Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 39, September 28, 2018

SEPTEMBER 28,

2018

VOLUME 49

ISSUE 39

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AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

What they really mean by ‘religious freedom’ Values Voters say it’s code for anti-LGBT discrimination

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com The call to protect religious freedom — often code among social conservatives for the ability to discriminate against LGBT people — continued to be a rallying cry at the annual anti-LGBT Values Voter Summit, where attendees declared support for President Trump and his policies ahead of the upcoming congressional mid-term elections.

Speakers over the weekend at the annual confab in D.C. for social conservatives from Vice President Mike Pence on down repeatedly incorporated the term in their speeches, stoking paranoid fears that “religious freedom” is in peril and promising the Trump administration will act to preserve it.

‘This was a wedding cake that I could not create because I believe marriage is between a man and a woman,’ said JACK PHILLIPS, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop, to thunderous applause.

But what do social conservatives envision when they hear from political leaders about religious freedom being in danger? After all, the concept of religious freedom being imperiled could also apply to Trump’s travel ban on Muslimmajority countries, but social conservatives have championed that policy.

Attendees at the Values Voter Summit who spoke to the Washington Blade about religious freedom largely signaled it was in fact a term used to express concern about the growth of LGBT rights and the desire for exemptions from laws that prohibit discrimination against LGBT people.

Kenny Nelson, a 20-year-old attendee from New York, said religious freedom constitutes the ability to exercise conscience “in the free markets,” including the denial of services to LGBT people.

“You have the right to say I don’t want to bake a

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

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2 gay men attacked near D.C. police station Unidentified suspects shouted anti-gay slurs

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com Two gay men were attacked and beaten by five unidentified suspects who shouted anti-gay slurs on the 2000 block of New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. on Sunday, Sept. 16 at a location less than two blocks from the Third District D.C. Police Station,

ROBBIE BARLETTA and WILLIAM SOUTHERN were attacked on Sept. 16.

PHOTO COURTESY BARLETTA AND SOUTHERN

according to a police report.

The report says the suspects included four men and one woman who jumped out of one of two vehicles that had been driving past the men at a location where 16th Street, New Hampshire Avenue, and U Street, N.W. intersect between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

Witnesses described the vehicles as a black sedan and a red sedan, said Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees the police LGBT Liaison Unit, which is assisting the investigation into the incident.

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1 YEAR LATER

HOME & GARDEN

BUSY BERLANTI

We return to Puerto Rico as island continues its hurricane recovery.

Our special section features unique finds and local events.

Mega producer ready to unleash slew of shows as new TV season debuts.

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LO CA L N E W S

National LGBT Veterans Memorial stalled due to lack of funds Project planned for D.C.’s historic Congressional Cemetery

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com Longtime LGBT rights advocate Nancy Russell, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, was hopeful that the three 11-foot-tall black granite panels designated as the centerpiece of a National LGBT Veterans Memorial would be installed in D.C.’s Congressional Cemetery in time for a Memorial Day dedication in 2015 or 2016.

Russell, who’s 80 years old and serves as chair of the memorial’s board of directors, joined several other LGBT veterans in announcing plans for an LGBT veterans memorial in the nation’s capital in 2012.

The proposed memorial was immediately embraced by LGBT veterans and their supporters throughout the country.

But now, six years later, the board has raised only about 25 percent of the estimated $500,000 cost for building and installing the monument and paying the balance owed for the purchase of the land in Congressional Cemetery where the monument and surrounding space will be located, according to Marty Gunter, the

A rendering of the planned LGBT memorial at Congressional Cemetery.

IMAGE COURTESY CONGRESSIONAL

memorial project’s development director.

“We’re still working very hard on this,” said Gunter, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “Nancy and I speak on a very regular basis about moving this project forward,” he said, adding that the board was in the process of retaining a professional fundraiser.

Russell and Gunter both live in San Antonio, Texas, where the memorial project’s official headquarters is located.

Gunter said the board was also planning to set up one or more online fundraising sites such as GoFundMe or

Benevity, which encourage workplace giving and corporate philanthropy for specific charitable causes.

Also under consideration, according to Gunter, was an appeal for help from an LGBT supportive public relations firm that could help publicize the memorial and its fundraising effort.

“Just getting the word out, that’s been the hard part of it to be honest with you,” he said. “Some potential large donors said they wanted to donate. But they always wanted to wait until after the election or after this or after that,” Gunter said.

“I think it’s going to be those small donors and the veterans, the everyday veterans that are going to build this memorial,” he said. “I do believe there’s a need for it. I just feel very confident that we can do it.”

In August 2014, the board announced the selection of a design for the memorial prepared by an architect. It consists of three black granite panels or pillars standing 11 feet high, five feet wide and one foot thick.

Two of the official emblems of the nation’s six military branches are planned to be placed on each of the three pillars, with the Navy and Marines on one, the Army and Air Force on another, and the Coast Guard and Merchant Marines on the third.

“This monument is simple yet stately and will stand proudly on its site just as those it represents served this country with pride,” says a statement released at the time the design was announced.

“The pillars will be placed in a triangle to allow space for visitors to walk inside where there is a flag pole and inscriptions explaining the Memorial’s meaning and the history behind it,” the statement says.

The statement notes that a significant part of the funding for the project was expected to come from LGBT veterans who want to have their service memorialized by purchasing paver stones with their name and service information engraved on them. The pavers would be placed on the memorial’s grounds, the statement said.

Russell said at that time that additional funds were expected to be raised through the purchase of space for the interment of cremated ashes of veterans and their partners or spouses also within the memorial grounds if there was a demand for such interment.

Gunter said no funds have been raised so far from the purchase of interment sites or pavers and he doesn’t expect such purchases to take place until the memorial is built.

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Whitman-Walker’s past, future celebrated at 40th gala Plan to expand Max Robinson Center revealed

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com A plan to expand operations to underserved communities east of the Anacostia River was among the news that surfaced at Whitman-Walker Health’s 40th Anniversary Gala and fundraiser held Sept. 22, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown D.C. More than 430 people turned out for the event, which raised just more than $350,000 to support Whitman-Walker’s work, according to Whitman-Walker spokesperson Abby Fenton.

Among those attending was D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who thanked Whitman-Walker for its “outstanding service” to the overall D.C. community as well as the LGBT community.

Also attending were D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson; former D.C. Council member Carol Schwartz, who served for many years on the Whitman-Walker Board of Directors; and Sheila Alexander-Reid, director of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

NBC 4 meteorologist Chuck Bell, local

Whitman-Walker Executive Director DON BLANCHON and Deputy Executive Director NASEEMA SHAFI at Saturday’s gala.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

entertainer and “Ask Rayceen” host Rayceen Pendarvis, and Helen Hayes Award-winning actress Holly Twyford served as masters of ceremony at the gala. The singing group Betty and an ensemble of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington called GenOut Chorus performed at the event.

Whitman-Walker Executive Director Don Blanchon and Deputy Executive Director Naseema Shafi drew loud and prolonged applause from the audience when they announced a major new initiative to expand Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson medical center, which has operated in Anacostia for the past 30 years. The two

said plans are underway to move the Max Robinson Center to the newly developing commercial and residential center on the campus of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in the city’s Congress Heights section.

“As important as our past is, WhitmanWalker has much more to accomplish on the road to equality and social justice,” Blanchon told the gathering. “In D.C. we know that a major investment east of the Anacostia River is the most single important thing we need to do,” he said.

“This statement will show our commitment to addressing the issues of race and racial inequities throughout our city,” Blanchon said. “Therefore, with

the help of the Whitman-Walker Board of Directors, in the course of the next three years we will deliver an expanded concentrated operations in the east end of the city – we will move the Max Robinson Center to the campus of St. Elizabeth’s.”

St. Elizabeth’s, a once federally run psychiatric hospital, remains on the site but has been greatly downsized over the past 30 years as the mental health profession throughout the nation moved toward deinstitutionalization of patients.

About half of its vast campus is now owned by the D.C. government and is being transformed into a major commercial and residential center. A new sports and entertainment arena that will serve as a practice facility for the Washington Wizards and Mystics just opened there.

With that as a backdrop, WhitmanWalker’s plans to expand and move its Max Robinson Center to the site are expected to attract significant community interest.

Blanchon told the Washington Blade more details about the size and location within the campus of the new facility it plans to build would be announced within the next several months once they are finalized by the board.

“This project will allow us to provide the care for our patients in the communities where they live,” he said at the Anniversary Gala.

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Gay man sues Washington Teachers Union for discrimination Former employee says he was fired after being subjected to hostile work environment

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com A gay former employee of the Washington Teachers Union filed a lawsuit in federal court on Sept. 18 accusing the union, its president, and its former chief of staff of subjecting him to a hostile work environment and later firing him because of his sexual orientation.

Upper Marlboro, Md., resident Barry Hobson, 36, charges in the lawsuit that he was subjected to unfair and discriminatory treatment and harassment by WTU’s then chief of staff, Dorothy Egbufor. The lawsuit says Egbufor served as Hobson’s immediate supervisor shortly after he was hired as a receptionist and office assistant on Jan. 15, 2017.

Hobson’s attorneys filed the lawsuit on his behalf in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to Egbufor, the lawsuit names as defendants Washington Teachers Union President Elizabeth Davis and the union itself, which represents 5,000 D.C. public school teachers.

In response to a request by the Washington Blade for comment on the lawsuit, Davis released a statement to the Blade calling Hobson’s allegations “outrageous and totally without merit.”

She said the union was reviewing the lawsuit “in consultation with its attorneys and will respond through the appropriate legal processes.”

Davis added, “The Washington Teachers Union has always been, and continues to be strongly committed to treating all individuals equally regardless of their sexual orientation.”

The lawsuit charges that Egbufor began treating Hobson in a hostile way immediately after he informed her while preparing an application for employee health insurance benefits that a beneficiary on his health plan would be his then fiancé and current husband Timothy Savoy.

“Shortly after he submitted his paperwork, on or about January 31, 2017, Plaintiff had a disturbing phone call with Defendant Egbufor that she initiated about Plaintiff’s benefits,” the lawsuit states. “Defendant Egbufor said that she saw ‘Timothy’ listed on the benefits documents. Defendant Egbufor then asked, ‘Exactly who is he to you?’ Plaintiff responded ‘my fiancé,’” the lawsuit says.

“Prior to abruptly hanging up on Plaintiff, Defendant Egbufor said in a tone of disgust with a raised voice, ‘Your fiancé, ok Barry goodbye.’ Then she immediately hung up,” the lawsuit says.

TIM SAVOY and BARRY HOBSON. Hobson charges in a lawsuit that he was subjected to unfair and discriminatory treatment and harassment by WTU’s chief of staff.

PHOTO COURTESY HOBSON

The lawsuit includes photo copies of two internal emails that it says Egbufor sent to Washington Teachers Union President Elizabeth Davis and in which the lawsuit says Egbufor makes disparaging remarks about Hobson’s sexual orientation and about LGBT people in general.

“We should confer about allowing Barry to take advantage of WTU’s insurance benefits since he confirmed he engages in same-sex intimacy,” Egbufor states in one of the emails dated Feb. 15, 2017.

“Never in WTU’s past have we allowed any individual to participate on our group policy ‘openly gay’ and I don’t think this should be an exception,” Egbufor purportedly said in the email.

“Allowing Barry Hobson benefits will without question open the door to many issues down the road,” the email continues. “Market data shows a substantial premium/rate increase when allowing the LGBT community to participate in employer sponsored plans for various reasons. AIDS, HIV, and STD statistics are great pricing factors when considering this community and would be a detriment to our regular employees with significant rate increases…,” the email states.

Brian Markovitz, the lead attorney representing Hobson, disputed Egbufor’s assumption that LGBT employees participating in an employer health insurance plan would result in insurers charging higher premiums. He said denying an employee access to an employer health plan, which he said WTU withheld from Hobson, is a clear violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The second email that Egbufor sent to Davis that’s copied in the lawsuit is dated March 12, 2017. Egbufor states in the email that it should be considered “Highly Confidential and Privileged.”

It discusses what Egbufor says was Hobson’s poor working habits, including what she said was his tendency to be “insubordinate” to directions from her

and others, allegations that the lawsuit calls fabrications.

“Barry’s nature of resistance and pushback is common among his peers in the homosexual community and will be an ongoing issue for WTU if not addressed while we maintain authority within the probationary period of employment,” Egbufor purportedly stated in the email. “As a result, I plan to recommend termination and immediately begin reassigning the remainder of his job duties to various staff in the coming days,” the email says.

In her statement to the Blade, Davis questioned the authenticity of the emails the lawsuit says were written and sent by Egbufor.

“The WTU will hire an outside firm specializing in computer forensics to investigate the authenticity of the emails used by Mr. Hobson in his complaint, Emails which I have never received nor were written by WTU staff,” she says in her statement.

Markowitz, who is with the Greenbelt, Md., law firm Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, said Hobson’s legal team also plans to ask the court as part of the legal “discovery” process to order the WTU to make its computers available to their own forensics expert to confirm the authenticity of the emails.

The lawsuit says Egbufor’s March 12 email was a form of retaliation that came after Hobson filed a discrimination complaint against her and WTU on Feb. 26 with the D.C. Office of Human Rights.

He said Hobson filed the complaint after he had been subjected to almost daily hostile actions by Egbufor and after he had repeatedly raised concerns about Egbufor’s treatment toward him with Davis through several emails and Davis failed to take action to address the situation.

The lawsuit says the WTU employee handbook specifically calls on employees to contact Davis in her role as WTU president if an employee believes he or she is being unfairly or improperly treated at work.

In his emails to Davis, Hobson at one point requested to meet with Davis to discuss the hostile treatment he said he was receiving from Egbufor, the lawsuit says. It says Davis eventually did meet with him, but nothing appeared to have resulted from the meeting because the harassing and hostile actions by Egbufor toward him continued unabated, according to the lawsuit.

“On or about April 1, 2017, Defendant WTU’s board met, and per Defendant Egbufor’s recommendation, voted to terminate Plaintiff,” the lawsuit says.

“Upon information and belief, Defendant Davis, as a voting member of Defendant WTU’s Board, voted to terminate Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit says Davis notified Hobson about his termination on April 3, 2017.

“During his time at Defendant WTU and after his termination, Plaintiff was in a state of anxiety and suffered chest pains, sleep disturbances, loss of weight, problems breathing, and states of panic,” the lawsuit adds. “Some of these symptoms are ongoing,” it says.

The lawsuit calls for $1 million in compensatory and punitive damages for each of three counts – sexual orientation discrimination, sexual orientation hostile work environment, and retaliation, each of which, the lawsuit says, are violations of the D.C. Human Rights Act. In a development that Markovitz calls a strong rebuke to Davis and Egbufor and a major boost to Hobson’s lawsuit, WTU General Vice President Jacqueline PogueLyons agreed to a request by Hobson to write him a letter of recommendation in his effort to find a new job after his firing.

“It’s my absolute pleasure to recommend Barry Hobson for a Professional Support position with your organization,” PogueLyons wrote in her letter, a copy of which is included in the lawsuit. “I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Barry, and have come to know him as a truly valuable asset to any team,” her letter states. “He is honest, dependable, and incredibly hard-working.”

