Washingtonblade.com, Volume 49, Issue 43, October 26, 2018 by Washington Blade

OCTOBER 26,

2018

VOLUME 49

ISSUE 43

•

AMERICA’S LGBTQ NEWS SOURCE

•

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Outrage over Trump plan to ‘deﬁne transgender out of existence’ PAGES 10 & 11

0 2 • O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018

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

Ready to Own, Ready to Live at National Harbor!

Only 3 remaining for this special! 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

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;¢ 0 3

We #WontBeErased Because we will VOTE

There are 10 million LGBTQ voters and 52 million Equality Voters across America. WE can be the difference. Text Vote18 to 30644 to make a plan to vote, and volunteer at HRC.org/TakeAction.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

04 • OC T OB E R 26, 2018

LO CA L N E W S

D.C. fines Aetna for disclosing patient HIV status The District government and the Aetna insurance company reached a settlement earlier this month in which the health insurance firm agreed to pay a $175,000 fine and adopt policies to protect consumer privacy after news surfaced last year that it mistakenly disclosed the HIV status of up to 12,000 consumers nationwide. In an Oct. 10 statement, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced the D.C. settlement came in response to his office’s investigation into reports that 388 District residents were among the 12,000 whose HIV status was disclosed on envelopes Aetna used to contact patients and others taking HIV medication to prevent HIV infection under the PrEP program. Racine noted in his statement that in July 2017 Aetna mailed notices to approximately 12,000 consumers receiving HIV medication, including the 388 D.C. residents, in envelopes with transparent plastic windows. In addition to the consumers’ name and address the words “HIV Medications” were visible through the windows on the outside of the envelopes for anyone to see. “Aetna failed to protect the health information of District residents and illegally disclosed their HIV status,” Racine said in his statement. “Every patient should feel confident that their insurance company or health provider will safeguard their confidential medical information,” he said. Aetna responded earlier this year by filing a $20 million lawsuit against an administrative support company that Aetna claimed was responsible for the privacy breach through the mailing envelopes. The company, Kurtzman Carson Consultants, LLC, filed a counter suit against Aetna claiming Aetna was the party responsible for the privacy breach. LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Bill to protect rights of LGBT seniors introduced in D.C. Council D.C. Council members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) and Anita Bonds (D-At-Large) last week introduced legislation calling for protecting LGBT seniors and seniors living with HIV in long-term care facilities from discrimination. The legislation, the Care for LGBTQ Seniors and Seniors with HIV Amendment Act of 2018, would also make other changes to ensure that D.C. can access federal funding under the Older Americans Act to provide services to “this underserved community,” ‘The legislation I’m introducing today would establish Cheh said in a statement. a ‘Bill of Rights’ for seniors living in these facilities,’ said “Many LGBTQ seniors and MARY CHEH. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY seniors with HIV report having experienced discrimination and social stigmatization throughout their lives,” said Cheh, the author of the legislation. “What’s more, these seniors are also more likely to have been subjected to institutionalized discrimination when accessing health care and social services, making them statistically less likely to seek out medical or palliative care,” she said. “The legislation I’m introducing today would establish a ‘Bill of Rights’ for seniors living in these facilities, ensuring that they are treated respectfully and appropriately,” Cheh said. “Importantly, the legislation also mandates cultural competency training for caregivers in long-term care facilities, helping ensure that caregivers have the knowhow to provide appropriate care to these seniors.” Cheh noted that the legislation would “deﬁne LGBTQ seniors and seniors with HIV as a group of ‘greatest social need,’ a designation that will enable the District to access federal funding under the Older Americans Act to provide programming for this community.” Each of the remaining 11 Council members, including Council Chair Phil Mendelson, signed on as co-sponsors to the legislation. LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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

T:9.75”

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 0 5

T:11.5”

The Fosters available on Xfinity Stream app

Dreams reflected. On X1, it’s pride all year, only with Xfinity.℠ There’s power in seeing yourself on screen, and that’s why Xfinity created a first-of-its-kind community endorsed LGBTQ Film & TV Collection. With Xfinity On Demand, you have access to thousands of TV shows and movies at home and on-the-go. Simply say, “LGBTQ” into the X1 Voice Remote to easily immerse yourself in an awesome, diverse collection of content that reflects all of you. Simple. Easy. Awesome.

Find yourself at xfinity.com/LGBTQ DIV031-Q4-NED-A1-V1

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 6 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

LO CA L N E W S

Lesbian candidate at center of hotly contested Council race Endorsements by Bowser, Post boost momentum for Dionne Reeder

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com Lesbian businesswoman Dionne Reeder’s campaign for an at-large seat on the D.C. Council as an independent candidate received yet another boost last Saturday when the Washington Post endorsed her over her main rival, incumbent Council member Elissa Silverman, also an independent. In a development that surprised some political observers, the Post in its endorsement message urged city residents to vote just for Reeder and not for one of the other candidates running for the two at-large Council seats up for election this year. Among the others running is incumbent Democrat Anita Bonds, whose tenure on the Council the Post described as “lackluster.” Although the Post didn’t say so directly, political observers say it was urging voters to engage in “bullet voting,” an election tactic used to increase the chances of a candidate winning in a race in which several candidates compete for two or more seats for public oﬃce. The Post endorsement came one month after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser endorsed Reeder, prompting the mayor’s political supporters and campaign contributors to also line up behind Reeder. Their support helped Reeder’s campaign raise more than $100,000 since the Bowser endorsement, placing Reeder ahead of Silverman in money raised. Reeder, 46, a political newcomer with far less name recognition than Silverman and Bonds, was expected to emerge as a candidate with a shot at winning the atlarge seat held by Silverman, according to political observers. With a D.C. electorate consisting overwhelmingly of registered Democrats, Bonds is considered the strong favorite to win re-election. Under the city’s election law, a Democrat is only eligible to hold one of the two at-large Council seats on the ballot this year. Meanwhile, despite what many political observers view as a growing citywide momentum for Reeder, some LGBT activists say they do not see a groundswell of support for Reeder among LGBT activists. According to several LGBT activists, Silverman is their preferred candidate because they view her as being more progressive than Reeder on nonLGBT issues they consider important. Among those backing Silverman is longtime lesbian Democratic activist Barbara Helmick of Ward 1 and Capitol

Council member ELISSA SILVERMAN faces a tough re-election challenge from Dionne Reeder.

Lesbian businesswoman DIONNE REEDER’s campaign has drawn support from the Washington Post and Mayor Bowser, among others.

PHOTO COURTESY BY SILVERMAN PHOTO COURTESY BY TWITTER

Hill gay activist Bob Dardano, a member of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance. Helmick and Dardano point out that Silverman and Bonds have a longstanding record of strong support on LGBT issues. Helmick said the two would be just as supportive on LGBT issues as Reeder. Earl Fowlkes, president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest local LGBT political organization, said the interest among D.C.’s LGBT residents in electing an LGBT person to the City Council may be less than what it was in past years. One reason for that, according to Fowlkes and other activists is that the entire 13-member Council and nearly all candidates running for the Council in recent years have been supportive and in most cases strongly supportive on LGBT issues and strong allies of the LGBT community. “We’re at a point beyond just LGBT equality,” said Fowlkes. “We’re about the bread and butter issues – economic development, housing, health care,” he said. “Those are the issues a lot of LGBT people are looking through — that lens as opposed to the historical lens of electing the first lesbian and the first AfricanAmerican lesbian on the City Council.” Fowlkes was referring to the fact that Reeder, if elected, would become the first lesbian and the first LGBT person of color to serve on the D.C. Council. Two white gay men, Jim Graham (D-Ward 2) and David Catania (I-At-Large), served on the Council in past years. The Stein Club has endorsed Bonds and all the other incumbent Democrats running for re-election to their Council seats this year. Fowlkes said the club’s rules would have allowed it to endorse an independent such as Reeder but none of its members came forward to request that the club do so. Reeder and her supporters have disputed the notion that Silverman is more progressive than Reeder or that Reeder, who owns a restaurant in the city’s Anacostia neighborhood, is “beholden” to

business interests above the needs of working people, as claimed by Silverman supporters. “Actually I think it’s great to be a progressive and I am progressive, but I’m practical,” Reeder told the Washington Blade at an Oct. 20 reception her campaign held for supporters and potential supporters at a private home. “And when we’re being progressive we have to think about everything that’s involved,” Reeder said. “And we can’t just look at our own agenda. We have to be inclusive of the whole city. And I want the LGBT community to look to me as an example of that, of how we have to be inclusive,” she said. “And when you’re inclusive you get more support and you’re able to collaborate and get more work done for the city.” Reeder was referring to her and Bowser’s assertion that Silverman’s progressive agenda is too far to the left and has pushed for “national” policies that are not the best for D.C., such as the controversial family leave bill that Silverman helped push through the Council. On the campaign trail Bowser and Reeder point out that the family leave measure imposed a tax on businesses that has had a detrimental impact on small businesses that employ large numbers of D.C. residents. They also point out that the “Silverman initiated” family leave bill provides D.C. taxpayer funded leave to all people who work in the city, including Maryland and Virginia residents. Silverman strongly disputes claims that the legislation has hurt businesses. She and her Council colleagues who voted to pass the legislation argue that paid leave to tend to family matters such as caring for a parent or child is needed in a city where the cost of living is exceedingly high. “The economic needs for many people in the District of Columbia, including our LGBT community, particularly our transgender community, are part of the economic struggles that many of

us face,” Helmick told the Blade. “In the circumstances that we’re in at this moment in time I think that’s the driving issue for me – a better economy that works for everybody,” she said. “And that’s Elissa Silverman all the way.” At the Oct. 20 meet and greet for Reeder, Bowser, who attended the event, told the Blade that many voters are just now beginning to learn about Reeder’s experience in city government and a private sector nonprofit organization in which supporters say she contributed to the economic advancement of many city residents. “I think people in all eight wards are getting to know Dionne,” Bowser said. “I think she’s a missing voice on the Council. That’s why she has my support,” said the mayor. “She represents communities from across the city. She is a small business owner. She went to and graduated from D.C. public schools. She has a real agenda for housing and seniors and a vibrant business community that I think we can all benefit from,” Bowser said. Reeder told the more than 50 people that turned out for the Oct. 20 event at the Northwest home of Bob Goodrich, that the driving force behind her campaign for public office is her wife and partner of 19 years, Stephanie Bussey. She said she and her wife were the proud parents of their daughter and granddaughter. Silverman and Reeder are considered the two leading candidates among five candidates running for the so-called “non-Democratic” at-large Council seat. The others running are independent Rustin Lewis, Statehood-Green Party candidate David Schwartzman, and Republican Ralph Chittams Sr. In its candidate ratings on LGBT issues the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance gave Bonds its highest rating of +10. GLAA assigned ratings of +7.5 to Silverman and Schwartzman; +7 to Reeder; +4 to Lewis; and -1 to Chittams. A full breakdown of the ratings for the candidates and their responses to a GLAA candidate questionnaire can be accessed at glaa.org.

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;¢ 0 7

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 8 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

NATIONAL NEWS

Matthew Shepard’s parents reﬂect on son’s legacy Denounce Trump attacks on LGBT rights By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com Matthew Shepard’s parents on Tuesday said their son would have been vehemently opposed to President Trump and his administration’s eﬀorts to curtail LGBT rights. “He would have found it ridiculous,” Matthew Shepard’s mother, Judy Shepard, told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview. Matthew Shepard’s father, Dennis Shepard, noted his son protested against then-U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) when he was a college student. “He was always an activist against inequality and discrimination,” said Dennis Shepard. Oct. 12 marked 20 years since Matthew Shepard died after Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, whom he met at a bar in Laramie, Wyo., brutally beat him and left him tied to a fence. Dennis and Judy Shepard remain vocal LGBT rights advocates through their work with the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which they created after their son’s murder. Dennis and Judy Shepard on Thursday were scheduled to donate some of their son’s papers, photographs, theater scripts,

JUDY and DENNIS SHEPARD spoke with the Washington Blade on Oct. 23, about their son’s legacy. The Shepards also criticized the Trump administration over its anti-LGBT policies. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAPITAL PRIDE

notebooks, a wedding ring and other personal items, including a Superman cape that was part of a childhood Halloween costume, to the National Museum of American History. George Mason University School of Theater is scheduled to perform excerpts of “The Laramie Project.” “It was a real honor they would consider Matt’s things,” Judy Shepard told the Blade. The Dupont Festival organized a candlelight vigil to commemorate Matthew Shepard’s life that took place in Dupont Circle on Thursday night. Matthew Shepard’s ashes will be interred inside Washington National Cathedral’s

crypt in a private ceremony on Friday. Bishop Eugene Robinson is among those who are scheduled to speak at a “service of thanksgiving and remembrance” over which Washington Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde will preside. The Shepards have kept their son’s ashes in an urn. Matthew Shepard Foundation Executive Director Jason Marsden told a Wyoming newspaper earlier this month the Shepards were concerned anti-gay vandals may have targeted their son’s ﬁnal resting place. Judy Shepard told the Blade she and her family had considered scattering Matthew Shepard’s ashes but his younger brother, Logan Shepard, said “he really needs a place to go.” “We were all worried about security and protecting the place he goes,” said Judy Shepard. Judy Shepard told the Blade she spoke with Robinson about interring her son’s ashes at the cathedral. “From there it just snowballed into this wonderful week of perfectly timed events,” she said. Then-President Obama in 2011 signed a federal hate crimes law that bares Matthew Shepard’s name. A National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs report notes the number of LGBT and queer people and/or those with HIV who were reported killed between January and August 2017, was 29 percent

higher than the same period in 2016. More than 20 transgender women of color have been reported murdered so far this year. Judy Shepard told the Blade hate crimes statistics are often incomplete, in part, because victims are frequently reluctant to report them to the police. Judy Shepard told the Blade the Justice Department under U.S. Attorney General Jeﬀ Sessions is not devoting as many resources to hate crimes and other LGBT-speciﬁc issues as it did during the Obama administration. She also said she and her husband no longer work with the State Department on LGBT and intersex topics abroad. Judy and Dennis Shepard said their son would be proud of the work they are doing in his honor. “I hope he would be proud,” Judy Shepard told the Blade. “I hope he would be proud of everyone else who is doing it. He would be surprised 20 years later we would still be doing it.” Dennis Shepard added the Matthew Shepard Foundation’s work remains important, in part, because of the Trump administration’s continued impact. “We have to start building everything back up again, getting the social decency we had before and respect,” he said. “It’s going to take a long time to get back to where we should be.” Lou Chibbaro, Jr., contributed to this story.

Hurricane Michael devastates Fla. Panhandle’s LGBT community Popular bar, church sustain major damage By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com Members of the Florida Panhandle’s LGBT community are trying to pick up the pieces from Hurricane Michael that devastated the region earlier this month. The LGBTQ Center of Bay County, which board secretary Cherie Crim described to the Washington Blade on Monday during a telephone interview as Bay County’s “ﬁrst safe space” for LGBT youth, rented a room at an Episcopal church in Panama City. Michael destroyed a portion of the church’s roof. Pictures that Crim sent to the Blade also show several large trees fell into the side of the church during the hurricane. “Our center really took a hit,” she said. Crim told the Blade she and her colleagues have “salvaged everything that we could” from the church. She also said one of the LGBTQ Center of Bay County’s leaders held a youth group meeting at their home on Monday. “We want to get the center up as fast as we can,” said Crim. “We want to be able to

get things back up to the way they were, but it will take time.” Michael had winds of 155 mph when it made landfall in Mexico Beach, which is roughly 20 miles southeast of Panama City, on Oct. 10. The hurricane caused widespread destruction in Florida’s Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Liberty and Jackson Counties. Michael also devastated portions of southern Georgia as it moved inland. Damage was less widespread in Panama City Beach, a popular tourist destination that is roughly 10 miles west of Panama City. Michael caused some tidal ﬂooding in Destin and in Pensacola Beach, but reports indicate damage was minor. China Moon is a drag queen who performs at Splash Bar Florida, a gay bar in Panama City Beach. She, her partner and two of their best friends who live in the same mobile home park in Panama City’s St. Andrews neighborhood evacuated to Alabama before Michael. Moon told the Blade last week during a Facebook Live interview that she, her partner and one of their best friends returned to Panama City on Oct. 11, the day after the hurricane made landfall. Moon said one of their mobile homes “was a total loss” and

they could not reach hers because there were “too many trees down” on the street. “The third was accessible,” she said. “So, we as a group have all moved in there.” Moon said Michael damaged Splash Bar Florida’s ceiling and roof. A 10 p.m. – 6:30 a.m. curfew remains in eﬀect in Panama City Beach. Melanin Manreaux is another drag queen who has performed at Splash Bar Florida. She lives in Abbeville, Ala., which is two hours from Panama City, with her husband and daughter. Manreaux’s parents’ home is in the Panama City suburb of Lynn Haven. Manreaux told the Blade on Oct. 19 during a Facebook Messenger interview that her parents boarded up the windows of their Panama City home and “prepared” for Michael, but chose not to evacuate. Manreaux said her parents were “okay” after Michael, even though it “destroyed” their home. “The entire second level of their house is completely gone,” she said. “My childhood room is completely gone.” Manreaux on Monday told the Blade her parents and other relatives had been living in what she described as “FEMA-sponsored suites” in a high-rise condominium building in Panama City Beach.

