Washingtonblade.com, Volume 50, Issue 37, September, 13, 2019

RENÉE ZELLWEGER GOES OVER THE RAINBOW IN ‘JUDY’

SEPTEM BE R 13, 2019 • VOLUME 50 • I S S UE 37 • WA S HI N GTONB LAD E.CO M

An n e

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Opening Night!

PINK MARTINI

25th Birthday Celebration feat. Meow Meow

SUN, OCT 13, 8pm • KENNEDY CENTER Celebrating its 25th anniversary this fall, Portland’s sizzling “little orchestra,” Pink Martini, opens our season with its trademark sound inspired by jazz, classical music, and old-fashioned pop. Plus: Guest appearance by Australian “tragi-comedienne” and cabaret sensation Meow Meow.

Parental advisory: This performance may include some adult content.

Meow Meow

40+ performances, including: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Oct 16) • Spektral Quartet (Oct 29) Chick Corea Trilogy (Oct 30) • Taipei Symphony Orchestra (Nov 15) • Amjad Ali Khan (Nov 16) Damien Sneed: Joy to the World (Dec 7) • Midori & Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Jan 25) Anne-Sophie Mutter (Feb 1) • Budapest Festival Orchestra (Feb 21) • Daniil Trifonov (Mar 4) Kronos Quartet (Mar 13) • The Philadelphia Orchestra (Apr 15) • Zakir Hussain Trio (Apr 24) Lil Buck & Jon Boogz (May 1) • The Kingdom Choir (May 3) • Emanuel Ax (May 6) Danilo Pérez’s Global Messengers (May 16) • Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (May 21) • And many more—order now for best seats!

Pricing, program details, and venue information at WashingtonPerformingArts.org.

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TRACY HAMLIN & CAROLYN MALACHI MON, OCT 7

CAPITAL PRIDE’S MUSIC IN THE NIGHT TUE, OCT 8

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VOLUME 50 ISSUE 37 ADDRESS

PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE

Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland is one of the highlights of this year’s fall arts scene.

Full coverage starts on Page 26.

06

Looking back:

21

Viewpoint

50 years of the Blade

26

Just Judy’

D.C. Archbishop welcomes trans

32

Queery: Jordan L. Costen

Catholic into ‘heart of this church’

34

Fall Arts Preview

10

Comings & Goings

60

Trans Conference is next weekend

11

Stein Club, GLAA withdraw from

62

Arts & Culture

meetings with Log Cabin

64

D.C. music fest gears

08

12 15

2020 hopefuls highlight Medicare

up for Oct. return

for All, PrEP to fight HIV/AIDS

66

Slay Them

Gay U.S. ambassador marches in

69

Come for the summer,

first Bosnia Pride parade 17

Cannabis Culture

18

Researchers optimistic

stay for the fall in Rehoboth 70

Classifieds

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1989 real estate ads include 5 BR in Rehoboth for $280k, SW condo for $45k FROM STAFF REPORTS These real estate ads from this week 30 years ago in 1989 will depress you. A four-unit building in Shaw could be had for just $169,000. And the Rehoboth prices will make you sick. Enjoy.

To peruse the Blade’s unique archive of queer history, visit washingtonblade.com/archives.

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D.C. Archbishop welcomes trans Catholic into ‘heart of this church’ Leader of LGBT Catholic group hails comment as ‘great moment’

dialogue and hopefully a potential visit with our community at St. Margaret’s Church, where we have mass every Sunday at 6 p.m.”

Barutta noted that Dignity Washington has been seeking a visit from the leader of the Archdiocese of Washington to its weekly Sunday

mass since the group’s founding in the 1970s. In his supportive comments at the Theology on Tap gathering Gregory didn’t directly respond to Rory’s invitation to visit Dignity Washington.

Retired U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Tomi Finkle dies at 64

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, who Pope Francis appointed in April as head of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, told a transgender man at a gathering of young Catholics last month, “You belong to the heart of this church.”

Gregory gave what LGBT Catholics consider a highly supportive and understanding response to a question asked by a self-identified transgender man during an Aug. 13 archdiocesan-sponsored Theology on Tap event held at a Dupont Circle nightclub and bar called Public Bar Live.

A spokesperson for the Archdiocese told the Washington Blade the archdiocese regularly hosts these events in D.C. bars and restaurants as a means of reaching out to and engaging young professionals “around topics of faith and life.”

The spokesperson, Paula Gwynn Grant, sent the Blade a link to a video of Gregory’s appearance at the Aug. 13 event, which includes his interaction with Rory, who is a member of the local LGBT Catholic group Dignity Washington.

“Hi, my name is Rory and I worship with Dignity Washington,” Rory is heard saying off camera to Gregory. “I’m a transgender Catholic and first I’d like to say welcome. We’re really happy that you’re here,” he said. “We’d love to invite you to mass,” Rory continued, drawing loud applause from the audience.

“My question is what place do I as a confirmed transgender Catholic and what place do my queer friends have here in this archdiocese?” Rory asked.

“You belong to the heart of this church,” Gregory replied. “There is nothing that you may do, may say, that will ever rip you from the heart of this church,” Gregory continued.

“There is a lot that has been said to you, about you, behind your back that is painful and is sinful,” he said. “We have to find a way to talk to one another and to talk to one another not just from one perspective, but to talk and to listen to one another,” Gregory told Rory.

“I think that’s the way that Jesus ministered. He engaged people, he took them to where they were at, and he invited them to go deeper, closer to God,” said

Gregory. “So if you’re asking me where do you fit, you fit in the family.”

Gregory’s remarks to Rory came a little over three months after he was installed on May 21 as the first African-American Archbishop of Washington. Knowledgeable observers of the Vatican’s practice of appointing leaders of the Archdiocese of Washington say Archbishops of Washington traditionally have been elevated to the position of cardinal. Many believe Gregory is on the path to become the first AfricanAmerican cardinal in the United States.

LGBT Catholics consider that prospect remarkable given Gregory’s reputation of support for the LGBT community and LGBT Catholics during his previous assignment as Archbishop of Atlanta, where he served for 14 years before coming to D.C. Among other things, while in Atlanta Gregory met with and had cordial relations with members of the group Fortunate Families, whose member are Catholic parents of LGBT people.

In response to another questioner at the Aug. 13 Theology on Tap gathering in Dupont Circle, Gregory mentioned the Fortunate Families group.

“While I was bishop of Atlanta, I was invited into a conversation with a group of parents who had sons and daughters who were gay and lesbian,” he told the gathering.

“They invited me, and I’m grateful that they did, to be in dialogue with them, to have me tell them first of all that they had to love their children and that the church had to love their children,” he said.

“That group was called Fortunate Families. It’s a loosely knit national group. I was happy to do that,” he said.

“The Dignity Washington community is very pleased and excited to hear the dialogue that occurred between one of our young, transgender Catholics and Archbishop Gregory,” said Dignity Washington President Daniel Barutta.

“The fact that he is reaching out to the next generation of Catholic young adults who very well may become future church leaders is very encouraging,” Barutta said.

“His words indicate openness to further

Sgt. TOMI FINKLE died Sept. 4 from complications associated with cancer.

Sgt. Tomi Finkle, who transitioned as a transgender woman after a 25-year career as a U.S. Capitol Police officer and in retirement served as a volunteer member of the D.C. Police Department’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, died Sept. 4 from complications associated with cancer. She was 64.

Lt. Brett Parson, who oversees what is now the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s LGBT Liaison Unit, said Finkle joined the MPD’s Civilian Auxiliary as a volunteer with the then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in the early 2000s.

“She was the first member of the transgender community to serve the GLLU and assisted with outreach, training and education, and provided consultation on investigations and response to crime and incidents involving the transgender community,” Parson said.

“Her selfless dedication and commitment to policing and the community assisted MPD with building and strengthening relationships with some of the most underserved in our city,” he said. “She was a valued friend, colleague, and mentor, as well as a trusted adviser and confidante. Her expertise and experience helped many members of law enforcement grow and develop personally and as professionals,” he said.

Added Parson: “By living as her authentic self, she served as a role model for more people than she will ever know.”

In addition to her career as a U.S. Capitol Police officer and her years as a volunteer with the D.C. Police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit, Finkle served as a member of a private, all-volunteer horseback riding organization that provides search and rescue missions and emergency first aide for people lost or injured in remote wooded areas inaccessible to motor vehicles, according to her daughter, Tara Finkle, who is an officer with the Alexandria, Va., Police Department.

Tara Finkle said Tomi Finkle began her association with the organization, known as TROT SAR or TROT Search and Rescue, toward the end of her career as a Capitol Police officer. She said Tomi Finkle became a skilled horseback rider some years before joining TROT SAR. “She was a founding member of the organization and served as its commander until the time of her passing,” Tara Finkle said. “She coordinated searches.”

Tomi Finkle is survived by her daughter, Tara Finkle, and grandchildren, Chloe and David, and a son.

A Celebration of Life was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and a memorial service was scheduled to begin at noon on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Williams Funeral Home at 4270 Hawthorne Road, Indian Head, Md. A burial service with U.S. Capitol Police and TROT SAR memorial ceremonies was scheduled to follow the memorial service at 2 p.m. that same day at Epiphany Episcopal Church of Forestville at 3111 Ritchie Road, District Heights, Md. Tomi Finkle will be honored by TROT SAR members at the ceremony by the presence of a riderless horse, Tara Finkle said. Tara Finkle said that during the memorial service Capitol Police will present the family with an American flag that was flown over the U.S. Capitol in Tomi Finkle’s honor shortly after her death.

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18 19 FLAMENCO LEGENDS OVER THE RHINE

JESSE COOK

DAVID FINCKEL, CELLO WU HAN, PIANO

OCT 11

PRODUCED BY JAVIER LIMON THE PACO DE LUCIA PROJECT OCT 12

OCT 19

FOUNDER’S DAY CELEBRATION OCT 27

MODERN WARRIOR LIVE

TRACE BUNDY

SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE

BRIAN NEWMAN

AMY HELM

SUTTON FOSTER

RONNIE SPECTOR & THE RONETTES

NOV 6

NOV 21

LUCY KAPLANSKY OCT 10

MAGPIE

45 ANNIVERSARY TH

OCT 20

GEORGE WINSTON OCT 30 + 31

THE QUEBE SISTERS NOV 7

JOHN EATON

30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION NOV 10

ESCHER STRING QUARTET JASON VIEAUX, GUITAR CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE BARNS

NOV 22

NOV 14

NOV 23 + 24

NEWMYER FLYER

JONI MITCHELL’S ‘BLUE’ BOB DYLAN’S ‘BLOOD ON THE TRACKS’ NOV 30

JEFFREY KAHANE, PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE BARNS

DEC 1

WILL LIVERMAN, BARITONE KEN NODA, PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE BARNS

JAN 12

MASTERS OF HAWAIIAN MUSIC JAN 24 + 25

1964: THE TRIBUTE FEB 20 + 21

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NOV 15 + 16

“BEST CHRISTMAS PARTY EVER!” DEC 5 + 6

NOV 20

EILEEN IVERS

“A JOYFUL CHRISTMAS” DEC 7

ENTER THE HAGGIS

THE SECOND CITY

AOIFE O’DONOVAN

MAR 25–28

MAR 11

“SONGS & STRINGS” MAR 13

JOHN LLOYD YOUNG’S BROADWAY! MUSIC DIRECTION BY TOMMY FARAGHER MAR 14

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO MAR 16 + 17

RODNEY CROWELL MAR 19

LAUGHING FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER APR 5

KARLA BONOFF APR 24

AND MANY MORE!

Comings & Goings Richardson takes lead role at Center for Black Equity

By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@ washblade.com.

Congratulations to a good friend David Lloyd Olson on his new position as Managing Director at Quintessence Theatre Group in DAVID LLOYD OLSON Northwest Philadelphia. Quintessence is a classic theater company. Janice Bogen, Interim Chair of the Board of Directors of Quintessence Theatre Group (QTG) said, “QTG and its board of directors are excited to welcome David Lloyd Olson, who will join Founding Artistic Director Alex Burns to lead the next chapter and to celebrate ten years of progressive classical theater in Philadelphia.”

In 2019-2020, Quintessence Theatre Group will celebrate 10 years of bringing award-winning progressive classical theater to Philadelphia audiences. Critically acclaimed, QTG performs JEFFREY DESHAWN RICHARDSON works of classic drama and literature.

Olson previously worked for six years at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., where he helped run the nation’s pre-eminent Shakespeare Theater serving as Manager of the Executive Office and Board Engagement. I had the pleasure of getting to know Olson through Michael Kahn, the theatre’s retiring Artistic Director and know how crucial Olson’s work was to the success of the theatre. He also founded, and served as chair of the board of his own awardwinning (2014 Helen Hayes John Aniello Award for outstanding emerging theater company) experimental theater company, Pointless Theatre Company. Previously he had been an Allen Lee Hughes Management Fellow at Arena Stage in D.C. and was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Valmiera, Latvia.

Olson was a recipient of two D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship grants. He served on the host committee of the 2016 Theatre Communications Group national conference. He received his bachelor of theatre arts and bachelor of government and politics from the University of Maryland.

Congratulations also to Jeffrey DeShawn Richardson the new Executive Director CBE Leadership Council at Center for Black Equity. Richardson said, “The Center for Black Equity and the Black LGBTQ+ Pride movement generally has been building grassroots leadership capacity across the community for decades, it’s exciting to contribute to an expanding body of work led by Center for Black Equity CEO Earl Fowlkes to amplify voices and build lasting capacity especially for those most marginalized within our community.”

Richardson is also the founder and principal of Enspired Muse Coaching & Management, in D.C. and a senior adviser and director of coaching for Unlocking Potential Foundation in Alexandria.

He served with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Mozambique as a Visiting Lecturer and was Chief Program Officer for the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC). Richardson worked for the D.C. government as Chief Service Officer & Executive Director, Serve DC- the Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and as director of the District of Columbia Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs for Mayor Vincent Gray.

Richardson earned his bachelor’s in Sociology - Focus on Race, Class and Policy from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his master’s in Social Work, Macro Practice Concentration Organizational Development, Family and Child Services from the Howard University School of Social Work in D.C. He received a Daily Point of Light Award from the Points of Light Foundation and has served as a board member of the Association of State Service Commissions and a member of the Democratic National Committee.

D.C. Congressional Del. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON is asking why D.C. has chosen not to prosecute the overwhelming majority of recent hate crimes cases.

Norton demands answers on D.C. hate crimes D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) last week released a strongly worded letter she sent to D.C. U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu asking why Liu’s office has chosen not to prosecute the overwhelming majority of recent hate crimes cases in the District, including cases of anti-LGBT hate crimes.

Norton’s letter comes after the Washington Post reported that in 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted only three of the 59 hate crimes cases for which D.C. police made an arrest and the office later dropped the hate crime designation for one of the three cases.

Among the 2018 cases for which the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped a hate crime designation made by D.C. police involved a lesbian who was shot in the chest by a male co-worker minutes after the co-worker demanded she have sex with him and after calling her anti-lesbian names.

The woman survived the shooting but has expressed outrage that prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office dropped the hate crime designation as part of a plea bargain deal that resulted in the perpetrator being given a three-year jail sentence.

In her letter to Liu released dated Aug. 19, Norton asks for an explanation for why the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office appears to have declined to prosecute hate crimes cases brought by D.C. police during the past two years at a rate far greater than in previous years.

Norton noted in her letter that a Washington Post investigation into hate crime prosecutions in D.C. in recent years found that D.C. has had a significantly greater number of hate crimes than other cities of comparable size, with anti-LGBT hate crimes making up about half of all D.C. hate crimes. Yet Norton pointed out that the Post analysis found that Liu’s office prosecutes hate crimes at a far lesser rate than prosecutors in other cities.

“I am concerned about the low prosecution rates by your office compared to those of other cities,” Norton says in her letter.

“I would like an explanation for the very high declination rate for hate crime prosecutions by your office and whether these declination decisions stemmed from a lack of resources or from other causes,” Norton wrote.

“I ask that you respond in writing within 15 days of the date of this letter,” Norton says.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office couldn’t immediately be reached by the Washington Blade to find out whether Liu has responded to Norton’s letter or is preparing a response. A Norton spokesperson said no response had been received as of Sept. 5.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Richmond lawmakers condemn conversion therapy The Richmond City Council on Monday unanimously approved a resolution that urges Virginia lawmakers to ban so-called conversion therapy to minors.

“A city that values diversity, equity and inclusivity can’t stay silent about a barbaric and abusive practice that targets LGBTQ+ youth,” said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Twitter.

“I am proud that members of Richmond’s City Council joined me in opposing the inhumane and regressive practice of conversion therapy and affirming the sexual orientation and identities of all Richmonders,” he added.

The Virginia Board of Counseling in February voted in favor of banning licensed counselors from practicing the widely discredited practice. The Virginia General Assembly in recent years has killed several bills that would have banned conversion therapy for minors in the state.

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in 2018 signed a bill that banned conversion therapy for minors in his state.

D.C. is among the other U.S. jurisdictions that have banned the practice.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, last month signed an executive order that bans the use of public funds for conversion therapy for minors. North Carolina, which borders Virginia, is the first Southern state to make such a move.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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Stein Club, GLAA withdraw from meetings with Log Cabin Officials say Trump endorsement prompted breakaway

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

Stein Club President MONIKA NEMETH said she no longer would participate in meetings with Log Cabin.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Leaders of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, D.C.’s largest local LGBT political group, announced at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday that they will no longer participate in informal bipartisan meetings with members of the D.C. Log Cabin Republicans, the local LGBT GOP group.

The president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, which also participated in the meetings with Log Cabin members, said that organization was also withdrawing from any further interaction with Log Cabin.

Both groups cited the endorsement of President Donald Trump by the national Log Cabin Republicans, of which Log Cabin Republicans of D.C. is an official chapter, as their reason for ending the meetings.

Stein Club President Monika Nemeth and other club officers told club members at the Sept. 9 meeting held at the offices of the D.C. LGBT Center that the national Log Cabin Republican group’s decision to endorse Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election made it impossible for them to continue any interaction with Log Cabin members.

“The meetings between Gertrude Stein and Log Cabin at this point I would say are finished because I certainly will not be participating,” Nemeth told the Washington Blade after the meeting. “It was obvious that my fellow board members will not be participating, and that certainly was the sentiment in the room,” she said in referring to the group’s membership.

Veteran D.C. gay activist Paul Kuntzler, a co-founder of GLAA in 1971 and of the

Stein Club in 1976, was the only member at the meeting to express disagreement with the decision to end the meetings with Log Cabin.

Kuntzler initiated two meetings held so far between Stein Club and D.C. Log Cabin members, as well as members of D.C.’s Gay & Lesbian Activists alliance. At the time of the first meeting held in April, Kuntzler said it was important to build a bipartisan working relationship between the three groups to strengthen efforts to secure and advance LGBT rights objectives.

Officials with the three groups said they believed the first meeting in April showed they could find some common ground on LGBT rights and other issues. One issue under discussion was a possible joint effort to advocate replacing D.C.’s closed primaries with an open primary system in which all registered voters could vote in primary elections.

However, Stein Club and GLAA officials made it clear their respective groups had not taken a position on an open primary system and it was unclear whether the two groups would support such a change.

Members of the three groups met a second time on July 30, where they continued their discussion about an open primary system.

“GLAA has discussed the meetings internally and in August we reached a consensus that the Log Cabin Republicans have rejected objective reality in endorsing the president, citing how 45 [Trump] has advanced LGBT rights,” said GLAA President Bobby Elaine Strang.

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“With the rejection of our shared reality and verifiable facts, Log Cabin has demonstrated bad faith and we cannot find common ground with an organization whose worldview exists apart from the world in which we all live,” Strang said in a statement.

The decision by the Stein Club officers to withdraw from further meetings with Log Cabin also came shortly after gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein, a longtime Stein Club member, released a strongly worded letter he sent to Nemeth raising questions about her participation in the meetings with Log Cabin members.

Rosenstein noted that Nemeth and other club officers who participated in the meetings had yet to bring the subject of the meetings before the Stein Club members, many of whom, according to Rosenstein, did not support the interaction with Log Cabin.

The decision last month by the national Log Cabin Republicans to endorse Trump drew a groundswell of criticism from many LGBT activists, both Democrats and some Republicans. The national Log Cabin Republicans’ executive director, Jerri Ann Henry, resigned over the endorsement decision, which was made by the organization’s board of directors.

