Washingtonblade.com, Volume 50, Issue 38, September 20, 2019

Photo by Ned Dishman; Courtesy of Washington Mystics

Elena Delle Donne is your pick for Best Local Pro Athlete. Check out all 99 winners inside!

SEPTEM BE R 20, 2019 • VOLUME 50 • I S S UE 38 • WA S HI N GTONB LAD E.CO M

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AHF Wellness Centers 1647 Benning Rd NE, Ste 300 (202) 350-5000

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Elena Delle Donne covers our annual Best Of issue.

See all the winners starting on Page 30.

06

Looking back:

27

Viewpoint

50 years of the Blade

30

Best of Gay DC XVIIII

08

Comings & Goings

82

Queery: Timur Jonathan Tugberk

10

Baltimore businesses fill gap

84

Trans March is next weekend

left by Eagle closing

88

Arts & Culture

Gay tech entrepreneur running

90

Short and sweet

for Indiana governor

92

Off to Tokyo

Trump misses chance to appoint

94

‘Odd Couple’ gay version?

first gay nat’l security adviser

96

High-end hybrids

18

Apple ads fall far from the LGBT tree

98

30 years of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

20

Trans Brazilians ‘afraid for our lives’

105

Ranking the best home

23

Cannabis Culture

24

Drugs, gay sex and HIV up in Euro cities

12 15

renovation TV shows 108

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Five years ago, Eric Holder steps down as attorney general FROM STAFF REPORTS

Five years ago, the Blade’s Oct. 3 issue led with the story of Attorney General Eric Holder’s resignation after six years in the Obama administration.

President Obama hailed Holder’s tenure, saying he revitalized the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department.

“And several years ago, he recommended that our government stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act,” Obama said. “A decision that was vindicated by the Supreme Court, and opened the door to federal recognition of same-sex marriage and federal benefits for same-sex couples.”

It would be another year before the U.S. Supreme Court would legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states in the Obergefell decision.

Visit washingtonblade.com/archives to view the Blade’s one-of-a-kind archive published in partnership with the D.C. Public Library.

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Comings & Goings Wallace publishes new cookbook, ‘Sizzling Science’

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

Two versions of bill to ban LGBT panic defense introduced in D.C. Council Activists urge passage of measure stalled in committee for two years

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

TAYLOR WALLACE published his new cookbook, ‘Sizzling Science’ to honor his grandmother.

Photos courtesy of Wallace

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 Taylor Wallace, Ph.D., on the publication of his cookbook, “Sizzling Science.” Wallace wrote this cookbook for fun and to honor his Mamawl, the name he called his grandmother who first got him excited about cooking. He often worked on the cookbook at Java House on 17th and Q Street. He would talk about some of the recipes and debated book titles with friends. I think he came up with the perfect title as he is all about science.

While I am not a chef, I am lucky to have friends who generously invite me to occasional home-cooked meals. Those who have already made some of the dishes using the recipes in this great new cookbook have said they are easy to make and delicious. I am waiting for a friend to bake and let me try the Kentucky State Fair “Grand Champion” Sour Cream Coffee Cake on page 23 that Taylor and Mamawl created. Hint, Hint Taylor!

It won the blue ribbon each of the eight years they entered it into the fair and won the all-around Grand Champion for all foods entered in the Kentucky State Fair three times.

Wallace wanted people to be able to use his cookbook to prepare a full day’s meals. I kidded him suggesting maybe the breakfast section should have come last.

Sizzling Science is separated into eight sections with the first being the science behind great-tasting dishes. Then breakfast, appetizers and nibbles, soups salads and stews, side dishes, main dishes, and desserts. Then to complete your meal and make sure your company goes home not only full and happy but totally relaxed there is the drinks and cocktails section. Now that the cookbook is finished I can’t imagine Wallace having much time to cook. As he will tell you his real world doesn’t leave much time for cooking.

Wallace is principal and CEO at the Think Healthy Group, Inc. and an adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason University.

Prior to founding the Think Healthy Group, Inc., Taylor served as the senior director of science policy and government relations at the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the senior director of Scientific Programs at the National Bone Health Alliance. He has extensive experience and expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive and evidence-based legislation, policy, and regulatory programs in the fields of nutrition and food science. His academic research interests are in the area of nutritional interventions to promote health and prevent the onset of chronic disease.

Wallace earned his Ph.D. and an master’s in Food Science and Nutrition from Ohio State University and a bachelor’s in Food Science and Technology from the University of Kentucky. He currently manages and operates a large food and nutrition blog, DrTaylorWallace.com and is a co-host of the mainstream weekly radio show, Risky Behavior, where he provides science-based nutrition, food safety, and food technology information to the general public and consumer media.

Wallace is also a regular guest and contributor to the Dr. Oz Show, NBC4 Washington and has appeared on most major national news stations throughout the United States. He has served on the boards of the Institute of Food Technologists, Alliance for Food and Health, Feeding Tomorrow, Phi Tau Sigma, Capital Pride Alliance, and DC LGBTQ+ Community Research Advisory Board.

D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) and Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large) introduced separate versions of a bill this week calling for banning the so-called LGBT panic defense in criminal trials in the District.

Eight states, including California and New York, have passed laws banning the LGBT panic defense, in which defense attorneys often ask juries to find that a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for a defendant’s criminal act, including murder.

The attorneys have argued that their clients “panicked” after learning the person against whom they committed a violent crime was gay or transgender, prompting them to act in a way they believed to be a form of self-defense.

Grosso’s version of the bill, which he first introduced in 2017, has died in committee two years in a row. Unlike the bills passed in other states, Grosso’s bill would expand the categories of crime victims for which the panic defense would be banned from sexual orientation and gender identity to include race, color, religion, national origin, gender, and disability.

Mendelson’s version of the bill, the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Panic Defense Prohibition Act, limits the categories to sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.

For the past two years Grosso has called his bill the Secure A Fair & Equitable Trial Act. The version he introduced at Tuesday’s D.C. Council session is called the Tony Hunter and Bella Evangelista Panic Defense Prohibition Act. It’s named after suburban Maryland resident Tony Randolph Hunter, a gay man who died from a head injury sustained from a fall after witnesses said he was attacked and assaulted by a 20-year-old man while walking to a D.C. gay bar in 2008; and Bella Evangelista, a transgender woman who was shot to death on a D.C. street in 2003 by a 22-year-old man.

The perpetrators in both cases attempted to use the panic defense after their arrest.

“This legislation would end the use of such arguments in the District of Columbia,” Grosso said at Tuesday’s Council meeting after introducing his bill. He said the wording of his bill is modeled after language proposed by the American Bar Association.

“I’m a passionate supporter of the human rights of criminal defendants, a fair and swift trial, and alternatives to incarceration,” he said. “All of that is possible, though, without resorting to a defense that is premised on bias against lesbians, gay, bi and transgender individuals,” Grosso told his Council colleagues. “A defense that exploits bias simply should not be acceptable.”

Mendelson, who introduced his bill on Monday, is open to working with Grosso and the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, where both bills were expected to be referred, to develop a single bill acceptable to all parties, according to Lindsey Walton, his spokesperson.

“We as a government must do all that we can to protect populations whose very existence can be taken advantage of,” Mendelson said in a statement accompanying his bill. “It is unacceptable for bigots to claim panic as a defense, as if the victim was at fault for the bias-related crime,” he said.

Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who chairs the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, signed on as a cointroducer to both bills. Although Allen has said a backlog of other bills prevented him from scheduling a hearing on Grosso’s bill, LGBT activists who have met with him recently said he has promised to place the legislation on a fast track this fall.

Allen is among six Council members to join Grosso as co-introducers of the Tony Hunter and Bella Evangelista Panic Defense Prohibition Act. The others include Council members Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1), Robert White Jr. (D-At-Large), Brandon Todd (D-Ward 4), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), and Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large).

At Tuesday’s Council session, four additional Council members signed on to the bill as co-sponsors, indicating the version of the bill eventually agreed upon likely has 11 sold votes for passage in the 13-member Council. The co-sponsors include Council members Anita Bonds (D-At-Large), Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5), and Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7).

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9/9/2019 1:24:43 PM

Baltimore businesses fill gap left by Eagle closing

By ED GUNTS

Revisiting Douglas Moore’s anti-gay rhetoric on Council

Former lawmaker died in August

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

In planning Nightshift 2.0, CHRIS JAY said managers drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including the Boom Boom Room pansexual gatherings in Washington.

Photo courtesy of Jay

For years, the building at 1725 Ponca St. in East Baltimore was a female strip club known as Night Shift, catering to workers at the old General Motors plant and other businesses near the city’s industrial waterfront.

As of last weekend, it serves a different clientele.

On Friday a new group opened Night Shift 2.0 as an “adult entertainment experience” aiming to provide a welcoming and inclusive space for Baltimore’s LGBTQ community and others.

It’s one of several establishments that are filling the void left by the temporary closing of the Baltimore Eagle on Aug. 11, after the property owner decided to change management. A reopening date for the Eagle has not been disclosed.

The closing meant that events have had to find other homes, and performers had to go elsewhere.

The Mid Atlantic Leather Woman Bootblack and Leather Woman contests were held at the Clifton Pleasure Club in Hamilton and Grand Central nightclub on Charles Street.

The charitable leather group known as Hooker and Boys is hosting its 12 Days of Christmas fundraiser at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights on Dec. 14. Starting next month, the Eagle’s popular pup nights are moving to Club Orpheus at 1003 East Pratt St. “Baltimore Pup Night has a new home,” the global group known as Puppy Pride announced on its website. “After the sudden closure of the Baltimore Eagle we aren’t going to stop this party. Starting Saturday October 5 (that’s right, Saturday nights now), we will have Baltimore Pup Night every first Saturday of the month at Club Orpheus.

Come out and enjoy the biggest ball pit around and the best pup mosh around.”

Another staple of the Baltimore Eagle was drag shows, and many venues are now presenting drag brunches, drag queen bingo, RuPaul ‘s Drag Race watch parties

and other drag-themed events. Baltimore settings include Hotel Indigo, Hotel Revival, Points South Latin Kitchen, Metro Gallery, Illusions and Golden West Cafe.

Under former owner Don Davis, Grand Central sometimes held leather-oriented fundraisers and other events when the Eagle couldn’t, but Grand Central is going through a transition of its own.

Earlier this year a group called Landmark Partners bought the property at 1001-1003 N. Charles Street and announced plans to build an eight-story office building called City House Charles in place of the nightclub.

Landmark representatives have said they’ll keep Grand Central open until they’re ready to begin construction, and this summer they received design approval for the project from Baltimore’s preservation commission.

The new owners initially indicated the club might close this fall, but now they say they most likely won’t be ready to start construction until next March and that Grand Central may remain open into 2020.

Some patrons have speculated that Grand Central might find another location where it could keep operating after March, but so far no plans have been announced. Jon Pannoni of Landmark and general manager Marc Hayes both declined to comment about the possibility of Grand Central relocating.

“That would be nice,” Hayes said Saturday. “When I know something, I’ll let you know.”

Other LGBTQ-owned or LGBTQ-friendly bars in Baltimore include Leon’s, The Drinkery and City Café in Mount Vernon; Club Bunns near Lexington Market; Gallery One in Midtown, Club 1722 on Charles Street, The Rowan Tree in South Baltimore and Mixers in Overlea. There’s talk of a possible new gay bar in the works for the Old Goucher area.

Former D.C. Council member Douglas E. Moore, a Methodist minister who in 1977 referred to gay activists as “fascist faggots” and who emerged as an outspoken opponent of a bill to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination, died Aug. 2 at a hospital in Clinton, Md. He was 91.

His wife, Doris Hughes-Moore, told the Washington Post the cause of death was complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia.

Moore won election to an at-large D.C. Council seat in 1974 during the city’s first election under its home rule government approved by Congress in the early 1970s.

Similar to several other D.C. Council members elected that year, Moore had been an active participant in the African-American civil rights movement in the 1960s.

However, unlike nearly all of his Council colleagues during the first four years of the city’s home rule government who were strong supporters of the gay community, Moore emerged as an outspoken opponent of gay rights, including gay rights legislation pending before the Council.

In 1977, when the D.C. Human Rights Act was being considered by the Council, Moore led a campaign to delete the category of sexual orientation from the legislation. His opposition to including that category, which was defined as covering gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, came shortly after singer Anita Bryant led a widely publicized campaign in Dade County, Fla., to repeal by voter referendum an existing gay rights law in that jurisdiction, which succeeded in securing repeal of the law.

In D.C., the Council approved its Human Rights Act in 1977 with the sexual orientation protection included by a wide margin, with Moore and just one other Council member voting no.

Moore’s talk about organizing a possible referendum to repeal the gay rights provision similar to the Dade County vote prompted LGBT activists to help pass an amendment to the D.C. City Charter that bans initiative or referendum votes on laws that protect the human rights of D.C. residents.

A little over 30 years later, that D.C. charter provision was used to successfully prevent anti-LGBT advocates from placing D.C.’s same-sex marriage law on the ballot in 2009.

Meanwhile, to the surprise of LGBT activists, Moore didn’t immediately speak out against a 1976 resolution approved unanimously by the D.C. Council declaring Gay Pride Day on the same day as Father’s Day. But in September 1977, when asked by Washington Post columnist Milton Coleman about how he was on record of voting with his fellow Council members for the Gay Pride resolution, Moore said it was a mistake and he didn’t intentionally support the resolution. Coleman said Moore vowed to block such a resolution from passing again.

“Unless they pass it when I’m dead, cripple or paralyzed, there won’t be no more Gay Pride Days in Washington, D.C.,” Coleman quoted him as saying.

The next year, in 1978, Moore ran for the position of D.C. Council chair while continuing to express his opposition to what he called the “three G’s – gays, gambling and grass (marijuana),” as Coleman quoted him as saying.

To the strong relief of LGBT activists, then D.C. Council member Arrington Dixon (D-Ward 4), a strong LGBT rights supporter, beat Moore in the race for Council chair by a wide margin.

“Dixon’s decisive victory over Moore ended overt homophobia as a viable political tactic in D.C. elections,” said Craig Howell, former president of the D.C. Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance.

Moore ran and lost three subsequent bids for D.C. Council seats after his loss to Dixon in 1978. He ran and lost his race for mayor in 2002.

Longtime D.C. and Ward 8 community activist Phil Pannell said Moore had a change of heart in his years out of politics when he came to support the right of LGBT people to be free from discrimination.

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S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 11

Gay tech entrepreneur running for Indiana governor

JOSH OWENS seeks to become Indiana’s first openly gay governor.

Photo courtesy of the campaign

Pete Buttigieg isn’t the only out gay person from Indiana with lofty political ambitions.

Josh Owens, a tech entrepreneur who leads one of Indiana’s fastest growing companies where employees earn a minimum of $50,000, has launched a bid to become his state’s first openly gay governor. His campaign website is here.

A Democrat who’s CEO of SupplyKick, Owens filed paperwork for Indians’s 2020 gubernatorial race on Monday.

“I’m running for governor now because I believe in an Indiana where teachers are paid what they deserve and where all are welcomed, respected and protected,” Owens said in a statement. “We need a leader who will ensure our state budget, policies and laws reflect a bold and inclusive vision for collective Hoosier success.”

Key components of Owens’ platform include increasing teacher salaries and eliminating textbook fees for public school students; increasing the smoking age and decriminalizing marijuana; enacting statewide LGBT protections into law; and strengthening background checks for gun purchases.

Owens is 34, but wouldn’t be Indiana’s youngest elected governor. Evan Bayh was 32 when elected in 1988 and James Ray was 30.

In addition to being CEO of SupplyKick, Owens serves on the boards of TechPoint Indiana, Indy Chamber, the Orr Fellowship and previously chaired the Indiana Charter School Board.

Owens has competitors for the Democratic nomination. Woody Myers, a black millionaire venture capitalist and former Indiana health commissioner who gained notoriety defending AIDS patient Ryan White, announced his candidacy in July. Other Democrats considering a run include State Sen. Eddie Melton and State Rep. Karlee Macer, according to the Indianapolis Star.

The filing deadline in Indiana is Feb. 7, 2020. Whomever obtains the Democratic nomination will face off in the general election against Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb — who’ll be difficult to unseat as a Republican incumbent in a “red” state.

A lifelong Indiana resident, Owens grew up in Shelbyville where his parents and family still live. Owens graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville and later earned his master’s degree in economic history at the London School of Economics. Josh and his husband Andy live in Indianapolis.

CHRIS JOHNSON

Lawsuit prompts move to repeal NYC conversion therapy ban Corey Johnson, the openly gay Speaker of the New York City Council, introduced a bill on Thursday to repeal a law the Council passed in 2017 that prohibits mental health professionals from performing so-called conversion therapy on both adults and minors.

Johnson said he remains convinced the practice of attempting change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is harmful and ineffective based on assessments by virtually all of the nation’s mainstream mental health advocacy organizations, which have issued statements opposing conversion therapy.

But he said a lawsuit filed in January of this year challenging the constitutionality of the law could result in court rulings harmful to the effort to ban conversion therapy, including a possible negative

ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The lawsuit was filed by the anti-LGBT Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of an Orthodox Jewish psychotherapist from Brooklyn, Dovid Schwartz, who charges that the law violates his and his patients’ First Amendment right to therapeutic counseling or “speech” of their own choosing.

“Obviously, I didn’t want to repeal this,” Johnson told the New York Times.

“I don’t want to be someone who is giving in to these right-wing groups,” the Times quoted him as saying. “But the Supreme Court has become conservative; the Second Circuit, which oversees New York, has become more conservative,” he said.

“We think this is the most responsible, prudent course,” the told the Times.

Ethan Rice, senior staff attorney and Fair Courts Project Director for the LGBT litigation group Lambda Legal, told the Washington Blade in a statement that Lambda Legal believes the New York City ban on conversion therapy is constitutional.

But he said there is “no reason to waste time and money” fighting the lawsuit because an existing New York State law bans conversion therapy for minors. He said another state consumer protection law enables adults to bring consumer fraud cases against therapists engaging in conversion therapy.

New York City became the first known jurisdiction to extend its ban on conversation therapy to adults. Laws banning conversion therapy for minors have been enacted in 18 states, D.C. and more than 50 municipalities, according to the Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank affiliated with the UCLA School of Law. “State laws prohibiting licensed therapists from this outrageous and harmful practice are the gold standard for legislation on this issue,” Rice told the Blade.

“There have been a handful of challenges to those laws, but they have all failed,” he said.

“It is very well-established that states have the authority — and the responsibility — to regulate mental health treatments to protect patients, especially minor patients, and especially when the potential harms are life-threatening,” Rice said.

He was referring to widespread reports by mental health experts that young people who undergo conversion therapy to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, often under pressure from parents, have suffered from depression and attempted and in some cases committed suicide.

