Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 37, September 14, 2018

PHOTO BY GREG GORMAN

SEPTEMBER

14,

2018

VOLUME 49

ISSUE 37

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AMERICA’S

LGBTQ

NEWS

SOURCE

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

“I love, and I wish everyone would see, Americans.”

—Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker

Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian National Mall, Washington, D.C. | AmericanIndian.si.edu | #NDNsEverywhere

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LO CA L N E W S

DIONNE REEDER is now lead challenger in an at-large Council race after Kathryn Allen was disqualified.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TWITTER

Lesbian candidate emerges as lead challenger in D.C. Council race Main opponent disqualified from ballot in successful petition challenge

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com In a development that has shaken up the hotly contested race for one of two at-large D.C. Council seats up for election on Nov. 6, the city’s Board of Election late Monday night disqualified from the ballot R. Kathryn Allen (I), who was considered the main rival to incumbent Council member Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large).

With Allen out of the race, lesbian businesswoman Dionne Reeder, who’s also running as an independent, immediately emerges as the new lead rival to Silverman.

The development creates a dilemma for many LGBT activists who supported Silverman, a longtime LGBT community ally, in her successful 2014 Council race but who also favor electing an LGBT person to the City Council.

In an 11-page Memorandum Opinion and Order released Monday night, the Board of Elections announced it had disqualified 3,642 of the 6,068 petition signatures that the Allen campaign submitted to obtain access to the ballot. Under the city’s election law, 3,000 valid petition signatures are required to be placed on the ballot for an at-large Council seat.

The election board examined the petition signatures submitted by Allen’s campaign in response to a challenge to the petitions filed by Silverman on Aug. 20. Silverman argued in a detailed statement submitted to the election board that large numbers of the signatures submitted by the Allen campaign were forged.

Silverman’s challenge also stated that several people identified on the petitions as circulators of the petitions said they were falsely listed as circulators and had nothing to do with Allen’s campaign. In its Memorandum Opinion and Order, the election board said its own investigation confirmed those allegations. The board said it determined that Allen presented 2,426 valid signatures, 574 fewer than the required 3,000.

Allen, an attorney and D.C. insurance commissioner under former Mayor Anthony Williams, said the disqualified petition signatures were the responsibility of a private company her campaign hired to gather the signatures. The election board stated in its opinion disqualifying Allen from the ballot that it would “refer the alleged instances of fraud to the Office of the Attorney General.”

It couldn’t immediately be determined whether many or some of the small and medium size businesses as well as big name politicians, including Williams and gay former D.C. Council member David Catania, who were backing Allen, would switch their support to Reeder.

Many of the business leaders have been open about seeking to replace Silverman with someone they consider to be a more business friendly Council member following Silverman’s lead role in backing and helping to pass legislation establishing one of the nation’s most generous employer paid family leave programs funded by a tax on businesses. Allen, who owns an insurance related business, was considered the business interests’ first choice.

Reeder, who owns and operates a restaurant in Anacostia, has also expressed

opposition to the family leave bill in its current form, saying it should be modified so small businesses aren’t saddled with the burden of picking up the cost.

Reeder is a longtime advocate for LGBT rights. She is being supported by a number of LGBT activists. But in the at-large race, Silverman has a longstanding record of strong support for LGBT-related issues and also enjoys significant support in the LGBT community.

Under D.C.’s election law, two of the Council’s at-large seats will be on the same ballot and voters can select two candidates, although only one can be a Democrat. Council member Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), who is also a longtime supporter of LGBT rights, is considered the strong favorite to win re-election to the “Democratic” seat.

In addition to Silverman and Reeder, four other candidates are competing for the nonDemocratic seat. Among them are independent Rustin Lewis; Republican Ralph Chittams Sr.; Libertarian Denise Hicks; and Statehood Green Party candidate David Schwartzman.

Chittams and Hicks have yet to file a finance report with the Office of Campaign Finance, indicating they have yet to raise any significant funds for their campaigns.

Lewis has raised $19,793 and Schwartzman has raised just $1,325, according to their most recent reports filed with the Office of Campaign Finance.

Silverman has raised $111,597 compared to Reeder, who has raised $93,546 at the time they filed their most recent finance reports on Aug. 10. Although Silverman had $80,135 in cash on hand as of the Aug. 10 filing compared to just $4,542 in cash on hand for Reeder as of Aug. 10, political observers say Reeder remains competitive and could have a shot at defeating Silverman if Allen’s supporters back her campaign.

The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest local LGBT political group, was expected to endorse Bonds as a Democrat at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night, according to Earl Fowlkes, the club’s president. Fowlkes told the Washington Blade the club has no plans to endorse any of the independent candidates running for D.C. Council, including Reeder or Silverman.

Fowlkes noted that the club’s longstanding policy has been to limit endorsements of non-Democratic candidates to races in which they are not running against a Democrat.

Although most political observers consider it highly unlikely, it’s possible for Silverman and Reeder to win election to both at-large seats by receiving more votes than Bonds, resulting in Bonds losing her Council seat.

UMD investigates ‘hate bias’ incident Campus police at the University of Maryland in College Park are investigating two “hate bias” incidents in which anti-LGBT comments were found written on whiteboards in one dormitory and a swastika was found scrawled on a whiteboard in another dorm.

A student found the anti-LGBT comments about 3:40 p.m. on whiteboards at Queen Anne’s Hall dormitory on Sept. 2, according to campus police. At about 8:07 p.m. that same day students discovered a swastika had been drawn onto a whiteboard at La Plata Hall dorm, police said.

Campus police didn’t disclose what the anti-LGBT comments said.

“In both incidents, a detective was immediately assigned, witness canvasses were conducted and follow-up interviews were completed,” the Diamondback, the university’s student newspaper, quoted a campus police official as saying in an email.

“Video reviews of the cameras in the area of both locations are underway along with a review of the card swipe access system,” the Diamondback quoted the police official as saying.

“The University of Maryland Police Department takes these matters very seriously,” WTOP News quoted the same official, Sgt. Rosanne Hoaas, as saying.

“As our investigations continue, we call on our community for their help. If you have any information, please contact us. We want to hear from you,” WTOP quoted her as saying.

Anyone with information on either case is asked to call campus police at 301405-3555.

Shige Sakurai, acting director of the College Park campus’s LGBT Equality Center, told the Washington Blade the Center planned an event “so that students and others would have a place to come and decompress and get support if they feel affected by this.”

Sakurai added, “Suffice it to say that as an LGBT Center, we’re very concerned and want to make sure that we have supports out to our communities and that people can come together and prevent these kinds of situations from happening in the future.”

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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LO CA L N E W S

Carper wins Democratic primary in Del. U.S. Senate race Gay Republican Truono falls short

By BLAKE CHAMBERS DOVER, Del. — Incumbent Sen. Tom Carper defeated Kerri Evelyn Harris in the Delaware U.S. Senate Democratic primary on Sept. 6, receiving roughly 65 percent of the vote to Harris’ 35 percent. Carper has served as a U.S. senator representing the state of Delaware since 2001. He will be entering his fourth term if he wins the General Election on Nov. 6.

Both candidates received endorsements the week prior to the primary. Harris received an endorsement from the Working Hero PAC on Sept. 3, with the organization contending Harris’ “boldly progressive economic agenda” having the ability to create more jobs and make lives better for all Delawareans. Harris pushed for a minimum wage of $15 and earned sick leave for all workers. In addition to her endorsement from Working Hero PAC, Harris received seven other national endorsements over the course of her campaign from Justice Democrats, Center for Popular Democracy, Our Revolution, Working Families Party, The People for Bernie Sanders, Democracy for America, Demand Universal Healthcare and Progressive Democrats for Delaware.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who won the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th congressional district upsetting incumbent Joe Crowley, visited Delaware to speak at two town hall forums on Aug. 31 for Harris’ campaign. The forums

Sen. TOM CARPER won the Democratic primary last week in his re-election bid.

were held at the University of Delaware and the Kingswood Community Center in Wilmington with Harris and OcasioCortez discussing economic inequality and criminal justice reform. Prior to the town hall forums, the two were going door to door for Harris’ campaign. Harris helped with Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign the day before her primary in New York back in June, driving four hours from Delaware.

Ocasio-Cortez described Medicare for all and tuition-free public college as investments and not costs at the University of Delaware and Wilmington town hall forums.

“We are choosing to create wealth. We are choosing to have an educated and healthy society,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the Wilmington town hall forum. “We are choosing to end the scourge of climate change. We are choosing to end the war on drugs and the illness of mass incarceration.

That is what we are here to do.”

Carper received an endorsement from

the Human Rights Campaign on Aug. 29.

According to the organization, he has earned perfect scores on the HRC Congressional Scorecard for both the 113th and 114th Congress. The endorsement followed his introduction of the Census Equality Act, which looks to ensure fair representation of the LGBTQ community in the U.S. Census.

“All Americans – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity – deserve equal protection under the law,” Carper said in a statement. “We made incredible strides toward LGBT equality during the Obama-Biden administration, but that progress is under attack by the TrumpPence Administration. I am honored to receive the endorsement from Human Rights Campaign, and I will continue to fight for equal rights and federal protections for LGBT Americans in the Senate.”

Additionally, Carper received an endorsement from the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund on

Aug. 31. The president and CEO of the organization, Collin O’Mara, said Carper is an “environmental warrior,” and that the senator protects Delaware’s natural resources, stands up for public health and speaks out for wildlife. The organization recognized Carper for leading efforts aimed at acting on climate change, pushing for clear water through the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act and bringing cleaner air to millions of Americans by reducing cross-state air pollution as well as speeding up the incorporation of clean energy and electric vehicles, among other things. The National Wildlife Federation, which is a sister organization to the National Wildlife Federation Action Fund, recognized Carper earlier this year with the 2018 Conservation Achievement Award.

“While we did not win the primary election, in many ways we won much more,” Harris said in a statement, conceding to Carper.

“We activated thousands of supporters who had previously not been politically engaged.

We mobilized many among the majority of Delawareans who support a $15 minimum wage, lower costs for prescription drugs, and a clean energy economy – and we’ll continue to advocate and engage those voters throughout the fall and beyond.”

Harris said she would work to ensure Carper’s re-election, as well as continuing her efforts in fighting the opioid epidemic and the other causes she pushed for in her campaign. Carper will face Republican Rob Arlett, who defeated gay candidate Gene Truono in the Republican primary, in the general election in November.

Whitman-Walker receives $85,000 grant for immigrant services ‘We are committed to protecting the rights of all our residents’

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Sept. 7 that Whitman-Walker Health is one of 15 community-based organizations to receive city grant funding to provide legal services for immigrants under the city’s recently launched Immigrant Justice Legal Services program.

Amy Nelson, director of WhitmanWalker’s Legal Services Program, said the grant will provide the program an award of $85,000 for fiscal year 2019 “to provide direct legal services to immigrants seeking asylum in the United States as a result of the persecution and violence they endured in their home countries on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Nelson said the grant will enable WhitmanWalker to expand its capacity to serve more

‘Washington, D.C. is a sanctuary city, and we are committed to protecting the rights and humanity of all our residents,’ said Mayor MURIEL BOWSER. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

foreign nationals who would otherwise not be able to afford legal counsel.

“Navigating the U.S. immigration maze is nearly impossible without an attorney, and our clients are especially vulnerable having already survived extreme violence in their home country because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Nelson told the Washington Blade.

“We appreciate the mayor’s

commitment to the immigrant community through these grant funds to ensure that more families are connected to essential immigrant assistance,” Nelson said.

“Washington, D.C. is a sanctuary city, and we are committed to protecting the rights and humanity of all our residents,” Bowser said in a statement announcing the grant awards. “Through the Immigrant Justice Legal Services grant program, we are able

to assist hundreds of residents each year with a wide range of issues, expand the reach of important community partners, and advance D.C. values,” Bowser said.

Whitman-Walker Health is the city’s largest private community-based health organization providing HIV services, with a special outreach to the LGBT community. Its Legal Services Program has provided legal assistance to the LGBT and other minority communities on a wide range of issues, including political asylum, naturalization, and refugee matters.

Human Rights First, another one of the organizations receiving a D.C. legal services grant for 2019, also provides services to LGBT immigrants in D.C. and other locations.

Casa Ruby, the D.C. LGBT community services center that has a special outreach to transgender people, provides a wide range of non-legal services for LGBT immigrants. It was not among the groups receiving one of the D.C. legal services grants for 2019 but it recently received a grant for HIV prevention services from the city’s Department of Health.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Kavanaugh’s answers leave LGBT legal experts unsatisfied Trump nominee won’t say if he supports Obergefell decision

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Brett Kavanaugh invoked during his confirmation hearings language against anti-gay discrimination, but his refusal to say whether he supports landmark Supreme Court rulings in favor of gay rights leaves LGBT legal experts unsatisfied.

During his confirmation hearing, Kavanaugh was queried on gay rights before the Senate Judiciary Committee

by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — both of whom are potential 2020 Democratic presidential contenders. The senators asked the nominee about his views on marriage equality and discrimination against gay and lesbian people in the workplace.

In both exchanges, Kavanaugh invoked the Ginsburg rule — the idea that judicial nominees shouldn’t answer questions about Supreme Court decisions, or potential future cases, lest they be forced to recuse themselves if they are required to adjudicate the underlying issues on the court — but made statements against anti-gay discrimination.

When Harris queried Kavanaugh about whether the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges was correctly decided, the nominee referenced five rulings on LGBT rights written by former Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose seat he’d occupy on the high court.

Kavanaugh referenced the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, decided narrowly in favor of Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker who asserted a First Amendment right to refuse to make a custom-made wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The Supreme Court ruled for Phillips on the facts of the case on the basis of perceived antireligion bias in the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

“In Masterpiece Cakeshop, and this is, I think, relevant to your question, Justice Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion joined by Chief Justice [John] Roberts and Justice [Samuel] Alito and Justice [Neil] Gorsuch and Justice [Stephen] Breyer, the days of discriminating against gay and lesbian Americans as inferior in dignity and worth are over,” Kavanaugh said.

Asked by Harris if he agrees with that statement, Kavanaugh replied, “That is the precedent of the Supreme Court.”

When Harris followed up by asking Kavanaugh again if he agrees with Obergefell, Kavanaugh dodged.

“Each of the justices have declined as a matter of judicial independence, each of them, to answer in that line of questions,”

BRETT KAVANAUGH’s hearing responses left LGBT legal experts unsatisfied.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Kavanaugh said.

Dale Carpenter, senior legal policy adviser for the pro-LGBT American Unity Fund, said observers can’t learn much about Kavanaugh on LGBT issues from his response.

“This is part of the tea-leaf reading of these hearings,” Carpenter said. “I don’t myself attach any special significance to statements of that kind, and the reason I don’t is that the way that something like that is phrased is entirely consistent with a view that you should not discriminate against gay people, but I’m not necessarily going to extend civil rights protections to gay people to forbid it.”

Carpenter said judicial nominees in confirmation hearings will “speak in cryptic ways.” As an example, Carpenter referenced U.S. Associate Justice Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearing in 2009, when she was up to become U.S. solicitor general. Kagan bluntly replied in a written questionnaire same-sex couples had no constitutional right to marry. Six years later, Kagan would go on to be part of the majority ruling in favor of marriage equality in the 2015 Obergefell decision.

“You can read it as a present tense statement to say that the court has not recognized a right to gay marriage, so that sort of strategic ambiguity is employed by nominees on both sides to try and pacify potential opposition,” Carpenter said.

Jillian Weiss, a transgender civil rights lawyer who represents LGBT employees, said Kavanaugh’s statement against antigay discrimination was “not significant.”

“It was a quote from Justice Kennedy, not his own opinion,” Weiss said. “My concern is he’s more pragmatist rather than principled. If he sticks to conservative judicial principles, he’ll focus on the meaning of the text today, as Justice Scalia did when he ruled sex discrimination

includes same-sex harassment. We in the modern world understand ‘sex’ to include gender, and all that implies. Or will he revert conveniently to what a congressman thought in 1964?”

Booker’s question for Kavanaugh was on discrimination against gay people in the workplace. Citing the lack of explicit protections under federal law for LGBT workers, Booker said in many states a gay person could be married one day and summarily fired from work the next day for posting wedding photos.

In response to Booker’s question on whether that would be morally wrong, Kavanaugh declined to answer directly and made a vague reference to be willing to hire “all Americans” because of their talents and abilities.

“I’m a judge and therefore with the cases that I know you’re well aware of pending about the scope of the civil rights laws, the employment discrimination laws,” Kavanaugh said. “Of course, Congress could always make those clearer.”

Kavanugh was apparently referencing cases percolating through the federal judiciary on whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination in the workforce, applies to cases of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Petitions calling for resolution of that issue are pending before the Supreme Court.

Booker also asked Kavanaugh about his time as staff secretary in the Bush White House and whether he was involved with former President George W. Bush’s push for a Federal Marriage Amendment. The Trump administration has refused to make public Kavanaugh’s correspondence from the time he served as staff secretary to Bush.

In response, Kavanaugh without directly answering the question recalled the Federal Marriage Amendment in the Bush administration was “part of something he talked about,” a possible reference to the State of the Union addresses in which Bush called on Congress to pass the amendment.

Pressed further by Booker, Kavanaugh said, “As staff secretary, things related to that speech he gave would have crossed my desk.”

As Kavanaugh continued, Booker cut off the nominee and asked him if he expressed an opinion about the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Kavanaugh said he didn’t recall and made a vague reference to individuals evolving on the issue of same-sex marriage.

“There’s been a sea change in attitudes in the United States of America, even since 2004, as you’re well aware,” Kavanaugh said.

Katherine Franke, a professor of law, gender and sexuality studies at Columbia University, said Kavanaugh was tightlipped in responses to Booker’s questions,

but revealed more than what he stated.

“The nominee adamantly refused to answer either question, on the grounds that the issue of protections for LGBT discrimination was being litigated in lower courts and Obergefell was the ‘law of the land,’” Franke said. “He also refused to disclose whether he expressed any views on same-sex marriage when he was part of policy debates on the issue when he served in the Bush White House. While his non-answers to these questions tell us very little about how we would rule on these issues if and when they might come before the Supreme Court, his body language and sharp tone in response to Sen. Booker’s questions told a different story.”

On the other side, Kavanaugh was queried by Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on the issue of religious freedom, which has been code within conservative circles to mean anti-LGBT discrimination.

Questioned by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) about the importance of religious liberty, Kavanaugh emphasized the importance of the ability for individuals to practice their faith in the “public square.”

“The Framers understood the importance of protecting conscience,” Kavanaugh said. “It’s akin to the free speech protection in many ways. No matter what God you worship, or if you worship no God at all, you are equally American...If you have religious beliefs, religious people, religious speech, you have just as much right to be in the public square and to participate in public programs as others do. You can’t be denied just because of religious status.”

Given the emphasis Kavanaugh placed on the exercise of religion in the “public sqaure,” Franke said Kavanaugh’s remarks “could” have implications for upcoming cases similar to the Masterpiece Cakeshop lawsuit in which plaintiffs assert a religious freedom right to discriminate against LGBT people.

“It’s such a broad generalization,” Franke said. “It’s hard to know exactly how he might rule, for instance, in a case like Masterpiece Cakeshop where you have a public business — whether that counts as the public square, I’m not sure — but you have a public business where the owner of that business wants to use religion as a reason not to comply with anti-discrimination. Certainly, one could interpret the quote you just gave me as saying he would protect Jack Phillips’ right as the owner of a public business to refuse service to somebody based on his beliefs, but it’s not entirely obvious based on that quote that’s what he would say.”

The committee vote on Kavanaugh was scheduled on Thursday. Republicans have said they intend to hold a floor vote to confirm Kavanaugh before Election Day.

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Gay candidate prevails in N.H. primary Gay candidate Chris Pappas prevailed Tuesday night in New Hampshire’s congressional primary, setting himself up for a chance to become the first out member of Congress from the Granite State.

Pappas claimed a plurality of 42.4 percent of the vote in his bid for the Democratic nomination to represent New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district in Congress. The Associated Press declared Pappas the winner of CHRIS PAPPAS won the congressional the primary at 9:05 p.m.

Democratic primary in New Hampshire.