Robert Turner, former president of D.C. Log Cabin Republicans, which is an official chapter of the national group, also resigned his Log Cabin membership in protest over the Trump endorsement.

Similar to the national Log Cabin Republicans, the local D.C. Log Cabin group declined to endorse Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The D.C. group has yet to make a decision on an endorsement in the 2020 election. But

Adam Savit, president of D.C. Log Cabin, and other members of the local group have expressed support for the Trump administration’s policies on various issues, including LGBT-related issues.

Savit, who participated in the two meetings with the Stein Club and GLAA, told the Blade in a statement this week that his group remains “open to dialogue and cooperation with any groups operating in good faith and working towards positive outcomes for the community.” He added: “We have no litmus test.”

Savit said the national Log Cabin organization’s decision to endorse Trump was based on a vote by its board of directors, but the “grassroots and membership also overwhelmingly supported that decision,” he said.

“Gertrude Stein is a Democratic club and Log Cabin is a Republican club,” Savit said. “That each organization is working toward their own partisan goals should come as no surprise to anyone.”

He said that at a time when Republicans control the White House, “we believe that it’s in the best interests of the LGBT advocacy community as a whole to engage with Log Cabin Republicans in good faith to benefit our shared interests.

Separation is not a viable advocacy solution in this era.”

Kuntzler, who is supporting gay Democrat Pete Buttigieg for president, called the Stein Club’s decision to withdraw from meeting with Log Cabin a mistake, saying he will personally continue to interact with the local LGBT GOP group.

“I want to defeat Trump,” he said. “But I see having communication with gay Republicans as part of the last link to be put into place in forming a more united community.”

Dozens attend vigil for murdered trans teen in Baltimore Dozens of people gathered in Baltimore on Sept. 6 to remember a transgender teenager who was killed on Labor Day. Iya Dammons, director of Baltimore Safe Haven, organized a vigil for Bailey Reeves that took place at the Ynot Lot at the corner of North Avenue and Charles Street.

Officers found Reeves, 17, with multiple gunshots to her torso on the 4300 block of Parkwood Avenue at around 8:05 p.m. on Sept. 2. Reeves later died at a local hospital.

A Baltimore Police Department spokesperson on Monday confirmed to the Washington Blade that Reeves lived in Rockville. Reeves’ brother, Thomas Reeves, who attends Morgan State University, told the Baltimore Sun his sister was at a cookout with friends when she was shot.

“She was a person who lived her life to the fullest,” Thomas Reeves told the Sun. The National Black Justice Coalition on Sept. 6 noted Bailey Reeves is the 18th trans person of color reported killed in the U.S. this year.

A Baltimore man has been charged with first-degree murder in the June 13 shooting of Zoe Spears near Eastern Avenue in Fairmount Heights. Ashanti Carmon, a 27-year-old trans woman, was killed in the same area near the D.C. border on March 30.

The Blade in recent days has reached out to sources in Baltimore, Montgomery County and D.C. who may have known Bailey Reeves. The Blade will update this article online with any additional information about her.

Police have not publicly identified a potential suspect or motive.

Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives at 410-3962100 or call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7lockup.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

2020 hopefuls highlight Medicare for All, PrEP to fight HIV/AIDS 7 candidates respond to AIDS United survey on how to address disease

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

Democratic presidential candidates from left: Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-Mass.), Sen. KAMALA HARRIS (D-Calif.), Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) and Mayor PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-South Bend, Ind.) Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

The reinvigoration of the White House Office of HIV/AIDS, access to generic PrEP and the award of cash gifts for HIV/AIDS innovations as opposed to U.S. patents were just three ideas 2020 hopefuls articulated in responses to a survey conducted by HIV/AIDS advocacy groups.

The candidates expressed those ideas in a survey conducted by AIDS United, which composed its questions in conjunction with a coalition of HIV/AIDS groups and made the responses public this week.

William McColl, director of health policy at AIDS United, said in an interview with the Blade his organization undertook the survey because elected leaders need the “political will…to actually commit to ending the HIV epidemic, including [making] the significant investments in the programs and services that are needed.”

“Basically, the people who are running for president in 2020 have a really unique opportunity to work toward the end of the epidemic in the United States,” McColl said. “It’s really an amazing time for HIV, and what that means for the epidemic. The fact of the matter is we have an ability and the technologies right now — with a great deal of work — even to end the epidemic.”

Seven candidates vying for the Democratic nomination — Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke and Kirsten Gillibrand — returned responses. (Gillibrand has since dropped out of the presidential primary.)

Read a summary of their responses here.

McColl said his coalition submitted

the survey questions to every candidate running for president — Democratic, Republican and Libertarian — but thus far has received only those seven replies.

Asked whether the coalition is satisfied with the responses, McColl said they would let them speak for themselves.

(AIDS United is a 501(c)(3) and unable to endorse political candidates.)

“I think that what we’re going to do is just put the responses up for people to see themselves and they’ll have the opportunity to decide, who, I think, has the most convincing plans,” McColl said.

“We’re not taking a position on them.”

For Warren, whose mantra is pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the American people, the plan for HIV/AIDS consists of Medicare for All, expanding HIV research and treatment and repeal of HIV criminalization laws.

Buttigieg calls for reinvigorating the White House Office of HIV/AIDS, which has gone dormant in the Trump administration, and addressing substance abuse.

Other candidates who are U.S. senators tout legislation they’ve introduced. Harris points to the PrEP Access and Coverage Act, which requires insurers to cover PrEP, Sanders points to legislation to award cash prizes for HIV/AIDS innovations as opposed to patents and Booker points to the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, which would require comprehensive sex education.

Drew Gibson, policy manager for AIDS United, said the survey responses are “a first step” for candidates, which he hopes is followed by in-person meetings.

“While we’re very happy with the answers they provided — for the candidates who provided the answers — this is just an opening salvo of trying to start a dialogue with these candidates and ensure that issues related to HIV are an essential part of their campaigns,” Gibson said.

McColl said the 2020 election isn’t the first time AIDS United collected survey responses from presidential candidates.

The group has conducted the survey with presidential candidates every four years since at least 2012.

For congressional candidates, AIDS United has conducted surveys in presidential years and in 2016 and 2018.

For this cycle, the group is focused first on presidential candidates, but has plans to reach out to congressional candidates later.

Asked if anything jumped out in any of the candidates’ responses, McColl identified acknowledging no single strategy can beat HIV/AIDS and the need to use every tool available, including PrEP. “I really should note that some of the candidates were very specific about speaking about the opioid epidemic,” McColl said. “I think that that was particularly useful.”

McColl also commended candidates for identifying state laws criminalizing the transfer of HIV as stigmatic and an “impediment to ending the epidemic.” As of 2018, 26 states had laws criminalizing at some level exposure to HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Also noteworthy, however, are the candidates who didn’t respond to the HIV/ AIDS questionnaire.

Among them are President Trump, whose administration has articulated a plan to beat the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030, and former Vice President Joseph Biden, who’s the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.

Erin Perrine, a Trump campaign spokesperson, said the Trump campaign doesn’t fill out candidate surveys as a general practice because his policies emanate from the White House, but added the incumbent president “has a strong record of taking bold action to eradicate the HIV/AIDS epidemic in United States within the next 10 years.”

“During this year’s State of the Union address, President Trump announced the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, which will use data, innovative tools, and medical research to tackle the epidemic head on,” Perinne said.

“President Trump’s approach is one that

faces the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a way that has never been done before.”

In his fiscal year 2020 budget request, Trump called on Congress to appropriate an additional $300 million to fight HIV/ AIDS on the domestic front, although it also proposing slashing contributions to global programs like PEPFAR and the Global Fund.

The Biden campaign didn’t respond by the Blade’s deadline to comment on why the campaign didn’t return a survey response to AIDS United. Last month, however, Biden pledged to beat HIV/AIDS by 2025, which would cut in half the goal set by the Trump administration, in response to a question at a New Hampshire town hall from a health care worker.

McColl said the Biden campaign signaled they intended to provide a response and will continue to collect responses beyond their deadline, which was Monday. McColl added Biden’s 2020 commitment at the town hall was “significant.”

The Democratic candidates’ plans as a whole, McColl said, contrast with the Trump administration plan by focusing on the importance of insurance coverage, such as Medicare for All. “Some of those things, potentially, are different from the focus of the administration plan, which basically takes the current health care structure and assumes that it will stay in place,” McColl said. “I think that a lot of the Democratic plans look at different ways to take a look at either insurance or ensuring access to treatment and care.”

McColl expressed confidence the future administration — Democrat or Republican — will be able to combat and potentially defeat HIV/AIDS, saying it has “remained a bipartisan issue.”

“We believe that there is now a floor in place, that there will be a commitment to working to end the epidemic and, I think, that there just needs to be this much greater awareness that there is really an opportunity to do this,” McColl said.

The Act Now: End AIDS Coalition consists of AIDS United, the New Yorkbased Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Health GAP, Housing Works, the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, Lambda Legal, Positive Women’s NetworkUSA, Sero Project, the San Franciscobased Transgender Law Center, the U.S. People Living With HIV Caucus and 41 other community based organizations.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

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7 Dem hopefuls outline plans for combating HIV/AIDS

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

Repeating her mantra “Washington works great for the big pharmaceutical companies and it’s not working for people who are trying to get a prescription filled,” Elizabeth Warren says there’s “no single answer” to beating HIV/AIDS. Her plan includes Medicare for All, expanding HIV research and treatment and repealing state HIV criminalization laws.

Elizabeth Warren Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Pete Buttigieg says insurance coverage is essential, but “the nature of the care and the benefits provided are equally important.” Calling for regulations to ensure existing public health programs adequately cover people with HIV/AIDS, Buttigieg also pledges to restore the White House Office of National AIDS Policy and address substance abuse to fight HIV/AIDS.

Pete Buttigieg Photo courtesy of CNN

Kamala Harris points to legislation she introduced in the U.S. Senate, the PrEP Access and Coverage Act, which requires insurers to cover PrEP, but also pledges to increase funds for the Ryan White program and enact Medicare for All. Harris also plans executive action to set ceilings for prescription drug prices, including HIV medications.

Kamala Harris Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Bernie Sanders points to legislation he introduced to award cash prizes for HIV/AIDS innovations as opposed to patent protection and his work with Rep. Jim Clyburn to expand Community Health Centers. Setting a goal to end the national HIV epidemic by 2025, Sanders on the international front pledges to restore funds to PEPFAR and the Global Fund.

Bernie Sanders Photo by Shela F; courtesy of Bigstock

Cory Booker emphasizes comprehensive sex education “that is inclusive of all youth,” pointing to legislation he introduced known as the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act. Booker also pledges to fill vacancies on the Presidential Advisory Council for HIV/AIDS for recommendations on prevention, treatment and research.

Cory Booker Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Beto O’Rourke Photo by Gage Skidmore; courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Kirsten Gillibrand Photo by Gage Skidmore; courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Beto O’Rourke backs additional funds for Special Projects of National Significance and AIDS Education & Training Centers. With people with HIV/AIDS becoming an aging population, O’Rourke calls for federal protection against HIV-based discrimination to ensure Americans aren’t forced to hide their health status “for fear of losing their access to nursing home facilities.”

Kirsten Gillibrand (who has now dropped out of the primary) pledges to increase funds to address HIV/AIDS and work with the Centers for Disease Control to make generic PrEP more available. Gillibrand also backs ending the ban on federal funding for syringe exchange and touts a comprehensive plan to address HIV/AIDS in the AfricanAmerican community.

*Survey conducted by AIDS United

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Gay U.S. ambassador marches in first Bosnia Pride parade

Bahamas LGBT activists join Dorian relief effort

Boats swept ashore in the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina ERIC NELSON, second from left, who is gay, marches in the first-ever Sarajevo Pride parade on Sept. 8.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Embassy in Bosnia-Herzegovina

The gay U.S. Ambassador to BosniaHerzegovina is among the thousands of people who took part in the country’s firstever Pride parade on Sunday.

The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo tweeted a picture of Eric Nelson participating in the parade that took place in the Bosnian capital.

Nelson also posted a message in support of the parade on the embassy’s Facebook page.

“The Pride March is fundamentally about equal human rights for everyone,” reads a statement the embassy issued alongside embassies from several European countries, the European Union and the U.N. “Everyone in BiH — regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity — is entitled to all the same rights and freedoms. However, the fact remains that vulnerable groups are still suffering.

It is everyone’s responsibility to support those who are marginalized and face discrimination and injustice.”

Emina Bošnjak, executive director of the Sarajevo Open Centre, which organized the parade, told the Washington Blade that 3,000 people marched. Bošnjak said they included members of “the LGBTI community, parents and families of LGBTI (people), our allies and supporters.”

Media reports indicate more than 1,000 police officers were stationed along the parade route in anticipation of any potential violence or protests. The parade took place without incident.

“Yesterday’s Pride March was just like I dreamed and knew it would be, and it still made my heart burst with joy,” Bošnjak told the Blade. “It was a crucial event for all the lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a community, we feel like there is now more freedom and a lot more support, although we still have much

work ahead of us to reach full equality and acceptance in our society.”

Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian-born feminist and author who lives in New York, was among those who also participated in the parade.

Tanya Domi, a professor at Columbia University who also participated in the parade, described it as an “unqualified success.”

“People were longing to hold a Pride and today Bosnia and the Western Balkans region showered love and their approval of LGBTI Bosnians,” Domi told the Blade.

The parade took place nearly 23 years after the end of the former Yugoslav republic’s civil war that left upwards of 100,000 people dead between 1992-1995. Nelson’s participation also coincides with continued criticism of the Trump administration’s LGBTI rights record in the U.S. A nondiscrimination law that includes sexual orientation and gender identity took effect in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2016, but anti-LGBTI discrimination and attitudes persist in the country.

Organizers of the first Queer Sarajevo Festival in 2008 cancelled the event after dozens of people attacked participants during the opening exhibition. Three people were injured in 2014 when a group of people wearing masks attacked a festival the Sarajevo Open Centre organized. “(The) Pride March also gave hope to many of our citizens that BiH can be live up to its image of a vibrant, diverse and tolerant country, and that makes me proud as well,” Bošnjak told the Blade.

Domi agreed.

“It was a tremendous first step,” Domi told the Blade. “(There is) much more work to do.”

The Blade has reached out to the State Department for an interview with Nelson.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

LGBTI activists in the Bahamas have joined efforts to help victims of Hurricane Dorian in their country.

Alexus D’Marco, executive director of the D’Marco Organization, told the Blade her organization is providing support to people who are now living in shelters in the Bahamian capital of Nassau and assessing the specific needs they may have.

D’Marco and her colleagues are also tracking missing people and reporting them to Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency.

D’Marco, who is also the executive director of the Bahamas Organization of LGBTI Affairs, noted the Rustin Fund for Global Equality and the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition have created a Dorian relief fund.

“CVC has teamed up with the Rustin Fund to get rapid and urgent assistance to our LGBT brothers and sisters in the Bahamas,” reads the fund’s website. “This is a direct lifeline of support managed by CVC through LGBT groups in the Bahamas ensuring emergency funds reach them quickly.”

D’Marco said she and her colleagues are “trying to be here for the long haul.”

“We’re trying to raise funds for adequate shelter to put displaced persons of the LGBTI community, or the vulnerable population,” D’Marco told the Blade from Nassau during a WhatsApp interview. “So, we’re not just focusing in and zeroing in on key populations, but also the elderly, LGBTI persons who have families that are affected.”

Dorian had 185 mph winds when it made landfall in the Abaco Islands on Sept.

2. The Category 5 hurricane remained over Grand Bahama Island for more than 24 hours before it moved away from the Bahamas on Sept. 4.

Bahamian officials say Dorian’s death toll is currently at 43, but this figure is expected to rise significantly.

Erin Greene, an “intersectional human rights advocate” who lives in Nassau, on Friday told the Blade during a WhatsApp interview that some people who live on New Providence, the island on which the city is located, saw up to three feet of water in their homes. Greene said the situation in Nassau is “relatively fine” compared to that on Grand Bahama and Abaco.

“We dealt with a lot of rain and significant flooding in some areas,” she said.

Greene said her brother and sister-in-law live on Grand Bahama and she knows from social media posts they are “good.” Greene told the Blade she hadn’t heard from a friend “who is a member of the LGBTI family in Abaco.”

“I’ve gotten word that she’s safe, but I’m sure she hasn’t been able to make any communication yet,” she said.

Greene since Dorian has been sharing information about relief efforts on her Facebook page. She has also suggested people should include boxer and boxer briefs for women who may not wear “feminine underwear/panties.”

“For members of the community, particularly gender non-conforming and non-binary people, this is a very basic thing,” Greene told the Blade. “A choice of underwear is a great psychological need for them and could make dealing with a tragedy or travesty of this nature easier simply with the comfort of knowing I can continue to wear the underwear of my choice.”

Both Greene and D’Marco told the Blade they have not heard of any reports of Bahamians denied access to shelter and relief efforts because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“We are definitely monitoring that situation,” said D’Marco. “We are making ourselves very visible to ensure that this does not happen during this process.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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Cannabis Culture used, possessed, or was impaired by marijuana at the individual’s place of employment or during the hours of employment.”

It further states, “A qualifying patient’s failure to pass a public employer-administered drug test for marijuana components or metabolites may not be used as a basis for employment-related decisions unless reasonable suspicion exists that the qualified patients was impaired by marijuana at the qualifying patient’s place of employment or during hours of employment.”

The law does not apply to either employees in “safety sensitive positions” or to those who are required to undergo drug testing as a federal requirement.

Council members voted 12 to zero in favor of the proposal. Mayor Muriel Bowser did not sign the measure.

Like all District legislation, the act must undergo a 30-day congressional review prior to taking effect.

To date, 15 states provide workplace protections for medical cannabis patients. Two states, Maine and Nevada, provide limited certain non-safety sensitive employers from taking punitive actions against any adult who uses cannabis while off the job.

PRESIDENT TRUMP said the federal government is not standing in the way of states that decide to legalize and regulate marijuana.

Photo courtesy of Bigstock

Trump: Feds allowing states to choose legalization The federal government is not standing in the way of states that decide to legalize and regulate marijuana, President Donald Trump said last week in comments first reported by MarijuanaMoment.net.

In response to a reporter’s question regarding whether or not the administration will support a change in federal marijuana policy, President Trump said: “It’s a very big subject and right now we are allowing states to make that decision. A lot of states are making that decision, but we’re allowing states to make that decision.”

During his presidential campaign, Trump similarly said that he believed issues surrounding cannabis legalization ought to be decided “state by state.” However, the administration’s first Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, rescinded an Obama-administration memorandum that directed the Justice Department not to interfere in state-sanctioned marijuana-related activities.

“The reiteration of a non-enforcement policy from the President is a clear sign that states should continue to act in defiance of federal marijuana prohibition,” NORML Political Director Justin Strekal said.

“Congress should swiftly move pending legislation forward to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and provide the legal relief needed to those individuals and businesses who are struggling under our nations cruel policy of criminalization.”

D.C. Council approves workplace protections for cannabis patients D.C. Council members have enacted legislation — Act Number A230114: The Medical Marijuana Program Patient Employment Protection Temporary Amendment Act — to protect qualified patients from workplace discrimination.

The Act states, “A public employer may not refuse to hire, terminate from employment, penalize, fail to promote, or otherwise take adverse employment action against an individual based upon the individual’s status as a qualifying [medical cannabis] patient unless the individual H E A LT H • S E PT E MBER 13, 2019 • WA SHINGTON BL A DE . COM • 17

Calif. advances measure permitting medical cannabis at school SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State lawmakers have moved forward a measure to permit the use of certain medical cannabis preparations by authorized patients while on school grounds.

Members of the Assembly voted last week in favor of the legislation, Senate Bill 223. It now awaits a concurrence vote from the Senate, which approved a prior version of the measure in March by a vote of 29 to 4. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed similar legislation last year.

If passed into law, the measure would permit parents to administer non-smoked formulations of cannabis to patients on school campuses.

Several other states, such as Delaware, Illinois, and Washington, already authorize similar activities.

Cannabis retailers linked to drop in local crime: study PHILADELPHIA — The opening of regulated cannabis retailers is associated with a decrease in localized criminal activity, according to data published in the journal Regional Science and Urban Economics.