Hurricane Michael damaged the LGBTQ Center of Bay County in Panama City, Fla., when it made landfall on Oct. 10. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERIE CRIM/LGBTQ CENTER OF BAY COUNTY

Manreaux said they are now living in a hotel room because the condo’s board “kicked my parents and a bunch of my family members and others out.” A local television station reported an eviction notice was issued on Oct. 16 because of “recently discovered water damage throughout the building.” Manreaux saw her parents’ home on Monday for the ﬁrst time since Michael made landfall. “I’m having a hard time keeping it together,” said Manreaux. “I’m glad my daughter is at school and doesn’t have to see this.”

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 0 9

703.237.5000 DONBEYERVOLVO.COM

Test Drive the All-New

VOLVO XC60

Serving Our Community for 35 years

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

Keep your promise to protect each other.

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

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

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

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

Arlington

Under a half mile to Metro! $839,900

Exceptionally spacious, all brick, 4 level split offering five large BR’S and 2.5 baths located in the “Metrocentric” Over Lee Knolls neighborhood. Enjoy the welcoming entry foyer, a bright & airy floor plan, hardwoods, 2 FP’S, a remodeled open configuration kitchen & dining room, LR with bay window plus a “Super Bowl” party sized rec room, owner’s bedroom with handy half bath, a main level in-law/au- pair with full bath & separate entrance, replacement windows, and a young roof with “50 year” shingles. Extensive stonescapes, patio and level fenced backyard complete this fabulous package. Act now and be in by the holidays! Just over a half mile to Westover Village. 2318 N. Quantico Street.

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

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

JUST LISTED OPEN SATURDAY 1-3PM, OPEN SUNDAY 1-4PM

DAVE LLOYD & ASSOCIATES

4701 Old Dominion Drive • Arlington, VA 22207

703-593-3204 • WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET

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

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 0 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

NATIONAL NEWS

Outrage over Trump’s sweeping anti-trans attack HHS falsely blames Obama amid protests By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Transgender advocates were vocal in their indignation this week over a report in the New York Times about a sweeping anti-transgender plan within the Trump administration to limit the definition of “sex” in U.S. government policies to biological gender. According to the New York Times, the Department of Health & Human Services is set to spearhead the initiative with the proposed rule that has been drafted and circulating since last spring and will be presented to the Justice Department by the end of the year. In the words of the New York Times, the proposal would amount to “defining transgender out of existence.” According to the Times, the proposal asserts Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bars sex discrimination in schools, doesn’t apply to transgender people and calls for government agencies to adopt an explicit and uniform definition of sex “on a biological basis that is clear, grounded in science, objective and administrable.” The proposed definition would describe gender as either male or female, immutable and determined by an individual’s genitals at the time of birth. A dispute about one’s sex, the New York Times reports, would have to be clarified using genetic testing. “Sex means a person’s status as male or female based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth,” the memo reportedly says. “The sex listed on a person’s birth certificate, as originally issued, shall constitute definitive proof of a person’s sex unless rebutted by reliable genetic evidence.” Under fire for the plan that would eliminate federal protections for transgender people, the Trump administration pushed back in defense of its enforcement of the law — but with a statement that is filled with errors and blames the Obama administration for undercutting transgender rights. Caitlin Oakley, an HHS spokesperson, said the department has no comment on “alleged, leaked documents,” which the New York Times reported Sunday was being spearheaded by the Department of Health & Human Services and would restrict the definition of “sex” under federal law to biological gender. In defense of current policy, Oakley blamed the Obama administration for enforcement of the law excluding transgender status from the definition of “sex.” “The Obama administration’s broad

PRESIDENT TRUMP came under ﬁre this week after revelations the administration is planning an anti-trans rule to deﬁne sex as biological gender. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

definition of ‘sex’ was enjoined by a federal court on a nationwide basis in December 2016 and the Obama administration did not appeal,” Oakley said. “That court found that the Obama administration regulation was overbroad and inconsistent with the text of the 1972 Title IX law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. The court order remains in full force and effect today and HHS is bound by it as we continue to review the issue.” Oakley also asserted HHS continues to apply the law fairly and enforces all laws under its purview against discrimination. “Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and HHS’s Office for Civil Rights will continue to vigorously enforce all laws as written and passed by Congress, prohibiting discrimination in healthcare on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age and disability,” Oakley added. For starters, the response appears to conflate two separate rulings in 2016 from U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas, although both rulings were against transgender rights. The part about a ruling in December 2016 seems to reference O’Connor’s decision against an Obama-era regulation interpreting Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which bars sex discrimination in health care, to prohibit bias against transgender people, including refusal of gender reassignment surgery. But the part about Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 appears to reference another anti-trans decision from O’Connor in July 2016 barring the Obama administration from enforcing its guidance requiring schools to allow transgender kids to use the restroom consistent with their gender identity. In either event, the response makes incorrect statements about the Obama administration’s role in these lawsuits and falsely accuses the previous White House of supporting the decisions. If the statement was intended to reflect the Obamacare ruling, the decision to refuse to appeal the preliminary

injunction rests solely with the Trump administration. The deadline for the Justice Department to appeal the decision was March 2017, when U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the running the show. At that time, no action was taken. Josh Block, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, affirmed the decision to let the Obamacare ruling stand rested with the Trump administration, not the Obama administration. “The Trump administration made the decision not to appeal,” Block said. “The PI decision came down just before New Year’s Eve in December 2016, and the federal government had 60 days to file an appeal.” Sharon McGowan, chief strategy officer for Lambda Legal and former Obama administration official for the Justice Department, said not appealing O’Connor’s anti-trans decision in health care “was a decision ultimately made by Trump’s Justice Department” and compared it to the Trump administration’s action in the Title IX case. “Even if a protective notice of appeal had been filed during the last weeks of the Obama administration, that appeal could have been pulled, just as Jeff Sessions pulled DOJ’s appeal challenging the nationwide injunction to the transgender student guidance on his second day on the job,” McGowan said. If the statement was intended to reflect the Title IX ruling, the Justice Department under U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, although the Trump administration later reversed those decisions. The Obama administration filed a notice of appeal on Oct. 20, 2016, and later asked O’Connor to reconsider the nationwide application of his order. On Sessions’ second day as attorney general in February 2017, the Justice Department rescinded the request for a more limited ruling. Two months later, the Justice Department dropped the appeal before the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals entirely. Jon Davidson, legal director for Freedom for all Americans, affirmed the

“Obama administration did appeal Judge O’Connor’s preliminary injunction ruling” in the Title IX case contrary to HHS’s statement, but added the notion the order remains in force “also is a lie.” “The same day that the Fifth Circuit dismissed the appeal, the plaintiff states that filed the Texas v. U.S. case dismissed their case because the Trump administration withdrew the Obama administration policy and guidance that the states were suing over,” Davidson said. “As expressly stated in the Notice of Voluntary Dismissal filed by the plaintiff states this dismissal ‘necessarily dissolved’ the preliminary injunction, which is no longer in effect.” McGowan said the Justice Department overall has acted in ways that serve to bolster its interest when judges issue anti-LGBT decisions consistent with the Trump administration’s policy. “The fact is this Department of Justice had no interest in appealing Judge O’Connor’s ruling [on health care] because it is aligned with their own ideology and policy preferences, as evidenced by the fact that within 48 hours of assuming the position of attorney general, Jeff Sessions pulled the plug on a DOJ appeal from a different Judge O’Connor ruling that prevented the Department of Education from protecting transgender students nationwide,” McGowan said. Regardless of which case HHS was referencing, the blame on the Obama administration seems likely an attempt to shift responsibility to someone else for the underlying outrage over the antitrans memo reported in the New York Times, which has nothing to do with any anti-trans decision from the courts. (In fact, the memo is contrary to at least eight federal appeals court rulings and 35 trial court rulings finding the definition of “sex” under federal law applies to transgender status, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality.) Davidson said whomever is advising the Trump administration on transgender rights “appears to have as tenuous connection to the truth as they do to the law, sound public policy and the facts regarding transgender people.” “HHS’s blaming the Obama administration and their reliance on a terribly flawed and now dissolved preliminary injunction that was and remains in conflict with the overwhelming majority of federal courts which have held that, properly construed, Title IX protects transgender students is shocking,” Davidson said. “Although it is hard for anything the current Departments of Justice, Education, or Health and Human Services do or say on LGBTQ issues to surprise me anymore, this manages to, and it is appalling.”

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 1

Protesters declare transgender people #WontBeErased Trump vague in response to questions about HHS plan By MICHAEL K. LAVERS & CHRIS JOHNSON Upwards of 200 people gathered outside the White House on Monday to protest the Trump administration’s proposal to define sex in federal policy as biological gender. National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling and Casa Ruby CEO Ruby Corado are among those who spoke at the #WontBeErased rally. Keisling, Corado, National LGBTQ Task Force Rea Carey, Freedom for All Americans CEO Masen Davis and others spoke at the Human Rights Campaign before they marched to the White House. The New York Times over the weekend published a report on the proposal, which the newspaper said would amount to “defining transgender out of existence.” Transgender rights advocates and their supporters quickly criticized the proposal that emerged less than three weeks before the midterm elections. “Despite the cruel efforts of the Trump administration, trans people #WontBeErased,” wrote Rodrigo HengLehtinen, the trans son of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), on his Twitter page. “We are your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We are committed community organizers who have been beating the odds for generations. This administration will not define us bc we won’t let it.” Ros-Lehtinen on Monday praised her son, while criticizing the Trump administration’s proposal. “I am so proud of my son,” said RosLehtinen, referring to Heng-Lehtinen. “Your activism is an inspiration to folks all over our country to live as their true selves. Acceptance and tolerance of the transgender community speak to our shared value of individual freedom and must be recognized as such.” Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, also criticized the Trump administration’s proposal. “The decision taken by the Trump administration attempts to deny and erase basic human rights for our trans brothers and sisters, and making trans people invisible is just another attempt to deny their basic human dignity,” said Cruz in a press release sent to the Washington Blade. “The laws, rules, and regulations have been put in place to provide equality for each human being,” she added. “No one can

About 200 protesters joined LGBTQ advocates at the White House on Monday. WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

try to erase that reality. Even less can the lives of millions of trans people be erased. These are people who face discrimination and inequality every day, and still fight to achieve the respect and equal protection under the law they deserve.” Hundreds of people gathered in New York’s Washington Square Park on Sunday to protest the proposed policy. Equality California is among the myriad groups that have also criticized the Trump administration over it. President Trump was characteristically vague in response to outrage over the reported proposal. Before boarding Marine One on departure from the White House, Trump said in response to a reporter’s question “different concepts” are on the table within his administration for transgender rights. “We’re looking at it,” Trump said. “We have a lot of different concepts right now. They have a lot of different things happening with respect to transgender right now. You know that as well as I do and we’re looking at it very seriously.” When the reporter reminded Trump he pledged to protect LGBT people during his 2016 speech at the Republican National Convention, Trump said he wants to protect everybody.

“I’m protecting everybody,” Trump said. “You know what I’m doing? I’m protecting everybody. I want to protect our country.” President Trump’s own director of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention pushed back Tuesday on the reported memo within the administration seeking to eliminate federal protections for transgender people, according to the Boston-based STAT news life science website. Although Robert Redfield reportedly declined to criticize the proposal restricting the definition of “sex” under federal law to biological gender, the CDC director suggested the plan would heighten stigma for transgender people. “We need to understand that stigmatizing illness, stigmatizing individuals is not in the interest of public health,” Redfield was quoted as saying. According to STAT, Redfield made the remarks in an interview with the publication’s executive editor Rick Berke at the Milken Institute’s Future of Health Summit, which is taking place this week in D.C. Redfield reportedly said he wasn’t responsible for drafting the policy. According to the New York Times, the Department of Health & Human Services is responsible for the drafting the anti-

trans memo. In a report Monday, the Washington Post said officials in the Education Department are seeking to push back on it. Redfield reportedly continued to talk broadly about stigma is harmful and said it interferes with treating diseases, including the opioid epidemic facing the United States. Although HIV/AIDS continues to have considerable stigma, Redfield said that stigma is “nothing compared to what we’re confronting with drug use.” According to STAT, the opioid epidemic is personal for Redfield, who has a son who’s been in recovery for drug use for three years. “I pray for him every day,” Redfield was quoted as saying. “People don’t realize that addiction is a medical condition, it’s not a moral failing. People don’t realize it’s a chronic medical condition.” Comparing addiction to cancer, Redfield reportedly said people with cancer whose disease goes into remission and then comes back aren’t stigmatized. On that basis, Redfield questioned why people seeking treatment for drug use face stigma. Redfield reportedly said treatment for addiction should be integrated into primary care.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

Another wedding cake case reaches Supreme Court Anti-LGBT groups seek expansive decision to discriminate By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Months after the U.S. Supreme Court in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case issued a narrow ruling in favor of a Colorado baker who refused to make a custom-made wedding cake for a same-sex couple, anti-LGBT legal groups are before justices again seeking a more expansive decision allowing refusal of service to LGBT people. As reported by SCOTUSblog this week, the Texas-based law firm First Liberty has filed before the Supreme Court a petition on behalf of Aaron A new gay wedding cake petition has reached the U.S. Supreme Court. and Melissa Kline of Sweetcakes PHOTO COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK in Gresham, Ore., asserting a First Amendment right to decline wedding-related services to samesex couples. “Certiorari is warranted to clarify the interaction of the First Amendment with state public accommodations laws,” the petition says. “Hearing this case would allow the court to resolve disagreements in the lower courts about the kinds of expression that merit First Amendment protection, and the precedential status of this court’s hybrid rights doctrine, which applies strict scrutiny in the case of free exercise claims that implicate other fundamental rights.” In 2013, a female same-sex couple, Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, came to Sweetcakes and, after an initial tasting, requested a wedding cake for a commitment ceremony. (Oregon hadn’t yet legalized same-sex marriage.) Melissa Kline refused them the service on the basis that baking a wedding cake would be inconsistent with her religious beliefs. The couple filed a complaint with the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries asserting Sweetcakes had violated Oregon’s human rights law, which bars anti-gay discrimination in public accommodations. The bureau fined the couple $135,000, which the petition says forced Sweetcakes out of business. (According to the Washington Times, the couple raised $352,500 through crowd-sourcing as a result of donations from religious sympathizers.) The Oregon Court of Appeals upheld the decision from the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries. Earlier this year, the Oregon Supreme Court declined to review the petition. But that was before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in favor of Colorado baker Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop. Although Phillips was seeking a First Amendment right based on freedom of speech and religion to decline service to samesex couples, the court instead ruled in his favor based on the facts of the lawsuit, finding the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had an anti-religion bias in adjudicating his case. Because the U.S. Supreme Court declined to rule on the merits in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, the First Liberty petition asserts a new opportunity to definitively state whether the Kleins have a First Amendment right to refuse service to LGBT people. “The factual uncertainties in Masterpiece Cakeshop also presented ‘difficulties…in determining whether a baker has a valid free exercise claim,” the petition says. “Those difficulties are not present in the Kleins’ case. Because they sold only custom wedding cakes, there is no possibility that the Kleins ‘refus[ed] to sell a cake that has been baked for the public generally,’ id., and the record is clear about the Kleins’ process of designing, creating, delivering, and assembling their cakes — a process that the Oregon Court of Appeals held the Kleins must perform on a “full and equal” basis for same-sex weddings.” It takes a vote of four justices to decide to take up a case, although certiorari is granted in a rare number of cases and the vote tally isn’t made public.