Pappas, who has served as a PHOTO COURTESY PAPPAS member of New Hampshire’s executive council since 2013, is running to replace Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), who announced she wouldn’t seek election for another term in Congress.

Among Pappas’ competitors in the crowded 11-way primary was Levi Sanders, the son of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The senator is popular in New Hampshire and beat Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire 2016 presidential primary.

In a Q&A with the Washington Blade in May, Pappas made opposition to President Trump a key component of his campaign message, saying he’d work to confront him as a member of Congress.

“The America we know is more kind, tolerant, and more decent than the America that Donald Trump is seeking to create,” Pappas said. “We have to stand up loudly and clearly and make it known that we are going to fight for the values that make this country great.”

The winner of the Republican nomination for the congressional race was Eddie Edwards, a Navy veteran who was endorsed by the Trump administration and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Political observers have rated New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district as leaning Democratic.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Convicted murderer sentenced to death for being gay?

Jurors said defendant would enjoy prison because he’s gay

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com The ACLU and four LGBT legal groups are asking a federal appeals court to allow a gay South Dakota man convicted of murder in 1993 to present new evidence showing that anti-gay bias may have motivated the jury to sentence him to death instead of life in prison.

Charles Russell Rhines, 62, has been held on death row in the South Dakota State Penitentiary for 25 years since his conviction and sentencing for the March 1992 stabbing death of a 22-year-old male employee at a Rapid City donut shop.

The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Sept. 7 denied a motion

CHARLES RUSSELL RHINES was convicted of murder in 1993.

PHOTO VIA SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

filed by Rhines’ lawyers asking for a “certificate of appealability” that would allow him to present evidence of juror

bias. The lawyers plan to file a second motion urging the court to reconsider the request, according to Ethan Rice, an attorney with Lambda Legal, one of the LGBT groups working on the case.

The other groups joining the ACLU in providing legal help for Rhines include GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National LGBT Bar Association.

The latest motion by Rhines’ lawyers came three months after the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a separate request they filed in the form of a petition asking the high court to take on Rhines’ case seeking to have his death sentence overturned on constitutional grounds of juror bias.

Similar to many U.S. death sentence cases, Rhines’ execution has been placed on hold for 25 years while his lawyers have filed multiple appeals in state and federal courts on a wide range of legal grounds.

His current defense team says strong evidence of possible juror bias due to Rhines’ sexual orientation did not surface until last year, when his lawyers tracked down several of the jurors years after the trial.

Some of the jurors signed sworn affidavits saying they considered during their deliberations at the trial in the sentencing phase of the case that as a gay man, sentencing Rhines to life in an all-male prison would be “sending him where he wants to go,” his lawyers stated in a court brief.

“One juror recalled that, during deliberations, there was ‘a lot of disgust’ about the fact that Mr. Rhines was gay,” the Amicus court brief says. “Another said that jurors knew Mr. Rhines was gay and ‘thought that he shouldn’t be able to spend his life with men in prison,’” the brief continues.

The brief says a note that the jurors sent to the judge during their sentencing deliberations “suggests that at least some members of the jury accepted the notion that life in prison without parole would be fun for a gay person – so much so that they felt it was necessary to impose the death sentence instead.”

“Our judicial system has safeguards to prevent bias based on sexual orientation,” said Ria Tabacco Mar, senior staff attorney for the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project in a statement. “Those safeguards failed for Mr. Rhines,” she said.

“Mr. Rhines’ case represents one of the most extreme forms of anti-LGBT bias can take,” said Rice of Lambda Legal.

“Evidence suggests that he has been on death row for the past 25 years because he is a gay man.”

Court records show the murder committed by Rhines had nothing to do with his sexual orientation or the sexual orientation of the victim, who was straight. However, during his trial prosecutors disclosed that a young male witness who provided information to police linking Rhines to the donut shop

at the time of the murder had been in a relationship with Rhines.

Pennington County, S.D., State’s Attorney Mark Vargo, who was one of the prosecutors during Rhines’ 1993 murder trial, told the Washington Blade this week that prosecutors did all they could to downplay Rhines’ sexual orientation at the trial. But he said prosecutors were required under court procedures to disclose the nature of the witness’s relationship with Rhines.

Vargo said Rhines’ defense attorneys arranged for Rhines’ sister to testify at the sentencing phase of the trial that Rhines “had a rough time as a teenager because he was gay.” He said that testimony clearly alerted the jury to Rhines’ sexual orientation.

Attorney Shawn Nolan, a federal public defender who is part of Rhines’ current defense team, told the Blade that once Rhines’ defense lawyers learned in advance of the trial that prosecutors planned to disclose the nature of the witness and Rhines’ relationship during the trial, they had to ask each of the potential jurors about their views on homosexuality during the jury selection process.

“They had to do that to try to make sure the jurors would be as impartial as possible,” Nolan said.

Nolan noted that the defense attorneys at the trial arranged for Rhines’ sister to testify about Rhines’ experience growing up gay in response to the prosecution’s raising the issue of Rhines’ relationship with the young male witness.

According to police testimony at Rhines’ trial, the employee at the donut show that Rhines was charged with fatally stabbing arrived at the shop while Rhines was burglarizing it after it had closed for the day.

Co-workers later found the employee, Donnivan Schaeffer, bound in a storeroom suffering from fatal stab wounds that law enforcement witnesses told the jury were inflicted by Rhines with a hunting knife to prevent the employee from identifying him as the burglar.

Vargo, the State’s Attorney who served as one of the prosecutors during the trial, called the murder a “brutal act” that shattered the lives of the victim’s family and fiancé. Vargo strongly disputes the defense lawyers’ current claims that the jury sentenced Rhines to death because of his sexual orientation.

“The idea that his conviction and sentence were based on anything other than the horrific acts that he committed I believe is ludicrous,” Vargo said in an interview with a Rapid City TV news station.

Defense lawyer Nolan said that if the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals once again denies the defense team’s motion for overturning Rhines’ death sentence the attorneys will take the case back to the U.S. Supreme Court. He said the attorneys would argue that a recent high court decision overturning a conviction on grounds of jurors’ racial bias is applicable to Rhines’ sexual orientation bias case.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Transphobic comment overshadows LGBT media gathering NLGJA president ‘mortified’ after emcee refers to guests as ‘its’

By KAREN OCAMB PALM SPRINGS, Calif.

— Gay Columbus, Ohio meteorologist Marshall McPeek, a longtime member of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, apparently skipped all the references to the importance of respecting transgender people in the NLGJA Stylebook and its recent supplement on terminology. In a crassly symbolic display of the murky chasm between a mission statement and practice, McPeek opened his remarks at NLGJA’s closing reception Sept. 8 in Palm Springs with “Ladies and gentlemen, things and its” in welcoming the audience.

Black TransGriot blogger Monica Roberts yelled at the stage: “Oh no, he did not…. There are no things or its here!”

And though an immediate tweet by reporter Mary Emily O’Hara on McPeek’s comment went viral—apparently no one else in the room rose with a similar public condemnation.

MARSHALL MCPEEK, meteorologist for WSYX-TV/WTTE-TV in Columbus, Ohio, and SEAN LEWIS, anchor at WGN-TV in Chicago, in a tweet posted by Mary Emily O’Hara.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TWITTER

McPeek subsequently apologized, as did NLGJA. “People were understandably hurt and offended by last night’s remarks.

As journalists, we understand uniquely that words matter. We apologize and are committed to working to make NLGJA more inclusive and diverse,” NLGJA’s statement read.

“No Mr. McPeek and by extension, NLGJA and FOX News [an event sponsor], there were no ‘things and its’ in that Hotel Zoso room that September 8

night. There were trans, gender nonconforming (GNC) and non-binary (NB) people in there,” Roberts wrote. “How do you think that ‘things and its’ comment, which has been derisively and sometimes violently spat at the trans community by all transphobic comers over the last few years made us feel?”

“When I heard about the comment, I was mortified,” incoming NLGJA’s first African-American President Sharif Durhams said in a statement to the Los

Angeles Blade. “People have used slurs about my race and sexual orientation.

There are comments that are painful and that you can’t take back. We’re supposed to provide a space that’s safe.

“We have and have had transgender and non-binary members on our board of directors, and we listen to them.

Transgender and non-binary members pitch panels, and we ask them to lead those panels. Transgender and nonbinary members weigh in when we change our stylebook and when we work with media organizations on fixing problematic coverage. We’re going to continue to do all of that,” he continued.

“I spent our entire conference talking with members and potential partners about programming I want to launch around coverage of transgender people.

We’re going to do that, too,” Durhams said. “The whole point of this is to expand the circle of people who lead this organization. We’re going to ask more people to join us, and they will have a say in what we do next.”

Please visit losangelesblade.com for more coverage.

83 lawmakers urge VA to cover gender reassignment Denial of procedure for trans people ‘unconscionable’

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com A group of House lawmakers is calling on the Department of Veterans to incorporate gender reassignment surgery as part of its coverage for U.S. veterans, calling denial of the procedure for transgender people “unconscionable.”

In the Sept. 7 letter, the lawmakers respond to a request for comment on coverage for gender reassignment surgery.

“Simply put, the VA has an obligation to provide the necessary care that is prescribed to enrolled veterans by their health care practitioners,” the letter says.

“It is unconscionable to deny veterans the same access to health care services that civilians receive in the private sector, and that is available to Medicare beneficiaries and federal workers, simply because of outdated and unscientific prejudice against their gender identity.”

The VA has requested comment on gender reassignment surgery as a consequence of ongoing litigation against the department seeking coverage for the procedure. The case is currently pending before the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Given the anti-LGBT policies of the Trump

administration, including the attempt to ban transgender people from the U.S. military, it’s hard to see how the solicitation for comment could result in a proposed rule change. In fact, the administration could use comments against coverage as justification for current policy.

Brownley, top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee, said in a statement the estimated 160,000 transgender veterans in the United States are deserving of coverage and “have put their lives on the line in order to protect our constitutionally protected freedoms.”

“It is simply unacceptable that we would ask our veterans to risk their lives to protect our rights but we would refuse to defend theirs in return,” Brownley said. “The VA must put an end to this discriminatory and outdated ban on treatments for gender dysphoria and ensure that all our nation’s veterans have access to the healthcare they have earned.”

The lawmakers’ letter to the VA has a hint of bipartisanship. Among the 83 House members who signed the missive was Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who has a transgender son and is slated to retire from Congress at the end of this year.

Charlotte Clymer, a transgender veteran and spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement the exclusion of gender reassignment surgery from VA coverage is harmful.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs’

Rep. JULIA BROWNLEY (D-Calif.) is calling on the VA to cover gender reassignment surgery.

exclusion of many forms of transitionrelated health care flies in the face of every major medical authority and undermines the health and wellbeing of transgender patriots who have laid their lives on the line for this country and their families,” Clymer said.

Indeed, the letter says studies have shown transition-related care, including gender reassignment surgery, can reduce the rate of suicide among transgender people as well as mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

“This broad medical consensus on the treatment of gender dysphoria is based on decades of peer-reviewed studies and clinical observation — including studies of veterans — that demonstrate its efficacy and substantial health benefits,”

the letter says.

The Department of Veterans Affairs during the Obama administration had floated the idea of covering gender reassignment surgery, but the planned was scrapped after the election of President Trump — but before his inauguration — under the pretext of concerns about cost.

A VA spokesperson said in response to the letter the department “appreciates the lawmakers’ views and will respond to them directly.”

“VA will consider the comments received and determine the appropriate response,” the spokesperson added.

“Although there is no specific timeframe required for this type of consideration, VA will announce any action it takes in the Federal Register.”

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NATIONAL NEWS

GOP lawmaker caught on tape: Orphanages better than gay adoption ‘Gay households are not healthy environments for children’

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com In an exchange with high school students that was caught on tape, a Republican congressman from New Jersey was tongue-tied over the prospect of same-sex couples adopting children and suggested kids would be better off in orphanages than with LGBT families.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) made the remarks May 29 when addressing student constituents in the auditorium of Colts Neck High School. They asked the congressman about his opposition to adoption by same-sex couples, according to a source familiar with the recording.

A source familiar with the tape, who delivered the recording on Monday exclusively to the Washington Blade, said it was obtained in recent days.

The recording begins with Hannah Valdes, a senior at Colts Neck High School, telling Smith she has a gay sister who has said in the future she wants to adopt a child with her partner. The student asks the New Jersey Republican whether “based on household studies” her sister would be “less of a legitimate parent” than someone in a different-sex relationship and why she shouldn’t adopt a child.

In an apparent reference to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling for marriage equality, Smith says “the issue, legally, is moot at this point especially with the Supreme Court decision” and tells the student her sister is “free to adopt.”

Although the Supreme Court settled the issue of marriage, attempts are still underway to deprive LGBT families of the right to adopt. An increasing number of states have passed laws allowing religious-affiliated, taxpayer-funded agencies to refuse placement to LGBT homes for religious reasons. In the U.S. House, Republicans incorporated as a component of appropriations an amendment from Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) that would penalize states and localities for having policies prohibiting anti-LGBT discrimination in adoption.

But that wasn’t enough for Valdes, who pressed Smith on why he thinks her sister shouldn’t be able to adopt. Smith, apparently having difficulty finding words for his response, said he believes “there are many others who would like to adopt who can acquire a child” and “the waiting periods are extremely long.”

When another student asks what makes these “others” more suited to become parents than her fellow student’s sister, Smith starts to reply, “in my opinion

Rep. CHRIS SMITH (R-N.J.) was caught on tape saying orphanages for kids are better than gay adoption.

a child needs every possibility of,” without finishing his sentence. That might have been a prelude to saying a child needs every chance of being raised by a mother and a father.

That’s when Smith praised orphanages.

In that context, Smith suggested even being raised in an orphanage without parents would be better for a child than having LGBT parents.

“Somebody mentioned orphanages before,” Smith said. “I mean, orphanages are still a possibility for some kids.”

One student is heard uttering an indignant response over the idea the congressman would rather have kids in orphanages than being raised by LGBT parents: “You’d rather have kids in an orphanage than with — ?”

Speaking to the Blade, Valdes said there’s more to the exchange with Smith on gay adoption than what’s heard on the tape. Earlier in the assembly, another student asked about one of Smith’s votes in 1999 in favor of an amendment that would have banned adoption by gay parents in D.C. The student, Valdes said, asked Smith if he would still vote in support of banning gay adoption, and whether his views have changed since 1999. In response, Valdes said, Smith said his position hasn’t changed.

“Rep. Smith responded by saying that he does not approve of gay adoption because gay households are not healthy environments for children to grow up in,” Valdes said. “He then stated that ‘numerous household studies’ show that children that have heterosexual parents have better lives than children that have homosexual parents.”

It’s hard to know what “household studies” Smith was referencing. According to Cornell University, at least 75 studies have concluded children with same-sex parents fare no worse than other kids.

At that moment, Valdes said she thought of her gay sister and raised her hand for the question challenging his views on gay adoption, which was heard on the recording.

“After I asked my question and challenged him, an administrator cut in to change the topic,” Valdes said. “Rep. Smith started to discuss a recent project he was working on, but the auditorium was already filled with tension, and most of the audience was already talking about what Rep. Smith had just said. More students began to raise their hands, and the administration quickly realized that their students would likely be asking more questions regarding LGBT rights.

Instead of taking further questions, the assembly was promptly ended and all of us were sent back to class.”

Valdes said Smith exhibited “prejudice and homophobic views” that “were offensive,” and the entire student body of Colts Neck High School was “in shock that someone had come to our school with these opinions.”

“We have an LGBT club at our school... which exemplifies just how accepting our school is,” Valdes said. “Prejudice in our hallways is not tolerated, so it was shocking to have an elected official — a congressman no less — stand in front of hundreds of students, openly shaming the LGBT community. I knew that there were multiple students in the auditorium who were a part of the LGBT community, and that they were simply too scared to say anything to this congressman. In a situation like this, I just simply could not stay silent.”

Despite the exchange, the school praised Smith for coming to speak with students. Brian Donahue, principal of Colts Neck High School, tweeted after the event thanking the lawmaker and saying, “Our students appreciate hearing first hand how our government functions.”

Donahue didn’t immediately respond to the Blade’s request for comment on whether Colts Neck High School was OK with Smith making comments against LGBT adoption at a student assembly.

Smith, a longtime member of Congress who has represented New Jersey’s 4th congressional district in the U.S. House since the start of the Reagan

administration, has built a substantial anti-LGBT track record in Congress aside from his 1999 vote against gay adoption.

In recent years, the Republican has repeatedly earned a score of “0” from the Human Rights Campaign on its biennial congressional scorecard.

Among his anti-LGBT actions include votes for the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act and a U.S. constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage nationwide. In the early years of the Obama administration, Smith voted against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal and hate crimes protections legislation.

In recent years, Smith co-sponsored the First Amendment Defense Act, a federal “religious freedom” bill that would enable anti-LGBT discrimination, and voted for an amendment that would have barred the U.S. military from paying for transition-related health care for transgender service members, including gender reassignment surgery.

Smith’s office didn’t respond to the Washington Blade request for comment on the tape and either deny its accuracy or explain why orphanages are better for kids than LGBT homes. Also unanswered was an inquiry on whether Smith opposes the Aderholt measure pending before the House.

As the mid-term elections approach, Smith is facing a challenge from Democratic candidate Josh Welle, a businessperson and Navy veteran.

In a statement to Washington Blade, Welle drew on his experience as a veteran as he criticized Smith for suggesting orphanages are a better fit for children than gay parents.

“Chris Smith’s out-of-touch views might have flown in 1980 when he was elected, but his time has passed,” Welle said. “In 2018, in Central Jersey, it is unacceptable to imply a child would be better off in an orphanage than with a loving LGBTQ family. As a veteran, I fought on the front lines alongside men and women who gave their lives to protect and defend the civil liberties that our Constitution ensures for everyone, not just a few. Chris Smith takes us backwards on inclusion and basic human rights for all.”

Despite the expected “blue” wave in November, Welle faces an uphill challenge. Political observers have rated New Jersey’s 4th congressional district as a safe or solid Republican seat.

After the assembly, Valdes said other students thanked her for posing the question and called her brave, but she doesn’t see it that way.

“All students should feel safe and comfortable in their own school, and all people should feel safe and comfortable in their lives,” Valdes said. “Smith has done, and continues to do, the opposite of this.”

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

Activists in Commonwealth countries praise India ruling Many hopeful that fall of Section 377 leads to wider change

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com Activists in Commonwealth nations with whom the Washington Blade spoke this week said it remains unclear whether last week’s landmark India Supreme Court ruling that struck down the country’s colonial-era sodomy law will bolster efforts to decriminalize homosexuality in their own countries.

Maurice Tomlinson is a senior policy analyst with the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network who is challenging Jamaica’s antisodomy law. He also represents three LGBTI Barbadians who are challenging a similar statute in their country.

Tomlinson told the Washington Blade that even though the India Supreme Court ruling is not binding on other Commonwealth countries, it “will still be very persuasive.” Tomlinson also noted the India Supreme Court ruling said the country’s colonial-era sodomy law, known as Section 377, “was exported across the Commonwealth as part of the British colonizing project.”

Jamaica and Barbados, along with Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, Mauritius, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Samoa, still have colonial-era sodomy laws that are similar to India’s Section 377.

A judge on Trinidad and Tobago’s High Court in April struck down the country’s colonial-era sodomy law. The chief justice of the Belize Supreme Court in 2016 ruled a statute that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations in the country is unconstitutional.

The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in Kenya is challenging the country’s sodomy law.

British Prime Minister Theresa May in April said she “deeply” regrets colonial-era sodomy laws the U.K. introduced in India, which is the world’s second most-populous country, and in other Commonwealth nations. British Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch in June told the Blade during an interview before he hosted a Pride month reception at the British Embassy in D.C. that Commonwealth countries that have yet to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations should do so.

“We just urge all of our friends and

Singapore is among the Commonwealth countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.

partners in other countries around the world to move on as we have done to make their societies more open, more liberal, to embrace anti-discrimination in relation to the LGBT community as we have,” said Darroch. “It just makes your society a better place.”

Tomlinson agreed.

“Not only has Britain apologized for imposing and exporting this law, but the constitutional rights that are violated by this egregious statute are present in most Commonwealth countries,” he told the Blade.