The letter adds, “Along with his undeniable talent, Barry has always been an absolute joy to work with. He is a true team player, and always manages to foster positive discussions and bring the best out of other employees.”

Similar to Davis, Pogue-Lyons was elected by WTU members to her position as General Vice President, which is the number two position in the union’s leadership.

In yet another twist to Hobson’s lawsuit, the Washington Teachers Union is an affiliated member – Local 6 – of the American Federation of Teachers, the national teachers union that is a part of the AFL-CIO and which is headed by an out lesbian, Randi Weingarten. Weingarten, an attorney and longtime union activist, was elected head of the AFT in 2008.

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NATIONAL NEWS

Vice President MIKE PENCE speaks at the 2018 Values Voter Summit.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Pence urges voters to back Trump on ‘religious freedom’ Cites administrative acts that enable anti-LGBT discrimination

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Vice President Mike Pence counted last Saturday President Trump’s actions in favor of “religious freedom” as reasons why conservative voters should turn out in the congressional mid-term elections to back Republican candidates and the Trump administration.

Pence made the remarks before attendees at the Values Voter Summit, an annual D.C. confab for social conservatives hosted by the anti-LGBT Family Research Council.

The vice president counted Trump’s actions in favor of “religious freedom” as reasons why voters should support Republicans in the mid-terms as well as with other factors, including a booming economy, lower taxes, support for immigration enforcement and a tougher stance on America’s adversaries across the globe.

“Our administration has also taken action to protect and promote our first freedom, the freedom of religion and religious liberty for every American,” Pence said. “Last year President Trump chose the National Day of Prayer to announce new policies to protect the religious liberty of every American regardless of their creed. We’ve taken action to protect the conscience rights of doctors and nurses.”

Although the Trump policies Pence referenced on the National Day of Prayer didn’t explicitly contain any language seen to hamper LGBT rights, it directed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to draft further guidance to ensure “religious freedom” is protected.

Sessions ended up issuing guidance that allows individuals and businesses to act in the name of religious freedom — often used as an exercise for anti-LGBT discrimination — without fear of government reprisal. Nowhere in the guidance is there a limiting principle assuring the right to free exercise of religion should be an excuse to engage in anti-LGBT discrimination.

The second policy Pence referenced is the establishment of the Conscience & Religious Freedom Division at the Department of Health & Human Services, which critics say allows medical practitioners to deny abortion-related services and treatment on religious grounds.

HHS followed up with a proposed rule change that allows medical practitioners to invoke a religious exemption to get out of offering abortion-related services and transition-related care for transgender people, including gender reassignment surgery.

Other provisions condoning religious counseling were construed as allowing federal payments for widely discredited “ex-gay” conversion therapy.

Pence himself is known for taking action in the name of “religious freedom” to enable anti-LGBT discrimination. As Indiana governor, Pence signed into law a “religious freedom” measure widely criticized for allowing individuals and businesses to refuse service to LGBT people. After an outcry from LGBT rights supporters and the business community, Pence was forced to sign a “fix” limiting the ability to discriminate under the law.

The vice president alluded to further actions in favor of “religious freedom,” predicting Brett Kavanaugh “will soon be Justice Brett Kavanaugh” upon confirmation by the U.S. Senate and issue rulings in line with social conservative thought.

“Judge Brett Kavanaugh is a man of integrity with impeccable credentials and a proven judicial philosophy,” Pence said. “On the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, he wrote

more than 300 opinions that reflect a strong record of support for limited government, religious liberty and our Second Amendment. He’s a conservative who will interpret the Constitution as written, and his record and career deserves the respect of every member of the United States Senate.”

The confirmation of Kavanaugh, which is opposed by progressive and LGBT rights groups, is being held up in the U.S. Senate after the emergence of allegations from Christine Blasey Ford that he attempted to sexually assault her in 1982.

Alluding to the allegations without enumerating them, Pence said he and Trump are “confident that Senate Republicans will manage this confirmation properly with the utmost respect for all concerned.”

For these “religious freedom” actions and other efforts, Pence urged attendees at the Values Voter Summit to come out in support of Trump during the upcoming congressional mid-terms and to tell others “we’ve been fighting for the values that make this nation great.”

“With 45 days to go, my fellow conservatives, as you’d heard at this summit, now is the time for the sake of America to pray, to vote, to stand,” Pence said. “And I know you will. The other side is mobilized, and some say they’re motivated as never before. But I say we must match – in fact, I say we must surpass – the energy of the American left and their enthusiasm and passion. And if we do, we will win.”

Pence faced criticism from LGBT rights supporters by agreeing to attend the Values Voter Summit based on the anti-LGBT policy objectives the Family Research Council and the speakers that appeared on stage before and after him.

David Stacy, government affairs director of the Human Rights Campaign, said speakers at the Values Voter Summit are known for expressing support for conversion therapy and condemned Pence for appearing with them.

“The practice of ‘conversion therapy’ is abuse and can be life-threatening, which is why a growing number of states are banning it,” Stacy said. “And the denigrating language they direct at LGBTQ people sends a dangerous message — particularly to LGBTQ kids — about their equal dignity and worth. Once again, Mike Pence is making clear that he stands with many organizations and leaders who promote hate and fear.

We know those are not true American values.”

Judge again rules in favor of intersex passport applicant A federal judge has once again ruled in favor of an intersex person who was denied a passport because they do not identify as male or female.

Judge R. Brooke Jackson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in Denver in his Sept. 19 ruling said the State Department was “in excess of statute authority” under the Passport Act of 1926 when it denied a passport to Dana Zzyym, an intersex person who DANA ZZYYM requested to list their sex as “X.” PHOTO COURTESY OF LAMBDA LEGAL Zzyym, who lives in Colorado, is the associate director of the U.S. affiliate of Organization Intersex International.

Zzyym is also a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy.

Zzyym applied for a passport in 2014 in order to attend a conference in Mexico City. The State Department told Zzyym it denied the application because it was “unable to fulfill your request to list your sex as ‘X.’ Jackson ruled in Zzyym’s favor in 2016, but the State Department appealed.

Zzyym’s case was reopened in 2017 after the State Department once again denied them a passport.

Zzyym, who is represented by Lambda Legal, in a press release noted it has “been nearly four years since the State Department first denied me a critical identity document that I need to do my job and advocate for the rights of intersex people both in the United States and abroad.”

“The agency’s refusal to issue me a passport has already cost me opportunities in Mexico City and Amsterdam,” added Zzyym. “I’m not going to lie on my passport application, I shouldn’t have to, and the judge here, twice, has agreed with me.”

A State Department spokesperson on Monday told the Washington Blade the State Department is “reviewing the decision and consulting with the Department of Justice, who represents the Department of State in this case, on next steps.”

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NATIONAL NEWS

Lara could be first LGBT official elected statewide in Calif.

Insurance commissioner hopeful vows to fight Trump

By KAREN OCAMB Ricardo Lara has an easy smile, a warm, embracing smile that puts the uncomfortable quickly at ease. It’s a smile that may lure cynics into thinking the handsome 43-year-old gay man is tangoing his way into the California Insurance Commissioner job.

But when Lara’s smile fades and he gets serious, politely but intensely explaining how this position would be his next step in helping marginalized minorities like his immigrant parents and his poorer friends with HIV/AIDS and children in need of healthcare—attention must be paid.

“I’m running to be California’s next state insurance commissioner because I believe at my core that California needs a strong defender, and a counterpuncher, who will stand up to fight our bullying president, Donald Trump, and his increasingly reckless federal government on issues from healthcare access to economic security and more,” Lara said in a statement on March 21, 2017.

This is no small next step; Lara is a fervent fighter for human rights stepping up to protect his extended family. And while he would become the first openly LGBT person elected statewide if he wins, the job itself is historically critical to LGBT people.

Prior to 1988, the state insurance commissioner was a political appointee of the governor. That year it was Republican George Deukmejian, the governor who in 1986 vetoed a bill seeking AIDS nondiscrimination in housing and employment because “the provisions of this bill dealing with discrimination are unnecessary. They establish an inappropriate precedent of placing a physical condition in statute that is better left to a more flexible administrative process,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

And in November 1988, Deukmejian endorsed Prop. 102, a radical right-wing initiative that would require doctors and blood banks to report anyone they have ‘’reasonable cause to believe’’ is infected with HIV to state and local authorities and require the HIV positive person to identify their sexual partners.

In that November 1988 election, voters rejected Proposition 102 but approved Proposition 103, making Insurance Commissioner an elected position, expanding the areas of regulation and giving the commissioner new powers, including “prior approval” of any insurance rate increase. Accustomed to unfettered power in a Republican-controlled marketplace, the insurance companies challenged the measure in court. Progay Attorney General John Van de Kamp

State Sens. RICARDO LARA and TONI ATKINS promoting their universal healthcare bill.

PHOTO COURTESY LARA

Sen. RICARDO LARA at the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit.

won his case before the California Supreme Court and pro-gay Democrat John Garamendi won the post in 1990, becoming the first elected commissioner in 1991. It was an important victory: 1991 was the year Republican Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed the gay rights bill AB 101 and the California State Legislature turned even more deeply red and anti-LGBT. The non-partisan office has changed political hands, with current progressive Democrat Dave Jones succeeding Republican businessman Steve Poizner— who is trying for a comeback against Lara.

This time, however, Poizner is running as an independent, though his policy positions still smell of GOP potpourri. And while Lara may be winning voters with his smile, he cautions that Poizner is seducing no-party preference and Republicans disinclined to vote for a Democrat.

“Recent polling shows that this race is actually tighter and it’s gonna be tough,” Lara told the Los Angeles Blade in a recent phone interview. “The fact is—Poizner has essentially gone back in the closet, hiding his true Republican ideals, and is running now as an independent. And in many counties, San Diego County, for example, there is a larger bloc of non-party preference voters than there are Republicans.”

This is “a new Republican strategy,” Lara says, “to run people as independents or no-party preference because they

PHOTO COURTESY LARA

know they can’t win otherwise statewide as Republicans. It’s truly sad but we can’t assume that this is a done deal. We can’t rest on our laurels.”

Lara says he’s going up and down the state “reminding our voters how Poizner “has flip-flopped back and forth on a woman’s right to choose” and “wanted to deny immigrant children health insurance.”

Lara, on the other hand, passed legislation “to insure that any child, regardless of where they come from, their economic income status, or their immigration status, will have access to full scope Medical health insurance in California.”

That’s the big difference between them, Lara says: “I get things done. I make sure that we help our most vulnerable Californians instead of trying to spread hate and divisiveness, which is no longer a part of our tenor here in California.”

In some states, he notes, “insurance companies are denying access to PrEP to our community because they consider that risky behavior.”

The Insurance Commissioner position “is one of the most vital positions in the state because it touches every aspect of your life. And some people can even argue in utero, if your mother doesn’t have access to health insurance while she’s pregnant,” Lara says. “And when it comes to privacy, when it comes to data breeches, when it comes to cannabis

regulation, autonomous vehicles—these are all regulations that are pending through the Department of Insurance.

And the most important thing is that we keep our insurance industry honest and accountable so that they can pay out the claims to make sure people can move on with their lives. That is the basic work of the Insurance Commissioner.”

It was the unexpected fate of a Lara bill that prompted him to run for Insurance Commissioner. He was working on a bill to allow immigrants to pay into the Affordable Care Act since the more people that pay into the system helps stabilize premiums for everyone.

“We know that immigrants are younger, they’re healthier and are working—so why not allow them to pay into a system to make sure that we continue to offer the services to folks who actually need it now?

It’s an important investment,” he says.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill.

But while Lara was working on the waiver with the Obama administration, “unfortunately President Trump got elected and one of the requirements under that administration was that—if we moved forward—they wanted the names and addresses of the people who were going to be paying into the Affordable Care Act,” Lara says. “I had to withdraw the waiver.”

On that plane ride back from D.C., “I was so angry and felt so defeated, that that’s when I decided to leave the Senate early and run for Insurance Commissioner,” he says, “because I have to continue to fight to get a single payer system, that we get universal healthcare in California.

I want to be part of those discussions as Insurance Commissioner.”

Lara says the issue with SB 562, the bill he co-authored with out Sen. Toni Atkins to provide policy goals for a universal healthcare plan, ran into deadline issues while they were waiting for a study from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst — experts on health care funding — to get back with funding formula. They needed to “keep the momentum going” while they worked on a separate bill to get federal waivers, discussed constitutional amendments with the nurses regarding Prop 98 requirements and figure out spending limits. SB 562 was part of a not quite fully-cooked four-part plan that was sent to the Assembly to start discussions.

“Unfortunately, we fell victim to the legislative timeline of having to move this bill or else it would’ve died. But there is no doubt in my mind that the work that Toni and I started really has been the emphasis of now the Assembly engaging in a way that they’ve never engaged before, in terms of talking about healthcare,” Lara says. “Hopefully I’m going to be part of those discussions as the Insurance Commissioner.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS

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Puerto Rico marks Hurricane Maria anniversary Activists remain highly critical of Trump response

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Thursday marked one year since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico.

The hurricane had winds of 155 mph when it made landfall near the city of Yabucoa on Puerto Rico’s southeastern coast on Sept. 20, 2017. Maria’s eye passed over the municipalities of San Lorenzo, Caguas, Aguas Buenas, Comerío, Naranjito, Corozal, Morovis, Ciales, Manatí, Florida, Barceloneta and Arecibo before it moved offshore of Puerto Rico’s northern coast.

Hurricane Irma, which devastated St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands and other islands in the northeastern Caribbean, brushed Puerto Rico less than two weeks before Maria made landfall.

Sixty percent of Puerto Rico lost power during Irma. Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. commonwealth were without electricity and/or running water for months after Maria.

Governor Ricardo Rosselló and his wife, Beatriz Rosselló, joined Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and hundreds of others at an event in Old San Juan that marked the anniversary of Maria. Flags flew at half staff at government buildings across Puerto Rico on Thursday.

The Associated Press reported a ceremony took place in Yabucoa at the exact moment that Maria made landfall a year ago. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz on Wednesday visited a photo exhibit in Old San Juan’s Columbus Square that showed pictures of Maria’s immediate aftermath and relief efforts in her city.

Grissel Bonilla, co-founder of Waves Ahead, a group that is helping LGBTI Puerto Ricans and other groups recover from Maria, and former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was born in Puerto Rico, on Wednesday spoke at the Human Rights Campaign about the hurricane’s continued impact in Puerto Rico. Lisbeth Meléndez Rivera, who grew up in Caguas, helped organize the event that benefitted Waves Ahead.

Waves Ahead’s other co-founder, Wilfred Labiosa, told the Blade this week in Puerto Rico that discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and poverty have made LGBTI Puerto Ricans even more vulnerable since the hurricane.

Raymond Luis Rohena of the Puerto Rico Trans Youth Coalition and Brian Ínaru de la Fuente of La Sombrilla Cuir echoed Labiosa when they spoke with the Blade on Wednesday at a Starbucks in the

RICKY SANTIAGO on Feb. 1, stands in what remained of his hair salon in Humacao, Puerto Rico, that Hurricane Maria destroyed. Waves Ahead, a group that is helping LGBTI Puerto Ricans and other groups recover, helped Santiago rebuild his salon and turn it into his new home. Santiago was sitting in his living room on Sept. 19, when Wilfred Labiosa, co-founder of Waves Ahead, visited him and his family.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTOS BY MICHAEL K. LAVERS

San Juan suburb of Carolina.