A pair of senior economists affiliated with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia assessed the local effects of retail dispensaries on neighborhood crime in Denver, Colorado. They determined, “[A] n additional dispensary in a neighborhood leads to a reduction of 17 crimes per month per 10,000 residents, which corresponds to roughly a 19 percent decline relative to the average crime rate over the sample period.” The majority of crime reduction is due to a decrease in nonviolent criminal activity.

They concluded: “Overall, our results suggest that dispensaries cause an overall reduction in crime in neighborhoods, with no evidence of spillovers to surrounding neighborhoods. ... Our results are consistent with theories that predict that marijuana legalization will displace illicit criminal organizations and decrease crime through changes in security behaviors or substitution toward more harmful substances. ... Lastly, there is no evidence that increased marijuana use itself results in additional crime.”

The authors’ findings are consistent with those of prior studies concluding that regulating cannabis sales is not associated with upticks in criminal activity and may even play a role in preventing certain crimes, like larceny.

Cannabis Culture news in the Blade is provided in partnership with NORML. For more information, visit norml.org.

Researchers optimistic about HIV vaccine

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LOS ANGELES — With a large-scale clinical trial launching this fall and several others already underway, scientists say they are cautiously optimistic they’re on the cusp of discovering an HIV vaccine, the Los Angeles Times reports.

One approach will be tested this fall in a large-scale efficacy trial called Mosaico. The experimental vaccine, made

by Johnson & Johnson, contains an array of genetic sequences from various HIV strains, the Times reports.

In preclinical trials, the vaccine effectively protected about 66 percent of nonhuman primates against HIV-like viruses. Follow-up studies in people helped finalize its makeup, the Times reports.

Now scientists plan to enroll some 3,800 healthy participants at more than 50 trial sites across North and South America and Europe. All of them will be drawn from groups that are at high risk of contracting HIV, including men who have sex with men and transgender people. They will receive four vaccinations over the course of a year, the Times reports.

The study will be double-blind, meaning that neither the participants nor the researchers will know who has been randomly selected to receive the experimental vaccine and who is getting a placebo. If the vaccine proves successful, researchers hope it will be used around the world, the Times reports.

Bi women smoke more pot: study NEW YORK — Bisexual women had higher rates of past-year and daily marijuana use compared to straight women, according to a study just published at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Gay/lesbian women were also more likely to report daily marijuana use and past year medical marijuana use than straight women. While previous research has explored the association between state-level medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and marijuana use (MU) and MU disorder (MUD) among the general U.S. population, this is the first to explore this relationship for LGB individuals, including gender differences. The findings are online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Researchers analyzed data from 126,463 adults 18 and older in the 2015-2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to study the odds of past-year marijuana use,

any past-year medical marijuana use, daily/ near-daily marijuana use, and marijuana use disorder. They also tested the interaction between residence in a state with medical marijuana laws and sexual identity.

While beyond the scope of these analyses, the difference in policy effects of medical marijuana laws for bisexual women compared to straight women may be a result of the high levels of stigma faced by bisexual women, according to the researchers. This could result in self-medication with medical marijuana even in states without MMLs if LGB adults are in part using marijuana to alleviate sexual minority stress.

Doctors’ views on gays affected by medical school NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Experiences during medical school can systematically shape biases and attitudes against gay and lesbian individuals, according to a study published by researchers from Yale, Oregon Health & Science University, Syracuse University and the Mayo Clinic, Yale Daily News reports.

The study, published on Aug. 5 in the journal Social Science & Medicine, is part of a large long-term research project called the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation Study, more commonly known by the title CHANGES. It’s a longitudinal study of medical students that seeks to understand the “culture of medicine” that promotes or inhibits physician expression of biases.

In the CHANGES project, researchers collected data from 2,940 medical students across a number of U.S. medical schools at three time points: their first semester of medical school in the fall of 2010, their last semester in the spring of 2014 and their second year of medical residency in the spring of 2016, Yale Daily News reports.

Through surveys taken at these time points, the researchers examined the relationship between experiences reported by straight, cisgender medical students during medical school and explicit and implicit biases against lesbian and gay individuals during their residency. Explicit biases refer to overtly expressed attitudes toward a group of people, while implicit biases are defined as unconscious negative associations with a specific group of people, Yale Daily News reports.

The researchers found that students who had more contact and favorable interactions with LGBT individuals during medical school expressed less explicit and implicit bias towards sexual minorities during their residency. On the other hand, students who were exposed to “negative role modeling” during medical school expressed more explicit bias against sexual minorities, Yale Daily News reports.

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KATHI WOLFE

is a regular contributor to the Blade and winner of the 2014 Stonewall Chapbook competition.

BROCK THOMPSON

is a D.C.-based writer who contributes regularly to the Blade.

VI E WPO I NT • S E PTEMBER 13, 2019 • WA SHIN GTONB L A DE . COM • 21

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

MARK LEE

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

KATHI WOLFE

BROCK THOMPSON

is a regular contributor to the Blade and winner of the 2014 Stonewall Chapbook competition.

is a D.C.-based writer.

He contributes regularly to the Blade.

Valerie Harper’s The problem with special connection to gay Republicans What to do with this queer community administration’s Queer Quislings There’s nothing worse than losing your BFF. Especially, when your best friend was family to you.

That’s how so many of us felt when Valerie Harper, the Emmy Award-winning actress and queer icon, died on Aug. 30 at age 80 from cancer.

We have loved Harper since she first appeared as the irresistible life force Rhoda Morgenstern on the iconic sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Harper won four Emmys for bringing Rhoda vividly to life for nine years: in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970-1977), then in her own show “Rhoda” (1974-1978).

There’s our biological family. And the family that we choose. Rhoda is part of our fictional family – the characters who we love as much as our real life fam.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s” lead character was Mary Richards (Mary Tyler Moore), the good-looking, perfectly coiffed, Midwestern, associate news producer at WJM, a (fictional) Minneapolis TV station.

But, the series’ most lovable, fun character was Mary’s BFF Rhoda.

At the height of second wave feminism, we admired Mary, the groundbreaking career woman. Yet, especially, if we were gay and/or women, we knew we were more prone to be struck by lightning than to ever be like Mary Richards.

We identified with Rhoda, the Jewish, wisecracking (Bronx native) New Yorker with weight issues, who’s landed in Minneapolis.

A department store window dresser, she struggles to get a date and fights for every break. Rhoda, like us, is an outsider – often a fish out of water. Like generations of queer folk, she uses, often impolite, humor to cope with insecurity and to puncture pretensions and stand her ground.

This was clear from the get-go. Mary is moving into her Minneapolis apartment.

Rhoda, believing the apartment belongs to her, says to Mary, “Hello! Get out of my apartment!”

Yet, Rhoda’s humor though at times sardonic, wasn’t cruel. Rhoda was frank, sometimes even blunt, but not judgey. This came through beautifully in the Jan. 12, 1973 episode (“My Brother’s Keeper”) of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” featuring Cloris Leachman as Mary’s eccentric, busybody friend Phyllis.

(Phyllis loathes Rhoda.)

Phyllis’s brother Ben’s in town and he’s been spending lots of time with Rhoda .

She’s dismayed to think that they might wed. “I’m not going to marry Ben,” Rhoda tells Phyllis, “he’s not my type.”

“Why not?” asks Phyllis, “he’s educated, he’s successful...”

“He’s gay,” Rhoda says.

I still remember watching this with friends. We nearly jumped off the couch with delight. We were still coming out to ourselves. At the time, the American Psychiatric Association still considered homosexuality to be a mental disorder.

Yet, here on a hit TV sitcom, was Rhoda saying (with no judgement, pity or gay slurbased humor ) someone was gay. (The joke was on Phyllis who, on hearing that Ben can’t marry Rhoda because he’s queer, says, “I’m so relieved!”)

Harper’s career encompassed much more than Rhoda. She got her start in such musicals as “Subways Are for Sleeping” and acquired her comedy chops through her work with Second City and Story Theatre. After “Rhoda” ended its run, Harper went on to do other things from movies such as “Chapter Two” to the short-lived sit-com “The City.”

A theater actress at heart, she starred in two one-woman shows — “All Under Heaven” about novelist Pearl S. Buck and “Golda’s Balcony” about Golda Meir.

Harper was nominated for a Tony for her 2010 performance as Tallulah Bankhead in Matthew Lombardo’s play “Looped.”

Her performance as Tallulah was memorable. When a friend and I saw “Looped,” we felt as if we were seeing not Harper, but Tallulah herself.

Yet, in 2012, Harper told the TV show “The Doctors” that her favorite career moment was when she, as Rhoda, said Phyllis’ brother was gay. “I loved doing that episode,” she said.

Though straight (she is survived by her husband and her daughter), Harper had a special connection with the queer community. She was grand marshal of the 2009 Capital Pride Parade in D.C. In her memoir “I, Rhoda,” she wrote that her mother, who’d been a nurse in San Francisco, had gay friends. She called them, Harper said, “my lavender boys.”

RIP, Valerie!

So, what did you get up to on your summer vacation? I myself did the usual gay hot spots along with many of my fellow queer Washingtonians — Rehoboth Beach for a few weekends here and there, Provincetown, Mass. All in all, a pretty gay little summer.

Just as our summers were wrapping up, Vice President Mike Pence was wrapping up his own rainbow tour of Europe, including stops in Ireland, where he dined with the country’s gay prime minister and his husband. Later, on to London, where Pence got all dreamy-eyed sitting across from Boris Johnson, gushing over both him and Brexit generally. The trip overall was no big deal, really. Most people seemed to ignore him, or, as the case with Iceland’s first family, straight up gay troll him. They famously wore rainbow bracelets in photos with the Vice President when he visited Reykjavik. Wherever he went, no one really seemed to want him there. The Irish Times didn’t dance around anything, calling the whole thing nothing but a real shit show.

Whatever you call the visit, you can’t call it, or Pence for that matter, anti-gay.

That would be terribly unfair, according to Trump White House chief gay Judd Deere. That’s what he told us via his Twitter account anyway. That if you still think Pence is anti-gay, like everyone on the planet does, just remember he had lunch with gay people. True Kellyanne Conway-esque logic there. Sort of like saying, “Yes, your uncle is a complete anti-gay bigot. But may I remind you he really enjoyed Robin Williams’ performance in ‘The Birdcage?’

So, don’t you feel a bit foolish now?”

But who is Judd Deere exactly? Like me, he’s gay, and he’s from Arkansas. And he’s stepped up to the press plate at the White House following the departure of fellow Arkansan Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

This column isn’t really about how anti-

gay this administration is, or how Deere is wrong to enable and promote it. That’s all pretty obvious. But how, as gays, do we treat queer quislings like Deere? What do you do with this administration’s useful gay idiots? Some have argued that if you see Judd Deere out in a gay bar, you should tell him he isn’t welcome. And I have to say, this strategy is pretty damn tempting.

This of course would involve some effort on my part — committing Deere’s face to memory, actively scanning bars for him, approaching him, unwelcoming him there.

It’s a lot. But still, would it be fair for Deere to enjoy our gay spaces when he touts policies that fly in the face of everything these spaces represent — safety, security, free expression, and inclusivity.

There’s all of that, and now that summer is behind us, things could really come to a head this fall, as the Supreme Court is set to hear three cases of interest to us. The question, succinctly, is whether or not we can be fired for being gay. Trump’s Justice Department says yes, we can, submitting a briefing arguing so at the end of August.

The cases are set to be heard this October.

Aren’t you tired of having your basic rights argued over? Deere has made his thoughts clear on all of this. Calling the Equality Act passed by the House earlier this year full of “poison pills.” The Equality Act would include workplace protections (safety and security) for LGBT Americans.

I know what some of you might be thinking. There are gays of every stripe, be more tolerant, blah, blah, blah. This gay Republican thing would’ve been cool, say, in 1995, when all Republicans hated us, and so did about half the Democrats.

But now, in 2019, the lines are pretty well drawn. So I’m fairly intolerant of gay Republicans like Deere. So perhaps in Rehoboth or Provincetown, or around our town, maybe I’ll get the chance to tell him one day.

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MARK LEE

PETER ROSENSTEIN

is a long-time entrepreneur and community business advocate.

Follow on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.

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

HRC’s LGBT Town Hall: Is it good for Democrats?

The Human Rights Campaign has been touting its LGBTQ+ focused Town Hall calling it ‘Power of Our Pride’ taking place on Thursday, Oct. 10 in Los Angeles. CNN will air it live.

Reading their press releases and website it would seem the goal is to generate more votes and have Democratic candidates clarify their stand on equality. HRC wants to know “how they plan to win full federal equality, defend the fundamental equality of LGBTQ people, and protect the most vulnerable among us — both here in the United States and around the globe — from stigma, institutional inequality, discrimination, and violence?” HRC goes on to say “These issues are of crucial importance to LGBTQ voters and allies.

Today, there are an estimated minimum of 10 million LGBTQ voters nationwide — along with millions of parents, siblings, friends, colleagues, and allies — who will play a decisive role in the 2020 election. Since 2016, HRC has identified more than 57 million “Equality Voters” nationwide who prioritize LGBTQinclusive policies, including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Clearly valuable goals. I assume the largest segment of the audience will be members of the LGBTQ+ community. One key issue that must arise in any discussion of the Equality Act, and one that could separate the candidates, is also one that could play out both ways in the general election if LGBTQ+ issues become a lightning rod in the election.

That is the issue of religious exemption.

When the Equality Act was introduced there were many comments made on both sides of this issue with these examples reported: “If it passes, religiously affiliated schools and other faith-based organizations could face lawsuits over policies on gay, lesbian or transgender students, customers or employees. There would be an effort to punitively sue them into oblivion and they would not be able to use (the Religious Freedom Restoration Act) in their defense,” said Tim Schultz, president of 1st Amendment Partnership, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes religious freedom protections.

On the other side, Rabbi Jack Moline, president of Interfaith Alliance said, “Some people of faith see limiting the scope of religious freedom law as a good thing.

Claiming a religious right to discriminate is the antithesis of genuine faith commitments and moral teaching.”

Today we have the first openly gay married candidate running for president. I believe this is a great thing for the LGBTQ+ community and have hosted a fundraiser for Mayor Pete in D.C. and offered to do a second one in Rehoboth Beach. Yet despite all the money he is raising we are seeing he is struggling with African-American and Latino voters polling at less than 1 percent with them and they are crucial not only to winning a primary but to Democrats winning in 2020. While 86 percent of Democrats say they would consider voting for a gay president even they, or at least 49 percent of them, said they don’t think the country is ready for a gay president.

So my question is what will the Town Hall focused on the positions of Democratic candidates on LGBTQ+ rights do for the eventual nominee in the general election?

Will the Town Hall generate more voters and support for LGBTQ+ equality from those who don’t support it now or just try to solidify votes from those who now support it?

That will be answered by what those 57 million voters HRC says are now prioritizing these issues actually mean by that. Is this their number one issue? How many of those “equality voters” want some form of religious exemption written into the Equality Act? HRC on its website is suggesting the Town Hall will have a large audience.

They are projecting this based on the audience CNN’s July Democratic Debate drew, which was 10.7 million. That was down more than 40 percent from the first debate. The recent Climate Town Hall on CNN drew only 1.1 million viewers. We will find out on Thursday, Sept. 12 what the interest in the next Democratic debate is being held on one night.

As of this time only six candidates have confirmed their participation in what HRC calls an historic event: former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. According to the HRC website they are using the DNC criteria for participation in the debate and then candidates must opt in. So we will see if even all eligible candidates do.

More housing means more truthfulness D.C. elected officials mislead public on who will actually build needed new homes

It is certainly no secret that D.C., and the entire Washington metropolitan area, ranks as one of the very most expensive places to live in the country. A comprehensive study released last week starkly underscores the need for a significantly increased housing supply throughout the region to meet both current and future demand.

This regional report, produced by public policy leaders and funded by a business community seeking workforce accommodation, indicates nearly 400,000 new units are required in the next 10 years.

That’s fully a third more than previously estimated. In addition, due to existing costpoint deficiencies and expected employment growth in lower-wage sectors, three-quarters of all new housing units must be affordable for lower and middle-income residents.

It’s a hefty goal necessitating ambitious activity to achieve. While the path toward adequately addressing these realities is complex and multi-faceted, the first step is to clearly understand the source of how we get there.

An obstacle to meeting this growthresponsive need for additional housing is that both elected officials and policy advocates must stop misleading the public on who will actually build those units.

The overwhelming majority of needed new housing will be created by the private sector. Yet that’s a fundamental truth overlooked in a nation’s federal core and disliked by believers in ministerial goddesses.

Implying, whether disingenuously or by inference, that government will directly create more than only a tiny portion of needed new housing units mistakenly inflates a regime’s role. It simply reinforces a common mythology and serves to infantilize citizens.

Any public official falsely proclaiming her-or-his jurisdiction will create this-or-that number of total future housing units isn’t helping. Deceptive “we’re going to build” sloganeering only reinforces false faith in the magical thinking of a dominant political zeitgeist within the home of hot air.

In the District, we’ve been able to remain marginally synchronized with the housing required by recent population increases due to private developers building tens of thousands of new units of housing over more

than a decade. Criticized by complainers for producing primarily market-responsive higher-cost housing, those units have reduced the pressure on existing residential stock and resulted in preserving less expensive housing by eliminating competition for those units.

Absent this contribution by marketplace developers, housing costs would be stratospheric and consumer competition exponentially intensified.

Local governments will have their hands full fixing and maintaining the crumbling infrastructure of dilapidated subsidized public housing resulting from years of neglect, requiring several billions of dollars in D.C. alone. District officials don’t have the money to cover even that expense, and increased financial commitments for preserving or producing a modest number of lower-income units in the coming fiscal year beginning next month rely on one-time funding not subsequently available. D.C. politicians are currently spending-beyondrevenues at unsustainable levels.

Given that local tax rates are already the worst in the region and most of the nation, there’s little opportunity for significant infusions of cash to do more.

While D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has proven a leader in both sheltering the homeless and innovatively investing in housing, government has alternate opportunities to encourage the creation of adequate housing targeting appropriate incomes. Yet it will take a rough hand and robust commitment to do so.

D.C. must reform zoning laws to allow greater housing density throughout the city, and without delay. That means no approval process handholding with objecting advisory neighborhood commissions or objectionable citizens groups. It means speeding-up construction permit processes and further reducing parking requirements. It requires incentivizing creation of affordable units through significant developer tax abatements and eliminating byzantine regulatory hurdles.

Elected officials must stop claiming advance credit for things they don’t actually do and instead do the things they can to bulldoze obstacles out of the way for the private sector. Otherwise what needs to get done won’t happen.

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RENEE ZELLWEGER as Judy Garland in ‘Judy.’

Just ‘Judy’

Renee Zellweger channels la Garland circa ’69

By BRIAN T. CARNEY

The fall movie release schedule is so crowded that the high-power holiday feature “Last Christmas” with Emilia Clarke, Emma Thompson, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh is opening Nov. 8 to avoid the holiday crunch.

Following in the wake of “It: Chapter Two” which opened last Friday, the fall movie season gets off to a busy start today with several notable openings: “Hustlers,” a stripper drama with Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Lizzo, Julia Stiles and trans actress Trace Lysette; the documentaries “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” and “Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins;” the prestige prep school drama “The Goldfinch;” the excellent documentary “Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles” about the beloved musical; and, the queer indie coming-of-age drama “This Is Not Berlin.”

The following Friday (Sept. 20) offers a little something for everyone: The posh historical drama “Downton Abbey” with Maggie Smith, the action-packed “Rambo: Last Blood” with Sylvester Stallone; and the philosophical space drama “Ad Astra” with Brad Pitt.

Two very different pieces of queer history get spotlighted on Sept. 27. The biopic “Judy” stars Renée Zellweger as the legendary Judy Garland set in 1969 (the year of her death) as she preps for a run of concerts at London’s Talk of the Town; the documentary “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” about the ongoing legacy of McCarthy protégé and Trump mentor Roy Cohn.

In honor of the Gay High Holy Days (aka Halloween), the Angelika Theatres (the Pop-Up at Union Market in DC and the Mosaic in Fairfax, Va.) are celebrating “Hitchcocktober.” Every Wednesday in October they’ll screen a different Hitchcock classic, ending with “Psycho” on Oct. 31.

Tickets are available at angelikafilmcenter. com/dc.