In his lawsuit, Schwartz says many of his patients seeking conversion therapy are members of the Orthodox Jewish community.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Gay married couple sues after daughter denied U.S. citizenship A gay married couple from Maryland on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the State Department over its refusal to recognize their daughter’s U.S. citizenship.

Roee Kiviti and Adiel Kiviti of Chevy Chase married in California in 2013. Their daughter was born via surrogate in Canada in February.

“K.R.K. was born in 2019 in Calgary, Canada, during Roee and Adiel’s marriage,” reads the lawsuit that was filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland.

“Both Adiel and Roee were U.S. citizens at the time of K.R.K.’s birth.”

The lawsuit notes Section 301(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act says, “a baby born abroad to married parents is a U.S. citizen at birth when both parents are U.S. citizens and one of them has resided in the United States at any point prior to the baby’s birth.”

Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal and the law firm Morgan Lewis, which represent the Kivitis, in a press release notes the State Department is treating the couple’s daughter as “born out of wedlock” because only Adiel Kiviti has a biological connection to her.

“The focus here is our little girl whose rights are being infringed upon by our government,” said the Kivitis in the press release that announced the lawsuit.

“Every parent wants to protect their child, to give them assurances of tomorrow, and this policy isn’t letting us do that.”

“Our daughter will know her story,” they added. “She will know how she came into this world, she will know about all of the loving people who helped us become a family, and she will know how her parents fought for her rights and for the rights of other families.”

The Kivitis filed their lawsuit less than two months after Derek and Jonathan Mize-Gregg, a gay married couple in Atlanta, in July sued the State Department after it refused to recognize the U.S. citizenship of their daughter who was born via surrogacy in England in 2018.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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Trump misses chance to appoint first gay nat’l security adviser Ambassador Grenell was rumored to be in running for post

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

United States Ambassador to Germany RICHARD GRENELL and President DONALD TRUMP Photo via Twitter

U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-ranking openly gay official in the Trump administration, has a brusque style that has offended some in his host country and journalists alike, but that didn’t stop him from appearing on the short list for President Trump’s next pick for national security adviser.

In fact, that style might have helped him get on the list. Grenell’s open confrontation with German officials and members of the media echo Trump’s brashness with traditional U.S. allies and accusations of “Fake News.”

But Trump on Wednesday named Robert O’Brien, the U.S. special presidential envoy for hostage affairs at the State Department, as the new national security adviser following the firing last week of John Bolton.

National security experts who spoke with the Blade said Grenell’s temperament and style fit Trump’s approach as president.

Mark Groombridge, a gay D.C.-based national security expert and “Never Trump” Republican who’s known Grenell for close to 20 years, said Grenell knows how to play the game.

“I think, personally, he disagrees with a number of President Trump’s foreign policy positions, but also knows there’s no point going against him,” Groombridge said. “But there’s one thing that this president values more than anything, and that is loyalty. And Ric knows how to play that game very well.”

Despite an anti-LGBT record that has offended many in the LGBT community, Trump’s selection of Grenell as national security adviser would have been a milestone because he would have been the first openly gay person

in that high-ranking position. Moreover, Grenell has spearheaded the Trump administration’s global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality (in so much that it exists), and could carry out that mission in his role as a senior Trump adviser.

In the aftermath of his recent dismissal of Bolton as national security adviser, Trump himself has told reporters he has “five people that want it very much,” whom he called “good people I’ve gotten to know over the last three years.”

Media outlets quickly identified the five as Grenell as well as Stephen Begun, lead envoy on North Korea; Brian Hook, U.S. special representative on Iran; Douglas Macgregory, a retired Army colonel and conservative commentator; and O’Brien.

Grenell, 52, reportedly lobbied Trump to become national security adviser, and heavily so. Grenell, according to Politico Playbook, made himself seen last Thursday at the Trump International Hotel in D.C. — a surefire (if unseemly) way to get Trump’s attention, and was also seen leaving the West Wing at the White House on Friday at around noon.

As ambassador to Germany, Grenell has won allies in Trumpland, including Donald Trump Jr. and Trump himself, who reportedly approves of Grenell’s approach and public berating of the U.S. ally.

Following Trump’s dissolution of the Iran nuclear deal, Grenell right from the start has worked to deter German investment in Iran. Just days after his confirmation, Grenell tweeted in rather dictatorial fashion, “German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.” A look

N ATI O NAL NE WS • SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 • WA S HI N GTONB L A DE . COM • 15

at his Twitter reveals he continues shaming German officials for interactions in Iran.

Additionally, Grenell has helped browbeat Germany into spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense, suggesting if the country doesn’t meet its NATO obligation, the United States would otherwise move U.S. troops stationed there to Poland.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Grenell’s style “took getting used to,” according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The liberal minority party in Germany called for Grenell’s expulsion, but he has remained in place.

Groombridge said Grenell is right on the money in his approach as U.S. ambassador to Germany.

“A lot of people think that the role of an ambassador is to improve relations between the United States and the country that you’re serving in,” Groombridge said. “That is absolutely not the job of the ambassador.

The job of the ambassador is to promote U.S. interests, and sometimes those interests align, and sometimes they don’t. [Grenell] is doing exactly what President Trump appointed him to do, and he’s doing it beautifully.”

But there’s more to Grenell’s resume.

Grenell in the Bush administration served as spokesperson for four different U.N. ambassadors, including John Bolton during the height of the Iraq war.

Groombridge, who served with Grenell at the United Nations, said his combative style was evident in those days in dealing with journalists and the international organization.

“I worked with Ric at the U.N., and he was very combative up there,” Groombridge said.

“And a lot of people didn’t like him up there in the journalistic community, but Ric’s job wasn’t to get along with journalists like you. It was, sure there’s always going to be spin, but to promote U.S. national security interests.”

Another gay D.C.-based national security expert, who has known Grenell for years and spoke on condition of anonymity for greater candor, said Bolton’s tenure was “by far” Grenell’s favorite of the four ambassadors.

“He enjoyed the combative nature of it,” the expert said. “And to a certain degree, what we’ve seen Ric do by way of whether it’s Angela Merkel and European attitudes or whatever, being the spear carrier, if you will, for the pugnacious Donald Trump, Ric learned that style under John Bolton.”

But that very allegiance to Bolton could have doomed Grenell in his bid to become the next national security adviser.

After all, Trump clashed with Bolton because of his neo-conservative worldview — which includes support for previous U.S.

regime change efforts in Iraq and Libya and prospective ones in North Korea, Iran and Venezuela — and objections to bringing the Taliban to Camp David days before the 18th anniversary of the Sept.

11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Groombridge said because of Grenell’s ties to Bolton, the chances of Trump selecting him as national security adviser were “pretty low.”

“Ambassador Bolton overreached and Ric would know that that’s not going to serve him particularly well,” Groombridge said.

Groombridge added at the end of the day, whomever Trump selects “doesn’t really matter” because the next national security adviser will be subordinate to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and an “empty suit.”

“The person has to have a close link to Pompeo, and I don’t think there’s any discord or disharmony between Ric and Secretary of State Pompeo, but there’s not a natural affinity,” Groombridge said. “And I think Pompeo would view him as too closely aligned with Bolton.”

The anonymous expert said Grenell as national security adviser could make the same mistake as Bolton by “bringing a potential bias and frame to the decisionmaking process and squelching others.”

“People come in and don’t understand that their role is to create a decisionmaking structure and process that brings in the mainstream and the anti-mainstream thinking,” the expert said. “It’s a process to get all of the options on the table, and to have a disciplined process by which the right voices are in the room, the right voices are in the process and the president can get the best set of options in front of him.”

Trump could have made history by appointing Grenell — an openly gay person with ties to Log Cabin Republicans — as national security adviser. Not even former President Barack Obama, whose hundreds of openly LGBT appointees dwarfs the handful of Trump’s, made that distinction.

Charles Moran, managing director of Log Cabin Republicans, said the appointment of Grenell as national security adviser would be “fitting” because of the value of having openly LGBT people in government roles, especially in sensitive positions.

“It was not very long ago that LGBT individuals were denied jobs in government or security clearances over the threat of blackmail over being ‘outed,’” Moran said.

“So having someone of Ric’s stature in this position would go a long way to closing that shameful chapter in our history.”

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This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Worsening of Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: } dofetilide } rifampin } any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: } Have or have had any kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis infection. } Have any other health problems. } Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. } Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: } Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist. } BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other. Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

Get HIV support by downloading a free app at

MyDailyCharge.com

BVYC0103_BIKTARVY_B_9-75x11-5_WashingtonBlade_KeepPushing2_DR4_r1v1jl.indd All Pages

(bik-TAR-vee)

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: } Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. } Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. } Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. } Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. } Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death.

Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. } The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY. HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION } This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more. } Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5. } If you need help paying for your medicine, visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, DAILY CHARGE, the DAILY CHARGE Logo, KEEP PUSHING, LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE, GILEAD, and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

Version date: December 2018 © 2019 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0103 02/19

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Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. To learn more, visit BIKTARVY.com.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 17

3/5/19 11:07 AM

Apple ads fall far from the LGBT tree ‘Some big companies fail when it comes to speaking to us directly’

By SCOTT STIFFLER

Apple CEO TIM COOK may be gay, but that hasn’t translated into advertising support for LGBT media outlets.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

We buy their phones, wear their watches, and use their products to drive our businesses—but finding their iconic ads in the pages of your local LGBT newspaper or website is like looking for an apple in an orange grove.

“Some big companies with a good reputation in the community, like Apple, fail when it comes to speaking to us directly, effectively,” says Leo Cusimano, publisher and owner of the Dallas Voice newspaper, and OUT North Texas, a glossy magazine. “More and more, LGBT individuals are frustrated by brands that treat them as an afterthought.”

National advertising via mainstream media certainly gets the word out—but depictions of LGBT consumers remain rare to the point of novelty, leaving many wondering why companies who lavish their attention on the general public don’t appeal directly to a niche market eager for a signal that they, too, are valued.

“When I see an ad in a local LGBT publication or website,” says Cusimano, “I think, ‘Look, they are targeting me.’

This local perspective is very important, particularly from a grassroots effort. We see brand switching from one product or service when advertisers utilize this approach. We’re a loyal demographic who likes to do business with companies that advertise in our backyard.”

Cusimano, who holds a business degree, says the onus is on LGBT media to “make an advertiser aware of the advantages of niche marketing. Our job is to elevate their brand in the community.

And when you do that, it really helps trigger that sale.”

Cusimano cites Wells Fargo and Facebook as companies that have advertised with his publications. You’ll find Bridgestone

tires on his car, he notes, because a few years ago, “They did a 12-month campaign with Dallas Voice. It really changed people’s minds, to know there is a company that [consistently] advertises with us,” instead of ghosting the community once Pride month has come and gone.

“They’re missing a good opportunity,” says Pride Source Media CFO Jan Stevenson, of Apple.

For 26 years, Stevenson and her wife, Susan Horowitz, have published Michigan’s weekly newspaper, Between the Lines— which, along with their Pride Source Yellow Pages, serves the LGBT community.

“Every single computer in our business” is an Apple product, says Stevenson, who notes the company’s “excellent reputation as an LGBT-friendly player” could be leveraged “so easily, with just some simple ads that say, ‘We want your business.’”

A positive perception pays dividends, as noted in Community Marketing & Insights’ 13th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey. Released earlier this year, 27 percent of respondents said they were “significantly more likely to purchase” when companies advertise in the LGBTQ digital and print media. Forty-one percent said advertising in the LGBTQ media had a greater impact on them than when companies advertise in the mainstream media—and a 2016-2017 National LGBT Media Association study on consumer shifts saw two in three LGBTQ+ individuals saying, “I am frustrated by brands that treat people like me as an afterthought.” (Fiftyone percent of respondents purchased a new smartphone in the last 12 months.)

Still, Stevenson’s company has had no success in its sales outreach to the tech behemoth. Nor has Todd Evans, who, as president and CEO of Rivendell Media,

represents 95 percent of all LGBT media in the U.S. Rivendell has made numerous overtures to Apple, with no results.

“The demographics seem perfect for Apple,” said Evans. “LGBTs are early adopters of new technology, and have very high entrepreneurial tendencies, which would be a natural target for a tech company. They’re a very progressive company, or thought to be. Even the CEO is LGBT. Yet to our knowledge, Apple has never done any direct-to-consumer [LGBT] outreach with any of their ad campaigns.”

If they have, that sales call has yet to reach Rivendell, which credits Apple products for “part of our success in business, back to when our founder was Beta testing for Apple,” says Evans. “We’ve reached out to their agencies [currently OMD], and they’ve been very open to proposals. But it never seems to go anywhere. And Apple, it’s impossible to get through to the client. Once the client is interested, the agency does whatever they want.”

Of late, says Evans, Rivendell has placed an emphasis on educating potential buyers that LGBT media is “completely different that other minority media, like African American or Hispanic. For example, in our community, there is no network TV like Telemundo, no BET, no national magazine with million-plus circulation. We get our information differently.”

And despite the march to digital as a favored, oftentimes sole, marketing strategy, “What a lot of people aren’t realizing is that in LGBT media, print is still very much king,” notes Evans. “For $100,000, you can pretty much own LGBT media, a full-page ad in most major LGBT publications in America. That is chump change for most companies’ advertising

budgets, and digital just does not do as well, without print’s call to action.”

With just about 130 LGBT publications nationwide, Evans is “shocked that more companies don’t realize they can make a difference, to get a community behind them.”

Absolut vodka is the ultimate success story. In 1981, recalls Evans, “They came into the market—not to get their feet wet, but to own it.” Today, Absolut has “phenomenal brand recognition, and they maintain a presence in the LGBT community. There are so many vodkas out there, they don’t want to give up that space, to lose that equity.”

At a time when other high-quality products are shrinking market share and eroding consumer confidence built by the belief that Apple products are handsdown superior to the alternatives, longtime Apple loyalist Evans is “beginning to think twice about my next computer.”

Technology as well as pricing, he observes, “have caught up with Apple. I’m just back from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce conference,” which had over 1,500 LGBT businesses in attendance. “I was noticing,” recalls Evans, “There were as many Samsungs as there were iPhones. So it seems the right time for Apple to hedge their bets.”

“We do have real alternatives today,” says Cusimano. “We don’t have ads from Samsung, and this is a prime opportunity for them [Apple] to capitalize on that, to be trendsetters. They did that years ago, in education—getting their computers in schools, for kids. It’s time for them to look closer at the LGBT community.”

Cusimano says he’s working with the National LGBT Media Association to augment the way the Human Rights Campaign compiles statistics for its Corporate Equality Index. Described by HRC as an annual “national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees,” a positive rating is widely cited by corporations, as a way to shore up their reputation.

The Index’s Category 4, notes Cusimano, “is about philanthropic work or advertising in LGBT media.” This allows corporations “to donate to an event, and that checks that box for them. We want HRC to make it a stand-alone category, where you have to advertise in LGBT media.”

As this story was published, that advertising “get” remained as elusive as responses to our request for comment.

A call to Apple’s Media Helpline yielded a swift response from its representative, Fred Sainz, with this reporter honoring his request to submit questions. Despite several follow-up email exchanges, Apple did not respond to our inquiries.

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Trans Brazilians ‘afraid for our lives’

Cuban police detain LGBT activist in Havana

From left: BRUNA BENEVIDES of Associação Nacional dos Travestis e Transsexuais (ANTRA) and ALESSANDRA RAMOS, co-founder of Forum Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais Negras e Negros (FONATRANS), speak about transgender issues in Brazil at an International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights panel in D.C. on Sept. 13.

Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers

Two transgender activists from Brazil who spoke in D.C. last week said their country has become even more dangerous for trans Brazilians since antiLGBTI President Jair Bolsonaro took office.

The International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights hosted Alessandra Ramos, co-founder of Forum Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais Negras e Negros (FONATRANS), and Bruna Benevides of Associação Nacional dos Travestis e Transsexuais (ANTRA) on Sept. 13.

Benevides highlighted a report her organization released with the Instituto Brasileiro Trans de Educação (IBTE) released that notes 163 trans people were reported murdered in Brazil in 2018. This figure represents 47 percent of all reported murders of trans people in the world.

Benevides said a trans person is killed in Brazil every 48 hours. The ANTRA and IBTE report notes 83 percent of these murders had “characteristics of extreme cruelty, such as excessive use of dismemberment, drowning and other brutal forms of violence” that include stonings and beheadings.

“We see news of severely mutilated bodies with objects introduced into the anus of the victims and bodies burned, dismembered and repeatedly beaten,” reads the report.

The report notes police arrested suspects in only 9 percent of these cases.

It also indicates 82 percent of the trans people who were reported killed in Brazil in 2018 were of African descent.

“Black transvestis and transsexuals are the majority in street population,” reads the report.

“Proportionately, these are the ones with the highest rates of violence and murder.”

The report also notes the average life expectancy of a trans Brazilian is 35 years.

It does not specifically mention Bolsonaro, but Benevides and Ramos both said the country has grown more dangerous for trans Brazilians since he took office in 2018.

“We are afraid for our lives,” said Ramos.

Bolsonaro is a former Brazilian Army captain who previously represented Rio de Janeiro in the country’s Congress. Bolsonaro, who defeated former São Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party in the country’s 2017 presidential election, continues to face widespread criticism over his rhetoric against LGBTI Brazilians and other underrepresented groups.

Ramos said Bolsonaro had a list of the names of LGBTI activists that “he thought were against family and pro-destruction of Brazil” on his office door when he was a member of the Brazilian congress.

“He had photographs of us and he kept a list of all of us,” noted Ramos.

“We believe that list still exists of course and we’re still on there as part of this list of people who are not welcome as part of his agenda,” she added.

Bolsonaro in March spoke about his government’s “respect of traditional family values” and opposition to “gender identity” when he appeared with President Trump at a press conference in the White House Rose Garden. Bolsonaro during his trip to D.C. also met Pat Robertson and other evangelical Christians.

Julia Katharine, a trans actress and director, is among those who publicly criticized Bolsonaro last month for his decision to suspend public funding of LGBTI-specific television projects and films.

The ANTRA and IBTE report, among other things, notes 56 percent of Brazilians did not finish elementary school. Ramos said discrimination based on gender identity has increased in Brazil since Bolsonaro’s election, noting Uber drivers have kicked activists out of their vehicles because they are trans. “[Bolsonaro] really reached the men of Brazil: The cab drivers, the police officers, the firemen,” said Ramos. “All of those people voted Bolsonaro.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

LEANDRO RODRÍGUEZ GARCÍA Photo courtesy García

Cuban police on Monday detained an independent LGBTI activist in Havana.

Leandro Rodríguez García, director of the Cuban Foundation for LGBTI Rights, an independent advocacy group, told the Washington Blade in a series of voice messages that authorities detained him at around 11 a.m. after he and Ileana Hernández, a human rights activist and journalist, left the European Union’s offices in Havana’s Miramar neighborhood.

Rodríguez and Hernández had gone to the EU offices to speak with an official about Yunia Figueredo, another human rights activist who had been detained in Miramar earlier in the day.