Edgardo Rosario Rentas of Vieques Ready, a group that helps residents of Vieques, an island off the Puerto Rico mainland, prepare for hurricanes, said during a telephone interview the island is still on generator power. Rosario, a gay man who worked at a W resort before Maria, told the Blade there are still people on Vieques who are still living without electricity or running water.

“We’re trying to move forward,” he said.

“The government is going slower than they should go.”

The other activists and HIV/AIDS service providers with whom the Blade spoke in Puerto Rico — including Bill’s Kitchen Executive Director Sandy Torres, Puerto Rico Community Network for Clinical Research on AIDS Executive Director Rosaura LópezFontánez and Anselmo Fonseca of Pacientes de Sida Pro Política Sana — also said recovery efforts have been very slow.

Maria devastated St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands the day before it made landfall in Puerto Rico.

Lavonne Wise, an LGBTI activist who works for the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix, told the Blade on Monday during a telephone interview that many people on her island, as in Puerto Rico, are still living in homes with blue tarps as temporary roofs. Wise also said she and her wife still do not have a landline or Internet connection at their home.

“Things are getting better,” she said.

“We still got a ways to go.”

President Trump’s response to Maria continues to spark widespread outrage in Puerto Rico.

Rosselló, who has faced his own scathing criticism over his government’s response to Maria, has been reluctant to

publicly criticize Trump.

Rosselló earlier this month pushed back on Trump’s rejection of the results of a George Washington University study that attributed 2,975 deaths to Maria.

Cruz told the Blade on Wednesday during an interview in Old San Juan that Trump’s decision to reject the hurricane’s official death toll in Puerto Rico is “despicable.”

“It shows that he’s unhinged from any sense of reality,” she said.

The White House on Thursday issued a fact sheet with a headline that says the Trump administration “helped lead a historic recovery effort in Puerto Rico.”

It contained a one sentence statement attributed to Trump that acknowledged Maria’s anniversary.

“And we stand with Puerto Rico, and we are helping them to rebuild stronger and better than ever before,” he said.

Wise on Monday was highly critical of Trump’s response to Maria in Puerto Rico.

“It’s disgraceful that he needs to be right whether he’s right or not,” she said. “It’s a bit of an embarrassment and his need to be louder and righter than everybody else is embarrassment and waste of everyone’s time and energy.”

Rosario told the Blade that Trump is “wrong” to reject Maria’s death toll.

“PTSD after the hurricane was so big and the uncertainly among the people were so big, people are going to keep dying,” said Rosario. “There’s people on Vieques who still don’t have electricity.

There’s people on Vieques who still don’t have running water.”

San Juan mayor: Trump ‘unhinged’ San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz last week reiterated her sharp criticism of President

Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria.

“More than 3,000 people have died, that’s for sure,” she told the Blade during an interview in Old San Juan. “They died of neglect. They died because they couldn’t have their insulin refrigerated because we didn’t have power. They died because hospitals weren’t ready and because hospitals didn’t have power. Those are deaths that could have been preventable and they weren’t.”

“Some people decided to make this a spin ever since the beginning and tell the world that things were right when things were not right and we lost time and we lost precious opportunities in order to be able to save lives,” added Cruz. “I’m referring to President Trump.”

Cruz spoke with the Blade while she was visiting a photo exhibit in San Juan’s Columbus Square that commemorates the first anniversary of Maria. She also spoke with the Blade less than a month after George Washington University released the findings of study that attributed 2,975 deaths to Maria.

“It’s despicable,” Cruz told the Blade, referring to Trump. “It shows that he’s unhinged from any sense of reality.”

Cruz, who is a member of the Popular Democratic Party that supports Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. commonwealth, pointed out Trump threw paper towels to a crowd of people when he visited a church in the San Juan suburb of Guaynabo less than two weeks after Maria made landfall. Cruz also pointed out Trump rejected the hurricane’s death toll in Puerto Rico as Hurricane Florence was beginning to batter the Carolinas.

“Maria in Puerto Rico is Trump’s Katrina,” said Cruz.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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NEWS

Decoding ‘religious freedom’ at Values Voter Summit CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

wedding cake because I don’t support gay marriage,” Nelson said. “That’s really all religious freedom is to me, being free to express religion without persecution.”

Nelson said discussion is warranted over the ability to deny employment to LGBT people “like if you come out as something, will you get fired,” but in his circles a prohibition on anti-LGBT discrimination is the province of the states, not the federal government.

“I think that conservatives don’t like tackling that because it should be left up to the states, or something of that nature,” Nelson said. “We need to let people be free.”

But Nelson pivoted to the idea that religious people are facing discrimination in the workplace instead of LGBT people when elaborating on the issue.

“We need to let people be fired for whatever, but if you’re religious and you get fired, I think maybe religious freedom to me is being able to express your religious views without being totally persecuted for it by lawyers,” Nelson said.

Although federal civil rights laws don’t explicitly prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination in the workforce, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion.

Asked to identify any incident of individuals fired for their religious beliefs, Nelson identified David and Jason Benham, real estate entrepreneurs who were among the speakers at the Values Voter Summit.

In 2014, the Benham brothers were to set to launch a home improvement show called “Flip it Forward,” but HGTV scrapped the idea after comments emerged from the brothers over their opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

David Benham wrote a 2012 article for the Christian Post in favor of Amendment One, a constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriage in North Carolina. Benham called opposition to the amendment “a clear glimpse into why morals are declining so rapidly in our culture today” and said redefining marriage “because of one small group of people” would erode the concept of family.

“They got essentially fired for their religious beliefs, ultimately,” Nelson said. “So, yeah. I guess it can happen. I guess it’s sort of an outlier, so to speak.

I’m really more focused on being able to say, ‘Hey, these are my religious beliefs, if I don’t want to provide you service, I don’t have to.’”

Two examples of individuals attendees referenced for acting in the name of religious freedom were Jack Phillips, the Colorado owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop who refused to sell a custommade wedding cake to a same-sex

The 2018 Values Voter Summit was held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Northwest Washington, D.C. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

couple and whose case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Barronlle Stutzman, the owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Washington State who refused to sell floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding.

Cindy Vick, a 59-year-old homemaker from Arlington, Wash., said religious freedom is under threat and cited as examples both Phillips and Stutzman, whom she called “true heroes.”

“They did not deny service to anyone because of any discrimination,” Vick said. “They could not because of their conscience and their religious beliefs partake of a same-sex marriage, so therein lies the difference. It was according to their faith.”

Vick drew a distinction between refusal of services for an individual based on religion or race and refusing it based on sexual orientation, insisting one is discrimination but the other is not.

“Discrimination would be when the customer walked into their store and if you’re black or yellow or red or green, and I refuse you service because of your color, or you are a certain race, or you subscribe to a certain belief system, [so] I refuse to sell you my cake or my flowers,” Vick said. “But that wasn’t the case, they didn’t refuse on those terms.”

Vick also expressed opposition to the underlying idea of same-sex marriage despite the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2015 in favor of marriage rights for gay couples, saying “in the Bible it’s defined as a man and a woman.”

“You’re wanting to rewrite the definition of marriage, so call it something else, but it’s not marriage,” Vick added. “It’s

a bogus term for the true meaning of marriage, and that’s what because of their conscience, due to their religious beliefs, they could not participate in.”

Phillips was among the speakers at Values Voter Summit. Introduced on stage as “Jack the Giant Slayer,” Phillips and was praised as an individual who stuck to his religious principles in the face of the intolerable forces of the LGBT left.

Recounting the story of gay couple Charlie Craig and David Mullins coming into Masterpiece Cakeshop to buy a wedding cake, Phillips said, “I knew this was a wedding cake that I could not create because I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.” That line got huge applause from attendees at the Values Voter Summit.

After he refused Craig and Mullins service, Phillips said the couple flipped him off and swore at him as they exited Masterpiece Cakeshop. The baker also said he had to endure hate emails and death threats and his daughter was threatened, but he stuck to his principles.

Phillips became emotional when he recalled years later reading from the Supreme Court orders list it had agreed to take up his case, acknowledging justices take up relatively few cases.

The decision the Supreme Court handed down in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case wasn’t exactly what Phillips wanted. Alliance Defending Freedom asserted the court should find Phillips has a First Amendment right to refuse service to same-sex couples.

Justices instead delivered a narrow ruling for Phillips based on the facts of the case,

finding an anti-religion sentiment within the Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

Other attendees at the Values Voter Summit had a broader interpretation of the concept of religious freedom that wasn’t limited to refusal of service for LGBT people.

One 23-year-old attendee from central Kansas, who spoke on condition of anonymity, looked at the reports on religious persecution of Christians overseas when asked about the term religious freedom.

“You look at other countries like North Korea and Iran and other countries, less so, even like maybe Turkey where you can’t be a pastor without getting jailed,” the attendee said. “Religious freedom is the ability to witness, to talk to others about your faith, to live your faith out.”

But when asked if religious freedom could also be an excuse for anti-LGBT discrimination, the attendee said individuals should be able to refuse service to LGBT people if it contradicts their faith.

“It’s freedom to worship God,” the attendee said. “Now, you can’t violate your belief. If you believe something is wrong, then you can’t do something the opposite, like Jack Phillips.”

Omar Navarr, another attendee and the Republican candidate running against Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in the congressional mid-term elections, had a different take on the concept of religious freedom and said it has a freedom of expression component.

“If you go to California, for example, if I go anywhere, try to express myself and my beliefs and my religious beliefs, I’ll be attacked and vilified for it,” Navarr said.

Navarr cited as an example of religious freedom under threat “being allowed to pray at a school because obviously that’s one of the things that the other side has cracked down on.”

“Tolerance is everything, and we have to make sure that we can have tolerance for religious freedom,” Navarr said. “I wasn’t so religious growing up or anything. I was actually a converted Christian, but at the same time, I believe that Christians should have the right to believe whatever they want to believe in as long they’re not pushing it so much into policy and stuff like that.”

Despite the presence of Phillips on stage at the Values Voter Summit, Navarr denied religious freedom formed a basis on which individuals could engage in anti-LGBT discrimination, saying, “I don’t see it in that.”

“There are different views that are out there,” Navarr said. “Like in anything, you’re going to have one side where they’re going to be discriminating against gays, and then, the other side that isn’t.

Most Christians are not going to be doing that, for the most part.”

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NEWS

Two gay men attacked by suspects shouting slurs CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The police report says one of the victims was knocked unconscious and was “bleeding profusely from the face.”

He was taken by ambulance to Howard University Hospital where he was treated for his injuries, the report says.

The second victim suffered less serious injuries to his face and head that didn’t require hospitalization, the report says.

The incident took place less than two blocks from the Third District Station located at 1620 V St., N.W. Officers responded to the scene of the attack within minutes after witnesses called 911 and after the suspects drove away, the police report says.

The victims, William Southern of Laurel, Md., and Robbie Barletta of D.C., identified themselves on social media postings in which they described what they called a harrowing experience. In a Facebook posting, Barletta said the attack occurred while they were walking home from an event near Dupont Circle organized by the Stonewall Kickball LGBT sports league.

The leader of the Stonewall sports league posted a separate message saying Southern and Barletta were wearing the sport group’s shirts that include the word “Stonewall” on them.

“Everything was and is a blur…but I cannot forget the confusion, fear, and sadness I felt in this moment,” Barletta wrote in his posting. “I was lucky to walk away with a huge headache and a black eye,” he wrote, adding that he and Southern plan to take positive action to draw attention to hate crimes.

“The four men and the lady brutally attacked myself and my friend,” Southern wrote in a posting on Instagram. “I was sent to the ER where I received stitches to pull my lip back together,” he said.

“But the moral of this story is not that it happened or for people to feel sorry for me. This is a statement,” he continued.

“I will never stop being gay. I will never feel ashamed of who I am,” he wrote.

“Most importantly, I will never let anyone around me feel like less of a person simply because of who they are!”

The police report says the incident began when Southern and Barletta, whom the report lists as Victim 1 and Victim 2, were walking on U Street, N.W. toward New Hampshire Avenue.

“As Victim 1 and Victim 2 entered the crosswalk an unknown vehicle almost collided with them while making a right turn from U St. onto New Hampshire Ave., N.W.,” the report says. “After the near miss, Victim 1 hit the vehicle with his open hands yelling at the driver, who drove away north on New Hampshire Ave.,” the report continues.

“Another vehicle, which was occupied

by Suspect 1 through Suspect 5, was also turning onto New Hampshire Ave. began yelling derogatory obscenities at Victim 1 and Victim 2,” the report says.

“Subsequently, the vehicle with the 5 unknown suspects stopped on New Hampshire Ave., and [the suspects] began assaulting Victim 1 and Victim 2.”

Parson told the Washington Blade that since the time the report was written investigators obtained new information from witnesses indicating that the first vehicle that nearly struck Southern and Barletta also stopped at the scene and some of the suspects may have been riding in that car.

“As far as the vehicles involved, there were two vehicles that we believe were present at the location from which the suspects exited,” Parson said. “And we do believe these vehicles were traveling together at the time of the assault.”

“We believe a total of five individuals were involved in this assault,” said Parson. “And by saying involved meaning they were either present or participated in the assault. And they are all adults,” he said. “One is described as a black female. The other four are described as black males. Unfortunately there is not a consistent clothing description I can provide at this time,” he said Parson said witness accounts indicate both of the vehicles were sedans, with one being red in color and the other black. “And unfortunately, we don’t have any consistency on make, model, or tag numbers,” he said.

The police report says the incident has been listed as a suspected anti-gay hate crime. It doesn’t say whether Barletta or Southern told police why they think the attackers perceived them as being gay or whether they thought the attackers recognized the name Stonewall on their shirts as a gay associated name. Barletta and Southern couldn’t immediately be reached by the Blade for comment.

The incident marks the sixth time since April 15 that one or more male suspects have attacked male victims in D.C. while shouting anti-gay slurs. However, the latest incident in which Southern and Barletta were attacked is the first such incident reported this year in which a woman was among the alleged attackers.

The first of the string of known D.C. assaults against gay men this year also involved two Stonewall Kickball league members. The two were attacked by three unidentified male assailants on April 15 at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and U Street, N.W. at about 12:30 a.m.

Tim Jucovy, the commissioner of D.C.’s Stonewall Kickball League, announced on a Facebook posting that he and other Stonewall members plan to organize a series of events and meetings to draw

attention to hate crimes, especially antiLGBT hate crimes.

“We are planning to hold an interactive discussion with experts in the areas of bias-related crime awareness, prevention, counseling, and support

BILLIE JEAN KING

from the National Center of Transgender Equality, the Police Department, and other organizations on Monday, Oct. 15,” he said in the announcement. He said details about the time and location would be announced soon.

PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Smithsonian honors Billie Jean King Tennis legend Billie Jean King was honored with the Smithsonian’s “Great Americans” medal at the National Museum of American History on Sept. 25.