Fall is a peak season for world-class film festivals in Washington. The Latin American Film Festival is already underway at the AFI Silver in downtown Silver Spring. Some of the remaining queer highlights include “I Miss You” (Tu Me Manques) about a father coming to terms with his late son’s sexuality; “Lemebel,” a portrait of queer Chilean artist and activist Pedro Lemebel; and, “Original Sin” (Pecado Original), a satire about fragile masculinity.

Information on the Festival and other

26 • WA S HI N GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • FILM

The ‘downstairs’ cast of ‘Downton Abbey,’ which is getting the big screen treatment this fall. It opens next weekend in the U.S. Photo by Jaap Buiterdijk; courtesy Focus Features

AFI programming (including the Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival) is at afi.com/silver.

Next up is the annual D.C. Shorts Film Festival which opens next Thursday (Sept.

19) and runs through Sept. 28. There’s always a great slate of LGBT films, as well as parties, workshops and a screenplay competition. This year’s schedule can be found at dcshorts.com.

Running Sept. 22-29, the multidisciplinary March on Washington Film Festival (marchonwashingtonfilmfestival. org) includes “Sisters That Swing,” an evening of vintage short films about black female singers including portraits of queer performers Billie Holiday, Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith and Josephine Baker. The opening night gala will honor lesbian poet and activist Nikki Giovanni.

After a year of wandering in the

cinematic wilderness, JxJ is moving into its new space at the renovated Eldavitch D.C.JCC. The festival which celebrates Jewish art, music and cinema will now be offering yearround programming starting with an encore presentation of “The Tobacconist” starring the late Bruno Ganz as Sigmund Freud (Oct. 20-26). Information on the center’s programming is at jxjdc.org/schedule.

Every fall, Hollywood meets Capitol Hill at the renowned Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia wine country onehour west of the Washington monument.

Running October 17-20, the festival includes sneak peeks at Oscar contenders, Q&As with filmmakers and discussions with D.C. power brokers, as well the chance to visit local wineries and award-winning restaurants. Details are at middleburgfilm. org/the-festival.

Reel Affirmations, D.C.’s festival of

F I L M • S E PT E MBE R 13, 2019 • WA SHINGTONB L A DE . COM • 27

international queer cinema will return Oct. 25-27 with a wide array of films that celebrate rich LGBTQ lives. In the meantime, the Monthly RA Xtra film series continues with the deeply moving documentary “Gay Chorus Deep South” on Sept. 19 at the Landmark E Street Cinema.

For information on tickets or volunteer opportunities, go to thedccenter.org/ reelaffirmations.

The Maryland Film Festival (mdfilmfest.com), which was recently named one of Moviemaker Magazine’s 25 Coolest Film Festivals, offers provocative year-round programing at the SNF Parkway Theatre in Baltimore. Upcoming shows include “Vision Portraits,” a documentary by queer filmmaker Rodney Evans about the creative paths of artists who are blind or visually impaired.

Several queer auteurs (old and new)

have movies coming out this fall. Antonio Banderas stars in Pedro Almodóvar’s semiautobiographical “Pain and Glory” (Oct. 11). François Ozon returns with “By the Grace of God,” a drama about clerical sexual abuse (Oct. 25). Ira Sachs directs “Frankie” starring Isabelle Huppert as an ailing actress and Pascal Gregory as her gay ex-husband (Nov. 1). Finally, newcomer Lucio Castro delivers the sizzling relationship drama “End of the Century” (Nov. 8).

Some of the other interesting fall releases include: “Joker” starring Joaquin Phoenix (Oct. 4) “Lucy in the Sky” starring Natalie Portman (Oct. 4) “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” with the magnificent Angelina Jolie (Oct. 18) “Zombieland: Double Tap” a sequel to the 2009 comedy with Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin (Oct. 18) “The Current War” about the electric battle between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Michael Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) (Oct. 25) “Terminator: Dark Fate” with returning stars Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Nov. 1) “Doctor Sleep” (Nov. 8) based on the Stephen King novel “Charlie’s Angels” (Nov. 15) directed by camp goddess Elizabeth Banks, and “Ford v. Ferrari” (Nov. 15) with Christian Bale and Matt Damon Before the holiday onslaught begins (with “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “Frozen II,” “Aeronauts,” “Bombshell,” “Cats,” “Knives Out,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “1917,” and Greta Gerwig’s fresh take on “Little Women”), there is one movie that should be on everyone’s list: “Harriet.” Directed

by Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou”), the movie stars Cynthia Errico as Harriet Tubman and features Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Vondie Curtis Hall and Leslie Odom. Jr. (Nov. 1).

LaPlacaCohen Publication: Insertion date: Size:

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Renée Fleming

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Thursday, September 12

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Sound Health is supported by the Music Man Foundation.

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National Dance Day is presented as part of the Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives.

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Howard University “Showtime” Marching Band and Netflix: HOMECOMING: A Film by Beyoncé

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Sunday, September 22

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LOR D NELSON MASS November 10, 2019. 5:00 pm National Presbyterian Church

GAY TOUR OF

Arguably Haydn’s greatest composition—Mass for Troubled Times—stunningly captures the historical chaos of his time.

The evening also includes Britten’s jubilant Rejoice in the Lamb, and Arvo Pärt’s otherworldly Salve Regina.

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SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE TWELFTHBE NIGHT AMONG THE FINEST? January 5, 2020. 5:00 pm National Presbyterian Church

Departures: Nov 9 - 22, 2019; 2020: Jan, Feb, March

The Freedom High School Chamber Choir directed by Laura Lazarevich, Partners in Song and in spirit, with TCCW to present an evening of favorite and familiar songs and carols to welcome and celebrate the New Year.

For information: phil@askphilwalker.com Phil Walker: 415-816-3527

perfect end note to the holiday season!

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QUEERY Jordan L. Costen Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

QUEERY: Jordan L. Costen

The Safe Space NOVA founder answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM

Jordan L. Costen has a heart for LGBT youth.

“I once endured a lot of bullying as an LGBT youth,” he says. “I know what it’s like to not have anyone to turn to when it comes to dealing with issues and coming out.”

That concern led him to found Safe Space NOVA in early 2016, a place where queer youth can socialize outside of school, get to know other LGBT teens, have adult mentors and find temporary drop-in space if needed.

“Safe Space NOVA was created to combat bullying and ridicule while fostering a safe, accepting and supportive environment with other youth that are experiencing challenges along with adults who identify as LGBT,” the 34-year-old Atlanta native says. “It was founded so that LGBT youth have a place to participate in social activities that are inviting, fun and most of all safe.”

The first-ever Safe Space NOVA 2019

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Proceeds — their goal is $5,000 — from the event will go to expand Safe Space NOVA’s mission. Its five staff members, all volunteers, want to increase programming and have more permanent drop-in space.

To date, the organization has hosted numerous events such as movie socials, laser tag, miniature golf, dances and more. Safe Space volunteers work with regional GSAs to find teens who may need resources. A student ambassador assists with outreach.

Costen came to the region 16 years ago for college at Howard. He works by day as an IT account manager and lives with spouse Charles Sumpter, Jr. in Alexandria.

Costen enjoys watching scary movies and reading in his free time.

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Dance is central component in Kennedy Center’s new Reach programming

Mark Morris Dance Group takes inspiration from classic Beatles album

By MARIAH COOPER Patrons are invited to celebrate the 10th annual National Dance Day at the Kennedy Center’s (2700 F St., N.W.) new campus, the Reach, on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Emmy-winning choreographer and actress Debbie Allen will host the day’s festivities which will include interactive dance routines and lessons, outdoor performances, panel discussions, film screenings, live music and more.

Participants can learn the official, nationwide 2019 National Dance Day routine, created by the American Dance Movement and choreographed by Matt Steffanina, on the Reach’s main stage.

The Kennedy Center has also crated it’s own line dance routine to tell the history of the Kennedy Center. There will be a panel discussion and performance by dancer Tiler Peck from New York City Ballet. Other events include 16 dance classes taught from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. including Chinese Ribbon dance, tap, salsa, Classical Indian dance, dancehall fusion and more.

Attendees can also view film screenings from documentaries such as “Ballet Now,” “No Maps on My Taps” and “NY Export: Opus Jazz. This event is part of the Reach’s Opening Festival. Admission is free. For a complete list of events, visit kennedycenter.org.

The Reach at the Kennedy Center presents a screening of “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé,” on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. The film follows the pop star’s journey of curating and choreographing her 2018 Coachella performance. Admission is free

but timed-entry passed are required. The screening is part of the Reach’s opening festival. For more information, visit kennedy-center.org.

D.C. Style Salsa Academy (7014 Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park, Md.) presents Cuban Styling for Salseros taught by instructor Jonathan Burke on Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 8:30-10 p.m. The class will teach how to incorporate AfroCuban and rumba dance styles. Drop-in class pass is $25. Other class packages are available. For more details, visit dcstylesalsa.com.

The Silver Spring Civic Center (1 Veterans Pl., Silver Spring, Md.) hosts a Salsa and Bachata Block Party on Sunday, Sept. 29 from 1-9 p.m. There will be dance lessons, a block party and more. Dance lessons will include Zumba, kids Latin dance, hip-hop dance fitness, Caribbean dance fitness, salsa lessons and bachata lessons. Admission is free.

For more information, visit facebook.com/ eventsdowntownsilverspring.

The Kennedy Center presents “Merce Cunningham at 100” from Oct. 3-5. The performance will honor the iconic dance choreographer’s works “Beach Birds,” which translates the movement of birds into dance and “BIPED,” which merges technology and dance by incorporating animated images. Robert Swinston choreographs the show. There will be a pre-performance talk on Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $25-79. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.

The AfroCuban D.C. Dance Festival is

Dancer GIAN CARLO PEREZ in Washington Ballet’s ’NEXTsteps.’

Photo by Procopio Photography; courtesy Washington Ballet

at the Dance Institute of Washington (3400 14th St., N.W.) from Oct. 11-13. The festival will include dance and music workshops.

On Friday, Oct. 11, there will be lessons on percussion in Rumba and Batá followed by an after party at Songbyrd (2475 18th St., N.W.) at 11 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 12, there will be workshops on AfroModern, Female Orisha Dance, Rumba Percussion, Orisha Song and Orisha Dance. Sunday, Oct. 13 will feature lessons on Batá Musicality for Orisha Dancer, Rumba Dance and Orisha Dance. There is a fee for each workshop. Tickets range from $20125. Visit danceinstituteofwashington.org for more details.

The Washington Ballet presents NEXTsteps, a collection of never-beforeseen ballets from choreographers Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, John Heginbotham and Jessica Lang, at Sidney Harmon Hall (610 F St., N.W.) from Oct. 23-27. Tickets range from $25-100. For more information, visit washingtonballet.org.

The Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company presents “Origins of Modern Dance Salon” at the Woodrow Wilson House (2340 S St., N.W.) on Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.

The performance, which explores how modern dance evolved during the postWWI era, will include dances and stories about dancers Isadora Duncan and Michio Ito who pioneered this new form of dance. The opening night performance will be followed by a reception. The Sunday performance will include a post-

performance talk with Dana Tai Soon Burgess, the openly gay troupe leader.

Tickets range from $25-35. For more details, visit dtsbc.org.

Mark Morris Dance Group presents “Peppaland,” a dance tribute to the iconic Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” in the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center Nov. 13-16. Along with music composed by Ethan Iverson, the group will dance to Beatles hits such as “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “A Day in the Life,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Within You Without You” and “Penny Lane.” There will also be six performances inspired by the album. On Nov. 13, there will be a post-performance talk with the dancers, choreographers, composers and other members of the creative team. Tickets range from $35-99. For more details, visit kennedy-center.org.

Bowen McCauley Dance Company returns to its debut venue Dance Place (3225 8th St., N.E.) on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m and Sunday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. Resident choreographer Ilana Goldman will debut her world premiere piece “Crossing.” It will feature music composed for the Kronos Quartet by Stephan Thelen. Other works in the performance will include “Gershwin Preludes” and a surprise work by by Lucy Bowen McCauley. General admission tickets are $25. Senior and student tickets are $15. There will be an opening night after party on Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. with the cast and crew. After party tickets are $25.

For more information, visit bmdc.org.

34 • WA S HI N GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • DAN C E

GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON 2019–2020 SEASON

AN EVENING WITH AUDRA McDONALD Songs from the American Music Theater

Mason Artist-in-Residence

LADAMA

Friday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.

THE FOUR ITALIAN TENORS Viva Italia!

L.A. Theatre Works

SEVEN

Friday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28 at 8:30 p.m.

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

THE FOUR SEASONS

Zurich Chamber Orchestra Daniel Hope, violin Sunday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.

RUBBERBANDance GROUP Vic’s Mix

Aquila Theatre

GEORGE ORWELL’S 1984 Saturday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.

CHANTICLEER

A Chanticleer Christmas Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.

Plus, acrobatic artists, a Bollywood extravaganza, and more!

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Chely, Chaka and (OMG!) Cher

Regional concert stages brimming with queer and ally talent of all genres

By THOM MURPHY This fall sees a number of great acts coming to the District. Country vocalists Carrie Underwood and Chely Wright, DJs Diplo and Martin Garrix, pop acts like The Chainsmokers and Kim Petras, as well as Todrick Hall and Cher(!) are just a few of the acts coming to D.C. in the coming months.

DJ and producer Diplo will perform at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.) this Saturday, Sept. 14 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $40-50 and are available at eventbrite.com.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17 The B-52s bring their “40th Anniversary Tour” show to the Anthem (901 Wharf St, S.W.) at 8 p.m.

Tickets are available at theanthemdc.com, and range between $55-95.

Pop singer Lizzo will be gracing the District with her presence on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at The Anthem. The tickets, ranging from $45-75, are currently sold out.

Out punk pioneer Bob Mould is touring following the release of his most recent album “Sunshine Rock,” and will be making a stop at City Winery (1350 Okie Street, N.W.) on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available for $35-45 directly from City Winery at citywinery.com.

DJ Martin Garrix is at Echostage Oct. 2-3 at 9 p.m. Tickets are available directly at echostage.com. Prices range from $40-50.

Carrie Underwood will be in town with her “The Cry Pretty Tour 360” at the Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for $49-99 and up at ticketmaster.com.

Country music star Phil Vassar plays The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.) on Thursday, Oct. 10 in Alexandria, Va. Tickets for the show are $45 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

The acclaimed Chicago-based artist Chance The Rapper will appear at Capital One Arena on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range between $59-129 and up, and can be purchased via ticketmaster.com.

The following evening, on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m., rapper Post Malone is coming to Capital One Arena as part of his “Runaway Tour.” Prices range from $99-503 and can be acquired at ticketmaster.com.

Also on Oct. 12, American rock group The Black Keys will be in town for a show at The Anthem at 7 p.m. Tickets ranging from $125-250 are available at theanthemdc.com.

Chely Wright, one of the few out artists in country music, will take the stage at Jammin Java (227 Maple Ave. E.) in Vienna, Va., on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets for her show are available through ticketmaster. com and range between $37-67.

Also on the 13th, lesbian former gospel singer Jennifer Knapp plays City Winery at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $17 at citywinery.com.

On Monday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m., the poprock group Augustana will have a concert at U Street Musical Hall (1115 U St., N.W.).

Tickets for general admission can be purchased for $20 and are available at ticketfly.com.

The Chainsmokers will be bringing their “World War Joy Tour” to Capital One Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. They will be joined by the Australian boyband 5 Seconds of Summer and Lennon Stella.

Tickets are available for $29-159 and up at ticketmaster.com.

The indie rock group Bon Iver is coming to The Anthem on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The tickets, which range from $55-75, are available at ticketfly.com.

Country singer Lee Ann Womack is taking her “Solitary Thinkin’ Acoustic Tour” to The Birchmere on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are available for $35 from ticketmaster.com.

Capital Pride vet/LGBT ally Alessia Cara brings her “The Pains of Growing Tour” to The Anthem on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $40 through ticketmaster.com.

“American Idol” winner Fantasia plays EagleBank Arena (4500 Patriot Circle, Fairfax, Va.) on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $59-125 and may be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Also on the 27th, out twins Tegan and Sara have a sold-out show at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) in Washington for their “Hey, I’m Just Like You Tour.”

Tickets may open up later at ticketfly.com.

KIM PETRAS is here Nov. 20, CHER returns to D.C. in early December and CHELY WRIGHT is here Oct. 13 File photos courtesy Fillmore, Birchmere and KC respectively

On Saturday, Nov. 2 Logic’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Tour” lands at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and the tickets, ranging from $29-250 and up, can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

Chris Thile of the Punch Brothers and host of the public radio program “Live From Here” plays the Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.) on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets, which range from $33-79, are available from Strathmore directly at strathmore.org.

Todrick Hall is coming to Baltimore with his “House Party Tour” on Sunday, Nov. 10. The concert will be held at the Baltimore Soundstage (124 Market Place, Baltimore) at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are available for $30 and meet-and-greet packages for $129 at ticketmaster.com.

Fresh off of her new album “Hello

Happiness,” Chaka Khan comes to the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets prices are available at livenation.com and start at $72.

Country music singer Eric Church is bringing his “Double Down Tour” to The Anthem on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are sold out.

German-born trans pop princess Kim Petras’ “The Clarity Tour” arrives in Silver Spring on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8:30 p.m. at the Fillmore (8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md.). Tickets start at $38 for general admission and can be found at livenation.com.

Cher is finally bringing the tour spawned by her “Dancing Queen” album of ABBA covers to the District. The beloved singer will be at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $67-341 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.

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‘Judy’ soundtrack, Lana, Taylor and more New record is first in four years from gay pop wunderkind Mika

By THOM MURPHY To say that new album releases have started with a bang this fall would be an understatement. Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey have both just released highly anticipated albums. And there are several more to look forward to in the coming months.

Taylor Swift just released her seventh studio album, “Lover,” which was preceded by singles “Me!,” “You Need to Calm Down” and “Lover.” And it has been doing incredibly well on the charts, hitting the Billboard No. 1 spot. As many have remarked, Swift is becoming more politically outspoken and the new song “You Need to Calm Down” speaks directly about LGBT issues.

Longtime favorite Lana Del Rey came out with the new album “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” that has already become a subject of controversy with critics. It was preceded by a number of singles, including the popular “Venice Bitch.” It’s a formidable new album, in step with her best music.

Charli XCX’s new album “Charli” comes out today, her first full album since 2014’s “Sucker.” Preceded by six singles, it includes many of the hits that have made her popular on the dance floor, including the lead single “1999.”

Also today, singer-songwriter Paula Cole will release her ninth studio album entitled “Revolution.” In the lead-up, she has released the single “Go On.” And the Denver-based indie group The Lumineers is coming out with “III,” their first release since their 2016 “Cleopatra.”

On Sept. 20, American pop-rock group Blink-182 will release “NINE,” continuing the band’s comeback that started with the 2011 album “Neighborhoods.” Five singles have already been released from the new album, including “Blame It on My Youth,” “Generational Divide” and most recently “I Really Wish I Hated You.” Kristin Chenoweth is set to release her new album “For The Girls” on Sept.

27, and there is much to look forward to.

The album will feature a rendition of “I Will Always Love You” performed as a duet with Dolly Parton. The track “I’m A Woman” features both Jennifer Hudson and Reba McEntire, and “You Don’t Own Me” was

MIKA and TEGAN AND SARA are among artists slated to release new albums this fall.

Photos by Leah James, courtesy Skollar PR, Julian Broad and Sire/Warner respectively

recorded with Ariana Grande.

On the same day, Renée Zellweger will come out with soundtrack for the new film “Judy,” the anticipated biopic about the life of Judy Garland. The soundtrack seems as though it will have no shortage of gems, including a duet with out singer Sam Smith on the song “Get Happy,” and a new rendition of the holiday classic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with gay songwriter/singer (and frequent Garland interpreter) Rufus Wainwright.

Also on Sept. 27, the indie group Tegan and Sara are scheduled to release their ninth album entitled “Hey, I’m Just Like You.” The out twins have long been vocal supporters of LGBT rights. The new album will focus on their teen years and will be released in conjunction with their new memoir “High School.” In anticipation of the new album, they have released the lead single “I’ll Be Back Someday.”

On Oct. 4, multilingual pop artist Mika will release his fifth album “My Name Is Michael Holbrook.” The gay singer has had successful pop hits in several languages, including the French track “Elle Me Dit” from his third studio album. So far he has released the singles “Ice Cream,” which is heavy on theatrics in a way reminiscent of Jake Shears, and “Tiny Love.”