NATIONAL NEWS The U.S. Supreme Court may decline to take up the Klein petition, but also vacate the decisions from Oregon state courts with orders to reconsider in the aftermath of Masterpiece Cakeshop. That would be consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s action in the Arlene’s Flowers case in which a Washington State florist sought a First Amendment right to refuse floral arrangements for same-sex weddings. But things might be different now that U.S. Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh has been seated and replaced former U.S. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, a moderate justice who was sympathetic to LGBT rights. Kavanaugh may deem the Klein case worthy of consideration, be the deciding vote to take up the case and possibly the deciding vote on whether the Kleins have a First Amendment right to refuse service to same-sex couples. The Klein petition joins other petitions pending before the Supreme Court seeking clarification on whether laws prohibiting “sex” discrimination inherently bar anti-LGBT discrimination. AntiLGBT lawsuits were also filed on the day Kavanaugh was confirmed seeking a religious freedom right to discriminate against LGBT people despite civil rights measures. According to SCOTUSblog, Oregon now has about a month to respond to the Klein petition, although the state could seek a 30-day extension. Depending on the timing for the briefing, if the court grants review, justices could hear oral arguments in the case and deliver a ruling before the end of June 2019.

Record number of anti-trans hate crimes in LA County Reported hate crimes in Los Angeles County increased by five percent last year to 508, the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations (LACCHR) announced Oct. 18. For the second consecutive year, there were a record number of anti-transgender crimes. Ninety-four percent of those were violent. Even amid a slight decline in crimes against gay men, lesbians, and LGBT organizations, the Commission found 76 percent involved violence—a higher proportion than the number of violent hate crimes committed last A scene from the solidarity rally. year on the basis of race or religion. All of the incidents involving lesbian PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKICOMMONS victims were violent. Since 2013, the Commission reports there has been a 32 percent increase in the total number of reported hate crimes. “We are extremely concerned that reported hate crimes in L.A. County have been trending upwards for four years in a row,” said Robin Toma, LACCHR Executive Director, in a press release. “The rise in L.A. County mirrors increases in hate crimes in most major U.S. cities in 2017.” This year’s numbers come just after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for an investigation into whether a hate crime was committed by a member or members of the far-right, pro-Trump organization Proud Boys during a fight between the group and protesters from the anti-fascist organization Antifa. A video clip taken during the incident, which unfolded at a Republican Party event in Manhattan, shows a member of the Proud Boys kicking a protester while yelling “faggot.” He was arrested Oct. 18 on charges of attempted assault and riot. Some studies have linked President Trump’s rhetoric and tweets to the nationwide year-over-year rise in anti-black, anti-Muslim, and anti-Latino hate crimes. L.A. County officials note nine suspects referenced Trump’s name during their commission of alleged hate crimes last year. Half of the crimes reported in the county in 2017 were racially motivated. There were 15 and 16 percent increases in hate crimes committed against African-American and Latino/Latina residents, respectively. “We are truly alarmed at the continued over-representation of African Americans in racial hate crimes and the extremely high rates of violence directed against gay men, lesbians and transgender victims,” said Commission President Jarrett Barrios in a press release. Black and Latino/Latina people were overrepresented in anti-LGBT crimes last year, the Commission reports. In January 2018, a transgender Los Angeles woman, Viccky Gutierrez, was stabbed—and her body set ablaze—in a brutal hate crime that underscores the type of violence encountered by trans people of color. CHRISTOPHER KANE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 3 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

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

New migrant caravan hopes to reach U.S. border Thousands seek refuge as Trump exploits issue for election gains By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com Thousands of migrants who are trying to reach the U.S. left Honduras on Oct. 14. Reports indicate the migrant caravan, which left from the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, reached the GuatemalaMexico border on Oct. 19. Activists in San Pedro Sula and in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa with whom the Washington Blade spoke last week said upwards of 4,000 migrants are part of the caravan. The activists also said some of the migrants are LGBTI. The Blade’s attempts to speak with LGBTI migrants who are part of the caravan have thus far proven unsuccessful. President Trump has threatened to cut U.S. aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador if their governments did not stop the migrants from leaving their countries. “We have today informed the countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that if they allow their citizens, or others, to journey through their borders and up to the United States, with the intention of entering our country illegally, all payments made to them will STOP (END),” he proclaimed on Oct. 16 in a tweet. Trump on Oct. 18 said he would “call up the U.S. military and close our southern border” if the Mexican government did not “stop this onslaught.” He has also described the migrants as a “large ﬂow of people, including many criminals.” The Mexican government has begun to process migrants who have entered the country from Guatemala. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Oct. 18 in a statement said the U.S. welcomes the Mexican government’s announcement that it will work with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees “to address immigration issues in the region, including the influx of people arriving in Mexico.” Pompeo on Oct. 19 spoke further about the migrants during a press conference with Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray in Mexico City. “The challenge related to securing our southern border is also a challenge for American sovereignty,” said Pompeo. “We’ve got to ﬁx U.S. laws in order to handle this properly as well. That is an American burden, a uniquely American burden, and as President Trump has said, it’s something that we need to address inside of our country to make sure that we do this well. If we get it right, we will improve the relationship between our two countries materially as well.”

A human rights observer watches over a group of migrants who left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Oct. 14.

Pompeo later told reporters before he left Mexico City that outgoing Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto deployed 500 federal police officers to his country’s border with Guatemala. Pompeo also noted four of them were reported injured on Friday during clashes with migrants who were trying to enter Mexico. “We understand that to be accurate,” said Pompeo. “We don’t know the severity of those injuries, but I want to express my sympathy to those four policemen. That’s evidence of what this really is. This is a group, a large group of people; they are putting women and children in front of the caravan to use as shields as they make their way through. This is an organized effort to come through and violate the sovereignty of Mexico, and so we’re prepared to do all that we can to support the decisions that Mexico makes about how they’re going to address this very serious and important issue to their country.” The caravan left Honduras less than a month before the U.S. midterm elections. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and Salvadoran Vice President Óscar Ortiz on Oct. 11 reiterated their governments’ concerns over separation of migrant children from their parents under Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy when they spoke at a conference at the State Department that focused on prosperity and security in Central America. Vice President Pence, who spoke at the conference alongside Pompeo, again urged countries in the Northern Triangle — Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador — to stem the flow of migrants. “The leaders in the room, the governments that you represent, should tell your people don’t put your families at risk by taking the dangerous journey north to attempt to enter the United

A caravan of thousands of migrants left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Oct. 14, with hopes of entering the U.S. Sources in Honduras have told the Blade that some of the migrants are LGBTI.

States illegally,” said Pence. “The truth is your message can probably be summed up by telling them that if they can’t come to the United States legally, they shouldn’t come at all. Say it with strength and say it with compassion as neighbors and as friends because it’s the truth.” The Honduran government in an Oct. 16 press release said the caravan “was organized by political sectors with false promises of receiving a humanitarian visa that (would allow migrants) to pass through Mexican territory and seek refuge as an asylum seeker in the United States.” Activists in Honduras with whom the Blade has spoken over the last year say the Honduran government has not done enough to address violence, discrimination and a lack of economic opportunities they have said prompts LGBTI people to leave the country. The activists also noted more than 30 people died in violent protests that took place

across Honduras last November after Hernández’s disputed re-election. The Honduran government in its press release urges migrants “not to put their lives and those of their children at risk,” noting hunger and human traﬃcking are among the risks they face. The Honduran government also said it “will continue to provide assistance (to migrants) to return to their communities.” More than 10,000 Salvadorans currently live in D.C. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in January criticized the Trump administration’s decision to end the Temporary Protected Status program for Salvadorans, which has allowed up to 200,000 of them to receive temporary residency permits that have allowed them to stay in the U.S. Bowser traveled to El Salvador in August and reiterated her administration will continue to help migrants who are living in D.C.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 • OC T OB E R 26, 2018

H E A LT H N E W S

LGBT teens say family plays role in health care

GO HARD WITH EMSCULPT

• FDA-cleared to build muscle. • Simultaneously burns fat. • Four 30-minute treatments across two weeks are all it takes. • Non-invasive & pain free (no needles, no surgery, no numbing & no downtime). • One 30-minute treatment is equivalent to 20,000 sit-ups. • Tighten, lift and strengthen: buttocks, abdomen and thighs.

The Clinical Findings Revealed:

• Increase in muscle mass: 16% at 4 weeks, further improvement at 3 months. • Subcutaneous fat reduction: 19% at 4 weeks, further improvement at 3 months. • Patient satisfaction rate: 96%

Serving the LGBTQ community since 1983 1828 L St. NW #850 Washington, DC, 20036 (202) 822-9591

ENUMCLAW, Wash. — Lack of family support has profound ramifications on the health lives of LGBT youth, researchers in Washington state have found. Hospitals in Washington state’s King County reached out to local LGBT youth to learn about their experiences with health care, the Courier Herald, a regional outlet, reports. A series of listening sessions with LGBT youth ages 13-24 was coordinated by King County Hospitals for a Healthier Community, a collaborative of 11 hospitals and health systems. They were joined by Public Health Seattle & King County to identify needs and assets of the community. The findings have been released in LGBT Community Spotlight. For many LGBT youth, lack of family support affected mental health, selfesteem and their ability to effectively navigate the health care system. Youth who had stable and nurturing relationships with their families and trusted adults felt safe and supported. Those without these trusting relationships had extreme difficulty getting their health and health care needs met. One youth said, “This is my body, this is my mental health, this is me; I feel like I’m not in control over any of it,” the Herald reports. Many youth would like more opportunities to speak privately with their providers, without family present, and feel strongly that providers should take the lead in suggesting this option. A listening session participant offered a positive example: “One thing my (provider) does to make me feel safe is asking me about telling my mom. He’ll always give me the option, ‘Do you want your mom to come along?’ or if she’s there (he’ll ask) if she should leave. He always leaves it up to me.” Youth said they needed to feel safe and develop trusting relationships with their providers before they could comfortably talk with them about their physical, mental and emotional health needs — all topics that are broader than just sexual health, the Herald reports.

Finger length could be sign of lesbianism in twins LONDON — Scientists measured the fingers of 18 pairs of female identical twins, where one was straight and the other gay, the BBC and other outlets report. On average, the lesbians, but not the straight twins, had different sized index and ring fingers, typically a male trait, but only on the left hand. This may be the result of exposure to more testosterone in the womb, the University of Essex researchers said. The findings are published in Archives of Sexual Behaviour. The scientists also measured the fingers of 14 pairs of male identical twins, where one was straight and the other gay, but found no link, the BBC reports. Both men and women were exposed to the “male” hormone, testosterone, in the womb, but some may be exposed more than others, the scientists said. Because identical twins share 100 percent of their genes but can differ in sexual orientation, factors other than genetics account for the differences, researchers said. The amount of hormone exposure in the womb and how the fetus reacts to it are likely factors, the BBC reports.

PrEP huge help in preventing HIV in Australia

SPEAK WITH OUR PREPLANNING ADVISOR, JAMIE ARTHURS AT (202) 966-6400 OR EMAIL JAMIE.ARTHURS@DIGNITYMEMORIAL.COM

5130 Wisconsin Ave. NW • DC • (202) 966-6400 • www.JosephGawlers.com

LONDON — PrEP has been dramatically effective in preventing HIV among highrisk gay men in Australia researchers said in a Reuters Health article. The findings, published in The Lancet HIV, are considered significant because they studied “real world” applications whereas previous figures came from clinical studies. Researchers found that new diagnoses in gay men across one Australian state dropped by nearly a third, from 295 cases in the year prior to the study to 221 cases in the year after the drug was widely distributed. Men in the study were age 18 or older and had a history of high-risk sex. Ultimately, 3,645 of the men received PrEP. The men were required to be tested for HIV at one month and three months after starting the drug regimen, then every three months thereafter. They were also tested every three months for other sexually transmitted infections, Reuters reports. After a year, just two of the men had become HIV positive and those two had not taken their medication as instructed.

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 5

BUY TICKETS AT THE GATE!

Night of the Living Zoo sponsored by GROUPON

P A R T Y

T O

S A V E

S P E C I E S

Join Friends of the National Zoo on October 26 for an adults-only Halloween celebration. With live music, craft beer, amazing oddities, and a wicked costume contest, it’s a great way to help us support the Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s mission to save species. Missing the fun would be a grave mistake. Sponsored by Groupon, Big Bus Tours, Estrella Jalisco, and Getaround.

October 26, 2018 • fonz.org/nolz

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 6 • O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018

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

VOLUME

ISSUE

ADDRESS

Will millennials shock us and vote? Culture of instant gratiﬁcation undermines our process

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

I recently debated with a friend at our morning coffee session at Java House in Dupont — he a professor of politics and international affairs at a local university — about why millennials don’t vote. He suggested it’s because the political parties don’t put up candidates who excite them and blamed the parties. I, on the other hand, blame millennials themselves who don’t take the time or make the effort to get involved in politics doing the work required to pick the party candidates they would want to vote for. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data,

“As of November 2016, an estimated 62 million Millennials (adults ages 20 to 35 in 2016) were voting-age U.S. citizens, surpassing the 57 million Generation X members (ages 36 to 51) in the nation’s electorate and moving closer in number to the 70 million Baby Boomers (ages 52 to 70). Millennials comprised 27% of the voting-eligible population in 2016, while Boomers made up 31%.” So were they to get involved and vote they have the clout to make a real difference. They may not see changes overnight but changes will come. Their lack of involvement plays into the view of millennials that they only want instant gratification. Aaron Levy wrote about millennials in Forbes magazine saying, “Millennials have grown up in an on-demand society with pretty much everything at our fingertips. Take a typical day in the life of a millennial, Katy. “Katy wakes up and realizes she’s out of milk, eggs and mouthwash, so she hops onto Amazon, and by the time she’s home from the gym, there’s a delivery at her door. She eats breakfast and orders her ride to work. While at work, Katy toggles between her work email, Gchat, text messages and seeing what everyone’s been up to on Facebook and LinkedIn. On her E DIT OR IA L C A R T OON

Lyft home, she orders dinner from her phone and gets it just in time to sit on her couch and choose from thousands of titles to binge watch for the night. “We live in a world where virtually anything can be taken care of in a matter of minutes, right from a device that’s the size of our palm. The impact on our habits and society is noticeable. Our need for instant gratification is at an all-time high. If we want something, we no longer understand what it means to wait.” You can surmise that this need for instant gratification is what keeps millennials out of politics. You can’t get involved in politics if your attitude is “if I don’t get what I want right away I will stop being involved.” That view is in total opposition to the form of government our founders set up. Their ideas came to fruition in the United States with two major political parties and where getting something done requires compromise. Former President Barack Obama framed it best in a recent speech when he said: “Making democracy work means holding on to our principles, having clarity about our principles, and then having the confidence to get in the arena and have a serious debate. It also means appreciating progress does not happen all at once but when you put your shoulder to the wheel, if you’re willing to fight for it, things do get better. And let me tell you something, particularly young people here. Better is good. I used to have to tell my young staff this all the time in the White House. Better is good. That’s the history of progress in this country. Not perfect, better.” Our country will be better off when millennials get involved in the political process. When they are willing to do the work and share their ideas and help to move the nation to a new generation of leadership. There are a host of young candidates representing the diversity of our country running for office this year, from county commission to Congress. These young candidates are black, Asian, Latino, white, men, women, straight, LGBT. Some served in the military and know what it means to risk their life for their fellow Americans. They are smart and believe in a better future for America. So we can only hope millennials will respect those young candidates who put themselves forward enough to come out and vote. That is the minimum these folks who are putting themselves on the front line should be able to expect from their fellow Americans.

PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE

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

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V I E W PO I NT

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 1 7

Dear Mayor: Get your name off the High Heel Race Must every LGBTQ event be sponsored by a politician or corporation? By ALEX MORASH Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to co-opt the annual High Heel Race, claiming it as her own to present. Must every LGBTQ event be sponsored or presented by a politician, a big bank, or corporation, or do we deserve to have our events stand on their own? Every year thousands come to 17th Street to watch drag queens, drag kings, and every queer Halloween concoction imaginable race, strut, or prance to the ﬁnish line of Washington, D.C.’s High Heel Race. But this year, it won’t be the community’s event, it is now called “Mayor Muriel Bowser presents” the High Heel Race. It’s wonderful that Bowser has been a grand marshal at the High Heel Race for the last two years. It’s great that she hosts an annual race reception, which this writer can attest has been a delight to attend. It says a lot about the District that for nearly 20 years, mayors have ensured the District

absorbs many of the event’s costs. But, there is a ﬁne line between being a supportive friend and being that tacky person that throws their name on everything. This annual running of the heels is an event free from politics, corporate sponsors, and judgement — it’s just a fun night. Slapping one’s name onto the event — that just happens to be one week before Election Day — makes the event more a campaign rally than the fun night free of politics it has been. It is the sort of thing we’ve come to expect from Donald Trump, not the mayor of our nation’s capital. It is also a glaring reminder to the LGBTQ community that we can’t have anything that isn’t presented by someone or something. Nothing is truly our own anymore. Almost every Pride parade in America is presented by some company: Here in Washington, D.C., it’s the Pride Parade Presented by Marriott International, and in Pittsburgh, Pride celebrations are named after a fracking company. Meanwhile, nearly every major LGBTQ organization has lists of sponsors whose names are plastered all over their events and websites. Now, even a fun night of

queers in heels needs to be presented by a sponsor too. Mayor Bowser shouldn’t have put her name on the High Heel Race, but she is not the problem. The problem is we as a community have become complacent. We must not let every company that wants our money, or politician that wants our vote, think they can court us by sim-

2018 in D.C. ended in charges being dismissed and not a single perpetrator was convicted under the District’s hate crimes law. Hate crime prevention is just one of many important issues facing Washington. Nearly half of all homeless youth in Washington are LGBTQ. The District also needs to confront how its criminalization of sex workers impacts

Slapping one’s name onto the event — that just happens to be one week before Election Day — makes the event more a campaign rally than the fun night free of politics it has been. ply throwing us a few dollars or whisper a few soothing words in our ears. My friendly advice to Bowser, don’t speak a few nice words and go to a few fun events. Work to help the LGBTQ community. Washington, D.C., has seen multiple hate crime attacks in the U Street corridor. In July, Fox 5 reported that half of all LGBTQ hate crimes between 2016-

transgender women. Mayor, instead of politicizing the High Heel Race, tell LGBTQ people what you have done for our community. Your answers may earn you more praise than you think. ALEX MORASH is a D.C.-based writer. The views expressed here are his own.

BR O CK PA PER SCI SSOR S

Dating in D.C. Part II: the bars A Saturday night visit to Orchid, Fireplace and Larry’s

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

I’m here to report back. Last month I started out my three-part series on dating in D.C. The ﬁrst part of the series focused on the apps. And while I went out on a few honest-to-god dates, the whole venture wasn’t all that successful. What I really discovered was that with all the various apps — Chappy, Tinder, Hinge, whatever — it was more or less the same guys. It all depends on the app, too. On one, a guy opens with his love of opera, on another I noticed the same guy looking to get ‘bred.’ People are complex, I guess. Plus, I had a sneaking suspicion that as someone who is over 40, I may have aged out of

some people’s search criteria. Oh well, on to the next. And that next was going out on the town on my own to three gay bars I normally don’t visit. Going out solo seems to be something people just don’t do anymore. What with the advent of gay liberation, the aforementioned apps, and all sorts of other ways to meet guys, it seems people, unless they are just traveling through, aren’t willing to put themselves out there in a way that makes them conspicuous or vulnerable. Starting off, I got picked up outside of Trade on 14th Street on Saturday around 9 p.m. or so. The Uber driver immediately saw me and asked if I was “calling it a night.” So I guess I wasn’t exactly exuding excitement and confidence. And maybe I picked the wrong night for it. Hearing all about parties at Trade that were happening later on and a bit past my bedtime — CTRL, Peach Pit, something called “Bush Meat” — I was nevertheless undeterred. Orchid: First off was Orchid on Barracks Row. I never really get over to this side of town. And even though the area once had a thriving gay scene, it’s not often thought of now as a gay going out destination. Orchid itself was a pretty classy spot — great music, a fantastic

interior with a long, marble bar. I had a martini because it just looked like a drink you should have while sitting at a marble bar. Unfortunately, it was quiet. There was a woman un-ironically wearing a ‘Navy Mom’ sweatshirt. I finished my martini and left. The Fireplace: Getting picked up in Eastern Market, the driver asked my destination and asked if I was going to “the Firetrap.” “No, the FirePLACE,” thinking he had just misread it. “Well, that’s we called it back in the day,” he said back to me. It turns out my Uber driver, also from a small town in Arkansas, had lived in D.C. as a gay man since the 70s. And in our shared car ride, Nick gave me the history of gay life in D.C. — bars and people long since gone. When we arrived at the Fireplace, Nick turned off his app and came in to have a drink with me. We sat for a while and chatted. If you know the Fireplace at all, you know that it caters to a largely African-American crowd. I was enamored with it. Nick and I talked about how it is perhaps the most authentic queer space in the city. No pretense, stiff drinks, good music — the whole place had a real signature to it. But like the previous bar, no one I know really thinks about it. It also finds itself in

a part of town that used to have a larger queer bar scene. Although the place was packed, both the first and second floors, I asked the bartender why the Fireplace wasn’t more popular. “I’m not sure we want everyone here,” he said. The bar was more about community than marketing. And who could blame them. A roving band of Sunday kickballers or even, god forbid, a swarm of bachelorette parties can drastically alter a bar’s edge and vibe. It was no wonder they wanted to protect their corner. Larry’s: My last stop of the night was Larry’s on 18th. Larry’s put me closer to home and, like the Fireplace, the bar was full. I was home around midnight. And though I did strike out on the romantic front, I had fun. More so if I had gone out with friends? Well, maybe. It was a different kind of fun. Let’s just say I wouldn’t have gotten to know Nick, or even been able to convince a group to try Barrack’s Row or even the Fireplace. And striking out alone, and purposefully keeping my phone in my pocket, I was more open to meeting new faces and exploring new spaces. Next up in this series — volunteering. What will face-to-face interactions outside of the bars and away from alcohol produce? Stay tuned.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 8 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

O U R BU SI N E SS MA T T E RS

Vote D.C. forward: Dionne Reeder, Council At-Large Lesbian challenger is needed unifying leader to replace divisive Silverman

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

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser enjoys a level of voter approval and community support that is the envy of urban chief executives across the country. No other big-city mayor, or even state governor, commands the type of affinity, affection, and acclamation as the District’s top elected official. Bowser’s sky-high ratings are earned and deserved, and represent broad support for the vision and performance she has brought to the job throughout her first term. She is poised for re-election without having encountered any consequential opposition in either the city’s June Democratic party primary or Nov. 6

general election. Mayor Bowser has chosen to leverage her political popularity by being the first incumbent top official in modern city history to endorse a candidate challenger seeking to defeat a controversial D.C. Council member. That challenger, Dionne Reeder, deserves your support. The schismatic one-term incumbent, Elissa Silverman, does not. D.C. voters get to cast two votes from among a combined list of candidates for two At-Large Council seats. The home rule charter stipulates that one of the two citywide spots each two-year cycle is to be filled by a non-majority-party candidate. Anita Bonds, the Democratic candidate, is expected to again lead in the vote totals and return to the Council for another four-year term. Incumbent Bonds deserves your vote for one of the two seats up this year. It is the competitive race for the other seat that represents an opportunity to oust a divisive and polemical voice from the Council and elect a dynamic hometown alternative with a compelling community history and service background. The central component of Mayor Bowser’s success has been smartly welcoming all segments of the city to both civic engagement and policy discernment. Bowser’s philosophical approach has allowed

her to become a proven leader in effectively addressing the range of issues and concerns confronting the city, within the distinct limits of government ability, while maximizing community consensus involving all stakeholders and not merely a few. Silverman, in contrast, seems to savor seeding and fancy fomenting internecine clashes, excluding voices from consultation, insisting on ideological extremism, and precluding inclusive community investment in successful policy outcomes. D.C. is a big-city place retaining a smalltown accessibility allowing direct citizenry conversation and contribution. Silverman’s callous, impertinent, and all-too-common disregard for those with differing perspectives, notably the local business community, serves as a warning siren for unnecessary and counterproductive conflict. The Washington Post editorial board, when heartily endorsing Reeder last weekend, characterized Silverman’s attitudinal liability by stating, “we don’t think her caustic treatment of people makes for good governing.” Reeder, on the other hand, is an authentic community collaborator with impressive experience in both government-level and community-based program achievement and service delivery. Her method and manner is to roll up her sleeves, listen to all voices, consider all options, and seek the best approaches to

solving problems and seeking remedies. It’s time to encourage more of that from our local leaders, not less. Reeder, an African-American Ward 1 resident and lesbian small-business restaurateur in Ward 8, is long accustomed to traversing local bridges in actual and emblematic fashion. Her work as a congressional legislative assistant following D.C. public school and nearby-state university graduation, leadership developing and directing a local program preparing and assisting young residents to get into college, overseeing a city-funded eﬀort to curb youth violence, appointment as Ward 8 neighborhood services coordinator under former Mayor Anthony Williams, and a decade managing the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative have ably prepared her for citywide service. Married to her girlfriend of 19 years, Reeder is civil servant, community organizer, and small business operator. She oﬀers the promise and potential of providing innovative solutions to some of our city’s toughest problems by uniting enterprise and residents as allies instead of dividing them as enemies. A desire to continue moving D.C. forward recommends Reeder’s tenor, experience, and perspective. Let’s put Dionne to work for all of us.

V I E WPO I N T

Combatting Trump’s threats with D.C. health data collection act Measure reflects our commitment to LGBTQ community — we will not let you be erased By ROBERT WHITE & DAVID GROSSO It is impossible to fight inequality unless you first bring it into the light. That’s why we were alarmed when, earlier this year, the Trump administration threatened to strip questions from two of the largest national health surveys that help identify the health inequities for our LGBTQ population. Trump’s threats were part of his comprehensive effort to marginalize, delegitimize, and oppress minorities across the country. For LGBTQ residents, in particular, Trump’s threats suggested that they would be effectively erased from our health data, pushing the community back into the shadows. To confront that risk, and to address our own Department of Health’s historic inconsistency in collecting data, we drafted the LGBTQ Health Data Collection Amendment Act of 2018 in June. We wrote the bill to ensure that, regardless of any changes the Trump admin-

istration makes, the District of Columbia will collect, report, and utilize critical health data on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression for every age group as frequently as possible. Health disparities arising from sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression can be every bit as profound as the health disparities arising due to age or race. Just as we would reject a survey that failed to identify the differing health outcomes of African-Americans or that did not distinguish between the health needs of teenagers and senior citizens, we should reject any survey that hides how risk factors differ based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our bill specifically requires the District to continue to collect sexual orientation and gender identity data in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is conducted in our schools, and in the Behavior Risk Factor Survey, which is conducted over the telephone. This data remains anonymous and participation in either survey is voluntary. The data we collect further research on issues like physical activity, diet, tobacco use, alcohol use, immunization, sexual behavior, bullying, depression, and self-harm. The legislation requires that information from both surveys to be aggregated and ana-

lyzed in regular reports that identify trends in the health of our LGBTQ population and gaps in services. With that information, we can expand funding for the specialized resources and supports our LGBTQ neighbors need to address health impacts arising from family rejection, discrimination, and marginalization. The D.C. Council’s Committee on Education held a hearing on this critical legislation on October 17th, International Pronouns Day – a day when people take ownership of, and share, their own identities and learn not to make harmful assumptions. At the hearing, we heard testimony from medical students, physicians, researchers, and service providers who shared their need for greater access to health data in order to better serve our LGBTQ community. We also heard about the profound health risks the community still faces. LGBTQ youth are ﬁve times more likely to attempt suicide compared to other youth. 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ. And a staggering 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide. Recent health research also demonstrates that chronic stress is intensiﬁed among population groups that are victims of systemic discrimination, including the LGBTQ community. This stress can damage the heart, kidneys, and immune system, and even alter our genes. We cannot begin to address these

disparities unless we identify them, measure them, report them, and fund solutions. As we prepared to pass the legislation out of the Committee on Education, we were confronted with a new front in Trump’s continuing effort to erase the LGBTQ population. He is now considering redefining the term “gender” under Title IX with the goal of eliminating legal protections for transgender people. Thankfully, the District has already enshrined protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression in local law in our DC Human Rights Act. But the continued desire of this administration to systematically attack the most at-risk members of our community means we must continuously be on guard. More than ever, we must stand together as a community. The LGBTQ Health Data Collection Amendment Act reflects our continuing commitment to our LGBTQ community, and particularly LGBTQ young people, that we will not let you be erased, ignored, or denied. We hear you, we see you, we care about you, and we will fight for you. ROBERT WHITE and DAVID GROSSO are members of the D.C. City Council.

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;¢ 1 9

2 0 â&#x20AC;¢ O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018

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

Make Your Own!

LEARN TO KNIT, CROCHET OR WEAVE IN OUR FALL CLASSES

(703) 664-0344

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

•

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

•

VOLUME

•

ISSUE

•

OCTOBER

26,

2018

•

PAGE

‘Anchor and Hope’ explores the tangles of unconventional family building. PHOTO COURTESY WOLFE RELEASING

Silver anniversary for Reel Affirmations Annual D.C. LGBT film festival features shorts, imports, docs and more By BRIAN T. CARNEY It’s time for queer movie fans to rejoice — Reel Affirmations, D.C.’s celebration of international LGBT cinema, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. From Nov. 1-4, the festival will screen an amazing selection of full-length features and fabulous shorts at the Gala Hispanic Theatre on 14th Street. Reel Affirmations is now a program of the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community and this year’s Festival will kick off with

the Annual Reception for the D.C. Center, the signature fundraising for the Center, generating much-needed support for programs and services for the region’s LGBT community. The gala event, a celebration of the Festival’s milestone anniversary, will be held from 5-6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1; more information on the Reception can be found at thedccenter.org/events/reception.