King, who hails from Long Beach, Calif., received the medal“ for lifetime contributions that embody American ideals and ideas.”

In 1973, at the age of 29, King defeated then 55-year-old Bobby Riggs during the historic “Battle of the Sexes” match. The dress she wore at the match is part of the Smithsonian’s collection and is on display at the Bullock Museum in Austin, Texas.

King’s other achievements include winning 39 Grand Slam titles, receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 and being named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine.

She is the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, a non-profit aimed at making leadership more inclusive, and is co-founder of TeamTennis, a mixed-gender professional tennis league.

MARIAH COOPER

Charm Ball raises $240,000 for Chase Brexton Chase Brexton Health Care’s Charm Ball raised more than $240,000 to support its patients on Sept. 22. The event celebrated the community health center’s 40th anniversary.

More than 500 attendees came together at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. All funds raised support the Hope Lives Here Fund, which assists Chase Brexton patients with critical needs, the organization reported.

“It’s only fitting that our 40th anniversary year saw our most successful Charm Ball ever,” Becky Frank, Chase Brexton’s Vice President of Marketing and Development, said in a statement. “The generosity shown during this very special event will make an enormous impact in the lives of many of our patients.”

Honorees included the Baltimore City Health Department, which accepted the Community Partner Award, as well as former board members Joanne Kraus, who accepted the Lifetime Volunteer Award, and Franklin N. McNeil, Jr., who accepted the Legacy Award. Chase Brexton staff member Michael Shilling received the Dr. Ronald Taylor Award, given each year to a staff member who best exemplifies the mission of Chase Brexton Health Care.

STAFF REPORTS

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H E A L TH NEW S

S E PT E M B E R 28, 2018 • 17

Keep your promise to protect each other.

Suicide a problem for trans youth in Hawaii HONOLULU — Half of transgender youth who attend public schools in the islands say they’ve attempted suicide in the past year, according to a newly released state report, the first to focus on the health of Hawaii’s transgender youth, Hawaii News Now reports.

According to the study, three percent of Hawaii’s public high school students self-identify as transgender, which translates to about 1,260 teens. The Hawaii Sexual and Gender Minority Health Report 2018, published Monday, found that transgender youth face greater health disparities than their peers who identify as cisgender, Hawaii News Now reports.

This health disparity is greater than those for LGB youth.

The report also found that transgender youth are much more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, Hawaii News Now reports.

Transgender students who are victims of bullying or violence also face mental health issues, which increases the likelihood that they will turn to drugs and other risky health behaviors, the study found.

Additional significant findings reported by Hawaii News Now of the 2018 report include: • Only half of transgender youth report that they usually slept at their parent or guardian’s home during the last 30 days, compared to 94 percent of cisgender youth.

• Less than half of transgender youth saw a doctor or nurse for a checkup or physical exam in the past year, compared to two-thirds of cisgender youth.

HIV testing rates up in Australia NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia — Gay and bisexual men are getting tested and using medications to prevent HIV transmission more than ever, with University of New South Wales researchers recording an encouraging major shift towards new forms of prevention thanks to government-funded access programs, MedicalXpress reports.

Researchers at UNSW’s Centre for Social Research in Health say 92 percent of HIV-positive gay and bi men are taking antiretroviral treatment (ART) and achieving undetectable viral loads. The result is more than 90 percent of these men can no longer transmit HIV. This is a record high for the third year running, MedicalXpress reports.

The report finds the proportion of gay men with casual partners who reported using PrEP before sex increased from 1 percent in 2013 to 5 percent in 2016 and then to 16 percent in 2017, MedicalXpress reports.

Key findings from the Gay Community Periodic Surveys show that gay and bisexual men are taking a number of critical steps to negotiate relationships, sex and HIV risk in a changed prevention landscape. According to MedicalXpress, these measures include: • Frequent HIV testing: In 2017, over 40 percent of non-HIV-positive gay men had at least three tests within the previous year (one HIV test every four months on average).

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• ofm ed i a twill io • Lit iG a pm t iwednesday, o N • theaweek P Pofepublication.Brown a L S • C naff o Lpitts L a B o r at i o N the authors wrote in JAMA Pediatrics. theedate proof.

Revisions notN be accepted after 12:01 REVISIONS omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is MedPage Today said researchers examined data from the CDC Youth RiskREDESIGN Behavior responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or TEXT REVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any Survey from two large urban school districts in California and one in Florida.

A sevencopyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, point gender non-conformity scale was created based on students’ answers to “How or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE NO REVISIONS washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your cont do you think people at school would describe you?” and “What is your sex?” liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes but is n by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. and warranties.

In total, 6,082 students completed the optional survey, 2,919 (50 percent) of which were girls. The majority of students were Hispanic (55.1 percent), followed by nonHispanic black (19.1 percent) and non-Hispanic white (15.9 percent). Most teens FamiLY | eState PLaNNiNG | emPLoYmeNt | immiGratioN identified as heterosexual (87.6 percent), with 2.5 percent identifying as lesbian or ComPLeX LitiGatioN | CiviL riGHtS | LGBt | adoPtioN | BuSiNeSS gay, 4.6 percent as bisexual, and 4.3 percent as “not sure,” MedPage Today reports.

One in five students reported either moderate (11.9 percent) or high (8.4 percent) levels of gender non-conformity, with a higher prevalence of gender nonconformity found in lesbian or gay (41.7 percent) and bisexual students (15.7 at tor N e YS at L aw • d C | m d | va percent), the authors report. Additionally, more boys were classified as high gender non-conforming (13 percent) compared to girls (4 percent).

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IN S IDE L G B T W ASH I N G T O N

Writing about Trump is difficult Media narratives changing hourly as outrages continue

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

Writing about Trump and his administration is difficult to say the least because you don’t know where to start. He says one dumb and nasty thing after another and what he says often has no relationship to what he then does.

Just two weeks ago he said he instructed the Justice Department to immediately release a set of unredacted documents relating to the Russia investigation. Then on Friday he reversed himself according to the Wall Street Journal and said “he no longer planned to swiftly declassify and release sensitive documents related to the investigation into his campaign’s links to Russian election interference, instead sending the matter to the Justice Department’s internal watchdog for further investigation.”

Then, in a Friday tweet, Trump said the inspector general of the Justice Department would “review these documents on an expedited basis, backing away from a previously announced plan to make public a secret surveillance warrant and the text messages of top law-enforcement

officials.” Sunday on Meet the Press Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admitted our allies were upset over Trump’s plans to release certain documents. But then Trump has a history of befriending our enemies and fighting with our allies.

The current most crucial issue for all Americans is what will happen to the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. When the initial charges of sexual assault were made against Kavanaugh many were surprised Trump held his fire. He surprised everyone by first saying he believed the charges made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford should be looked at fairly and a short delay in the vote on Kavanaugh was OK. Then his true character emerged in a tweet a few days later when he returned to form and wrote, “I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!”

As usual he made the issue even more difficult for those who are his allies in Congress. The old white men in the Republican Party on the Judiciary committee were having a hard enough time with the issue, pretending to be fair and then led

by Mitch McConnell fell over themselves to suggest no matter what Dr. Ford had to say they would confirm Kavanaugh.

So when writing about Trump, especially in a weekly publication, one can never be sure what to write. It is hard enough for hourly and daily media to get it right. My

way of doing it is to always think Trump will do the worst possible thing and thus far in his two years in the presidency he hasn’t let me down. There are a number of things we can say about him knowing they won’t change. He is a certifiable, congenital liar who lacks any decency. He appears to not have the smarts to carry out his role as president of the United States.

Trump is blithely unaware of how outrageous his actions are and if he is aware he doesn’t give a damn. He is pitting people against each other and setting back decency and equality 100 years. With each new outrage he is slowly moving the country backwards on every issue. From civil rights, to LGBTQ+ rights, to minority rights, to women’s rights, to the environment he is efficiently removing safeguards and policy that protect both people and our earth.

Agency by agency his minions are destroying so much that is good and which will take us years to rebuild.

This week, the Senate will hear from Dr. Ford and it appears we have not moved forward one iota from October 1991 when Anita Hill sat in front of the Judiciary Committee to challenge Clarence Thomas. She was not given a fair hearing and it looks like Dr. Ford won’t get one either. Trump is on the sidelines cheering this on.

About the only good thing that came out of those hearings for Clarence Thomas, and at the expense of Anita Hill, were the many victories of Democratic women at the polls.

We must hope once again American women, and men, will be as outraged today as they were in 1991 and the result will be another “year of the woman” at the polls on Nov. 6.

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Yes, Sesame, it does matter whether Bert & Ernie are gay Workshop’s denials disappointing in era of marriage equality

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

I’m watching videos of the most fun male twosome. The two guys share a bedroom, watch each other take a bath, sit in each other’s lap, wear campy hats and break into song on a dime. They bake bread, fix cars, play doctor and solve mysteries. Like any couple, they enjoy being together, have each other’s back, but sometimes get on each other’s nerves.

What could be more queer?

Who is this charming duo? If you’ve been on social media recently, you’ll

know it’s Bert and Ernie, the inseparable Muppets from “Sesame Street.” Yet again, people are saying (horror of horrors!) that Bert and Ernie are gay. Not queer dudes hooking up on Grindr, but a couple, living together, doing everything from getting each other a drink of water to throwing a surprise party for one another.

For eons, there’s been buzz about Bert and Ernie being gay. As Vox reported, the Muppet duo had become symbols of the “homosexual agenda” to social conservatives in the 1990s. In 2011, a Change. org petition urged “Sesame Street” to have Bert and Erie get married. Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street,” nixed this idea. “They’re just best friends,” Sesame Workshop said, “they do not have a sexual orientation.”

The latest dust-up began after Queerty, a gay news and entertainment site, interviewed former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman. Queerty asked Saltzman, who is gay, “Were you thinking of Bert & Ernie as a gay couple?”

Saltzman was in a more than 20-year relationship with Arnold Glassman, who edited the renowned documentary “The Celluloid Closet.” (Glassman died in

2003.) “I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were,” Saltzman said.

“I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them,” he added, “The other thing was, more than one person referred to Arnie & I as ‘Bert & Ernie.’”

If Sesame Workshop had said nothing, I doubt that there would have been a Twitter storm. But Sesame Workshop reacted as if Saltzman had said the Muppet duo were having hot sex. They’re just “best friends” and, since they’re puppets, they have “no sexual orientation,” the Workshop said in a now deleted statement.

Later, Sesame Workshop put out another statement that further excluded LGBTQ folk. “‘Sesame Street’ has always stood for inclusion and acceptance,” the Workshop said, “It’s a place where people of all cultures and backgrounds are welcome.”

Saltzman told the New York Times that his comments were misinterpreted. “As a writer, you must bring what you know into your work,” he said, “somehow in the uproar, that turned into Bert and Ernie being gay,” he said.

He didn’t limit the Muppet duo to a speicific sexual orientation, Saltzman said,

adding that “Sesame Street” should have a same-sex human (but not Muppet) couple.

Yet, though saying the show shouldn’t have a queer Muppet couple, Saltzman said, “they are two guys who love each other.”

Frank Oz, one of Bert and Ernie’s creators Tweeted, “does it really matter?”

Mr. Oz, it does matter. Because children learn about the world through “Sesame Street” and other works of pop culture.

Watching Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy shows children what being a boyfriend and girlfriend means. Seeing Bert and Ernie as a loving, queer couple helps kids to see that there are loving, LGBTQ people.

Sesame Workshop seems to think that sex is the only component of queer relationships. As if everything from friendship, to feeding the dog to parenting kids aren’t also involved. This homophobic way of thinking in 2018 when marriage equality is legal in many countries is unworthy of Sesame Workshop, an organization that says it believes in inclusion.

Sesame Workshop, for decades you’ve helped kids learn to accept and love people who are different from them. Why not let children know Bert and Ernie as they really are – a loving, queer couple?

O UR B US I NES S MATTER S

Worker-ruled hearing sets stage for Initiative 77 repeal D.C. witnesses one of city’s largest local grassroots efforts in recent history

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

The first witness was gay. As was the last one, ending a marathon D.C. Council hearing at 3:21 a.m. the next day and more than 16 hours after it began.

Last week’s public hearing is said to have smashed previous records for both duration and number of participants, including the debate over marriage equality in 2009.

The Sept. 17 session was scheduled to allow public input on the “Tipped Wage Workers Fairness Amendment Act.” The bill, which would repeal Initiative 77, was introduced shortly after voters approved

the highly controversial June 19 primary election ballot measure by a relatively narrow competitive tally and the closest margin for a ballot measure in at least several decades.

The hearing was dominated by a seemingly infinite multitude of tipped workers backing the repeal bill, filling the Council chamber throughout the event while some left to work their shifts and return later to present oral statements limited to three minutes.

The pervasive pushback against Initiative 77 by local tipped workers has produced one of the city’s largest grassroots efforts ever. Council members have characterized as nearly unanimous the overwhelming preponderance of workers opposed. The effort has actively engaged thousands of tipped workers and a large percentage of the total tip-earning hospitality workers citywide.

The New York-based political group that sponsored the initiative, ROC-United, has never been able to assemble more than a handful of actual restaurant and bar employees who support outlawing the current tip wage system by eliminating the “tip credit,” which the initiative would do if enacted.

A number of LGBT tipped workers and hospitality professionals testified in sup-

port of the repeal bill. I also spoke in favor of repeal, as managing consultant for the NO2DC77 committee formed by nightlife workers, venue operators, and community supporters.

LGBT tipped worker Erica Christian, for example, challenged assertions by initiative proponents that worker opinion is divided across racial and gender lines.

“I’m black. I’m a woman. I’m queer. I’m a tipped employee,” she testified. “I paid my way through college working in this industry. I’ve only experienced tremendous access to upward mobility. … This industry has done nothing but uplift me.”

The repeal bill is co-sponsored by a seven-member majority of the Council, with a vote as early as next week. A total of 11 of the 13 members have opposed the initiative, along with Mayor Muriel Bowser and Attorney General Karl Racine.

District officials have determined by required payroll auditing that there are only a small number of hospitality tipped worker wage law infractions. D.C. Attorney General Racine says Initiative 77 “won’t improve our ability to enforce existing wage laws.”

There are few instances when the combined employer-paid hourly tip base wage, set to rise to a minimum of $5 in 2020, and customer tips do not exceed

the minimum wage, set to rise to $15, and commonly by a substantial amount.

When earnings infrequently fall below the minimum in a pay period, employers must pay the difference.

Worker concerns that tipping will decline if they receive the full minimum wage, reducing total earnings, and prompt staffing reductions or compel transition to an hourly-wage and serviceincluded model due to massive new employer wage costs, have resonated with Council members. Legislators also rebuke a central claim by initiative backers, pointing out the measure will do nothing to curb any instances of sexual harassment.

Both employees and employers are unified in opposing the initiative, each with economic stability or financial survival at stake, creating a conundrum perplexing liberal residents and confounding leftist groups.

Progressives have continued clinging to preconceived notions the mandate would benefit, and be supported by, workers.

Mayor Bowser confirmed this week she will sign the repeal bill if passed by the Council.

Workers are pressing legislators to get the job done. They are urging repeal by all Council members who opposed Initiative 77 to push the outsider group behind it out of town.