The queer country group Karen & the Sorrows is set to release the new album

“Guaranteed Broken Heart” Oct. 11, with the title cut having been released as a single. The group joins an ever-growing number of out singers, songwriters and musicians in the country music scene.

On the same day, Michael Longoria, one of the original cast members of the musical “Jersey Boys,” will release his third solo album entitled “Like They Do In The Movies.”

The aptly titled album is filled with classic songs from films like like “Wind Beneath My Wings” from the movie “Beaches,” “Rainbow Connection” from “The Muppet Movie” and “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic.”

Also anticipated sometime this fall is the new album “Courage” from Celine Dion, as well as the album “Sketchbook” from American Idol-winner Fantasia, who will be bringing her “Sketchbook Tour” to town in October.

On vinyl, look for Kim Petras’ “Turn Off the Light Vol, I” (Sept. 20), Goldfrapp’s “Black Cherry” (Sept. 27), Christina Aguilera’s eponymous first album on picture disc (Oct. 4), Freddie Mercury’s “Mr. Bad Guy,” “Never Boring” and “Barcelona” (Oct. 1), Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours in Concert: the Legendary Broadcasts” on limited edition clear vinyl (Oct. 18) and Cyndi Lauper’s 1998 release “Merry Christmas — Have a Nice Life” on colored vinyl (Nov. 1).

38 • WA S HI N GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • ALB U M S

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You’re traveling through another dimension …

Local gay artist finds inspiration in classic ‘Twilight Zone’ series

By MARIAH COOPER Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts works by Colleen Sabo and Linda Bankerd through Sept. 29. Gallery A will feature the gallery’s Touchstone Gallery Member Show. Gallery B will present Sabo’s “A World of Color, My Way,” which explores color in everyday settings. Gallery C will present “Lucious Landscapes” by Bankerd, a collection of abstract landscapes Bankerd created in the last three years. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.

Museum of the Bible (400 4th St., S.W.) showcases “Picture Books of the Past: Reading an Old Master Painting,” through Sept. 30. This display explores how the medieval church used visuals to help people understand biblical stories, religious instruction and beliefs.The more than 60 pieces range from the time period of the 14th to the 19th century throughout a variety of cultures. Adult tickets are $19.99. Child tickets are $9.99. For more details, visit museumofthebible.org.

National Gallery of Art (Constitution Avenue between 3rd and 9th St. N.W.) presents “The Eye of the Sun: NineteenthCentury Photographs” in the West Building through Dec. 1. The series offers a look at the expansion of photography from its invention throughout its first 50 years. Some photographs have never been on display including photography from Charles Isaacs and Carol Nigro. The photographs will be displayed chronologically. Admission is free. For more information, visit nga.gov.

National Gallery of Art (Constitution Avenue between 3rd and 9th St. N.W.) also showcases “Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence” in the West Building through Jan. 12. Fifty of his masterpieces in painting, sculpture and drawing will be displayed covering Verrocchio’s expansive artistry. The National Gallery of Art is the only museum to include an exhibit solely featuring Verrocchio’s work. Admission is free. For more details, visit nga.gov.

National Museum of Women in the

Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) presents “Live Dangerously from Sept. 19-Jan. 20. This photography exhibit explores how women are connected to nature. Featured photographers include Janaina Tschäpe, Louise Dahl-Wolfe and Justine Kurland. Tschäpe’s exhibit “100 Little Deaths,” which includes 100 large-scale photographs, will be displayed at the museum for the first time. Admission is free. For more details, visit nmwa.org.

Judy Chicago presents her new series “The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction” at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.) from Sept. 19-Jan. 20. Chicago uses almost 40 pieces of glass and painted porcelain and two large bronze sculptures to examine human mortality and species extinction. For more information, visit nmwa.org.

Artists & Makers Studio 1 (11810 Parklawn Dr., Rockville, Md.) presents the exhibits “400 Days” by Robert Stark and “Inside, Outside” by Rosa Inés Vera running through Wednesday, Sept. 25. “400 Days” features daily paintings by Stark which combines his paintings in outdoor light with abstract works. “Inside, Outside” features Vera’s work which explores how wetlands and sea shores are affected by climate change.

The works examine the environment from the “Outside” of landscapes to the “Inside” of the views such as plants and flowers.

Jorge Gastelumendi, Global Director of Water and Energy Policy at The Nature Conservancy, will give a Gallery Talk for “Inside, Outside” on Sept. 14 from 3-4 p.m.

Visit artistsandmakerstudios.com for details.

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Independence Ave., S.W. and 7th St., S.W.) introduces “Lee Ufan: Open Dimension” from Sept. 27-Sept. 13, 2020. The installation, which includes 10 new sculptures, will be the first time the Hirshhorn’s plaza will be devoted almost entirely to the work of one artist. “Open Dimensions” is also the first exhibition of

From top: ‘Journey Into A Wondrous Land’ by local gay artist Gordon Thomas Frank from Del Ray Artisans Gallery’s ‘Art Inspired by The Twilight Zone’ exhibit. Image courtesy curator Nodrog Knarf, Trap Bob’s ’29 Rooms’ installation. Image courtesy 29Rooms, and ‘400 Days’ by Robert Stark. Photo courtesy Artists & Makers Studio 1.

Ufan’s work in the U.S. Ufan’s other exhibit “Dialogue,” a collection of paintings, will also be on display on the museum’s third floor through March. Admission is free. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.

Del Ray Artisans Gallery presents “Art Inspired by The Twilight Zone” at the Colasanto Center (2704 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) from Oct. 4-27. The art collection is influenced by Rod Serling’s classic anthology series. Local gay artist Gordon Frank will display his piece “Journey Into A Wondrous Land.” The opening reception is on Friday, Oct. 4 from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit delrayartisans.org/exhibits.

The 22nd annual Bethesda Row Arts Festival, an outdoor street festival, takes place along Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues, Elm Street and Bethesda Lane and east of Arlington Road Oct. 12-13. The festival will feature a variety of artworks including

ceramics, drawing, fiber, glass, printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, painting, photography and sculpture. There will be an art sale with proceeds benefitting D.C. Strings and youth programming at Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture. Admission is free. For more information, visit bethesdarowarts.org.

Refinery29 presents “29Rooms: The Expand Your Reality Experience,” an immersive and collaborative art experience, at D.C. Armory (2001 East Capitol St., S.E.) Oct. 18-27. The exhibit will have interactive installations and performances by brands, visionaries and other emerging creative voices. D.C. collaborators include Kali Uchi, Carolta Guerrero, the Hoodwitch, Uzumaki Cepeda, Yvette Mayorga, Dan Lam, Nnekkaa, Hanski, Trap Bob, Jamea Richmond-Edwards and the ACLU. Individual tickets are $24. Buy three or more tickets for $29 each. For more details, visit 29rooms.com.

40 • WA S HI N GTON B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • G ALLER IES

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‘Cats,’ ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Assassins’ ‘Doubt’ and more

Newly discovered Tennessee Williams one act ‘Lady’ among fall theatrical highlights

By PATRICK FOLLIARD First, a few odds and ends: More of a concert but worth nothing is “Coat of Many Colors: the Music of Dolly Parton,” a tribute event featuring Joan Osborne, Garrett Clayton, Neyla Pekarek, Morgan James, Nova Payton, Jess Eliot Myhre, Rita Castagna and the American Pops Orchestra on Saturday, Sept.

21 at 8 p.m. at Arena Stage (1101 6th St., S.W.).

Tickets are $25-75 at arenastage.org. theatreWashington’s Theatre Week! features discounted tickets on many area shows at $15 and $35 through Sept. 29.

Details at theatreweek.org.

The D.C. Queer Theatre Festival continues its reading series of new and unpublished fulllength plays on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. at The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite 105).

Details at thedccenter.org/queertheatrefest.

Now, on to the regular productions.

Signature Theatre (4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington) continues with its season opener, a terrific production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Assassins” (through Sept. 29).

Beautifully staged by Signature’s out artistic director Eric Schaeffer, the Tony Award-winning dark comedy tells the story of nine would-be and successful presidential assassins ranging from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald.

Also, at Signature, out Helen Hayes Awardwinning actor Holly Twyford is directing “Escaped Alone” (Sept. 24-Nov. 3). This newish play by brilliant British playwright Caryl Churchill (“Could Nine,” “Top Girls”) centers on three old friends gathered in an English garden “who are joined by a neighbor to engage in amiable chitchat — with a side of apocalyptic horror.”

Sounds intriguing. Full details at sigtheatre.org.

Through Oct. 6, “Cabaret” runs at Olney Theater Center (2001 Olney-Sandy Springs Road, Olney, Md.). Based on out writer Christopher Isherwood’s literary classic “Berlin Stories,” John Kander & Fred Ebb’s stunning musical records the rise of fascism in Weimar Berlin through the lens of life in a seedy cabaret.

Alexandra Silber stars as striving cabaret singer Sally Bowles and Mason Alexander Park is the Kit Kat Klub’s genderfluid Emcee. Helen Hayes

Award-winning out director Alan Paul directs.

Full details at olneytheatre.org.

Then at Olney it’s Marco Ramirez’s “The Royale,” a co-production with 1st Stage in Tyson’s Corner (Sept. 25-Oct. 27). Inspired by the true story of African-American boxer Jack Johnson, this look into the mind of an early 20th century boxer is directed/ choreographed by Paige Hernandez and features out actor Jaysen Wright.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (641 D St., N.W.) has begun its season with “Fairview,” through Oct. 6. Penned by Jackie Sibblies Drury and directed by Stevie WalkerWebb, this hard-hitting and inventively imagined and staged drama about family and race features a strong cast including Shannon Dorsey, Cody Nickell and Kimberly Gilbert.

“Fairview” is the winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Full details at woollymammoth.net.

Studio Theatre (1501 14th St., N.W.) enters fall with playwright John Patrick Shanley’s “Doubt: A Parable,” through Oct. 6. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play concerns the suspicions of Bronx Catholic school principal Sister Aloysius (out actor Sarah Marshall) surrounding a young priest’s keen interest in a little boy, the school’s first and only black student. Matt Torney directs.

Full details at studiotheatre.org.

GALA Hispanic Theatre (3333 14th St., N.W.) is presenting a commissioned adaptation of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s classic “La vida es sueño (Life Is a Dream),” through Oct. 13.

Adapted by out playwright Nando López, the new take on a timeless work of Spanish Golden Age theater, explores free will, fate and tyranny.

The cast of familiar faces features out Spanish actor Mel Rocher. Hugo Medrano directs. Full details at galatheatre.org.

Folger Theatre (201 E. Capitol St., S.E.) has kicked off its season with Shakespeare’s “1 Henry IV” (through Oct. 13). The compelling history play directed by Rosa Joshi, stars Edward Gero as Falstaff and Avery Whitted as Prince Hal. Then next on Folger’s docket, it’s out Londoner Richard Clifford directing Nick

SARAH MARSHALL (left) and TIFFANY M. THOMPSON in ‘Doubt: a Parable.’

Photo by Teresa Wood

LaMedica as Mozart and Ian Merrill Peakes as Salieri in gay playwright Peter Shaffer’s sensational Tony Award-winning play “Amadeus” (Nov. 5-Dec. 22). Accomplished D.C. scenic designer Tony Cisek is creating the sets for both Folger productions. Full details at folger.edu/folger-theatre.

The Kennedy Center presents “Cats” (Sept. 17-Oct. 6). Based on poems by T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Awardwinning mega hit musical tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. If you haven’t yet witnessed a bewhiskered thespian sing “Memory,” resist no more. Now’s the time to see it. Full details at kennedy-center.org.

At Round House Theatre (4545 EastWest Highway, Bethesda) Nicole A. Watson is directing Jocelyn Bioh’s hit off-Broadway comedy “School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play” (Sept. 18-Oct. 13). When the new girl arrives in Ghana from America loaded with Western ideas and superior beauty products, she threatens to steal of the crown from her new boarding school’s reigning queen bee. Hilarious battle ensues.

The eight person of color cast includes out actor Jade Jones and Temidayo Akibu who recently came out as nonbinary. More details at roundhousetheatre.org.

Taffety Punk (Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St., S.E.) presents “Riot Grrrls: Othello” (Sept. 19-Oct. 12). Directed by Kelsey Mesa, the all-women cast stars terrific actors Danielle A. Drakes, in the title role, and Lise Bruneau as evil Iago. Details at taffetypunk.com.

For fall, Synetic Theater (1800 South Bell Street, Chrystal City) is reprising its 2013 movement-based interpretation of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” (Sept. 25Oct. 20). Along with the water-filled stage that made this take on the Bard’s irreverent comedy so memorable, Synetic is keeping it fresh by casting gifted company co-founder Irina Tsikurishvili as “Prospera.” The cast also includes talented out actor Alex Mills as Ariel.

Full details at synetictheater.org.

Spooky Action Theater is set to present Tennessee William’s “The Lady from the Village of Falling Flowers” for one performance only (Sept. 21) before it moves on for a short run in Provincetown, Mass. (Sept. 26-29). The newly discovered and never-before-produced one act directed by Natsu Onoda Power mixes Japanese kami-shibai style street theater with storytelling performers in “a punchy send-up of love, the perils of first impressions and our earthly attempts to touch something eternal.”

Details at spookyaction.org.

Shakespeare Theatre Company (Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St., N.W.) kicks off new artistic director Simon Godwin’s inaugural season with “Everybody” (Oct. 15-Nov. 17).

Penned by hot out playwright Branden JacobsJenkins, it’s a takeoff of the 15th-century play “Everyman.” It’s described as “an irreverent, rollicking ride that asks deep questions of all who see it. Remixing the archetypal medieval morality play into an explosive experiment of wit and emotion.” The diverse nine-person cast includes local favorite Nancy Robinette as Death, and nonbinary actor Avi Roque as Somebody. Trans identifying Will Davis directs.

Full details at shakespearetheatre.org.

At Theater Alliance (Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Pl. S.E.), co-directors Raymond O. Caldwell and Angelisa Gillyard are staging an imaginative retelling of Douglas Turner Ward’s 1965 play, “Day of Absence” (Oct. 5-Nov. 3).

Expect a “comedic and pointed commentary on systemic racism that still bears relevance today.” Full details at theateralliance.com.

For fall, Constellation Theatre Company (1835 14th St., N.W.) is doing “Little Shop of Horrors” (Oct. 17-Nov. 17). Set in an obscure Skid Row flower shop, Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin’s zany musical plumbs the mad depths of success, love and bloodthirsty posies with doo-wop and Motownesque sounds. Nick Martin directs.

Full details at constellationtheatre.org.

42 • WA S HI NGTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • T H EAT ER

Join us for the region's premiere event in support of LGBTQ youth as we celebrate SMYAL's 35th Anniversary.

Cocktail reception and silent auction begin at 10:30 am Three-course brunch and seated program begin at 12 pm

To purchase tickets, become a sponsor, or donate auction items visit

SMYAL.org/Brunch

Featuring Emcee Aaron Gilchrist NBC4

S EPTE MBE R 1 3 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 43

Revisiting Gilead

‘Handmaid’s’ sequel, Van Ness and Rippon memoirs, posthumous Windsor bio, epic Sontag study and more among fall releases

By PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN Inspirational “tell-alls” from athletes, activists and celebrities comprise many of the highly anticipated LGBT books slated for release in the coming months.

Kicking things off Sept. 3 was the release of former NFL player Ryan O’Callaghan’s memoir “My Life on the Line: How the NFL Damn Near Killed Me and Ended Up Saving My Life.” O’Callaghan’s work reveals the physical and emotional pain driving his addictions and suicidal thoughts while struggling as a closeted lineman for the New England Patriots and later the Kansas City Chiefs. His journey to self-acceptance is challenging as it detours through the hyper masculine world of professional football.

“We are Lost and Found” by Helene Dunbar is a coming-of-age story of a group of gay friends struggling to find their identities against the backdrop of the early 1980’s AIDS crisis. This YA novel provides an interesting way for youth of all backgrounds to explore a dark history that is rarely discussed. It was released Sept. 3.

Finding poetry in Drunktown, N.M., where men “only touch when they fuck in a backseat” is exactly what Jake Skeets had done with “Eyes Bottle Dark with a Mouthful of Flowers.” This debut collection finds beauty in brutal sex against an unforgiving landscape, yet also reveals unexpected love. Blending Navajo history with mining culture, Skeets’ work was selected as a winner of the 2018 National Poetry series. It was released Sept. 10.

Also released earlier this week was “The Testaments: the Sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. Since the hit Hulu series captured fire, Atwood opted to finally write a follow-up to her acclaimed 1985 novel upon which the series is based. It picks up Offred’s story 15 years after the first book and weaves in strands of story from the show that weren’t in the original book.

“Sontag: Her Life and Work” by Benjamin Moser explores the writing, public radicalism and private thoughts of queer activist Susan Sontag, who wrote on feminism, homosexuality, drugs and fascism long before these issues went mainstream.

She was there for the Cuban Revolution, the Vietnam War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

She covered it all while enduring intense

relationships with glamorous lovers. This hefty work — it’s more than 700 pages — explores her public successes and private failures with an eye toward history that makes it a must read. Out Sept. 17.

Releasing the same day is “Space Between: Explorations of Love, Sex and Fluidity” by gender-fluid actor and model Nico Tortorella, who has had roles in “Scream 4,” “The Following” and “Younger.”

It investigates love, sex, gender, addiction, family, fame and fluidity through their personal story and through the lens of their nonbinary identity. This memoir tells of their dark journey through pain and addiction toward sobriety and an unconventional marriage outside the gender binary. This title is available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

“Queer Eye’s” Jonathan Van Ness’s memoir “Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love” is out Sept. 24.

Poet (and regular Blade contributor) Kathi Wolfe’s new book “Love and Kumquats: New and Selected Poems” will be published by BrickHouse Books in October. She will read selections at Busboys & Poets (14th and V) on Oct. 20.

“The Boy Who Listened to Paintings: A Memoir” by Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award winner Dean Kostos explores a point in his life when he was bullied to the brink of suicide and spent two years in the mental hospital where his mother had stayed. This work addresses mental illness in adolescents and celebrates the transformative power of art. Available Oct. 1.

Edie Windsor sued the U.S. government for the right to marry Thea Spyer, her partner of 40 years, and she won. “A Wild and Precious Life” is her posthumous memoir (she died in 2017) describing gay life in 1950s and ’60s New York and her longtime activism which opened the door to marriage equality. Available Oct. 8.

Selected by O Magazine, Marie Claire and others as one of the most anticipated books of fall 2019, “How We Fight For Our Lives” by Saeed Jones is a memoir about a young, black gay man coming of age in the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself in his family as well as his country.

Fans of the film “Moonlight” will appreciate the honesty and vulnerability displayed in this work. Set for release Oct. 8.

Olympic medalist Adam Rippon’s memoir “Beautiful on the Outside” releases Oct. 15 and blends humor with history as he shares his journey through the world of competitive figure skating.

Deborah Levy’s “The Man Who Saw Everything” is novel that blurs the sexual and political binaries of masculine and feminine while telling the story of a narcissistic young historian who travels to Communist East Berlin in 1988 to publish a story favorable to the regime. It’s slated for Oct. 15.

“A Year Without A Name” by Cyrus Grace Dunham is a memoir detailing their painful evolution from lovable little girl, to gay woman to nonbinary queerness. Dunham lays bare their personal experience to help readers feel the anguish of binary limitations but also the profound freedom of acceptance without resolution. Dunham’s book also releases Oct. 15 and is available for pre-order.

“Find Me,” the sequel to queer love story “Call Me By Your Name” by Andre Aciman, is slated for an Oct. 29 release and will let the world know what became of Elio, Oliver and Elio’s father, now divorced. Aciman was inspired to revisit the characters after the hit 2017 film adaptation by Luca Guadagnino became a monster hit.

Trans novelist (and former D.C. resident) Alex Myers returns with his sophomore novel “Continental Divide,” about a trans protagonist heading West to Wyoming in search of a new life, in November.

Carmen Maria Machado, winner of the Lambda Lesbian Fiction Literary Award for her debut short story collection, “Her Body and Other Parties,” has a new memoir

coming out Nov. 5 called “In the Dream House.” This work is an account of an abusive relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman. Throughout the memoir Machado struggles to make sense of what happened to her and how it shaped the person she would become. “Dream House” is available now on Amazon for pre-order.

“Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman” is Abby Stein’s memoir about being raised in a Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn. But instead of becoming a leader of the next generation of Hasidic Jews, she leaves her home, her family, her way of life to become the person she was meant to be.

Stein’s memoir releases Nov. 12.

The alternative historical drama “Legislating Love: the Everett Klippert Story” by Natalie Meisner blends fiction with queer history as it tells the story of Maxine, a Canadian social policy researcher, who discovers the story of Everett Klippert, the last Canadian man jailed for homosexuality.

Fascinated, she interviews the people who knew him while navigating her own relationship with Tonya. Set for release Nov. 15.

For those who want a break from the steady cacophony of U.S. politics, “Queering Representation: LGBTQ People and Electoral Politics in Canada,” edited by Manson Tremblay, can provide an interesting diversion and cultural comparison. This work explores the characteristics and voting behaviors of LGBTQ voters in Canada as well as the role the media play in framing straight voters’ perceptions of out LGBTQ politicians.

Set for release Nov. 25.

44 • WA S HI NGTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • B O O K S

The DC Center’s Center Arts Program Presents

Fall In The LGBTQ Arts

Arty Queers:

DC’s Indoor LGBTQ+ Art Market featuring original artwork created by Local LGBTQ Artisans Saturday, September 14th 11am-5pm at The DC Center.

DC Queer Theatre Festival Reading Series

A Screening of Gay Chorus Deep South

In response to a wave of discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws in Southern states and the divisive 2016 election, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus embarks on a tour of the American Deep South. Screening Thursday September 19th 7pm at Landmark E Street Cinema.

Save The Date for Reel Affirmations:

Readings of new/unpublished full length plays

Washington DC’s International LGBTQ Film Festival

with Playwright Talkbacks and Receptions. First

celebating 26 years from October 25-27 at the Gala

Reading Saturday September 28th 7pm at The

HIspanic Theatre.

DC Center.

2000 14th Street NW, Suite 105 202-682-2245 S EPTE MBE R 1 3 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 45

For more info and to purchase tickets go to www.thedccenter.org/arts

46 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9

S EPTE MBE R 1 3 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 47

It’s a wrap for ‘Modern Family,’ ‘Transparent’

‘AHS’ revisits ‘80s with new season; ‘Dark Crystal’ prequel is unexpected hit

By BRIAN T. CARNEY The fall 2019 TV season got off to a delightful and unexpectedly queer start with the arrival of “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” on Netflix. A prequel to the 1982 cult classic movie directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the 10-episode series returns to the world of Thra where a brave band of Gelflings are fighting against the evil Skeksis.

Like the movie, the series uses amazing puppetry (with some mechanical augmentation) instead of CGI. The allstar voice cast includes Taron Egerton, Helena Bonham Carter, Sigourney Weaver, Eddie Izzard, Lena Headly, Gugu MbathaRaw, Alicia Vikander, Simon Pegg, Harvey Fierstein and Awkwafina.

As the series unfolds, it is revealed that Deet (voiced by Nathalie Emmanuel), one of the leaders of the Gelfling rebellion, has two dads. The show also features a lesbian relationship between Tavra (Caitriona Balfe) and Onica (Natalie Dormer).

Described as “’Game of Thrones’ with puppets,” the series has premiered to popular and critical acclaim, especially from LGBT fans.

Netflix has also dropped season two of “Élite,” a Spanish language drama that includes a resident gay couple and frank discussions of sexuality, HIV, polyamory and murder.

The ninth season of “American Horror Story” will start stalking FX viewers on Sept. 18. Inspired by horror/slasher movies from the 1980s, “1984” will star Emma Roberts and openly gay Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy. The cast will also include Sarah Paulson, Billie Lourd, Cody Fern, Matthew Morrison and trans actress

Angelica Ross (“Pose”); exhausted series regular Evan Peters is taking the season off.

Pro tip: If you don’t subscribe to FX, you can start streaming AHS season eight (the excellent “Apocalypse”) on Netflix on Sept. 24.

On Sept. 22, ESPN will present “Mack Wrestles,” a 30-minute documentary film about Mack Beggs, a high school transgender wrestler from Texas.

The ground-breaking Amazon series “Transparent” will go out with a big splash on Sept. 27. After the fourth season dropped in September, 2017, the series was buffeted by accusations of sexual harassment against star Jeffrey Tambor, who was fired from the show. Creator Jill Soloway decided to end the series with a feature-length musical instead of the planned fifth and final season.

“Transparent: Musicale Finale” will include the death of Tambor’s character, trans woman Maura Pfefferman.

The latest series from gay media guru Ryan Murphy premieres on Netflix on Sept.

27. “The Politician” stars out actor Ben Platt as a ruthless teen who wants to be president of his high school class, and then president of the United States. Gwyneth Paltrow plays his mother; the cast also includes gay icons Bette Midler and Jessica Lange.

Several shows with LGBT characters will be starting their final seasons in September, including “9-1-1” (Sept. 23), “The Good Doctor” (Sept. 23), “Empire” (Sept. 24), “Modern Family” (Sept. 25), “The Good Place” (Sept. 26) and “How to Get Away With Murder” (Sept. 26).

Returning series with prominent LGBT characters include in “The Conners” (Sept. 24) and “Grey’s Anatomy” (Sept.

From top: JUDITH LIGHT and cast in ‘Transparent Musicale Finale’

ROSE as ‘Batwoman’ Photo courtesy CW

26) and “Superstore” (Sept. 26).

Meanwhile on the CW, LGBT and LGBTaffirming series new and old will leap into action in October. New to the schedule is “Batwoman,” which stars Ruby Rose as Bruce Wayne’s lesbian cousin Kate Kane. Returning superhero shows include “Supergirl,” “Arrow” (series finale), “Black Lightning” and “The Flash.” Other returning series include “Dynasty,” “Supernatural” (series finale) and “Riverdale.”

Netflix continues to taunt the Academy by offering its movies in (very) limited theatrical release before it streams them. (It’s not clear yet if these movies will hit D.C. theaters.) This fall’s hybrid prestige projects include “The King” with Timothée Chalamet as King Henry V and Joel Edgerton as the troublesome Falstaff (streaming on Nov. 1), Martin Scorsese’s three-and-a-half hour crime epic “The Irishman” (Nov. 27), and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” with Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson (slated to stream on Dec. 6).

HBO will air the documentary “Very Ralph” about openly gay fashion designer Ralph Lauren starting on Nov. 12. Other HBO programming with queer content includes the final season of “The Deuce” starring James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal (already underway) and “Mrs. Fletcher” (Oct. 27). Other notable programming includes “Watchmen,” based on the DC Comics series and starring Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Jean Smart (Oct. 20) and “Catherine the Great” starring Helen Mirren as the imperious czarina and Jason Clarke as the infamous Potemkin (Oct. 21).

Photo courtesy Amazon;

RUBY

Also expected in 2019 is an adaptation of Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy “His Dark Materials.”

Season three of the popular “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” debuts to Amazon on Dec. 6. The series, starring Rachel Brosnahan as an aspiring New York comic in the 1950s, has won awards for its great comedy and its examination of gender and class issues, but queer critics have been disappointed by series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino’s coy treatment of sexuality on the show. Mrs. Maisel’s manager Susie (the terrific Alex Borstein) is coded as a butch lesbian, complete with a leather jacket, jeans and a fisherman’s cap, but the series has yet to address the character’s private life. Maybe they’ll crack open the closet door this season.

Finally, on Dec. 8, an old favorite returns to Showtime. Featuring a new theme song

by Lizzo, “The L Word: Generation Q” revives the lesbian-focused drama that ran from 2004-2009. Returning cast members Jennifer Beals (Bette Porter), Katherine Moening (Shane McCutcheon) and Leisha Hailey (Alice Pieszecki) are joined by several new faces; the action is moved from West Hollywood to Silver Lake.

No word yet on a third season of “Pose” (it’s early, though; season two just finished). “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has been renewed for a 12th season but no premiere date has been announced. Same for “All Stars,” which will be back for a fifth season, probably in 2020. “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” is slated for an Oct. 3 premiere on BBC Three, an online service. No word yet on Ru’s daytime talk show, which had a promising test run in June.

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Hands and feet

Classical performers — especially organists! — put all appendages to use for the sake of music

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM Washington National Opera presents Verdi’s “Otello” Oct. 26-Nov. 16 in the Kennedy Center Opera House (2700 F St., N.W.) in a production the company hasn’t performed in nearly 20 years. Libretto by Arrigo Bolto, based on Shakespeare’s “Othello” in Italian with English titles. Adapted from an English National Opera production. Tickets range from $45-299. The WNO performs Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” (Nov. 2-23).

The NSO Pops performs with R&B singer Maxwell Sept. 18-21 and “Nat King Cole at 100” Oct. 17-19.

The National Symphony’s seasonopening gala concert is Sept. 28 with Gianandrea Noseda offering a jazzinfluenced program. Tickets are $65-199.

Among other NSO fall highlights are “Carmina Burana” (Oct. 3-5), Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 (Oct. 10-12) and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 (Oct. 31-Nov. 2).

Full details at kennedy-center.org.

Washington Performing Arts presents Pink Martini with Meow Meow Sunday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Pianist Drew Petersen performs Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Kennedy Center and the Spektral Quartet performs “Looking Skyward” Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m., also at the Kennedy Center.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis performs Oct. 16 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The String Queens play Saturday, Nov. 2 at Republic Restoratives (1369 New York Ave., N.E.), the Taipei S.O. Chamber Ensemble performs Nov. 14 at the Freer Gallery Meyer Auditorium (1050 Independence Ave., S.W.), the Taipei Symphony Orchestra performs Friday, Nov. 15 at The Music Center at Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, N. Bethesda, Md.) and pianist Zoltan Fejervari performs Nov. 17 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Kian Soltani (cello). The WPA season continues into the new year. Full details at washingtonperformingarts.org.

Vocal Arts D.C. presents Brenda Rae (soprano) and Jonathan Ware (piano) Sept.

15 at 2 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Christian Gerhaher (baritone) and Gerold Huber (piano) will perform Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Details at vocalartsdc.org.

Openly gay organist Christopher Houlihan returns to Washington for a recital on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church (4001 Yuma St., N.W.). He’ll be joined by orchestra for a performance of Jongen’s “Symphonie Concertante.” Details at christopherhoulihan.com.

South Dakota Symphony Orchestra’s Lakota Music Project is in residence in Washington Oct. 16-21 culminating with a performance at Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) on Monday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. as part of PostClassical Ensemble’s Native American Festival. This is the first time they’ve performed outside their home state. Details at postclassical.com. Tickets for the Oct. 21 concert at tix.cathedral.org.

Washington Concert Opera opens its fall season with Ambroise Thomas’ “Hamlet” on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. at The G.W. Lisner Auditorium (730 21st St., N.W.) with Jacques Imbrailo, Lisette Oropesa and Eve Gigliotti singing the leads. Tickets are $15-110.

Its “Opera Outside” event is Saturday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. at Meridian Hill/Malcolm X Park. Various singers will perform. It’s free.

“Festejo de Dia de los Muertos” is Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. at the Mexican Cultural Institute (2829 16th St., N.W.) featuring the performance of a Brahms requiem by Laura Choi Stuart, Brian Mextorf and the Choral Arts Society Chamber Singers. Tickets are $95.

Details at neworchestraofwashington.org.

The New Orchestra of Washington (NOW) presents “Chiaroscuro” on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m. at Live! at 10th & G (945 G St., N.W.). On the program are Grieg’s “Holberg Suite,” Bacewicz’s “Concerto for String Ochestra,” film composer Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho: a Suite for Strings” from the classic Hitchcock thriller, and Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto. Details at concertopera.org.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 37th season Saturday night (Sept.

14) at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore). The program includes works by Mozart, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Beethoven and more. It’s free —

Openly gay organist CHRISTOPHER HOULIHAN returns to Washington for a recital Oct. 1.

Photo by Aleks Karjaka

just show up, no tickets required.

The BSO performs the score of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” Sept. 19-21, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 Sept. 27-29, “Symphonic Fairy Tales” Oct. 3-5, “Music Box: Autumn Colors” Oct. 5, “The Nat King Cole Songbook” Oct. 10-13, Brahms “Symphony No. 4” Oct. 17-20, a Mozart violin concerto Oct. 26-27, Leslie Odom Jr. with the BSO Nov. 1 and more. The orchestra splits its time between the Meyerhoff (1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore) and the Strathmore. Details at bsomusic.org.

Baltimore Concert Opera, founded in 2009, opens its season with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” (Sept. 20/22) and continues with Menotti’s “The Consul” (Nov. 22/24) at the Engineers Club Grand Ballroom (11 W. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore). Tickets are $21.50-71.50 at baltimoreconcertopera.com.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington presents a cabaret show “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” Sept. 21 at 5 and 8 p.m. City Winery (1350 Okie St., N.E.), its small ensembles showcase night Oct. 26 at 5 and 8 p.m. at Live! at 10th and G and its annual holiday extravaganza Dec. 7-15 at Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.). Details at gmcw.org.

The Washington Bach Consort presents “A Royal Occasion” with works by Handel and Bach on Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. at National Presbyterian Church (4101 Nebraska Ave., N.W.). The concert will feature soprano Margot Rood, alto Sarah Davis Issaelkhoury, tenor Aaron Sheehan and bass Jonathan Woody. Tickets are $10-69. Artistic Director Dana Marsh is gay.

The Consort’s Chamber Series will continue with “At Home With Bach” Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at Live! at 10th & G. The Noontime Cantata Series continues Sept. 30 (BWV 109 at St. Peter’s on Capitol Hill), Oct. 1 (BWV 109 at Church of the Epiphany), Nov. 4 (BWV 26 at St. Peter’s) and Nov. 5 (BWV 26 at Church of the Epiphany). Noontime performances are free. Details at bachconsort.org.

The Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University in Manassas, Va., (10960 George Mason Circle) has several classical music offerings for fall

including “Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel: Spellbinding Bach” (Oct. 5), Matt Haimovitz with Simone Dinnerstein on cello and piano (Oct. 13), Terra Voce (flute/ cello) featuring Maria Yefimova (Oct. 22), the Manassas Chorale: Broadway’s Best (Oct. 12) and the Manassas Syphony Orchestra: Innovative Brilliance (Oct. 26). Tickets, times and prices at hyltoncenter.org.

The Washington Sinfonietta will perform “A New Voice for Our Time” on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at The Falls Church Episcopal Church (115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church, Va.). The program will feature works by Busconi, Elgar and Mozart. Cellist Eddie Adams will perform. Tickets are $20.

Details at washingtonsinfonietta.org.

LGBT-affirming First Baptist Church of Washington (1328 16th St., N.W.) continues its First Sunday Virtuoso Organist Concert Series with Eileen Guenther (Oct. 6 at 2 p.m.) and Marvin Mills (Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.). Recitals are free. Details at firstbaptistdc.org.

The Kennedy Center’s REACH Opening Festival continues through Sunday, Sept. 22 with a bounty of events in all disciplines. All are free. Details at kennedy-center.org/reach.

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra performs “Imaginary Symphony,” a program featuring works by Wagner, Beethoven, Walton et. al. Oct. 5-6 and “Autumn Cello and Dvorak” Nov. 16-17. Performances are held at various venues. Tickets range from $5-85.

Details at alexsym.org.

The D.C. Different Drummers Capitol Pride Symphonic Band has its fall concert “For the Children!” on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at Church of the Epiphany (1317 G St., N.W.). Its holiday concert will be Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. at Lutheran Church of the Reformation (212 E. Capitol St., N.E.). The Marching Band will perform at the AIDS Walk (Oct. 26) and High Heel Race (Oct. 29). Details at dcdd.org.

Virginia Opera performs Puccini’s “Tosca” Oct. 4-8 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts (4373 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax). Tickets are $54-110. The company returns with “Il Postino” Nov. 8-12. Ticket prices vary and packages are available. Details at vaopera.org.

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SEASON

Coming up at

2019 2020

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Things to do, places to go, people to see

Some events — galas, benefits, stand-up acts, etc. — don’t fit in our other fall arts categories. We gathered up all the miscellany here!

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM

Get out your calendar! If no URL is given, search for the event on Facebook for details.

The eighth annual Charlottesville Pride Festival is Saturday, Sept. 14 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Details at virginia.org.

Rainbow History Project presents walking tours called “Queering Capitol Hill” by Philip Clark Sept. 14 and 22. Sign up at culturaltourismdc.org. More info at rainbowhistory.org.

Rayceen has several events throughout fall including “Art All Night” (Saturday, Sept.

14), “Rayceen’s Reading Room” (Monday, Sept. 23), “Rayceen, Fix Me Up!” Autumn Mixer” (Thursday, Oct. 17), and regular “Ask Rayceen Show” dates Oct. 2 and Nov. 6 at the HRC Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). Team Rayceen is also presenting “AfroQueer: Black LGBTQ Immigrants in America” on Thursday, Oct. 24 at the HRC Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) at 7 p.m. It’s free.

Details at askrayceen.com.

“LGBT! #ShowUp4DC!” is Thursday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building (45 Independence Ave., S.W.) for a hearing on H.R. 51, a D.C. Statehood Bill. Organizers say “statehood has always been an LGBTQ issue.” Look for the event on Facebook for details.

“A Tupperware Party with Dixie Longate,” a benefit drag performance for D.C. Different Drummers, is Thursday, Sept. 19 at Arena Stage (1101 6th St., S.W.).

Tickets are $45 at dcdd.org/dixie.

The Washington Blade has its 18th annual Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll awards on Thursday, Sept. 19 (earlier this year) at Dacha Navy Yard (79 Potomac Ave., S.E.). Tickets are $25 via Eventbrite or Facebook.

The Maryland Trans Resilience Conference is Saturday, Sept. 21 at 9

a.m. at the Lord Baltimore Hotel (20 W. Baltimore St.) in Baltimore.

AIDS Walk Delaware is Saturday, Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Details at aidswalkdelaware.org.

Night Out for The Trevor Project is Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.). Details at thetrevorproject.org.

The 14th annual Hispanic LGBTQ Heritage Awards are Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at HRC (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). Admission is free but donations will be accepted at the door.

Details at latinoglbthistory.org.

Washington-Israel LGBTQ & Allies Reception is Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Sonoma (223 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.). It’s a chance for locals to meet queer CEOs from Israel, here for AWB’s Reverse Mission project. Tickets are $18 at awiderbridge.org.

“Queer Eye’s” Jonathan Van Ness is at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.) on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. to talk about his new book “Over the Top.” It’s sold out but last-minute tickets may become available at sixthandi.org.

The National Trans Visibility March is Saturday, Sept. 28 at Freedom Plaza.

Registration is suggested but not required.

The Torch Awards are the night before.

The 23rd annual HRC National Dinner is Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W.) at 5 p.m. Tickets are $400 at hrcnationaldinner.org.

Desiree Dik’s “Slay Them” drag competition is held the first Friday of each month at 9 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing (209 M St., N.E.). The next is Friday, Oct. 4.

The Bachelors Mill Reunion 2019 is Saturday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at District Soul Food Restaurant & Lounge (500 8th St.,

‘Drag Race’ champ BIANCA DEL RIO plays the Lincoln Oct. 18.

Photo by Rene Koala

S.E.), the original Bachelors Mill location.

The fifth annual VIDA Thrive 5k is Saturday, Oct. 12 at 8 a.m. in Rock Creek Park.

Register and find info at vidathrive5k.com.

Rainbow Families Family Camp is Oct. 14–16 at Camp Tockwogh in Worton, Md. Details at rainbowfamilies.org.

Out figure skater Adam Rippon, who won a team bronze at the 2018 Olympics and later won “Dancing With the Stars,” will be at Sixth & I Synagogue (600 I St., N.W.) on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. to speak about his new memoir “Beautiful on the Outside.”

Tickets are $20-45 at eventbrite.com.

The Washington Blade has its 50th Birthday Gala on Friday, Oct. 18 starting at 6 p.m. with cocktails at the InterContinental (801 Wharf St., S.W.). Tickets are $300.

Details at blade50th.com.

La Fantasy presents the Superhero Underwear Party with Eliad Cohen on Friday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. at Saint Yves (1220 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). Tickets are $25 at seetickets.us.

“Drag Race” champ Bianca Del Rio brings her “It’s Jester Joke” tour to The Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.50-199 at ticketfly.com.