A State Department spokesperson told the Blade the U.S. “welcomes the decision

by India’s Supreme Court on Section 377.”

The U.S. Embassy in India was illuminated in rainbow colors last week to celebrate the ruling.

Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the U.N.’s LGBTI rights watchdog, praised the ruling. He also urged countries that have yet to repeal their sodomy laws to do so.

“It is my sincere hope that, today, all other countries that still criminalize homosexuality and other forms of sexual orientation and gender identity, will carefully examine this ruling and decide that the time has come to bring themselves to full compliance with this human rights imperative,” he said.

The Delhi High Court in 2009 struck down Section 377, but the India Supreme Court in 2013 overruled the ruling. Indian lawmakers in 2015 rejected a bill that would have repealed 377.

Jean Chong, co-founder of Savoni,

an organization for queer women in Singapore, told the Blade on Tuesday during a Skype interview the India ruling has sparked “a great deal of excitement” among advocates in her country.

Chong pointed out Singapore’s penal code since 1997 has only criminalized consensual sexual relations between two people of the same-sex. Chong told the Blade the Singapore government will likely ignore calls from the U.K., the U.S. and the U.N. to repeal the country’s sodomy law, in part, because Malaysia and other neighboring countries, such as Brunei, have not done so.

Two women who were convicted of having sex in a car were publicly caned in a Sharia court in the Malaysian state of Terengganu on Sept. 3. Those who are convicted of homosexuality in Brunei face the death penalty under the country’s penal code.

Advocates also continue to express concern over the ongoing anti-LGBTI crackdown in Indonesia, which is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

“If we look at our region, there is no real surrounding pressure to do the same,” Chong told the Blade, referring to Singapore and calls to repeal the country’s sodomy law.

Kat Kai Kol-Kes, a transgender rights advocate in Botswana who contributes to the Blade, on Monday said the India Supreme Court ruling “has been received with some jubilation” in her country.

“But I recognize that it seems distant to the greater LGBT+ population in

Botswana,” she added.

Batswana LGBTI rights advocates in recent years have celebrated a number of legal victories.

The country’s highest court in 2016 ruled Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana, an LGBTI advocacy group, should be allowed to register with the government of Botswana. Kol-Kes reported a court last November ruled in favor of a trans man who wanted to change the gender marker on his documents.

Botswana in 2016 deported Steven Anderson, an anti-LGBTI pastor from the U.S., after he told a radio station the government should kill gays and lesbians and described the victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre as “disgusting homosexuals who the Bible says were worthy of death.”

Kol-Kes told the Blade that LGBTI Batswana “aren’t quite living in isolation from the rest of the Commonwealth LGBT+ populations.” She nevertheless added their reaction to the India Supreme Court has been tempered somewhat, in part, because the country is preparing for elections that will take place next year.

“We still have a ways to go, but I think we are well on our way to seeing Botswana achieve what India did in 2009 without the 2013 hiccup,” said Kol-Kes, referring to India. “I face the 2018 ruling with hope that history won’t repeat itself and that LGBT+ people of India can map their lives without looking over their shoulders in case they are used as political pawns.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

H E A L TH NEW S

S E PT E M B E R 14, 2018 • 17

Keep your promise to protect each other.

Only 4 percent of U.S. gay men on PrEP: study LOS ANGELES — Only 4 percent of sexually active gay and bisexual men in the United States use Truvada, a highly effective medication used to prevent the transmission of HIV, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind study, MedicalXPress reports.

Led by Psychology Professor Phillip Hammack, the study was published Sept. 7 in the journal PLOS ONE. Truvada is a once-a-day prescription medication used to reduce the risk of HIV infection; it is the only FDA-approved form of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, which is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for those at high risk of HIV/AIDS. “The extremely low rate of PrEP use, while not surprising given barriers to access in various parts of the country, is disappointing,” Hammack said, according to MedicalXPress.

Researchers also found that most sexually active gay and bi men aged 18-25 are not tested for HIV annually, as recommended by the CDC, and 25 percent of young men have never been tested, PLOS ONE reports.

Conducted by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, the study is the first to report on estimates of HIV testing and use of PrEP among gay and bi men using a national probability sample in the United States. In the study, researchers examined gay and bisexual men in three age groups: young (18-25), middle (34-41) and older (52-59).

Other key findings regarding PrEP use include: • Visiting an LGBT health clinic and searching online for LGBT resources were associated with greater likelihood of PrEP use.

• 52 percent of young sexually active gay and bisexual men were familiar with PrEP as HIV prevention, compared with 79 percent of men aged 34-41.

• Bisexual and non-urban men were less familiar with PrEP compared with gay-identified and urban men.

Dementia rates slightly lower for LGB adults CHICAGO — Dementia prevalence rates are slightly lower for LGB older adults than their straight counterparts, new research has found, although the sample groups did not align exactly on age.

Rates for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in the general population for those 65 and older is about 10 percent; prevalence was 7.4 percent for LGB adults in a recent study composed of participants 60 and older.

The findings, presented this summer at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, are said to be the first on dementia prevalence for LGB older adults. They were announced in a press release.

Researchers from University of California, San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, Calif., examined the prevalence of dementia among 3,718 sexual minority adults age 60 and up who participated in the Kaiser Permanente Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health.

Dementia diagnoses were collected from medical records.

The findings were gleaned over a nine-year period of follow-up. According to the researchers, significant rates of depression, hypertension, stroke and cardiovascular disease in the study population may be contributing factors to the level of dementia.

HIV rates down overall in San Francisco

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The latest findings indicate that San Francisco is making progress toward achieving the goals of its Getting to Zero initiative: zero new infections, zero deaths due to HIV/ SPEAK WITH OUR PREPLANNING ADVISOR, AIDS and zero stigma against people living with HIV, the Bay Area Reporter said.

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Renewed hope in India I now have more explicit legal protections there than here

By GAUTAM RAGHAVAN When I came out to my dad, one of the first things he said was: “I wonder how many people in our family were gay but couldn’t say anything.”

I once looked through the family tree he has kept for 25 years, scanning seven generations of direct ancestors and distant relatives, wondering whose truth died with them.

During one visit to India, my grandmother took me to visit an old friend of hers. He was smartly dressed and well spoken, the sole occupant of an apartment littered with books and art. As my grandmother explained, he was a “confirmed bachelor” who had never married.

I think of him often. I’ll never know for sure if he was gay or not, but I do know there were generations of gay men in India who only had two options: a marriage based on a lie or a quiet life alone in the closet. And I wonder how different my life would have been if my family had stayed in India instead of immigrating to America when I was three years old. Which option would I have picked?

LGBTI activists in India celebrate a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the country’s colonialera sodomy law.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEERA PARIDA

ways, living in India would be a powerful way to teach her about a country that may not be a part of her genetic makeup but is nonetheless a very real part of who she is, who her appa is, and the values we hope to instill in her.

‘Not only did Section 377 codify discrimination, it was used for years as a tool by government and police to raid, arrest, and stigmatize queer Indians.’

Thankfully, I had other options. I grew up and came out in an America just beginning to awaken to the cause of LGBTQ equality. I followed Ellen DeGeneres out of the closet and Edie Windsor to the altar. Later, I followed my dreams all the way to Barack Obama’s White House.

For these reasons, among others, I will always be extraordinarily proud to be an American. In no other country is my story – immigrating, coming out, marrying the person I love and starting a family, serving the highest office in the land – even possible.

And yet, that pride has always come with a corresponding set of complicated emotions about India, a deep personal connection tempered by sadness, guilt, and resignation.

Recently, my husband and I have talked about living abroad for a year or two when our daughter is older. In many

But every time we talk about it, I rule it out. How could we live as a family – even temporarily, and even with the privilege of American citizenship – in a place where our very relationship is criminal?

All of that changed on Sept. 6, when India’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down Section 377, the provision of the penal code criminalizing homosexuality, and further ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited.

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of this ruling. Not only did Section 377 codify discrimination, it was used for years as a tool by government and police to raid, arrest, and stigmatize queer Indians. In their judgements, the Justices spoke to this long history of oppression, calling Section 377 “irrational, indefensible, and manifestly arbitrary,” speaking

to the inherent dignity and equality owed LGBTQ individuals, and calling for full and equal protection under the law – a goal we have yet to attain here in America.

It’s not lost on me that, as a consequence of this historic ruling, I now have more explicit legal protection in the land of my birth than in the land that I love.

That said, this is just the first step. Much like Lawrence paved the way for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the freedom to marry, India too will have to grapple with the meaning and implementation of full equality for its LGBTQ citizens.

But for now, it signals the beginning of an end to loveless marriages and closeted confirmed bachelors. Even more importantly, it shows the way to a future of endless possibilities and unlimited options for future generations of Indians – and Indian Americans.

In January, my husband, daughter, and I will travel to India for a family reunion.

In many ways, we will be returning to exactly the same country we’ve visited before. But in one very important way, we will be visiting a new land, with renewed hope for the future.

GAUTAM RAGHAVAN served as President Obama’s liaison to the LGBTQ and AAPI communities from 2011 to 2014, currently advises the Indian American Impact Project and Biden Foundation, and is the editor of the forthcoming ‘West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House’ to be published by Penguin Books on Sept. 25.

PHONE

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Media misreading Democratic voters Electorate looking for diverse representation, not socialism

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

I am a staunch supporter of a free press and don’t believe in ‘alternative facts.’

Today it seems too many journalists are writing their stories with a view of getting noticed and being asked to be commentators on TV. Headline writers are dreaming up clickbait headlines to attract readers.

Journalism is suffering because of this.

There are still those like Bob Woodward who research their work exhaustively and can document what they write.

But more and more columns are written without this exhaustive research, many because their editors are competing to be first with a scoop and stories end up

just being part of what appears to be a pack mentality.

We see this in the glorification of someone like Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez whom the press deemed a super-hero of the left by apparently purposely misreading her victory in a New York congressional

date in a Senate primary, they found the voting base hadn’t changed as much and their candidate lost to Sen. Tom Carper in a landslide.

What is happening in the Democratic Party is not a version of the Tea Party that took over the Republican Party as

The fight isn’t about progressive vs. far left for the Democratic Party; it is simply to get everyone to the ballot box. primary. A closer look at the District easily explains her win in a majority-minority district against an opponent who was too arrogant to mount a real campaign. The positions she took were not all that different from the votes of her opponent but she ran a good campaign. The same can be said for Ayanna Pressley in her win in a Boston district. It wasn’t the positions she took, but rather a good campaign in a district that had changed and was now younger and more diverse and those constituents rightly wanted representation that looked more like them. In Delaware, where Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Socialists tried to install their own candi-

Paul Kane in his Washington Post column posits. The change occurring in the

Democratic Party is more about age, gender and diversity than it is about policy.

There was an outcry when David Hogg, a Parkland survivor, called Nancy Pelosi old. Well from his perspective she is. She could be his great-grandmother and who can honestly say they don’t consider their great-grandmother old.

The change coming to the Democratic Party and supported by many is knowing if we are to be the party of the future we need to have more women, more people of color, more representatives of the LGBTQ+ community and younger people

representing the diversity of the country in leadership positions. That is what is happening in Democratic elections. These elections aren’t about being Democrats or Democratic Socialists. The huge bloc of Democratic voters, and all voters, are not Democratic Socialists and will never be. The media, which are trying to make this a fight between progressives and the far-left of the party, are getting it wrong.

The party is not far left and will never be.

The goal for the Democratic Party must be to convince millennials and younger voters that voting matters. As President Obama said, “It is not enough to complain, hashtag, attend a protest rally or send out a message on FB or twitter.” All that is worthless if you don’t take the time to actually VOTE. Democrats must also educate voters to understand what Obama meant when he said “vote for better not for perfect” and that there are only two choices when it comes to taking over the Congress: Democrat or Republican. Voting for a thirdparty candidate as a protest begets Donald Trump and Trump begets Gorsuch and Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

The fight isn’t about progressive vs. far left for the Democratic Party; it is simply to get everyone to the ballot box.

V I E WPO I N T

Village Voice’s muckraking, bad-ass spirit will live forever Thank you to an institution that always covered LGBT lives

KATHI WOLFE, a regular contributor to the Blade, was the winner of the 2014 Stonewall Chapbook Competition.

Saying goodbye when someone you love dies is heartbreaking. Bidding farewell to a beloved cultural institution is almost as wrenching. Recently, like many of its aficionados, I was gobsmacked to learn that the Village Voice, the Pulitzer Prize-winning alternative weekly founded in Greenwich Village in 1955, had closed.

I shouldn’t have been so shocked that the Voice, a pioneer in its coverage of LGBTQ issues and its pop culture criticism, folded on Aug. 31. A year ago, the Voice became digital only after it stopped publishing in print. Like so many news out-

lets, it’s had financial problems and staff layoffs. Still, it’s sad.

Why am I sad? Because, as it was for many of its readers, I felt a personal connection to the Voice. When I was a kid in Southern N.J., a family friend, when he visited from New York, would bring my parents that week’s Voice. I didn’t understand much of what was in the Voice then. But I could tell from the adults’ animated talk of “films” and “art” that the paper was manna from heaven for my folks in the cultural desert of our small town.

When I was in graduate school, I turned to the Voice as I was coming out. Later when I worked in New York, everyone I knew felt an affinity for the Voice. The paper championed the work of my friend Al Carmines, the Obie-winning composer.

My friend Martha turned to the Voice to learn what was happening on the music scene. We laughed in neurotic recognition at Jules Feiffer’s cartoons and scarfed up its investigative journalism – from Wayne Barrett’s reporting on Donald J. Trump to its Pulitzer Prize-winning series on AIDS in Africa.

The Village Voice was founded by Dan Wolf, Edwin Fancher and Norman Mailer.

Richard Goldstein was the arts editor and then the executive editor of the Village Voice until 2004. “It was 1966. I was 22 with hair down to my navel, fresh out of journalism school,” Goldstein, who is gay, told the Blade in a phone interview.

“I walked into Dan Wolf’s office and said I want to be a rock critic. They said ‘what is that?’ They said, ‘Try it.’ No one else would consider it. I tried it. It became my column ‘Pop Eye.’’” The Voice Village was a left-leaning paper. Pop culture from the media to jazz to indie films fell under the Voice’s critical eye. “We were the first to cover off-Broadway. The Voice was the first do advertising criticism – the first to do media criticism,” Goldstein said.”

Its pop culture criticism grew out of its left-leaning political convictions, he added.

“It came from the left wing idea that art is the art of the people. Record companies didn’t know who we were,” he said.

The Voice hired openly gay writers as far back as the McCarthy era, Goldstein said. “It was unheard of then for a publication to hire an out gay writer, you could be fired if you were gay!”

“Lesbian Nation” author Jill Johnston wrote for the Voice as a dance critic. “But,

she evolved. She came out and became the first openly lesbian writer to cover lesbian issues,” he said.

That’s the way it was at the Voice. Writers could evolve and develop their own style. “Jill didn’t use punctuation,” Goldstein said. “She thought it was too masculine. She stared down editors who insisted otherwise.”

The Voice was on the scene during Stonewall. “The Voice office was above the [Stonewall Inn] bar,” he said. “When the riots started, two reporters ran down to the bar. Two stories about Stonewall ran on the front page.”

The Voice led the way in covering not only queer culture, but LGBT rights politics. In 1979, the paper began publishing an annual issue on queer life. In 1984, the Voice ran one of the very few interviews that James Baldwin gave about being gay.

Things weren’t perfect at the Voice. It wasn’t always sweetness and light. “Not every writer was pro-gay,” Goldstein said, “there were fights. You could sometimes hate the people you work with.”

Thank you, Village Voice for kick-starting our lives! Though you’ve closed, your muckraking, bad-ass spirit will live forever!

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Dating in D.C. Part I: the apps At age 40, it’s time to ramp up my efforts at finding a man

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

I haven’t had a real romantic relationship in about 12 years. I know, I know.

What’s my problem, right? To be honest, I just really haven’t felt the need to have a boyfriend. Well, up until about now. Maybe it’s time. I’ve turned 40 recently, and I’m getting the impression that I might have been the grasshopper that sang

all summer, if you know your Aesop. Essentially winter is coming and it’s just me.

Not to be a sad sap, but the closest thing I have to a long-term relationship at the moment is the Meiwah delivery guy. He gets me, though.

Recently I’ve stuck my toe back in the D.C. dating water, murky as it may be.

Usually, this is enough to have me running back to the safe confines of singledom, with all its awesome, seemingly endless perks — a house regulated to the temperature I want, no judgment on my fairly awful music choices, not really having to compromise on anything. But I’m resolved to throw my hat back in the dating ring after all these years. Plus, I’m convinced that while dating in D.C. is difficult, it’s got to be easier in your 40s. It has to be. That, and I have no other options. So. Be it resolved here, I will be trying in Part I of this three-part series, to find a boyfriend. Part I — trying three newish dating apps. Part II — trying three new bars

I wouldn’t typically go to on a given weekend. And then, if need be, Part III — nonbar things, volunteering and charity functions. God, I hope it doesn’t come to that.

For part one, I’ll be trying these three apps — Tinder, Hinge, and Mr. X, simultaneously. First up is Tinder. I’ve been playing with this app, on and off, for a while now. I’ve even met up with a few guys. Nothing really came of anything.

I’m sure most are familiar with the app, but basically it’s a swipe-right-swipe-left sort of thing based on attraction. I’m guessing a lot of guys out there just use this for a quick ego boost, “oh. . .let’s see who finds me cute” sort of thing. I’ll give it a try, nonetheless.

Also I’m trying Hinge, which I have to say is probably the best and sleekest of the apps here. Instead of swiping past someone based just on their pic, Hinge allows you to ‘discover’ them, which sounds awfully pre-colonial but it seems to work.

You get to discover things about a guy

other than their picture, browsing their funny responses to silly questions and such, and the whole process makes you feel less like a shallow jerk.

Then there’s Mr. X, which was entirely new to me until last Sunday. My friend Paul, slightly older than I am, turned me on to it and he’s been in a good and steady relationship for a few months now, all thanks to Mr. X. Here you can be a ‘Daddy’ a ‘Hunter’ or a ‘Mister.’ I’m a ‘Mister,’ I was told. Too old for ‘Hunter,’ too young for ‘Daddy,’ this sort of sums up my whole dating conundrum at the moment.

Mr. X is the clunkiest of the apps here, but like the others I’m willing to give it a try. Mr. X’s tag line is “Dirty, Sexy, Social” so I’m not really sure if I signed up for a dating app, a sex app, or both. But one of the best married couples I know met on Grindr, so you never know.

So, I’m officially on the market. And I will be providing follow up in the next few columns. So stay tuned and wish me luck!

O UR B US I NES S MATTER S

Reeder now one-on-one with controversial incumbent Election board creates path for lesbian D.C. Council At-Large challenger

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

The composition of the only competitive marquee race in the Nov. 6 D.C. general election suddenly changed this week.

The development creates a clear path for an underdog citywide victory by lesbian D.C. Council At-Large candidate Dionne Reeder in her uphill but promising challenge against controversial first-term incumbent Elissa Silverman.

Near the stroke of midnight on Monday evening the D.C. Board of Elections complied with its announced deadline to render a decision regarding ballot qualification by additional candidate S. Kathryn Allen. The local election board bumped Allen off the ballot, ruling that she had come up short by slightly more than 500 signatures of the 3,000 required for the seat.

Signature collection is a tedious and

tiresome task, resulting in adequately funded first-time candidates not enjoying incumbent campaign infrastructure advantage commonly outsourcing the activity. Allen saw a large number of her valid signatures thrown out due to at least one non-resident collector not having registered with the election board, falsified collector names on petition sheets, and outright forged signatures provided by

signifies Silverman recognizes she is vulnerable to being defeated for re-election.

Silverman won election to the seat in 2014, after a prior failed attempt, among a crowded field while garnering only 15 percent of the votes cast in the race.

Under the city’s complicated set-aside of two-of-four At-Large Council seats for a “non-majority-party” candidate, voters are allowed to cast two votes each rotat-

The LGBT community may relish the chance to again have a gay person, woman of color, and the city’s first lesbian serving on the D.C. Council. collectors. In the end, Allen’s nearly 6,100 signatures were whittled down to just under 2,500 accepted ones.

