy or prize do you most covet? I’d love to be top agent in my oﬃce at least once this year! What do you wish you’d known at 18? That it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks and that I am most happy when I’m helping others. Why Hagerstown?

Hagerstown is home.

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Urie’s return Sorta bi-leaning Panic! frontman back with tight pop eﬀort By THOM MURPHY For those of us who were teenagers in the late 2000s, pop punk music was deﬁned not only by its sound, but also its look — skinny jeans, band T-shirts and Vans shoes. Skater-inspired teenagers adamantly defended their favorite bands and devoutly followed major acts such as My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. Lesser-known bands performed in small venues where fans would push against each other (light “mosh”-ing) while the bands played overloud guitars, singing snappy choruses in a nasal tenor. Frontmen and band members alike attracted devoted followings, drawing attention to their sometimes ambiguous sexuality in performative ways. After signing to Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz’ label Decaydance Records (later renamed DCD2), Panic! At The Disco became a major force in the

scene with albums “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” (2005) and “Pretty. Odd.” (2008). Frontman Brendon Urie, the only original member who still remains in the group, has continued to release hugely successful music under the original band name. He recently made his Broadway debut in “Kinky Boots.” Urie, who has discussed his attraction to both men and women on several occasions, joined the Human Rights Campaign’s Equality Rocks project last year and has recently pledged $1 million in support of LGBT youth through his newly founded Highest Hopes Foundation. The new album “Pray For The Wicked,” which debuted at the No. 1 Billboard spot, showcases the band’s signature theatrics and Urie’s outstanding vocals. Like most pop punk revival albums in recent years, “Pray For The Wicked” tilts strongly pop, with the rock inﬂuence largely lost in the mix. But Urie manages to remain innovative, experimenting with irregular instrumentation, fusing electronic and pop rock. Lead single “Say Amen (Saturday Night),” a rebellious anthem dealing with religious themes, features a boisterous

brass section in the chorus. Thematically, the song speaks of internal religious struggle: “And every morning when I wake up/I wanna be who I couldn’t say I’d ever been.” It’s heavy handed in terms of both music and lyrics, but works well overall. The bridge gives a welcome contrast to the preachy brass with Urie moving to whispery lower register above a salsa-inspired piano accompaniment before he soars to an astoundingly high note in the final chorus. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” is an uptempo, heavily electronic track. Its clever, at times smart alecky lyrics are a refreshing departure from the filler words of most electronic-influenced pop tracks. As Urie quips in the first verse, “I’m a hooker sellin’ songs/and my pimp’s a record label.” Musically, this track is the furthest from Panic! At The Disco pop punk origins. The song rolls into “High Hopes,” a slightly underwhelming upbeat track that has been released as a single. “Dancing’s Not A Crime” is one of the best tracks on the album. The superbly engineered, upbeat song has a lively horn accompaniment, which mixes perfectly

into the balance. It’s the sort of funky brass instrumentation we have come to expect of someone like Bruno Mars. And melodically, the chorus is vaguely reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s “Yoü and I.” It’s a delightfully fun song. The single “King Of The Clouds” has an operatic vocal quality that appears at least loosely inspired by Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But it’s neither the best nor the most interesting song on the short yet robust album and seems a peculiar choice for a single, though it’s certainly enjoyable. The ballad “Dying In LA” has beautiful melody that Urie delivers in his sharp, clear tenor above an alternating piano and string accompaniment. It makes his recent stint on Broadway seem an obvious corollary. With few exceptions, the current iteration of the pop punk revival is living on borrowed time. Its existence depends on name recognition and nostalgia. And the remaining acts have largely been assimilated into more traditional pop. But if there is anything left of the innovative, angsty spunk of pop punk, Brendon Urie may well be its last prophet.

Una gran opción para nosotras La mejor opción para mí #PrEPpledge Las personas transgénero que se preocupan por su futuro, prometen protegerse. Ellas han elegido PrEP. PrEP previene la infección con el Virus de la Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH) ¿Se considera una persona fuerte y decidida? ¿Se siente una persona bella y valiente? ¿Es una persona abierta a más opciones que traigan beneficios positivos para su futuro? Si respondió Sí a todas las preguntas, PrEP es para usted. PrEP no solo es una pastilla. PrEP significa prevención. PrEP es tener el poder de evitar contraer el VIH. PrEP es mantener una vida sexual saludable.

PrEP o profilaxis pre-exposición es un régimen de pastillas diarias aprobado por la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos (FDA) que puede prevenir el VIH. Cuando se toma a diario, esta pastilla es segura y tiene una efectividad de más del 90% en la prevención contra el VIH. La administración encargada de VIH/SIDA, hepatitis, enfermedades de transmisión sexual y tuberculosis (HAHSTA), parte del Departamento de Salud (DOH), está lanzando la campaña “Pledge to be PrEPared”. Una campaña que fue creada en directa colaboración con la comunidad transgénero latina de Washington D. C. para educar a la comunidad acerca de la importancia de tomar PrEP. Por su salud y su futuro, al igual que el de su pareja, prometa protegerse. Tome control de su vida sexual, y hable con su médico acerca de sus temores o si tiene preguntas acerca de PrEP y de cómo obtenerla. Únase a las más de 2,500 personas en Washington D. C. que ya la están tomando, y que pueden dar testimonio de los resultados que han obtenido. Elija PrEP. Para obtener mayor información, visite #PrEPpledge, PrEPpledge.com/latina o cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.html

PrEP es una pastilla que ayuda a prevenir el VIH. Obtén más información en PrEPpledge.com Pregúntale a tu médico. Llamar 202-741-7692

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PrEP es una pastilla que ayuda a prevenir el VIH. Obtén más información en PrEPpledge.com Pregúntale a tu médico. Llamar 202-741-7692

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This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com

First Friday Dupont Circle Art Walk Jul 6. Historic Dupont Circle Main Streets. dupontcirclemainstreets.org.

Gallery spaces are open late for a self-guided walk around Dupont Circle every First Friday of the month to visit art galleries, embassies, retailers, and historic houses.

Jazz in the Garden: Black Masala Jul 6. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.

Brassy Washington DC-based outﬁt, Black Masala, is part of the new generation of go-anywhere brass bands. You can hear this sound all over the world now – from New Orleans (Hot 8) to Belgrade (Boban & Marko Markovic), Paris (Fanfarai) to Cotonou (Gangbe Brass Band), and right here on the east coast area as well (Red Baraat & No BS! Brass).