The SMYAL Fall Brunch is Sunday, Oct. 20 at the Marriott Marquis (901 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.) at 10:30 a.m.

Tickets are $250 at bidpal.net/smyal.

The fourth annual CAMP Rehoboth Block Party is Sunday, Oct. 20 from 11 a.m.4 p.m. at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center (37 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.). Details at camprehoboth.com.

The eighth annual Chefs for Equality event (an HRC benefit) is Tuesday, Oct. 22 at Washington National Cathedral at 5:30 p.m. Tickets went up this year — they’re $225. Details at chefsforequality.org.

Baltimore Black Pride 2018 is Oct. 2527. This year’s theme is “Revival.” It opens with a networking event Oct. 25, a brunch with the theme “Healing Black LGBTQ Trauma” and Halloween masquerade party are Oct. 26. Oct. 27 is Sunday Family Fun Day. Details at cbebaltimore.org.

Swazz presents “Queer Halloween Party” on Friday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. at Smith Public Trust (3514 12th St., N.E.). Tickets are $10 at swazzevents.com.

Miss Adams Morgan is Saturday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W.).

The Walk & 5K to End HIV 2019 is Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 a.m. (check-in) kicking off and ending at Fredom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave. and 13th streets, N.W.).

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

“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World Tour” is Sunday, Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. at The Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.). Tickets start at $52 at ticketmaster.com.

The 32nd annual High Heel Race is Tuesday, Oct. 29 on 17th Street, N.W. “Randy Rainbow Live!” is Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Hippodrome (12 N. Eutaw St.) in Baltimore. Tickets are $57-77 at ticketmaster.com.

Todrick Hall brings his “Haus Party Tour” to the Warner Theatre (513 13th St., N.W.) on Saturday, Nov. 9. He plays Baltimore Nov. 10.

Tickets are $23-42 at livenation.com.

The Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony for LGBT veterans is Monday, Nov. 11 at noon at Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St., S.E.).

Transgender Day of Remembrance is Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m. at The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite 105).

Details at thedccenter.org.

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Much more than a hunch …

HGTV employs all six Brady ‘kids’ to help recreate their ’70s-tastic home

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM “Brady Bunch” fans were abuzz this week as HGTV unveiled its new show “A Very Brady Renovation” Monday night, which follows all surviving cast members of the original 1969-1974 series as they work with professional renovation experts to recreate their iconic home on the 50th anniversary of the show’s debut.

Like most shows of the era, the exteriors seen on the series were a real house. Its interiors were never seen on the hit ABC series — all interiors were filmed on Stage 5 at Paramount Studios. When the house used for the exteriors — located at 11222 Dilling St., in Studio City, Calif., — went on the market last year, a bidding war erupted but HGTV won, purchasing the house for $3.5 million.

Almost immediately, the network planned a massive renovation to make the house look as much inside like the “house” was seen on TV. That involved adding 2,000 square feet to the original floor plan, a task that likely would have given even Mike Brady (an architect) a massive headache!

All six of the Brady “kids” — Barry Williams (Greg), Maureen McCormick (Marcia), Christopher Knight (Peter), Eve Plumb (Jan) and Mike Lookinland (Bobby) joined Jonathan and Drew Scott (“Property Brothers: Forever Home”) Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E. Laine (“Good Bones”), Leanne and Steve Ford (“Restored by the Fords”), Jasmine Roth (“Hidden Potential”) and Lara Spencer (“Flea Market Flip”) to execute was the network is calling “the boldest home renovation the world has ever seen.” (Sadly, Alice, Carol and Mike are no longer with us — Ann B. Davis died at age 88 in 2014, Florence Henderson died in 2016 at age 82 and Robert Reed,

who was gay, died of AIDS in 1992 at 59.)

Roth, fresh off a red shag carpet event last week, spoke to the Blade by phone Sept. 6 about her work on the show.

WASHINGTON BLADE: How did you come to be involved in the show/project?

JASMINE ROTH: I got a call and it was like, “Hey, we’re thinking about the Brady Bunch house …” and I was like, “Yeah, absolutely,” they didn’t even have to ask me. It was pretty early on, I don’t think they knew exactly what they were planning to do with the house at that point.

BLADE: Had you been a “Brady Bunch” fan as a kid?

ROTH: Yeah. My mom was a huge fan and watched it with her brother and sister the first time through and so when I was a kid, whenever it was on, she was like, “Oh my goodness, come watch this show, the ‘Brady Bunch’ is on.” I definitely grew up watching it, I knew all the characters, I knew the song, so when I got the call it was a no brainer. To say I’m a fan is an understatement.

BLADE: What did you actually do on the project?

ROTH: Each of us hosts were given different areas of the house. I was in charge of Mike’s den, which was a challenge because it was one of those rooms where a lot of scenes were shot, a lot of important scenes. It was a room people spent a lot of time looking at, so I knew I had to get it right with the drafting table and the green shutters and the little sofa. I was also in charge of the master bedroom … which, at

The cast of “The Brady Bunch” poses for a second season (1970-1971) photo on their iconic staircase. From left are SUSAN OLSEN (Cindy), MIKE LOOKINLAND (Bobby), EVE PLUMB (Jan), CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT (Peter), MAUREEN McCORMICK (Marcia), BARRY WILLIAMS (Greg), the late ANN B. DAVIS (Alice), the late FLORENCE HENDERSON (Carol) and the late ROBERT REED (Mike).

File photo courtesy Paramount

the time, was the first time where a couple was shown sleeping together in the same bed, so for the TV world, that was a big deal.

BLADE: I could never figure out what that was supposed to be behind their bed — some kind of a screen or scrim or something? It wasn’t a wall.

ROTH: I think the idea of it was that it was a paper screen and a window behind it so the light would filter through, but of course, this was just on a set so there wasn’t any real light. But that kind of thing came up again and again because it wasn’t technically a real house on the show. One thing that was interesting, when the Brady kids came in, they went, “Oh my gosh, it has ceilings,” because of course on the set, it was just lights and microphones up there. But I think the headboard area was mean to be this kind of Asian-inspired paper shade. In our design, we made it out of bumpy glass and then we had the exact pattern from the set printed onto a kind of contact paper that adhered to the glass to give it that paper look, but more durable.

BLADE: The Bradys had so many interesting paintings (or reproductions) in their house. Did Paramount have those in its prop house or did you have to recreate them?

ROTH: Paramount did have a fair amount of items but we weren’t sure if they were from the original set, you know, they did a lot of reboots and specials and things over the years. But we were able to get as much as we possibly could. A lot of it was in pretty rough shape. … As for the paintings, we recreated most of them.

BLADE: Did the nationwide scavenger hunt for furniture and replicas turn up much you were able to use on the show?

ROTH: Oh my goodness, yes. There was a bust of a woman on the headboard of the bed a fan had bought at a thrift shop years before and donated. He didn’t even know at first it was the same on one the show but recognized it later. It’s the kind of thing you’d never consciously notice watching the show, yet the bedroom wouldn’t really be complete without it.

BLADE: Some of those little tchotchkes changed over the run of the show. Did you just pick the ones that were the most recognizable?

ROTH: Yeah, some changed, some didn’t. There were times we had to make decisions but if it was something that was there for multiple seasons, like the horse at the base of the stairs, obviously those had to be there.

BLADE: Did you find the original horse or is it a replica?

ROTH: Well, we found a horse at Paramount. We’re not sure if it was THE horse, but it looked a lot like it. But unfortunately a bunch of the legs had broken off. So we found a similar one at an online auction and we found a way to kind of meld together the pieces with a 3D printer to fix the parts that were broken on the original.

BLADE: There’s also a smaller horse in the den on the endtable beneath the lamp.

For those less noticeable props, did you feel you had to find exact replicas or did

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anything like that or if there was, it would have just immediately dissipated.

BLADE: How did you even begin to add a second floor to the house without disturbing the facade? That seems crazy impossible.

ROTH: That was one of our biggest challenges. We knew we couldn’t mess with the front because that’s what everybody’s used to seeing. … We actually dug down and recessed the family room about a foot lower than it would have been on the set and that’s how we were able to accomplish the angle of the staircase, which was the most important.

You know we had to get the staircase right.

BLADE: What will they do with this house now?

ROTH: That’s the million dollar question, I don’t know. It’s tough because there are a lot of restrictions. It’s in a residential neighborhood but it’s also Hollywood, so there’s that. I think it’s a matter of figuring out something that works for everybody but I honestly don’t know.

BLADE: How many episodes are there?

ROTH: I think four plus a bunch of

The cast of ‘A Very Brady Renovation,’ including the six original ‘Brady kids.’ JASMINE ROTH is at the top of the staircase.

Photo by Menasa Pritchett; courtesy HGTV

close enough work?

ROTH: We just did the best we could with the amount of time we had. We tried to get it as exact as possible down to the objects on the vanity table in the master bedroom and the setup of the books on the shelf in Mike’s den.

BLADE: How long did all this take?

ROTH: It was a six-month project; nine months total with the planning and everything.

BLADE: How were the Brady kids to work with?

ROTH: Oh my gosh, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if they were gonna want to show up and just kidna watch mostly or what. But they were all really ready to get their hands dirty and they were all super excited about it. They were fun and brought a lot of insight. I don’t think we could have done this project without them. Their memories of these spaces at the end of the day are what really brought it all together.

BLADE: Who was the hardest worker?

ROTH: I’d say it varied. Chris Knight was the biggest skeptic at the beginning. He just thought it was too big of a project, but then he ended up working harder than anyone else because he really wanted it to happen.

BLADE: Any of them you particularly clicked with?

ROTH: I worked with everybody. We were paired up with certain people on each room but I live in Orange County, so it’s close and I was able to be there a lot if I had a day off on my own show or I was literally waiting for paint to dry. So I got to work with every single Brady. Every one of them surprised me, that’s what I’ll say.

BLADE: Susan said once — it seemed kinda half-joking, half not — that when they get together they take care not to put Eve and Maureen next to each other. Did you sense any tension between those two?

ROTH: No, that’s so funny. No, I didn’t pick up on any tension at all honestly. We were so focused on the project, I don’t think there would have been time for

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online-only content.

BLADE: Which Brady kid did you most identify with as a kid?

ROTH: Marcia, although she was way cooler and way prettier. So kinda Marcia but in my dreams.

BLADE: Did it seem like there was genuine camaraderie between the Brady kids or no more than it might be for any of us catching up with coworkers from long ago. Don’t you think the public kind of projects onto them and imagines they’re BFFs and hanging out all the time and so on when probably really that’s not the case?

ROTH: Well they all grew up together and you can’t discount that. When you have that kind of shared experience at such a young age, it’s almost like a real brother or sister. They may not be getting together for dinner every week at this point in their lives, but they picked up right where they left off and we really had fun doing this project together. I think it’s a hundred percent genuine and they are truly brothers and sisters, even if it is just on TV.

Remembering Robert Reed

Despite having a combative relationship with “Brady Bunch” executive producer Sherwood Schwartz, gay actor Robert Reed, who was closeted most of his life, never missed a Brady reunion, having shown up for “The Brady Bunch Hour” (1976-1977), “The Brady Girls Get Married” (1981), “A Very Brady Christmas” (1988) and “The Bradys” (1990).

A lot of the tension centered around Reed, a classically trained actor, thinking the Brady scripts were too silly and implausible. Florence Henderson (Carol) and Barry Williams (Greg) in their respective memoirs have said Reed could be a pain to work with.

“If there was a source of recurring tension on the set, it usually concerned Bob,” Henderson writes. “He wanted ‘The Brady Bunch’ to be Shakespeare. It was the catalyst for terrible fights with Sherwood.”

Williams writes that although the tension continued through the life of the show and through its reunions, Reed was good to the young cast and they didn’t see a lot of the more terse exchanges.” He treated the kids as though they were his real family,” Henderson writes.

“I want to make it crystal clear that this sort of tension was not commonplace on the set … and was not exhibited in front of the kids,” Schwartz is quoted as having said in Williams’ book. “It almost always took place late in the shooting day, long after the Brady kids had gone home. Under normal everyday circumstances, our (set) was friendly, comfortable, relaxed and enjoyable. … Friction was an exception not the rule.”

Was Reed combative by nature or could some of his grumpiness come from being forced to stay in the closet pretty much his whole life? Henderson thinks that compounded his irritability.

“It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like in that era to be an actor in fear of losing his career if his sexual orientation were to become public,” she writes. “Being in that closet had to be a very stressful place.”

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Fasten your seat belts: Airhostess Pam Ann poised to be a D.C. woman

Expect turbulence, always with a smile

By SCOTT STIFFLER If people racked up frequent flyer miles every time they made another person laugh, Pam Ann could cash in for a trip to the moon and back and still have credit left to spend the rest of her life traveling the world in top-tier accommodations.

“Putting me in economy, with those inbreds,” she says in defiance, to her inferior superior, in an infamous video. “What the fuck did you do to secure first class?... Listen closely bitch, first class is my territory.”

And so it goes, for the gay-friendly, gutter-mouth alter ego of Melbourne-born comedian-writer-producer Caroline Reid.

Aussie airhostess Pam Ann has flown 23,005 trips over the past two decades, touring the world 12 times. This jet-setting jokester with an affinity for coke, cock and initiating passengers into the MileHigh Club delights audiences with ribald tales of what goes on in those winged hunks of flying metal, observations about the current cultural climate and a series of videos that insert her into iconic films, including “Superman,” “Titanic” and “The Sound of Music.”

Much more than the sum of those much-loved parodies, it’s Pam’s acerbic wit, impossibly high standards, low tolerance for human folly and predilection for backdoor lovin’ that have endeared her to queer audiences, making her a regular at Bear Week in Provincetown and on gaythemed Atlantis cruises.

Pam Ann brings her latest show to Washington this weekend with a Sept. 14 appearance at The Howard.

“I’m thrilled to be flying back to North America,” says Pam Ann, in a press release for “Pam Ann Returns,” the apt title of her current tour. “So much has gone down since my last time there. I’ve been super

PAM ANN parodies ‘Mary Poppins’ in her current tour, which plays Washington this weekend.

Photo by Marco Ovando

busy painting the MAX off my Boeing 737’s. Notre Dame is now known as Notre Vuitton and as of this week, I’m the official nanny to Megs and Harry’s bundle of joy.

I hate kids but this little bugger is a First Class Royal so I will make an acceptance.”

Pam Ann conduit Reid recently spoke to the Blade.

“I was in Provincetown recently, and (in the audience, there were) all these families, and it just freaked me out. It was, ‘OK, but it’s a tough thing,’” she says. With gay audiences, Reid notes, “They know your vibe and your comedy, so you can have this confidence that they’re going to be with you. But if there are families, you think, ‘Oh, god, they’ve got kids with them.’ ” Showing a vulnerability Pam Ann would never put on display, Reid admits, “With (families), there’s this barrier that goes up.

You’re only human. It’s weird.”

But all’s well that ends well, notes Reid, who recalls, upon spying a dad, daughter and son in the audience of that Ptown gig, “I almost shut down a little bit. That, or you go harder.”

So, of course, Pam got hard. “And they really enjoyed it. A lot of these people come and they want to be entertained. … If there weren’t any gay people in the audience, that’s OK. But it’s kind of my comfort zone. It’s like a big hug, like, now we can really get the party started.”

The party is in full effect at her upcoming D.C. gig, which offers a turbulent flight of fancy built around a “Mary Poppins” aesthetic.

“Her take on the world of airlines and aircrew may require a spoonful of sugar,

a Xanax and some Mary Poppers, but Pam Ann is sure to delight in the most hysterically fucked up way,” promises the press release. And if you think that’s hyperbole, you’re supercalifragilistically, extra queeny, just plain wrong.

“Pan Ann is going to be in the original ‘Mary Poppins’ movie,” says Reid, who was poised to shoot the parody video when she spoke with us. “The show will have a Mary Poppins premise, but with a Pam Ann edge. We’ll use it as a theme, and the show itself will be improvised. The comedy will be very much in tune with what’s going on … and it’s very interactive.”

Of the character, Reid says, “I’d say she is the voice of flight attendants. She says what she thinks to everybody. Pam is quite ferocious, a little bit cruel. That’s what Madonna called her (Madge deemed her, “cruelly funny”). She’s very wink and nod.

It’s not mean, although the character is very elitist in a way, and only flies first class.

She’s a girl who started off at the regional airports, and climbed her way from economy to first class — and she doesn’t want to go back there. So she resonates.”

‘Pam Ann Returns’ Saturday, Sept. 14 7 p.m.

The Howard Theatre 620 T St., N.W. Tickets: $49 in advance; $52 day of thehowardtheatre.com

58 • WA S HI NGTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9 • CO M EDY

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Counterclockwise from left: DOLLY PARTON will be honored at a tribute concert Sept. 21 at Arena Stage Photo courtesy 2911 Media; The Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. Awards party is Sept. 19 Washington Blade photo by Michael DESIREE DIK gets odd again at her Oddball party on Friday, the 13th Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Key and

Trans Conference is next weekend The Maryland Trans Resilience Conference is Saturday, Sept. 21 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Lord Baltimore Hotel (20 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore).

This trans-led, trans-focused event organized by the Baltimore Transgender Alliance, Trans Healthcare Maryland and CLEAR Baltimore aims to build solidarity among transgender communities in Maryland, particularly for those who have been marginalized. It offers opportunities for education and connection through workshops, panel discussions, resource tables and more all in a trans-affirming environment.

To register for this free event, visit eventbrite.com or transhealthcaremd.org.

Blade’s ‘Best Of’ party is Sept. 19

Dolly tribute show is Sept. 21

The 18th annual Washington Blade Best of Gay D.C. Party is Thursday, Sept.

19 from 6-11 p.m. at the Dacha Navy Yard (79 Potomac Ave. S.E.). Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event.

Winners of this year’s readers’ poll awards will be announced at the party.

The celebration includes an awards reception presented by Absolut from 6-8:30 p.m. with complimentary Absolut cocktails from 6-8 p.m. An after party presented by Chappy follows from 8:3011 p.m. The winners will also be lauded in next week’s edition.

Tickets are available at washingtonblade.com/party.

“Coat of Many Colors: The Music of Dolly Parton” presented by The American Pops orchestra runs Saturday, Sept. 21 from 8-9:30 p.m. at the Arena Stage (1101 6th St. S.E.). Tickets start at $35.

This season opener features the music of iconic, country legend Dolly Parton arranged and performed by APO. This Dolly tribute also features the talents of Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Joan Osborne, “Hairspray Live” alumn Garrett Clayton, Lumineers performer Neyla Pekarek, “Dreamgirls” and Helen Hayes Award winner Nova Payton and more. Audiences will enjoy favorites such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and more.

Visit eventbrite.com for tickets to this one-night only event.

60 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 1 3 , 2 0 1 9

TODAY The D.C. Center Fall Reception is tonight from 7-10 p.m. at the Warner Building (1299 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.). Tickets start at $50. This is the Center’s signature fundraising event and contributions ensure programming continues for all the D.C. area LGBT community. The reception celebrates 15 years of service as well as a return to the rooftop space at the Warner building. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

The Alamo Drafthouse (15200 Potomac Town Place, Suite 100, Woodbridge, Va.) is screening “Friday the 13th (1980)” for 24 hours starting at 10 p.m. tonight.

Return to Camp Crystal Lake, shuttered for over 20 years due to several vicious and unsolved murders, now home to a new owner with seven frisky, young counselors.

Enjoy a prime Kevin Bacon, as counselors and staff re-open the camp despite warnings from the locals. What could go wrong? For tickets and a vintage trailer, visit drafthouse.com.

Saturday, Sept. 14

Friday the 13th fun with Desiree Friday the 13th starting at 10 p.m. is Desiree Dik’s Oddball hosted by Slash Run (201 Upshur St., N.W.). Showtime is 11 p.m. Cover is $5.

Eighties horror is accompanied by entertainment featuring Bratworst, Ty Dupp, Whimsy Thrift, Sexton N’eight, Ricky Rose and Lula Lioness. The venue’s classic beer, burgers and rock n’ roll fare is the perfect complement to a retro slasher theme on an iconic date.

For more information, visit Facebook events and slashrun.com.

Arty Queers, D.C.’s LGBTQ Art Market, is open today from 11a.m.-5 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite no.105). This monthly indoor market features original artwork for sale including paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry and more. All art is created by local LGBT artisans and displayed in the heart of the U street corridor. Art space is available for $20 per table, and interested artists should visit thedccenter.org for more information.