“We were detained leaving that place,” Rodríguez told the Blade.

Rodríguez told Diario Las Américas, a Miami-based newspaper, he and Hernández were brought to a local police station.

Rodríguez told the Blade that officers used “offensive and inappropriate words against him” while he was in custody. Rodríguez said he was fined $50 and forced to return to his home in Villa Clara province after authorities released him and Hernández.

Federica Mogherini, the EU’s top diplomat, was in Cuba when police detained Rodríguez. His arrest comes less than a month after the Cuban government prevented him from traveling to the U.S. in order to participate in a months-long program at the Washington Center.

The Cuban government in recent months has detained numerous independent LGBTI activists, human rights advocates and journalists.

Police on May 11 arrested several people who participated in an unsanctioned LGBTI march in Havana. A number of independent LGBTI activists were detained on the same day in order to prevent them from attending the event.

Cuban police on Sept. 7 arrested dozens of people after they raided the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, a political party that opposes the ruling Cuban Communist Party, in the city of Santiago in eastern Cuba. Roberto Quiñones, a reporter for CubaNet, a Miami-based website that covers Cuba, this week began to serve a year-long jail sentence after authorities in April arrested him while covering a trial in the city of Guantánamo.

Yariel Valdés González, a Blade contributor, on March 27 asked for asylum in the U.S. based on the persecution he suffered in Cuba as a journalist. The Cuban government less than two months later prevented this reporter from entering the country.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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Cannabis Culture hemp were issued to 16,877 farmers and researchers, a 476 percent increase over 2018 [totals].”

Congress enacted legislation in December removing industrial hemp (defined as cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC) and products containing cannabinoids derived from hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act. However, the United States Department of Agriculture is still in the process of finalizing federal regulations to oversee the plant’s commercial production.

Currently, 46 states have redefined hemp as a crop distinct from cannabis, according to VoteHemp.

Oral THC reduces pain in geriatric patients: study

Utah lawmakers to revise medical cannabis access law SALT LAKE CITY — State lawmakers were scheduled to convene a special session this week to amend the state’s nascent medical cannabis access law.

Specifically, lawmakers are seeking to revise the law so that public health departments are no longer responsible for the overseeing of the distribution of medical cannabis products.

Instead, legislators are proposing that regulators license up to 12 privately owned dispensaries throughout the state.

“My administration is dedicated to ensuring that quality, medical grade cannabis products are accessible to patients

by March of 2020,” Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said in a statement. “Removing the requirement for a state central fill pharmacy will provide efficient and timely distribution of this substance for those who need it.”

Voters in 2018 approved Proposition 2, which legalized the use and dispensing of medical cannabis to qualified patients.

Shortly thereafter, lawmakers held a special legislative session where they voted to repeal and replace the initiative law with their own legislation. Specifically, lawmakers eliminated patients’ option to home cultivate cannabis, narrowed the list of qualifying conditions, and placed additional restrictions on the dispensing of cannabis products, among other changes.

Domestic hemp production soars in 2019 State regulators have licensed farmers and researchers to cultivate over 500,000 total acres of industrial hemp in the first half of 2019, according to data compiled by the organization VoteHemp.com.

“Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp cultivation in the US has grown rapidly,” the group summarized in a press release. “The number of acres of hemp licensed across 34 states totaled 511,442 in 2019 – more than quadruple the number of acres licensed from the previous year. State licenses to cultivate H E A LT H • S E PT E MBER 20, 2019 • WA SHINGTON BL A DE . COM • 23

POTSDAM, Germany — The administration of oral THC (dronabinol) safely and effectively reduces pain in geriatric patients, according to clinical trial data published in the German journal Schmerz.

A team of German researchers assessed the use of dronabinol in elderly (over 80 years of age) subjects with chronic pain. Oral THC administration was associated with a pain reduction of 30 percent or greater in over half of the patients. Ten percent of subjects experienced a greater than 50 percent reduction in their pain.

Authors concluded: “This study is one of the few analyses of the use of dronabinol in geriatric patients. We show that cannabisbased drugs (in this case dronabinol) are an effective, low-risk treatment option that should be considered early in therapy.”

Dronabinol has been FDA-approved in the United States since 1985 as an anti-emetic and as an appetite stimulant.

Cannabis derivative offers hope in fighting pancreatic cancer BOSTON — The administration of a cannabis-derived flavonoid enhances radiotherapy treatment in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer, according to findings published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology.

A team of researchers affiliated with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts assessed the anti-cancer activity of a nonpsychoactive cannabis derivative, FBL-03G, in preclinical models of metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Researchers reported that the inclusion of FBL-03G during radiotherapy “induce[d] apoptosis and inhibit[ed] cancer cell concentration” in culture. In animal models, the compound “slowed tumor growth” and was associated with a “significant increase in mice survival.”

They concluded, “[T]he FBL-03G results reveal a new potential non-cannabinoid cannabis derivative with major potential for consideration in further investigations in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, where new therapy options are urgently needed.” Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest-to-treat forms of the disease, killing over 90 percent of sufferers within five years.

Preclinical studies identifying anti-cancer activity of cannabinoids date back to the mid-1970s. Far fewer studies exist assessing the therapeutic efficacy of cannabis-specific flavonoids, but recently some scientists have expressed interest in their anti-inflammatory potential.

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

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Gay men in cities across Europe are experiencing a surge in HIV rates due in part to chemsex parties, a new study says.

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Drugs, gay sex and HIV up in Euro cities

LONDON — HIV rates among gay men in various European cities are up along with a surge in “chemsex” parties, and the PrEP advent hasn’t stopped escalating numbers, Reuters Health reports, citing anecdotal evidence from intervention specialists and a 2018 study from Spain.

Despite much higher risks of contracting the virus that causes AIDS, as well as other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), users search hook-up apps like Grindr for tags such as “high and horny” or “party and play” (the more common U.S. term) to find appointment@citydentaldc.com others wanting drug-heightened and often anonymous and unprotected sex, Reuters A D V E R T I Health S I N Greports.

PROOF ISSUE DATE: 10.26.12 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS (bpitts@washblade.com) The result, AIDS experts say, is that in cities across Europe, HIV is spreading REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of rapidly among men who have sex with the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts NS omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is men, leading to concentrated epidemics responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users GN 1221 Massachusetts NW that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or can link through the advertisement.Ave., Advertiser represents EVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any in hard-to-reach groups. copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair /LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, 703 D St., NW Ignacio Labayen de Inza, a chemsex or any other right of any person or entity.

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955 L’Enfant and warranties. Plz., SW PR #325 and online as a counselor for men seeking help, says “things have got much worse.”

“People are not scared anymore of HIV,” he told Reuters. “Many people I see say they think, ‘It’s only a matter of time anyway, so I might as well have some fun.’”

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Isolation takes toll on rural LGB teachers LONDON — More than half of LGB teachers in rural schools in the U.K. (64 percent) have sought treatment for depressions and anxiety linked to feeling the need to stay closeted vs. 11 percent in cities and 14 percent in towns according to a new study reported on by The Conversation.

Also, 46 percent of rural gay teachers have been absent from work vs. 5 percent in towns and cities. The study was executed by Catherine Lee, deputy dean for education at Anglia Ruskin University.

The research found that more than 40 percent of teachers in village schools thought that their sexual or gender identity had been a barrier to their promotion compared with an average of 15 percent of teachers in towns or cities. A third of teachers in village schools had left a role because of homophobia compared with 17 percent of teachers in schools in towns or cities, The Conversation reports.

In addition, 31 percent of teachers in rural schools reported hearing homophobic language every day, compared with only 2 percent of urban teachers.

Almost a third of LGB teachers in village schools said that they were not able to be themselves in the school staffroom and kept their personal lives a secret from their colleagues. In towns and cities, 98 percent of LGB teachers were out to at least some school staff but not to pupils and their parents, The Conversation reports.

24 • WA S HI NGTON BLAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 0 , 2 0 1 9 • H EALT H N EWS

Strap on your lederhosen and join Jackie O for DC’s first official Oktoberfest on September 21 at Dacha’s brand new Navy Yard beer garden at 79 Potomac Avenue SE. We’ll have live music, costumes, and a transformed outdoor space that’ll bring Germany to DC. Plus, enjoy a Fest Beer from the oldest brewery in the world - Weihenstephan.

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VI E WPO I NT • S E PTEMBER 20, 2019 • WA SHIN GTONB L A DE . COM • 27

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

is a writer and activist. Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

Something worth more than winning To deserve victory, live our values One of the LGBT refugees in Kenya whom I have helped in the past few years is a Ugandan named Musa. Last Wednesday, after years of waiting and suffering, he was scheduled for resettlement, with a long flight from Nairobi to Frankfurt and then to his new home in Iceland. My last bit of help was sending him money to get to the airport.

Displaced people from Africa to the Middle East to Central America are seeking new homelands in which they can work to fulfill their dreams.

Many African politicians, including in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, blame homosexuality and transgender identity on colonialism, when in fact what the colonial powers introduced was intolerance.

Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who declared gay people “lower than pigs and dogs,” finally died recently at age 95 in a hospital in Singapore.

In Britain, one of the sentiments stoked

by Brexit supporters, including members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet, was hostility toward migrants from countries Britain spent centuries plundering.

The “Mother of Parliaments” ended its legislative session in rancor. The so-called prorogation was orchestrated by Johnson, who, with Her Majesty’s pro forma approval, cut short the session to facilitate his crashout from the European Union.

England is far from alone in its antiimmigrant recrudescence. America has long been enriched by immigrants whose progeny too often forget their heritage and withdraw the welcome mat. Acting USCIS director Ken Cuccinelli asserts that “The New Colossus,” the Emma Lazarus poem engraved on Lady Liberty’s pedestal in New York Harbor that includes “Give me your tired, your poor,” was meant to welcome only Europeans. Trump’s regime continues to betray American principles.

Unmoved by others’ suffering, Trump last week suggested Bahamian refugees from Hurricane Dorian were members of gangs. When he referred to “some very bad people,” Trump did not appear to include the white thugs he has encouraged to beat up protesters at his rallies.

We may be able to find a more politically palatable descriptor of Trump’s racism than racism, but let’s be clear: the

truth will be spoken come what may. Those facing ICE raids, biased policing, and a spike in hate crimes cannot be expected to endure it quietly. We must deal with this in one way or another.

A recent Times headline said: “Salvadorans, Washington’s Builders, Face Expulsion under Trump.” As a friend wrote on Facebook, “Most people have no idea the level of contributions these communities have made.” Indeed, they embody the American dream, which remains true regardless of Trump. If we want to protect our country, perhaps we should deport Stephen Miller.

Like Brexiteers, America’s white nationalists seek to erase the history of colonialism and claim exclusive rights for themselves. Sorry, but the legacy of the past is all around us, and the asserted racial exclusivity contradicts America’s founding texts. That contradiction has driven struggles for justice for 243 years.

Values must be lived. At last week’s Democratic presidential debate, Pete Buttigieg spoke of the risk he took as an elected official by coming out as gay during Mike Pence’s governorship. He did not want to go through life without knowing what it was like to be in love. So he trusted the voters, who reciprocated by re-electing him with 80 percent of the vote. “[P]art of how you can win and deserve to win,” he said, “is to know what’s worth more to you than winning. And I think that’s what we need in the presidency right now. We have to know what we are about.”

That is the most mature, powerful truth I have heard from a candidate this cycle.

Some say Buttigieg is finished and his strong fundraising is just a money pit. Why not wait for actual voters to weigh in?

The morning after the debate, Musa called me from Iceland via WhatsApp. He was giddy with happiness. He told of the warm welcome he and the others being resettled had received, their spacious house, his large bed and wardrobe. And he told of a wondrous thing he had never previously seen: before the plane landed, the pilot told them to look out the rightside windows to see the Northern Lights.

Copyright © 2019 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.

28 • WA S HI N GTON B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 0 , 2 0 1 9 • V IEWP O IN T

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

No, Biden didn’t ‘shine’ in debate But several of his rivals did Contrary to the Washington Post’s initial headline “Joe Biden Shines” in the third debate on Dan Balz’s column, he did not shine. In fact the Post changed the headline to “For most of the night, Biden weathers a volley of attacks” a more accurate description.

Biden was better in the third debate but then we may be setting the bar low for what we consider doing well. He had a good opening and generally seemed to know his topics giving clearer answers. He was then aided by getting some sympathy for much of the rest of the debate after Julian Castro’s attack on him which wasn’t an attack on his policies but rather a personal attack aimed at his age.

As Balz wrote “There were moments he would want to take back. Pressed by one of the moderators, Jorge Ramos, to declare whether he had made a mistake in supporting the deportation policies carried out during the presidency of Barack Obama, Biden paused, seemingly uncomfortably, and then said, “I’m the vice president of the United States.”

“That drew a rebuke from Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and housing secretary in the Obama administration. He challenged Biden, claiming the former vice president seemed happy to take credit for good things under Obama but walked away from the bad things.” That was a policy attack and was more legitimate.

Many people were OK with Biden’s performance but were amazed at his response, or lack of response, to the question put to him by ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis. She asked Biden, “Mr. Vice President, I want to come to you and talk to you about inequality in schools and race. In a conversation about how to deal with segregation in schools back in 1975, you told a reporter, “I don’t feel responsible for the sins of my father and grandfather, I feel responsible for what the situation is today, for the sins of my own generation, and I’ll be damned if I feel responsible to pay for what happened 300 years ago.” You said that some 40 years ago. But as you stand here tonight, what responsibility do you think that Americans need to take to repair the legacy of slavery in our country?” He didn’t answer what

he thinks now and went on to in essence blame African-American parents for their poor parenting skills suggesting that is the reason their children are doing poorly in school. The line that got attention was his calling on parents to use their ‘record player’ but it was his entire answer that was perplexing to say the least.

Joe Biden may well be the Democratic nominee, and I will support him 100 percent, but he didn’t shine in this debate.

The person who did shine was Beto O’Rourke. When asked by David Muir “Some on this stage have suggested a voluntary buyback for guns in this country.

You have gone further. You said, ‘Americans who own AR-15s and AK-47s will have to sell them to the government, all of them.’

You know the critics call this confiscation.

Beto responded “Hell yes we are going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” Now that may not be enough to get him back into contention for the nomination but for this one night he did shine. His responses on gun control and immigration were spot on, coherent and smart. His passion shone through. Cory Booker did a good job as did Amy Klobuchar and Kamala Harris was great and took the debate to Trump from her opening statement to her comments on healthcare. Mayor Pete while not answering the question he was asked made a statement that resonated with the LGBTQ+ community when he said, “I came back from the deployment and realized that you only get to live one life and I was not interested in not knowing what it was like to be in love any longer, so I just came out.” In that moment he shined.

We have a long way to go before we have a nominee and as Cory Booker reminded us again on Meet the Press last Sunday, in recent history no frontrunner at this time in the Democratic primary process has ever gone on to be elected president of the United States. Democrats tend to elect younger, vibrant candidates like Kennedy, Carter, Clinton and Obama. Now this may be a different time and many will say past situations aren’t comparable. They could be right. But then again it will be a long time till we find that out. There are nearly four and a half months until Democrats actually begin to vote in caucuses and primaries beginning with Iowa.

VI E WPO I NT • S E PTEMBER 20, 2019 • WA SHIN GTONB L A DE . COM • 29

Christmas comes early this year! Long an October staple, the Blade’s annual Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll awards gets bumped up to September this year as we’re keeping next month open for our 50th anniversary festivities (shameless plug: the Birthday Gala is Oct. 18; tickets at blade50th.com).

So we’re taking this week’s edition to celebrate who and what you think are the best Washington has to offer its LGBT residents.

For every perennial winner like Freddie’s Beach Bar, the 9:30 Club or Miss Pixie’s — which have all extended their dominance again this year — there are newer faces like Ricky Rose (Best Drag King), Donald Mitchell (D.C. Gay Flag Football) and Lexie Starre (Best Burlesque Dancer).

Some winners and runners-up flip-flop in succeeding years. Rayceen Pendarvis and Bishop Allyson Abrams have something like a volleyball game unfolding in these pages in the Best Clergy category. Time for a sermon-a-thon?

We’re also taking this edition to honor the Blade’s own Lou Chibbaro, Jr. a staple of the paper since the mid-‘70s and celebrating his 35th year as a full-time staff member this year. In a Blade “Best Of” first, we give an award to one of our own.

Chibbaro is the recipient of this year’s Local Hero Award, a title that has previously gone to Danica Roem, Gavin Grimm, Rev. Dean Snyder and more.

Thankfully here, nobody has to “sashay away.” That’s the beauty of gay Washington — we can enjoy Pitchers one night, JR.’s another. Check out Nellie’s Brunch one weekend and Hank’s Oyster Bar another. It’s all good.

About 3,500 nominations and 20,000 votes were cast in 99 categories for the 18th annual Best of Gay D.C. Awards. The Blade’s Stephen Rutgers coordinated the process. The photographers are credited throughout. This year’s contributing writers are Brian T. Carney, Patrick Folliard, Evan Caplan, Philip Van Slooten and Joey DiGuglielmo. Awards presented Sept. 19 at Dacha Navy Yard.

The Blade staff congratulates each of this year’s winners and finalists.

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HERO AWARD LOU CHIBBARO, JR. Longer than Johnny Carson was on “The Tonight Show,” longer than “Gunsmoke,” longer than Barbara Walters on “20/20” or Ted Koppel on “Nightline,” Lou Chibbaro, Jr.’s full-time run at the Washington Blade is not only a record (so far as we’re aware) in LGBT media, it exceeds the runs of many classic long-running shows or media personalities.

Starting as a freelancer in 1976 and full-time in 1984 (the same year Alex Trebek started hosting “Jeopardy”), Chibbaro is not only an LGBT icon and institution, he’s a stalwart reporter still out there pounding the D.C. pavement with shoe-leather reporting of the highest kind. For these decades of selfless service, he’s the recipient of a Blade “Best of Gay D.C.” first — on the occasion of the paper’s 50th anniversary, Chibbaro gets this year’s Hero Award, an accolade previously won

by Danica Roem, Gavin Grimm, Rev. Dean Snyder and others.

Chibbaro moved to Washington in 1972, came out in 1975 and was alerted to the existence of the Blade (which had started just after Stonewall in 1969) by a gay counselor he knew in New York.

Working as a reporter for a newsletter in energy and environmental issues, Chibbaro wandered into the Blade office, then on 19th St., on the second floor in the same building as the Lambda Rising gay book shop, and introduced himself to the editor, the late Joseph Crislip. He was soon contributing to the paper. He’d been contributing to a gay radio show broadcast out of Georgetown University but its plug had been pulled and Chibbaro was looking for another LGBT outlet.

Chibbaro remembers an informal office.