THURSDAY, NOV. 1 Following the reception, the Festival kicks off with two excellent international films. Directed by Spanish filmmaker Carlos Marques-Marcet, “Anchor and Hope” opens with Eva (Oona Chaplin) and Kat (Natalia Tena) enjoying a simple and carefree life on a London canal boat. Things change when Eva’s mother (played by Chaplin’s own mother, the legendary

actress Geraldine Chaplin) inspires Eva to oﬀer Kat an ultimatum: she wants a child. Kat initially refuses, knowing this will end their bohemian lifestyle. When Kat’s best friend Roger (David Verdaguer) arrives from Barcelona, the three begin to explore the idea of creating a family together, but their diﬀering expectations of intimacy and responsibility put a heavy CONTINUES ON PAGE 34

2 2 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

Q U E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R SA SH A F E RN A N D E Z

S A S H A F ERN A N DEZ WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Although American University is known as a very LGBT-friendly school, students Rin Ryan and Sasha Fernandez (both bi) said there was a lack of representation in student media. So they decided to do something about it. Bisexuali-tea is a bi-weekly, 30-minute podcast where each episode finds the two discussing topics related to being queer in college. They start with a tea of the week and a preview of the conversation, then share stories with each other and ask questions. The second episode will be released Oct. 30 on Spotify or online (bisexualiteapodcast.transistor.fm). It’s part of American Way of Life Magazine, an independent AU publication dedicated to critical journalism. “There are a lot of misconceptions about bisexual people in college, especially toward women,” Fernandez says. “There is this perception that college is a time to explore sexual curiosities and that bisexuality is just a phase when it’s a legitimate sexuality. … Bisexual erasure is a common issue within our culture. We felt that by creating a podcast, we could help amplify the voices of other bisexual people and create a fun space for other students to listen in.” Fernandez is a 19-year-old Brooklyn native in her sophomore year at AU. She’s double majoring in international studies and journalism and hopes one day to be a reporter on LGBT and environmental issues. She and Ryan met through mutual friends then bonded “when we kept running into each other at one of our campus coffee shops.” “I always had crushes on guys, even in elementary school,” Fernandez says. “However I always thought female characters on TV were really pretty. After writing different essays for the college application process about my different identities, I realized this was a part of myself that I had never explored.” Fernandez lives in Tenleytown and enjoys podcasting, baking and listening to music in her free time.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? I have been out since fall of my senior year of high school. The hardest person to tell was my mom because she was the ﬁrst person to know.

because identifying as something other than cisgender or heterosexual is perfectly valid and there should be no reason to change who you are.

Who’s your LGBT hero? Emma González because she is a Cuban bisexual, like me.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world? Ghosts are real. I’ve had too many supernatural events that cannot be explained.

What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present? Town was such a fun place to go with friends and see all the drag performances. It was one of the queer nightlife spaces available for adults under 21.

What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders? To make sure the movement is intersectional, speciﬁcally representing transgender women of color that are most vulnerable to violence.

Describe your dream wedding. I don’t have a dream wedding.

What would you walk a cross hot coals for? To end climate change.

What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about? Environmental justice. What historical outcome would you change? The 2016 election. What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? When Lady Gaga wore a meat dress to the 2010 VMAs. On what do you insist? That everyone follows the golden rule and treats others how they would like to be treated. What was your last Facebook post or Tweet? I do not post on Facebook and my last tweet consisted of me attending an event about Sino-Russian relations at Georgetown University.

What LGBT stereotype annoys you most? That LGBT relationships never have a happy ending. In most LGBT movies, many of the characters do not end up together because of illness or other relationship issues. However, LGBT relationships can last for life. What’s your favorite LGBT movie? Does “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” count? What’s the most overrated social custom? Face ﬁlters on Snapchat. What trophy or prize do you most covet?

A Pulitzer Prize.

If your life were a book, what would the title be? “Short and Sweet”

What do you wish you’d known at 18? I wish I wasn’t so insecure and worried about the future.

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? I would campaign to prevent minors from sexual conversion by their parents

Why Washington? Washington is the city for those who are passionate and motivated.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

D I N I NG

OC T OB E R 26, 2018 • 23

Hug for the soul Calabash Tea & Tonic oﬀers more than a hearty meal

I may not fit some ideas about gender, and I am a proud part of DC.

By EVAN CAPLAN Entering Calabash Tea & Tonic (1847 7th St., N.W.) is like a hug for your soul. Your body gets one as well, likely from the shop’s larger-than-life owner, Dr. Sunyatta Amen. A fifth-generation herbalist, Amen is a medical doctor and happens to identify as a witch. It’s not as spooky as it seems. “How can we heal you today?” she asks me, and every customer who walks in the door. Already, the space itself is curative: overstuffed couches in bright patterns, a brass hamsa door knocker from her Sephardic Syrian grandparents’ house, a wood print celebrating the 2016 Women’s March (for sale, $600). The aroma rich, the solidarity solid, the water heaters humming: the therapy aspect is strong and sound. Amen invites over Daniel Gao, one of the shop’s healer-baristas. Though he grew up in Silver Spring, his parents are from Tanzania, and he spent much of his youth there. Gao has been working in the shop for two years, wholeheartedly embracing the Calabash concept. “I come from a conservative family, so it was difficult for me to come out,” he says. And given Tanzania’s history of antipathy toward the LGBT community, he’s still not out to relatives there. In D.C., however, Gao isn’t shy about who he is. He uses his passion for music, advocacy and prior classes in nursing to lift spirits and voices. At the shop, Gao is more than a tea flipper. He relishes having a female mentor and working at a female-run shop, where empowerment flows as strong as the tea. After coming out as gay, Gao realized he had another identity: as a “brujo,” or witch. “I put a little bit of both love and magic into what I do,” he says. On top of each cup, he writes an affirmation, almost like a spell. “In African spirituality,” he says, “there were gatekeepers between worlds. I see myself as having a similar role, I can channel feminine energy and transformation.” At Calabash, Gao feels at home and part of a community and can come out confidently both as gay and as a brujo. “I can live my best life,” he says. Halfway through our conversation, Amen notes I need a pick-me-up. I’d already tore through the vegan BLT (spinach, tomato and coconut cured, dried, spiced in-house), but she had more. Gao flew over with grandma’s recipe spiced chai: an ethereal elixir of organic Assam black tea, cardamom, proprietary spice mix and non-dairy milk. Amen’s father was an ethnobotanist, running a small juice bar that she saw

“

Some think I should dress more like a woman. Some think I should dress more like a man.

PHOTO COURTESY AMEN

SUNYATTA AMEN, a ﬁfth-generation herbalist, is both a doctor and a witch.

as a forerunner to her own business. Calabash is something of a modern apothecary, both trendy and homey. “It’s designed to feel like the living room of your well-traveled aunt who tells stories of past meals and past lovers, stories that are naughty enough to intrigue and to teach lessons,” she says. Her goal at Calabash is twofold: to create community and to heal. Back in the dark times before 2015, when same-sex marriage was legalized across the country, Calabash played host to same-sex weddings. Washington was the farthest south that marriage was legal, so Amen’s friends and family from the South took advantage of the cozy space for samesex ceremonies, including her sister. Amen breaks up the interview to wish a customer well as she leaves. “Bye, beautiful,” she says. Outside of parties, the shop also hosts herbal learning classes, activist workshops and more. As for the curative elements, Amen, whose ancestral tree is as knotty as it comes (she’s part Native American, Middle Eastern, Irish and Caribbean), explains that magic and medicine are indistinguishable. The shop boasts more than 50 originaland family-recipe proprietary blends of tea (all organic and fair trade). But when customers explain what ails them, her staﬀ can create something special. To Amen, this transformation, from herb to solution, is magic. This may explain the bubbling cauldron of kombucha on tap. She also focuses on plant-based dishes to pair with the teas. “It’s actually the vegetables and herbs that make meat taste good to people, so we ﬁgured we would show our customers how to cut out the middleman or middleanimal,” she says. The short vegan menu includes the BLT sandwich, pies and pastries, a Mexicancorn porridge and Jamaican patties that pack a serious kick. “I’m unapologetic about who I am, and I want to create a place of empowerment,” Amen says. “It’s time for witches to come out of the broom closet.”

Please treat me the same way any person would want to be treated: with courtesy and respect. Discrimination based on gender identity and expression is illegal in the District of Columbia. If you think you’ve been the target of discrimination, visit www.ohr.dc.gov or call (202) 727-4559.

OFFICE OF

GLBT AFFAIRS

Show your support! Spread word of the #TransRespect campaign by photographing this ad and sharing on Twitter.

2 4 • O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018

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

OPEN SUNDAY, OCT 28, 2 TO 4PM

MODERN URBAN LIVING IN THE HEART OF OLD TOWN! Exquisitely built & unique LEED Gold townhouse Inspired by 1850's Cast Iron architecture, this home boasts open floor plan with custom finishes throughout. 3,300 sqft of light drenched living space with floor to ceiling windows. Gourmet kitchen with Thermador appliances. Hardwood floors & recessed lighting. Built in sound system/intercom system. Highly efficient Geo-thermal heating & cooling. Private terrace over 2 car garage. Too many features to list! (Average utility bill is 150 or less).

325 N COLUMBUS ST, Alexandria, VA 22314 4br & 3/2ba • $1,925,000

N COLUMBUS 325 N COLUMBUS ST,325 Alexandria, VA 22314 ST, Alexandria, VA 41022314 N ALFRED ST, Alexandria, VA 22314 4br & 3/2ba | $1,849,9004br & 3/2ba • $1,925,000 3br/4ba | $1,099,000

Offered Martine Alexander Exquisitely built &by unique LEEDand Gold townhouseIrmer 703.346.7283 703.403.2465 Inspired by 1850’s Cast Iron architecture, this home boasts open Martine@Lnf.com Ai@Lnf.com floor plan with custom finishes throughout. 3,300 sqft of light drenched living space with floor to ceiling windows. Gourmet kitchen with Thermador appliances. Hardwood floors & recessed lighting. Built in sound system/intercom system. Highly efficient Geo-thermal heating & cooling. Private terrace over 2 car garage. Too many features to list! (Average utility bill is 150 or less).

This light filled, gorgeous Victorian boasts open floor plan with over 2,500 sqft of living space on a large deep lot. Perfect flow for entertaining, enjoy living, dining, kitchen with island/bar & large family room with French doors that lead to your private oasis. Bright master suite with ample closet space, full master bath with shower, soaking tub & dual vanities, laundry room, skylights & Juliette balcony with large glass doors that give you the feeling of being in a treehouse. Fully finished lower level with full bath. Hardwood floors, recessed lighting & architectural details throughout. Oversized shed with attic storage. Off street parking.

Offered by Martine and Alexander Irmer 703.346.7283 Martine@Lnf.com

703.403.2465 Ai@Lnf.com

The Irmer Group

@irmergroup

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

M U SI C

‘Sky’s’ the limit for Mary Chapin Singer/songwriter celebrates 30 years with new release, tour By BRIAN WALMER Celebrating 30 years in the music business, singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter released a new album entitled “Sometimes Just The Sky” in March and has been busy touring overseas and the U.S. Carpenter has been a staple of the D.C. area performing annually at Wolf Trap and returning every few years to one of her old stomping grounds, The Birchmere. The singer/songwriter spoke to the Blade by phone the day before she heads out on the road to begin the fall leg of her “Sometimes Just The Sky Tour.” She’s been running errands and doing some last minute things around her home when when we talk about her upcoming shows at The Birchmere, her new new album and highlights from her 30 year career. BLADE: You’ve said you get nervous performing at The Birchmere. Why? CARPENTER: It’s not just The Birchmere, I get nervous pretty much anywhere (laughs). It keeps you on your toes. I’m sure you heard other people say that, but it’s true. It keeps you alert and on your toes and in touch with everything around you. That said it’s not something I wish on anyone, but it’s just after all these years I’m kind of used to it I suppose and I’m not surprised when I feel those butterflies. BLADE: You were at Wolf Trap a few months ago which is a place you’ve regularly played throughout your career. What’s it like going from a show there performing for 7,000 people to being in room performing for 500 at The Birchmere? CARPENTER: Both of those places are so special. Anytime you’re walking on either stage you feel thrilled. What’s great about Wolf Trap is that even though it’s so many people, it has this ability because of its beauty, the way it’s set up, the open hearts that people bring with them in addition to their picnics, it can feel very intimate. That being said, The Birchmere can feel, even though it’s comparatively less people, like the biggest rock stage you’ve ever been on. You feel like you’re taking the roof off. The audiences are so amazing and you can just really dig into the whole thing. So each place doesn’t necessarily correspond to what you think it may be about. There’s an intimacy in a huge space and an amazing sense of being able to lift off in a small space. BLADE: You re-recorded both hits and deeper cuts for “Sometimes Just the Sky.” How did that project come about? CARPENTER: Well first of all, I wanted to do something to mark the milestone. I wanted to celebrate it with joy and

PHOTO BY JONATHAN STEWART

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER says she loves performing at both The Birchmere and Wolf Trap.

with an artistic project. I didn’t feel the need to just re-release existing tracks or anything like that. It was an experiment of sorts to see how the passage of time aﬀected songs that I knew backwards and forwards over the last 30 years. The oldest song against the newest song for example. I thought it would be interesting to see if they feel connected in some way. Magically to me they absolutely feel connected to one another. It was just a really special project for me. Again, it was initially to celebrate this milestone but as it went on it felt as a new album standing alone on itself. It was just so wild to have that experience. To record it with Ethan Johns in Western England, it’s one of my favorite places in the world and Ethan is amazing and I just — it felt like such a privilege to do it. BLADE: How do you come up with set lists with such a vast catalogue? CARPENTER: You know it’s not the easiest thing but it’s the challenge of every tour and every set list I’m creating. I feel like I have some boxes to tick oﬀ. One would be if there’s a new album around that tour I want to represent a certain amount that’s on that record and then … dive deeper in the existing catalog and try to come up with some things that might not have been heard recently and then it’s important to include songs people know or I’m going to make the presumption they know. I want people to feel there’s things they recognize and they can latch on that way. You know, so mixing it up in a bowl of those three things is the challenge and it’s just something that

feels right, that particular mix up. BLADE: Looking back over all your albums, is there any that you feel didn’t get the recognition it deserved from either critics or fans? CARPENTER: Oh golly, well first of all I’m probably not the best person to ask. I tried for many, many years not to read reviews. I’m sure you heard other performers, artists, novelists, authors or whoever say that. Some people are totally fine doing that and over the years I discovered within myself that I just did better if I didn’t try and follow those things, so I wouldn’t have a line on what’s been well received versus what hasn’t been well received. It’s not like I don’t care, but it’s just sort of recognizing I do better without having someone’s criticism in my head. BLADE: In 2007, you released an album entitled “The Calling.” It featured a few songs with political themes as well as songs that provided hope during a crazy time. Many of the themes in that album still ring true now in 2018. Will you be featuring any of those songs on this tour? CARPENTER: There’s a song on there called “Why Shouldn’t We” and I’m polishing that up for this tour. I feel like that song speaks to the themes of our time. I very much want to put that forth in terms of how it illustrates how I feel about so many things. We need to figure out ways to talk to one another. That’s the most important thing to me is building the bridge to be able to talk to one another because it’s pretty lonely when you’ve got no one to talk to. BLADE: When you’re writing, do you think of the impact you hope to have on the listener? CARPENTER: Well, I don’t think I have that in my head when I’m working on a song because I’m really trying to answer my own questions first and listen to my own voice in a way. It’s really about feeling, for me, I can’t speak for any other songwriter, but for myself I’m trying to just speak to something as honestly and personally as I know how. You know, that’s sort of the gauge I guess. I heard a quote the other day and God it was beautiful. I forget who said it in reference to a book or something but it was how do you know when the book is finished and the response is when you’ve abandoned it (laughs). You know, when do you know a song is finished? I guess when you abandon it. But with that said, I think it makes a lot of sense. I feel it’s finished and I let it sit on my kitchen table and I give it what I call the overnight test. I try and walk away from it, let it sit there overnight and then come back to it the next day. When I play it again the next day, the response I have then tells me whether it’s a keeper, needs more work or goes right into the garbage bin.