Drag Picnic hosted by Brooklyn Heights is today from 12:30-3 p.m. at Pitchers D.C. The event is every second and fourth Saturday of the month and showtime is promptly at 1 p.m.

Performances by Brooklyn Heights and other D.C. area favorites. Reservations can be made at pitchersdc.eventbrite.com.

The Harmonizers fall show “The Circle of Life” is tonight fro 4-6:30 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center (4915 East Campus Drive, Alexandria, Va.). This annual event is a journey through Broadway hits, featuring 2015 Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Champions “Instant Classic” and the multi-award winning Sweet Adelines quartet, “GQ.” Prices are $35 for general admission tickets and $100 for premier seating. For more information,

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visit harmonizers.org.

The 2019 Baltimore Drag Festival hosted by Ryan Butler, Josh Kohn and Micah E. Wood starts tonight at 7 p.m. at the Creative Alliance (3134 Eastern Ave., Baltimore). Baltimore’s first-ever drag festival includes vendors, fun, community and drag performances. Headliners include Sabrina White, Karmella and Iyana Deschanel. General admission tickets are $15, $12 for members and $15-18 at the door. VIP tickets are $25, $22 for members.

More information at creativealliance.org.

Rave Room featuring Tama Gucci, hosted by Friends with Benefits Radio, is tonight at 10 p.m. Tickets start at $13.

Location to be sent by email shortly after purchase.Tama Gucci, a pioneer of R&B and drum and base fusion is the first featured artist of this event series featuring old-school rave, hardcore, breakbeat, hard techno and more. Tickets available at residentadvisor.net or $20 at the door.

library (1630 7th St., N.W.). Founded in late 1979, this group was D.C.’s first ongoing political, social and cultural group for black lesbians. A panel discussion features past president Tania Abdulahad as she and former members reflect on the organization’s cultural and historical significance. The event is free and open to all but space is limited. Register on eventbrite.com.

The B-52s - 40th Anniversary Tour with guests Orchestral Manoevers in the Dark and Berlin starts at 8 p.m. tonight at The Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.). These three chart-topping ’80s bands will thrill fans with hits including the B-52’s “Love Shack,” OMD’s “If You leave” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away.” Tickets and information on ticketmaster.com.

Sunday, Sept. 15

The DC9 (1940 9th St., N.W.) hosts Astronomy on Tap tonight. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Show starts at 8 and features professional astronomers giving short, engaging talks, prize giveaways and merchandise, including exclusive pint glasses and t-shirts, available for a small donation. Line up includes “How Stars Live and Die” by Liz Landau of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “Astronomy on a Rocket” by Nick Thomas of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, “Jupiter Exposed” by Rahul Patel of CNA Corporation, space-inspired songs by Liz Landau, astronomy bingo, and rooftop stargazing, weather permitting. For more information, visit dc9.club.

The Maryland Renaissance Festival (1821 Crownsville Road, Annapolis, Md.) hosts a Celtic Celebration today from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tickets are $27 for ages 16-61 and $12 for 7-15. Today attendees can enjoy music and merriment with a Celtic flare as they enjoy entertainment throughout the village. For tickets and information, visit rennfest.com.

Monday, Sept. 16 La Ti Do presents Sarah Anne Sillers from 8-10 p.m. tonight at Le Mirch (1736 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). LTD, winner of the D.C. Metro theater arts special award and named Broadway World D.C.’s best cabaret, presents an evening of Jazz performances by Sara Anne Sillers and spotlight feature, Eric Brooks. Guest performers include Rebecca Cooley, Hannah Gilberstadt, Erin Granfield, Michael Santos Sandoval and more.

Hosted by Don Michael Mendoza and Anya Randall Nebel. General admission is $20 at the door. More information available at brown paper tickets.com.

Tuesday, Sept. 17 The Sapphire Sapphos: 40 Years Later is tonight 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Shaw

Wednesday, Sept. 18

Thursday, Sept. 19 LGBT! #ShowUp4DC is today from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Rayburn House Office Building, and is hosted by the D.C. Center, Capital Pride, DCHomos, Go Gay D.C., HRC and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. This event is to support H.R. 51, the D.C. Statehood Bill, scheduled for hearing today. Supporters state Congress made statehood an LGBT issue when blocking needle exchange programs and medical marijuana during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Current D.C. Council legislation facing possible Congressional interference include LGBT Older Americans and Older People with HIV Act and the Gay and Trans Panic Defense Bill. Visit showup4dc.com for more information.

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com Latin Dance School Showcase. Sep 18.

Step Team Showcase. Sep 17. Kennedy Center at REACH Plaza Stage. kennedy-center.org.

MUSIC

1 Henry IV Thru Oct 13. Folger Theatre. folger.edu.

Honor is a two-edged sword. Prince Hal spends his days carousing in seedy taverns with criminals and lowly commoners, much to the dismay of his father, King Henry IV. Winding from the Boar’s Head Tavern to the shadows of Gad’s Hill, Hal’s path to the throne may be unusual, but it eventually leads him to the one place where questions of honor and reputation come to a head: the battlefield.

Art All Night at the AU Museum Sep 14. AU Museum at the Katzen. american.edu.

Visit the museum after dark as part of Tenleytown’s Art All Night! Featuring popup dance performances, make-and-take art activities, light refreshments, live music, and ask-me docents to guide you through our Early Fall exhibitions. Free, open, and fun for all ages! No RSVP required.

Ana Popovic Sep 19. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

Called “one helluva a guitar player” by Bruce Springsteen and nominated for six Blues Music Awards, Popovic is an inspiring musical sensation. Her new record, Like it On Top, was recorded in Nashville and produced by the legendary Keb’ Mo’. The album celebrates empowered female role models, and it’s no doubt Popovich is one.

Live Dangerously Sep 19-Jan 20. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.

Live Dangerously reveals the bold and dynamic ways in which female bodies inhabit and activate the natural world. Twelve groundbreaking photographers, including Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Kirsten Justesen, Xaviera Simmons, and Rania Matar, use humor, drama, ambiguity, and innovative storytelling to illuminate the landscape as means of self-empowerment and personal expression.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOLGER THEATRE

THEATRE 19: The Musical. Sep 18. National Archives. archivesfoundation.org.

Assassins. Thru Sep 29. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Butterfly. Thru Sep 22. In Series at Source Theatre. inseries.org.

Cabaret. Thru Oct 6. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org.

Cats. Sep 17-Oct 6. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Fabulation or the Re-Education of Undine. Thru Sep 22. Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas. mosaictheater.org.

Life is a Dream. Thru Oct 13. GALA Hispanic Theatre. galatheatre.org.

Love Sick. Thru Sep 29. Theater J. theaterj.org.

School Girls: or, The African Mean Girls Play. Sep 18. Round House. roundhousetheatre.org.

Washington Improv Theater: September Road Show. Thru Sep 22. DC Arts Center. dcartscenter.org.

DANCE Electrogynous. Sep 14-Sep 15. Dance Place. danceplace.org.

American Roots Concert Series: Steve Poltz. Sep 15. Hill Center. hillcenterdc.org.

Art All Night, Featuring Ladygod.

Sep 14.

Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org.

Chris Gekker, Trumpet. Sep 14. The Apollo Orchestra at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. apolloorchestra.com.

Concert - Classical Violin. Sep 15.

Anderson House. societyofthecincinnati.org.

Hyuna Park & The Endorphins.

Sep 14. Korean Cultural Center DC. koreaculturedc.org.

Irina Muresano, Violin. Sep 13.

Embassy Series at Embassy of Romania. embassyseries.org.

Les Filles de Illighadad. Sep 19. Library of Congress. loc.gov.

Night Glitter. Sep 13. J. PERIOD & The Live Mixtape ft. Mumu Fresh. Sep 14.

Dan & Claudia Zanes. Sep 15. DCPS Teacher Showcase. Sep 16. Kennedy Center Youth Showcase. Sep 19. Kennedy Center. REACH Plaza Stage. kennedy-center.org.

NSO Pops: An Evening with Maxwell.

Sep 18-Sep 20. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Roman Rabinovich. Sep 17. Embassy Series at Embassy of Uzbekistan. embassyseries.org.

Shemekia Copeland. Sep 13. Reckless Kelly. Sep 14. John Sebastian. Sep 15.

AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

Svetlana and the New York Swing Collective. Sep 15. JCCNV. jccnv.org.

MUSEUMS AU Museum at the Katzen. Grace Hartigan and Helene Herzbrun: Reframing Abstract Expressionism. Moves Like Walter: New Curators Open the Corcoran Legacy Collection. Our World Above: Monoprints and Glass by Annette Lerner.

Prints & Artists: WD Printmaking Workshop 1970-Present. Topographies of Life: Pam Rogers, Lynn Sures, Mel Watkin. Thru Oct 20. american.edu.

Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Right to the City @Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Thru Apr 20. anacostia.si.edu.

Anderson House.

Revolutionary Reflections: French Memories of the War for America. Thru Oct 27. societyofthecincinnati.org.

Dumbarton Oaks. Asian Art from the Bliss Collection. Thru Jun 1. doaks.org.

Folger Shakespeare Library. Miniature Shakespeare Books from the Harner Collection. Thru Dec 31. The Architecture of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Thru Jan 5. folger.edu.

Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain. La Cascada by Luzinterruptus.

Thru Sep 27. Water: The Mirror of Life. Thru Sep 27. spainculture.us.

Library of Congress. Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote. Thru Sep 1. loc.gov.

National Archives. Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote. Thru Jan 3. archivesfoundation.org.

National Geographic. Queens of Egypt.

Thru Sep 15. nationalgeographic.org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts.

More is More: Multiples. Thru Sep 22.

Power in My Hand: Women Poets, Women Artists, and Social Change. Thru Oct 31.

Judy Chicago—The End: A Meditation on Death and Extinction. Sep 19-Jan 20. New York Ave Sculpture Project. Thru Sep 20. nmwa.org.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian.

Recent Acquisitions. Thru Nov 3. Portraits of the World: Korea Exhibition. Thru Nov 17.

Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence.

Thru Jan 5. In Mid-Sentence. Thru Mar 29.

One Life: Marian Anderson. Thru May 17.

Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits.

Thru May 31. Storied Women of the Civil War Era. Thru May 8. npg.si.edu.

GALLERIES Arlington Cultural Affairs. Arlington Exhibition: Emma Cregan and Johab Silva.

Thru Nov 2. arts.arlingtonva.us.

CHAW. Capitol Hill Art League presents all-media Road Trip Exhibit. Sep 14-Sep 28. Frame of Mine. Capitol Hill Art League presents Pop-up Earth Wind & Fire Exhibit.

Thru Sep 30. chaw.org.

DC Arts Center. Reparations Realized.

Thru Oct 13. Nano Sculptures. Sep 13-Nov 17. dcartscenter.org.

Del Ray Artisans. High Note Art Exhibit at Del Ray Artisans Gallery. Thru Sep 29.

Uncommon Alexandria Art Exhibit. Thru Sep 29. delrayartisans.org.

Dupont Underground. Next Stop: A Collaborative Animation Showcase. Sep 13. dupontunderground.org.

JCCNV. Rachel Braun — Embroidery and Sacred Text. Thru Oct 11. jccnv.org.

Korean Cultural Center DC. Newly Connected. Thru Sep 27. koreaculturedc.org.

The Art League. Illustration Exhibit. Thru Oct 6. September Zeitgeist Exhibit. Thru Oct 6. October Open Exhibit juried by Debbie Millman. Thru Nov 3. theartleague.org.

Waverly Street Gallery. Line of Sight.

Thru Oct 5. waverlystreetgallery.com.

Zenith Gallery. Over the Line. Thru Oct 12. 6@35 - Fabricating Culture. Thru Jan 4. zenithgallery.com.

AND MORE...

Alliance Française. Vivre la belle Epoque à Paris, a book talk with Wilfried Zeisler.

Sep 13. francedc.org.

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PR O O F

All Things Go founders (from left) ADRIAN MASEDA, WILL SUTER, ZACH FRIENDLY and STEPHEN VALLIMARESCU. Photo by Doug Van Sant; courtesy All Things Go

D.C. music fest gears up for Oct. return

All Things Go broadens scope in sixth year

By EVAN CAPLAN

From labor-of-love blog to the largest music festival in the District, All Things Go has grown up from its original online music musings in 2006.

In 2014, the creators moved from digital platform to the big stage and started the All Things Go Fall Classic, a live music festival featuring emerging and popular artists. The sixth annual edition of the festival will take place Oct. 12-13 at Union Market.

However, according to one of the founders, Zach Friendly, it’s much more than the acts that make All Things Go a top draw for arts and entertainment this fall. For the organizers, all native Washingtonians, ensuring that the festival remained a distinct part of the D.C. fabric was paramount.

“We wanted a vibe, and found one in Union Market, that was a cross between music festival and block party,” Friendly says. “It’s not a large-scale festival like Lollapalooza in DC. It’s more grassroots and it’s important for us to keep the festival in city limits.”

Though Friendly (who’s straight) and his co-organizers express pride at the talent they bring to the stage, they’re also ensuring that the food and art receive recognition and top billing. As locals, Friendly says, “We are partnering not only with national chains, but small restaurants and vendors from diverse backgrounds.”

All Things Go has worked with Union Market itself, and vendors within, to mesh seamlessly with their location: more of an extension of the market than a venue rental. Their goal is to integrate with the community and local representation.

“We’ve noticed that fans aren’t just showing up for the headliners in the evening,” Friendly says. “They come early, have drinks and food when they arrive

and again later in the day. People treat the Classic as an all-day festival.”

This year presents even more nonstage activities. For one, the food.

Friendly and his team curated a list of mostly D.C.-based places to emphasize the locality of the festival. Favorites like &pizza, Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling, D.C. Empanadas, Swizzler, Arepa Zone, JRINK and Taqueria del Barrio (which the Blade recently profiled) will all be present.

Shake Shack is on hand too, for burger staples, but shares space with the likes of late-night baked goods gods (Insomnia Cookies) and handmade bao makers (Bun’d Up). Many of these local vendors are new, looking to become part of what is indeed becoming a classic.

In addition, since the festival is only one stage, organizers have planted other activations around it: recent art installations include 360-degree slow motion photo booths, virtual reality lounges, spray paint walls and interactive stations featuring portraits of the performers.

Friendly was frank about the makeup of the audience and notes that the festival has become purpose-driven itself.

“Last year we made a concerted effort to create the most welcoming space possible for women and other communities. Sunday ended up being a hugely LGBTQ-friendly day, especially given Betty Who, who has become something of a house act, and of course Carlie Rae Jepsen,” he says.

Again this year, Sunday’s lineup is dedicated entirely to female and nonbinary artists. Friendly notes that many bands are led by male frontmen, and has looked for ways to elevate femaleled groups. All Things Go, as last year, is partnering with Eaton and Lyft to host two events before the festival dates on female entrepreneurship and women in the creative arts, with speakers from National Geographic and NPR, among others.

Also new this year: a partnership with Nellie’s. On Sunday of the festival, the bar will be hosting something of an informal “Betty Who Brunch.” For an additional $30, festivalgoers can head to Nellie’s for its traditional bottomless boozy brunch party.

Post-mimosas, there’s an included shuttle to the festival.

Tickets are available at allthingsgofallclassic.com/tickets.

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Slay Them Desiree Dik’s monthly “Slay Them Drag Competition” was held at Red Bear Brewing Co. on Friday, Sept. 6 with special guest Wang Newton.

Washington Blade photos by Zach Brien

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Come for the summer, stay for the fall in Rehoboth Film festivals, Sea Witch, 5k races and much more

By LEE ANN WILKINSON Rehoboth Beach is known as “Our Nation’s Summer Capital,” but fall is when the real magic happens. September launches our “second summer,” when weather is amazing, restaurants start offering specials, and our calendars fill up with weekend events. Here is just a sample of what’s in store this fall around Coastal Delaware. From Milton and Lewes to Rehoboth and Dewey Beaches, there is actually something for everyone. Join us!

CAMP Rehoboth Events (camprehoboth.com/events/featured) • Sweet Baby J’ai: A History of Women in Jazz! October 11, 8 p.m., Epworth United Methodist Church, Rehoboth Beach • Women’s FEST Committee presents the return of popular jazz singer/ songwriter/storyteller Sweet Baby J’ai for a one time only, pre-Jazz Fest performance • CAMP Rehoboth Block Party 2019, Oct. 20, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., the second block of Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach.

Clear Space Theatre (clearspacetheatre.com) If you have not seen a show at Clear Space Theatre in downtown Rehoboth Beach yet, definitely try to make at least one of these shows: • Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women,” Sept. 20-Oct. 6 • “Ghost, The Musical,” Oct. 18-27 • “James and the Giant Peach,” Nov. 8-10 • “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” Nov. 29-Dec. 15 Fall Lewes Artists’ Studio Tour, Sept.

21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., lewesartistsstudiotour. com. Experience the talent and diversity of the Lewes art community.

Milton Fall Garden Tour, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., themiltongardenclub.org.

Sponsored by the Milton Garden Club.

Discover this charming town through its premier gardens. Food and drink and plant

Visit Rehoboth this fall for a plethora of events.

sale, and artists will be working in the gardens.

The History Book Festival in Lewes – Sept. 27-29, historybookfestival.org. When it comes to history, Lewes wrote the book.

Join the third Annual History Book Festival featuring renowned authors.

SoDel Fest-Southern Delaware Wine, Food & Music Festival – Sept. 28, Noon – 4 p.m. Independence Hall & Grounds, 23767 Samuel Adams Circle, Millsboro, sodelfest.com. Enjoy the tastes, sounds, people and passions of coastal Delaware!

Rehoboth Beach Fall Sidewalk Sales 43rd Annual! October 4-6, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Rehoboth Avenue and adjacent streets Lewes Merchants’ Fall Sidewalk Sale - October 4-6, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Second Street and surrounding streets in historic

S EPTE MBE R 1 3 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 69

Lewes’s commercial district 2019 Dewey Goes Pink – 5K - October 5, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The Starboard Restaurant, deweygoespink.com. The 9th year of a fundraiser to benefit the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

Fall Craft Fair, Oct. 5, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Historic Lewes, historiclewes.org.

Visit Lewes Historical Society’s historic campus at Second & Shipcarpenter Streets in downtown Lewes to see the work of the fine artisans of Delaware and the Eastern Shore.

Boast the Coast Maritime Festival – October 5, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Lewes. leweschamber.com Discover the nautical heritage of Lewes. The Lightship Overfalls will also be open from 11am-2pm in Lewes

Canal Front Park.

17th Annual Celebrity Chefs’ Beach Brunch – October 6, 10:30 VIP; 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Rusty Rudder, Dewey Beach. mealsonwheelsde.org Tastings by top beach chefs, wine and brunch cocktails, a live auction, beer garden and more.

Benefits Meals on Wheels Delaware.

Coast Day – October 6, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, Lewes. deseagrant.org. This year’s theme is “A Ripple Through Time.”

Greyhounds Reach the Beach – Oct. 10-13. www.grtb.org/ Greyhounds Reach the Beach is a celebration of greyhounds and greyhound adoption with speakers, gatherings, walks, vendors, an ice cream social, a Blessing of the Hounds, and much more.

Bike MS: Bike to the Bay – October 12-13. DelTech Terry Campus, Dover.

2019 Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival – October 17-20. rehobothjazz.com/.

Celebrating 30 years of smooth jazz at different venues throughout the area.

30th Annual Sea Witch Festival – Oct. 25-27. www.beach-fun.com/sea-witchhalloween-fiddlers-festival.html Popular activities include the Costume Parade, Dog Parade, Sea Witch Hunt, kid’s games on the beach, trick or treating, hayrides, vendor area and free live entertainment on the bandstand all weekend long!

Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival – Oct. 31 - November 10 rehobothfilmfestival.com. Eleven days of wonderful films at the oldest and largest event of its kind in the State of Delaware.

Now in its 22nd year.

Revisit your favorite beach for great events, festivals, 5Ks, and dining – while the weather stays gorgeous through the fall.

Lee Ann Wilkinson

is a Realtor and CEO of The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Gallo Realty, the topselling real estate team in Delaware and #4 nationally for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Visit LeeAnnGroup.com, email LeeAnn@LeeAnnGroup.com, or call her at 302-645-6664 for information on living at the beach.

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