The paper was released monthly at the time. One of his early scoops (from tipster Paul Kuntzler) was about a plan — eventually abandoned — to have a gay presidential candidate speak at the Democratic National Convention in ’76. Initially, Chibbaro wrote under a pseudonym (Lou Romano), fearful his Blade work might inhibit his employability down the road. It was a common practice as Crislip, too, had a fake byline. By the late ‘70s, Chibbaro was writing under his legal name.

Through many editors, location changes, buyouts and more, Chibbaro has remained. He attributes his longevity to a passion for the subject matter.

“I came to Washington as a political junkie and when you’re interested in politics, Washington is the place to be,” Chibbaro says. “And as a gay person and

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Washington Blade Photo By Michael Key

someone who slowly got to know the community quite well, the types of stories we do are very interesting to me. They have significance and can have an impact.”

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia recognized Chibbaro’s local crime beat reporting by presenting him with its 1998 Justice

for Victims of Crime Award, citing his “outstanding service to crime victims and their families” through his news reporting.

Among his other life achievement awards are Community Pioneer from Rainbow History Project (2009), GLAA and GAYLAW Distinguished Service Awards (2010, 2013 respectively), Anita

Bonds Community Cornerstone Award (2016) and the Partnership Award from the CAEAR Coalition.

“I have for many years viewed my career at the Washington Blade as both a job as well as a community service,” Chibbaro said. “It is truly an honor to receive the Hero Award.” (JD)

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Best Dance Party AVALON SATURDAYS, Soundcheck 1420 K St., N.W. dougiemeyerpresents.com EDITOR’S PICK: SLEAZE, WONDERLAND BALLROOM Poised to celebrate its one-year anniversary in October, Avalon Saturdays at Soundcheck is a hit.

During lunch break from a day at jury duty, party promoter extraordinaire Dougie Meyer explains, “At Avalon, we’ve accomplished what we set out to do. We brought a community together and gave them another safe space in D.C. to have fun and be themselves. Those who wanted to come for a drag show and those who want to dance to circuit music into the wee hours get that too.”

Things are still being tweaked, a year into the proceedings.

“We’ve learned that to make Avalon great, we have to change something every week whether it’s the position of couches or discounted tickets or whatever.

Our dedication to making our customers happy has earned us regulars, week after week, and that tells you you’re doing something right.”

Nothing is on autopilot here.

“A lot of people think you open the door, and — boom — there’s a party,” he says. “No, we have a team of people busting their asses all week long to make it happen. But on Saturday, it’s a night of fun and a good time with a changing roster of drag queens and DJs.” And yet Avalon Saturdays isn’t resting on its laurels. Meyer says, “Our lineup through October is insane — our oneyear anniversary party is followed by a Halloween party. We’ve already booked an international DJ for January 2020. The party keeps going.” (PF)

BEST DANCE PARTY Avalon Saturdays Washington Blade Photo By Michael Key

Best Bartender JO MCDANIEL, A League of Her Own (at Pitchers) Jo’s second consecutive win!

2319 18th St., N.W. pitchersbardc.com BEST BARTENDER Jo McDaniel Washington Blade Photo By Michael Key

RUNNER-UP: MATTHEW STROTHER, GREEN LANTERN (A 2011 AND 2012 WINNER FOR HIS WORK AT SECRETS)

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Best Burlesque Dancer LEXIE STARRE D.C. Gurly Show dcgurlyshow.com RUNNER-UP: GIGI HOLLIDAY Sexy Lexie Starre got her start in burlesque with the D.C. Girly Show, the District’s longest-running queer burlesque troupe. She’ll be back onstage in December with the troupe’s Raise the Roof show, a fundraiser that will benefit local organizations.

In the meantime, she produces Pretty Boi Drag with her wife Pretty Rik E (who was the Blade’s Best Drag King last year).

They started the troupe in 2016 and have been selling out shows ever since. They focus on elevating the visibility of drag kings, especially drag kings of color, and present both large productions as well as Open Mic nights where both new and veteran kings can get stage time.

Lexie is also working on getting her new business up and running. Wingo Circle Birth Services (wingocircle.com) provides labor and postpartum doula services and inclusive childbirth education classes for queer parents and families.

Lexie’s been performing since 2011 and says that some of her favorite showbiz memories were performing “Proud Mary” with her wife as Ike and Tina Turner (fringe and all!) on the main stage at Capital Pride and auditioning for “America’s Got Talent” with the D.C. Gurly Show. (BTC)

BEST BURLESQUE DANCER Lexie Starre Photo Courtesy of Starre

Best Drag King RICKY ROSÉ RUNNER-UP: PRETTY RIK (A FLIP-FLOP OF LAST YEAR’S OUTCOME.)

BEST DRAG KING Ricky Rosé Photo Courtesy of Rosé

Multi-title holding drag king Ricky Rosé’s ethos is pretty simple: follow your dreams and all drag is valid.

Speaking via phone from a bus en route to a gig in Richmond, Va., Ricky explains their drag persona: “I’d say Ricky Rosé is like the name — brings glam to ghetto. Also, I’m your cool dad. I like to throw it back to my Latinx culture, lip-syncing mostly reggaeton and salsa. I’m a very proud Puerto Rican.”

Based in D.C., Ricky has been doing drag for two years. “Shortly after seeing my first drag king show, my heart wanted to jump out of my chest. I knew I’d found my calling and passion. I went home the same day and started practicing makeup.”

Offstage, Ricky’s chosen name is Yadiel. Ricky Rosé is a longtime nickname.

“I wanted to stick true to myself while discovering my true form through gender identity. I’m non-binary in daily life. I’ve questioned gender identity as a kid and came into my non-binary gender through drag. I feel at home most in drag.”

Ricky, who frequently performs in queer venues all over town and holds down a day job at Sephora on 14th Street, is grateful for the votes from Blade readers. “It means people are seeing my work and appreciating what I bring to the stage. My goal has been to discover who I am and share and celebrate that with folks.” (PF)

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Best Burger 2014 2016 2017 2018 2019 S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 37

Best Transgender Performer RILEY KNOXX RUNNER-UP: ANA LATOUR Riley Knoxx is the world’s number one Beyoncé impersonator. A heady job that’s taken her around the globe and afforded her a comfortable life. And while Knoxx performs with drag queens, she isn’t a drag queen. “Because I’m transgender, my performance style is very much what you’d get if you went to a Beyoncé concert. I try to make it as close to that as possible.”

Need proof? Check out her cameo in Taylor Swift’s star-studded “You Need to Calm Down” video alongside luminaries such as Adam Lambert, Adam Rippon, Billy Porter, Katy Perry, RuPaul and many more!

When Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” dropped in 2003, Knoxx took note. “People began to connect me with that song, and they started coming out to see me as her. My popularity grew with hers. So, naturally I thought there was something to this, and from that point on I only performed as Beyoncé.”

To remain on the top of the heap of a million Beyoncé impersonators takes work. As part of the job, D.C.-based Knoxx studies the star’s every move — how she walks, talks and holds the mic. She also dutifully mimics Beyoncé’s hair, wardrobe and makeup style. As a performer changes over the years, so must the impersonator.

“Part of my career’s longevity is that I’m willing to change. I’ve never gotten bored, and so neither does the audience. It’s very different from year to year. If you’re not changing, you’re not growing. And growth has always been my goal.”

Knoxx has always been a performer. She remembers being 5 years old, substituting a flashlight for a mic and pillowcase for long hair as she sang Whitney Houston songs around the house.

“My trans experience was hard in the beginning, but performing helped to make it better. Having people who loved me before I loved myself was a big thing for me. As a transgender person, it has kept me going in a world that isn’t always loving toward transgender people.” (PF)

BEST DRAG QUEEN Bombalicious Eklaver Photo Courtesy of Bombalicious Eklaver

Best Drag Queen BOMBALICIOUS EKLAVER The drag-alter ego of Ed Figueroa, famous for making space for other Asian drag queens in the region. Follow her at @ bombalicious.eklaver on Instagram.

RUNNER-UP: BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

Best Rehoboth Drag Queen BEST TRANGENDER PERFORMER Riley Knoxx Photo Courtesy Knoxx

MAGNOLIA APPLEBOTTOM The drag alter ego of Jeremy Bernstein hosts events all summer at the Blue Moon and other Rehoboth venues. Follow her at @mrsmagnolia on Instagram.

RUNNER-UP: REGINA COX

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S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 39

BEST DRAG SHOW Nellie’s Drag Brunch Washington Blade Photo By Vanesa Pham

Best Drag Show

Best Singer or Band

NELLIE’S DRAG BRUNCH Saturdays and Sundays 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

900 U St., N.W. nelliessportsbar.com

WICKED JEZABEL Also won this award in 2013, 2017 and 2018! Frankie & Betty held the title 20142016.

EDITOR’S CHOICE: PRETTY BOI DRAG (LAST YEAR’S WINNER)

EDITOR’S CHOICE: WHITE FORD BRONCO

Best Straight Bar

Best Karaoke

DACHA BEER GARDEN Fifth consecutive win in this category!

1600 7th St., N.W. 202-524-8790 dachadc.com

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Freddie’s was runner-up last year.

555 S. 23rd St. Arlington, Va. freddiesbeachbar.com

EDITOR’S CHOICE: PLAYERS CLUB

EDITOR’S CHOICE: UPROAR BEST BAND Wicked Jezabel Washington Blade Photo By Michael Key

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S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 41

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Best DJ Presented

by BYQueers KEENAN ORR His music has been called “a sharp mix of disco, electro, funk and classics of the ‘80s and ‘90s” with past residences at Cobalt, the Rock and Roll Hotel and more D.C. venues. Orr spins at Sleaze at Wonderland Ballroom (first Thursday of every month) and is starting a new Thursday event soon at Uproar. He also has residencies at Eighteenth Street Lounge and MARVIN. And yeah, he’s gay. Look for him on Facebook to follow his upcoming appearances. (JD) RUNNER-UP: DJ TWIN

Best Neighborhood Bar LARRY’S LOUNGE 1840 18th St., N.W. EDITOR’S CHOICE: JR.’S BEST ABSOLUT HAPPY HOUR Number Nine Washington Blade Photo By Hugh Clarke

Best ABSOLUT Happy Hour

BEST LIVE MUSIC 9:30 Club

Washington Blade Photo By Katherine Gaines

Best Bar Outside-the-District

NUMBER NINE A Blade “Best Of” ping-pong game — A repeat of the 2017 outcome after flipflopping last year!

1435 P St., N.W. numberninedc.com

FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Extending their record! — with this win and the Best Karaoke win, that makes 23 wins for this Best of Gay D.C. favorite. Freddie’s has won this award every year since 2002 in addition to several others. It’s a Best of Gay D.C. all-time record for a single category 555 S. 23rd St. Arlington, Va. freddiesbeachbar.com

EDITOR’S CHOICE: TRADE

EDITOR’S CHOICE: BALTIMORE EAGLE

Best Live Music

Best Outdoor Drinking

9:30 CLUB A perennial dominator — whopping 14th consecutive win in this category! Won every year since 2006 and also in 2002 and 2003, every year the category has been included!

815 V St., N.W. 930.com

DACHA NAVY YARD Dacha Beer Garden won last year!

79 Potomac Ave., S.E. dachanavyyard.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: RED BEAR BREWING CO.

EDITOR’S CHOICE: WOLF TRAP

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Best QueerFriendly Night Out Presented by BYQueers D.C. WEIRDO SHOW dcweirdoshow.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: GAY BASH The D.C. Weirdo Show, the monthly cult favorite for freaks, geeks and exposed butt cheeks, started in 2006 at the Palace of Wonders on H Street before settling into its current home at the Dew Drop Inn in Brookland. Since 2015, the show has been hosted by Dr. Torcher and her fabulously weird colleagues. She typically serves as host and also performs as a fire eater, sword swallower and comedian.

Her husband Mark is the tech weirdo; he does sounds lights and posters. Abraxas is the stage manager extraordinaire; as Dr. Torcher says, “she keeps the show flowing, manages props and sets the cast up for success.”

Dr. Torcher says, “The show is a supportive, creative stage for performers with tremendous talents in burlesque, clowning, comedy, performance art and sideshow. We’ve also had yo-yo stunts, pole dance, contortion, drag, dire flow arts and voguing.

“Our audiences know that they will see a polished, thoughtful, strange and entertaining show. We’re an intentional reflection of the stories and communities that make D.C. everything it is. We center performances by queer people and people of color.”

Their next show, called “Weirdos for Life!” is this weekend (Sept. 20). Dr. Torcher is always on the lookout for new talent. New performers are included in every monthly show and the annual “Happy New Weirdo” show is all “new-to-us” performers. There’s an application on the website. Dr. Torcher says the troupe is always looking for “those who perform amazing physical feats and who represent stories that don’t usually get told on stage.” (BTC)

BEST QUEER-FRIENDLY NIGHT OUT D.C. Weirdo Show Photo Courtesy D.C. Weirdo Show

Best Place for Guys Night Out Presented by BYQueers PITCHERS 2319 18th St., N.W. pitchersbardc.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS

Best Place for Girls Night Out Presented by BYQueers

BEST PLACE FOR GUYS NIGHT OUT Pitchers Washington Blade Photo By Wyatt Reid Westlund

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN (AT PITCHERS) Second consecutive win in this category!

2319 18th St., N.W. EDITOR’S CHOICE: LADIES TEA AT HANK’S OYSTER BAR

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ROBYN S. ZEIGER, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor

Thank you LGBTQ Community of DC, MD and VA for your support over the past 40 years!

301-445-7333 www.drrobynzeiger.com | drrobynzeiger@aol.com S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 45

BEST ROOFTOP VIEW VIDA U Street Penthouse Pool Photo Courtesy VIDA

Best Rehoboth Bar BLUE MOON Blue Moon was editor’s pick last year.

35 Baltimore Ave. Rehoboth Beach, Del. bluemoonrehoboth.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: THE PINES

Best Rehoboth Bartender JAMIE ROMANO, PURPLE PARROT Third win in this category! Won in 2011 and 2013; was runner-up 2016-2017 (fair warning — he’s straight).

Purple Parrot 134 Rehoboth Ave. Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Best Rooftop View VIDA U STREET PENTHOUSE POOL Second consecutive win!

1612 U St., N.W. penthousepoolclub.com/u-street EDITOR’S CHOICE: POV ROOFTOP LOUNGE

RUNNER-UP: SUTTON WARD, THE PINES

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BEST LOCALLY MADE PRODUCT Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. Photo Courtesy Mason Dixie

Best Locally Made Product

Best Ethnic Restaurant

MASON DIXIE BISCUIT CO. Approachable, affordable and portable Southern staples. Third consecutive win in this category.

2301 Bladensburg Rd., N.E. masondixiebiscuits.com

RASIKA 633 D St., N.W. & 1190 New Hampshire Ave., N.W. rasikarestaurant.com

EDITOR’S CHOICE: CAPITAL CITY MAMBO SAUCE

Best Bloody Mary

EDITOR’S CHOICE: TIGER FORK

HANK’S OYSTER BAR Various locations hanksoysterbar.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: LOGAN TAVERN (LAST YEAR’S WINNER)

Best Brunch LE DIPLOMATE Second consecutive win!

1601 14th St., N.W. lediplomatedc.com

BEST BLOODY MARY Hank’s Oyster Bar

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EDITOR’S CHOICE: FARMERS AND DISTILLERS

BEST NEW RESTAURANT St. Anselm Photo Courtesy St. Anselm

Best New Restaurant ST. ANSELM 1250 5th St., N.E. stanselmdc.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: LITTLE HAVANA Of the several Stephen Starr restaurants, St. Anselm shimmers bright.

Located by Union Market, this meatforward upscale-tavern-style restaurant is based on the Brooklyn locale of the same name. Executive Chef Marjorie MeekBradley helms St. Anselm, a storied and award-winning chef, and a veteran of Jose Andres and Mike Isabella restaurants.

Thick, hearty steaks livened by liberal helpings of herb butter are served in a vibrant atmosphere that’s part buttonup and part button-down makes this an unsurprising choice for a favorite meaty meal. Beyond slabs of meat, diners are agog at the impressive shellfish and nontraditional steakhouse items like flaky biscuits with ramekins of pimento cheese and crispy “BoBo” chicken dressed up (or down?) with mumbo sauce.

Chef Meek-Bradley, says that she and her staff “are so honored to be recognized by the (LGBT) community as Best New Restaurant. We are thrilled to be seen as a welcoming place to all of D.C.’s amazing diverse people.” (EC)

Best Food Festival or Event

Best Fast Casual Dining

TASTE OF D.C. “Largest culinary festival in the midAtlantic.” Runs Oct. 26-27. thetasteofdc.org

STONEY’S 1433 P St., N.W. stoneys-dc.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: CAVA (LAST YEAR’S WINNER)

EDITOR’S CHOICE: RAMW RESTAURANT WEEK

Best Local Brewery

Best Craft Cocktails

D.C. BRAU “Popular craft brewery offering free tours and tastings.” Fifth win in this category!

3178-B Bladensburg Rd., N.E. dcbrau.com

HANK’S COCKTAIL BAR Second consecutive win!

819 Upshur St., N.W. hankscocktailbar.com

EDITOR’S CHOICE: RED BEAR BREWING CO.

EDITOR’S CHOICE: COLUMBIA ROOM

Best Local Distillery REPUBLIC RESTORATIVES 1369 New York Ave., N.E. republicrestoratives.com BEST LOCAL BREWERY D.C. Brau Photo Courtesy D.C. Brau

EDITOR’S CHOICE: DISTRICT DISTILLING

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BEST BURGER Duke’s Grocery Photo Courtesy Duke’s

Best Burger

Best Caterer

DUKE’S GROCERY A flip-flop of last year’s outcome.

1513 17th St., N.W. dukesgrocery.com

ROCKLANDS BARBEQUE AND GRILLING COMPANY Washington, Alexandria and Arlington rocklands.com

EDITOR’S CHOICE: SHAKE SHACK

EDITOR’S CHOICE: OCCASIONS CATERERS

Best Chef JAMIE LEEDS, HANK’S OYSTER BAR Second consecutive win! Locations at The Wharf, Dupont Circle, Old Town Alexandria and Capitol Hill. hanksoysterbar.com RUNNER-UP: PATRICK O’CONNELL, INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON

Best Coffee Shop COMPASS COFFEE Fourth consecutive win!

1335 7th St., N.W. compasscoffee.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: LA COLOMBE

Best Special Occasion Restaurant

Best Juice/Fuel Bar BARRY’S BOOTCAMP Second consecutive win!

1345 19th St., N.W. barrysbootcamp.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: SMOOTHIE KING

BEST JUICE/FUEL BAR Barry’s Bootcamp Photo Courtesy Barry’s

FLORIANA Last year’s runner up!

1602 17th St., N.W. florianarestaurant.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: ROSE’S LUXURY

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S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 51

TH IS W

EEK EN D!