Lesbians and the Men Who Love Them. Jul 10-Jul 19. Capital Fringe @ Christ United Methodist Church Capfringe.org

Move over María from West Side Story. Meet María, spiritual daughter of Ché, who is leading the lesbian feminist revolution on campus. One of over 400+ performances of Capital Fringe Festival

NSO Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban™ - In Concert Jul 6-Jul 7. NSO at Wolf Trap. kennedy-center.org.

Based on the third installment of J.K. Rowling’s classic saga, fans of all ages can now experience the thrilling tale accompanied by live music from the National Symphony Orchestra as Harry soars across the big screen. PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORIC DUPONT CIRCLE MAIN STREETS

THEATRE Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations. Thru Jul 22. Hamilton. Thru Sep 7. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org. Hexagon 2018: Tweet Land of Liberty. Jul 12-Jul 28. Capital Fringe at Westminster Presbyterian Church - DC. capitalfringe.org. Lesbians and the Men Who Love Them. Jul 10-Jul 19. The Tragical Comical Fool’s Game. Jul 10-Jul 26. Isadora Duncan: Landscapes of the Soul. Jul 12-Jul 26. Bartleby, the Magical White Coworker. Jul 12-Jul 28. Capital Fringe at Christ United

Methodist Church. capitalfringe.org. On The Town. Thru Jul 22. H.M.S. Pinafore. Jul 11-Aug 19. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org. One Destiny. Jul 12. Ford's Theatre. fords.org. Other Life Forms. Thru Jul 7. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com. Tales of The Mysterious and Grotesque: The Works of Edgar Allan Poe. Jul 12-Jul 27. Sobriety of Fear. Jul 11-Jul 28. Burn Out Blessings. Jul 11-Jul 28. Holon!. Jul 12-Jul 29. Capital Fringe at Saint Augustine’s. capitalfringe.org. The Accidental Pilgrim. Jul 7-Jul 29. Capital Fringe at DC Arts Center

(DCAC). capitalfringe.org. The City Of . . .. Jul 8-Jul 21. The Body of a Woman as a Battleﬁeld in the Bosnian War. Jul 12-Jul 17. Andromeda Breaks. Jul 7-Jul 22. O Monsters. Jul 7-Jul 22. America’s Wives. Jul 8-Jul 22. Barococo. Jul 10-Jul 22. A Slow Bullet. Jul 12-Jul 25. Capital Fringe at Arena Stage. capitalfringe.org. The Secrets of the Universe (and Other Songs). Jul 6-Jul 29. JCCNV at New School. jccnv.org. The Vandal by Hamish Linklater. Jul 7-Jul 28. 50 Ways to Date your Aubrey. Jul 7-Jul 29. Capital Fringe at Caos on F. capitalfringe.org.

DANCE Dakshina’s Festival of South Asian Dance. Jul 7-Jul 8. Atlas. atlasarts.org. Deviated Theatre. Jul 7-Jul 8. Dance Place. danceplace.org.

MUSIC Summer Concert Series: Britishmania: Beatles Tribute. Jul 7. BlackRock. blackrockcenter.org. Dupont Underground Presents: One Night, Four Bands. Jul 6. Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org. Newpoli. Jul 12. Library of Congress. loc.gov. Tongue In Cheek Jazz Band at Lubber Run. Jul 6. Chopteeth at Lubber Run. Jul 7. Rocnocerous at Lubber Run. Jul 8. Arlington Cultural Aﬀairs at Lubber Run. arlingtonarts.org. Jazz in the Garden: Black Masala. Jul 6. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov. Alexandria Birthday Celebration. Jul 7. Alexandria Waterfront. Oronoco Bay Park. Strathmore Tea. Jul 10. Live from the Lawn: Making Movies. Jul 11. Backyard Theater for Kids: JoJo & The Pinecones. Jul 12. Strathmore. strathmore.org. Ludovico Einaudi: Essential Einaudi. Jul 8. Indigo Girls with The War & Treaty. Jul 10. Wheels of Soul 2018 Tour Tedeschi Trucks Band with Drive-By Truckers and The Marcus King Band. Jul 11. School’s Out For Summer 2018: Slightly Stoopid with special guests Stick Figure and Pepper. Jul 12. Wolf Trap. wolftrap.org.

MUSEUMS Dumbarton Oaks. Outside/IN: Martha

Jackson Jarvis at Dumbarton Oaks. Thru Aug 19. doaks.org. Folger Shakespeare Library. Form & Function: The Genius of the Book. Thru Sep 23. folger.edu. Kreeger Museum. Second Nature: Portuguese Contemporary Art from the EDP Foundation Collection. Thru Jul 31. Reinstallation of the Permanent Collection. Thru Dec 31. kreegermuseum.org. Library of Congress. Letters to Lyrics: Alexander Hamilton at the Library of Congress. Thru Aug 21. Drawn to Purpose. Thru Oct 20. loc.gov. National Archives. Remembering Vietnam. Thru Jan 6. archivesfoundation.org. National Gallery of Art. Heavenly Earth: Images of Saint Francis at La Verna. Thru Jul 8. Sharing Images: Renaissance Prints Into Maiolica and Bronze. Thru Aug 5. nga.gov. National Geographic. National Geographic: Exploration Starts Here. Thru Jan 1. Titanic: The Untold Story. Thru Jan 6. Tomb of Christ. Thru Jan 2. nglive.org. National Museum of Women in the Arts. Hung Liu In Print. Thru Jul 8. Heavy Metal—Women to Watch 2018. Thru Sep 16. nmwa.org. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers. Thru Sep 3. Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now. Thru Mar 10. National Portrait Gallery - Recent Acquisitions. Thru Nov 4. npg.si.edu. Smithsonian Anacostia Museum. A Right to the City. Thru April 20.Your Community, Your Story: Celebrating Five Decades Of The Anacostia Community Museum, 1967-2017. Thru Jan 6. anacostia.si.edu. Woodrow Wilson House. Vintage Game Night. Jul 11. woodrowwilsonhouse.org.