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 2 5

BLADE: In 1993, you appeared on Dolly’s song “Romeo” with Billy Ray Cyrus, Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea and Pam Tillis. How did that come about? Any special memories about the recording of the song or the music video? CARPENTER: Well I don’t remember how it came about, but I remember Dolly invited me to sing harmony on the song. For the video, it was just one of those days, my God. To be hanging out with those fabulous women and Billy Ray (laughs). It was hilarious. I was just glad it wasn’t my video because I hated making videos, hated them. I’d rather eat a cockroach than make a video. On that particular set I just had to sit around and get up every once in a while and sing and hang out with Dolly and all those ladies and Billy Ray — it was fun. I also remember I got to buy that black leather motorcycle jacket that I was wearing and to this day I think I lent it somebody and I don’t know where it is, I’m so mad. I want that jacket back. BLADE: Also in 1993, you wrote a song with Cyndi Lauper that was on her “Hat Full of Stars” album called “Sally’s Pigeons.” How did you meet and what brought you together to write? CARPENTER: I have a memory that I was part of a show at the Beacon Theater in New York and Cyndi was at that show, she was brought up to my dressing room and we were introduced as possibly getting together to maybe do some writing together. I was thrilled as you could imagine and she was into it and sometime soon after that I ﬂew up to New York and she and her driving instructor picked me up at LaGuardia, so she’s like the driver in training, driving down the Cross Bronx Expressway turning her head to me in the backseat having a conversation and her driving institutor is in the front seat having a panic attack. (laughs) No, she was a good driver. We spent the next day or two working on the song that became “Sally’s Pigeons” and I think we ﬁnished it over the phone. This was back in the day when we used landlines still. Anyway, it was thrilling and I’ll never forget it. BLADE: At the CMAs in 1994, you performed “Shut Up and Kiss Me” and at the end of the song, Little Richard came out and kissed you. How did you get Little Richard to appear with you? CARPENTER: (laughs) I don’t know! The producer had great persuasive powers somehow. How cool was that? I loved every minute of it. I was having a blast.

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER Sometimes Just the Sky Tour With Laura Cortese and The Dance Cards Oct. 29-30 The Birchmere 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA SOLD OUT

LOGOmotion, inc.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

26 • OCT OB E R 26, 2018

O U T & A BO U T

Branding products to promote your business. By MARIAH COOPER

PHOTO BY JOHN JACK GALLAGHER

Cornhole for a Cause raises money for SMYAL Stonewall Kickball’s District Jocks hosts Cornhole for a Cause at Outside Stead Park (1519 17th St., N.W.) on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The cornhole tournament will benefit SMYAL. Raffle prizes and gift cards will be given out throughout the day. Registration is $50 per team of two people. The fee includes entry to the tournament, 15 raffle tickets for each player, two drink tickets to JR.’s, a day pass to Vida and a drink bracelet for specials at JR.’s and Nellie’s at the afterparty. Tournament prizes include three free months at Vida, three free training sessions at Vida and a $100 gift card to Aura Spa. Deadline for registration is Nov. 2. For more information, visit facebook.com/cornholedckickball.

• Awards • Tote & Duffle Bags • Mugs • Pens

• Clothing • Water Bottles PHOTO COURTESY INVASION GROUP

Out singer Jennifer Knapp performs at City Winery

Robert Safro 301.986.0585 logomotioninc.com And creative solutions for all your design, marketing, and print needs

The Graphic Issue www.theGraphicIssue.com

Center reception to honor Reel Aﬃrmations The D.C. Center hosts its Annual Reception Celebrating 25 Years of Reel Aﬃrmations at the GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) on Thursday, Nov. 1 from 5-6:45 p.m. The 13th annual celebration is a fundraising event to help the D.C. Center continue to provide a safe environment for the LGBT community in the D.C. area. Standard tickets are $75. Senior tickets for individuals 55 years of age and over are $50. Young adult tickets for guests under 25 are $50. For more details, visit thedccenter. org/reception.

• USB Drives

• Flashlights....

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Grammy-nominated singer Jennifer Knapp brings her “Kansas and Back Around Tour” to City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.) on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. Knapp will play two sets for the show. The ﬁrst set will include songs from her album “Love Comes Back Around.” The second set will have songs from her albums “Kansas,” “Lay It Down” and “The Way I Am.” VIP tickets are $85 and include entry to Knapp’s pre-show soundcheck, a pre-show meet and greet with Knapp, one merchandise item and reserved show seating. General admission tickets are $15. Visit citywinery.com to purchase tickets.

Angelica Ross to appear at HIPS 25th anniversary HIPS hosts its 25th anniversary celebration at the Whittemore House (1526 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.) on Friday, Nov. 2 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. “Pose” star and transgender rights advocate Angelica Ross will receive the Hero Award. The celebration will include a reception, auction and a main program. The anniversary program begins at 7:30 p.m. HIPS was launched in 1993 to provide harm reduction services, advocacy and community engagement for people impacted by sexual exchange and drug use. Tickets are $75. For more details, visit hips25th.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T H E A TER

OC T OB E R 26, 2018 • 27

Making the cut Immigration drama is blistering, bravura character study By PATRICK FOLLIARD In Brazilian playwright Bosco Brasil’s “New Guidelines for Peaceful Times,” currently nearing the end of its American premiere at Spooky Action Theater, the compelling and timely play about immigration presents two men who have been exposed to the horrors of war and torture. In one hour of real time conversation, a desperate immigrant goes up against a seemingly unfeeling functionary who holds an enormous amount of power in deciding the fate of others. It’s the spring of 1945 and World War II is wrapping up. Immigrants from Europe are seeking new opportunities in South America. Here, it’s up to immigration officer Segismundo (Carlos Saldaño) to decide who gets in and who doesn’t. Today’s prospective new resident is Clausewitz (Michael Kevin Darnall), a new arrival from war-torn Poland, eager to charm his way into a new country. But Segismundo senses something’s not quite right about the willing Pole. He’s fluent in Portuguese and while he lists his occupation as farmer, his uncalloused hands throw doubt on the claim. Also, he comes with no belongings, not even a suitcase. So, Segismundo can either overlook these irregularities and allow Clausewitz entry or send him back to his cargo ship en route to the remote Falkland Islands. The pair meet in Segismundo’s dockyard office, a smallish room made of raw slat wood walls and modestly furnished with standard-issue office furniture: desk, chairs, hat rack and a radio. A framed photograph of a young woman holds a place of importance on the desk. Clausewitz is genial but understandably anxious. He lists his background and wartime experience. Segismudno isn’t particularly impressed. After much conversation, Segismundo proposes a challenge: Clausewtiz has 10 minutes to make him cry. If Clausewitz succeeds, he gains entry to pursue a new life in Brazil. If not, he’s out. The more we learn about each man, the more we realize they aren’t as they initially seemed. The turbulent world has pushed them into unpleasant circumstances. Plus, the war years have impacted immigration, Segismundo unfeelingly explains: Last week Jews were turned away. Now Brazil doesn’t want Nazis. Both Darnall and Saldaño are superb.

Behind enemy lines are hearts just like yours.

PHOTO BY TERESA CASTRACANE; COURTESY SPOOKY ACTION

Out actor KEVIN DARNALL shines in the moody, thought-provoking ‘New Guidelines for Peaceful Times.’

Their level of concentration is through the roof. On press night, they delivered a very wordy (and quite beautifully translated) script without a moment of falter. Darnall, a thrillingly versatile actor (who identifies as bi), has the showier part. His role calls for more palpable emotion and he boasts a credible Polish accent. And as the more reserved of the two, Saldaño imbues what could be a one-note performance with lots of nuance. The piece is cunningly staged by director Roberta Alves. She’s assembled an adroit cast and a top-drawer design team. Within the claustrophobic office, she opens up the story considerably. When sharing memories, the characters are bathed in blue light that take us outside of the office. Throughout the play, there’s the sound of rain and waves lapping against the dock. The playwright explores the power and importance of language, theater and freedom of expression. In a long monologue, Clausewitz, the immigrant, recites a passage from “Like is a dream” by Spanish Golden Age poet Pedro Calderón de la Barca. In reference to liberty, he asks, “What law, what justice or what reason denies men the sweet privilege, the fundamental right, that God has given to the crystal stream, a fish, a beast and a bird?” It’s a good question. ‘NEW GUIDELINES FOR PEACEFUL TIMES’ Through Oct. 28 Spooky Action Theater 1810 16th St., N.W. $20-40 202-248-0301 Spookyaction.org

Silent Night

November 10–25 | Eisenhower Theater Music by Kevin Puts / Libretto by Mark Campbell

Kennedy-Center.org

Groups call (202) 416-8400

Major support for WNO is provided by Jacqueline Badger Mars.

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

(202) 467-4600

David M. Rubenstein is the Presenting Underwriter of WNO.

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

WNO’s Presenting Sponsor

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 8 • O CTO B E R 2 6 , 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.

FRIDAY, OCT. 26 The D.C Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) hosts Woof: Happy Hour and Porn Star Bingo this evening from 5-11 p.m. Beaux Banks hosts Porn Star Bingo which will have prizes. There will be free pizza for the crowd at 7:30 p.m. Drink specials run until 11 p.m. No cover before 9:30 p.m. For more details, visit dceagle.com. JR.’s Bar (1519 17th St., N.W.) hosts Divas, a night dedicated to the music of divas, tonight from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. DJ Darryl Strickland will play the music of Cher, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and more. Drink specials are from 9 p.m.-midnight. For more information, visit facebook.com/jrsbardc. D.C. Bear Crue hosts Bear Happy Hour at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) this evening from 5-10 p.m. Drink specials run until 10 p.m. and include $5 rail cocktails and $5 draft pitchers. Free appetizers will be handed out throughout the night. For more details, visit facebook.com/ bearhappyhour. The D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.) presents Birds of Prey, a drag show, tonight at 10:30 p.m. Various local drag queens will perform. DJ C Dubz will play music. For more information, visit facebook.com/dcbridsofprey. The Latino GLBT History Project hosts a screening and discussion of the film “Chavela” at Human Rights Campaign (1649 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The film tells the story of singer Chavela Vargas. For more details, visit latinoglbthistory.com. Stonewall Kickball team Down to Field hosts Down to Float Drag Cruise leaving from D.C. Cruises (3100 K St., N.W.) to sail the Potomac tonight from 9:30-11:45 p.m. There will be drag performances from Desiree Dik, Bombalicious Eklaver and Bellatrix Fox. Tickets are $55 and includes an open bar. Proceeds will benefit the D.C. Center. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. Advocates for Youth (1325 G St., N.W.) presents “Intersex 101: Our Shared Liberation,” a workshop on the basics of being intersex, tonight from 6-8 p.m. Dinner will be provided. For details, visit facebook.com/advocates4youth. Broadway Center Stage presents “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) today with shows at 2 and 8 p.m. The musical stars Megan Hilty and Josh Radnor. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 Miss Adams Morgan 31: SHEroes and Villains is at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight

PHOTO COURTESY KENNEDY CENTER

The cast of ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’

at 6 p.m. Queen Eva and the Dupont Social Club host the event. Tickets are $85. Search “Miss Adams Morgan 31: SHEroes & Villains” on Facebook for more information. The Bentzen Ball Comedy Fest presents comedians Cameron Esposito, Rhea Butcher, Naomi Ekgeperin and more at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) tonight at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more details, visit bentzenball.com. The Walk & 5K to End HIV is at Freedom Plaza (14th St., and Pennsylvania Ave., n.W.) today from 7-11 a.m. The walk and timed run will raise funds for Whitman-Walker’s HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. The 5K kicks off at 9:15 a.m. followed by the walk at 9:20 a.m. Post-event activities begin at 10 a.m. Runner registration is $21, student/senior walkers are $9 and walker registration is $15. Sleepwalkers registration, for those who cannot attend, is $24. For more details, visit walktoendhiv.org. The Halloween Hip Hop Bar Crawl is today in the U Street neighborhood from 3-11 p.m. A DJ at each bar will spin a different genre of old school hip hop music from the ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s. Costumes are encouraged. There will also be drink specials and giveaways. Participating bars include Vivid Lounge, Clock & Dagger, Amsterdam and Pure Lounge. The grand finale afterparty will be at Provision 14 from 8-11 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, visit facebook.com/1920dc. The gay-led Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company will perform “Silhouettes” based on American culture in the National Portrait Gallery at the gallery

TUESDAY, OCT. 30

in the Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium this evening at 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 30 (same time). Details at dtsbdc.org. Washington Concert Opera performs Opera Outside today at 11 a.m. at Merdian Hill/Malcolm X Park near the Joan of Arc statue on the top ﬁeld. Children and dogs welcome. It’s free and open to the public. Selections will include works from the current season. Details at concertopera. org/outside.

Mayor Muriel Bowser presents the 32nd annual 17th Street High Heel Race on 17th Street between R and P Streets tonight at 7 p.m. The pre-race happy hour kicks oﬀ at Level One/ Cobalt patio (1639 R St., N.W.) at 5 p.m. The parade is at 7 p.m. followed by the race at 9 p.m. For details, visit facebook. com/17thstreethighheelrace.

SUNDAY, OCT. 28

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31

The Bentzen Ball Comedy Fest and Lyft presents Belly Laughs, a charity brunch featuring “Queer Eye” star Antoni Porowski and friends, at Eaton D.C. (1201 K St., N.W.) at 11 a.m. Doors open at 10:30 p.m. Total proceeds will beneﬁt Whitman-Walker Health. Tickets can’t be bought but Lyft users can use the code “AVOCADO” for a chance to win. For more information, visit bentzenball.com. Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts Sunday Mass, a monthly house/techno music event, tonight from 6 p.m.-midnight. DJ Billy Lace will play music. Cover is $5. For more details, visit cobaltdc.com.

Nellies’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts “A Rocky Horror Halloween” tonight from 8 p.m.-midnight. From 8-10 p.m. there will be a screening of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” “Absolutely Snatched,” a drag show and costume contest, will be from 10 p.m.-midnight. $1 from the night’s speciality cocktail will beneﬁt the National Black Justice Coalition. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com. Union Stage (740 Water St., N.W.) hosts a Harry Potter dance party tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25-$60. For more details, visit unionstage.com. The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations are needed and newcomers are welcome. Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

MONDAY, OCT. 29 The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts coﬀee drop-in hours for the senior LGBT community this morning from 10 a.m.-noon. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coﬀee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

THURSDAY, NOV. 1 Slide It in presents Seven Deadly Sins at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 8-10 p.m. All proceeds will beneﬁt the Trevor Project. For more details, search “Slide It In Presents: Seven Deadly Sins” on Facebook.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

F I LM

OC T OB E R 26, 2018 • 29

PHOTO COURTESY AMAZON STUDIOS/PLAN B ENTERTAINMENT

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET and STEVE CARRELL in ‘Beautiful Boy.’

‘Beautiful’ performances Joint father/son memoirs woven together in poignant ‘Boy’ By JOHN PAUL KING After his star-making turn in last year’s “Call Me By Your Name,” fans of Timothée Chalamet have been eagerly awaiting the young actor’s return to the screen. Their wait is over with the release of “Beautiful Boy,” a new drama about a family thrown into turmoil by crystal meth. It tells the real-life story of successful writer David Sheff (Steve Carrell) and his teenage son Nic (Chalamet), who have what can only be described as the pictureperfect ideal of a father-son relationship until Nic’s increasingly erratic behavior leads to the discovery that he has been using meth. Ever the supportive parent, David is determined to help, but despite his best efforts, Nic continues to relapse and his father is forced to recognize that he can only watch, powerless, as his son slides further into addiction. Adapted from two complementary memoirs by the real David and Nic Sheff (“Beautiful Boy” and “Tweak,” respectively), the film endeavors to show their experiences from both perspectives. Director Felix Van Groeningen, working from a screenplay he co-authored with Luke Davies, assembles his movie a bit like a collage, flashing forward and backward through time to reveal memories of the past and foreshadows of the future as both father and son endure their separate-but-intertwined struggles. It’s an effective approach; Van Groeningen handles it skillfully, maintaining a natural flow that prevents the non-linear departures from making things seem disjointed. Even so, this stream-of-consciousness structure — which, along with its eclectic, deep-cut rock-and-roll soundtrack, gives “Beautiful Boy” a comfortably quirky, indie feel — leads to a sort of clinical distance. The tone seems detached and observational; we watch what happens on the screen without really being drawn

in to even the most intense situations. As a result, the film is less moving than one might expect or desire from a narrative as emotionally charged as this one. Not that this is necessarily a flaw; there’s much to be said for the power of understatement in telling such stories. The plot, though based on an admittedly heartbreaking real-life experience, is almost a cliché. We’ve seen it so many times it feels like an overused Hollywood formula, and one that easily turns maudlin at that. Thankfully, it does not and though Van Groeningen deserves some of the credit for keeping things restrained, it’s really the work of the cast that ensures the movie stays this side of melodrama. Carrell, known more for his comedic skills, reminds us here that he also possesses some serious acting chops. His portrayal of a devastated father is meticulously truthful; yes, there is anger and despair, but these are punctuations in a journey that is really about frustration, bewilderment, and ultimately acceptance. As for Chalamet, he veers into territory carved out by actors like DeNiro by undergoing harrowing physical transformation to portray his character in the depth of addiction, but his internal performance is every bit as authentic as his exterior presentation. From the bright confidence of intelligent youth to the blank numbness of a desperate addict and everything in between, this gifted actor brings his role completely to life, proving his astonishing performance in “Call Me By Your Name” was no fluke. The cast is uniformly strong. The film falls a bit short in that it, like many before it, fails to convey the powerlessness of the addict depicting him as victim of his own choices. The reality, as anyone who either works in recovery or is in recovery themselves will tell you, is that they are as powerless to stop themselves by choice as their loved ones are to help them. That’s the true heartbreak of substance dependence and even though a film may be filled with words that express it, it’s virtually impossible to convey the truth of it to an audience who does not understand it firsthand.