Best Ice Cream/ Gelato JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS 1925 14th St., N.W. jenis.com/scoop-shops EDITOR’S CHOICE: ICE CREAM JUBILEE

BEST ICE CREAM/GELATO Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Photo Courtesy Jeni’s

D.C.’s hottest club, even in the throes of winter, is often this brightly lit scoop shop of national notoriety. Jeni founded the first of her chain’s premium, artisan-style, cult-fave ice cream shops in 2002, and opened the front-and-center 14th and U spot in 2017.

Jeni’s uses all-natural ingredients and sources from direct- and fair-trade suppliers for the highly Instagram-ready cups and cones. The super-creamy scoops layer fruit, nuts and other ingredients for unusual combos. Two top flavors may explain why the shop’s a winner: the brambleberry crisp, vanilla mixed with toasted pie topping and thick, sweet-tart jam; and the almond brittle, of brownbutter-almond candy crushed into buttercream ice cream. Yes, you can taste test them all. The vegan hot fudge topping doesn’t hurt. Be aware of the price point: a scoop is a cool $7.50.

When it opened, the shop’s team said, “We believe ice cream has the power to bring people together, so we’ve created the kind of space we’d love to gather with friends and strangers over a scoop of ice cream.” (EC)

Best Farmer’s Market FRESHFARM DUPONT CIRCLE MARKET Second consecutive win! Sundays 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. year round 1600 20th St., N.W. freshfarm.org/dupont-circle.html EDITOR’S CHOICE: EASTERN MARKET

Best Food Truck PERUVIAN BROTHERS peruvianbrothers.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: CAPTAIN COOKIE AND THE MILK MAN FOOD TRUCK

BEST FOOD TRUCK Peruvian Brothers Photo Courtesy Peruvian Brothers

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Best Pizza TIMBER PIZZA CO 809 Upshur St., N.W. timberpizza.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: COMET PING PONG When it comes to top District-beloved pizza, it’s going down: you’re yelling Timber.

The sizeable crispy-bottomed, blistered pies attract down-the-block lines in their hot Petworth digs.

Owners Andrew Dana and Chris Brady, both from the D.C. area, started Timber when they realized that, “we hated our jobs ... but we loved lunch,” they wrote.

Dana and Brady founded their current brick-and-mortar shop in 2016 in Petworth after wowing crowds at farmers’ markets from its food truck starting two years prior.

To helm the pizzeria, they brought on Chef Dani Moreira, who brings a distinct South American panache to her creative pies that are just traditional enough to be called “Neopolitan-ish.”

At the popping shop, diners share communal tables and lots of napkins over stylishly titled pies coming out fast and hot from the wood-fired oven. Cheekily named pies include The Bentley, with chorizo, sopressata, Peruvian sweet peppers, and locally made spicy honey.

White and green pizzas, just as popular as red-sauced pies, add pops of Italianate color, and Chef Moreira brings out killer not-to-be-missed Argentine empanadas stuffed with saucy braised beef and sofrito.

“As a D.C. native the best thing in the world is being voted Best Pizza by the people of D.C.! We’re always proud to be a friend of the LGBTQ community,” says Dana, not only co-owner, but also selftitled “chief dough boi.”

Comet Ping Pong, the restaurant made infamous for “Pizzagate” in the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign, was a two-time repeat winner in 2017-18. (EC)

BEST REHOBOTH RESTAURANT Azzurro Italian Oven + Bar Photo Courtesy Azzurro

Best Rehoboth Restaurant AZZURRO ITALIAN OVEN + BAR 210 2nd St., Rehoboth Beach, Del. azzurrorehoboth.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: BLUE MOON (LAST YEAR’S WINNER) This new Italian restaurant features an irresistible menu of signature dishes like carpaccio di bresaola, a mozzarella bar, and a stunning frutti di mare overflowing with clams, mussels, lobster and more.

All pastas are homemade in house. Chef/ owner Francesco is a first-generation Italian who grew up in the restaurant business. His wife and co-owner Tonya makes everyone feel welcome and often brings limoncello with the check. The rooftop bar is one of the town’s too-few spots for outdoor dining and drinks. A new, must-visit dining destination in Rehoboth Beach.

Best Local Winery CITY WINERY Second year for both winner and editor’s choice!

1350 Okie St., N.E. citywinery.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: DISTRICT WINERY

BEST PIZZA Timber Pizza Co. Photo Courtesy Timber Pizza Co.

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A night celebrating LGBTQ journalism Washington Blade 50th Anniversary Gala

FRIDAY, OCT. 18 Intercontinental Hotel - Wharf

• Dinner • Open Bar • Guest Speakers • Performance by Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon

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Best Local Website DCIST dcist.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: POPVILLE (LAST YEAR’S CHAMP)

Best Local Influencer TIMUR TUGBERK, @TIMURDC Timur was last year’s runner-up. See this week’s Queery for more.

RUNNER-UP: MAGGIE MCGILL, @MAGGIEMCGILL

Best Radio Station HOT 99.5 Second consecutive win!

EDITOR’S CHOICE: THE TOMMY SHOW

Best Local TV/Radio Personality ARI SHAPIRO, NPR RUNNER-UP: CHUCK BELL, NBC 4 (2015, 2016 AND 2018 RUNNER-UP; 2014 WINNER) You can hear Ari Shapiro’s velvet voice every weekday afternoon on NPR’s “All Things Considered” (broadcast locally on WAMU 88.5 FM). He’s been co-hosting the show since 2015.

According to his bio on the NPR website, during his tenure at NPR he’s reported from above the Arctic Circle and aboard Air Force One and has filed stories from dozens of countries and most of the 50 states.

The out journalist began his reporting career as an intern for NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg in 2001.

Since then he served as NPR’s Justice Correspondent in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks, was embedded with the Mitt Romney presidential campaign, spent four years as White House Correspondent during President Obama’s first and second terms and spent two years as the network’s London correspondent before assuming his present position.

Shapiro has been widely recognized for the excellence of his reporting. At 25, he won the Daniel Schott Journalism Prize for his investigation into methamphetamine use and HIV transmission. He’s also been recognized for his coverage of disability benefits for injured American veterans, the American judicial system and Hurricane Katrina and has been included in the “Out 100” and the Advocate’s “Forty Under 40.”

The intrepid reporter has been out since high school where he wore a pink triangle on his knapsack. He married his longtime boyfriend Michal Gottlieb at San Francisco City Hall in February 2004.

When time allows, Shapiro also sings with the band Pink Martini. He can be heard on four of their albums singing in several languages. (BTC)

BEST LOCAL TV/RADIO PERSONALITY Ari Shapiro Photo by COD Newsroom / Courtesy Wikimedia

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BEST BUSINESS PERSON David Winer Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

Best Businessperson

BEST ARTIST John Jack Photography

Photo by John Jack Photography / Used with permission

Best Amateur Athlete DONALD MITCHELL D.C. Gay Flag Football dcgffl.org RUNNER-UP: SHARIFA LOVE (D.C. FURIES, ROGUE DARTS) D.C. Generals captain and wide receiver, Donald Mitchell, led his team to victory in Gay Bowl XVII and was quick to spread the love.

“Everybody on our team made some play that was memorable,” the Nashville native told the Washington Post after the win. “There wasn’t one or two or three standouts. Everyone put in.”

Whether this Southern generosity was a part of his charm or his nature, it was appreciated by his community who named Mitchell best amateur athlete for 2019.

“I’ve been on several teams,” Mitchell continued in the Post. “And I’ve never been more proud of a team that came together to fight for each other.”

Well, this award is one win he can claim for himself and still be proud. (PVS)

Best Artist JOHN JACK PHOTOGRAPHY RUNNER-UP: LISA MARIE THALHAMMER John Jack Gallagher has been taking photos since his first boyfriend gave him a 35-millimeter camera for his birthday more than 30 years ago. In 2012, he started shooting professionally after members of the Stonewall Kickball team he’d been photographing insisted he shoot their wedding. A flip-flop of last year’s outcome. John Jack Gallagher was also the 2016 and 2017 winner. johnjackphotography.pixieset.com

DAVID WINER EatWell D.C. RUNNER-UP: LISA WISE (NEST DC & ROOST DC) Being ‘woke’ is more than something trendy for local restaurateur David Winer — it’s something he feels in his heart.

“Everyday I try to reach out to people and help them grow,” he says with a humility that seems rare for businesspeople these days, even those who become president.

“And if I reach a couple of them, then that’s good. That’s the theme of our management company, to help others grow.”

For Winer, EatWell D.C. is about growing healthy communities, not just his bottom line.

“We are trying to do a better job of bringing local producers into the market,” he says of the work still ahead. “We’re trying to be environmentally neutral not only with our food, but with our beverages as well.

We’re looking forward to educating a new crop of chefs to be sustainable and natural.

That’s where we’re going.”

Winer is humbled by the award and felt being environmentally and socially conscious weren’t just good business practices, but about “trying to live a good life” as well. (PVS)

BEST CLERGY Bishop Allyson Abrams Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

Best Clergy BISHOP ALLYSON ABRAMS RUNNER-UP: RAYCEEN PENDARVIS Abrams regains the title after Rayceen won last year. They’re perpetual flipfloppers in this category. Abrams won in 2015 and 2017. Pendarvis won in 2016 and 2018 and was the 2017 runner-up.

Abrams was the 2016 runner-up.

Empowerment Liberation Cathedral Sundays at 1 p.m.

4900 10th St., N.E. (Faith UCC Chapel) empowermentliberationcathedral.org

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Walk to Westover & Metro! $1,195,000

5815 19th Street N.

Beautifully expanded 5 BR, 4 bath, brick Colonial on lovely garden lot backing to Parkhurst Park. This totally turnkey charmer with 2 level addition and garage offers 3,350 SF of space, a welcoming iced tea sippin’ front porch, inviting foyer entry, classic hardwoods, handy mud room, living room with fireplace, popular “open concept” island kitchen, breakfast area & great room configuration, a convenient main level BR with ensuite bath, vaulted owners retreat with lux spa bath and walk-in, and a fully finished LL complete with rec room and full bath. All just steps from the park, bike trail, less than 1/2 mile to Westover Village and just over 1/2 mile to EFC Metro.

Small changes make a big difference for your wallet and the planet. Swap out your light bulbs for cost-effective, long-lasting ENERGY STAR® LEDs and you won’t get caught in the dark.

Visit maketheswitchdc.com to find discounted bulbs near you.

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OPEN SUNDAY 1 - 4PM JUST LISTED!

DAVID LLOYD

4701 Old Dominion Drive • Arlington, VA 22207

703-593-3204 • WWW.DAVELLOYD.NET

Two of The Best at the Beach!

17299 Merlin Lane, Hawkseye, Lewes MLS: DESU142834 | Offered at $1,295,000

Your own private oasis in a premier beach community granting nearly 5,000 square feet of luxury and a one-of-a-kind backyard retreat with a glistening pool!

36 Shipcarpenter Square, Lewes MLS Number: DESU147556 | Offered at $1,200,000

Remarkably renovated farmhouse in the sought-after in-town Lewes enclave Shipcarpenter Square is an exemplary study in the fusion of historic preservation and modern luxury!

16698 Ki ngs Hi ghwa y S t e . A , L e w e s , D E 19958 • ( 3 02) 645- 6 6 6 4 • L e e A n n Gr o u p . c o m

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Thank you for Voting Us Best Rehoboth Beach Real Estate Agent!

1 6 6 9 8 Ki n g s Hig h wa y S t e. A, Lew es, DE 1 9 9 5 8 • ( 302) 645-6664 • LeeAnnGroup.com

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Most Committed Activist CHARLOTTE CLYMER The trans activist reached a settlement earlier this year with the Cuba Libre Restaurant after a manager forced her to leave after she used the women’s restroom in 2018.

RUNNER-UP: JUNE CRENSHAW

Best D.C. Public Official MAYOR MURIEL BOWSER Second consecutive win for the mayor!

RUNNER-UP: DAVID GROSSO

BEST HILL STAFFER/LGBT BUREAUCRAT Alec Buckley Photo Courtesy Buckley

Best Hill Staffer/ LGBT Bureaucrat ALEC BUCKLEY @AlecBuckley6 U.S. Senate legislative staffer RUNNER-UP: JACOB TRAUBERMAN Even though Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, (D-N.D.) lost her 2018 re-election bid, her former legislative aide is still hard at work campaigning for causes on the Hill.

“Our household believes we can do more to #EndGunViolence,” best Hill staffer Alec Buckley tweeted on June 7 above images of himself and his partner in matching Wear Orange T-shirts. “That’s why we #WearingOrange @Everytown @ MomsDemand.”

With 47 Tweets, 45 followers and 643 likes, Buckley may not be in Trump territory on numbers, but he still uses his social media presence to inform the public on social issues. (PVS)

MOST COMMITTED ACTIVIST Charlotte Clymer Photo Courtesy Clymer

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EMPOWERMENT LIBERATION CATHEDRAL

2019 Blade's Best Gay Pastor

Bishop Allyson Abrams ELC is a church for ALL people 1ST SUNDAYS AT 8:30A & 1P 2-5TH SUNDAYS 1PM WEDNESDAYS 7P Be sure to visit our EJC Wellness Center (Mental Health Services for LGBT) 7530 Georgia Ave NW, DC 1254 Pleasant St SE, DC

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"God is Maximizing Us" Worship with us Sundays in our new location at 1pm 4900 10th St NE, DC (Chapel) www.empowermentliberationcathedral.org

Best Local Pro Athlete ELENA DELLE DONNE, WASHINGTON MYSTICS Donne’s second consecutive win!

RUNNER-UP: SEAN DOOLITTLE, WASHINGTON NATIONALS

BEST LOCAL PRO ATHLETE Elena Delle Donne Photo by Susan Lesch / Courtesy Wikimedia

Best Local Pro Sports Team WASHINGTON CAPITALS EDITOR’S CHOICE: WASHINGTON NATIONALS Same outcome as last year.

Elena Delle Donne keeps extending her accomplishments. This year, she joined the elite 50-40-90 club (NBA and WNBA players who have shooting percentages at or above 50 percent for field goals, 40 percent for three-pointers and 90 percent for free throws during an entire regular season), becoming the first-ever WNBA player to do so.

That puts Delle Donne alongside Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers including Steve Nash, Reggie Miller and Larry Bird. She was also named 2019 Associated Press WNBA player of the year and topped the league’s most popular jersey list for the third consecutive season.

In addition to her success on the basketball court (as the “small forward” for the Chicago Sky and the Washington Mystics she was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 and the WNBA MVP in 2015 and is a five-time WNBA All-Star), Delle Donne (who’s out as a lesbian) is an award-winning author.

Her memoir “My Shot: Balancing It All and Standing Tall” recently won a Parents’ Choice Award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation. Aimed at middle school readers, the book is an amazingly frank but age-appropriate discussion of both her career highlights and her personal challenges, including her decision to come out.

Last year, she also launched the “Hoops” series of novels for young readers (ages 8-12). “Elle of the Ball” introduces Elle Deluca, who closely resembles Delle Donne herself.

Elle’s height is an asset on the basketball court but a liability in her ballroom dancing class where she towers over her male dance partners. The series continues with “Full Court Press” and “Out of Bounds.”

Like her fictional counterpart, Delle Donne is very tall and had an early growth spurt.

She’s 6’5” and wears a size 12 shoe. She gets her height from her parents. Her dad, a real estate developer, is 6’6” and her mom is 6’2.”

She also gets her feisty spirit and determination from them. When Delle Donne was in elementary school, her doctor wanted to start her on injections to stunt her growth. Her mother refused, and, according to an interview with ESPN, she told her daughter, “Why try to be like the rest of the pack? Be your own person.”

The young athlete also had to come to terms with the fact that she could do things that her beloved older sister Lizzie would never be able to do. Lizzie, with whom Delle Donne remains close, was born deaf and blind, with both cerebral palsy and autism, and is unable to speak.

Born in Wilmington, Del., in 1989, Delle Donne rose to national prominence as a high school basketball star at Ursuline Academy. She led her team to three straight Delaware State Championships and was ranked as the number one recruit by Scout.com.

Delle Donne was recruited by the University of Connecticut but ended up playing for the Blue Hens at the University of Delaware. In 2010, she was named both “Player of the Year” and “Rookie of the Year” by the Colonial Athletic Association. Although she was diagnosed with Lyme disease during her sophomore year, she continued to excel as a college athlete and was selected second overall in the 2014 WBNA Draft by the Chicago Sky. She joined the Washington Mystics in 2017.

In 2016, Delle Donne won a gold medal as a member of the Unites States women’s basketball team at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Delle Donne officially came out in an interview with Vogue magazine in August 2016 where she announced her engagement to girlfriend Amanda Clifton. The couple was married in 2017.

The award-winning out athlete, who has signed endorsement deals with Nike, DuPont and Octagon, is also a noted philanthropist. She founded the Elena Delle Donne Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for Lyme Disease research and special needs programs and is also a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics. (BTC)

BEST FITNESS INSTRUCTOR Mark Raimondo Photo Courtesy Barry’s Bootcamp

Best Fitness Instructor MARK RAIMONDO Barry’s Bootcamp 1345 19th St., N.W. barrysbootcamp.com RUNNER-UP: JAMES CRAWFORD [SOLID CORE] When best fitness instructor winner, Mark Raimondo of Barry’s Bootcamp, first heard Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down,” he knew he had to use it in his class.

“I was like this is awesome,” he says.

“It will make people feel safe, warm and invited to my classes.”

Raimondo teaches large classes of 50 or more, two to three sessions a day, but he’s still made personal connections and a few good friends in two short years.

While students’ achievements inspire him, dance music motivates him.

“At the end of the day, it’s fitness and it’s supposed to be fun,” Raimondo says. “So, I might throw some old Britney (Spears) in there to get people jazzed up.” (PVS)

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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

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Best Real Estate Agent MICHAEL MOORE, COMPASS michaelmoorehomesdc.com RUNNER-UP: STACEY WILLIAMS-ZEIGER, ZEIGER REALTY INC. Michael Moore was a little frustrated working in retail clothing when a friend suggested he’d be terrific in real estate.

Initially hesitant, Moore met with a savvy Realtor who encouraged him to give it a shot. With not a lot to lose, he took the classes, passed the test, and went to work for a boutique company broker in 1988.

He’s been at it ever since.

Today as a successful Realtor and senior vice president at Compass Real Estate, Moore credits his success to consistent customer service. “My career began with first-time homebuyers. In time, first-time buyers become sellers and they buy another house and they tell their friends. Now my business is almost entirely referrals and repeats.”

Moore’s specialty is marketing and getting homes ready for sale. “I’m a huge proponent of staging and doing what it takes to project the property in its best light,” he says. “I try to create a situation that when a prospective buyer walks in the door, they love it, and think to themselves ‘won’t my friends be jealous when they see me living here.’”