Silverman had contested Allen’s ballot petition after it was discovered, following the withdrawal of another candidate due to similar contractor-collected falsified voter signatures, that Allen may have been victim of the same problem. Ballot petitions are not audited or validated unless required as a result of a challenge by a registered voter – oftentimes a partisan associated with a competitor campaign.

It is unusual for an incumbent to personally challenge an opponent’s submitted signatures, as in this case by Silverman. Her directly doing so has prompted local political observers to note that it

ing four-year biennial election cycle – with the Democratic nominee joined by a usually Democrat-masked-as-an-independent winning the alternate seat.

Silverman may regret “clearing the field” to a single leading opponent, creating an opening for Reeder to consolidate community opposition to the oft-derided sole “socialist” elected official in the District. In addition to incumbent Democrat Anita Bonds, expected to easily win another term, voters have the opportunity to cast a second vote for “non-Democrats” Silverman or Reeder, or alternately for the long-shot candidacies of Republican Ralph Chittams, Libertarian Denise Hicks, Statehood-Green David Schwartzman, or independent Rustin Lewis.

Most observers anticipate that respected former Mayor Anthony Williams and former gay At-Large Council member David Catania, both co-chairs of Allen’s effort, will support Reeder. Mayor Muriel Bowser, gliding to re-election as one of the most popular executives in the nation, is said to support an alternative to Silverman.

Silverman, criticized as a short-tempered and hard-edged ideologue disinterested in a consensus-building approach to legislation or governance, has become known as an extremist policy outlier among most of her colleagues. Leftist political groups, however, are expected to push hard for her re-election, disappointed that all “further-left” challengers in the Democratic primary were easily defeated by more circumspect, centrist and business-friendly incumbents.

The local enterprise community had been backing either Allen or Reeder, with smallbusiness operators largely lining up behind Reeder while moderate-sized and larger business sectors had favored Allen. Reeder is expected to coalesce the support of both the entire entrepreneurial community and residents hoping for a fresh approach with less of a heavy-handed, combative style.

The LGBT community could also play a role in determining the winner and may relish the chance to again have a gay person, woman of color, and the city’s first lesbian serving on the D.C. Council.

Now that the candidates have been finalized, let the rumble begin!

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Be prepared to lose your head this Fall, over Synetic Theater’s adaptation of...

Sleepy Hollow October 3 >> November 4 The Headless Horseman rides again in Synetic Theater’s fantastical visual spectacle—a new adaptation of Washington Irving’s haunting, gothic tale.

Tickets: synetictheater.org >> 866.811.4111

2 2 • S EPTE MB ER 14, 2018

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

SMYAL’S ANNUAL

FALL BRUNCH OCTOBER 14, 2018 THE MARRIOTT MARQUIS

Join us for the region’s premiere event in support of LGBTQ youth

Cocktail reception and silent auction Begins at 10:30am Three-course brunch & seated program Begins at noon

To purchase tickets smyal.org/brunch

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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JAKE SHEARS says it took time to find his creative footing after the Scissor Sisters parted ways six years ago.

PHOTO BY RAPHAEL CHATELAIN

Just Jake Former Scissor Sisters frontman on his book, tour, album and gay life in the Big Easy

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Jake Shears needed some time to find his footing.

“After more than a decade as one of pop music’s most cocksure and buoyant frontmen,” his press bio says, “Shears suddenly found himself alone and adrift a few years ago, nursing a broken heart and staring down an uncertain future.”

Since the early 2000s, Shears had anchored Scissor Sisters, the glam-pop band known for hits like “Filthy/Gorgeous,” “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin,’” “Fire with Fire” and “Let’s Have a Kiki.” They went on indefinite hiatus after the 2012 album “Magic Hour” but it took some time for Shears, who found himself single in 2015 after the demise of a decade-plus relationship, to figure out what was next.

After relocating to New Orleans in

search of inspiration, he’s come roaring back in 2018 with a January stint as Charlie in “Kinky Boots” on Broadway, the February release of his memoir “Boys Keep Swinging” and his eponymous debut solo album, which came out last month to solid reviews. He kicks off a North American solo tour next month and plays Washington’s 9:30 Club on Halloween.

He spoke to the Blade by phone Sept. 7 from his apartment in New Orleans. His comments have been slightly edited for length.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Was it hard adjusting to the humidity?

JAKE SHEARS: No, I love it. I’m heading to London tonight and I’m just thinking like, “Oh God, I can’t just walk outside in a tank top and gym shorts 24 hours a day there.” I love it down here so much. It’s a

pretty good life.

BLADE: So you live in New Orleans pretty much all the time now when you’re not touring?

SHEARS: Yeah, I’m walking into my apartment right now. I split my time. I end up all over the place but it’s where I am for long stretches of the year. … I spend about a third of the year here.

BLADE: Do you get recognized much there when you’re just out doing your normal routine?

SHEARS: Well it’s like a small town here so you kind of get to know everybody anyway and then on weekends, like Decadence was last weekend and there were lots of gays in town so yeah. But other than that, not really. It’s just a really small town here so everybody already kind of

knows one another.

BLADE: What’s gay life like in the South?

Just with friends, dating, sex — all that.

SHEARS: Well down here you don’t necessarily want to date other locals. … If you do sleep with somebody down here, you’re gonna see them for the rest of your life so you have to really think about whether you want that or not. But it’s just a funny little thing. It’s a sexy place to be.

There’s always a huge influx of tourists so there’s always fresh faces and not only that, it’s people who are happy to be here and it’s a good vibe overall. It’s a very romantic city. You don’t have to wear a lot of clothes.

It kind of fosters romance and flirtiness.

BLADE: You said in another interview you went there seeking inspiration. How ■ CONTINUES ON PAGE 54

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QU E E R Y : 20 Q U E ST I O N S F O R MI CH E LLE CA RN E S/ D R. T O RCH E R

M I C HE L L E C A R N E S /D R . T O R C HE R

PHOTO BY STEREO VISION PHOTOGRAPHY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Performers in the D.C. Weirdo Show know the power of reclaiming words and art forms traditionally used to subjugate.

The show started at the Palace of Wonders on H Street in 2006 as a place for sideshow performers, a type of performance Michelle Carnes says has “a violent history of appropriation and displaying people of color as oddities and freaks in mythologized and racist ways, such as savages, wildmen, orientalist swamis, etc. Sideshow served to reassure white middle-class folks of their normalcy, supremacy and privilege.”

But it also “offered a place for marginalized people who are different and usually stigmatized to have a voice, a platform to represent their experience and have greater understanding and empathy from the world around them. That is the tradition we are committed to preserving at D.C. Weirdo Show,” she says.

“Weirdos for Life! A Benefit for Trans Lifeline” is Friday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. at 1523 22nd St., N.W. Tickets are $16 in advance or $20 cash at the door. The event is a benefit for Trans Lifeline, a peer-supported hotline staffed for and by trans people. Details at dcweirdoshow.com.

Carnes, a 42-year-old Indianapolis native, holds a Ph.D. and works in the federal government as a public health anthropologist by day. She hosts and is the lead creative producer for the Weirdo Show, held monthly except December.

Her alter ego Dr. Torcher — her sideshow specialty is fire manipulation — started three years ago. She’s also a musician, comedian, drag performer, storyteller, emcee and clown. She’s learning to juggle and play the violin. She came to Washington 15 years ago to study at American University.

Carnes is in a married/poly relationship with Mark Anduss and Melissa Kaplan, who both work on the Weirdos shows with Carnes. They live together in Bethesda. Carnes enjoys reading, writing, painting and creating in her free time.

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

I came out when I was 16 to my friends; to my family when I was 18 and already at college. The hardest person to tell was also the easiest, my dad. Hardest because it would have devastated me if he had rejected me over it but also, easiest because I think, deep down, I felt confident that wasn’t how he would react.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Dr. Evelyn Blackwood. She was my queer anthropology professor at Purdue and she believed in my ability to leave Indiana, get an education and do something with myself. My life would be very different and much, much worse if she hadn’t found me

when she did and I am grateful.

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

Where the baseball stadium is now, there was a complex of amazing warehouse-style clubs in D.C. Wet was at L and Half Street, where Miz Vicki’s party, “Soft and Wet” used to happen. It was the longest running black lesbian strip party in the country, I will never get over it being gone and fuck baseball.

Describe your dream wedding.

I got married in Las Vegas by a gay Elvis in a pink Cadillac. It took 15 minutes and 25 of our favorite people were there. That was literally perfect.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

I was going to say mental health but that’s an LGBT issue. Frankly, I’m not sure there is such a thing as a non-LGBT issue since we’re everywhere and part of the world.

What historical outcome would you change?

Colonization

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

Tina Fey’s amazing Sarah Palin spoof on SNL, which many people believe significantly helped derail Palin’s career.

I love the power of comedy and satire.

That’s a beautiful thing.

On what do you insist?

Performers of color, queers, trans artists and womxn taking up space in the sideshow art form, despite its misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

Something about D.C. Weirdo Show because our show is coming up soon!

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

“Shelly Bean” (my dad’s nickname for me growing up) If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

Find out who paid for that research to be done and ask why they wasted resources on something so unnecessary.

Culture is what needs to change, not us.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

I’m an atheist. This is it, y’all. Let’s make it count!

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

My advice is for cis white folks in the movement: Intersectional politics are not optional. Learn to be accountable when you mess up. Step aside as needed. Support quietly without expectation of credit or reward. Embrace your humanity so that you may better

embrace and care for those around you.

Stop calling the cops. Stop asking me to speak on all-white panels about queer stuff. Stop defending rich white queers’ bad behavior because they fund your non-profit or they’re a “good customer.”

Pay queers of color as much as you can, as often as you can.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

I’ve walked on broken glass barefoot on stage for $100 so how does $150 sound?

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

That homophobic people are all just secretly queer and will miraculously transform into a nice person if they come out. Yeah, none of us are immune to this internalized homophobia and lateral violence. Queer people struggle with it and it bothers me when folks implicitly (or explicitly) claim that queerness “prevents” us from doing this harm to each other. It’s bullshit.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

The “San Junipero” episode of “Black Mirror.” It feels like a movie to me and I love it.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Going around to say goodbye to everyone at large gatherings. It was good to see you and I won’t interrupt your current amazing conversation to tell you that. I also like the implication that I will simply see you again, which I hope is true.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

Getting my Ph.D. 10 years ago taught me that no title, award, degree will satisfy anyone who already believes I am unworthy without it, including myself.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That my life won’t always be survival and it’s OK to look forward to that and to be willing to rest sometimes, when I need it.

Why Washington?

This place needs more weird to help us get through it all, together. Don’t you think?

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Blooms for butterflies

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Office: 717-794-2493 Cell: 202-422-7200

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Offices in Blue Ridge Summit and Washington, D.C.

E: 01.13.2017

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By MARIAH COOPER

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

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Whitman-Walker celebrates 40th Whitman Walker Health hosts its 40th Anniversary Gala at the Marriott Marquis (901 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 6:30-11 p.m.

The benefit gala will open with a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres. A seated dinner and speaking program reflecting on Whitman Walker Health’s history and future will follow. There will also be a silent auction featuring items ranging from curated art to experiences. Rayceen Pendarvis will co-emcee the event. Tickets are $400.

For details, visit wwhgala.org.

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Latino GLBT History awards Sept. 20 The Latino GLBT History Project hosts its 13th Hispanic LGBTQ Heritage Awards at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 6-9 p.m.

LGBT leaders Louie A. Ortiz-Fonseca, Xemiyulu Manibusan Tapepechul and Ivan Aguilar will be honored for their advocacy in the community. Food and drinks will be served. Admission is free but donations will be accepted at the door.

For more details, visit latinoglbthistory.org.

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Elton John here Sept. 21-22 PHOTO COURTESY KENNEDY CENTER

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‘Throwing Shade’ to visit Kennedy Center Out comedian Bryan Safi and his comedy partner Erin Gibson host “Throwing Shade Live 2018: There’s No Place Like Condo Tour” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.

“Throwing Shade” is a weekly podcast where Safi and Gibson discuss LGBT rights, women’s rights, politics and pop culture. Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action will join the show as a guest. Tickets are $29.

For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

Elton John brings his farewell tour “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” to the Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) for a two-night engagement Sept. 21-22 at 8 p.m.

John claims “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” is his final major tour. The gay legend announced in January that he was retiring to spend more time with his children. He will perform crowd favorites such as “Crocodile Rock” and “Tiny Dancer.” The show, slated to run three years, will also include never-before-seen footage from John’s career. Tickets range from $213-249.

For more details, visit ticketmaster.com.

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CA LE N D A R

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

TODAY Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) celebrates its 25th anniversary tonight and Saturday at 7 p.m. Subhumans, Ocampo Ocampo & Watt (feat. Mike Watt and Devin Ocampo), Ted Leo, Des Demonas. Dagger Moon, Scanners and Honey will perform tonight. Ex Hex, Gray Matter, Hurry Up (feat. Kathy Foster and Westin Glass of The Thermals and Maggie Vail of Bangs), Algiers, Hammered Hulls (feat. Alec MacKaye, Mary Timony, Mark Cisneros and Chris Wilson), Wanted Man and Foul Swoops will perform on Saturday. Tickets are $25. For more details, visit blackcatdc.com.

The CinEinsomnia series presents “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at Landmark’s E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.) tonight at 11:59 p.m. There will also be a showing on Saturday at 11:59 p.m. The screenings will feature the live shadow cast, The Sonic Transducers.

Tickets are $10. For more information, visit facebook.com/dcrockyhorror.

D.C. Bear Crue hosts Bear Happy Hour at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) today from 5-10 p.m.

Drink specials are until 10 p.m. and include $5 rail cocktails and $5 draft pitchers. Free appetizers will be handed out throughout the night. For more details, visit facebook. com/bearhappyhour.

Gamma D.C., a support group for men in mixed-orientation relationships, meets at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7:309:30 p.m. The group is for men who are attracted to men but are currently, or were at one point, in relationships with women. For more information about the group, visit gammaindc.org.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15 The H Street Festival is on H Street N.E. today from noon-7 p.m. 11 blocks will feature 14 staging areas, music, fashion, poetry, food and an interactive children’s program. Admission is free. For more information, visit hstreetfestival.org.

HopeDC celebrates 30 years of HIVpositive support for men today at a HOPEDC member couple’s private residence in Arlington. For more details, visit hopedc.org.

The Human Rights Campaign hosts its sold-out HRC National Dinner at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center (801 Mt Vernon Pl., N.W.) tonight at 6 p.m. Former Vice President Joe Biden will headline the dinner.

Actress Anne Hathaway will be honored with the HRC National Equality Award.

Speakers will include former Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder, Virginia Del. Danica Roem and

PHOTO BY ERIC MCCANDLESS

The cast of ‘American Idol Live’ plays the Warner Theatre Monday night.

Nevada Secretary of State candidate Nelson Araujo. There will be a cocktail reception, a live and silent auction and live entertainment. For details, visit hrcnationaldinner.org.

KhushDC hosts its South Asian LGBTQ Support Group at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) today at 1:30 p.m. The group is open to people who identify as LGBTQ and have a family heritage from South Asia. For more information, visit thedccneter.org.

D.C. Veg Fest, the largest vegan celebration on the East Coast, is in the parking lot at the intersection of N. Street S.E. and First Street S.E. today from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The first 1,000 attendees will receive free bags at the info booth.

Scheduled speakers include Beverly Kumari, Carol Adams, Ginny Messina, Chef Nikki, Dr. Neal Barnard and more.

There will also be a kids zone and a tasting booth. Admission is free. For more details, visit dcvegfest.com.

PFLAG hosts its monthly meeting at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. The meeting is a confidential space to share stories and learn information about current LGBT events. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 16

TUESDAY, SEPT. 18

Washington Bach Consort performs “Handel & Bach: Sing a New Song” at the National Presbyterian Church (4101 Nebraska Ave., N.W.) today at 3 p.m. The performance kicks off the Consort’s 41st season and welcomes its new Artistic Director Dana Marsh. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel will be performed. There will be a pre-concert lecture by Michael Marissen at 2 p.m. After the performance, there will be a post-concert reception. Tickets range from $10-69. For more information, visit facebook.com/bachconsort.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its Packing Party from 7-9 p.m. tonight. Volunteers will assemble safer sex kits to distribute to the LGBT community.

For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

will collect dinner for residents of Casa Ruby tonight from 7-8 p.m. Any amount of food is appreciated. Store bought meals are accepted. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

“American Idol: Live 2018” comes to the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Finalists Cade, Caleb, Catie, Gabby, Maddie and Michael will perform. Season eight winner Kris Allen and boy band Forever In Your Mind will also perform. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Tickets range from $29-73. For more information, visit warnertheatredc.com.

MONDAY, SEPT. 17

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19 Job Club, a weekly job support program, meets at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-7 p.m. The program aims to help job seekers, including the long-termed unemployed, learn about job searching and networking. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Bookmen D.C., an informal men’s gay literature discussion group, meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite 105) to discuss “The Gay Revolution: the Story of the Struggle” by Lillian Faderman. All welcome. Details at bookmendc.blogspot.com.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20 Actress Sally Field appears at Sixth and I (600 I St., N.W.) to discuss her memoir “In Pieces” with “All Things Considered” co-host Ari Shapiro tonight from 7-9 p.m.

The memoir chronicles her life from her childhood through her entertainment career. Tickets are $25. One ticket and one signed book is $42. Two tickets and one signed book are $55. For more information, visit sixthandi.org.

The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts its LGBTQ People of Color Support Group today at 6 p.m. LGBT people of color are invited to speak on issues in a safe space. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc.

“Rayceen, Fix Me Up: Single Women’s Mixer” is at Shaw Neighborhood Library (1630 7th St., N.W.) tonight from 6-8 p.m.

Rayceen Pendarvis will host the mixer which is co-presented by LezBeSocial and City Promotions. There will be ice breaker games, prizes, light refreshments and more. Admission is free. For more information, visit teamrayceen. eventbrite.com.

A filmed version of the Tony-winning musical “An American in Paris” will be screened tonight and Sept. 23 at Landmark E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15. Details at anamericaninpariscinema.com.

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TICKETS ON SALE NOW www.concertopera.org 202.364.5826

DANCE 30

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Salsa, ballet, ‘Realm of the Jaguar’ and more Fall dance offerings range from freestyling contemporary works to classical standards

By MARIAH COOPER PrioreDance presents “Cirque De Nuit” at Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) tonight (Friday, Sept. 14) at 8 p.m.

Set during the times of traveling circuses, the dance follows a group of outcasts that come together inside and outside the circus tent. Tickets are $10. For more details, visit atlasarts.org.

National Museum of the American Indian (4th St., S.W. and Independence Ave., S.W.) presents “Realm of the Jaguar” on Sept. 22-23 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. There will be a series of dance performances from Bolivia, Mexico and Guatemala honoring the jaguar. Attendees can also learn about mask making from Alex Vasquez and artistry from Carlos Chaclán Solís, who tells the story of the jaguars through ceramics.

Free admission. For more information, visit nmai.si.edu.

City of Takoma Park presents “Sly Anansi: A Mini Musical” at Takoma Park Community Center (7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park, Md.) on Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.

The musical retells the West African folk tale about Anansi, the trickster spider who gets tricked himself. The performance features Caribbean dance with original choreography, African drumming, live music and audience participation.

Admission is free. For more details, visit facebook.com/takomaparkmd.

The Washington Ballet offers its TWB Welcomes series with “Program A: Exquisite and Exotic” featuring “Serenade,” “Bolero” and three pas de deux Sept. 26, 27, 29 and 30. “Program B: Ethereal and Evocative” features “Les Sylphides,” “SOMBRERISIMO” and three pas de deux Sept. 28, 30 and 30.

Its season continues with “Contemporary Masters,” “The Nutcracker” (more details below on that), “The Sleeping Beauty” and three world premieres. Full details at washingtonballet.org.

The D.C. Fall Salsa & Bachata Dance Festival is at the Westin Alexandria (400 Courthouse Square, Alexandria, Va.) on Sept. 27-Oct. 1. There will be more than 50 workshops and dance performances throughout the weekend. Theme parties will be held every night with salsa, bachata,

‘SOMBRERISIMO,’ with choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and music by Banda Ionica and Titi Robin, is a ballet for six men using bowler hats to explore masculine identity set to flamenco guitar and Spanish rap.