GALLERIES DC Arts Center (DCAC). Judging Me Judging You. Thru Aug 12. dcartscenter.org. Dupont Circle. First Friday Dupont Circle Art Walk. Jul 6. dupontcirclemainstreets.org Dupont Underground. Selected Video Works by Liliane Blom. Thru Jul 17. dupontunderground.org. gallery neptune & brown. Rhythm & Blues. Thru Jul 21. galleryneptunebrown.com. Gallery Underground. VACATION! Art Exhibit. Thru Jul 27. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JULY 13–17 THE YARDS (M ST. & 1ST ST. SE) FRI: 10AM-10PM; SAT: 12-8PM; SUN: 10AM-7PM; MON-TUE: 10AM-8PM FREE ADMISSION

JULY 14 THE YARDS (M ST. & 1ST ST. SE) 8AM ALLSTARGAME.COM/RUN

JULY 13–17

JULY 13-16

WALTER E. WASHINGTON CONVENTION CENTER FRI–MON: 9AM-8PM; TUES: 9AM-7PM BUY TICKETS AT ALLSTARGAME.COM

DISTRICT PIER AT THE WHARF FRI: 12-6PM, 7-10PM; SAT-MON: 10AM-6PM, 7-10PM MLBASSEMBLY.COM

JULY 15 NATIONALS PARK GATES OPEN AT 2PM • EVENT STARTS AT 4PM THE FIRST 15,000 FANS RECEIVE A RACING PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT GARDEN GNOME BUY TICKETS AT ALLSTARGAME.COM

JULY 16 8PM

Take the All-Star Green Path presented by Kaiser Permanente to All-Star Week Events! Download the MLB Ballpark app for more info!

E: 01.13.2017

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28 • JUL Y 06, 2018

O U T & A BO U T

By ABBY WARGO

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS M-TH 11:30AM-10PM • F-SAT 11:30AM-11PM SUN. BRUNCH 11AM-3PM / DINNER 3-10PM

322 MASS. AVE. NE • 202.543.7656

CAFEBERLIN-DC.COM

PHOTO COURTESY CAPITAL ONE ARENA

Shania plays D.C. July 15 Shania Twain performs at Capital One Arena (601 F St. N.W.) on July 15 at 8 p.m. Twain, a Canadian singer-songwriter famous for hits such as “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” is currently on her “NOW” world tour. Tickets range from $24.95-$119.95 and can be purchased at ticketmaster. com. For more information, visit facebook.com/events.

ADVERTISING

PROOF

PHOTO COURTESY ARENA STAGE

SALES REPRESENTATIVE: JOE HICKLING (jhickling@washblade.com)

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

‘Dave’ comedy comes to Arena The world premiere of the musical “Dave” is Friday, July 13 at 8 p.m. at the Kreeger Theatre at Arena Stage (1101 6th St. N.W.). ADVERTISER SIGNATURE By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the washington newspaper. comedy This includes but is is not limited to placement, from the eponymous Oscar-nominated The blade musical adapted payment and insertion schedule. ﬁlm. “Dave” is the story of Dave Kovic, a high school teacher who looks like the president. He is hired by the Secret Service as a stand-in for the president, and when the president falls ill, Dave takes over the Oval Oﬃce to avoid a national scandal. Dave has to earn the nation’s trust and love as well as the First Lady. Drew Gehling, who originated the role of Dr. Pomatter in the Tony Awardnominated musical “Waitress,” plays the titular role and President Bill Mitchell. Out actor Jamison Scott (seen here) is in the ensemble. Tickets are $117 for full price and can be purchased at arenastage.org.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Blade launches Pride Baseball Pop-Up The Washington Blade, the first LGBT publication to serve as an official sponsor of MLB All-Star Week, is excited to announce the first LGBTQ Pride Baseball Pop-Up during the festivities. The pop-up will be open from Friday, July 13 at 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Tuesday, July 17. The Pride Baseball Pop-Up will provide a safe space for LGBTQ attendees 21 and older during the 2018 All-Star events and will include a beer garden and full cash bar. The pop-up is located directly across the street from Nationals Park and will give fans easy access to official events. Located on the corner of South Capitol and N Street, S.E. (1221 Vann St., S.E.), the pop-up will be the future home of Walters Sports Bar starting in 2019. The Pride Baseball Pop-Up will host the launch of the Blade’s sixth annual Sports Issue on Friday, June 13 from 6-8 p.m. This year’s All-Star festivities include GEICO AllStar FanFest from Friday, July 13 through Tuesday, July 17 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center; the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and Legends & Celebrity Softball on All-Star Sunday, July 15 at Nationals Park; the T-Mobile Home Run Derby as part of Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 16 at Nationals Park; and the 89th MLB All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on Tuesday, July 17, also at Nationals Park. Pop-Up hours are July 13 (4 p.m.-3 a.m.), July 14 (noon-3 a.m.), July 15 (10 a.m.-2 a.m.), July 16 (noon-2 a.m.) and July 17 (noon-2 a.m.). Details at pridebaseballbar.com.

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PHOTO COURTESY STRAND RELEASING

TIM KALKHOF as Thomas in ‘The Cakemaker.’

That takes the cake

2017 movie about betrayal gets D.C. screening By BRIAN T. CARNEY

Openly gay Israeli writer and director Oﬁr Raul Graizer has a delightful way of describing his delicious new movie, “The Cakemaker.” “It’s about food and love and lust,” he says. “The Cakemaker” (in German and Hebrew with subtitles) opens today at Landmark E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.). Tickets and showtimes at landmarktheatres.com. The story is loosely based on a friend of Graizer who lived a double life for 20 years. He was married to a woman and had children but also had aﬀairs with men. The wife found out after his death from cancer. “She emailed me to tell me what had happened and I just knew I had to make a movie about this woman,” Graizer says. “It’s a really messed-up situation. You live your life with somebody and then they die and you have to cope with death and

the mourning and the grief. Then you find out they lied to you, manipulated you. You didn’t really know them, so how can you mourn them?” From that initial idea, Graizer says, “I just put myself in the story. All the other things in the story — the character of the baker, the religions, the travel between Berlin and Jerusalem — are drawn from my life.” “The Cakemaker” centers on Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a German baker who has an affair with Oren (Roy Miller), a married Israeli businessman. When Oren misses one of his visits, Thomas investigates and discovers that Oren has died in a car accident. He travels to Jerusalem and without revealing who he is, starts working as a baker at the café owned by Oren’s widow Anat (Sarah Adler). Things become more complicated as their lives begin to intertwine. Graizer says his initial work on he script was grounded in the characters and their unusual situation. “When I first imagined the film, I didn’t have a message,” he says. “But it became clear to me that my characters wanted to live beyond the way they are defined by