While he does have a fair amount of LGBT clients, Moore never directed business toward or away from any one group. “Essentially I’ve always thrown the net out and taken what I get,” he says. “I’ve weathered good markets and bad markets and everything in between. … Real estate is crazy, maddening, exciting. It’s been a love affair.” (PF)

Real Estate Group MARIN HAGEN & SYLVIA BERGSTROM, COLDWELL BANKER 1617 14th St., N.W. coldwellbankerhomes.com RUNNER-UP: THE EVAN+MARK TEAM, COMPASS (LAST YEAR’S WINNER)

Best Rehoboth Real Estate Agent LEE ANN WILKINSON, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY Second consecutive win!

16698 Kings Hwy A. Lewes, Del. leeanngroup.com BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT Michael Moore Photo Courtesy Moore

RUNNER-UP: HENRY MCKAY, JACK LINGO REALTOR

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Best Stylist Best Straight Ally

MICHAEL IAN HODGES Logan 14 Aveda Salon Spa 1314 B 14th St., N.W. logan14salonspa.com

KATHY DALBY runpacers.com

RUNNER UP: ROEL RUIZ (LAST YEAR’S WINNER)

RUNNER-UP: MARI RODELA In 2006, Kathy Dalby took a leap of faith.

She left a dream D.C. job as a health care policy analyst for a high-profile law firm and took a full-time job at Pacers Running.

She’s now CEO of the company, as well as the managing partner for Pacer Events, LLC, and publisher of RunWashington. The six stores serve as hubs for local runners and offer a full range of running gear along with training advice and a robust schedule of regular fun-runs and special race events.

Based on her belief in “authentic and community-focused relationship building,” Dalby has been a staunch LGBT ally. Pacers Running has been a supporter of Capital Pride and the D.C. Front Runners. In turn, the Front Runners made one of Dalby’s childhood dreams come true when they asked her to be a member of their Pride Parade dance troupe.

Dalby says, “I try to create a culture at Pacers where we celebrate others. I am proud to be an award winner, but it’ll be a real win when we don’t feel like we need to single out straight folks for being supportive of our LGBTQ friends because frankly that should be the norm.”

She has some excellent advice: “Acknowledge your privilege and acknowledge the beauty in differences,” she says. “It’ll make you a better person, I promise.” (BTC)

For top stylist and Logan 14 Aveda Salon Spa owner Michael Ian Hodges, the recipe for success is simple: skills, consistency and friendliness. Also, location doesn’t hurt. There are more gays per inch in Logan Circle than anywhere else in the country, he notes.

While adept at all types of styling, he’s best known for his men’s barber cuts.

“I can do 44 cuts a day on a busy day. I have an assistant, and I double book: two guys every hour on a 12-hour day.”

Hodges first caught the hair bug sitting on the counter of his mom’s salon in England watching her do hair. When the family moved to the U.S., he brought his passion with him. After apprenticing with to an accomplished London-trained stylist in Maclean, Va.,, he began his professional career. Thirty years later, he’s still at it.

At Logan 14, he maintains a large book of clients and helms a crew of 24 stylists. He’s grateful for his clients’ patronage. “They’re like family. I know their lives backwards and forwards. There’s a mutual support and caring. Relationships are important.”

Looking forward, Hodges, who lives with his husband on the D.C. line in Mount Rainier, Md., is expanding the size of Logan 14, and he’s considering opening a barbershop in the future. “I’m not getting any younger, (he turns 50 next year) but I see myself working and staying in the industry for a long time.” (PF)

BEST STRAIGHT ALLY Kathy Dalby Photo Courtesy Dalby

Best Transgender Advocate RUBY CORADO A new title for Ruby after three wins as “Most Committed Activist” and the Local Heroine award in 2014.

Casa Ruby 2822 Georgia Ave., N.W. casaruby.org RUNNER-UP: SARAH MCBRIDE

BEST TRANSGENDER ADVOCATE Ruby Corado Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

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BEST STYLIST Michael Ian Hodges Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

BEST ADULT STORE Bite the Fruit

Best Adult Store

Best Car Dealership

BITE THE FRUIT Fourth consecutive win in this category!

1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W. bitethefruit.com

BMW OF FAIRFAX Last year’s editor’s choice.

8427 Lee Highway, Fairfax, Va. bmwoffairfax.com

RUNNER-UP: LOTUS BLOOMS

EDITOR’S CHOICE: MASERATI OF ARLINGTON

Best Apartment/ Condo Building ATLANTIC PLUMBING Last year’s editor’s choice and the 20162017 winner.

2112 8th St., N.W. atlanticplumbingdc.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: CITY MARKET AT O

Best Art Gallery RENWICK GALLERY A repeat of last year’s outcome for both winner and editor’s choice.

1661 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. americanart.si.edu BEST ART GALLERY Renwick Gallery Photo by James Neal

EDITOR’S CHOICE: HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN

Best Doctor/ Medical Provider WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH A flip-flop of last year’s outcome. whitman-walker.org RUNNER-UP: DR. ROBYN ZEIGER

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Thank you for Voting Us Best Rehoboth Business!

Congratulations to our very own, Jamie Romano, Best Rehoboth Bartender!

YEAR ROUND FUN! THE BEST HAPPY HOUR, CRAB CAKES & PRIME RIB IN TOWN! OUR FAMOUS SUNDAY NIGHT BIRDCAGE BAD GIRLS AT 10PM

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Best Fitness or Workout Spot VIDA FITNESS A flip-flop of last year’s outcome.

Locations at U Street, Logan Circle and Gallery Place vidafitness.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: BARRY’S BOOTCAMP

ODUCING SOMETHING A LITTLE

FERENT THIS SEASON.

Best Gayborhood

s petite seats

DUPONT CIRCLE Shaw is dethroned after three consecutive wins! Logan was also the 2016 runner up.

BEST FITNESS OR WORKOUT SPOT VIDA Fitness Photo Courtesy VIDA

EDITOR’S CHOICE: LOGAN CIRCLE

Best Home Furnishings MITCHELL GOLD+BOB WILLIAMS Second consecutive win on the occasion of their 30th anniversary!

1526 14th St., N.W. mgbwhome.com RUNNER-UP: ROOM & BOARD

Best Hardware Store LOGAN ACE HARDWARE A perennial favorite in this category.

Third consecutive win!

1734 14th St., N.W. acehardwaredc.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: TRUE VALUE ON 17TH

Best Home Improvement Service CASE DESIGN “Full-service home remodelers building your dreams.” Third consecutive win!

Locations in Washington and Bethesda. casedesign.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: MAGNOLIA PLUMBING, HEATING & COOLING

BEST HOME FURNISHINGS Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Photo Courtesy Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

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3433 | TYSONS GALLERIA: 703.962.9310 | MGBWHOME.COM

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BEST LAWYER Amy Nelson Photo Courtesy Whitman Walker Health

Best Lawyer AMY NELSON WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH WHITMAN-WALKER.ORG RUNNER-UP: MICHELE ZAVOS (LAST YEAR’S WINNER) Since 2008, Amy Nelson has been director of legal services at WhitmanWalker Health. One of her milestone accomplishments was organizing the name and gender change legal clinic in 2012, which continues to serve hundreds of clients in updating their gender markers on identity documents annually.

Nelson is understandably proud about her work at the historic D.C. institution, saying, “Working at Whitman-Walker Health means being a part of history, part of a big messy family full of inspiration and passion, and is like no other job I could imagine. I am extremely excited about our expansion in Southeast and expanded services for youth.”

Nelson also underscores the importance of reaching out to D.C.’s diverse communities. “D.C.’s many (LGBT) and immigrant communities are fabulous and bold but need a little more love to stay healthy and safe as this country moves to erase them,” she says.

The fierce advocate acknowledges the role her family plays in sustaining her work. “I am so grateful to be sharing my life chaos with the one and only amazing June Crenshaw whose commitment to D.C.’s queer youth experiencing homelessness is limitless,” she says. “Her heart inspires me to do better, be kinder and be OK with being me.”

She also unwinds by hanging out with her nieces and nephew in Arlington.

“They are adorable rays of sunshine and happiness who ground me every weekend,” she says. But be careful if you ask to see pictures of them. Nelson warns, “I only have a few thousand photos of them on my phone.” (BTC)

BEST HOTEL The Line Photo Courtesy The Line

Best Hotel THE LINE 1770 Euclid St., N.W. thelinehotel.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: W HOTEL

BEST HOUSE OF WORSHIP Foundry United Methodist Church Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

Best House of Worship FOUNDRY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Foundry fights back! Dethrones Empowerment Liberation Cathedral, which had four consecutive wins (2015-2018). Foundry (church home to 17 U.S. presidents) held the title 2011-2014 was last year’s editor’s choice.

1500 16th St., N.W. foundryumc.org EDITOR’S CHOICE: ST THOMAS’ PARISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH

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Richard Wandel/The LGBT

Community Center Nation

al History Archive

Presented by

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Best LGBT Social Group GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON Their show “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” is Saturday night (5 and 8 p.m.) at City Winery. The chorus knocks off Stonewall Sports after two consecutive wins. gmcw.org.

EDITOR’S CHOICE: STONEWALL SPORTS BEST LGBT SOCIAL GROUP Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

Best LGBT Sports League STONEWALL KICKBALL Third consecutive win; 2016 runner-up. stonewallkickball.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: DC FRONTRUNNERS

Best LGBT-Owned Business BEST LGBT SPORTS LEAGUE Stonewall Kickball Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

DISTRICT TITLE A full-service provider of real estate settlements and title insurance.

1150 Connecticut Ave., N.W. districttitle.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: SOCIAL DRIVER

Most LGBT-Friendly Workplace WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH Third consecutive win.

1525 14th St., N.W. whitman-walker.org EDITOR’S CHOICE: NATIONAL LGBTQ TASK FORCE

BEST LGBT EVENT Capital Pride Celebration Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

Best LGBT Event CAPITAL PRIDE CELEBRATION Third consecutive win!

EDITOR’S CHOICE: CHERRY FUND WEEKEND

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Virtue Feed & Grain has everything you need to host

THE EVENT OF THE YEAR! Stunning, rustic-industrial event spaces...delicious menus...warm, welcoming hospitality.

Contact Events Manager, Amber Shelley, to book your celebration: amber@alexrestpart.com or (703) 863-6528 amber@virtuefeedgrain.com or (703) 863-6528

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REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof.

Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts SERVING THE LGBT COMMUNITY FOR ALMOST 20llc, YEARS. NOW DC, to MD & VA! breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties. omnimedia arising out of orIN related advertiser’s

REVISIONS REDESIGN TEXT REVISIONS IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS NO REVISIONS

827 Woodside Parkway • Silver Spring, MD 20910 p: 240.863.2441 • f: 240.491.9551 jfairfax@jenniferfairfax.com • www.jenniferfairfax

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*Three Blocks to the Potomac River and One Mile to Old Town Alexandria *All-Brick, Custom Design built by a former Virginia Congressman in 1982 *3 Bedrooms *3 Full Baths *3 Fireplaces *Captivating Circular Hardwood ADVERTISER SIGNATURE Staircase ascending to Master Suite features Silk Wall Panels Tiered By signing this proof you are agreeing to your and contract obligations with the washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, Chandelier *Striking Formal Living & Dining Rooms *Multiple Casual Areas payment and insertion schedule. including Sunroom & Den *Enormous Kitchen - room for expansion *Elegant Master Suite with Fireplace, Sitting Area, unique ceiling, Master Bath, Walk-in Closets & Private Balcony at Rear Elevation See More Photos and Floorplans at www.PartnersInRealEstate.com

Best Museum SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM F & 8th St., N.W. americanart.si.edu EDITOR’S CHOICE: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE

BEST MUSEUM Smithsonian American Art Museum Photo Courtesy SAAM

Best Non-Profit

SMYAL Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders. Second consecutive win!

410 7th St., S.E. smyal.org EDITOR’S CHOICE: LATINO GLBT HISTORY PROJECT

Best Private School BARRIE 13500 Layhill Rd. Silver Spring, Md. barrie.org EDITOR’S CHOICE: EDMUND BURKE (ALSO LAST YEAR’S EDITOR’S CHOICE)

Best Pet Business CITY DOGS DAYCARE 1832 18th St., N.W. 301 H St., N.E. city-dogs.com

BEST NON-PROFIT SMYAL Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

EDITOR’S CHOICE: DISTRICT DOGS

Best Place to Buy Second-Hand Stuff MISS PIXIE’S FURNISHINGS AND WHATNOT A perennial favorite in this category!

Same outcome for third consecutive year.

1626 14th St., N.W. misspixies.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: BUFFALO EXCHANGE (2016 RUNNER-UP)

BEST PLACE TO BUY SECOND-HAND STUFF Miss Pixie’s Furnishings and Whatnot Photo Courtesy Miss Pixie’s

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Best Alternative Transportation CAPITAL BIKE SHARE capitalbikeshare.com A flip-flop of last year’s outcome.

EDITOR’S CHOICE: LYFT

Best Movie Theater LANDMARK E STREET CINEMA New releases plus indie fare, foreign and avant garde. Third consecutive win.

807 V St., N.W. landmarktheatres.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: AMC LOEWS GEORGETOWN

Best Rehoboth Business BEST ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION Capital Bike Share Photo by Jeepers Media / Courtesy Wikimedia

PURPLE PARROT Second consecutive win!

134 Rehoboth Ave. Rehoboth Beach, Del. ppgrill.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: BLUE MOON

Best Salon/Spa LOGAN 14 AVEDA Fourth consecutive win!

1314 14th St., N.W. logan14salonspa.com EDITOR’S CHOICE: BANG SALON

Best Day Trip EASTON, MD. EDITOR’S CHOICE: HARPER’S FERRY

Best Regional Pride ANNAPOLIS PRIDE BEST REGIONAL PRIDE Annapolis Pride Washington Blade Photo by Michael Key

EDITOR’S CHOICE: BALTIMORE PRIDE

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Blade Ad .pdf

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THANK YOU, DC!

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On behalf of the JL Restaurant Group, I would like to extend a true heartfelt thanks to all of you who nominated and voted for us in this year’s Washington Blade’s Best of Gay DC awards.

We are humbled by your love and pledge to continue serving and supporting our community with great food, tasty drinks, and genuine Hank’s hospitality.

A HISTORIC BUILDING. AN UNPRECEDENTED TRANSFORMATION. Lease your brand new apartment in Meridian Hill and receive 1.5 months of free rent when you move in by October 30, 2019. * 2601 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009 833-261-6177 | TheAmeDC.com

*See leasing representative for more details.

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BEST TATTOO PARLOR Fatty’s Tattoos & Piercings

Best Tattoo Parlor

BEST THEATER Kennedy Center Photo Courtesy Kennedy Center

Best Theater KENNEDY CENTER The Kennedy Center returns after an upset flip-flop last year; it held the title 2015-2017!

2700 F St., N.W. kennedy-center.org EDITOR’S CHOICE: STUDIO THEATRE

FATTY’S TATTOOS & PIERCINGS 1333 Connecticut Ave., N.W. 516 H St., N.E. 8638 Colesville Rd. (Silver Spring) fattystattoos.com RUNNER-UP: TATTOO PARADISE (WINNER LAST TWO YEARS) “It feels good, but we’re kind of used to it,” says Fatty (the only name he gives), owner of Fatty’s Tattoo on receiving this year’s Best Tattoo Parlor award. “We’ve been voted D.C.’s best tattoo shop 10 times now. Since 2009.”

It’s also their 25th year in D.C., and Fatty says success comes from welcoming everyone equally. When the Dupont Circle shop first opened, not all businesses embraced tattoo lovers.

“Back in the ’90s, tattooing was underground and being gay was still kind of underground, so we matched up pretty nicely.”

Fatty saw many shops close after the 2008 recession, but this match helped keep his parlor open.

“That’s our mission of excellence,” he says. “The customer doesn’t need to see it posted, they need to feel it.” (PVS)

BEST THEATER PRODUCTION “Bright Colors and Bold Patterns” Photo by Joan Marcus / Courtesy Studio Theatre

Best Theater Production “BRIGHT COLORS AND BOLD PATTERNS” (STUDIO THEATRE, JULY) EDITOR’S CHOICE: JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL’S “ORIGIN OF LOVE” (NATIONAL THEATRE)

Best Veterinarian FRIENDSHIP HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS An upset flip-flop of last year’s outcome — CityPaws held the title 2015-2018. friendshipanimaldc.com 4105 Brandywine St., N.W. EDITOR’S CHOICE: CITY PAWS ANIMAL HOSPITAL

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QUEERY Timur Jonathan Tugberk Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

QUEERY: Timur Jonathan Tugberk

The Designing the District founder answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM

Timur Jonathan Tugberk is a name you don’t encounter every day.

Timur is derived, he says, from the Islamic conqueror Tamberlame, a “ruthless warrior who invoked fear and respect, I love this,” he says. His grandfather invented the name Tugberk when Turkey went from a secular to non-secular state and adopted a more Western-like alphabet.

“My original last name was Carpizoglu, which means son of a watermelon,” he says. “I love telling this story.”

In October 2016, Tugberk rebranded his company (it was called “Timur Tugberk Events, Interiors & Media”) as Designing the District, a full-service creative consultancy and media agency. With it, he handles interior design, web design, graphics, photography, organization, life and lifestyle coaching, videography, strategy, brand development, marketing, social media, product design and much more. He’s had more than 100 clients.

“We take a design philosophy to

creative problem solving,” says the 35-year-old Potomac, Md., native. “We see creativity as a method to achieve desired results and purposeful outcomes, whatever the task or challenge may be.”

For his work, Tugberk was named Best Local Influencer in this year’s Best of Gay D.C. readers’ poll awards. He’s online at designingthedistrict.com.

“I 100 percent campaigned for it,” Tugberk says. “I am a marketer at the core and have a slight competitive flare. I am so honored to be voted this by my peers and hometown.”

He also says his being gay factors in unabashedly to his work.

“I live my life very out, loud and proud,” he says. “Being as the business is a greater manifestation of myself, the gayness comes along with that.”

Tugberk is “single and ready to mingle.”

He lives with his dog, Wylie, in Logan and also part-time in Miami. He enjoys fitness, travel, real estate, skin care, snuggles, art, eventing, cars, tech and languages in his free time.

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

Nineteen years; my parents.

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20006 Harvey Milk What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

All gays can dress, design and create.

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

Being able to escape the corporate archetype and trust my gut owning my own business.

What terrifies you?

Spiders What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

Not mad about pumpkin spice.

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

Home design.

What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show?

“Will & Grace” What’s your social media pet peeve?

Thoughtless content.

What would the end of the LGBTQ movement look like to you?

There is no end, we gotta keep pushing!

What’s the most overrated social custom?

Nightly drinking What was your religion, if any, as a child and what is it today?

My parents did not impose organized religion on us, however I was raised “Jewish.” I’d say now I’m a little bit of everything-ish.

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The Clif.

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Spice Girls, hands down.

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Robin Williams If you could redo one moment from your past, what would it be?

To stay living in France at the end of high school.

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Shiny things.

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Hometown pride baby!