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Memorable and not so memorable

We asked some local LGBT folks about their adventures in home decor From staff reports Bruce Palmer Interior designer Rehoboth Beach, Del. What’s one of your favorite home decor finds that you got many years ago that still brings you joy?

So my favorite piece for probably 12 years has been this painting by Kamalky Laureano. It hangs at our beach house at the top of the stairs. I’m constantly walking by and still get pleasure every time I pass by. It’s such a conversation piece!

People often think it’s a photograph until they get close and examine it. It’s comprised of acrylic, oil and pastel on canvas.

It’s so life like and real. People often ask if it’s a portrait of me (blush — I wish).

What’s one item you thought you’d love but after a few years you were indifferent about?

I guess the one thing I thought would be amazing that everyone said I needed would be “Alexa.” Maybe I’m not using her correctly since she never understands me? Or I’m not using her to the fullest.

I guess this relationship just isn’t working out. However, she does do a nice job turning on the lamps.

Holly Goldmann D.C.-based trans activist What’s one of your favorite home decor finds that you got many years ago that still brings you joy?

My Richard Avedon photo of Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis. It was a gift from a friend. It was the first piece of real art I acquired and the first thing I had framed. I’ve got another original print of Candy Darling too. I’m not 100 percent sure of the photographer. I thought it was Ron Galella, but just Googled it. So now I’m not sure. I bought that from a shop in L.A. The picture of Holly Woodlawn is special, as we’d been friends when she was living.

What’s one item you thought you’d love but after a few years you were indifferent about?

A pink Missoni pouf. Oh did I want that.

And it was Missoni for Target. I really needed it. And ended up paying double on eBay. Then it ended up 75 percent off. Well I think it’s in storage. I got a Barbie Pink Jonathan Adler tray to go on it too, the tray is around. I’m just not sure what it’s under now. I’ve got an awful lot of books.

PHOTO COURTESY PALMER

Where do you like to shop for home decor items and what have you learned about your taste over the years in the process?

I still love shopping in New York City.

There is such an array of items, I can do one-stop shopping in a day. If I’m looking for vintage or antiques there are plenty of spots Uptown, Midtown and SoHo. If shopping for new items, I love the New York Design Center, Design and Decoration building, DDC collection and the Fine arts building. It has such a blend of periods, styles and inspiration. The city has such an amazing energy about it. If I’m local, I can’t pass up a Home Goods — you’re bound to find something! I suppose my taste has developed over the years. I started out much more traditional and classic, borderline Versailles almost. While I still appreciate the details and craftsmanship, my design aesthetic is much more pared down and transitional these days. I’ve realized that good design is almost everywhere if you can recognize it. The classics have created a background of inspiration while reinterpreting them for today’s standard of living.

PHOTO COURTESY GOLDMANN

Where do you like to shop for home decor items and what have you learned about your taste over the years in the process?

Now, I tend to make things or just repaint.

My apartment is so tiny, it’s more about space and storage. I like to sew, I made my curtains, headboard, bedding in the past.

I prefer unique things and mix prints like I

do when I get dressed. I think now it’s more about space and storage, than actual furniture pieces. I got rid of my sofa, then chaise and started painting everything pink. You can’t go wrong with shocking pink.

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Fun finds evoke joy, memories What’s one item you thought you’d love but after a few years you were indifferent about?

J. Michael McMahon D.C.-based clergy/musician What’s one of your favorite home decor finds that you got many years ago that still brings you joy?

My husband’s parents both immigrated to the United States from the Philippines before they met in Los Angeles and married there. When Ray Valido and I began to live together in 2010, I began to learn about many elements of Filipino culture that he had grown up with and continued to value. One of these customs is to display a large wooden fork and spoon on the wall of the dining room. For me it’s a great symbol of welcome and of the importance of shared meals as a way of celebrating and strengthening bonds among people. I love the way that the Filipino fork and spoon are displayed in our home right next to one of the two built-in china cabinets that we added to our dining room. Those units were designed and constructed by a French immigrant who specializes in building fine furniture. I find the juxtaposition of simplicity and fine design very appealing and inclusive.

If I had to single out one piece of home décor that I have tired of, it would be the futon in our recreation room. I had initially liked the idea of a piece of furniture that could function for seating or sleeping, but now I don’t think that it really is very comfortable for either.

Where do you like to shop for home decor items and what have you learned about your taste over the years in the process?

PHOTO COURTESY MCMAHON

I think of home decor as an organic process, adding a piece here and a piece there. Rather than relying on a particular vendor, I prefer to decorate with gifts that are particularly meaningful, engage a custom builder, shop around various furniture stores or seek out pieces of art that resonate with our taste and feel right in our home. I’ve learned that my taste leans toward pieces that are simple in design and create a feeling of warmth in our home.

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Sights and smells of autumn

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens has events scheduled throughout October.

PHOTO COURTESY HILLWOOD

Gardens, tours, workshops and more planned for coming months

By MARIAH COOPER Döner Bistro (50 Carroll Creek Way, Frederick, Md.) hosts its fifth annual Oktoberfest Oct. 5-7. On Oct. 5, there will be live music from Lost Lederhosen at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 is family day and features DJ Timo playing Oktoberfest hits and a performance from Los Lederhosen from 4-8 p.m. On Oct. 7, DJ Timo spins more Oktoberfest hits and traditional Bavarian music. Guests who arrive in lederhosen or dirndl will get a surprise. Admission is free. For more information, visit doenerusa.com.

Adams Morgan PorchFest is on18th Street N.W. on Oct. 6 from 2-6 p.m. Attendees can enjoy live music from porches, patios and stoops at homes throughout the Adams Morgan neighborhood.

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

American Plant hosts fall and Halloween events throughout October at its locations at 5258 River Rd., Bethesda, Md. and 7405 River Rd., Bethesda, Md. Its haunted houses are open starting Oct. 6. There will be pumpkin painting on weekends through Oct. 6-27. On Oct. 20, American Plant will screen “Monsters

Inc.” and on Oct. 27 it will screen “Monsters University.” There will be cider and popcorn at the movie screenings. American Plant also has plenty of Halloween decor for sale for inside and outside the home. For more information, visit americanplant.net.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens (4155 Linnean Ave., N.W.) has fall events throughout October. The estate holds garden tours on Oct. 9, 11-12, 16 and 18-19. Guests can get a closer look at Hillwood’s gardens and fall seasonal plantings. Spooky Pooch Howl-o-ween Celebration is on Oct. 27 from 2-4 p.m.

Guests can bring their dogs to Hillwood for a dog costume contest. There will also be champagne cocktails available for purchase at Yappy Hour. Adult tickets are $13 and children tickets are $5. Children under 6 years old are free. For details, visit hillwoodmuseum.org.

Rhode Island Main Street Fall Fest is on Rhode Island Avenue N.E. between 20th and 24th Streets on Oct. 6 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There will be vendors, food and an entertainment stage in the Rita’s parking lot (2318 Rhode Island Ave., N.E.). Pets welcome. Admission is free. For more information, search “Rhode Island Avenue Main Street Fall Fest 2018” on eventbrite.com.

Merrifield Garden Center offers a variety of fall-themed events and workshops at its locations in Falls Church, Va., Fairfax Va., and Gainesville, Va. There is a

fall wreath workshop on Oct. 7 at 1 p.m. at its Fairfax location. Participants can learn how to create fall wreaths from artificial blooms and materials. Admission is $40. There will be a Thanksgiving centerpiece workshop on Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. at its Fairfax location. For $60, participants can create a centerpiece using fruits, flowers and foliage. For a complete list of events and workshops, visit merrifieldgardencenter.com.

The Sugarloaf Crafts Festival is at Dulles Expo Center (4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va.) in the North and South Hall Oct. 12-14. More than 300 fine artists and craft designers will be selling decorative pottery, sculpture, glass, jewelry, furniture, home accessories and more.

There will also be gourmet foods, live music, live artist demonstrations and interactive children’s entertainment. For more information, visit sugarloafcrafts.com.

The Adams Morgan Apple Festival and Pie Contest is in the SunTrust Bank plaza (18th and Columbia Rd., N.W.) on Oct. 27 from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. The event will take place during the Adams Morgan Farmer’s Market. There will be heirloom apple tasting from Licking Creek Bend Farms and an apple pie baking contest with a judging panel of media personalities and culinary experts.

Pottery on the Hill Show & Sale returns to Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.) Nov.

2-4. The preview reception is on Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Attendees can get a first look at the work of the nation’s top ceramic artists. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 day of the event. The show & sale is on Nov. 3 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Nov. 4 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free. Featured artists include Richard Aerni,Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish of Bandana Pottery, Mary Barringer and more. For more details, visit hillcenterdc. org/artist/pottery-on-the-hill.

The D.C. Big Flea Antiques Market is at Dulles Expo Center (4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, Va.) in the South Hall on Nov. 3 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Nov. 4 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The largest indoor antiques and collectibles flea market in the mid-Atlantic will feature antiques, vintage clothing, handbags, porcelains, jewelry, artwork and more. Admission is $10 for adults. Children 12 and under are free.

Admission is good for both days. For more information, visit thebigfleamarket.com.

The Colonial Market & Fair is at Mount Vernon (3200 Mount Vernon Hwy., Mt Vernon, Va.) Nov. 10-11 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Nov. 12 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. The marketplace will be on Mount Vernon’s 12-acre field and will feature colonial artisans selling traditional food and items made from wood, metal and textiles.

There will also be colonial music and performers demonstrating 18th-century crafts. For details, visit mountvernon.org.

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OCTOBER 19, 20 & 21 BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY AT

fonz.org/boo

Join Friends of the National Zoo for Boo at the Zoo, sponsored by Mars Wrigley Confectionery. With more than 40 treat stations, animal demonstrations, jugglers and magicians, this frightfully fun evening is Washington D.C.’s favorite, not-so-spooky Halloween treat for the whole family. Best of all, it’s a great way to help us support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s mission to save species. $20 FONZ members / $30 non-members LEAD SPONSOR: MARS WRIGLEY CONFECTIONERY. Additional Sponsors: Big Bus Tours, BIG 100, Comcast, FedEx, GEICO, Groupon, HOT 99.5, HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH), metroPCS, 97.1 WASH-FM, 98.7 WMZQ, Washington Parent and The Washington Post.

Vibrant fall flowers

Merrifield

703-560-6222

Fair Oaks

703-968-9600

Gainesville 703-368-1919

Plant pictured: Coreopsis

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Sometimes the greatest act of love is letting go.

Weatherizing your home for colder weather is easier than you might think.

PHOTO COURTESY STATEPOINT

Weatherization myths debunked (StatePoint) — Weatherizing your home for each season can make it more comfortable, but how to do it can be confusing. Here are four common weatherizing myths busted to help get your home ready for cooler weather to come.

Myth 1: It doesn’t matter where your thermostat is placed.

Truth: Location, location, location! You may be spending more on heating and cooling than you need to be if your thermostat is in the wrong place. Placed in direct sunlight, you run the risk of getting false readings, as it can “think” the room is warmer than it actually feels, causing your air conditioner to turn on when it isn’t needed. Similarly, a thermostat placed near the kitchen often reads that the home is far warmer than it truly is due to the stove and oven. The best location is on an interior wall, centrally located and near areas where you spend the most time, ensuring these rooms are the most comfortable.

Myth 2: Closed curtains and blinds in cold weather prevent heat escape.

Truth: According to the Department of Energy, shades and drapes can reduce heat loss from a warm room by up to 10 percent. However, opening curtains and blinds during the day when direct sunlight hits can also allow for a warming effect. In winter, draperies should be closed at dusk but opened at dawn.

In addition, heat escape through windows can be prevented with window insulation products such as Duck brand Roll-On Window Kits, which create a barrier between outdoor air and a home’s interior, helping block drafts and air leaks.

It’s also a myth that these are hard to install: A pre-taped edge makes for easy roll-on application, requiring no measuring, while fitting snuggly to indoor window frames to provide an airtight, crystalclear seal.

Myth 3: It’s expensive to draft-proof your home.

Truth: Homeowners can actually save hundreds of dollars annually on heating and cooling costs with proper weatherization early in the season. How do you do it? There are many inexpensive, do-ityourself weatherization products that are easy on the wallet and easy to install, requiring minimal — if any — tools.

Windows and doors are the two largest draft sources in any home and should be top priorities for homeowners. Duck brand MAX Strength Silicone Weatherstrip Seals are quick to install and seal various size gaps around windows and doors that may be allowing air to escape.

Myth 4: It’s cheaper to keep your home at a constant temperature.

Truth: A common misconception is that it’s better to keep your home at a constant temperature, even when you’re not home. However, if the system runs less during the day, it uses less energy.

According to energy.gov, you can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat back 7-10 degrees from its normal setting for eight hours a day.

Still need more help? For additional tips and information, text “Weather” to 84444 to access Duck brand’s Project Selector, an online resource for project guides, instructional videos and more, or visit DuckBrand.com.

Don’t let common myths scare you. Weatherizing can be an affordable, easy do-it-yourself project — especially if you plan ahead.

Photo by Cade Martin.

Thermostat placement, when to open curtains can affect energy bill

La traviata

October 6–21 | Opera House Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, from the novel La dame aux Camélias

by Alexandre Dumas La traviata is a co-production of Washington National Opera, The Atlanta Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Seattle Opera, and Indiana University.

Kennedy-Center.org

Groups call (202) 416-8400

Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

Generous support for WNO Italian Opera is provided

by Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello.

(202) 467-4600

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO. WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

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

La traviata is a production of the Clarice Smith Opera Series.

Additional support for La traviata is provided by The Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts.

2 6 • S EPTE MB ER 28, 2018

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ARTS

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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GREG BERLANTI says there’s a point where his shows’ start to ‘take flight on their own.’

PHOTO COURTESY THE CW

The Berlanti touch TV/movie mogul known for CW hits, movie ‘Love, Simon’

By SUSAN HORNIK

Veteran gay producer Greg Berlanti has his hands full executive producing shows like The CW’s “Riverdale,” “Black Lightning” and NBC’s “Blindspot.”

Best known for his work as executive producer and co-creator of The CW’s “Arrow,” “The Flash,” DC’s “Legends of Tomorrow,” Berlanti has numerous upcoming projects, like the live-action version of DC Entertainment’s “Titans,” as well as “Doom Patrol,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” for Netflix and CBS Access’ “God Friended Me.” All of which which makes him one of the busiest guys in Hollywood. To have so many scripted series on air at the same

time is perhaps unprecedented. He also directed the recent hit movie “Love, Simon.”

The WGA, DGA and Golden Globenominated writer, director is executive producer/creator of Lifetime’s new psychological thriller, “You,” which has already been renewed for season two.

He also oversees the new CW series, “All American.”

During the “You” panel for the Television Critics Press Tour, a reporter joked that the critics were three years away from every other show on television being executive produced by Berlanti and his Warner Bros. Television-based production company.

When asked how he juggles his various commitments, Berlanti acknowledged it depended on each show.

“On this one, I read the book and was just transfixed. I read it in a night, night and a half. I passed it around to friends.

We were all reading it. The studio said, ‘Is this something you’d be interested in making? We know this is maybe darker than some of the things you’ve done in the past?’”