society. I wanted my characters to break out of those traditional boundaries, to be who they really were.” For example, Anat struggles to define herself against religious dictates about keeping her café kosher and about living her life as a young widow and mother. As Graizer says, “Anat doesn’t want someone to tell her how to be religious. She has her own way. She is not religious, but she still wants to do some traditional things because she feels connected to them. It’s about finding your own way.” As for Thomas, Graizer says, “he comes to Jerusalem and he becomes a different person. I don’t think he thinks about whether he’s gay or straight or bisexual. It doesn’t matter There are complexities. It’s about people and love and lust.” Graizer also found himself breaking boundaries while casting the movie, especially the lead role of Thomas. He looked at hundreds of actors on a German casting website and auditioned about 20 actors in person. Then he saw a demo reel from Tim Kalkhof. “I knew I had to invite him to audition,” Graizer says. “It was the opposite of

typecasting. Tim is a well-known German TV actor who used to be a rugby player. He’s very straight, very macho, very slim — not at all like he is in the movie. We had to really tap into his acting skills because he is very different from Thomas. He had to gain 8 kilograms (18 pounds), he had to learn how to bake, he had to learn to be very quiet and repress his emotions. I wanted him to look like a baby, like dough. Everyone is trying to make something out of him.” Now that “The Cakemaker” is getting rave reviews, Graizer is at work on a number of projects. One is about a clerk stuck in a job he hates who becomes with a piece of art. Another is about a man who returns to his homeland to bury his father. He wants to leave but finds himself trapped in memories and secrets. His other project got started while he was waiting for the financing to come through for “The Cakemaker.” To pay the rent, Graizer offered cooking classes in Berlin. He turned his experiences into a cookbook which will be published in Germany in the fall.

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CA LE N D A R Attendees are welcome to bring a game to share. There is a $1 fee for attendees.

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

TUESDAY, JULY 10 Twilight Tuesday is at Penthouse Pool Club (1612 U St. N.W.) at 7 p.m. tonight. Guests must be 21 to enter with a valid government ID. RSVP is required at Eventbrite.com. For more information visit facebook.com/events.

By ABBY WARGO

TODAY NOVA Gay and Lesbian Professionals hosts a Happy Hour Social this evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Pinzimini Lounge in Westin Arlington Gateway (801 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, Va.). Go Gay D.C. leader TJ Flavell will be there to greet everyone. There are opportunities to meet professionals in a variety of ﬁelds and industries. There is no cover fee and everyone is welcome. For more information, visit gogaydc.org. The DC Center (2000 14th St. N.W., Suite 105) hosts a transgender discussion group tonight at 7 p.m. The peerfacilitated discussion group is open to members of the transgender community, partners, friends and allies. For more information, visit gogaydc.org. The District of Columbia Jewish Community Center (1529 16th St. N.W.) holds an LGBTQ Erev Shabbat service beginning at 8 p.m. tonight in the community room. An Oneg Shabbat social hour follows the service with dessert, coﬀee and soft drinks. For more information, go to gogaydc.org. Gay District hosts a men’s discussion group tonight at 8:30 at the D.C. Center’s Reeves Building. Gay men between the ages of 18-35 are welcome to attend and participate in this facilitated group discussion. After the meeting, members will often go out for dinner together in the surrounding neighborhood. For more information, visit gaydistrict.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 7 The Westminster Pride Festival is today in Westminster (56 W. Main St., Westminster, Md.) from noon- 5 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/events. Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 S. 23rd St., Arlington, Va.) hosts poker from 1-3 p.m. today. The World Tavern Poker Tournaments are free and a gift certiﬁcate prize goes to the winner. There is never a buy-in and each game is free. To get extra chips by registering in advance, visit worldtavernpoker.com. JR’s Bar & Grill (1519 17th St. N.W.) hosts showtunes happy hour tonight from 5-9 p.m. Mr. & Miss DC Royale Pageant is at Cobalt (1639 R St. N.W.) tonight from 6-10 p.m. The 2018 crown will be awarded and 2017 DC Royales Xavier Bottoms and Ophelia Bottoms. For more information, visit gogaydc.org or facebook.com/events. Dakshina, a gay-helmed local dance outﬁt, hosts the 15th annual Festival of South Asian Arts tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11

PHOTO COURTESY DAKSHINA

MESMA BELSARE, a trans South-Asian dancer, will perform as guest artist with Dakshina at its 15th annual Festival of South Asian Arts on Saturday night.

St. N.E.). Featured artists include Madhavi Mudgal Dance Company and Nadhi Thekkek. Tickets are $35 per person and $20 for children and seniors. For tickets, visit atlas arts.secure.force.com. Independence Day Weekend bar night is tonight at 9 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd. N.E.). Mr. D.C. Eagle 2018 Daniel Ferguson will be there and Thudd Thumper is on bootblack duty. Free red, white and blue Jell-O shots are available for guests wearing red, white or blue. A DILF party is at the main bar. There is a $10 cover charge for the party and advance tickets online are $8. For more information, go to facebook.com/events. Rumba Latina at Cobalt (1639 R St. N.W.) celebrates its ninth anniversary of Boys in Heels at 10 p.m. tonight. DJs Manny El Demente and DJ Madscience will spin music. There will also be performances by divas of Rumba Latina and hot go-go dancers. Drink specials will run all night. For more information, visit facebook. com/events.

SUNDAY, JULY 8 Freddie’s Fabulous Champagne Brunch is today at 10 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 S. 23rd St., Arlington, Va.). Tickets are $24.99 and the brunch comes with up to four champagne or mimosas, one Bloody Mary, or coﬀee, soda or juice. For more information, visit freddiesbeachbar.com.

Shi-Queeta Lee hosts Queeta’s Palace Chateau Remix Drag Brunch today at 11 a.m. at the Chateau Remix Event Center (3439 Benning Rd. N.E.). There is an allyou-can-eat brunch buﬀet and the ﬁrst mimosa or Zing Zang Bloody Mary is free. Tickets are $40 at Eventbrite.com. Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Camelot” will be performed at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St. N.W.) today at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $59-110. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit shakespearetheatre.org. Sunday Funday is at JR.’s Bar (1519 17th St. N.W.) from 4 p.m.-midnight tonight. Skyy highballs and Coors Light bottles are each $3.