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Start Today Towards Tomorrow 202.780.7726 GrahamCapitalWealth.com 1701 K St., NW, Suite 801 Washington, DC 20006 Graham Capital Wealth Management is a registered investment advisor.

Counterclockwise from left: Out pianist/singer CHRIS URQUIAGA plays Blues Alley Sept. 24. Photo courtesy Urquiaga, a model wears designs by Earle Bannister for DC Fashion Week is Sept. 28 Photo courtesy Ean Williams Dacha Beer Garden hosts the LGBTQ Victory Fund on Oct. 1 Washington Blade file photo

Trans March is next weekend

Fashion event is Sept. 28

Queer keyboard virtuosos

The National Trans Visibility March on DC is Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.).

Registration for the event is suggested but not required, so organizers can have an idea on attendance. Donors of $25 will receive a march T-shirt. The Torch Awards are a separate event a day prior to the march. Its tickets can also be purchased through the same registration link.

The coalition of event organizers and supporters hope to show the world that trans health, lives and justice matter as they march to demand financial equality and equal employment opportunities.

For tickets and information, visit eventbrite.com or transmarchondc.org.

D.C. Fashion Week presents the Metropolitan Emerging Designers and Indie Artists (M.E.D.I.A.) showcase Saturday, Sept. 28 from 7-9 p.m. at the Liaison Hotel (415 New Jersey Ave., N.W.).

Tickets are $50 on eventbrite.com.

The M.E.D.I.A. event showcase is a critically acclaimed platform to display the talents of designers and recording artists.

Scheduled designers and artists include Roots by Bella, the JO Collection, Frankie’s Customz Designs, ABLE by Amanda Campbell, DahjayRenee and more. Doors open at 6 p.m. Fashion show starts at 7.

A full list of designers and links to their collections are available at dcfashionweek.org.

Lots of big queer keyboard opportunities in the coming days.

Organist Nathan J. Laube plays a dedicatory recital for the finally completed Lively-Fulcher organ at Cathedral of St. Matthew (1725 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) tonight (Sept.

20) at 7:30 p.m. It’s free. Upcoming events there are Oct. 20 (Paul Hardy) and Nov. 16 (CUA Symphony Orchestra). Details at stmatthewscathedral.org/music.

Newly out pianist/singer-songwriter (and Eastman grad) Chris Urquiaga plays Blues Alley (1073 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) with a mix of pop, R&B and Latin Tuesday, Sept. 24 with shows at 8 and 10 p.m. He’s a Silver Spring, Md., resident. Tickets are $22 at bluesalleylive.com.

And openly gay organist Christopher Houlihan performs with orchestra

on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church (4001 Yuma St., N.W.) at 7 p.m. in a program featuring solo works and the rarely performed “Symphonie Concertante” by Joseph Jongen. A $20 donation is recommended. Details at christopherhoulihan.com.

Victory Fund gathers Oct. 1 Dacha Beer Garden (1600 7th St., N.W.) hosts the LGBTQ Victory Fund Happy Hour fundraiser Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 4-8 p.m.

Attendees can enjoy extended happy hour specials with the purchase of a $10, $20 or $30 wristband. $50 wristband purchasers will also receive a free Victory for Pete T-shirt. Proceeds support efforts to elect LGBTQ candidates committed to advancing equality.

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TODAY The REACH Opening Festival starts today from 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (2700 F St., N.W.). The event includes 16 days and nights of free performances and activities celebrating the new expansion of the REACH campus. These innovative indoor and outdoor spaces put the audience at the center of the art. Tickets and information available at cams.kennedy-center.org.

The historic Woodrow Wilson House museum (2340 S. St., N.W.) presents its Vintage Garden Soirée tonight from 6-9 p.m. Step back in time and experience the excitement of the 1920s while dancing under the stars to live jazz music by the Foggy Bottom Whomp Stompers. Toast the upcoming anniversary of Women’s Suffrage with a vintage cocktail. Tickets start at $40. Come early for the VIP reception to meet the curator and see rare Suffrage artifacts. Visit woodrowwilsonhouse.org/ events for tickets and information.

Fall isn’t here yet. Join host DJ Matt Bailer at the Hot Gurl Summer Queer Dance Party starting at 10 p.m. tonight in the Satellite Room (2047 9th St., N.W.).

Tickets are $5 for this 21-and-up event.

Doors open at 10, show starts at midnight and dancing fills the night until 3 a.m. Dee Dee Deleon, Washington Heights and Venus Fastrada also host. For tickets and information, visit eventbrite.com.

Visit everyaction.com or their Facebook events page to RSVP and preregister for a chance to win a free ticket to the National Brunch.

Hitchcock film series is next weekend The National Museum of American History (14th St. and Constitution Ave., N.W.) runs the Alfred Hitchcock film series Sept. 28-29 starting at 9 a.m. each day.

General adult admission tickets are $12.

Come enjoy a dapper Cary Grant in the thriller “North by Northwest,” which also won the Edgar Award for best motion picture screenplay. The film also inspired the recent LGBT YA mystery novel, “Swipe Right for Murder” by Derek Milman. Other classics include “Dial M for Murder,” “The Birds” and (of course!) “Psycho.”

Tickets are available at purchase. tickets.com.

Saturday, Sept. 21 The Maryland Trans Resilience Conference is today from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Lord Baltimore Hotel (20 West Baltimore St., Baltimore). The conference includes workshops, panel discussions, wellness, art, resource tables and more all within a trans-affirming environment.

Admission is free but registration is encouraged at eventbrite.com.

“Coat of Many Colors: The Music of Dolly Parton” hosted by The American Pops Orchestra is tonight from 8-9:30 p.m. at Arena Stage (1101 6th St., N.W.).

Tickets start at $35 for this one-night only show. Join the American Pops for a season opener featuring the music of an iconic, country legend featuring the talents of Grammy-nominated singersongwriter Joan Osborne, Nova Payton of “Dreamgirls,” Garrett Clayton of King Cobra and “Hairspray Live” and many more. Visit eventbrite.com for tickets and information.

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Defending our Transgender Brothers and Sisters in Arms presented by Veterans Against Hate is tonight from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Cloyd Heck Marvin Center Amphitheater (800 21st St., N.W.).

Opening statement will begin at 4 p.m. followed by a panel discussion at 4:30, a reception at 6 and a screening of the documentary “TransMilitary” at 6:30. Learn more about this free event at thedccenter. org and veteransagainsthate.org.

The D.C. Shorts International Film Festival opening weekend city view party is tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Cambria Hotel Washington, D.C. Convention Center (899 O St., N.W.). Tickets are $25.

Celebrate the festival’s opening weekend with cocktails, appetizers and dancing to DJ MIM beneath the stars. Tickets and information available at dcshorts. ticketleap.com.

Sunday, Sept. 22 The Sunday Dinner Drag Show is tonight and every Sunday at Shaw’s Tavern (520 Florida Ave., N.W.) starting at 8 p.m.

Join drag queen Kristina Kelly and her ladies of illusion along with dinner and a side of laughs. Free tickets are available on eventbrite.com, but attendees must still make a reservation by emailing shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com.

QT Fusion Dance: Blues Night is tonight from 6-9:30 p.m. at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Court, N.W.). The event features LGBTQ blues dance lessons taught by Lucy and Clyde. Lucy McVeigh is a partner dancer with 10 years experience specializing in lindy hop and blues, while Clyde is a seasoned instructor who is the only blues dancer in D.C. to compete at the all-star level in national competitions.

Lessons are $10, $5 via Facebook and free in exchange for volunteering. For more information, visit eventbrite.com or Facebook events.

Monday, Sept. 23 Rayceen’s Reading Room is tonight from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Park Public Library (3310 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). Team Rayceen kick off the D.C. public library’s banned books week with an evening of entertainment filled with author talks, poetry readings, dramatic monologues and more all designed to highlight self-expression, cultural diversity and freedom of speech. Visit dclibrary.

org to find out more about this and other banned book week events.

Tuesday, Sept. 24 The “Dracula” season three watch party is tonight and every Tuesday at 9 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.).

Watch the newest episode of “Dracula” with local host Crystal Edge. Following the screening will be a drag show featuring a rotating list of guest performers. There is no cover for this 18-and-up event and drinks are two for one all night, every Tuesday.

For more information visit eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, Sept. 25 Night Out for Trevor hosted by The Trevor Project is tonight from 6-9 p.m. at Pitchers D.C. (2317 18th St., N.W.). Ticket sales support the project’s youth suicide prevention services. Come enjoy an open bar sponsored by Three Olives Vodka, meet local and national Trevor representatives and learn about ways you can support LGBTQ youth. For tickets and information, visit give.thetrevorproject.org.

The 14th Hispanic LGBTQ Heritage Awards hosted by the Latino GLBT history project are tonight from 6-9 p.m. at the Human Rights Campaign (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.). Hispanic heritage month is a time for the community to come together and recognize exceptional individuals who have celebrated and promoted the Latinx experience. Food and drink will be provided. Admission is free but donations are accepted at the door. Visit latinoglbthistory.org for more information.

The Lambda Bridge Club meets 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E., across from the Marine Barracks) for duplicate bridge. No reservations are needed and newcomers are welcome.

Phone 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

Thursday, Sept. 26 “Queer Eye’s” Jonathan Van Ness talks about his new memoir, “Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love” tonight starting at 7:30 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). Van Ness moves from the grooming and selfcare tips that launched him to stardom on the landmark make-over series to details about his life today. For more information, visit sixthandi.org.

D E A N W O O D

D

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W O A N O E

N

O

W T

G R R T H

G AT H E R .

R E N E W.

E A ORGANIZE.

S

G R O W

W A N T S

Y O U . . .

Deanwood G.R.O.W. is a community and citizen-centered campaign designed to raise awareness of Ward 7 creatives, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who contribute to DC’s overall creative economy. Deanwood G.R.O.W. also features and highlights Ward 7 events, stories and history.

Are you a ward 7 creative, entrepreneur or small business owner? Have any Ward 7 events we should know about?

Help us G.R.O.W. Deanwood and Ward 7.

T A G

U S !

E M A I L T A K E S I G N

U S .

O U R

U P

S U R V E Y .

F O R

O U R

O N L I N E

D I R E C T O R I E S .

@GrowDeanwood #GrowWard7 #GrowDeanwood #DeanwoodGrowDC

WORK.

W W W . D E A N W O O D G R O W . C O M

Deanwood Grow is a project funded by the DC Department of Small and Local Business Development

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GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON 2019–2020 SEASON

AN EVENING WITH AUDRA McDONALD

Mason Artist-in-Residence

Songs from the American Music Theater

THE FOUR ITALIAN TENORS

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

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

Hookups =

LADAMA Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m.

Viva Italia!

Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m.

L.A. Theatre Works

SEVEN Friday, October 18 at 8 p.m.

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

GET TICKETS 703-993-2787 OR CFA.GMU.EDU

Rabbi Gilah Langner Hazzan Ramón Tasat

Independent. Welcoming All Ages.

High Holiday Services Filled with Music and Meaning Full schedule & reserve your tickets:

www.ShiratHaNefesh.org Questions: 240-292-9450 or HHD@ShiratHaNefesh.org

*SPECIAL TICKET DISCOUNT FOR FIRST TIME VISITORS*

Children, Teens Services. Childcare.

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Shirat HaNefesh Meets at North Chevy Chase Christian Church 8814 Kensington Parkway, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com DANCE Dance Box Theater. Sep 21-Sep 22.

Dance Place. danceplace.org.

Michela’s Love Movement. Sep 20. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

National Dance Day. Sep 21. Kennedy Center at REACH Plaza Stage. kennedy-center.org.

MUSIC

Coulda Woulda Shoulda Sep 21. Gay Men’s Chorus at City Winery. gmcw.org.

A cabaret about all the things we wish we had done differently. This popular cabaret series returns with an all-new edition! Join this amazing cast as they share funny stories and songs from the worlds of pop and Broadway of things they coulda, woulda, shoulda....

Eroica & Beethoven Sep 21&22. National Philharmonic. nationalphilharmonic.org.

The Eroica Trio, winner of the prestigious Naumberg Award, teams up with the National Philharmonic for a performance of Beethoven’s Triple, one of the most unusual concertos in the Western tradition. It is a work of irresistible appeal, at once intimate and symphonic in style.

A Conversation with Fran Lebowitz Sep 21. Reston Community Center. restoncommunitycenter.com.

In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators. Lebowitz’s essays and interviews offer her acerbic views on current events and the media, as well as other topics that provoke her, including tourists, baggage claim areas, after-shave lotion, adults who roller skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan.

Opera Night with Nicole Butler Sep 21. Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org.

Chicago-born Soprano, Nicole Butler, currently based in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., has earned her reputation as an interpreter of a broad range of repertoire, possessing a special affinity for early music. This Summer and Fall, Ms. Butler will be featured in multiple Solo Recitals across the U.S.: August 3rd, August 10th and September 18th. For the 20182019 season, she was a Featured Artist in Sopranos Slay 2019 Concert by CAAPA. PHOTO COURTESY OF GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

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

Assassins. Thru Sep 29. Escaped Alone. Sep 24-Nov 3. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Cats. Thru Oct 6. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

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

La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream).

Thru Oct 13. GALA Hispanic Theatre. galatheatre.org.

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

Mike Birbiglia’s The New One. Sep 24Sep 29. National Theatre. thenationaldc.org.

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

School Girls: or, The African Mean Girls Play. Thru Oct 13. Round House. roundhousetheatre.org.

The Royale. Sep 25-Oct 27. Cabaret. Thru Oct 6. Olney Theatre at Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab. olneytheatre.org.

September Road Show. Thru Sep 22. DC Arts Center. dcartscenter.org.

American Roots Concert Series: Freddy & Francine. Sep 22. Hill Center. hillcenterdc.org.

Andrea González Caballero: Spanish Guitar. Sep 26. La Terraza: David de la Mano & Ritmos Raros. Sep 23. SPAIN arts & culture at Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain. spainculture.us.

Bell Bottom Blues. Sep 21. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

A Hebrew Overture. Sep 22. Chiarina Chamber Players at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. Chiarina.org.

Clarice Assad, piano. Sep 26. Strathmore at The Mansion. strathmore.org.

Coat of Many Colors: The Music of Dolly Parton. Sep 21. American Pops Orchestra at Arena Stage. theamericanpops.org.

Dhrupad Sisters. Sep 20. Gandhi Memorial Center. gandhimemorialcenter.org.

Go-go Night @ DU with UCB and Friends.

Sep 22. Hip-Hop Violin with Marvillous Beats & Friends. Sep 24. Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org.

Kim So Ra’s Janggu Project. Sep 20.

Korean Cultural Center DC at Studio Theatre. koreaculturedc.org.

Lucinda Williams. Sep 24. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

NSO Pops: An Evening with Maxwell.

Thru Sep 20. Renée Fleming VOICES: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi. Sep 26. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

REMIX: The Future is Female. Sep 26.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. npg.si.edu.

A Royal Occasion. Sep 22. Washington Bach Consort at National Presbyterian Church. bachconsort.org.

MUSEUMS AU Museum at the Katzen. Grace Hartigan and Helene Herzbrun: Reframing Abstract Expressionism. Our World Above: Monoprints and Glass by Annette Lerner.

Prints & Artists: WD Printmaking Workshop 1970-Present. Thru Oct 20. Moves Like Walter: New Curators Open the Corcoran Legacy Collection. Topographies of Life: Pam Rogers, Lynn Sures, Mel Watkin. Thru Dec 15. 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. 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 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. Thru Jan 20. Live Dangerously. Thru 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.

Postal Museum. None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers. Thru Jan 26. postalmuseum.si.edu.

GALLERIES Arlington Cultural Affairs. Emma Cregan and Johab Silva. Thru Nov 2. arts. arlingtonva.us.

BlackRock. Tom Greaves: Middlemost Daft. Sep 21-Nov 2. Elizabeth Casqueiro: Ballyhoo. Sep 21-Nov 2. blackrockcenter.org.

CHAW. Capitol Hill Art League presents all-media Road Trip Exhibit. Thru Sep 28.

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. Thru 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.

Dupont Underground Community Open House.

Sep 25. 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.

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DIVERSITY + INCLUSION = ENGAGEMENT Ingleside is all about engaged living. We are who we are because of who we all are, and embrace diversity and inclusion every day. Ingleside creates a welcoming culture that provides not just an exceptional place to live–but an extraordinary place to belong. Become part of an Ingleside community today.

Call for a personal tour, and discover what engaged living can mean to you!

INGLESIDE IS NOW

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INDEPENDENT LIVING // ASSISTED LIVING // MEMORY SUPPORT // SKILLED NURSING // REHABILITATION // SOCIAL DAY PROGRAM

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3050 Military Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015 202-470-3413 // www.ircdc.org

701 King Farm Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850 240-380-2678 // www.ikfmd.org

S EPTE MBE R 2 0 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 89

INGLESIDE AT ROCK CREEK AND INGLESIDE AT KING FARM ARE NOT-FOR-PROFIT, CARF ACCREDITED, SAGECare CERTIFIED, LIFE PLAN COMMUNITIES..

‘Father Figure,’ a 25-minute drama about young black, gay men from the Netherlands, screens in Showcase 5 and Cinema 10% LGBTQ at the D.C. Shorts film festival.

Photo courtesy DC Shorts

Short and sweet

‘Miller & Son,’ ‘Father Figure’ among queer highlights at D.C. Shorts

By BRIAN T. CARNEY Running now through Sept. 28, the D.C. Shorts International Film Festival is celebrating its 16th year of bringing short films from around the world to the nation’s capital. The festival includes 156 films which range from two-30 minutes in length. The films are organized into 30 showcases, the 19 “Official Selection Showcases” and the 11 “Special Interest Showcases.”

As always, queer filmmakers are well represented at the festival, both in the special “10% Cinema” showcase on Monday Sept. 23 at the Landmark E Street Cinema and throughout the entire event.

From documentaries to dramas to whimsical comedies, the films offer fascinating LGBT glimpses from powerful emerging cinematic voices. Details at dcshorts.com.

For example, genderqueer filmmaker Asher Jelinsky describes their film “Miller & Son” as a “coming-of-age story about a transwoman mechanic living in rural America who tries to find a livable compromise between running her family’s auto shop during the day and expressing her femininity at night. I wanted to explore the daily compartmentalization that the protagonist experiences on her quest to authentically inhabit her identities as a mechanic and a transwoman.”

One of the challenges Jelinsky faced was finding a set. Luckily, they remember, “When searching for a rural-looking auto shop on the outskirts of L.A., we stumbled upon the perfect garage that was serendipitously owned by a transwoman. She became a key collaborator and really helped us create realism with the mechanics during the rehearsal process and on set. She made sure we handled the car tools safely and conveyed mechanics realistically.”

In “Father Figure,” a short poetic documentary about the Kiki House of Angels voguing community in Rotterdam, Dutch filmmaker Bibi Fadlalla explores the question, “What does it mean to be young, black and gay in today’s world?”