The veteran writer/director, who has worked on iconic shows like “Dawson’s Creek,” “Brothers & Sisters” and “Everwood,” has never worked on a thriller television series.

“I was intrigued to see if I could and I’d been wanting to work with (co-creator and executive producer) Sera Gamble.

We had sold the pilot at least once before. … This was just one that when we kind of got together and started pitching it out, I asked her if she’d let me write the script with her, just because I hadn’t written, cowritten anything like that ever.”

Berlanti tried to conserve a certain amount of story time, usually to the newer shows, to be in the writer’s room or giving notes on scripts.

“And then there is usually a moment CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

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Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R ST E V E H O N LE Y

S T EV E H O N L EY

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com In the late ‘90s, Whitman-Walker Health used to get donated remainder books from a wholesaler in New York. Because there were multiple copies of many titles, Bill Malone decided to start a gay men’s book club.

Bookmen — originally the Potomac Gay Men’s Book Group — started in May 1999. Current facilitator Steve Honley started attending in October 2000 and took the reins in May 2009.

Bookmen meets the first Wednesday of the month at Cleveland Park Library for book-length discussions and the third Wednesday of the month at the D.C. Center for discussions of shorter works (short stories, sections of anthologies, etc.). Members often have dinner after.

Membership is not required. About six-10 men attend each meeting. Full details at bookmendc.blogspot.com.

“Simply show up whenever your interests and schedule allow,” Honley says.

Honley, a 58-year-old Shreveport, La., native, is semi-retired as a musician/ editor/writer. He directs the music program at Beverley Hills Community United Methodist Church in Alexandria and was a U.S. diplomat from 19851997. He was also a founding member of GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies).

Honley came to Washington in 1981 for grad school. He’s in a relationship and lives in Waterfront in Southwest Washington.

Honley enjoys singing, playing piano and organ, composing and reading in his free time.

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

I’ve always known I was gay, but didn’t start coming out until I was 21 and arrived in D.C. The hardest person to tell was my mother, though she handled it better than I’d expected.

Who’s your LGBT hero?

Bayard Rustin

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

Mr. P’s

Describe your dream wedding.

I’d love to be married, but I’ve never spent much time or energy planning the ceremony.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?

Racial justice

What historical outcome would you change?

The 2000 presidential election. It’s impossible to know, of course, but I am convinced that we would have averted 9/11, the Great Recession and — above all — Donald Trump’s regime had Al Gore been inaugurated instead of George W. Bush.

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

The display of the AIDS Quilt on the Mall.

On what do you insist?

No tolerance for bullying.

What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?

None. I’m not on any social media.

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

“A Fugue in a Minor Key”

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

I wouldn’t be interested, but I feel all adults should be able to make that choice for themselves — just not for their kids.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

I’m a pretty conventional Christian except I believe we all get to some version of heaven eventually.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?

Leave no one behind.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

Honestly, nothing. I’m a wimp!

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?

The idea that gay men are superficial and hedonistic.

What’s your favorite LGBT movie?

“Trick”

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Treating married people as mere appendages of their spouse rather than equal partners.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

A MacArthur Genius grant.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That I would meet a wonderful guy and build a healthy relationship.

Why Washington?

So many reasons! It’s an international city, where most people are comfortable with diversity, including interracial relationships. And it’s small enough to be livable, but has an incredible amount going on culturally.

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This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com DANCE Culture Shock DC. Sep 29-Sep 30.

Dance Place. danceplace.org.

The Washington Ballet Welcomes.

Thru Sep 30. The Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center. washingtonballet.org

MUSIC

Lincolnesque Thru Oct 14. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com.

Leo has more on his plate than he can handle: he is a speechwriter in the final month of campaign for an endangered mediocre Congressman; his new boss Carla is a dominating message maven who has been brought in from the corporate world to try and save the campaign; and his brother Francis is a psychiatric outpatient recently released from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, despite having a powerful delusion that he is Abraham Lincoln.

The Washington Ballet Welcomes Thru Sep 30. The Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center. washingtonballet.org

The Washington Ballet welcomes internationally acclaimed guest artists Katherine Barkman (principal, Ballet Manila), Connor Walsh (principal, Houston Ballet), Stella Abrera (principal, ABT) and Marcelo Gomes (choreographer and former principal, ABT), to join our talented company on stage as they perform some of the most iconic ballets of the last 100+ years.

Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends Sep 28. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

Acclaimed actor Murray teams up with internationally renowned cellist Vogler for this fascinating program that showcases core American values in literature and music. Twain, Hemingway, Whitman, Cooper, Bernstein, Gershwin, and Foster were some of the strongest voices to influence generations in America and gave the world a picture of the charm, energy, and creative force of the New World.

Pass the Plate Pot Luck: A Cross-Cultural, Heritage-Inspired Dinner Event Oct 4. Woodlawn and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House. woodlawnpopeleighey.org.

Gather with us this October in our historic garden for a delightful and delicious dinner where everyone is welcome, featuring culinary foodways historian and cookbook author, Michael Twitty, as well as the artisans of our current art exhibit, Makers In The Mansion!

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEEGAN THEATRE

THEATRE Born Yesterday. Thru Oct 21. Ford’s Theatre. fords.org.

Como agua para Chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate). Thru Oct 7.

GALA Hispanic Theatre. galatheatre.org.

Gloria. Thru Sep 30. Woolly Mammoth. woollymammoth.net.

Guided Rehearsal: La traviata. Sep 30. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

If I Forget. Thru Sep 15. Studio Theatre. studiotheatre.org.

Marie and Rosetta. Thru Sep 30.

Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas.

mosaictheater.org.

Shear Madness. Thru Nov 25.

Kennedy Center. shearmadness.com.

Sigworks: Mermaid. Oct 1.

Heisenberg. Thru Nov 11. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

South Pacific. Thru Oct 7. Labour of Love. Thru Oct 28. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org.

The Klunch: How to Win a Race War. Thru Oct 20. DC Arts Center. dcartscenter.org.

The Pianist of Willesden Lane. Thru Sep 30. Theater J at Kennedy Center. theaterj.org.

6th Annual Day in the Park. Sep 30.

Washington Jewish Music Festival at Stead Park. wjmf.org.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show. Sep 30. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

Elena & los Fulanos. Sep 28. Washington Performing Arts at Dupont Underground. washingtonperformingarts.org.

Hill Center’s Annual Family Day + Concerts. Sep 30. Global Sounds on the Hill: Fendika from Addis Ababa.

Oct 2. Street Scenes: Amy Shook and the SR4tet. Oct 4. Hill Center. hillcenterdc.org.

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel. Sep 29. Chris Jones & The Night Drivers. Sep 29. Gourmet Symphony. Oct 2. Hylton Center. hyltoncenter.org.

Let it Flow. Sep 28. Cowboy Mouth.

Sep 30. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

Music of Love and Freedom by Cecily Bumbray. Sep 28. We Are Takoma at Takoma Park Community Center. takomaparkmd.gov.

National Philharmonic: On the Waterfront Film with Live Orchestra. Sep 29. National Philharmonic at Strathmore. nationalphilharmonic.org.

NSO: Noseda conducts Pictures from an Exhibition. Thru Sep 29.

Renée Fleming VOICES: Christopher Jackson. Sep 29. WNO: 2018 Marian Anderson Vocal Award Winner: Ryan Speedo Green in Concert. Oct 4. Tchaikovsky’s Fifth & Ax plays Mozart. Oct 4-Oct 6. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Opera NOVA Annual Brunch. Sep 30.

Opera NOVA at Washington Golf and Country Club. operanova.org.

So Fetch. Sep 30. The Alden at McLean Central Park. mcleancenter.org.

The Manhattan Transfer. Sep 29.

Mason’s Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.

Urban Arias: The Last American Hammer. Thru Sep 29. UrbanArias at Atlas. urbanarias.org.

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

Library of Congress. Drawn to Purpose. Thru Oct 20. Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I. Thru Jan 1. Baseball Americana. Thru Jun 29. loc.gov.

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

National Gallery of Art. Corot Women. Thru Dec 31. Sense of Humor.

Thru Jan 6. Rachel Whiteread. Thru Jan 13. nga.gov.

National Geographic. Tomb of Christ.

Thru Jan 2. Titanic: The Untold Story.

Thru Jan 6. nglive.org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts. Full Bleed: A Decade of Photobooks and Photo Zines by Women. Thru Nov 30. nmwa.org.

Smithsonian Anacostia Museum.

Your Community, Your Story: Celebrating Five Decades Of The Anacostia Community Museum, 19672017. anacostia.si.edu.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. Silhouettes Then and Now. Thru 3/10. Champions. Thru May 19. npg.si.edu.

Postal Museum. Alexander Hamilton: Soldier, Secretary, Icon. Thru Mar 3. postalmuseum.si.edu.

GALLERIES DC Arts Center. Queer(ing) Pleasure.

Thru Oct 14. A light white, a disgrace.

Thru Dec 9. dcartscenter.org.

Del Ray Artisans. National Ceramic Show. Thru Sep 30. delrayartisans.org.

District Architecture Center. Unbuilt Washington. Thru Oct 26. aiadac.com.

Dupont Underground. Sketchedspace Presents: Akinola Davies Jr. Thru Oct 21. dupontunderground.org. gallery neptune & brown. Blue Chip: Printmaking Masters. Thru Oct 14. galleryneptunebrown.com.

Gallery Underground. Land and Sea, Barry Barnett Keith. Thru Sep 28. Vienna Gold: Inspired by Klimt Art Exhibition.

Oct 1-Oct 26. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

Glen Echo Park. Emerge: Sally MacGeorge. Thru Sep 29. Pursuit of Color: Gonzalo Ruiz Navarro. Thru Sep 30. Vessels From Our Trees. Thru Sep 30. glenechopark.org.

Goethe-Institut. Astrid Riecken: Samantha Series. Thru Oct 31. goethe.de.

Korean Cultural Center DC. Inner Monologue. Thru Sep 29. koreaculturedc.org.

Lee Arts Center. Coastal Tales. Thru Sep 29. arlingtonarts.org.

Montpelier Arts Center. Steven Williams. Thru Sep 30. Abstract Perspectives. Thru Oct 28. pgparks.com.

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6508 GREENTREE Rd BETHESDA, MD 20817 $1,148,000 Current owner has invested more than $170,000 in quality upgrades. Offered $209,000 below assessed value...

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$1,045,000 Well Appointed, Light Filled 2,000 sq ft condominium with two balconies and Rosslyn plus Key Bridge/Georgetown views. Totally Above Grade. Steps to Rosslyn METRO. Walk to Georgetown, Rosslyn Restaurants, Amenities, and Trails. Street Parking is Zoned. Guest Passes. Offered at assessment. Offers invited.

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4232 Embassy Park Dr NW Washington, DC 20016 $815,000 Light-filled, well-appointed townhome convenient to American University. Renovated Kitchen, Replaced windows and doors, Numerous updates throughout.

Move-in condition. Pool, Tennis, and just steps to restaurants, shops & public transport. Near Park/Trails.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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O U T & A BO U T

By MARIAH COOPER

PHOTO COURTESY THE ANTHEM

Pink Martini returns to region WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Chefs for Equality is Oct. 9 The seventh annual Chefs for Equality takes place at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

Chefs for Equality, which benefits the HRC Foundation, will feature D.C.-area chefs and mixologists at tasting and drink stations. Ten personal chef tables will also be available for guests to enjoy five-course meals. The pre-reception kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The live auction followed by desserts will be at 8:30 p.m. The after party is at Barcelona Wine Bar Cathedral Heights (3310 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) at 10 p.m. Tickets are $200.

For more details, visit chefsforequality.org.

Pink Martini and special guest Ari Shapiro perform at The Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m.

Formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale (who’s gay), Pink Martini is known for its genre-bending songs that span classical music, classic pop, Latin music and jazz. China Forbes will be the lead singer for this performance.

Gay radio journalist Shapiro, known for hosting NPR’s “All Things Considered,” has been a regular guest with Pink Martini since 2009. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $35-95.

Visit theanthemdc.com for more details.

Baltimore Black Pride is next weekend

PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSAL

Troye Sivan ready to ‘Bloom’ Troye Sivan brings his “Bloom” tour to the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Sivan’s tour promotes his latest album “Bloom” which includes the singles “My, My My!” and “Dance to This” featuring Ariana Grande. Pop singer Kim Petras, who is transgender, and musician Leland will open the show. Tickets range from $48.50-168.50. Doors open at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit theanthemdc.com.

The Center for Black Equity hosts Baltimore Black Pride Oct. 5-7.

The Community Opening Celebration is at the Downtown Radisson Hotel (101 W Fayette St., Baltimore) on Friday, Oct. 5 from 7:30-11:30 p.m. Guests are invited to dance and network. DJ Rosie will play music. Light refreshments will be provided. FreeState Justice will have a legal and gender clinic and voter registration.

Healing Black LGBTQ Trauma: Health, Agency and Love: a Brunch is at Jacques Journey Center (880 Park Ave., Baltimore) on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The brunch will feature a discussion on how to heal individual and collective traumas connecting to race, gender and sexual identity. RSVP is required.

The Baltimore Black Pride Community Gala is also on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 7:3011:30 p.m. at the Downtown Radisson Hotel. Local leaders will be honored for their work within the community.

Sunday Family Fun Day is at the GLCCB (2530 N Charles St., Baltimore) on Sunday, Oct. 7 from noon-3:30 p.m. Black LGBT families are invited to bring children for games, face painting, grilling and other activities.

For more information, visit cbebaltimore.org.

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GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON 2018/2019 SEASON N SE EW AS T H O IS N!

The Manhattan Transfer

Featuring the American Festival Pops Orchestra Saturday, September 29 at 8:30 p.m.

This performance is part of the ARTS by George! benefit.

Family Series

Virginia Opera

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.

Saturday, October 6 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, October 7 at 2 p.m.

Aga-Boom

Street Scene

TICKETS ON SALE NOW! 703-993-2787 OR CFA.GMU.EDU

SE CF AS A’ O S1 N 8 BE /1 GI 9 NS !

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Saturday, October 13 at 8 p.m.

Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit 54, at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 4 • S EPTE MB ER 28, 2018

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 D.C. Bear Crue hosts Bear Happy Hour at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) today from 5-10 p.m. There will be drink specials and free appetizers handed out throughout the night. For more details, visit facebook. com/bearhappyhour.

JR.’s Bar (1519 17th St., N.W.) hosts Movie Soundtrack Night tonight from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. DJ Darryl Strickland will play popular songs from movie soundtracks.

Drink specials include $4 Skyy vodka drinks and $3 Miller Lite drafts. For more information, visit facebook.com/jrsbardc.

Reel Affirmations presents a screening of the documentary “Man Made” at Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. “Man Made” follows four FTM transgender men who are competing at FitCon, the only alltransgender body building competition.

Rayceen Pendarvis hosts the screening.

General admission tickets are $12. VIP tickets are $25 and include VIP seating, one complimentary cocktail, beer or wine and movie candy or popcorn. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/manmade.