MONDAY, JULY 9 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St. N.W., Suite 105) hosts a coﬀee drop-in for older LGBT adults and friends today at 10 a.m. There is no age restriction, but an ID or license is required to get into the building. For more information, visit facebook.com/centeraging. Freddie’s Beach Bar (555 23rd St. S, Arlington, Va.) hosts Pasta Monday beginning at 4 p.m. Pasta dishes are halfpriced. Happy hour specials are from 4-8 p.m. and karaoke is from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. For more information, visit freddiesbeachbar.com. The DC GLBT Board Gamers group is hosting a board gamers meetup tonight at 6 p.m. at Soho Tea & Coﬀee (2150 P St. N.W.).

The Capital Classics series at Landmark’s West End Cinema (2301 M St. N.W.) continues today with screenings of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” There are shows at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and $9.50 for children and seniors. Advance tickets and more information can be found at landmarktheatres.com. The Ask Rayceen Show is tonight at 7 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W.). Doors open at 6 p.m., and admission is free. The event is a game show, #AskRayceen Squares, which features special celebrity guests. There will be live music by Nia Simmons, burlesque by Uma Hurtman and DJ MIM will be spinning. Free catered food while supplies last is available for early arrivals, and snacks, soda and water will be available for $1 each. There will be a cash bar with drinks for $5 each. For more information, visit Eventbrite.com or askrayceen.com. The Big Gay Book Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at Trio Bistro (17 St. & Q St. N.W.). Members will discuss “The House of Impossible Beauties” by Joseph Cassara. Newcomers are welcome. For more information or to RSVP, email biggaybookgroup@hotmail.com. Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St. S.E.) for Duplicate Bridge. No reservations are required and newcomers are welcome. If you need a partner, call 202-841-0279.

THURSDAY, JULY 12 The Ugly Mug (723 8th St. S.E.) and District Karaoke host Pride karaoke tonight at 7 p.m. There are Tex-Mex Thursday food and drink specials all night, including $8 nachos and quesadillas, $4 Pacifico drafts, and $6 margaritas. For more information, visit facebook.com/events or email singit@ districtkaraoke.com. “Hamilton” is at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St. N.W.) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. There is a four-ticket limit per household. Tickets can either be mailed or picked up at the box office. Ticket price ranges from $199-625 each, and when available, standing room tickets may be purchased for $49 starting two hours prior to curtain. Forty $10 orchestra seats are offered at all performances. For tickets, visit the only official website at kennedy-center.org.

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T HE ATER

J U L Y 06, 2018 • 31

琀栀攀

Hungry for love

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

Comden/Green classic musical shines at Olney

㘀㨀㌀倀䴀

By PATRICK FOLLIARD Olney Theatre Center is finishing up its 80th season with a rousing production of the madcap chestnut “On the Town.” The 1944 musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Broadway’s most celebrated bisexual Leonard Bernstein, boasts ambitious choreography, gorgeous songs and lots of laughs. The plot is uncomplicated yet zany: three sailors have 24 hours of shore leave in New York City before returning to active duty. During that time, each young man has a self-assigned mission to accomplish. Girl-crazy party animal Ozzie (Sam Ludwig) wants to meet women; small town boyturned-war hero Gabey (Rhett Guter) is looking for a girl like his high school sweetheart; and Chip (Evan Casey), the brains of the trio (which isn’t saying much), is intent on seeing the sights. While riding the subway, Gabey falls in love with the photo of Miss Turnstiles for the month of June. The poster says she’s a New Yorker with a wide variety of interests ranging from homemaking to polo, so Gabey decides to track her down. His pals agree to help find her. While searching the city for Miss Turnstiles, Chip and Ozzie connect with romantic interests of their own. Chip becomes quickly involved with Hidly Esterhazy (Tracy Lynn Olivera), a manhungry cabbie who doesn’t waste time and insists on taking the sailor back to her place. And at the Museum of Natural History, girl-crazy Ozzie meets Claire DeLoone (Rachel Zampelli), a ditzy anthropologist who is mad for goodlooking young men, a passion she shares with her milquetoast husband Pitkin W. Bridgework (hilariously played out actor Bobby Smith). As luck would have it, Gabey eventually finds Miss Turnstiles, whose actual name is Ivy (the graceful Claire Rathbun) at Carnegie Hall where she’s receiving instruction from the highfalutin, but hard-drinking voice teacher Madam Maude P. Dilly (Donna Migliaccio). Ivy aspires to a career as a classically trained singer but in the meantime, she makes ends meet hoochie dancing at a seedy club in Coney Island. Out director Jason Loewith has carefully selected a terrific cast. The show features some truly wonderful comic turns

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 PHOTO: STAN BAROUH; COURTESY OLNEY

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

From left are SAM LUDWIG, RHETT GUTER, and EVAN CASEY in ‘On the Town,’ now playing at Olney Theatre Center.

particularly Olivera’s Hildy and Zampelli’s Claire. Also, Suzanne Lane is a hoot as Lucy Schmeeler, Hildy’s nerdy roommate with a head cold who encounters her destiny on a blind date gone wrong. The production could benefit from some tightening, especially in the second act when the gang of couples do some serious nightclub hopping. It’s a little ungainly. Tara Jeanne Vallee’s beautifully choreographed street ballets and jazzier numbers are executed with varying degrees of success by the show’s large and very game cast. The 14-person orchestra led by Christopher Youstra is perfectly on point. They do the score justice particularly with the upbeat number most closely identified with the show “New York, New York,” and other more poignant songs like Gabey’s “Lonely Town” and “Some Other Time” sung by Calire, Hildy, Ozzie and Chip. Court Watson’s pure 1940’s set with its vintage signage and Manhattan skyline, along with Rosemary Pardee’s excellent period costumes, help to create the excitement surrounding fabled New York, a city where a guy or gal can find romance at a moment’s notice. ON THE TOWN Through July 22 Olney Performing Arts Center 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road $54-84 301-924-3400 Olneytheatre.org

REMIX: Game On

Thursday, July 12 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Kogod Courtyard Get your head in the game with classic arcade sports, ballpark food and museum tours at an after-work museum happy hour.

Smithsonian

8th and F St. NW • Washington, DC • npg.si.edu • #myNPG DJ Ayes Cold by Travis Vaughan.