PHOTO BY DEAN ALEXANDER; COURTESY WASHINGTON BALLET

zouk and kizomba rooms. Weekend passes are $169 and include access to workshops and parties. VIP weekend passes are $195 and includes a T-shirt and VIP seating for all performances. Passes only for workshops are $115. Daily passes range from $15125. Search “D.C. Fall Salsa & Bachata Dance Festival” on Eventbrite for details.

The AfroCuban D.C. Dance Festival is at the Capitol Quarter Community Center (1000 5th St., S.E.) on Oct. 6 from noon-2 a.m. There will be AfroCuban and folkloric dance and music workshops. Afterwards, there will be an after party. An all access class pass is $100. Individual classes are $20. For a complete list of workshops and instructors, search “AfroCuban DC Dance Festival” on Eventbrite.

Gin Dance Company presents “The Story of Our Lives” at the CenterStage at Reston Community Center (2310 Colts Neck Rd., Reston, Va.) on Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The performance will feature the premiere of “We, The Moon, The Sun,” a work by Artistic Director Shu-Chen Cuff which fuses Chinese Opera movements with modern dance. “200 Feet,” a dance performance inspired by author Jack Canfield, Gin Dance Company’s critically acclaimed piece “L.E.O.” and the storytelling performance “The Other Side” will also be included in the showcase.

Tickets are $30. For more information, visit gindance.org.

Robert Fairchild joins Renée Fleming for “Voices,” a spotlight series, at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Fairchild, known for portraying the lead role in “An American in Paris,” will perform songs and dance from “An American in Paris” and more. Tickets range from $59-69. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.

Flamenco dancer and choreographer Eduardo Guerrero performs at George Mason University Center for the Arts (4400 University Dr., Fairfax, Va.) on Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. Guerreror will perform a mix of classical and contemporary Spanish dance and ballet. Tickets range from $30-50. For more information, visit cfa.calendar.gmu.edu.

Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker presents “Dog Without Feathers” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Oct. 18-20. The performance is inspired

by Brazilian author João Cabral de Melo Neto. Tickets range from $29-79. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

The San Francisco Ballet presents the East Coast premieres of works from “Unbound: A Festival” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) Oct. 23-28.

Program A will be performed Oct. 23-24 and 27-28. It will include works from Trey McIntyre, Christopher Wheeldon and David Dawson. Program B will be performed on Oct. 25-27 and includes works from Edwaard Liang, Cathy Marston and Justin

Peck. Tickets range from $29-129. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.

Dana Tai Soon Burgess debuts “Silhouettes” at the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery (8th St., N.W. and F St., N.W.) on Oct. 27 and Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. The dance performance is inspired by the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibit “Black Out: Silhouettes Then and Now,” an examination of the art form and its impact on American history and culture.

This gay-helmed company is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. For more information, visit dtsbdc.org.

“Demo by Damian Woetzel: Gathering” is at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Woetzel, a former New York City Ballet principal dancer, curates and hosts crossgenre performances. Tickets range from $49-59. For more details, visit kennedycenter.org.

Ragamala Dance Company presents “Written in Water” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) Nov. 2-3. “Written in Water” is inspired by the Indian board game Paramapadam and combines dance, music, text and painting. There will be a free, pre-show interactive game-playing experience. Tickets are $30. For more details, visit kennedycenter.org.

“So You Think You Can Dance Live” comes to the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. Season 15’s top 10 finalists Hannahlei Cabanilla, Jay Jay Dixonbey, Chelsea Hough, Evan Debendedetto, Genessy Castillo, Cole Mills, Darius Hickman, Madalena Fialek, Slavic Pustovoytov and Jensen Arnold will perform along with the season 15 winners and America’s Favorite Dancers. All star guests will be announced. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $57-87. For details, visit warnertheatredc.com.

The Washington Ballet presents “The Nutcracker” at Thearc Theater (1901 Mississippi Ave., S.E.) on Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and Nov. 25 at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. and the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) from Nov. 29-Dec. 28. This version of the classic Christmas tale is set in Georgetown featuring the traditional “Nutcracker” characters and historical figures such as George Washington and King George III. Tickets for Thearc range from $30-55. Tickets for the Warner Theatre range from $32-125. For more information, visit washingtonballet.org.

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Renegade humor, provocative insights, and unbridled cultural critiques flourish in more than 160 photographs, sculptures, and sound and video works created by the iconic artist and filmmaker.

OCTOBER 7, 2018  JANUARY 6, 2019 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ARTBMA.ORG This exhibition is generously supported by Suzanne F. Cohen, Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker, Clair Zamoiski Segal, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Constance R. Caplan, Agnes Gund, Martha and Tad Glenn, Amy and Marc Meadows, The Pearlstone Family Fund, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, and Sherry and Stuart Christhilf.

John Waters. Divine in Ecstasy. 1992. Collection of Amy and Zachary Lehman. © John Waters, Courtesy Marianne Boesky Gallery

CONCERTS 32

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Troye, Elton, Xtina and — Stop! — Miss Ross

The region’s fall pop/rock concerts feature gay artists such as ELTON JOHN (left) and TROYE SIVAN as well as legendary divas such as DIANA ROSS. PHOTOS COURTESY MATT BARON/SUTTERSTOCK, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP AND THE STRATHMORE RESPECTIVELY

Region simmering with fall concerts of all genres and ilks

By ABBY WARGO Pop icon Elton John brings his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour to Capital One Arena (601 F St. N.W.) on Friday, Sept.

21-22 at 8 p.m. The three-year-long tour will be his last. Tickets range in price from $190-1,000 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Nineteen-year-old DJ and music producer prodigy Whethan (“Superlove,” “High”) performs Friday, Sept. 21 at the 9:30 Club (815 V St. N.W.) at 10 p.m. Filipino electronic artist Sweater Beats (“Glory Days,” “Faded Away”) and dance artist Andrew Luce (“Take Me,” “DIAMOND GIRL”) will also perform. Tickets are $25 at ticketfly.com, and parking passes for the 9th St. parking lot are $20.

Diana Ross plays the Strathmore Sept.

25-26. Tickets are $69-239. She’s played the region often in the last several years but this is her first Strathmore engagement since 2010.

Rock band The National (“I Need My Girl,” “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness”) performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Pky., Columbia, Md.) on Friday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. Doors open at 5:30. Singer/ songwriter Cat Power (“Sea of Love,” “Lived in Bars”), whose album “Wanderer”

will be released in October; and folk rocker Phoebe Bridgers (“Motion Sickness,” “Scott Street”) will also perform. Tickets range from $46-76 and can be purchased at ticketfly.com.

Christina Aguilera performs her “Liberation” tour at The Theater at MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. The tour follows the June release of her album, “Liberation.” Tickets range from $112-3,432 and can be found at ticketnetwork.com for purchase.

Troye Sivan’s “Bloom” tour is coming to The Anthem (901 Wharf St. S.W.) on Thursday, Oct. 4 from 7:30 p.m.-midnight.

He headlined at Capital Pride in June.

The tour follows the August release of his album by the same name. Transgender pop princess Kim Petras (“Heart to Break,” “I Don’t Want It At All”) opens. Tickets range from $61-468 and can be purchased at seatgeek.com.

English indie rock songstress Florence+the Machine comes to The Anthem (901 Wharf St. S.W.) on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. The tour follows the June release of her album, “High as Hope.” Synth-pop artist and former frontwoman of Gossip, Beth Ditto (“Fake Sugar,” “We Could Run”) will also perform. Tickets range from $104.50-179.50 at ticketfly.com.

The versatile group Pink Martini (“Amado Mío,” “Let’s Never Stop Falling In Love”) performs at The Anthem (901

Wharf St. S.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m.

The band dabbles in classical, pop, Latin and jazz. They will be joined by frequent collaborator radio journalist Ari Shapiro, co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

The show is open to all ages, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range in price from $35-95 and can be purchased at ticketfly.com.

British electropop group Years & Years, (“If You’re Over Me,” “King”) performs Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U. St. N.W.). Their “Palo Santo” tour follows the July release of their sophomore album of the same name. The performance will also feature sets by pop singer/songwriter CYN (“Only With You,” “Believer”) and pop artist Tunde Olaniran (“I’m Here,” “KYBM”). The show is sold out.

Jake Shears, lead singer of the pop group Scissor Sisters, performs solo at the 9:30 Club (815 V St. N.W.) on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. The performance follows the August release of his eponymous album. He is joined by the multimedia pop group Ssion (“At Least the Sky is Blue,” “Comeback”). Their album “O” was released in May. Tickets are $25 each at ticketfly.com.

Elle King (“Exes and Ohs,” “Shame”) brings her “Shake the Spirit” tour to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St. N.W.) on Friday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

The tour promotes her upcoming album’s release of the same name. Rock band Cordovas (“I’m the One Who Needs You

Tonight,” “All I Found”) opens. Tickets are $30 and go on sale Friday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. Eastern time.

French synth-pop artist Christine and the Queens (“Tilted,” “Girlfriend”) perform at the 9:30 Club (815 V St. S.W.) on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m.-10:30. The concert follows the Sept. 21 release of her new album, “Chris.” Doors open at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $35 each at ticketfly.com, and parking passes for the back parking lot on 9th St. are $20.

City Winery D.C. (1350 Okie St. N.W.) hosts an Evening With Jennifer Knapp (“Undo Me,” “A Little More”) on Tuesday, Nov. 6 from 9-10 p.m. Doors open at 8. Knapp, a folk-rock, formerly gospel musician, has released six albums as well as a memoir. In 2017, Knapp released her latest album, “Love Comes Back Around.”

The event will be held in the Wine Garden.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at citywinery.com.

Multi-platinum singer/songwriter and Broadway actor Josh Groban comes to the Capital One Arena (601 F. St. N.W.) on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. His “Bridges” tour follows the Sept. 21 release of his album of the same name. Broadway icon Idina Menzel, known for her roles as Elphaba in “Wicked” and Elsa in “Frozen,” will join him. Tickets range from $49-1,432 and can be purchased at ticketmaster. com. With every online ticket purchase there is a choice of a free “Bridges” CD or digital download.

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JOIN US

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At Whitman-Walker Health, we’ve been standing together in the fight against HIV for 32 years. The journey is not over. Join us at Freedom Plaza on October 27.

WALK, RUN OR DONATE TODAY AT WALKTOENDHIV.ORG WWH-090 WTEH Blade - NO BLEED.indd 1

7/24/18 10:43 AM

ALBUMS 34

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Cher, Gaga, Idina and (maybe) Madonna

Cher’s ABBA tribute album comes out Sept. 28. A BOBBIE GENTRY box set is out Sept. 21. GODMOTHER is a new queer outfit to watch out for.

PHOTOS COURTESY UNIVERSAL, THE KARPEL GROUP AND NOISY GHOST RESPECTIVELY

Diva-heavy fall features ABBA tribute, ‘A Star is Born’ soundtrack and tons more

By THOM MURPHY This fall’s album release schedule looks promising for fans of all genres. Several major artists are slated to drop cover albums, several re-releases are in the works and there is lots of new material across the board, including the soundtrack to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s new film “A Star Is Born.”

Today (Friday, Sept. 14) “American Idol” winner and country icon Carrie Underwood releases her new album, “Cry Pretty,” which marks 13 years since the release of her debut album “Some Hearts.” David Guetta, the French DJ and mastermind behind songs like “Sexy B*tch” and “Titanium,” is also out with “7,” his aptly titled seventh studio album.

The lead single, “2U” featuring Justin Bieber, has already been a major success, landing at the Billboard no. 16 spot. Willie Nelson’s album of Frank Sinatra covers, “My Way,” will be released today as well.

On Sept. 21, R&B singer Macy Gray

comes out with a new album entitled “Ruby” on the heels of her 2016 jazz album, “Stripped,” a major success on the jazz charts. The 21st also sees the release of “Piano & A Microphone 1983,” a previously unreleased nine-track recording of Prince at the piano. “Bridges,” the new studio album by Josh Groban which features a cover of Celine Dion’s “S’il suffisait d’aimer,” is also scheduled. His 2015 album “Stages” was a set of wide-ranging Broadway covers that put the singer at the Billboard no. 2 spot.

Also on the 21st — and from the other side of the Atlantic — queer pop newcomers Godmother release their self-titled debut. And “Bobbie Gentry: the Girl from Chickasaw County — the Complete Capitol Masters” is slated for release featuring eight discs with seven remastered studio albums and a generous stash of 75 unreleased recordings and never-before-issued live tracks taken from her BBC TV series. It’s looking like a holy grail moment for fans of the mysterious “Ode to Billie Joe” singer who pretty much disappeared from the public eye in 1981.

On Sept. 28, Cher is scheduled to release her much anticipated ABBA cover album, “Dancing Queen.” Her first studio

release in five years, “Dancing Queen” arrives on the heels of her performance in this year’s “Mama Mia! Here We Go Again,” for which she recorded ABBA’s “Fernando” and “Super Trouper.” She gets the Kennedy Center Honor on Dec. 2 (broadcast Dec. 26 on CBS).

Also on Sept. 28, country legend Loretta Lynn will release “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” which features new Lynn-penned originals along with new recordings of two of her classic songs, “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin.’” It was delayed last year after Lynn’s stroke. Rod Stewart is slated to release his new record, “Blood Red Roses.” And Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) releases her ninth solo album “Holler” with 14 new songs on double LP and other formats.

On Oct. 5, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga release the soundtrack to their upcoming film “A Star Is Born.” The album is loaded with original music, in addition to a few classics — Lady Gaga performs a rendition of “La vie en rose” — all recorded live for the film.

Idina Menzel is set to release a new live album, entitled “idina, live,” from her 2017 world tour on the same day. The recording includes songs from the musicals “Wicked,” “Rent” and “Frozen.”

Additionally, Oct. 5 sees new music from

pop duo Twenty One Pilots. “Trench” is the group’s first release since its 2015 Billboard no. 1 album “Blurryface.” And rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah is out with a new album called “The Lost Tapes.” On the same day, former Journey frontman Steve Perry is slated to release his third solo record, “Traces.” Perry has already put out the lead single “No Erasin,’” along with a new music video.

The fourth in a series of David Bowie boxed sets is scheduled for release on Oct. 12.

“Loving The Alien (1983–1988)” will contain 11 CDs and a 15-piece vinyl set, which includes previously unreleased music and new artwork.

It also looks as though Christmas may come early this year. Also on Oct. 12, English rock legend Eric Clapton is releasing his first Christmas album, “Happy Xmas,” which features a number of classics, including a version of “Jingle Bells.” And RuPaul’s third Christmas album — “Ho Ho Ho” came out in 1997 and “Slay Belles,” in 2015 — will make its debut in October as well.

Other anticipated but so far unscheduled releases this year are expected from T.I., Madonna, My Bloody Valentine, Zayn, Carly Rae Jepsen and, as always, Frank Ocean. And be prepared for a surprise or two along the way.

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Baltimore Museum of Art unveils John Waters exhibit Quirky celeb-inspired pieces, peep show footage slated for inclusion

By MARIAH COOPER Artists & Makers Studios (11810 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, Md.) displays three exhibits through Sept. 30. “Experimental: Devotion to Discovery” with Nancy Weisser will showcase Weisser’s experimental works. Artists & Makers Studios 2 (12276 Wilkins Ave., Rockville, Md.) will exhibit “Ponder … er ing or, I am the Asteroid” with Spencer Dormitzer, a solo exhibition of drawings, “Lavender Fields Forever: Plein Air Painting in Provence” with the Compass Atelier, “Destination: Vacation — The Travel Show” with the Montgomery County Camera Club and resident artists’ open studios will also be on display.

Admission is free. For more information, visit artistsandmakersstudios.com.

Gallery 102 (801 22nd St., N.W.) presents “WATER: Trespassing Liquid Highways” through Oct. 12. Artists use painting, collage, sculpture, video, poetry and performance to chronicle the movements within, inside and under the Caribbean and the Mediterranean seas.

There will be a closing reception on Oct. 12 from 6-8 p.m. with curator Ikram Lakhdhar and the artists. Poet Zeina Azzam will recite poetry in both Arabic and English. Light food and refreshments will be served.

Admission is free. For more details, visit corcoran.gwu.edu/gallery-102.

District of Columbia Arts Center (2438 18th St., N.W.) presents “Queering(ing) Pleasure” through Oct. 14. The exhibit expels the white, hetero-centric narrative of the erotic and focuses on the radical queer aspects of pleasure. Exhibiting artists Antonius Bui, Monique Muse Dodd, Tsedaye Makonnen, John Paradiso and Jade Yumang will explore the theme of queer pleasure through performance, photography, embroidery, video and sculpture. On Oct. 14 there will be a closing reception and panel discussion.

Admission is free. For more details, visit dcartscenter.org.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) showcases two exhibits through Sept. 30. “Dreams” will be in Gallery A and C and feature work from Touchstone artists representing their fantasies. The art will include photographs, collages, paintings, hand-pulled prints, sculptures

‘Divine in Ecstasy’ from ‘John Waters: Indecent Exposure.’

and drawings. “Passages and Borders” by Rosa Vera will be in Gallery B. Vera’s work will explore multiculturalism between Latin America and North America. There will be an opening reception on Friday, Sept. 14 from 6-8:30 p.m. with guitar playing by Tom Rohde and appetizers. Free admission. For details, visit touchstonegallery.com.

National Geographic Museum (1145 17th St., N.W.) displays “Titanic: The Untold Story” through Jan.1. Guests can learn about the link between a Cold War mission and the Titanic’s 1985 discovery by oceanographer Robert Ballard. Images and artifacts from the sunken steamship will also be on display including the coat worn by Titanic survivor Marion Wright Woolcott and other memorabilia. General admission tickets are $15. Seniors, student and military tickets are $12. Tickets for children ages 5-12 are $10. For more information, visit nationalgeographic.org.

Zenith Gallery (1429 Iris St., NW.) presents “Express, Impress, Progress” for its 40th anniversary year from Sept.

28-Oct. 27. This exhibit will feature work from Bulsby Duncan, Christopher Malone, Kristine Mays and Khalid Thompson.

IMAGE COURTESY BMA

There will be a Meet the Artists opening reception on Sept. 28 from 5-8 p.m. and Sept. 29 from 2-6 p.m. On Sept. 29, Thompson and Jamal R. Moore will give a live painting and jazz performance and Malone will give a ceramic demonstration.

Admission is free. For more information, visit zenithgallery.com.

Hemphill (1515 14th St., N.W.) displays “When 6 is 9: Visions of a Parallel Universe” Sept 29-Dec. 15. Stout’s artwork imagines a parallel universe using imagery from her African-American heritage. Free admission. For more information, visit hemphillfinearts.com.

Baltimore Museum of Art (10 Art Museum Dr., Baltimore) presents “John Waters: Indecent Exposure,” a retrospective on Waters’ visual arts career, Oct. 7-Jan. 6.

The exhibit features Waters’ photographic installation on the absurdities of famous films, manipulated images of celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor and Justin Bieber and pictures of muses from his films including Divine. Other highlights include three peep shows featuring rarely seen underground movie footage from his 1960s films and objects from his home

and studio that inspired him. Adult tickets are $15, senior tickets are $13 and student tickets are $10. Tickets for attendees under 18 are $5. For more information, visit artbma.org.

Artechouse (1238 Maryland Ave., S.W.) displays “New Nature” by Marpi Oct. 12-Jan. 13. The interactive art exhibit combines computer learning, responsive technology and music to create a virtual world of insects, plants, creatures, landscapes and more. This is digital artist Mateusz “Marpi” Marcinowski’s first largescale, solo exhibit. Daytime tickets are for reserved times between 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Adult tickets are $15, students, seniors and military are $12 and children under 21 are $8. Evening tickets are for times between 5:30-11 p.m. Tickets are $15. Cocktails will be sold separately. Guests must be 21 or over for evening admission. For more details, visit dc.artechouse.com.

The Phillips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) displays “Nordic Impressions” Oct. 12-Jan. 13 with 53 artists from Åland, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden showcased ranging from 1821–2018.