UrbanArias presents “The Last American Hammer” at Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., N.E.) tonight at 8 p.m. The opera tells the story of a conspiracy-theorist YouTuber hiding out from the FBI in the basement of a Toby Jug Museum. Elizabeth Futral, Timothy Mix and Briana Elyse Hunter star. General admission tickets are $45. Student tickets are $25. For more information, visit facebook.com/urbanarias.

Gamma D.C., a support group for men in mixed-orientation relationships, meets at Luther Place Memorial Church (1226 Vermont Ave., N.W.) today 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.

Queer Girl Move Night hosts a screening of “Lengua Materna” at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m.

For more details, visit facebook.com/ queergrrlmovienight.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 Taqueria del Barrio (821 Upshur St., N.W.) hosts drag brunch today at noon. Kristina Kelly hosts the show. Each show features new drag performers. Admission is $25 and includes one brunch entree and one brunch cocktail. Call 202-723-0200 or email dragbrunch@taqueriadelbarrio.com. to RSVP. Puff, Pass & Paint holds a two-hour painting class tonight at 7:30 p.m. The class includes an instructor and art supplies. Guests are allowed to BYOC and

PHOTO COURTESY ROADSIDE ENTERTAINMENT

A scene from ‘Man Made,’ which screens tonight at Reel Affirmations.

BYOB. The location will be disclosed upon registration. Tickets are $49. For more details, visit puffpassandpaint.com.

Sweat D.C. hosts Sweat Fest 2018 at Banneker Rec Center (2500 Georgia Ave., N.W.) today from 10 a.m.-noon. There will be vendors, contests, prize giveaways and music. The day starts with a one-hour HIIT training working led by the coaches of Sweat D.C. followed by a workout with a yoga-infused cool down. Afterwards, there will be an after-party featuring a DJ, food, alcoholic beverages and dancing for existing members and new sign-ups at Sweat D.C. (3232 Georgia Ave., N.W.) from 12:15-3:15 p.m. Admission is free.

Register at sweatdc.com.

Art All Night, a free overnight arts festival, is at in various locations throughout D.C. tonight from 7 p.m.3 a.m. Participating neighborhoods include Congress Heights, North Capitol, Deanwood Heights, Minnesota Avenue, H Street, Dupont Circle, Shawn and Tenleytown. There will be painting, photography, sculpture, crafts, fashion, music, dance and more. Admission is free. For a complete list of exhibits and shows, visit artallnightdc.com.

The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Gay Couture All Night: a Tribute to Marvin Gaye tonight from 7 p.m.-3 a.m.

Performers include Shi-Queeta-Lee, Sylvanna Duvel, Marcus B. Lee, Lillian Laurent and

more. DJ C Dubz and Jim Byers will spin tracks. There will also be fire performers, capoeira, a glam photo shoot, glow dance, a mambo dance show and body painting. For more details, visit facebook.com/eagledc.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 Christina Aguilera performs at MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) tonight at 8 p.m.

Tickets range from $131-180. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

MONDAY, OCT. 1 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W..) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

TUESDAY, OCT. 2 Republic (6939 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, Md.) hosts Alegre Happy Hour, an LGBT happy hour, from 5-7 p.m. For more information, visit republictakoma.com.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3 Taqueria del Barrio (821 Upshur

St., N.W.) has drag bingo tonight at 7 p.m. Krystal Edge and a rotating team of drag performers host the game. Entry fee is $5 and includes two bingo cards. For more details, visit taqueriadelbarrio.com.

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

Job Club presents A Foot in the Door: Crafting Compelling Resumes at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) today at 6 p.m. The 90-minute workshop will focus on writing resumes that will capture recruiters’ attention. For more details, visit thedccenter.org.

THURSDAY, OCT. 4 Asian Pacific Islander Queer Support Group is at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The group is co-sponsored by the Asian Pacific Islander Queer Society D.C. and the Asian Queers United for Action. For details, visit thedccenter.org.

Dan Savage’s Hump Film Festival, an amateur short porn film festival, is at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. The festival will revisit the best of Hump films from 2008-2017. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit blackcatdc.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T H E A TER

SE P T E MBE R 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 5

Kahn protégé shines doing Shakespeare Director Alan Paul enjoying frothy romp ‘The Comedy of Errors’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD Director Alan Paul came out at just 15.

He was the last of his group at performing arts camp to come clean on his sexuality.

The rest had all come out at about 12, he says. Paul felt quite left behind. Certainly he’s never been behind professionally.

At 25, Paul was named Shakespeare Theatre Company associate artistic director under the auspices of legendary STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn.

Now 34, Paul boasts an impressive CV crammed with work on classics, opera and musicals. He’s been nominated for several Helen Hayes Awards for directing and won for STC’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” His more recent production of “Camelot” has broken STC box office records.

Growing up in nearby Potomac, Md., Paul made frequent trips to New York to see Broadway musicals. He loved “Sunset Boulevard” with Glenn Close as Norma Desmond but was verily obsessed with the London cast recording featuring Patti LuPone as the reclusive silent film star.

From an early age, Paul longed to be a part of the theater world and struck up correspondences with many Broadway professionals. After graduating from Northwestern University where he was in the musical theater program, Paul returned to his hometown to pursue a career in earnest. He splits his time between Washington and New York where he’s often called to meet with designers and audition actors.

Currently, Paul is staging STC’s production of Shakespeare’s early work “The Comedy of Errors,” a farce jampacked with slapstick and mistaken identity revolving around two sets of identical twins. A twin himself, Paul felt instantly at home with the work’s situations and possibilities.

Recently he took a break from tech week to talk about his latest directorial effort and other things.

WASHINGTON BLADE: I read that you wanted to plumb the work for its romantic and elegant elements. True?

ALAN PAUL: Those were early words.

When you see the fart jokes you won’t think elegance. It’s a difficult play because it has to be funny but it also has to be about real people. The characters are searching for lost loved ones. The premise is deep.

The comedy of it is what happens in the course of this crazy 24 hours. But there is elegance in the physical production. I wanted a mostly black-and-white set and

PHOTO BY EVAN CAPLAN

ALAN PAUL says a ‘60s Greek aesthetic has informed much of his work.

costumes. I’m inspired by films from the early ‘60s like the Greek romantic comedy “Never on a Sunday” starring Melina Mercouri.

BLADE: Is it wrong to associate you primarily with musicals?

PAUL: I’ve directed many plays but musicals have been the most visible thing I’ve done. I love both. It’s fun to jump back and forth. In addition to Michael (Kahn), my heroes include Jack O’Brien.

He directed “Hairspray” and “Henry IV” on Broadway in the same year. And Michael Blakemore who on the same night won Tony Awards for directing a play and a musical, “Copenhagen” and a revival of “Kiss Me, Kate,” respectively. People mistakenly think a director of musicals can’t be serious or real. Or a play director can’t be fun. I try really hard to play both sides of that. For “The Comedy of Errors,” we’re including some original music. It’s about creating that ‘60s Greek feeling.

Also, the cast includes Eleasha Gamble who plays the courtesan and owner of the Porcupine Club. How could I not give her a song?

BLADE: You’re a twin. Has that been your way into “The Comedy of Errors”?

PAUL: Yes, I have a twin sister. For me, I understand the bond with my sister. The bond is different from what I have with anyone else. We share a sense of humor.

If you looked at our text messages you’d have no idea what it means but we think it’s hilarious. Twins figure into so many of Shakespeare’s plays. I think Shakespeare had twins and one of them died. This play, and “Twelfth Night” especially, is about needing to find your other half. Shakespeare had a fantasy of family coming back together that never happened. I believe it comes from an extraordinary sense of loss.

BLADE: How did you go about casting twins?

BLADE: Last season you broke Shakespeare Theatre Company sales record with your production of “Camelot.”

How do you explain that?

PAUL: The election. I’d been uncertain about doing “Camelot.” People love the music but not so much the book. But when Hillary Clinton lost the election, I couldn’t help but wonder what Obama was thinking about his legacy. That’s what King Arthur goes through at the end of the play. When the Round table is cracked he says that barbarism is the natural state of man. Then at the end of the scene he meets the kid and his spirit is revived.

I thought that’s the story Washington needed to hear. And I was right.

PHOTO COURTESY STC

PAUL: I’ve cast two sets of twins who look nothing alike. Put the same hat on them and who cares? We get it.

BLADE: Tell me about how Michael Kahn hired you.

PAUL: It was over drinks at Playbill Café. I miss that place so much. Not a big deal for him, but life changing for me.

BLADE: This is Michael Kahn’s last season at STC. What has he taught you?

PAUL: He pushed me very hard when I was very young to run the department.

He gave me a lot of responsibility and expected me to know what I was doing. I figured out how to do it and I think that he gave me a lot of confidence early on. Also, I will take away his incredibly high standards.

He won’t let anything go that does meet a certain standard. And I have that myself. An internal GPS that says “not good enough.”

BLADE: Will you work under Kahn’s appointed successor, Simon Godwin?

PAUL: That’s an ongoing conversation. I like him and am excited to see what he’ll do.

BLADE: Was directing The Comedy of Errors your choice?

PAUL: STC wasn’t doing a musical this season so I knew I’d do a play. I really wanted to do Shakespeare so Michael and I talked about a lot of different titles.

Comedies to dramas. We hadn’t done this one in a long time. I thought it was a great way to open the season and I wanted to assemble a group of funny people that the audience would know. It’s always fun to have artists on stage together who have contributed to the success of STC. People like Tom Story, Nancy Robinette, Ted van Griethuysen, Sarah Marshall.

BLADE: And don’t forget Veanne Cox as Adriana.

PAUL: Yes, wait until you see her arguing with a parrot. She has a pet bird that talks to her.

BLADE: There are so many shows opening right about now. Why see “The Comedy of Errors”?

PAUL: Well, it’s short — 95 actionpacked minutes. Nobody wants to see a really long play. With this production, you’re out in time to get drinks or supper.

Also, it’s funny. In these times of the stressful news cycle, I want to give people some entertainment and joy.

BLADE: Tell me about your childhood letter writing.

PAUL: Yes, I have a whole book of correspondence, about one hundred letters.

I started writing letter c/o the stage door when I was a kid. I wrote stage managers, a dance captain and actors like George Hearn.

I have letters from Audra McDonald before she was famous. Bob Mackie wrote me. I wanted to know how things worked.

BLADE: How does being gay figure into your work?

PAUL: Freedom to have fun with sexuality. Someone in the show accused me of trying to make this into a John Waters’ movie. I said that’s a good thing.

There’s lots of drag. Sarah Marshall plays a man, Dr. Pinch. Three men double as female characters.

BLADE Any directorial projects you’re itching to tackle?

PAUL Yes, two musical and a play. In keeping with my Greek ‘60s film thing, I’d like to do the musical “Zorba.” And another is “Golden Boy,” the musical based the Clifford Odets play about a young man from Harlem who pursues prizefighting despite his family’s objections. It needs a little doctoring, but I think that would make a wonderful Broadway revival. And the play is “Teenage Dick.” It’s got a provocative title but it’s actually a version of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” set in an American high school.

It played at the Public Theater in New York this summer. Please someone in Washington let me do this. It will be a huge hit in this town, I’m certain.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

36 • S E PT E M B E R 28, 20 1 8

Opera in the Outfield

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The Barber of Seville FREE BROADCAST at Nationals Park

KRISTEN STEWART and CHLOE SEVIGNY in ‘Lizzie.’

PRIZES! MUSIC! FUN! Gates open at 5 p.m. for pre-opera activities.

More information at OperaInTheOutfield.org

Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO.

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WNO acknowledges the longstanding generosity of Life Chairman Mrs. Eugene B. Casey.

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PHOTO COURTESY SABAN FILMS AND ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

‘Lizzie’ reimagined Brooding film puts lesbian romance at the heart of famous murder

By JOHN PAUL KING

Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 7 p.m.

F I LM

Even though the crime of which she was accused took place more than a century ago, the name Lizzie Borden still looms large in the American consciousness.

For those unfamiliar with the details, her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, were brutally murdered with an axe in their Fall River, Mass., house on the morning of Aug. 4, 1892. At the time of the killings, both Lizzie and the household maid, Bridget “Maggie” Sullivan, were at home, but claimed to have seen or heard nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually, Lizzie was arrested and charged with the murders. After a sensational trial that dominated news headlines across America, she was found innocent by the jury, but has been widely assumed to have been guilty ever since.

Of the countless fictional renderings that have been inspired by this legendary true-crime story, the latest is the simply titled film, “Lizzie,” a dream project of its star, Chloë Sevigny. In development for years, it was slated to be realized as an HBO miniseries until a rival production on the same subject caused the network to pull the plug. Undeterred, Sevigny and her writer, Bryce Kass, bought back the rights and proceeded with production of a feature film instead.

Directed by Craig William Macneill, it stars Sevigny as Lizzie, presented here as a strong-willed and independent woman who chafes at the repression she must endure in the home of her wealthy, mean-spirited father and his cold, callous second wife. When the Bordens hire pretty young Bridget (Kristen Stewart) as their new maid, the lonely Lizzie senses a kindred spirit, turning to her for kindness and comfort. The two women begin a clandestine friendship which deepens into something more, even

as the oppressive environment of the household pushes Lizzie ever closer to a breaking point.

Lizzie Borden’s sexuality has long been the subject of speculation — she never married despite the wealth she inherited from her father — but Kass’ screenplay is the first time this possibility has been explored within the context of her alleged crime. It’s a potent addition to the story, but though it plays a part in the way “Lizzie” changes our perspective on these brutal murders, it doesn’t provide an explanation for them. The movie does not take the sensationalist stance of suggesting that a lesbian affair was the real motive behind this notorious crime; the explanation it offers comes from a feminist sensibility that runs much deeper than sexual orientation.

Lizzie and Bridget — along with all the other women of the late 19th-century world in which they live — are denied agency over their own lives by the whims of a male-centric social structure that deems them as lesser beings, or worse, as possessions. In this light, the murder of the elder Bordens looks like an act of revolution, a blow for freedom struck by a de-facto slave with nothing left to lose and everything to gain.

Kass’ screenplay is able to bring these ideas to the forefront without forcing them, partly because historical record is on his side in reinforcing the idea of masculine autocracy in the Borden household.

Andrew Borden is welldocumented to have been a spiteful and parsimonious dictator who ruled his little empire with an iron fist and a stubborn will. Still, it’s not so much that “Lizzie” presents him as a tyrant begging for a fall — although it does — as that it places its emphasis on the slow, cumulative effect of his bullying upon his daughter.

We bear witness to a proverbial “death by a thousand cuts” as a smart and selfaware woman, burning for autonomy, is subjected to one humiliation after another, and this century-old piece of history is reframed as an apt and timely fable for the #TimesUp era.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BOOKS

S E PT E M B E R 28, 2018 • 37

琀栀攀

Gender revolution Author Ann Travers presents findings in thoughtful, compelling book

一䄀䬀䔀䐀 夀伀䜀䄀 䴀漀渀搀愀礀猀 ☀ 眀攀搀渀攀猀搀愀礀猀

㘀㨀㌀ 倀䴀

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

Boy or girl?

That’s a common enough question if you’re an expectant parent. You might’ve even wondered it yourself: will you need pink things or blue, and what name will you choose? For generations, it’s been an exciting decision for prospective parents, but Ann Travers asks in “The Trans Generation” if it’s a prudent one. Maybe letting the child decide would be a better choice.