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BO O KS

PHOTO BY JOVANNI JIMENEZ-PEDRAZA; COURTESY DEY STREET BOOKS

Dear Bianca … ‘Drag Race’ champ answers questions in advice tome

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading since she was 3 years old. She lives in Wisconsin with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.

You have no rope left. You were at the end of yours last week and you need help. Advice. Tell-me-whatto-do direction. Even a little hint would be great, and in “Blame It On Bianca Del Rio” by Bianca Del Rio, you might ﬁnd it. Or not. Then again, Del Rio, a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” legend and the winner of season six, adamantly says she gives “better advice than Dr. Phil” because what

she espouses is based on “years and years of insightful prying and corrosive gossip.” That’s what this “literary goldmine” is based on, but Del Rio cautions that she changed names and circumstances as she wrote this book. In other words, even if you see your name here, it’s not all about you. Some of the problems here may be yours, though, and Del Rio (aka Roy Haylock) oﬀers “help” — ﬁrst on health and grooming. This includes bad smells and what to do about them, rocking a bald look, dealing with serious illness, preparing yourself for a loved one’s death and looking one’s best (or lowering one’s standards). This book wouldn’t be right without Del Rio’s guidance on sex and relationships. She has a lot to say about LBD (Lesbian Bed Death), coming out as gay to your girlfriend of four years, how many cats a queen can have before crossing the line and what to do about a terrible motherin-law. There’s “advice” here on how to deal

with neighbors who don’t like you and neighbors you like a little too much. Find out what Del Rio says about unknown paternity and how to avoid the same situation in the future. Get help on dealing with homophobia, parents that are overly supportive, bad Grandmas and other family matters. Learn how to turn down an invitation, how to read an invitation and how to be rude-not-rude. Finally, ﬁnd out what it’s like to be famous, fabulous and fabulously famous. In a rush of snark and a long answer, Del Rio — arguably the most successful “Drag Race” post-show alum ever, tells all. In case you hadn’t already ﬁgured it out — whether you’re familiar with author Bianca Del Rio or not, whether you know her work or don’t — you need to know that there’s not one single thing about “Blame It On Bianca Del Rio” that’s PC. Nope, in fact, there may actually be parts of this book that could be downright insulting. It’s chocked full with elaborately staged photos of Del Rio in elaborate drag and various setups.

Contrary to what you were told in grade school, however, there are some books that need to be judged by their covers and this one is a good example. With one look, you should know what you’re getting yourself into and a good insult is half the appeal of what you’ll have once you’re there. Mixed in with that is the occasional usable nugget, a lot of “you-go-girl!” empowerment, blunt MYOBiz answers to authentically sticky problems and falldown screaming-hysterical laughs hidden in the snarkiest of comments. “Blame It on Bianca Del Rio” absolutely does not belong on the shelf with other Agony Aunt tomes. Get it, and it might not even need a shelf at all because you’ll want it close, all tied up in fun.

‘BLAME IT ON BIANCA DEL RIO: THE EXPERT ON NOTHING WITH AN OPINION ON EVERYTHING’ By Bianca Del Rio Dey Street Books $21.99 272 pages

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THEATER

75+ COMICS. 6 VENUES. U N D E R 1 R O O F.

PHOTO BY SETH FREEMAN; COURTESY CATF

Director COURTNEY SALE (center) with CATF Founder ED HERENDEEN on the left at the ﬁrst table reading of ‘The Cake.’

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‘The Cake’ dilemma W.Va. theater fest tackles thorny lesbian dramedy By GRACE PERRY A play about a Christian baker’s dilemma to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple probably sounds more tragic than funny. But Bekah Brunstetter, writer and producer of NBC’s hit dramady “This Is Us,” has written a comedy on just this topic. This year’s Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) presents “The Cake” —Brunstetter’s new comedy about a Christian baker who’s forced to question her fundamental beliefs. The festival runs through July 29. Shepherdstown, W.Va., a small college town, is about 72 miles from Washington. Many Washingtonians visit the festival each summer where six new plays are performed with Equity actors in rotation. Package deals are available. Brunstetter began writing her play in 2015 after hearing about cakebased conflicts across the country and reflecting on her own upbringing in North Carolina with parents who oppose same-sex marriage. Although the play was not directly inspired by the recent Masterpiece Cakeshop Supreme Court case, the parallels are striking and the timing prescient. Courtney Sale, the play’s director, recalls receiving the ruling alongside the cast during rehearsal and how “heavy” their hearts were. She says that although neither the case nor the ruling influenced the way she directed the play, it will “change people’s experience of the play — no doubt about it.” “When we go the theater, we’re all haunted houses, and we come in with our own meanings and questions and perspectives,” Sale says. “So I think (the ruling) is going to color it.” The Virginia-native has directed at CATF the past two summers and says it’s “one of the most exciting places for new work in the American theater.” So when Ed Herendeen, founder and producing director of CATF, called and invited her back for a third summer to work on “The Cake,” she was ecstatic. Sale first read the play’s script in

February and immediately loved it, both for the writing itself and its “resonance and relevance to what’s happening right now.” “It’s a comedy,” she says, “but it’s so much more than that.” Sale describes how Brunstetter “masterfully” creates and develops four characters who are all relatable in their own right, even Della, the Christian baker. She says this complexity makes the play thoughtprovoking and nuanced and less caricatured than other works. Beyond the characters themselves, Sale says the comedic nature of the play also encourages the audience to re-examine their preconceived notions and lean into their discomfort. “The comedy… (which) is in the DNA of the writing … helps us go deeper and talk about stuﬀ that may be uncomfortable,” Sale says. Sale also hopes the play will remind audience members of what a productive dialogue space looks like — a phenomenon, she says, that has been blaringly absent in the past couple years. “What I love, love, love about (the characters) that we’re not seeing in national dialogue is that these people stay in the room together, and they don’t walk away from the argument, and they don’t walk away from the awkward, and they don’t walk away from the uncomfortable, and that’s where the play lives,” Sale says. Although LGBT themes are not the primary focus of Sale’s work, she says her lens “is always about inclusivity.” “When I make a play, I think what I’m trying to make is the world that we all want to live in, and one that is radical and feminist and inclusive.” Sale is excited about what she and the cast have created since their ﬁrst read through at the end of May and is hopeful the play will leave a lasting impact on audience members of all backgrounds. “I think people are going to be very moved and awakened.” ‘THE CAKE’ Contemporary American Theater Festival Shepherd University Frank Center 620 University Drive, Shepherdstown, W.Va. July 7-29 Runs two hours $32-62 Catf.org

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Lamb chop ‘lollipops’ at Orchid.