Nordic artwork focus on themes of light and darkness, inner life and exterior space, women’s rights and social liberalism.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and free for visitors 18 and under. For more information, visit phillipscollection.org.

National Portrait Gallery (8th St., N.W. and F St., N.W.) presents “Eye to I: Self-Portraits from 1900 to Today” Nov. 4-Aug. 18, 2019. The concept of the self portrait will be explored in more than 75 works by artists such as Josef Albers, Patricia Cronin, Imogen Cunningham, Elaine de Kooning, Edward Hopper, Joan Jonas and more, “Eye to I” will conclude the National Portrait Gallery’s 50th anniversary celebrations. For more information, visit npg.si.edu.

National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) showcases“Rodarte,” the museum first fashion exhibition, Nov. 10-Feb. 10. The exhibit showcases the first 13 years of American luxury fashion house Rodarte, founded by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. More than 90 looks will be on display presented as they were on the runway. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for students and visitors 64 and under.

Children under 18 are free. For more details, visit nnwa.org.

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2018-2019 THE GRAND FINALE SEASON OF MICHAEL KAHN THE COMEDY OF ERRORS

AN INSPECTOR CALLS

Photos of Gregory Wooddell by Tony Powell.

The Panties, The Partner and The Profit Scenes from the Heroic Life of the Middle Class

Photo by Mark Douet.

Photo by Tony Powell.

BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 25

BEGINNING NOVEMBER 20

BEGINNING DECEMBER 4

By William Shakespeare Directed by Alan Paul

By J.B. Priestley Directed by Stephen Daldry

By David Ives Inspired by the work of Carl Sternheim Directed by Michael Kahn

Supported by the Harman Family Foundation in honor of the unforgettable Sidney Harman’s 100 th birthday.

LATER THIS SEASON:

Sponsored by The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation.

Commissioned through a grant from the Beech Street Foundation.

Beginning February 5 William Shakespeare’s

Beginning February 26 Kate Hamill’s

Beginning April 30 Ellen McLaughlin’s

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The Oresteia is made possible by a generous grant from

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THEATER 38

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‘Macbeth,’ ‘King John’ and Kahn’s swan song Iron Crow tackles ‘Laramie Project,’ Synetic offers ‘Sleepy Hollow’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD The fall theater season is proving to be an exciting mix of classics, area premieres and some promising new works. And, like always, LGBT theater professionals are playing a big part in making it happen.

In memoriam of the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, Baltimore’s award-winning queer company Iron Crow Theatre (45 West Preston St., Baltimore) presents “The Laramie Project” through Sept. 23. With just eight actors playing about 60 characters, the seminal 2000 work weaves together interviews, journal entries and published news reports about the hate crime murder of the gay University of Wyoming student. It’s written by out playwright Moisés Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project and John Knapp directs. Full details at ironcrowtheatre.org.

Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington) continues with its season opener, an exquisite production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Passion” through Sept. 23. Set in 1860s Italy, Passion portrays the unlikely but intense relationship between a dashing young soldier and his commanding officer’s plain and illfated cousin Fosca. Out actor Claybourne Elder and Natascia Diaz give stellar performances. It’s beautifully staged by out director Matthew Gardiner.

Also, at Signature, out director Joe Calarco helms “Heisenberg” Sept. 18Nov. 11. In this hit Broadway play, Simon Stephens (“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”) writes about a chance encounter on a London train that changes two people’s lives. Full details at sigtheatre.org.

Folger Theatre (201 E. Capitol St., S.E.) has kicked off the season with a wildly entertaining production of William Davenant’s Restoration era adaption of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” (through Sept. 23). There’s a lot happening here: fabulous period music performed by the Folger Consort, expanded roles for the witches and Lady Macbeth, and lots of blood and flourish. What’s more, director Robert Richmond has opted to stage a play within a play and set the action in London’s notorious Bedlam asylum. The

uniformly excellent large cast includes Ian Merrill Peakes in the title role and Kate Eastwood Norris as his wife. Also featured is out actor Jaysen Wright as an asylum inmate with PTSD who’s been cast to play Lenox Next up at Folger, Aaron Posner directs Shakespeare’s epic royal power struggle, Shakespeare’s “King John” (Oct. 23Dec. 2). The cast includes Kate Eastwood Norris as Philip the Bastard and out actor Holly Twyford as Constance. Full details at folger.edu/folger-theatre.

Taffety Punk (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St., S.E.) presents Sadie Hasler’s dark comedy “Pramkicker” through Sept.

29. Find out what happens after a woman loses it in a café, kicks a pram and is then arrested and sent to anger management training. Details at taffetypunk.com.

At Mosaic Theater Company (Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St., N.E.) it’s “Marie and Rosetta,” running through Sept. 30. Geroge Brant’s terrific play with music takes a glimpse into the personal/ professional relationship of gospel singer and rock and roll pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe and singer/pianist Marie Knight.

It’s cleverly staged by Sandra L. Holloway with vibrantly memorable performances

by Roz White and Ayana Reed. Full details at mosaictheater.org.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D St., N.W.) starts the season with “Gloria,” running through Sept. 30.

Penned by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist centers on the cutthroat culture of the New York magazine world. The cast includes talented out actor Justin Weaks. Kip Fagan directs. Full details at woollymammoth.net.

Through Oct. 7, “South Pacific” runs at Olney Theater Center (2001 Olney-Sandy Springs Road, Olney, Md.). The Rodgers & Hammerstein’s timely classic about love, war and racism is directed by Alan Maraoka. Full details at olneytheatre.org.

Theater Alliance (Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl., S.E.) opened the season with “The Events,” running though Oct. 7.

Scottish playwright David Greig tells the story of Clare, the lone survivor of a mass shooting. Colin Hovde directs. Full details at theateralliance.com.

GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) is presenting the U.S. premiere of the romantic comedy “Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate),” through Oct. 7. Adapted from the novel

by Laura Esquivel, the play (performed in

CHRIS GENEBACH (left) and JAYSEN WRIGHT in ‘Macbeth’ at Folger Theatre.

PHOTO BY BRITTANY DILIBERTO; COURTESY FOLGER

Spanish with English surtitles), is the story of a young woman trapped by traditions who finds freedom in cooking “so magical it inspires people to laugh, cry and burn with desire.” The cast includes Luz Nicolás and out actor Carlos Castillo. Full details at galatheatre.org.

Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) enters fall with “If I Forget,” through Oct. 14. Written by Bethesda native Steven Levenson, it’s the story of a modern, D.C. Jewish family grappling with aging parents, Israel and real estate. Matt Torney directs. Full details at studiotheatre.org.

Ford’s Theatre (511 10th St., N.W.) presents “Born Yesterday” (Sept. 21-Oct. 21). Directed by Aaron Posner, this terrific satirical comedy about an opportunistic tycoon who arrives in 1940s Washington with his naive girlfriend to game the political system (sound familiar?). Kimberly Gilbert stars as Billie Dawn, the role that Judy Holliday made famous. Full details at fords.org.

The Klunch (D.C. Arts Center, 2438 18th St., N.W.) opens its season with the world premiere of “How to Win a Race War” (Sept. 21-Oct. 30). Written and directed

by The Klunch’s out artistic director Ian Allen, the three-part comedy is “a parody of white supremacist ‘race war’ fiction, which has proliferated in the years since Timothy McVeigh named William Pierce’s “The Turner Diaries” as inspiration for his brutal 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City.” (18 and older only). Full details at theklunch.com.

Shakespeare Theatre Company

(Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St., N.W.) kicks off legendary out artistic director Michael Kahn’s final season with “The Comedy of Errors” (Sept. 25-Oct. 28). Staged by out director Alan Paul, the Bard’s madcap farce revolves around mishaps of two sets of twins, each with the same name. The top-notch cast includes out actors Sarah Marshall and Tom Story.

Later into STC’s season, Michael Kahn directs David Ives’ “The Panties, The Partner and The Profit: Scenes from the Heroic Life of the Middle Class” (Dec. 4-Jan. 6). Moving from Boston in 1950 to Wall Street in 1986 to lavish Malibu today, Ives’ funny new work is an adaption of Carl Sternheim’s epic trilogy, “Scenes from the Heroic Life of the Middle Classes.” Full details at shakespearetheatre.org.

Synetic Theater (1800 South Bell Street, Chrystal City) is set to give its movementbased interpretation of the spooky tale of Ichabod Crane and his encounters with the Headless Horseman in “Sleepy Hollow” (Oct. 3-Nov. 4). Details at synetictheater.org.

At Round House Theatre (4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda) Amber Paige McGinnis makes her directorial debut staging out playwright Paula Vogel’s magnificent “How I learned to Drive” (Oct. 10 – Nov. 4). The award-winning play heartbreakingly chronicles a woman’s attempt to break the silence and cycle surrounding sexual abuse. Ayssa Wilmoth Keegan stars as Li’l Bit. Details at roundhousetheatre.org.

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BOOKS 40

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Trans themes front and center in many fall ’18 books

‘Black Queer Hoe,’ ‘Rise of Genderqueer’ among anticipated titles

By GRACE PERRY EVENTS

The 23rd annual Baltimore Book Festival takes place at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor Sept.

28-30 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The festival will feature hundreds of local and national authors speaking on 11 stages throughout the festival, including several LGBT contributors.

On Saturday (Sept. 29) at 3 p.m. at the Radical Bookfair Pavilion, Charlene A. Carruthers, a black queer feminist activist and author, presents her new book “Unapologetic: A Black, Queer and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements,” exploring how (and why) to make the black liberation movement more radical, queer and feminist.

Later that day at 5 p.m. at Science Fiction and Fantasy, a panel of LGBT authors will discuss the integration of queer folks in science fiction writing and the role queer voices play in the genre. The festival is free and open to the public. For more information, including a full schedule of events and a map, visit baltimorebookfestival.com.

This year’s Fall for the Book festival takes place Oct. 10-13 at George Mason University (10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, Va.). Now in its 20th year, the festival seeks to connect readers with authors and encourage cultural growth through reading.

In addition to nationally renowned politician and civil rights leader John Lewis, there are many noteworthy activists and authors lined up, including several representatives from the LGBT world.

Sandy Allen, a non-binary trans writer, speaker and teacher, will participate in a panel on “Writing Through Identity” with three other essayists whose work all focus on exploration of identity (Oct. 12, 6-7:15 p.m.). Eithne Luibhéid, professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Arizona, will also give a talk on “Sexualities, Intimacies and Queer Migration,” dissecting the intersection between immigration and queerness (Oct. 10, 4:30 p.m.). The event is free and open to the public. For more details and a full schedule of events, visit fallforthebook2018.org.

RELEASES In her powerful debut, “Black Queer Hoe” (Haymarket Books, Sept. 4), Chicago

performance poet and playwright Britteney Black Rose Kapri wrestles with questions about sexual freedom and sexual exploitation in a world where black queer women are frequently denied basic rights to bodily autonomy. Kapri is refreshingly unapologetic and provides crucial insights and perspective into many conversations currently playing out across the country surrounding race, gender, sexuality and power.

In his new poetry collection, “The Rise of Genderqueer” (Brain Mill Press, Sept.

4), Wren Hanks challenges assumptions about gender, dismantling the status quo from every angle. A trans writer from Texas, his poems are raw and authentic and create a space for his extraordinary voice.

Akemi Dawn Bowman’s new novel “Summer Bird Blue” (Simon Pulse, Sept.

11) tells the story of Rumi Seto, a mixed race teen suffering from the tragedy of losing her sister while simultaneously attempting to understand her own identity as asexual. A raw story about loss, grief and identity, “Summer Bird Blue” is a powerful read that sheds light on the strength and perseverance of humanity.

If you love graphic novels, Tillie Walden’s “On a Sunbeam” (First Second, Oct. 2) is a must read. Set in the deepest reaches of space, “On a Sunbeam” is an epic graphic novel that takes the reader on one girl’s journey of falling in love at boarding school then losing everything. A story of love and second chances, Walden beautifully writes and illustrates what one critic has called “her best work yet” in this fall’s release.

If you have a young person in your life, “Jack (Not Jackie)” (little bee books, Oct. 9) is a wonderful gift idea. In this moving picture book, Erica Silverman tells the story of a big sister who realizes her little sister Jackie may not in fact be her sister at all. Jackie doesn’t like to wear dresses or have long hair and wants to be called Jack instead.

Author of acclaimed fiction “Simon

vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” Becky Albertalli alongside Adam Silvera release their new young-adult romance “What If It’s Us” this October (HarperTeen, Oct. 9).

Ben has just broken up with his boyfriend when Arthur moves to New York City for the summer to work on Broadway. Although Ben is heartbroken and not interested in starting a new relationship, when he meets Arthur at the post office, he’s forced to reconsider. “What If It’s Us” is a story of fate and trying to figure out what exactly the universe has in store for us.

Lambda Award Winner Julia Watts releases her latest young-adult novel, “QUIVER” (Three Rooms Press, Oct. 16), this fall. Set in rural Tennessee, it tells of a friendship between two teenagers on opposite sides of today’s culture wars.

Libby comes from a strict evangelical family while her new neighbor Zo is a gender fluid feminist, socialist (and of course vegetarian), and yet despite their differences, they are drawn to each other and connect instantly.

Creator of Amazon’s “Transparent” Jill Soloway is finally releasing her powerful memoir “She Wants It: Desire, Power and Toppling the Patriarchy” (Crown Archetype, Oct. 16), which reveals her personal journey from a straight, married mother of two to a queer and nonbinary activist. Her memoir deconstructs the harmful dominant narratives still shaping our society, challenging the status quo and encouraging the reader to think critically about issues from consent and #metoo to gender and inclusion.

If you love poetry, Mary Lambert’s new collection “Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across” (Feiwel & Friends, Oct. 23) should definitely be added to your fall reading list. A writer and LGBT activist, Lambert is also a songwriter and collaborated with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to create the Grammy-nominated queer anthem “Same

Love.” The poems in her new collection tackle issues of sexual assault, mental illness and body acceptance.

In “The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist” (Mit Press, Oct. 23) Ben Barres, esteemed neurobiologist at Stanford University, tells the story of his life from his gender transition to his scientific work and finally his advocacy for gender equity in the sciences. This book, completed shortly before his death in 2017, explores his experience as a female student at MIT in the 1970s and his transition from female to male in his 40s alongside fascinating accounts of his scientific accomplishments.

If you enjoyed “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” Kheryn Callender’s new book “This is kind of an epic love story” (HarperCollins, Oct. 30) may be up your alley. After losing his father and watching too many relationships in his life fall apart, Nathan Bird no longer believes in happy endings. However all that changes when he realizes his true feelings for his best friend from childhood, Oliver. Can Nathan set aside his anxieties and pursue his own happy ending?

Set in Washington, Robin Talley’s “Pulp” (Harlequin Teen, Nov. 13) tells of two queer women across generations, one from the 1950s and another from present day. The first narrative follows 18-yearold Janet as she struggles to keep her queer identity a secret and finds solace in literature during the age of McCarthyism.

The second follows Abby Zimet who can’t stop thinking about her senior project on 1950s lesbian pulp fiction and her evergrowing connection with the authors and works she’s reading. Talley’s dual narrative novel weaves the stories of two girls across six decades, connected by words, bravery and their desire to push society forward.

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FILM 42

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

‘Lizzie,’ ‘A Star is Born,’ ‘Boy Erased’ among coming attractions Fall film slate includes festivals, competitions, remakes and plenty of queer content

By BRIAN T. CARNEY Some of D.C.’s coolest film festivals are already underway. The Smithsonian Theaters are hosting the “Totally 80’s Film Festival” at the Warner Bros. Theater. The DC Shorts Film Festival will be showing the “Best Of” showcases this weekend. The AFI Latin American Film Festival, running through Oct. 3, features lots of great LGBT content, including “Retablo”; “The Heiresses”; “Señorita María, La Falda de la Montaña,” a documentary about a trans woman living in a rural town in Colombia; and “Good Manners,” a Brazilian werewolf romance.

On Sept. 15, the amazing 48 Hour Film Project will hold a networking event for the 2018 Filmmaking Weekend which will be held from Oct. 12-14. Filmmakers from the region will compete to see who can make the best short film in only 48 hours. Required elements are revealed on Friday evening and teams submit their film on Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, HBO is airing “Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age,” a controversial new documentary about searching for love on your smartphone.

“Jane Fonda in Five Acts,” a documentary about the legendary actress, activist and LGBT ally airs on Sept. 24.

The Hollywood fall movie season kicks off today (Sept. 14) with the release of “A Simple Favor” a comedy/thriller set among the PTA crowd. The movie stars Anna Kendrick (“Into the Woods” and the “Pitch Perfect” movies), Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and Blake Lively (“Gossip Girl”) and features out actor Andrew Rannells (“Girls” and Broadway’s “The Book of Mormon”) as a PTA dad.

Also opening today is “Pick of the Litter,” the family-friendly documentary about puppies training to be guide dogs for the blind.

D.C.’s LGBT film fans will face some difficult choices on Sept. 21. Some of the films opening are: “Bel Canto,” a thriller starring Julianne Moore as a world-renowned opera singer who becomes trapped in a hostage situation; “Lizzie,” a retelling of the Lizzie Borden story with a lesbian twist starring Kristin Stewart and Chloë Sevigny; “Love, Gilda,” a documentary about the late comedian

NICOLE KIDMAN in ‘Boy Erased.’

PHOTO COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES

Gilda Radner; “Life Itself,” a drama about a young New York couple written and directed by Dan Fogelman (TV’s “This Is Us”) and starring Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Mandy Patinkin, Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas; “Fahrenheit 11/9,” Michael Moore’s provocative documentary about the Trump administration; and “The Children Act,” with Emma Thompson as hard-driven Justice Fiona Maye, Stanley Tucci as her longsuffering husband, and Fionn Whitehead as a young man whose life hangs in the balance.

Another major film event scheduled for Sept. 21 is the one-night regional premiere of “Paternal Rites,” a deeply moving “film essay” by acclaimed Baltimore filmmaker Jules Rosskam. Filtered through Rosskam’s trans and queer subjectivities and inspired by filmmakers like Marlon Riggs and Jenni Olson and podcasts such as “Radio Lab” and “This American Life,” this highly personal documentary examines the secret underbelly of a contemporary Jewish-American family as they grapple with the aftereffects of physical and sexual abuse on their present-day lives.

“Nureyev: All the World His Stage,” a documentary about the gay man who has been called the best male ballet dancer of all time (he died in ’93), opens Sept.

25 and is said to feature avant garde and “very sexually provocative” previously unseen footage.

Issues of creativity, gender, sexuality and professional jealousy are at the center of “Colette” (Sept. 28), starring Keira Knightley as the famous French author. Also opening that weekend are the documentary “Science Fair” and “The Old Man & the Gun,” an allstar heist movie with Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek, Casey Affleck, Danny Glover, Tom Watts and Tika Sumpter.

October brings the best of spooky cinema to area screens. Special

KRISTEN STEWART and CHLOE SEVIGNY in ‘Lizzie.’

programming at the creatively restored SNF Parkway in Baltimore (home of the Maryland Film Festival) includes “The Eyeslicer Halloween Special,” along with screenings of “The Candyman,” “The Shining,” “Beetlejuice” and “The Hills Have Eyes.” A home for independent and classic cinema, the fall calendar at the SNF Parkway also includes screenings of the homoerotic Hollywood classic “Spartacus” on September 20 and 22 as part of the “Kubrick 90: A Would-Be Birthday Retrospective.”

The Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market will celebrate “Hitchcocktober” by screening several classic Hitchcock movies including “Psycho,” “The 39 Steps” and the homoerotic thriller “Strangers on the Train.”

Spooky programming at AFI will include the “Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival” (Oct. 4-7) and “Halloween on Screen” starting Oct. 26. The Landmark E Street Cinema marks the holiday with special screening of “CinEinsomnia: A Very RHPS Halloween” Oct. 26-28.

Finally, the “Halloween” franchise returns for a final installment. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode for one last battle with Michael Myers on Oct. 19.

October (and November) also mark the return of several excellent regional film festivals. The Washington Jewish Film Festival begins its fall programming on Oct. 3; the Middleburg Film Festival starts on Oct. 18; and, Reel Affirmations, D.C.’s LGBT film festival returns on Nov. 1.