Co s t u me c o n t e s t a t mid n ig h t h o s t e d by t h e l eg e n da r y

Le n a Let t !

$5 0 0 i n c a s h a n d p r i z e s !

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 0 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

EVENTS

Countdown to Halloween Queer-friendly Allhallowtide events abound in D.C. and beyond By MARIAH COOPER FRIDAY, OCT. 26 Night of the Living Zoo, an adult halloween party, is at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) tonight from 7-10:30 p.m. There will be craft beer, food from popular D.C. food trucks, a costume contest, a DJ and performance artists. General admission tickets are $30 for Friends of the Zoo members and $40 for nonmembers. Tickets include access to the party, complimentary soda and water, after-hours access to animal houses and two drink tickets. VIP tickets are $65 for Friends of the Zoo members and $90 for non-members. They include an additional drink ticket, VIP express checkin, a private dance ﬂoor, bar and lounge, complimentary food tastings from D.C. restaurants, animal demonstrations and more. For more information, visit nationalzoo.si.edu/events. BloominGays presents a screening of “Hocus Pocus” at Crispus Attucks Park (Crispus Attucks Ct., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Attendees should bring a blanket or low-to-the-ground chair. Admission is free. For more details, visit facebook. com/bloomingdalegays. XX+ Crostino (1926 9th St., N.W.) hosts Charmed tonight from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite vampire slayer, ghost, zombie, witch or mermaid from television. Prizes will be given for categories such as Best Witch and Best Throwback Costume. DJ Honey Johnson will play music. Happy hour pricing is from 10-11 p.m. There will also be food served. Cover is $5. For more details, visit facebook.com/xxcrostino. The Coven D.C. hosts Otherworld at Ten Tigers Parlour (3813 Georgia Ave., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. DJ Tezrah will play music. For more information, visit facebook.com/thecovendc. Skin Tight USA and Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) host Pre-Halloween, a cos-play party and costume contest, tonight from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. There will be more than $500 in prizes and raﬄes. DJ JerrBear and DJ D’Manda Martini will play music. Cover is $5 at the door. For more details, visit greenlanterndc.com. SATURDAY, OCT. 27 The Ivy Project presents Witches Be Cray, an LGBT Halloween party, at Uproar Lounge & Restaurant (639 Florida Ave., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. There will be a costume contest, giveaways and

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS

Halloween games. Drink specials run all night. DJ Electrox and DJ Milko will play music. No cover. For more information, visit facebook.com/ivyprojectdc. XX+ Crostino (1926 9th St., N.W.) hosts Vamp, a Halloween ladies party, tonight from 10 p.m. -2:30 a.m. Madame Seduction will perform. DJ Mim will spin tracks. There will be craft cocktails and small bites. Cover is $10. For more details, visit facebook.com/xxcrostino. No Justice No Pride hosts a Halloween and house warming party at its new location (169 Uhland Ter., N.E.) tonight from 8 p.m.-4 a.m. This party is also a fundraiser to provide aid for the transgender community. Costumes are encouraged. There will also be drink specials and DJs. For more details, visit facebook.com/nojusticenopride. DAR Museum (1776 D St., N.W.) hosts a Victorian Halloween Party today from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The familyfriendly party will have treats, tricks and games common during Victorian Halloween. Admission is free. Costumes are optional. For more information, visit facebook.com/darmuseum. Lindy Promotions celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Halloween bar crawl Nightmare on M Street today from 1-8 p.m. in Dupont Circle. “Jersey Shore” star Vinny Guadagnino hosts the event. Participating bars include Decades, Living Room, Public Bar, Blackﬁnn Ameripub, Heist and more. Registration is from 1-7 p.m. Tickets range from $15-20 and include coverfree entry to all bars, drink specials, costume contests and more. For more details, visit lindypromo.com. CTRL hosts Halloqueen, a gay dance party, at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-2:45 a.m. DJ Claudia, DJ Dvonne, DJ Jeﬀ Prior, DJ Adam Koussari-Amin and more will spin tracks. Donna Slash will give a special performance. There will also be a costume contest. For more information,

visit facebook.com/ctrldc. The Cherry Fund hosts Cherry Horror Halloween at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 9 p.m.-2:30 a.m. DJ Paulo Pacheco and DJ Sean Morris will play music. Proceeds from the party will be donated to the Barry D Smythers Fund for Mental Health Awareness. Tickets are $15. For more details, visit facebook.com/cherryfund. Project D.C. Events hosts its Halloween Crawl today from noon-8 p.m. in Dupont Circle. The list of participating bars includes James Hoban’s, The Exchange, Bravo Bravo and more. There will be a costume contest, free raﬄes and event pictures. Guests will receive a souvenir haunted mug, drink and food specials, cover-free access to bars and more. Tickets are $35 online and $40 day of the event. For more information, visit dchalloweencrawl.com.

gaming ﬁgures and accessories. For more information, visit facebook.com/dcgaymers.

SUNDAY, OCT. 28

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 31

Where the Girls Go and Vanniety Kills hosts its OverEasy Season Finale: Scared Straight, a Halloween costume party, at Dodge City D.C. (917 U St., N.W.) today from 3-8 p.m. DJ Keenan Orr, DJ Kryptk and DJ Tezrah will spin tracks. Admission is free. For more details, visit facebook/com/wherethegirlsgo. Augment VR Arcade and Bar (645 Florida Ave., N.W.) presents scary virtual reality experiences today from 2-8 p.m. A team of four can play each other in survival shooter games, a haunted mansion and a zombie killer game. Tickets range from $60-195. For more information, visit augmentarcade.com.

Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.) hosts Womxn Crush Wednesday: Queering Halloween tonight from 6-10 p.m. This happy hour is for LBT womxn; non-binary femmes, genderqueer and non-gender conforming individuals. For more information, visit facebook.com/tradebardc. D.C. Finest hosts Haunted Halloween on 17th St at Barcode (1101 17th St., N.W.) tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ LDR, DJ Yazadan and DJ Ivan will spin tracks. Admission is free before midnight. VIP tickets are $15 and include express entry. For more details, visit facebook.com/ dcﬁnestgroup. Dark & Stormy hosts a Halloween party at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight from 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. DJ Kangal, DJ Mindjacket and DJ Hemlock will play electronic, synth-wave, retro, goth, industrial, EBM and dark disco music. Guests with the best costumes will receive free T-shirts. Cover is $5. For more information, visit facebook.com/ darkandstormydc.

MONDAY, OCT. 29 D.C. Gaymers hosts Happy Poké-Week at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from 7-11 p.m. Attendees can compete in the D.C. Gaymers’ Pokémon League. Attendees can also participate in a costume contest. There will be a raﬄe with prizes including

TUESDAY, OCT. 30 Queer Girl Movie Night hosts a Halloween edition at Black Cat (1811 14th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The ﬁlm will be a campy, B-horror movie featuring queer, female leads. Movie starts at 8 p.m. No cover. For more details, visit facebook. com/queergrrrlmovienight. Mayor Muriel Bowser presents the 32nd annual 17th Street High Heel Race on 17th Street between R and P Streets tonight at 7 p.m. The pre-race happy hour kicks oﬀ at Level One/ Cobalt patio (1639 R St., N.W.) at 5 p.m. The parade is at 7 p.m. followed by the race at 9 p.m. For details, visit facebook. com/17thstreethighheelrace.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

FOOD

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 1

Ina Garten’s top 10 recipes We count down our favorites as beloved cook releases 11th book By KEVIN NAFF Like so many home cooks and entertainers, I have followed Ina Garten’s career since her first cookbook, 1999’s “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.” The books are beautifully photographed, the recipes easy to follow and the personal anecdotes and tips helpful and illuminating. Garten famously left a White House job in the 1970s after seeing an ad for a specialty foods store for sale in the Hamptons. After 20 years there, she sold the business and later began writing cookbooks before being convinced to create a companion TV show for the Food Network. And the rest is history. On Oct. 23, Garten released her 11th cookbook, “Cook Like a Pro.” To celebrate, we’re counting down 10 of her best recipes. And, yes, I’ve made them all. (You can find the full recipes online or on the Food Network app.) No. 10 Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, “Back to Basics.” This is a go-to fall/ winter soup and I’ve made it so many times the pages of this recipe in the book are stained with splashes of pureed squash. A guilt-free dish, this one is naturally creamy with a hint of sweetness courtesy of the McIntosh apples. Take the time to make Ina’s homemade chicken stock to really turn up the volume, as she’d say. No. 9 Greek Feast, “Parties” and “Make it Ahead.” This is several recipes combined to create the perfect Greek dinner. Start with grilled leg of lamb from the “Parties” book, a unique collection of full menus. She marinates the lamb with yogurt and herbs before grilling. Ina’s hummus recipe calls for a mixture of walnuts and pine nuts; for a twist try the butternut squash hummus from “Cooking for Jeffrey.” Her tzatziki is equally simple and the perfect companion for the lamb. Pastitsio from “Ahead” is a Greek lasagna with beef, lamb and lots of other ingredients like cinnamon, cayenne and heavy cream. It’s a filling winter dinner or a heavy side to the lamb. Herb-marinated feta is the perfect starter. No. 8 French Potato Salad, “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.” This is a welcome alternative to the usual mayonnaise-heavy potato salads found in grocery stores in summertime. Garten trades the mayo for a classic vinaigrette and mixes in lots of fresh dill, flat-leaf parsley and basil, which you surely have growing in your summer garden. The recipe is similar to Marcella Hazan’s — and that’s a good thing.

No. 7 Truffled Chicken Liver Mousse, “Make It Ahead.” This is a decadent and updated take on paté that gets a boost from white truffle butter and fresh thyme. It keeps for a week in the fridge but will never last that long. No. 6 Herb-Roasted Fish, “Make it Ahead.” Often the simplest preparations are the best, which is certainly the case with this dish. It’s one of my go-to’s if I’m cooking for one but works great for a crowd. Use snapper or cod and wrap the fish in parchment paper drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice, add a sprinkle of fresh thyme and Cerignola olives. Then seal the paper into a pocket shape and cook for just 15 minutes at 400 degrees and you have a perfectly cooked, moist and flavorful fish every time. No. 5 Devil’s Food Cake with Coffee Meringue Buttercream, “Cooking for Jeffrey.” As Ina notes, this cake is a showstopper with four towering layers of chocolate devil’s food. It’s labor intensive, too, and she recommends baking the cakes one day and preparing the frosting the next. The meringue buttercream is legit — no shortcuts involving shortening — so it takes a full hour to properly beat the egg whites at high speed. Don’t cheat, it really does take an hour. This recipe has some pitfalls; be sure the frosting mixture is absolutely at room temperature and never stir the boiling sugar. Take the extra time to frost with a pastry bag and decorate with chocolatecovered espresso beans. It’s massive and serves up to 16 people, who will be wowed when you bring this to the dessert table. No. 4 Zucchini & Goat Cheese Tart, “Make it Ahead.” This is another one that takes a little patience and practice but the result is a gorgeous tart showcasing thinly sliced zucchini (use a mandolin) arranged in tight circles. Ina adds vinegar to the crust, which she says makes it flaky (it does). Makes a perfect appetizer or light lunch. No. 3 Boeuf Bourguignon, “Barefoot in Paris.” My favorite of her books is “Paris,” showcasing Garten’s preference for French cuisine. As she notes in the recipe, boeuf Bourguignon can be tough and stringy as it’s often overcooked. The solution? Cook it in 90 minutes. And don’t forget to stand back when adding and igniting the cognac. This one tastes better the next day, so make it in advance and reheat for an easy dinner party. No. 2 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner, “Make It Ahead.” Garten takes the stress out of cooking Thanksgiving dinner in this book, which offers options for the full meal. Forget all the debates about how to cook the perfect turkey — bag or no bag? Breast down or up? High temp or low temp? Baste or no baste? — Garten

PHOTO COURTESY FOOD NETWORK

Devil’s Food Cake with Coﬀee Meringue Buttercream

PHOTO COURTESY FOOD NETWORK

Ina’s Perfect Roast Chicken

has the surprisingly simple answers (325 degrees for two hours). I prepared this menu a few years ago for a party of 18 and was nervous as it was my ﬁrst time cooking such a large bird. When the timer buzzed, a crowd gathered round the oven; I opened the door and removed the golden-brown, perfectly cooked turkey to oohs and ahhs. Serve it with her turkey gravy with onions and sage (which freezes for up to three months) and leak and artichoke bread pudding (perfect substitute for traditional stuﬃng). No. 1 Perfect Roast Chicken, “Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.” Ina is perhaps best known for her many excellent chicken dishes, including Tuscan lemon and mustard roasted chicken. Her

roast chicken with radishes will have you convinced the radishes are potatoes if you’ve never roasted one before. But you can’t beat her classic roast chicken from her ﬁrst book. It’s famously her husband’s favorite dish. One recurring theme in Ina’s cooking is her use of salt and it’s essential here, liberally sprinkled inside and outside the bird. She stuﬀs it with lemon, garlic and thyme. The key to cooking most meat and poultry is to let it rest long enough for the juices to get dispersed throughout. As Ina would say, “How easy is that?” Honorable mentions: Chocolate Chunk Blondies (“Foolproof”); Caramelized Bacon (“Make it Ahead”); Italian Seafood Salad (“Foolproof”).