Orchid blooms New Barracks Row restaurant/gay bar opened in June By EVAN CAPLAN In what was once a classic Capitol Hill oyster hall, the new gay bar Orchid (520 8th St., S.E.) has opened its doors, a glamorous homage to ‘20s glitz — with a wink, nod and sashay to contemporary gay culture. “I wanted to whip out the magic wand just for the needs of the LGBTQ community,” says Timur Tugberk, who opened the bar last month with business partner Diego Gonzalez-Zuniga (both are gay). Tugberk and his team managed to pull no punches when it came to crafting each aspect of the bar with its audience squarely in mind. Every detail — seating style, menu names, bathroom doorknobs — has both ﬂair and practicality. For the millennials attached to their phones, there’s a charging station. The patio out front is not a beer garden, but a Champagne garden. Rosé is splashed

all over the drink menu. The gazpacho is green from millennial-friendly avocado, but arrives sans toast. Orchid has designs on distinguishing itself from other gay bars, as a complement to the scene that already exists. The mood lighting, soft but not too dark, still allows for well-composed Instagram shots. The 60-foot-long marble bar oﬀers tantalizing views of patrons ordering craft cocktails (changing seasonally, of course) from musclebound bartenders. The warm walnut interior is brightened by vintage pink and purple glass lamps in ﬂoral patterns as an ode the name of the bar. “We want Orchid to be a place when people can go before, during and after a date or to meet a future date,” Tugberk says. It’s a place for people to both order a personal mini-bottle of bubbly, drink through a straw or sit down to share a meal. “Our most distinguishing features are that we wanted to be more of a dining destination versus nightclub or standard gay bar,” Tugberk says. The menu showcases this as a foodforward destination, created by Executive

Chef Brian Guy, who also oversees the other kitchens of Hill Restaurant Group’s establishments. Guy, in coordination with Tugberk and Gonzalez-Zuniga, positioned the menu to be more upscale, to reflect the décor, culture and atmosphere, but to also to get away from the typical bar food that saturates the neighborhood and other bars. The dishes fit well into a cocktail bar setting. The small plates are made for sharing and casual eating. Dishes will change per the season and are “engineered to be health-positive, natively sourced and uniquely flavored,” Tugberk says. The menu offers a fairly straightforward, yet higher-end set of dishes. Starters include a fine French cheese platter and avocado and quinoa salad, veggie options like a gorgeously plated purpleand-orange beet carpaccio, and a jumbo shrimp cocktail that feels more 1980s than 1920s, but is just as fun. The menu here is not dissimilar to other cocktail bars in D.C. that have full kitchens, but it strays from carb-heavy and fried dishes, unlike even other gay destinations that sling burgers and mac ‘n’ cheese. Here, cocktails served up are best paired with a

fennel and frisee salad (touched up with champagne vinaigrette, of course), not French fries. There’s also (of course) a brunch party, but it’s a step up. Titled “Post Brunch,” it runs from 1-7 p.m., styled as a sort of afternoon disco party with champagne and oysters. As for the rest of the drinks, they’re the definition of a craft cocktail menu. Each has a distinct name and flavor profile, with subtle nods to the LGBT community and the Great Gatsby. The signature is the justsweet-enough Blue Orchid, with whiskey and blueberry syrup; others include a drink straight from 2016 called the Daisy Buchanan that has both rosé and sparkling rosé, in case just one kind wasn’t enough, and an option with a touch of millennial nostalgia called the Samantha (vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice, sour). Tugberk and Gonzalez-Zuniga found upscale-yet-attainable concepts in other cities and wanted to replicate that here, ensuring that they created a space that spoke directly to the LGBT spectrum — otherwise known as “a unicorn rainbow version of a bar,” Tugberk says with a smile.

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The Baltimore Orioles held their first official Pride Night on June 27. On hand for the festivities were former MLB player Billy Bean and former MLB umpire Dale Scott, both of whom are openly gay. A portion of the proceeds from the event were donated to Moveable Feast which provides food and services to individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and those afflicted with terminal illness.

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Town Danceboutique held its ﬁnal night of operation on June 30. The Ladies of Town performed to a packed venue.

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Filmmakers hoping for a 2019 release date CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

groups and allies to take on the psychiatric establishment in the late 1960s and early 1970s to change the manual. As befitted the time of upheaval with students protesting the war in Vietnam and civil rights groups morphing into liberation movements, the fights against the APA were not quiet. One of the first demonstrations was staged in San Francisco by 20 members of the Gay Liberation Front and Women’s Liberation Movements. “It put the psychiatrists on notice,” Sammon said, “that gays and lesbians were fighting back. It really was the start of the outside activism that put attention and pressure on this issue.” From California, protests spread to other cities, such as Chicago and New York. “The interesting thing about this is there was no coordinated strategy, in terms of one person deciding what would happen. It was a grassroots effort,” Sammon says. “That was an important piece of the equation that we discovered during the research process.” But there were pioneering leaders with vision from Barbara Gittings of the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis; Frank Kameny, co-founder with Jack Nichols of the Washington, D.C. branch of the Mattachine Society; and Morris Kight and Don Kilhefner, co-founders of the Gay Liberation Front/L.A., who disrupted APA conferences by stealing the emcee’s microphones and challenging the participants. In 1972, gay psychiatrist Dr. John Fryer had enough and spoke out, albeit with his face disguised in a mask and voice distorted over the microphone. Nonetheless, “Dr. Henry Anonymous,” as he presented himself, gave such as impactful speech, history has often credited him with getting homosexuality de-listed from the manual in 1973. Sammon believes that much of the progress in the struggle for LGBT rights — for social, legal, and political equality — was made possible by this victory in 1973 over the APA. While still largely overlooked in LGBT history, the campaign challenging the APA represents a remarkable story of diligence and courage in the face of powerful institutional resistance. Singer also notes that “Cured” looks at how the modern LGBT rights movement continued after Stonewall. “How did the spark that was ignited at Stonewall and other uprisings around the country get channeled? What was the next stage of activism,” Singer says. Sammon hopes older LGBT audiences will see an accurate reflection of their lived experiences, of the pain caused by the message from scientific and medical institutions that they were sick. “If from the age of 12 or 13,” he told the Blade in a June 19 interview, “everything you read or everything you’re told is that you’re