Monthly screenings for Reel Affirmations include “ManMade,” (Sept. 28), “The Breeding” (Oct. 19) and the early AIDS drama “Buddies” on Dec. 6.

The most highly anticipated release of the fall season is undoubtedly the fourth version of the Hollywood classic “A Star Is Born.” Bradley Cooper plays Jackson

PHOTO BY ELIZA MORSE; COURTESY ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

Maine, a country singer who mentors a young singer named Ally (Lady Gaga). As her career skyrockets, his career fizzles in a downward spiral fueled by alcohol and age.

LGBT audiences will also be drawn to two other movies opening that day: “Tea with the Dames,” a documentary featuring interviews with Dames Eileen Atkins, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright; and “The Happy Prince,” an Oscar Wilde biopic written and directed by openly gay actor Rupert Everett who also stars with Colin Firth and Emily Watson.

Some of the other LGBT releases on the schedule for D.C. theaters include “1985” (Oct. 26) about a closeted young man (Cory Michael Smith) who visits his family to discus his sexuality and his health; “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Nov. 2) about openly gay singer Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) and his Queen bandmates; and “Boy Erased” (Nov. 2), a drama about conversion therapy starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe and featuring Joel Edgerton (who also wrote and directed), Cherry Jones, singer Troye Sivan and filmmaker Xavier Dolan; and, “Suspiria,” a film about the mysterious happenings at a Berlin dance company directed by Luca Guadagnino (“A Bigger Splash,” “Call Me

By Your Name”), starring Dakota Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and Tilda Swinton.

Some of the other releases to be on the lookout for include “Beautiful Boy” starring Timothée Chalamet (Oct. 12); family drama “What They Had” starring Hilary Swank, Michael Shannon and Blythe Danner (Oct. 26); “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” starring Melissa McCarthy in a well-received dramatic role (Oct. 26); “Widows,” a crime drama starring Viola Davis; and Eddie Redmayne in the Harry Potter-adjacent “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”

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T H E C I T Y C H O I R O F WA S H I N GTO N

2018-2019 SEASON Join us for our first two concerts of the season!

A FAR EWELL TO AR MS:

A WOR LD WAR I CENTENNIAL CONCERT Sunday, November 11, 2018 | 4:30 PM National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C. The City Choir of Washington opens its twelfth season on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Join us as we commemorate this occasion with music by composers who were deeply affected by the Great War. Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem became an unofficial anthem during the war, and Parry himself would succumb to the Spanish flu in 1918. We will also present two pieces by Gerald Finzi—A Farewell to Arms and In terra pax—who lost three siblings in the war. The highlight of the concert is Vaughan Williams’ stirring cantata, Dona nobis pacem, written in the turbulent time between the first and second World Wars. Despite being quite old for military service, Vaughan Williams himself fought during World War I.

A T WELFTH NIGHT CONCERT Sunday, January 6, 2019 | 4:30 PM National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C. Bring the joy of the season into the new year by celebrating Twelfth Night with The City Choir of Washington! Also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night has a long history of varied traditions from around the world. In addition, we will continue our long-standing tradition of showcasing another exceptional, local high school choir as our Partner in Song. Join us as we explore the rich musical offerings of the extended season!

TICKETS: $15-$59. GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE. ORDER YOUR TICKETS TODAY AT CITYCHOIR.ORG

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TV 44

Billy Porter joins AHS, ‘Will & Grace’ returns and Roseanne dies

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SEPTEMBER

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

‘Insatiable,’ ‘Insecure’ and a ton of reboots

By BRIAN T. CARNEY Now that new shows and new seasons premiere throughout the year, the fall television season has lost some of its luster.

Nevertheless, there are some great offerings on their way, including LGBT fan favorites and series with interesting queer content.

Here is a sample of the shows on their way this fall, based on the latest information available. Schedules are subject to change, so check your local listings.

Four queer series have already hit the small screen. “Insatiable” (Netflix) premiered Aug. 10. Focusing on a teenaged girl who wants to get revenge on her bullies, the show includes several LGB characters. The third season of “Insecure” (HBO) dropped Aug. 12 and the show has already been picked up for a fourth season. Based on conversations with fans and writers after a male character revealed that he once had sex with a man, showrunner Issa Rae says she is ready to tackle LGBT issues in the show.

“The Deuce,” starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, returned to HBO Sept. 9. The action has jumped forward five years to 1977 and gay bartender Paul is becoming part of the burgeoning gay bar scene.

The eighth season of “American Horror Story” began on FX Sept. 12. Subtitled “Apocalypse,” the show is a crossover between “Murder House” (season one) and “Coven” (season there). The new season will combine characters, themes and plot elements from both seasons. All of the major cast members will return, with some of the actors playing multiple characters.

Joining the cast will be Joan Collins (the original “Dynasty”) and Billy Porter (“Pose”).

“9-1-1” returns to FOX Sept. 23 for its second season. Angela Bassett plays LAPD police sergeant Athena Grant, whose husband Michael has come out as gay.

Aisha Hinds plays out firefighter “Hen” Wilson and Tracie Thoms plays her wife Karen Wilson.

Anchored by openly gay Jim Parsons as super-nerd Sheldon Cooper, “The Big Bang Theory” will begin its final season on CBS Sept. 25.

The popular tear-jerker “This Is Us,” which has been hailed for its sensitive handling of race and sexuality, returns to NBC Sept. 25.

During the first two seasons, Randall Pearson

ALYSSA EDWARDS in ‘Dancing Queen.’

PHOTO BY JAKE GILES NETTER; COURTESY NETFLIX

(played by Emmy-winning actor Sterling K. Brown), is reunited with his bisexual biological father William “Shakespeare” Hill (Ron Cephas Jones). William introduces the family to his ex-boyfriend Jessie (Denis O’Hare) before his death from cancer. In flashbacks, William (played by Jermel Nakia) abandons his infant son at a firehouse following the death of his girlfriend. It’s not clear how the chronologically flexible show will handle the bisexual storyline in season three or if creator Dan Fogelman will add additional LGBT plotlines.

Starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet as a gay couple, ABC’s “Modern Family” returns for its 10th and final season Sept. 25. The producers have announced that there will be a spin-off, but casting for the new show has not been announced.

Under the watchful and wildly inventive eye of openly gay creator Lee Daniels, the cross-over series “Empire” and “Star” return to Fox Sept. 26. Both shows feature prominent African-American LGBT characters. Trans actress Amiyah Scott plays Cotton, the trans daughter of salon owner Carlotta Brown (Queen Latifah).

Twenty years after the original series went off the air, the revival of “Murphy Brown” returns to CBS Sept. 27. Candice Bergen returns as the infamous title character, rejoined by Faith Ford (Corky Sherwood), Joe Regalbuto (Frank Fontana) and Grant Shoud (Miles Silverberg). Jake McDorman joins the cast as Murphy’s son Avery, a journalist who shares his mother’s quick wit and competitive spirit, and Nik Dodani plays the social media director for “Murphy in the Morning.” The gang still hangs out at legendary watering hole Phil’s, now under the management of Phil’s sister Phyllis (Tyne Daly).

The award-winning “How to Get Away with Murder” returns to ABC Sept. 27 for a fifth season. Viola Davis stars as pansexual law

JAKE McDORMAN as Murphy’s son on the ‘Murphy Brown’ reboot.

PHOTO BY FRANCIS SPECKER; COURTESY CBS

school professor Annalise Keating and the show includes several other LGBT characters.

Openly gay actor Leslie Jordan is part of the cast of the new show “The Cool Kids” which premieres on Fox Sept. 28. Set in a retirement home, the show also stars camp icon Vicki Lawrence (“Mama’s Family” and “The Carol Burnett Show”), David Alan Grier (“In Living Color”) and Martin Mull (“Roseanne”).

The popular revival of “Will & Grace” returns to NBC Oct. 4 for its second season (10th total); the show has already been renewed for an 11th season. Out actor Matt Bomer joins the cast as a new love interest for Will (Eric McCormack) and David Schwimmer (“Friends”) joins the cast as a love interest for Grace (Debra Messing). Minnie Driver returns as Lorraine Finster, the scheming stepdaughter of Karen (Megan Mullally) and Brian Jordan Alvarez returns as Estafan, the flight attendant boyfriend of Jack (Sean Hayes).

In addition, Chelsea Handler joins the cast as Donna Zimmer, a high-powered client of Grace’s who falls for Grace’s bitter sister Janet Adler (Mary McCormack).

Blythe Danner, Robert Klein and Alec Baldwin return as guest stars and there will be cameo appearances from Jon Cryer and Olympic medal-nabbing gay figure skater Adam Rippon.

Directly following the season premiere of “Will & Grace,” “Superstore” will return to NBC for its fourth season. The ensemble cast of workers at the fictional big-box store “Cloud 9” includes openly gay Filipino actor Nico Santos (“Crazy Rich Asians”) as an openly gay Filipino store employee.

The multi-talented, multi-layered and very modest Justin Johnson, aka drag superstar Alyssa Edwards (a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” vet), stars in “Dancing Queen” which drops Oct. 5. Set in Johnson’s hometown of Mesquite, Texas, the Netflix

The cast of ‘The Conners’ sans Roseanne.

PHOTO COURTESY ABC

docu-series follows the performer as he balances his dance life, his drag life, his family life and his love life and prepares his young students at the Beyond Belief Dance Company for competition.

During the first weeks of October, the very queer friendly CW network will drop several new and returning shows, including the final season of “Crazy ExGirlfriend,” a reboot of the cult favorite “Charmed,” the second season of the rebooted “Dynasty,” “Riverdale,” “Black Lightning” and three of the series set in the DC Arrowverse: “Supergirl,” “Arrow” and “The Flash.”

In the wake of actress Roseanne Barr’s Twitter meltdown and the cancellation of the revival of “Roseanne,” ABC has killed off her character. The rest of the family will be reunited in “The Conners” which premieres Oct. 16. Beyond Darlene’s gender non-conforming son Mark (Ames McNamara), it is unclear which of the original series’ LGBT characters will return.

In the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct, Netflix fired Kevin Spacey from “House of Cards,” where he played bisexual former President Frank Underwood. The sixth and final season will premiere without Spacey on Nov. 2. A recently released trailer shows President Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) standing over her husband’s grave.

GLAAD has hailed several daytime dramas for their LGBT storylines. Some on the ongoing soaps include “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “The Young and the Restless,” “Days of Our Lives” and “General Hospital.”

Finally, several series that with queer characters or with a strong LGBT fanbase are expected to return this fall, even though premiere days have not been announced.

These include “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Dear White People” and “Transparent.”

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EVENTS 50

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SEPTEMBER

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Trixie, AC2, Joey G. on fall D.C./Baltimore event slate Some events — galas, benefits, stand-up acts, etc. — don’t fit in our other fall arts categories. We gathered up all the miscellany here!

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO jdiguglielmo@washblade.com Get your calendar out! If no URL is given, search for the event on Facebook for details.

Whitman-Walker has its 40th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, Sept 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis (901 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $400 at wwhgala.org.

“Rayceen, Fix Me Up!” single women’s mixer is Thursday, Sept. 20 at Shaw Library (meeting room on lower level) at 6 p.m. Other events slated for fall include Rayceen’s Reading Room (Sept. 24), “Art All Night with Rayceen” (Sept. 29), “The Ask Rayceen Show: Meet the Candidates” (Oct. 3), “Rayceen, Fix Me Up! poly mixer” (Oct. 25), “Sexy Seventh Season Finale” (Nov. 7), “Rayceen, Fix Me Up! pre-holiday mixer” (Nov. 15). Details at tockify.com/ tr.media/agenda.

The D.C. Weirdo Show presents “Weirdos for Life! a Benefit for Trans Lifeline” on Friday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. at the Bier Baron Tavern (1523 22nd St., N.W.). To honor National Suicide Prevention Month, this month’s Weirdo show is dedicated to the personal stories of performers who live with and manage mental illness featuring RIN (bellydancer), Coryn Rose (spoken word), Phoenix King (drag) Dr. Torcher (fire performer), Leigh Crenshaw (stand-up comedy) and more. Trans Lifeline is a peersupport hotline for trans people. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

Details at dcweirdoshow.com.

D.C. Fellaz Entertainment presents Fall Fling Day Party for the Grown & Sexy on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. at Nipsey’s Restaurant & Grill (5753 Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro, Md.). Tickets are $5 before 6 p.m. or $10 after.

Richmond: This is Me! Pride Party is Saturday, Sept. 22 at Browns Island in Richmond, Va. Details at vapride.org.

Celebrate Heroes of Child Justice is Sunday, Sept. 23 at 2:30 p.m. at Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center (3800 Reservoir Rd., N.W.) for Child Justice, Inc., a local non-

TRIXIE MATTEL plays Baltimore Oct. 15.

profit dedicated to child welfare. Out singer Johnny Mathis will perform. Tickets are $200 at eventbrite.com.

Issue Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill closes out the OUT on the Hill event and Leadership Summit of the National Black Justice Coalition on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Details at nbjc.org.

Baltimore Comic-Con 2018 is Sept.

28-30 at the Baltimore Convention Center (1 W. Pratt St., Baltimore). Details at baltimorecomiccon.com.

The Atlantic States Leather Contest is Sept. 28-29 at Grand Central Nightclub (1001 N. Charles St., Baltimore). Tickets range from free-$59 at eventbrite.com.

“Voices Up: Stories Across LGBT Generations,” a live storytelling event, is

PHOTO COURTESY OF PROJECT PUBLICITY

Saturday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts (3500 R St., N.W.). It’s free.

The fifth annual Northern Virginia Pride Festival is Saturday, Sept. 29 from 11 a.m.8 p.m. at Bull Run Special Events Center in Centreville, Va. Details at novapride.org.

“AC2: an Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” is Saturday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. at the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.). Tickets are $75-125 at ticketmaster.com.

Rainbow Families has its fall Maybe Baby fall classes starting on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. at Whitman-Walker Health (1525 14th St., N.W.). The five-class series runs through Nov. 11. Details at rainbowfamilies.org.

Dan Savage’s Very Best of HUMP! mini-tour comes to the Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) Oct. 4-5 featuring favorites from previous HUMP! festivals, which feature adults films that celebrate all body types and sexualities. Details at humpfilmfest.com/best-of-hump.

IMLB 2018: International Mr. Leather Bear is Oct. 5-7 at the Lord Baltimore Hotel (20 W. Baltimore St.). Full details at baltimore.org.

Rainbow Families Family Camp is Oct. 5-7 at Camp Tockwogh in Worton, Md. Details at rainbowfamilies.org.

Baltimore Black Pride 2018 is Oct. 5-7.

Out actor/singer/YouTuber Joey Graceffa brings his “Eden Tour” to Rams Head Live Baltimore (20 Market Pl.) on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $38.50 at axs.com.

Capital Pride’s Music in the Night is Monday, Oct. 8 at the Hamilton (600 14th St., N.W.). Tickets range from $19.75-39.75.

Details at capitalpride.org/events.

The seventh annual Chefs for Equality event (an HRC benefit) is Tuesday, Oct. 9 at Washington National Cathedral at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $200. Details at chefsforequality.org.

The Wanda Alston House has its 10th anniversary celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at AJAX DC (1011 4th St., N.W.). Tickets are $200. Details at wandaalstonfoundation.org.

LGBTQ Domestic Violence Town Hall is Thursday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. to be moderated by Rayceen Pendarvis at the Reeves Center (2000 14th St., N.W.).

The Highwaymen Hot Jock Night is Thursday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) at 9 p.m.

SMYAL has a National Coming Out Day Dance for ages 13-24 on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. at Eastern Market North Hall (225 7th St., S.E.). Details at smyal.org.

VIDA Fitness has its Thrive 5k 2018 on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8 a.m. at Hains Point.

Details at vidathrive5k.com.

Team D.C.’s Fall Casino Night is Saturday, Oct. 13 at Buffalo Billiards (1330 19th St., N.W.). Details at teamdc.org.

The SMYAL Fall Brunch is Sunday, Oct. 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the Marriott Marquis (901 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $250 at one.bidpal.net/smyal.

Trixie Mattel, winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars,” brings her “Now With Moving Parts Tour” to Rams Head Live (20 Market Pl., Baltimore) on Monday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $38.50 at axs.com.

Out actress/comedian Lily Tomlin plays

EVENTS WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Wednesday, Oct. 17. Tickets are $39-129.

She got the Honors there in 2014. Details at kennedy-center.org.

The Washington Blade has its 17th annual Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll awards presented by Absolut on Thursday, Oct. 18 at Pitchers D.C. (2317 18th St., N.W.).

Drag Queen Bingo for the BARCS Animal Shelter is Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at the Points South Latin Kitchen in Baltimore (1640 Thames St.).

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has “Ropeburn 2: Guardians of Equality” on Thursday, Oct. 18 at at SAX (734 11th St., N.W.). “Drag Race” season eight vet Dax ExclamationPoint will hostess and perform.

A cosplay show and contest will be held.

Tickets are $80. Details at gmcw.org.

CTRL presents “Blackout: a Britney Album Celebration” on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 10 p.m. at U Street Music Hall (1115 U St., N.W.). Tickets are $10 at ticketfly.com.

The Dupont Circle Citizens Association has its 51st annual house tour on Sunday, Oct. 21 from noon-5 p.m. Details at dupontcirclehousetour.org.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World” tour comes to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Tuesday, Oct. 23 with Aquaria, Asia O’Hara, Eureka, Kameron Michaels, Bob the Drag Queen, Kim Chi and Violet Chachki. Michelle Visage hosts. Tickets are $49-160 at ticketfly.com.

The Walk & 5K to End HIV 2018 is Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7 a.m. (check-in) kicking off and ending at Fredom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave. and 13th streets, N.W.).

The 5k begins at 9:15. The walk begins at 9:20. Post-race activities start at 10. Details at walktoendhiv.org.

“Miss Adams Morgan 31: SHEroes & Villains a Marvelous D.C. Affair” is Saturday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W.).

“The Bentzen Ball Comedy Fest: Getting Curious Live with Jonathan Van Ness” (“Queer Eye”), a podcast taping, is Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) at 6 p.m. Tickets are $32 at ticketfly.com.

The BYT Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival with Tig Notaro and Friends is Sunday, Oct. 28 at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.).

Tickets are $25 at ticketfly.com.

The 32nd annual High Heel Race is Tuesday, Oct. 30 on 17th Street, N.W. The D.C. Center has its 13th annual Fall Reception on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. at GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.). The event will celebrate 25 years of Reel Affirmations, a local LGBT film festival. Tickets are $75 ($50 for seniors and students). Details at thedccenter.org/events.

HIPS has its 25th anniversary reception on Friday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Whittemore House (1526 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $75.

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ANDY COHEN and ANDERSON COOPER play D.C. Sept. 29.

JOEY GRACEFFA plays Baltimore Oct. 6.

Details at hips25th.com.

Out comedian Wanda Sykes plays the Strathmore on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $35-115. Details at strathmore.org.

Casa Ruby presents Solutions Conference 2018 on Friday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 7530 Georgia Ave., N.W. The Honorees Dinner will be held at 8 p.m.

Details at casaruby.org.

D.C. Metro Circle of Friends has “A Masquerade Ball,” a benefit for the Wanda Alston Foundation, on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. at Martin’s Crosswinds Ballroom (7400 Greenway Center Dr., Greenbelt,

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOHLSEN GROUP

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAMS HEAD LIVE RESPECTIVELY

Md.). Tickets are $75. Call 915-224-5844 for information.

Out comedian Emma Willmann plays the Drafthouse Comedy Theater (1100 13th St., N.W.) on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 at drafthousecomedy.com.

The annual Wreath Laying for LGBT Veterans is Sunday, Nov. 11 at noon at Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.), sponsored by Flowers on 14th and Mr. Henrys. The ceremony is held at the grave of Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich in the LGBT section of the cemetery.

“Bad & Beaujolias: a Beaujolias Nouveau Day Celebration,” the D.C. Center’s Women’s Party is Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at the HRC Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). Details at thedccenter.org.

Annapolis Pride presents a drag brunch at Rams Head on Stage (33 West St., Annapolis, Md.) on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 11:30 a.m.