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 2 â&#x20AC;¢ O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018

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

The Washington Blade held its 17th annual Best of Gay D.C. Party at Pitchers on Thursday, Oct. 18. Virginia Delegate Danica Roem (D-Manassas Park) addressed the crowd.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BOOKS

OC T OB E R 26, 2018 • 33

PHOTO COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS

History lesson Trans kids aren’t a new thing; book unveils long, tangled past

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

You have to start somewhere. Indeed, few things begin in a vacuum: you need an idea, then experiments and practice to create a masterpiece. Nothing magically just appears. And in the new book “Histories of the Transgender Child” by Julian Gill-Peterson, you’ll see that that’s true, too, about knowledge and change. The study of endocrinology had a fowl beginning. In the 18th century, scientists, determined to learn more about what made “male” and “female,” removed the testes from birds, observed a certain amount of feminization, and then transplanted the gonads back into the birds. Alas, because they put the organs in the birds’ stomachs, little was learned; even so, it led them to think about kids and the male-female characteristics children possessed. They began to believe that male-female identiﬁcation was pliable and that children didn’t fully become either until they reached a certain age. By the 20th century, better understandings of human anatomy, psychology and hormones led to new ideas that spurred doctors to take bold steps to help children with genitalia that didn’t ﬁt the norm at birth and didn’t match their sexual identity later. Those kids underwent treatment that seems invasive, almost horrifying, but that gave at least some relief from the feeling of being bodily trapped. These operations were supposed

to have been kept quiet, but that was impossible. This, says Gill-Peterson, led to an inﬂux of adults who sought American doctors for “sex change” operations. In the years surrounding World War I, those who were successful in their search told tales of themselves as children, making do with the resources they had, being isolated, yet sometimes enjoying a surprising amount of support from family who let them choose the gender in which they felt comfortable. In the introduction to this book, author Julian Gill-Peterson indicates that the current narrative paints today’s trans children somewhat as pioneers. Nothing can be further from the truth, as you’ll see here, eventually. Maybe. Maybe because “Histories of the Transgender Child” is written very much for scholars in concept, medical jargon and words that will send the most casual reader dictionary-bound. Doctors should grasp this book easily; non-medical professionals, conversely, may be tempted to put it aside. But don’t. Yes, it’s a challenge to read but it does get easier as actual personal anecdotes become more plentiful. These tales also serve to show how society, shame and social mores aﬀected children and former kids who had few places to turn; it also shows how understanding of trans individuals grew while attitudes at large worsened. Here is the peek that most casual readers want from this book, one that’s more relatable and more social-history-based; these same angles also bring unsettlement as readers see racism creep into this overall tale and GillPeterson explains how doctors often saw patients as mere experimental vessels. And so don’t ignore this book. Just be aware that it’s scholarly, so it needs more time to develop appreciation. Give yourself that, and “Histories of the Transgender Child” could be a book to start. ‘HISTORIES OF THE TRANSGENDER CHILD’ By Julian Gill-Peterson University of Minnesota Press $24.95 288 pages

琀栀攀

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

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

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

㄀㌀㈀㄀㄀㐀琀栀猀琀一圀

+ Largest LGBT owned title company + Billions of dollars in transactions closed annually + 6 in house attorneys + Residential and commercial transactions + In home and in ofﬁce reﬁnance settlements + Licensed in DC, DE, MD, NJ, VA & WV

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

3 4 • O CTO B ER 2 6 , 2018

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

Mayor’s brother documents history of D.C. Black Pride CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

strain on their relationship and threatens to rip the three apart. (In English and Spanish with English subtitles). Dutch romantic comedy “Just Friends” is about two young men and their demanding mothers. When free-spirited Yad returns to his hometown after living on his own, he meets Joris, who is in mourning for his father. The two feel an instant attraction, but before their relationship can progress, they must first sort out their fraught relationships with their mothers. Directed by Annemarie van de Mond (under the name Ellen Smit), the movie is in Dutch with English subtitles. FRIDAY, NOV. 2 Friday night’s programming starts off with the Columbian film “Eva and Candela,” a bittersweet look at the final days of a relationship. Directed by Ruth Caudali, the movie is in Spanish with English subtitles. Friday’s second movie, “Tales of the Lost Boys” is about the unexpected friendship that develops out of a random meeting. Alex is a Filipino mechanic who flees to Taiwan when he discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant. Jerry is a Taiwanese aborigine student who fears that his parents will reject him for being gay. The unlikely pair go on an impromptu road trip to Yilan, Jerry’s hometown, with unexpected results. (In English, Mandarin and Tagalog with English subtitles.) SATURDAY, NOV. 3 Saturday at the Festival includes a full day of exciting and diverse films. The full-length features are “Mr. Gay Syria,” about two gay Syrian refugees trying to rebuild their lives in Berlin and “Trans Youth,” a documentary that follows the lives of seven trans young adults in Austin, Texas, over the course of three years. The day will also include three sets of short films: “We Are Family: Family Shorts,” “Fun in Women’s Shorts” and the late-night “Fun in Boys Shorts: The Art of the Hookup.” The last showcase includes the Brazilian short film “The Daytime Doorman,” an award-winning erotic dramedy about what happens with Marcelo decides to expand his relationship with Márcio, his building’s doorman. Screening on Saturday afternoon, the centerpiece of the year’s Reel Affirmation Film Festival and one of the hottest films on this year’s LGBT film festival circuit is “1985” by queer director Yen Tan (“Pit Stop,” “Ciao” and “Happy Birthday”). Shot on black-and-white super 16mm film, “1985” is a visually stunning and deeply moving movie about a dysfunctional family that is forced to discuss deeply

buried family secrets in the light of the AIDS crisis. Adrian (Cory Michael Smith of TV’s “Gotham” and the films “Carol,” “Wonderstruck” and “First Man”), is a closeted advertising executive living in New York City during the first wave of the AIDS pandemic. For the first time in three years, he returns to his Texas hometown for the holidays to reconnect with his preteen brother (Aidan Langford) and his former girlfriend Carly (Jaime Chung) and to confront his religious parents Eileen and Dale (Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis). “1985” is based on the awardwinning 2016 short of the same name where Adrian (Robert Sella) consults a beautician (Lindsay Pulsipher) to hide his AIDS symptoms.

CORY MICHAEL SMITH stars in ’1985.’ PHOTO COURTESY WOLFE RELEASING

SUNDAY, NOV. 4 Sunday at the Reel Affirmations Film Festival starts out with brunchthemed cocktails and a screening of “No Chocolate, No Rice,” a movie about two friends (one black, one Asian) navigating the racial “preferences” of men on gay dating apps. On Sunday afternoon, Reel Affirmations will screen a new television special “DC Black Pride — Answering the Call.” The program got its starts 18 months ago when Marvin Bowser, the gay brother of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, ran into a problem when he was working on an article about the relevance of D.C. Black Pride today. “I realized,” he says, “that the history of D.C. Black Pride is poorly documented and poorly remembered. I decided that I needed to do something about this situation while some of the leaders are still alive to tell their stories.” Bowser pitched the idea to the District of Columbia Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment, which quickly came on board. He then interviewed the leaders who created D.C. Black Pride as well as today’s leaders in D.C.’s Black LGBT community. He and director Brenda Mallory wanted to discover if the issues that existed in the late 1980s and early 1990s are still issues and to discuss the future. Bowser will lead a Talk Back session immediately after the screening. Following a session of “Gender NonConforming/Self-Labeling Shorts,” the Festival closes on Sunday evening with “Mapplethorpe,” Ondi Timoner’s biopic about the controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The film chronicles his turbulent professional and personal life from his rise to fame in the 1970s to his untimely death from AIDS in 1989. English actor Matt Smith (the 11th Doctor on “Doctor Who,” “The Crown” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”) plays the provocative artist.

‘The Daytime Doorman’ is a sexy, funny short screening on Saturday afternoon. PHOTO COURTESY REEL AFFIRMATIONS

Two young men must navigate their demanding mothers in ‘Just Friends,’ a Dutch comedy. PHOTO COURTESY REEL AFFIRMATIONS

Marianne Rendón plays Mapplethorpe’s girlfriend singer-songwriter Patti Smith; out actor Jon Benjamin Hickey is Mapplethorpe’s lover and patron Sam Wagstaﬀ; and, McKinley Belcher III plays Milton Moore, Mapplethorpe’s wellendowed muse and lover who was the subject of the infamous portrait “Man in Polyester Suit.”

More information on schedules, passes and individual tickets can be found at thedccenter.org/reelaﬃrmations. REEL AFFIRMATIONS FILM FESTIVAL Nov. 1-4 Gala Hispanic Theatre 3333 14th St., N.W. Individual tickets are $12 (plus fees); passes start at $35.

Attorneys that are OUTthinking |OUTspoken |OUTdoing ackermanbrown.com

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 5

REALESTATE

5 things to watch: 2018 fall real estate market D.C. could feel impact from trade wars, Amazon HQ2 By ALLISON GOODHART DuSHUTTLE The fall real estate market is upon us and it’s off to a busy start. I’ve rounded up the top five things to watch in this year’s fall market. 1. THE BULL MARKET: We are currently in the longest bull market in U.S. history, which generally means increased consumer confidence and rising interest rates (see below). 2. IMPENDING TRADE WAR: Will the impending possible trade war derail that confidence? We’ll see… 3. INTEREST RATES ON THE RISE: The Fed just increased rates and has said it intends to raise rates once or twice more in 2018 and perhaps three times in 2019 – meaning rates could hit 5% by the end of the year. We will be watching the effect of this specifically on move-up buyers, many of whom have rates around 3% if they purchased 6-8 years ago. A rate change of 3-5% will be a huge jump for many, making this fall the right time to buy if you’re considering a move.

A rendering of possible Amazon HQ2 development in Anacostia. PHOTO COURTESY DC CAPITOL RIVERFRONT

4. AMAZON HQ2 DELIBERATIONS: Hotly debated HQ2 could be coming to the D.C. Metro area – spurring excitement and speculation among housing insiders and developers. If Amazon comes to our area, you can expect a shift in our market, increased demand and with it, an increase in traffic.

Q ~ 202.319.8541 • www.lgbtc.com • Se habla espanol

5. HISTORICALLY LOW INVENTORY: The inventory of available homes for sale is very low in our area and has been for well over a year. A smaller housing inventory means a seller’s market (if the house is priced and presented well) and the odds of a buyer wanting YOUR home increase. If you are thinking of buying, selling or want to talk about the current market,

don’t hesitate to reach out. We would love to help you! ALLISON GOODHART DUSHUTTLE is with Compass Real Estate. In 2017, the Goodhart Group helped 120 clients achieve their real estate goals. Led by Sue and Allison Goodhart, they have been named a Top Agent by both Washingtonian and Northern Virginia magazines. Allison can be reached at 703362-3221 or allison@thegoodhartgroup.com.

A Room with a View: The story of an aging voyeur who ﬁnds himself unemployed with lots of time on his hands.

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

3 6 • O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018

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

HEALTH INSURANCE FOR DC RESIDENTS GET COVERED DC. STAY COVERED DC. OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD November 1, 2018 - January 31, 2019

JOIN MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER AND DC HEALTH LINK At the Official Kickoff of the 2019 Open Enrollment Period THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2018 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM FREEDOM PLAZA 13th St, NW and Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004 2 blocks from Metro Center GET COVERED. STAY COVERED CARE-A-VAN Free Health Screenings, Free Expert Enrollment Help, DC Government Agency Information Booth, and more

DCHealthLink.com (855) 532-5465 Washington Blade 10-24-2018 .indd 1

10/24/18 3:31 PM

DEADLINES

All Classified Ads - Including Regular & Adult Must Be Received By Mondays at 5PM So They Can Be Included in That Week’s Edition of Washington Blade and washingtonblade.com

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

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 • 3 7

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

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

MASSAGE Rosslyn / DC - CMT available for massage in Arlington, SundayTuesday or DC ThursdaySaturday. Call or text, Gary 301-704-1158. mymassagebygary.com.

EMPLOYMENT

BULLETIN BOARD VOCAL COACHING / KEYBOARDS / Piano & Music Production Singing/Vocal Coaching, Keyboards/Piano and Music Production-all styles Pop, R&B, Jazz, Gospel, Country, Classical etc. Call 202-486-3741 or email dwight@ dwightmcnair.com.

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.

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES - VINTAGE CLOTHING JEWELRY & COLLECTIBLES, All dresses $5.00. VINTAGE # 5, 1782 Columbia Road, (in the back), (202) 423-7626.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Results-Oriented • Affordable

Larry Cohen, LICSW

30 years serving the LGBT community

202-244-0903 socialanxietyhelp.com

See website for NPR story on my work

SIMPLE AFFORDABLE PROVEN RESULTS

CALL TODAY TOPLACE YOUR AD

202.747.2077

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

703-593-3204

WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET ENTHUSIASTICALLY SERVING DC & VIRGINIA

WHOLISTIC SERVICES, INC. seeking Full Time Direct Support Professionals to assist intellectually disabled adults with behavioral health complexities in group homes & day services throughout DC. Requirements 1 year exp., valid drivers license, able to lift 50-75 lbs, complete training program, become DDS Med Certified within 4 months of hire, ability to pass security background check. Associates degree preferred. For more information, please contact the Human Resources (HR) Department at 202-832-8787. LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay men’s naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring Locker Room Attendants. We all scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You must be physically able to handle the work & have a great attitude doing it. No drunks/druggies need apply. Please call David at (202) 319-1333. from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

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

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.

3 8 • O CTO B E R 2 6 , 2018 PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

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

OPEN HOUSE / WV

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Playmates and soul mates...

PHOTOGRAPHY STEVE O’TOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art Photographer for Portraits & Weddings & more! Check out my website - www. steveotoolephotography. com. Specializing in Bears & Big men. Steve 703-861-4422.

CLEANING FERNANDO’S CLEANING: Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/ Move-Out. (202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183. TELL ‘EM YOU saw their ad in the Blade classifieds!

PLUMBERS DIAL A PLUMBER, LLC - FULL SERVICE PLUMBER JUST SAY: I NEED A PLUMBER!

Bathroom Sinks, Tubs, Vanities, Kitchen Sinks, Disposals, Boilers & Furnaces, Hot Water Heaters, Drain Service! 202-251-1479. Licensed, Bonded & Insured. DC Plumbers License #707. Visa, MasterCard, American Express accepted.

MOVERS 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

SHARE / DC BROOKLAND, NE $800 PER MONTH, +security deposit. 300 Sq. ft. BR available immediately! Utilities/ internet included! Non-smoking, no pets, shared amenities, off-street parking, on-site laundry, close to metro, Contact Al at 202-361-8087.

EXTERIOR FRONT HISTORIC SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV OPEN 12-4, Sun. 10/28 Near MARC commuter trains, 75 miles to DC. Stately, spacious 6 BR classic, ideal for entertaining. Gorgeous woodwork, formal dining, gourmet kit, fireplace, lush landscaping & 2 car garage, awaits finishing touches. 1 Block to Dining & shops. $450,000. 112 N. Church Street. http:// shepherdstownliving.com/ Call Richard Kendall, 202-701-0046. Snyder Bailey & Assoc., Carolyn Snyder, broker, 304-267-1050.

SALE / MD

BOONSBORO MD: UNIQUE 3 BR, 2-1/2 Bath, 3572 sq. ft. home situated on about 24 acres that feature a small natural pond with water lilies. Under 65 miles to White House. Only $599,000. Call Ilse at (301) 302-6161 or Keller Williams Premier Realty (301)745-4450.

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

Washington:

202-448-0824

18+ MegaMates.com

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

O CT O BE R 2 6 , 2 0 1 8 â&#x20AC;˘ 3 9

BMW of Fairfax 8427 Lee Highway | Fairfax VA 22031 (855) 527-9457

All offers valid through October 31, 2018 To reserve your offer or check availability,

please call 855-527-9457!

Visit us for Spooktacular Savings! 2018 BMW 330xi

2018 BMW X2 xDrive28i

JEM33598 | MSRP: $51,935 Savings: $6,029

JEF79853 | MSRP: $46,595 Savings: $7,000

SonicPrice: $45,906

SonicPrice: $39,595

OR Lease for $597/month with $0 down!

OR Lease for $497/month with $0 down!

2019 BMW M4 Convertible

2018 BMW X5 50i

KEJ63707 | MSRP: $86,735 Savings: $4,000

JL080197 | MSRP: $91,145 Savings: $12,000

SonicPrice: $82,735

OR Lease for $1,147/month with $5,000 down!

SonicPrice: $79,145

OR Lease for: $937/month with $5,000 down!

25% off any service on Oct 31 if you show up with any size pumpkin All offers assume top-tier credit approval with BMW Financial Services. Not all applicants will qualify. Lease offers based on 36 month, 10,000 miles per year term with stated cash down plus applicable taxes, tags, fees, $499 dealer processing fee, and first monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s payment due at signing. Subject to vehicle availability. Not responsible for errors or omissions. Expires 10/31/2018. Please inquire for details. Service offer does not apply to batteries, tires, or work completed under insurance or warranty. Other exclusions apply. Please see service advisor for details.