BARBARA GITTINGS

PHOTO BY KAY TOBIN LAHUSEN; PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

mentally ill, that starts to impact you. That starts to affect your self-esteem. It causes internalized homophobia.” In the years since, leading organizations representing scientists and physicians have uniformly denounced treatments intended to change a patient’s sexual orientation or gender identity. More recent progress on this front includes the decision by the World Health Organization to remove gender incongruence from the mental disorders listed in its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the 11th revision of which was released June 18. However, despite this, disproven pseudo-scientific ideas about the mental health of LGBT people are still used to support so-called “conversion” or “reparative therapy,” religious-based counseling and other harmful sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). The campaign against the label of mental illness chronicled in “Cured” is not “a relic from history,” Singer says. “People are still clinging to this junk science that’s being held up to give LGBTQ people this bogus sense that they can change, that they should change and that homosexuality is a choice.” Sammon agrees: “The roots of this mental illness label are ideas that are still parroted by people who believe in conversion therapy,” he says. “Hopefully, this film — while not specifically about that

issue (of conversion therapy) — can help illuminate that ongoing discussion, while weakening this argument that LGBT people have chosen to be the way that they are.” “There’s still a learning curve when it comes to these fundamental issues,” Singer says. “We’re seeing it with the attempt to roll back the Pentagon’s policy on trans service members, with ongoing opposition to marriage, with bathroom bills … many of these positions come from prejudice based on junk science and religious belief.” “Cured” is a warning that the fight for equality is ongoing, that progress can be ephemeral. It’s also an homage to the activists who sacrificed much but recognized the importance of the fight. “I hope older audiences, through the film, will receive some appreciation for the work they did to get us to the point where we are now,” Sammon says. “There are so many people who helped in so many ways, and this is a way to honor them.” Charles Francis, president of the Mattachine Society of Washington, told the Blade that they decided to sign on as financial sponsors of “Cured” because the film debunks the myth that the LGBT community has won the battle against those who wish to call them mentally ill. “It’s a myth,” Francis says, “because not only was it hell to accomplish this

thing (striking homosexuality from the manual), with real community activism, but even today the debate is not over. Our enemies are making the case they we are somehow spiritually or psychologically broken, even now in 2018.” At the Mattachine Society, Francis is engaged in historical research about the institutionalization of LGBT people in places like St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Washington, where the APA’s mental illness label and legislation like the District’s Sexual Psychopath Act of 1948, resulted in people being subjected to “treatments” that included icepick lobotomies, hysterectomies, and castration. Even today, Francis warns, mythical ideas about LGBT mental illness have lead to young LGBT people being put in harm’s way. Among the most troubling recent examples are reports of young people who have died as a result of abuse incurred at residential programs associated with the billion dollar “troubled teen industry,” a sexual orientation change effort into which youth are sometimes enrolled by their parents. “This movie is not just for gay history geeks,” Francis says. “I think all activists, all audiences, all people concerned with the Trump-Pence Administration would do well to see this movie and to see how old school community activism works. Getting out into the streets, into the communities, convincing people, making the arguments…this is an early example of passionate, community-based activism. I think it’s a movie for everybody, especially in these challenging times.” After its 1973 decision, the APA came out against discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment (1988) and in the armed forces (1990). Then, in 1998, the organization issued statements that opposed psychiatric treatments that are based on the view of homosexuality as a mental disorder and are administered to “change” the patient’s sexual orientation. The mainstream medical establishment is now allied with efforts to protect young LGBT people from conversion therapy, which marks a significant step forward. Interestingly, science and medicine have recently been harnessed to oppose these practices from a different angle. A bill spearheaded by Equality California and introduced by out Assembly member Evan Low would include, among the business practices outlawed under California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the sale of therapies that constitute sexual orientation change efforts because research indicates they are ineffective. “The bill does one thing and one thing only” says Low, in a press release. “It declares conversion therapy (for money) for what is, a fraudulent practice.” The directors hope to release “Cured” in 2019, the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

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“

I love wandering through Smithsonian museums, eating on H Street with friends, and going to shows at Howard Theatre.

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Building a college savings plan 529 program offers range of benefits By GREG KLINGLER Ensuring your children’s success in the future is a goal of every parent. In many cases, education becomes the focus of this goal. Over the years, as tuition costs have risen, parents have become increasingly concerned about their ability to fund these high costs. Proactive parents have used many approaches to fund future education costs, but all have had drawbacks: Setting up a savings account or investing in a mutual fund to meet this anticipated expense, but all these earnings are taxable at the parent’s income tax level Setting up a Uniform Gift (Transfers) to Minors Act custodian account, but this account offers no control to the parents after the child reaches the age of maturity Buying certain Federal Savings Bonds, but these investments only provide tax benefits to people below relative low income thresholds. There had to be a better way In 2001, the modern form of the Section 529 Plan, legally known as “qualified tuition plans,” was born and in 2006 the Pension Protection Act made its benefits permanent. The section 529 plan is a statesponsored plan that was designed to: Allow tax-free distributions (both con-

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202-448-0824

18+ MegaMates.com

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

SALE / MD

RENT / DC

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

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

ZEN INFUSED MICROHOME 3 Levels. Gated. Parking. 2nd Floor Rear Deck, Skylights, All Brick. Stone and Granite Walls. Must be seen to be appreciated. Was developers unit. Overbuilt (priced under market for quick sale!). TEXT 202 817 6260 for pics & more.

LUCAS IS BACK

ELEGANT 1920’s COLONIAL REVIVAL Hagerstown $765,000 Architect-designed Colonial Revival on treelined boulevard in Oak Hill Historic District. Grand center hall, manicured landscaping, stone walls, charming porches, Vermont slate patio. Small city location, commutable to D.C. metro area. Convenient to City Park, Maryland Symphony; walk to Gordon’s Grocery. $765,000.00, Hagerstown, MD. Cathy Wantz, Realtor, 301-791-9046. http:// www.realestatetoday. pro/#/1165-the-terrace/

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.

MEN’S PERSONALS Penis Enlargement. Gain 1 to 3 inches permanently & safely. Resolve ED. Licensed medical vacuum pumps, surgical & supplements. For free brochures/consultation call: Dr. Joel Kaplan 888978-HUGE (4843). www. getbiggernow.com.

PLACE YOUR FREE AD ONLINE WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

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