Details at ramsheadonstage.com.

The 18th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance is Tuesday, Nov. 20 at Metropolitan Community Church of Washington (474 Ridge St., N.W.). at 5:30 p.m.

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

For nearly two years, the Trump-Pence administration has worked nearly every day to undermine the rights of LGBTQ people, women, people of color and immigrants. You’ve stood with HRC and partners to resist their dangerous agenda.

Now, we must turn that resistance into action. The Human Rights Campaign has launched the largest grassroots expansion in its history to elect pro-equality champions up and down the ballot and pull the emergency brake on Trump and Pence. But we can’t do it without you!

VOTES CONQUER HATE.

Text EQUALITY VOTER to 30644 or visit HRC.org/Vote and make a plan to vote

#turnOUT HRC.ORG/VOTE

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SEASON

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Coming up at

Music Above All

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DIANA ROSS Tue & Wed, Sept 25 & 26

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EVE ENSLER & ANNE LAMOTT

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Sun, Oct 21 The Vagina Monologues playwright joins the bestselling author for an enlightened conversation.

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WANDA SYKES Sat, Nov 3

POSTMODERN JUKEBOX

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FRI, SEPT 14

FRI, OCT 12

Karla Bonoff

LUTHER RE-LIVES

{“Someone to Lay Down Beside Me”}

{Tribute to the Velvet Voice}

FRI, SEPT 21

SAT, OCT 13

ALL THESE POSES ANNIVERSARY TOUR

AMP & COMEDY ZONE PRESENT

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Sat, Dec 8

{The Late Late Show, Conan}

BACK IN BLACK & WHITE TOUR Mon, Nov 5

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Bengt Washburn Robert Baril

{Sitcom satire in song}

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DAVID SEDARIS

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Shears reassesses life, music on cusp of the big 4-0 ■ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

long were you there before that really hit and the songwriting started?

SHEARS: About a week, maybe two weeks. It was pretty early on. I think it was more about the decisions I’d made in my life. I was making some big decisions just for myself that I needed to make. I really needed to change my life and once I made the decision to do that, moving to New Orleans was kind of symbolic and was part of that. And, you know, when that happens, when I’m happy and on the right path, I start writing songs. It didn’t take very long.

BLADE: Was it hard to keep it fresh doing take after take in the studio?

SHEARS: No, no, no, no. When you’re recording like that, everybody was so rehearsed. It was really exciting. It never got boring, that’s for sure.

BLADE: When you were writing and/ or recording “Creep City,” did you have a hunch it would be the first single or did that come later?

SHEARS: You know, it was really a toss up. I don’t think there was a really obvious first single on this record. I think it could have been a whole bunch of songs. I chose that song because I felt it was really good overall and I felt it really represented the whole album just sonically and I just felt like it was a great liftoff for the record. …

I could also visualize a video for it. It’s one of my favorites on the record. It just sort of represented the whole thing in a way.

BLADE: Would you say this is your breakup album? That’s such a thing, were you conscious of wanting to avoid any clichés?

SHEARS: I don’t know if I can answer that. I don’t think it feels like a breakup album. I mean, this isn’t Beck’s “Sea Change.” It’s a pretty fun record. I don’t think it’s really about a breakup, I think it’s more about reassessing myself and sort of rediscovering who I am in this moment in time and I think it has less to do with a breakup necessarily, although that’s in there. Would you say that?

BLADE: Well, listening to it, I felt it was very bombastic and joyous so I was surprised when I read the lyrics and saw how dark some of it is.

SHEARS: Yeah, I love that and that’s one of my favorite things to do. I have like a real big dark streak in me and I love making happy, really fun music that has heavier themes to it.

I just love that juxtaposition. That’s absolutely there, but it was really important to me to make, you know, a fun record with different colors to it. I love making my ballads too.

That’s definitely part of what I do.

BLADE: Why did you feel now was the time for a memoir?

JAKE SHEARS says an announcement is coming soon about his Halloween D.C. show.

PHOTO BY GREG GORMAN

SHEARS: I wrote the book at the same time I was making the album and I thought it was really good as I was sort of reassessing where I am and who I am now, I had to go back and reassess where I’ve been and what I’ve done and I think they both kind of informed each other and it was sort of a good way to put certain things to bed in a way and make peace with certain things. It’s kind of a cliché to say it was good therapy but in a way it was good to reevaluate parts of my life while I was making this new thing and it was awesome to get to do both of them together.

BLADE: Would you like to do more Broadway or was “Kinky Boots” a one-off?

SHEARS: No, I do, I do. I love it so much. I mean, theater is a world I love being in. I love writing theater and making musicals. Now I love being in them. I definitely am going to continue. Now that’s part of my DNA and I absolutely would love to be in another show and I’m going to be writing more shows.

BLADE: How vocally taxing was it compared to your regular stuff?

SHEARS: I gotta say, it was really hard.

Those Cyndi Lauper songs are no joke.

They’re really tough and I worked and worked really hard at it. You know, your voice gets stronger and everything but doing eight shows a week like that, it’s also cumulatively exhausting and so by the end

— I did about a hundred performances — I was really having to crank up the engine to get that final high note and the big punch at the end of the song. So it was super challenging, yeah.

BLADE: When you’ve been off the grid for a while, do you have to get back in shape or do you always stay pretty trim?

SHEARS: Goodness (laughs). I’ve got my moments. I’m a Libra so I have a lot of balance in my life. I work really, really hard and I play really, really hard. I really try to keep a balanced existence. I’m constantly just trying to take care of myself in the midst of the chaos of what I do.

BLADE: But you never just put on 20 pounds when you’re off the road for a year or something like that?

SHEARS: Oh, I’ve had moments of not being as in shape as I wanna be but I’m doing the best to take care of myself when I’m eating well or whether that’s just getting enough sleep and not drinking too much. I just do my best to try to feel as good as I can because otherwise life just isn’t much fun.

BLADE: Where did that cool vintage car in the “Big Bushy Mustache” video come from?

SHEARS: It’s my neighbor’s, LeRoy. I’m looking out right now at his back yard.

He’s in the video too. The videos you see

from this album are basically community productions. I made those videos out of my pocket on a shoestring and everybody from the locations to the costumes — everything that you see, people pitched in, everybody got together and it was so much fun. It took over a hundred people to make those videos and that’s one of the things that really warms my heart. It was a whole bunch of people banding together.

The “Creep City” video — that’s just a snapshot of the New Orleans community.

BLADE: Is it going to be hard sequencing in Scissor Sisters material with the new stuff on tour?

SHEARS: No. I’ve just done a bunch of shows in the U.K. and it’s a really good pace I’ve got with the Scissors stuff. I’ve chosen certain songs very strategically and it’s fun mixing them up. I went out of my way to make sure this new stuff is part of the same body of work. I wanted it to feel that way and I wanted to be able to present it all as my body of work.

In the show, it definitely goes together.

BLADE: You’re playing our market on Halloween. Do you have a costume planned or will your show be much different that night?

SHEARS: Oh, we have a big announcement to make about it that we’re saving but yeah, it’s gonna be really special. I’m just saying for now — nobody plan your costume just yet. There will be an announcement coming that I’m really excited about. You’ll find out soon.

BLADE: Are you touring with people who played on the album?

SHEARS: Oh yeah. Mr Hudson is on bass, Craig Pfunder is on guitar who does all the music director stuff, he plays guitar on my record. Mr Hudson, I wrote a bunch of songs with. Right now I’ve got Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket on drums and I’ve got this amazing saxophonist, this awesome guy named Stephen J. Gladney on sax. So this is a pretty crackerjack band.

It’s a great band.

BLADE: Was it an easier transition to the stage than usual since you recorded these songs live in the studio?

SHEARS: In a way because a lot of these songs were originally written with either guitar or piano. When you start small with a song then make it bigger, it just makes it easier. It was written in a very different way from the way I normally always wrote stuff.

It’s been fun to play it from the top. It hasn’t been a huge challenge.

BLADE: I know it’s a much different style of music, but do you feel much kinship with Rufus Wainwright? For so many years, you two were about the gayest thing we had pretty much.

■ CONTINUES ON PAGE 55

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琀栀攀

Shears and ex made peace after breakup ■ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 54

SHEARS: Oh my God, absolutely. I think you can hear, he’s a huge influence on my music and we’ve always been friends and I think he’s amazing, just a one-of-a-kind person. I think he’s brilliant and hilarious and I just love him a lot and I’m proud — if he’s my peer and part of my generation of music or if we’re viewed on any kind of level together, then I’m really proud of that.

BLADE: Lots of male pop singers today are doing the falsetto thing like you. Who has the best male falsetto voice?

SHEARS: You mean right now?

BLADE: Any era.

SHEARS: I would just have to say the Gibbs. You know, I was just listening to “Nights on Broadway” last week and it’s just so good. There are moments where they could do it perfect, then they could also do it ragged and imperfect as well and it just sounded so good. So I mean, I feel like they’re kind of the kings of that.

BLADE: Have you heard Troye Sivan’s new record?

SHEARS: Just the singles. I gotta sit down and listen to the whole thing. I’m really excited about it. What do you think?

BLADE: I like it. It’s so nice to see someone singing about gay life so unabashedly.

SHEARS: Seriously. I’m so happy about it. I love the singles and it seems like people are absolutely loving the album.

I’m glad you reminded me of it. I’m gonna give the whole thing a listen today.

BLADE: Do you have any pet peeves about celebrity culture or the way it’s covered in media?

SHEARS: There’s nothing I hate more than a headline that says somebody is “clapping back” at so and so. Or so and so, “claps back.” Basically just news stories about people fighting on Twitter. That’s a pet peeve of mine. It’s just the snake eating itself.

BLADE: Any birthday plans? (Shears turns 40 Oct. 3) SHEARS: I was going to Mexico City with a bunch of my friends and now they’re going but I had to cancel. Some work stuff came up so I’m heading to London tonight.

I’m really excited about the work I’m doing, don’t get me wrong, but I’m kind of missing my own 40th birthday which is kind of sad.

So no, I don’t really have any plans. Believe it or not, I think it might just be kind of a quiet, reflective one.

BLADE: Did you ever think about doing a solo album when the Scissors were together or was there just not really time?

It’s not unheard of.

SHEARS: It never really crossed my mind as something I really wanted to do. I always thought a solo record would feel really sort of narcissistic. I never really thought of myself as a

solo performer. I was always kind of shy about that. Even when I would do appearances without the band, I would always feel very much like, “Why am I here, I don’t really belong here.” I’ve always kind of had that self doubt thing when I was by myself. So no, I don’t really.

But it’s been a little bit of a personal — I hate the word journey — but it’s been like a little bit of a road to get to the spot where I can, you know, feel like there’s a reason for me to be singing on my own.

BLADE: You’ve played a lot with genderfuck in photos and magazine shoots. Do you like to wear dresses or paint your nails in your regular life?

SHEARS: Oh, I love wearing big frilly dresses (laughs). Especially in New Orleans. Like for Decadence, I have a naughty nurse uniform. Everybody was in harnesses and I have my little candy striper outfit. So, I don’t know, it’s just that I have a good time wearing a dress sometimes.

I don’t even really think about it. I’m just kind of drawn to what feels good.

BLADE: Are you seeing anybody now?

SHEARS: No, I’m not. I wish I could but I’m not physically in the same place enough now to really be able to spend enough time with anybody that it would really make sense. I don’t know if it’s gonna be possible for me for awhile because (of that) which is kind of a bummer. I’d love to be in a relationship.

I’m definitely romantic and I get lonely and I would definitely love to have that connection with somebody. But it wouldn’t be fair to somebody else to not be around.

BLADE: Are you and your ex on speaking terms? Were you able to salvage any friendship out of that?

SHEARS: Oh yeah, absolutely. I love him very much and I’m proud of him and he’s an amazing person. He was actually just calling my phone a few minutes ago when we were talking. But yeah, absolutely. And we co-parent a little border terrier so we’re very much still connected.

BLADE: Were there any epiphanies about yourself that surprised you writing the book and album?

SHEARS: I think the main thing that I learned from all of it is I used to kind of think that there was always some kind of a deadline all the time and I think I just really learned, just as far as the work itself, I just want to make good stuff that I love and that’s totally satisfying to me. So whether it takes another five years for me to write another record now, I really don’t care just as long as it’s something that I love and that means something to me.

That’s the most important thing about putting stuff out in the world. And by the way, that’s a lesson I keep learning over and over and over again since day one. It’s always something I keep realizing.

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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

THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE BAND WA S H I N G T O N , D . C .

Colonel Larry H. Lang, Commander and Conductor

Heritage to Horizons Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

“Strengthening Alliances” featuring The Airmen of Note, Air Force Strings and Singing Sergeants

Air Force Memorial

1 Air Force Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA

www.usafband.af.mil

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GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON 2018/2019 SEASON

Family Series

Aga-Boom

Sunday, September 30 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

This performance is also at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Sat., Sept. 29 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Information at HyltonCenter.org.

Mutts Gone Nuts

Sunday, November 25 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

This performance is also at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Sun., Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Information at HyltonCenter.org.

Erth’s Prehistoric Aquarium Adventure

Enchantment Theatre Company

The Phantom Tollbooth

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Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit 54, at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.

5 8 • S EPTE MB ER 14, 2018

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

Attorneys that are OUTthinking |OUTspoken |OUTdoing ackermanbrown.com

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REALESTATE

Art is in the eye of the homeowner Conceal your questionable taste when listing a house

By VALERIE M. BLAKE In my freshman year of college, I took a class in watercolor painting. Like Julia Roberts says in Pretty Woman, it was a “Big mistake. Big. Huge.”

Each week we were given a subject to paint. The following week, all the paintings would be taped to the wall, so the instructor could provide constructive criticism. No matter where I put my painting, it would always be cited as the worst in the class. I was repeatedly told I had no focal point (the story of my ADHD life). After that and a fight with an iron in sewing class (the iron won), I gave up my career aspirations in art and fashion.

Still wanting to have art in my life, I became the proud owner of an aluminum-framed M. C. Escher poster entitled Belvedere. It was given to me not by Mr. Right, but by Mr. Right Now. It echoed our relationship, with the woman looking off in one direction and the man facing another.

After college, I began a career in law enforcement that required a six-week boot camp in Brownsville, Texas in the heat of the summer. It was while on assignment there that I bought my first piece of “real” art.

I can still see it. A toreador painted on

black velvet surrounded by a faux goldleaf frame, lovingly carried from Matamoros, Mexico into Texas, where the scorching heat made the acrylic paint soften. It hung in its place of honor over the sofa in my first house, across the room from the macramé wall hanging my roommate had given me for my birthday.

On the floor nearby sat what I called my “duty-free sculpture” – a three-foot high bottle of Galiano, essential to the makings of a Harvey Wallbanger. I can attest that downing a few of those made tacky art look much better.

It was during a round-trip cruise to Jamaica that I fell in love with the works of French abstract artist, Marcel Mouly, the humanistic style of Persian artist, Ali Golkar, and the figurative paintings of Israeli artist, Itzchak Tarkay. I bid frantically at auction to obtain my favorite lithographs, most of which have graced my walls for 25 years.

Sometimes, though, what qualifies as art is simply in the eye of the beholder.

For example, I was showing what I thought to be an empty house one morning. As my client and I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I spotted a woman in her bathrobe and hair curlers, sipping coffee at the breakfast bar. I quickly began to apologize for the intrusion and then I realized that she was a true-to-life mannequin. Thankfully, she didn’t get up and follow us around the home.

Call (301) 495-7314

There’s no accounting for taste. If taxidermy is your preferred art form, then hide it away before listing your home.

PHOTO BY EZUMEIMAGES; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK

Then there was the doll house – not the type that my grandfather built for me to play with as a child, but like the ones you see on Hoarders, where at least one is room filled with “collectible” porcelain dolls, with those googly eyes that watch your every move. Thankfully, Chuckie had left the building.

Taxidermy is another lost art form which, given my love for animals, should stay lost. Consider, though, that the moose head mounted over the fireplace in a rustic cabin in the Shenandoahs is still popular with some people.

If these examples don’t appeal to you,

then here are some other ways to enjoy art in your surroundings.

You can view it. There are multitudes of galleries throughout D.C. that pay tribute to art and architecture at little or no cost. Don’t wait for friends to visit before going to the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, or the Arlington Arts Center.

You can buy it. Meander through Zenith Gallery on Pennsylvania Avenue or at its Iris Street location. Sip wine and shop along Dupont Circle, where many of the galleries are open from 6-8 p.m. on the first Friday of the month. Visit local exhibits and art fairs. Check online auction sites.

You can make it. Are there children’s paintings posted on your refrigerator?

Frame them. Staring at a blank wall in your back yard? Commission a mural of a serene vista. Want to work with your hands? Try pottery or create a custom kitchen backsplash from broken pieces of china and glass.

Whether you’re an aficionado of Matisse, Rodin, Warhol, Avedon, or your own work, let your home feature art that brings you joy, like the Elvis on velvet that hangs in my family room.

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

Fifty Shades of Gray: A real estate agent struggles to find the right neutral paint for a new listing.

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

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DEADLINES

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

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MASSAGE Rosslyn / DC - CMT available for massage in Arlington, SundayTuesday or DC ThursdaySaturday. Call or text, Gary 301-704-1158. mymassagebygary.com.

EMPLOYMENT BULLETIN BOARD PETWORTH SENIORS MOVING Sale Furniture, Appliances, W/D, Ref, Freezer, China Cabinet, Dressers, Twin Beds, Dishes, Paint, Christmas.

1st Edition Black Barbie Dolls, Beany Babies. etc.

Sale starts Aug 16th.

(202)722-5269.

SWEDISH MASSAGE WITH DEEP TISSUE/stretching & reflexology elements. EZ parking/5 min walk from metro. Leaving DC by the end of October. David, 202-731-9737.

FELINE FOUNDATION YARD SALE Huge yard sale to benefit the Feline Foundation of Greater Washington. Sat, 9/29, 8 am - 1 pm, 2355 Bedfordshire Cir. Reston, VA.

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

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Results-Oriented • Affordable

Larry Cohen, LICSW

30 years serving the LGBT community

202-244-0903 socialanxietyhelp.com

See website for NPR story on my work

SIMPLE AFFORDABLE PROVEN RESULTS

CALL TODAY TOPLACE YOUR AD

202.747.2077

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

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET ENTHUSIASTICALLY SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

SHARE ADS ARE FREE

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

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

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

LIMOUSINES

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE Since 1987.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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

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

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

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

SP-Law. com.

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

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

Phone 202-554-2471.

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

Steve 703-861-4422.

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

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

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

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All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

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PLUMBERS DIAL A PLUMBER, LLC - FULL SERVICE PLUMBER JUST SAY: I NEED A PLUMBER! Bathroom Sinks, Tubs, Vanities, Kitchen Sinks, Disposals, Boilers & Furnaces, Hot Water Heaters, Drain Service!

202-251-1479. Licensed, Bonded & Insured.

DC Plumbers License #707. Visa, MasterCard, American Express accepted.

MOVERS

Playmates and soul mates...

Washington:

202-448-0824

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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 CONTINENTAL MOVERS Local & long distance. $80 x 2 men; $100 x 3 men, gas charges applied. 25 Years Family Business Operated. cmora53607@ msn.com. www. continentalmovers.net (202)438-1489, (301)3400602, (703)929-1302.

RENT / DC DUPONT CIRCLE - CAIRO Condo One Bdrm. $ 2,300/mth. 1615 Que St. NW Apt. 813. (321) 3454356, email Reinhold@ bluegreenplanet.net.

RENT / MD KENSINGTON HUGE 2 BR, 2 BA, 1500 SF 2 marble & wood floors. Gourmet Kitchen, balcony. Free parking, heat, elec, a/c., gas. Call 202.679.2786.

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

LUCAS IS BACK

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.

18+ MegaMates.com

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SPECIAL BRING THIS COUPON

Offer Expires 10/15/18 Not valid with any other offer.

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recognize that your positive body image improves your quality of life and well-being. At Millennium Medical we strive to provide you with the latest in surgical, non-surgical and cosmetic services in a safe, caring and comfortable environment. Our warm and friendly team is here for you, and is available by phone, e-mail, and, in person, to help you with all of your questions and concerns.

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