When Fadlalla visited her first voguing ball in 2016, the connection was instant and intense. “I was immediately struck by the energy. There was so much black joy in the room. It really filled my heart.”

As Fadlalla explored the scene, she was surprised to learn that voguing was an international phenomenon. “I thought of it as a New York thing,” the filmmaker says. “I learned that young gay people of color in the Netherlands have tightknit communities that center around dance and camaraderie and that these communities are connected worldwide.

Most of the members of the House of Angels in Rotterdam are also members or other houses in Europe or even the U.S. It shows that young queer people of color are facing similar problems throughout the Western world.”

With sensitivity and creativity, filmmakers Amber Sealey and Morgan Jon Fox both tackle the theme of young teens who are beginning to explore their sexuality. Out filmmaker Fox describes his film “The One You Never Forget” as a “short and sweet

film about a 14-year old boy from Memphis, Tenn., who is going to his first dance.” While Carey (London Curtis) gets ready, his parents (Tasha Smith and Charles Malik Whitfield) reminiscence about their own first dance.

When Carey’s mystery date (Owen D. Stone) arrives, both father and son are faced with split-second decisions.

Bisexual filmmaker Sealey describes her film as “a love letter to that pre-teen time in all our lives.” Twelve-year-old Rain (the amazing Lola Wayne Villa) wants to have sex, even though she doesn’t really know what that means. Without any help from her squabbling parents, she starts to navigate the complexities of love and adulthood on her own.

Both filmmakers are consciously bringing fresh insights and voices to the depiction of queer and female sexuality on screen. Sealey, who based the movie on her own diaries, says that, “the film is about adding to the canon of films on female sexuality. In most films right now, women — and young girls in particular — don’t get to be the instigators of their own sexual investigations. This film is about righting that wrong.”

Fox got his inspiration from social media. “Several of my friends were posting photos of their children going to their first dance on Facebook, but I didn’t see any pictures of queer kids going with other queer kids. I realized we still have a long way to go. Queer kids shouldn’t have to miss out on one of the hallmarks of growing up. They should be able to look back and have the full breadth of experiencing these moments openly as a queer.”

The LGBTQ showcase also includes “Dante vs. Mohammed Ali,” a Dutch drama about best friends in a boxing village; “I Think I’ll Make It,” an American documentary about a young girl who witnessed her father killing her mother; “The Distance Between Us and the Sky,” a whimsical Greek drama about two strangers who meet one night at an old gas station; and “Black Hat,” a gentle drama about a pious Hasidic man whose double life is nearly exposed when he loses his hat.

Fox, who has also directed feature films and TV shows, explains why short films are so popular with filmmakers and audiences.

“I just really liked the simplicity involved in the actual production; we shot the whole film in one day,” he says.

“But, making a short can be much more challenging in terms of figuring out how to tell a compelling and complex story in such a limited amount of time.”

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GUS VENTURA has found ways to incorporate rugby throughout his busy life.

Photo courtesy Ventura

Off to Tokyo

Busy rugby career keeps former Navy commander busy

By KEVIN MAJOROS

When rugby players reach the end of their playing career, they either leave the sport, become coaches or referees.

Gus Ventura was about eight years into his life as a rugby player when he tore his ACL for a second time. Knee injuries can be repaired, but the end of his playing career came with a direct order from his superior officer, an Admiral in the Navy.

“He said I always looked like I had been in a bar fight and it wasn’t a good look for a senior officer,” Ventura says. “As a Naval Commander in charge of people, the role of coaching was a good fit for me to stay in the sport of rugby.”

Ventura grew up in Tulsa and played baseball as a youth along with soccer on his high school team. As part of the Navy ROTC program at University of South Carolina, sports were replaced by the program’s fitness regimen.

He began a 20-year stint in the Navy as a surface warfare officer that bounced him to locations all over the world. His first exposure to rugby happened when he was serving in Australia.

He was reassigned to Washington in 1992 and while he was playing soccer on the National Mall, he was approached by players

from the Potomac Athletic Club rugby team.

He was hooked after the first practice and stayed with the club for eight years.

“I loved my teammates and playing with the club, but there was a lot of homophobic banter,” Ventura says. “I don’t think they realized how hurtful it was and I stayed in the closet for fear of rejection.”

In the late 1990s, Ventura responded to a Washington Blade ad about a new rugby team that was forming for gay players. The ad was placed by Mark Hertzog and the Washington Renegades would become the first men’s rugby club in the United States to actively recruit gay men and men of color.

“A lot of people don’t know that Mark’s original intent was to start a rugby fetish club. The people who showed up actually wanted to play so we began organizing practices,” Ventura says. “A couple of my Potomac Athletic Club teammates, who I did not know were gay, also showed up.”

After the ACL tear, Ventura became the first coach of the Renegades for three years before moving on to coach Catholic University for the next three years.

He was transferred by the Navy to California where he continued coaching with the San Diego Armada and helped start the Los Angeles Rebellion, both LGBT-based rugby teams.

After retiring from the Navy in 2008, Ventura returned to D.C. because he was accepted into the Ph.D program at George Washington University School of Engineering with a focus on emergency management.

Ventura’s work in the international rugby community started a few years before that when he began coaching the IGR World Barbarians in the 2006 Bingham Cup which is hosted biennially

by International Gay Rugby (IGR).

IGR, which is based in London, is the umbrella organization for gay and inclusive rugby clubs around the world.

The Bingham Cup held in Amsterdam in 2018 drew 2,200 players including local gay players.

“The IGR World Barbarians is made up of players who don’t have a team in their country. They come together to play every two years in the Bingham Cup,” Ventura says.

The IGR has grown faster than expected over the last four years leading its organizers to establish regional representation contact points, electing Ventura as the North America East representative and then the first trustee for North America.

“The sport of rugby builds a resilience in people and in teams which leads to a sense of connection,” Ventura says. “If you are lucky enough to be a part of something people care about, that means they also care about you. We are advocating for a sense of belonging for LGBT athletes.”

Extending that thought process to USA Rugby and the United States Olympic Committee, Ventura presented before them a plan to develop programs in youth and high school rugby for LGBT players. It led to the first rugby national governing body to sign on with International Gay Rugby.

Coming up for Ventura will be coaching three IGR World Barbarians teams at the International Inclusive Cup on October 5 in Tokyo. The event takes place during the Rugby World Cup 2019 and it marks the first openly gay rugby ever to be held in Japan.

Still based in D.C., Ventura finds time to work on his research patent and is enjoying married life with his husband, Jordan. The pair have been together since 2009 and though Ventura had already proposed, they sped up their wedding over marriage equality concerns after the election of our current president.

For Ventura, the belonging, the sense of purpose, the rugby brotherhood — they point to a place where people can be supported as individuals regardless of their body type, gender or identity.

“In rugby, it doesn’t matter what you weigh or how tall you are, there is a role for everyone, and everyone can be a contributing member,” Ventura says. “Gay athleticism is coming of age and it is having a wonderful impact on our community.”

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22-year-old boyfriends off to rough start MICHAEL, I moved in with my boyfriend in June.

We’re both 22 and recently graduated from college. We met sophomore year.

I thought we were going to be starting a fantastic life together but it’s going really badly.

He’s a much bigger guy than I am and in our sex life, he always tops. This is really hot in bed, but I feel like our sexual dynamic has spilled into our whole relationship where Scott sees me as the little woman whose job it is to care of him.

First of all, Scott is very messy. He leaves his clothes everywhere. He never cleans up in the bathroom and leaves his dishes around the kitchen. All typical “guy” stuff. I feel pathetic whining about this, but it’s driving me crazy.

I like things neat and he knows that, so I feel like he is just being lazy because he knows I’ll clean up since I can’t stand the mess. But when I do that, I really feel taken advantage of. So sometimes I don’t take the bait, and hope that he will get the message.

But then things get totally out of control.

In addition, I feel like I have to “run” our apartment. Setting up the cable, paying the utility bills, grocery shopping. I’m naturally more organized and domestic than he is, but he wouldn’t get around to doing any of these things if I left them for him.

Even planning our upcoming New Year’s vacation, which will be our first trip abroad. He says I’m much better at planning than he is. True, but that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t be trying and contributing.

Yet I’m the one who has to generate all the ideas and turn them into reality.

If I ask him to do stuff, he just says he will, and then he doesn’t, and if I keep it up, he says I’m nagging.

When we were in college and spending all our time in each other’s dorm room it was really great and we thought how wonderful it would be to always be together. Yes, his room was a mess, but we were pretty much teenagers. Anyhow, I had my own dorm room and I never imagined that he would just be a lazy slob if we were living together.

Now I sometimes hate him. I’m wondering why I moved in with him and it’s only been two months. Can people change or should I give up?

MICHAEL REPLIES: Scott is not the only person in the relationship who has work to do. Right now,

you’re both operating like adolescents: Scott does what he wants, you occasionally play games such as letting the apartment get really messy, you get mad and he accuses you of nagging rather than focusing on his own contribution.

Your behaviors make sense: you’re both very young.

The good news is that you and Scott now have an opportunity to figure out how to have a grownup relationship.

This means two things: First, work on keeping calm and responding thoughtfully when your boyfriend doesn’t behave as you’d like, rather than getting mad, shutting down or retaliating.

There are always going to be some things you hate about the other person. Your job is to not let yourself be driven crazy by these things. Put differently, this is about each of you learning to tolerate the disappointment that is inevitable in all relationships.

Second, work together on living collaboratively with a person who is different from you in major ways. This means doing your best to be a guy worth being in a relationship with, striving to be considerate of your partner and taking into account what is important to him, without betraying what is most important to you.

Can people change? Of course they can. But pushing your significant other to change usually leads to resistance and resentment. You can advocate for what you’d like, but if Scott is going to change, he has to want to behave differently.

I am hoping that Scott will be open to addressing the big picture of how the two of you are behaving your relationship.

Please raise the issue in a respectful way, approaching him as your equal rather than telling him what he’s doing wrong.

And remember: this isn’t a one-time conversation. Constructing a grownup relationship requires ongoing effort.

About your thought that the whole top/bottom dynamic is bleeding into your relationship: This may be true, but the behaviors you are describing happen in all sorts of relationships. In any case, the challenge to both of you is to keep your erotic dynamic alive in the bedroom while not being bound to these roles elsewhere.

Editor’s note: This is Michael Radkowsky’s final column.

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6 2 Y A D SATUR

The first hybrid car, built by Ferdinand Porsche, no less, had its coming-out party at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900. Yet it took almost 100 years for mass-produced hybrids to make their debut in dealer showrooms. Sure, the Toyota Prius quickly became the belle of the ball, but now automakers are showcasing gas-sippers with much more snob appeal.

LEXUS LS 500H $85,000 MPG: 26 city/31 highway Zero-60 mph: 5.4 seconds Lexus introduced the first luxury hybrid — a version of the midsize RX crossover — back in 2005. But to show just how seriously the automaker wants to be an eco-chic crusader, the lavish LS 500h hybrid sedan is the company’s overall flagship vehicle.

At over 206 inches in length, this full-size ride is plenty big, with acres of legroom and trunk space. Yet the car feels light and airy, with swift acceleration and no roly-poly wobbling as you weave through traffic. Redesigned last year, the LS 500h now has Apple CarPlay (though no Android Auto), as well as Amazon Alexa to start the engine, lock/unlock the doors and check the fuel level.

There’s a laundry list of standard safety and comfort features, but it’s hard to resist many over-the-top options: 23-speaker Mark Levinson stereo, 24-inch head-up display and 28-way adjustable seats that can heat up, cool down and massage you to paradise. Despite the severely sloped roofline, the rear seats recline to help tall passengers fit comfortably. The glam interior is eerily quiet, with four-zone climate control, power sunshades and ritzy, hand-pleated Alcantara door panels that look like premium acoustic material from a high-tech sound studio.

The overall design, both inside and out, is bold and angular. While the BMW 745e and Mercedes 560e plug-in hybrids may be more performance-oriented, the LS 500h is just as glamorous and boasts a key Lexus selling point: superb reliability.

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High-end hybrids

Lexus LS 500H, Mini Cooper SE Countryman among ’19 standouts

By JOE PHILLIPS

Cute. Compact. Classy. The Mini Cooper SE Countryman plug-in hybrid is built on the same platform as the itty BMW X1 crossover, with some rather wonky styling and a host of high-end features.

The ride is sporty rough, which means your tush feels each and every pothole. But that’s a good thing, because the steering and suspension are tight and controlled.

There’s plenty of Euro cred here, from the zippy acceleration to the high-quality materials, which helps differentiate this

Mini plug-in hybrid from a bevy of other smallish, ho-hum hybrids. And to help it stand out from other Minis, as well, this Countryman is available with funky neon green paint on the side-view mirrors, the charge port, each of the four wheels, and the badging on the grille and rear hatch.

When the battery is being charged, a pulsing light encircling the charge port also glows green. Fully charged, the range is up to 270 miles. In electric-only mode, the range is about 12 miles — though this increases to 35 miles on the 2020 model. Inside, the large, circular infotainment system also glows green, as well as other colors.

The cabin feels roomy, though there could be a few more storage compartments. But there are plenty of luxe amenities: push-button start, heated windshield wiper system, simulated leather upholstery, power-folding mirrors, power liftgate, suede headliner, panoramic sunroof and more. By combining these creature comforts with a fuel-friendly powerplant and some whimsical design cues, Mini has produced one fun hybrid.

RANGE ROVER SPORT HSE MHEV $74,000 MPG: 19 city/25 highway Zero-60 mph: 6.2 seconds The Sport is Range Rover’s first mildhybrid vehicle, available with 355 hp or 395 hp. While curb weight is 5,135 pounds, this husky SUV is surprisingly agile.

A best-in-class chassis helps, offering a pillow-like ride whether ferrying passengers over rocky terrain or breezing down the freeway. Acceleration is downright sprightly, with vise-like brakes that quickly stop the Sport but without any herky-jerky shuddering common on some other large SUVs. With such high ground clearance, the self-leveling air suspension lowers the vehicle to easily load passengers or cargo.

Inside, the cabin is so refined it should be in Architectural Digest, with sculpted wood trim, real leather seats, ambient lighting and a fixed panoramic sunroof. Third-row seating is an option, though there’s only room for kids or pets.

All the latest safety gear is here, including blind-sport monitoring, forward collision warning (with automatic emergency braking), a driver-monitoring system and traffic-sign recognition. The puddle lamps add a touch of class, as do heated/ventilated front and rear seats.

And while there are numerous stereo configurations, offering umpteen speakers depending on how much you want to spend, the infotainment system has a tendency to periodically conk out or freeze on a particular radio station. That’s annoying, considering how much the Sport costs. But drivers may overlook such a glitch because the sound quality is so stunning the rest of the time.

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30 years of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams The furniture company Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams celebrated its 30 year anniversary on Thursday, Sept. 12. (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key) Washington Blade photos by Michael Key

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Ranking the best home renovation TV shows Jonathan and Drew vs. Chip and Joanna

By VALERIE M. BLAKE This week we celebrate the Washington Blade’s 2019 Best of Gay D.C. award winners and to begin, I would like to congratulate my colleagues in the real estate world: Michael Moore, Best Real Estate Agent and Marin Hagen and Sylvia Bergstrom, Best Real Estate Group. I also offer kudos to the folks at Case Design, Best Home Improvement Service because this is where we begin today.

Day or night, there’s always a show on television that encourages you to buy or renovate a house, so I decided to survey my friends and colleagues to determine which is considered the best of these shows.

The results were reminiscent of the number of Democratic presidential candidates: 15 shows were mentioned with seven of them polling at only 1 percent. The seven that didn’t make the debate stage nonetheless had something interesting to offer.

“Unique Properties” is a favorite of the daughter of a close friend. She was particularly fond of the episodes that showed people living in a remodeled Boeing 747 in California and on an excavated cliff in Israel.

“The Vanilla Ice Project” earned accolades from a carpenter, who described it as less scripted and a more legitimate depiction of a home renovation. “Luxury Tiny Houses” also made the cut, although living in a tiny house is not my idea of luxury. “Maine Cabin Masters” received honorable mention.

Two British programs got one vote each: “Grand Designs” and “The Great Interior Design Challenge.” The former chronicles the escapades of people who try to design unusual dream homes, create custom elements, and incorporate unique architecture while enduring delays and cost overruns, a formula not unlike our own.

“The Great Interior Design Challenge” is a cross between “Design on a Dime” and “The White Room Challenge,” HGTV shows of old. It features several British amateur designers competing to win a cash prize by reinventing rooms for different clients.

After watching several episodes, I decided I wouldn’t want the before or the after.

With two votes, neither coast of “Million Dollar Listing” was much of a hit among

The latest HGTV show to feature the ever-popular JONATHAN and DREW (in front) is ‘A Very Brady Renovation,’ including the six original ‘Brady kids.’

Photo by Menasa Pritchett; courtesy HGTV

my friends. The clients were described as obnoxious and the agents as Real Housewives of Real Estate – just as much fabricated drama, with less hair-pulling and wine.

“Good Bones” and “Home Town” were on the next rung up. “Good Bones” features a mother/daughter team of renovators in Indiana. The Mississippi husband and wife team in “Home Town” were described as down to earth and endearing, with actual wood craftsman and design experience.

While more and more people seem to acknowledge that these shows are scripted and unrealistic, the “House Hunters” franchise is still #4 on the list of favorites. My real estate friends and I wish buyers would write an offer after only seeing three houses, but we all know that isn’t how any of this works.

“House Hunters International,” however, got the most votes of the franchise.

Several of my friends commented on how interesting it was to see how people live

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in other parts of the world and to dream of doing so as well. A couple of them said they were checking out countries in case they decided to leave ours on Nov. 4, 2020.

There was praise for “Love It or List It,” which came in at #3, but only for Hilary and David; nobody could remember the names of the other couple who host the spinoff show. I just want David to win a few times. Hilary seems to get everyone to Love It, even though she never finishes anything she promises.

Not surprisingly, “Fixer Upper” was the runner up, noted for being an escape from current events, for the witty banter between Chip and Joanna, and for their general aesthetic. As you might imagine, though, nobody I surveyed wants to hear the word “shiplap” ever again.

So, by now you’ve probably noticed a glaring omission and I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. The winner of Best TV Home Show, with 9 votes, is “Property Brothers,” because, well, Jonathan and Drew!

There are people reading this who have been featured on these shows and others like them, and most have a tale to tell. Some describe having fun and involving their children.

Others recall being asked to play the role of argumentative spouse or naysaying friend.

My own experience, however, will never qualify me for a “Best of” award of this genre.

Having made it to the second qualifying audition of “My First House,” I watched from the sidelines as my buyer inadvertently muttered the f-bomb on camera.

Thereafter, my stardom was doomed.

Valerie M. Blake is a licensed Associate Broker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director of Education & Mentorship at RLAH Real Estate. Call or text her at 202-2468602, email her via DCHomeQuest. com, or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.

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