Fifty-six years ago, when Travers was born, their mother’s doctor unwittingly caused a lifetime of hurt. “It’s a girl,” he said, and Travers spent years trying to “untangle” what it meant. That, they said, is part of what drives this book. The other part is the desire to improve the lives of trans kids through understanding.

Getting to that point is harrowing: Ninety-five percent of transgender kids on one study felt unsafe in their schools. Many report that physicians misunderstand kids who are gender-nonconforming. Trans kids attempt suicide and/or self-harm at very high rates and, Travers says, “Many grow up hating their bodies.” Most employ several kinds of coping mechanisms to live their lives.

In writing this book, Travers says, they interviewed a wide variety of trans kids from the U.S. and Canada — 19 in all, ages 4-20, plus 23 parents. The children mostly came from middle-class families, which allowed them privileges such as better access to medical care and chances to change schools if they needed to do so. Other children Travers interviewed lived in poverty, their stories illustrating how being a trans kid can be socially and medically isolating, and how lack of access to needed resources can affect their well-being.

Parents, of course, can affect that wellbeing, too, but it takes a “phenomenal amount of care, advocacy and activism … to push back against cisgendered environments,” schools, sports, binaryonly bathrooms, social activities, medical facilities and politics. It takes a willingness

㠀 愀洀 ⴀ 洀椀搀渀椀最栀琀

猀愀 琀甀爀搀愀 礀猀 最爀愀戀 愀 ␀㔀 漀昀昀 挀愀爀搀 愀琀 吀刀䄀䐀䔀 PHOTO COURTESY NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

to learn, listen and lean in.

Not just for parents, but for teachers, advocates and loved ones, “The Trans Generation” is one heavy-duty book.

Writing with a bit of a scholar’s voice and occasional, relatively advanced, science and law studies, Travers also offers readers plenty of eye-opening chats with trans kids, which turn out to be the most helpful, useful and even entertaining parts of this book. From the mouths of babes, as they say, those interviews give insights that adults will find to be wise and thoughtful, even monumental. They’re also heartbreaking but considering the kids readers are introduced to, and the singular interview with a 16-year-old who made her own hormone treatments in her high school’s laboratory, they’re a good indication of hope for the future.

While you could be forgiven for skipping to those case studies, you’d be missing out. The thicker parts of “The Trans Generation” are worth reading and reflection and are deeply instructive on pronouns, on gender fluidity and on being trans in a cisgender-based society.

They are also serious and weighty but that kind of rock-solid information could make this book the right choice.

‘THE TRANS GENERATION: HOW TRANS KIDS (AND THEIR PARENTS) ARE CREATING A GENDER REVOLUTION’

By Ann Travers New York University Press $25 261 pages

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 8 • S EPTE MB ER 28, 2018

P H O T O S BY MI CH A E L KE Y

Whitman-Walker Health celebrated its 40th anniversary at a gala at the Marriott Marquis on Sept. 22.

Performer Rayceen Pendarvis, actress Holly Twyford and NBC4’s Chuck Bell served as emcees of the event.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

D I N I NG

S E PT E M B E R 28, 2018 • 39

Mezcal evangelist Espita Mezcaleria co-founder passionate about off-thebeaten-path cocktails

By EVAN CAPLAN Authentic, but not traditional. Inspired, but not conformist. Innovative and leaning in: this is Espita Mezcaleria (1250 9th St., N.W.), your unconventional Mexican restaurant.

Lauded with 2.5 stars by the Washington Post along with a recent review that critic Tom Sietsema would return “on his own dime 4 sure,” plus an invite to cook at the James Beard Foundation House, means that the restaurant is being sent even higher on the ever-crowded list of must-visit D.C. dining destinations.

Yet central to Espita’s approach is that the restaurant is concerned just as much about its people as it is about its food and mezcal, which is saying a great deal.

So who are they? Meet partner and assistant General Manager Ace Karchem, a fourth-generation Jewish Washingtonian and gay resident of the U Street Corridor (his grandparents owned a small corner store where Uproar now sits).

Fresh out of college during the great recession, Karchem’s first restaurant job was at Uncle Julio’s in Bethesda in 2009, a logical place for someone interested in the food industry and with Argentine roots.

Soon after, as a graduate student at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, he met future business partner and Espita Mezcaleria co-founder Josh Phillips. Fast forward and when Phillips reached out about Karchem joining the Espita team in 2015, Karchem knew he’d found his calling.

While Phillips has become a mezcal evangelist, stocking his bar with upwards of 100 small-batch options, and as new Executive Chef Robert Aikens is breaking the mold of what is seen as Mexican food (see: beet steak layered over requesón cheese, sprinkled with ancho-chile-spiced granola), Karchem relishes his front of house and office-manager roles.

Though he demurs in claiming he plays the “least sexy role in the restaurant,” it wouldn’t function without him. Karchem, the only native Spanish-speaking partner, acts as translator. He trains the servers, hosts and chefs, and ensures that Espita stays true to its mission of representing the cuisine of Oaxaca and its spirit of openness and creativity, including empowering its staff.

During the 2016 Pride season, Espita served a drink called the People of the Clouds, a light, charming mezcal cocktail made misty from stirred jicama, lemon and lavender, and topped with bright-pink jicama sticks.

Proceeds from the cocktail were donated to the Trevor Project. Why? A server at the time was a volunteer for the organization, and Karchem decided to elevate that to have the

PHOTO BY EVAN CAPLAN

The 1979 cocktail at Espita Mezcaleria.

restaurant support him and the organization.

Espita also took part in Pride by serving El Buho brand-sponsored mezcal drinks at the VIDA Pool Club party.

Finally, the restaurant certainly understands its customer base, too.

Given its location in Shaw, the clientele is quite diverse, including a number of gay customers. One continuing concern of his, however, is a perceived conservatism among the community in sampling new drinks: gay customers are often hesitant to leave the vodka-soda rut, even in this temple to mezcal. Mezcal is still a fairly clear spirit, he says. “I don’t mistake a vodka-soda for a cocktail,” he says with a smile, though noting he does order the drink at gay bars.

Indeed, owner and restaurateur Josh Phillips is one of few master mezcaliers in Washington, curating a deep and thoughtful list of mezcals to teach diners and tipplers that the spirit is much more than tequila’s smoky sibling.

The restaurant has a close, intimate relationship with the producers of each mezcal it serves, which Phillips contends mirrors wine in how it reflects its terroir.

Phillips and wife Kelly focus on smallbatch, family-owned producers that use sustainable harvesting practices and provide safe working conditions for their employees.

In fact, bar director Megan Barnes has lead teams to Oaxaca to visit traditional distilleries for firsthand experiences.

This care extends to crafting cocktails, which change seasonally. This fall, look out for the heady cocktail enigmatically named 1979, made with deep and dark Mexican fernet, vermouth, and amaro de chile, all stirred into a mezcal distilled over lamb pechuga (yes, the mezcal is infused with flavors from a cut of lamb).

■ CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

4 0 • S EPTE MB ER 28, 2018

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

Berlanti made trans history with short-lived ‘Dirty Sexy Money’ series CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

also where they do kind of just take flight mostly on their own and I realize that they don’t need me as much anymore. And by then I’m usually dreaming something up with somebody else.”

This is the first time Gamble wrote a script with Berlanti and he loved the collaborative experience.

“Greg is such a good writer and he writes men brilliantly and he writes women brilliantly,” Gamble says. “So really the process between the two of us was much more about egging each other on.”

Gamble was delighted by the playful competitiveness they shared, which pushed her to bring her A game.

“The fun thing about writing with a writer that you admire is that they send you pages and you’re like, ‘Shit. Now my pages have to be better.’ Or darker or more interesting. Or I have to surprise him before I send it back. I have to figure something out that he’s not going to see coming.”

Berlanti is also executive producing “Batwoman” starring lesbian Ruby Rose, which is currently in development for the 2019-20 television season. The DC

Director GREG BERLANTI on the set of ‘Love, Simon.’

PHOTO COURTESY THE KARPEL GROUP

Comics character is an out lesbian and will appear in The CW’s DC Crossover event in December.

This month brought a noteworthy moment for the uber busy producer. Along with his longtime love, former soccer starturned producer Robbie Rogers, Berlanti was honored by the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Gala Vanguard Awards.

The happy couple will be celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary in December.

Berlanti has been an inclusive force to be reckoned with the television industry, responsible for the first gay superhero to headline a TV series, (“Freedom Fighters: The Ray”) the first romantic kiss between two gay characters, (“Dawson’s Creek”) and the first legal gay marriage on network television, (“Brothers and Sisters”).

He also brought the first transgender recurring character to primetime television, (“Dirty Sexy Money”) as well as the first gay African-American male and female superheroes (Echo Kellum as Curtis Holt playing Mr. Terrific in “Arrow” and Nafessa Williams as Anissa Pierce in “Black Lightning”).

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SE P T E MBE R 2 8 , 2 0 1 8 • 4 3

REALESTATE

Why fall is a great time to buy Hit the market now before the long, cold winter arrives

The D.C. housing market has not slowed down. An average one-bedroom rental is roughly $1,800/month. A recent client of mine actually saved $150 a month when they decided to purchase a similar property they were renting. That is $1,800/year they are saving on their housing payment. Buying now means you are gaining equity in the property and not your landlord.

Tax Incentives. April 15 is the day many Americans dread. As a homeowner though, you get to deduct your property tax and mortgage interest from your taxes. If you keep renting though, your landlord gets to take advantage of the tax benefits.

New Savings Account. When you purchase your new home, it’s basically setting up a new savings account for your future. Part of your mortgage goes toward the principal of the loan. The principal is going toward the equity of the home.

When you go to sell it, you get that money from your equity. It’s a built-in savings mechanism for your future.

Ready to start? Contact me and we can discuss the home buying process.

By TEDDY ROJANADIT With the busy summer months now behind us, and the slow seasonal transitional downtime during the month of August, the real estate market is now revving its engines for the fall. A little real estate secret — fall is one of the best times to take that next step in purchasing your dream home. Recognized as the second busiest season of the year, a significant portion of summer listings still on the market may see significant price reductions and there is a new crop of listings hitting the market every week.

Here are four more reasons why you should not wait any longer and purchase your new home this fall.

Interest Rates on the Rise. Mortgage interest rates just hit their highest point since 2010. As interest rates rise, your purchasing power can decrease. One of my recent clients was waiting for a raise at work assuming they could afford more.

Months later, interest rates went up and the raise did not offset the higher interest rate. There is a real possibility the cost of borrowing will rise, so now is the perfect time to enter the real estate market.

D.C. Housing Market Keeps Rising.

Fall has officially arrived and it’s a great time to find your dream home.

Call (301) 495-7314

PHOTO BY JPLDESIGNS; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK

TEDDY ROJANADIT is a Realtor with Bediz Group, LLC at Keller Williams Capital Properties, winner of the Washington Blade’s Best Real Estate Group in 2015 and 2017 and currently nominated for 2018. He can be reached at 202-664-3736 or teddy@bediz.com.

Animal House: The horrifying tale of cat urine in a suburban basement.

2730 Garfield Avenue • Silver Spring, MD 20910 Free estimates

Mention this ad and receive $25 off!

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

2317 18th St NW - 21+

Complimentary Avion Tequila and Absolut Cocktails 6-8PM

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

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

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

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

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

WHOLISTIC SERVICES, INC. seeking Full Time Direct Support Professionals to assist intellectually disabled adults with behavioral health complexities in group homes & day services throughout DC. Requirements 1 year exp., valid drivers license, able to lift 50-75 lbs, complete training program, become DDS Med Certified within 4 months of hire, ability to pass security background check. Associates degree preferred. For more information, please contact the Human Resources (HR) Department at 202-8328787.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

MASSAGE Rosslyn / DC - CMT available for massage in Arlington, SundayTuesday or DC Thursday-

BULLETIN BOARD

Saturday. Call or text,

mymassagebygary.com.

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.

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.

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.

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

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

By Mondays at 5PM washingtonblade.com

EMPLOYMENT

DEADLINES

Gary 301-704-1158.

COUNSELING

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

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET ENTHUSIASTICALLY SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

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.

LIMOUSINES KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE

Since 1987. Gay & Veteran Owner/ Operator. 2016 Luxury BMW 750Li Sedan. Properly Licensed & Livery Insured in DC. www.KasperLivery. com. Phone 202-554-2471.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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 703-8614422.

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!

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.

DEADLINES

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

4 6 • S EPTE MB ER 28, 2018

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received

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

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

Playmates and soul mates...

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

RENT / DC HUGE OPEN SPACE FOR RENT: Unique 2-floor loft space, over 2,000sf, downtown DC, in historic carriage house. New kitchen. Suitable for many uses. $4500/mo.

Call IMI 202-462-1874

SALE / DC

TAKOMA DC 6513 3rd St NW $795,000 Open House 9/23 1-4 P 3 bedrooms, 2 new baths, completely updated, hardwoods, new kitchen with stainless appliances, large fenced yard, walk to Metro and restaurants. View on Zillow Contact e-mail: wctvrtnik@comcast.net.

16th ST. HEIGHTS, 1527 FARRAGUT ST NW, $1,399,000 Quiet oasis on one of the prettiest blocks! Modern one-ofa-kind home - could be in Architectural Digest.

20’ ceilings, skylights in Great Room. 4 fin. levels.

State-of-the-art Kit & Mstr BA. 5 BRs, 3FB, 1HB, au pair ste w/side entry 2 car pkg + plenty of guest pkg. Steps to Rock Creek Park, Farmer’s Mkt/ bike share, Moreland Tavern + eateries. Denise Champion-Jones 202-2154942 Long & Foster 202364-1300

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

Man to Man Fantasy Massage By Lee. Smooth, Hot Body, Fit 5’9”, 145 Lbs, 29” W., 24/7, In/Out. In town Sep 28, 29, 30 & returning Oct 12, 13, 14 for future appointments.

412-628-1269.

Washington:

202-448-0824

18+ MegaMates.com

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Ready to Own, Ready to Live at National Harbor!

VA loans with $0 down and all closing costs paid*

Tom Gaffney | Senior Loan Officer NMLS ID #182206

Current Incentives**

703.307.5877

tgaffney@fhmtg.com www.GaffneyLoans.com

• 1 year of Condo fees paid • Washer and dryer level 1 included • 2" faux wood white blinds – excluding the transoms • American Express $2500 gift card included

First Heritage Mortgage, LLC 3201 Jermantown Road, Suite 800 Fairfax, VA 22030 First Heritage Mortgage, LLC | Company NMLS ID #86548 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) This is an advertisement and not a guarantee of lending. Terms and conditions apply. All approvals subject to underwriting guidelines. Prepared: 09/05/2018.

*Closing costs paid when using First Heritage Mortgage and does not include pre-paids. Pricing and terms may change, please speak with Loan Officer.

** not valid on previous contracts and must settle on or before 12/31/18.

MHBR #6755

Potomac Overlook Brownstones from the $600's 503 Halliard Lane, National Harbor, MD 20745 sales@integrityhmw.com | (703) 955-1187