Washingtonblade.com, Issue 50, Volume 39, September 27, 2019

National Trans Visibility March set for this weekend, PAGE 11

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Looking back:

23

Cannabis Culture

50 years of the Blade

25

Viewpoint

08

Comings & Goings

28

Fall Real Estate

10

Cherry Fund to give $100,000

34

Center director David Mariner

202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 FEATURES EDITOR JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com ext. 8081 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER MARIAH COOPER PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, RICHARD J. ROSENDALL, ERNESTO VALLE, NICOLÁS LEVY, FELIPE ALFACE, YARIEL VALDÉS, LYNARE ROBBINS, RACHAEL ESPINET, KATLEGO K. KOL-KES, VICTOR MAUNG NEWS INTERN JAMES WELLEMEYER CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com

reflects on 20 years in Washington

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The first National Transgender Visibility March arrives this weekend in D.C. PAGE 11

06

to LGBT, AIDS groups 11 12 14 16 18

Thousands expected in D.C. for

36

‘Bachelor’s Mill’ reunion planned

National Trans Visibility March

38

Queery: Evan Johnson

HRC president: Trump responsible

40

Arts & Culture

for anti-trans violence

42

Catholic guilt and lingering ‘Doubt’

Tense moment for Biden

44

Remembering ‘Roy’

at Iowa LGBT forum

46

Just friends?

Buttigieg backtracks on

47

Healthy and fast

criticism of LGBT media

48

2019 Best of Gay D.C. Party

Luxembourg leader makes history at U.N

54

Classifieds

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This week in 1983, Jesse Jackson speaks to HRCF FROM STAFF REPORTS

JESSE JACKSON spoke to HRCF 36 years ago, calling for unity among ‘the rejected.’

Washington Blade photo by Jim Marks

Thirty-six years ago in September of 1983, the Blade’s lead story focused on a rousing speech delivered by Rev. Jesse Jackson to the Human Rights Campaign Fund in New York.

Jackson called for gay rights legislation and a meaningful dialogue between the civil rights and gay movements, “and urged Gays to go ‘beyond yourselves’ to support a broader political agenda.”

Jackson received a warm welcome and

was interrupted 25 times with applause.

He called for a “Rainbow Coalition of the rejected” that would come to power via the ballot.

The Blade reported the event raised $50,000 for HRCF. Peruse the Blade’s one-of-a-kind 50-year archive of LGBTQ news in partnership with the D.C. Public Library at washingtonblade.com/archives.

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Comings & Goings University of Maryland honors Zeiger

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

The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ+ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an ROBYN ZEIGER exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.

Congratulations to Robyn Zeiger, Ph.D., who was recently honored with the Gloria S. Friedgen School Spirit Award presented by the University of Maryland.

This award is presented to a School of Public Health faculty, staff or student who has demonstrated outstanding performance and consistent dedication, initiative motivation, positive attitude, and customer service to those they support and with whom they interact. In presenting the award Dean TRISTAN FITZPATRICK Boris Lushniak said, “Robyn has worked tirelessly as a leader and educator at UMD and the state of Maryland to secure equal rights for LGBT individuals and families.” He went on to say, “in all that Dr. Zeigler had done on campus, she brings compassion, understanding and enthusiasm to create an inclusive community. Her lifetime of work has energized SPH and has helped to build an education and work environment that is supportive of all students, faculty and staff rich in diversity.”

Zeiger has also retired as an adjunct senior lecturer at the University of Maryland after 40 years. While she is retiring from teaching she will continue her therapy practice and hopes to grow it. She hopes to continue to see her LGBT patients but also have more time to write and consult with and train other therapists. Another specialty of hers is pet loss counseling and she hopes to facilitate workshops for veterinarians and their staffs to deal with the emotional side of their work. Zeiger is also a licensed clinical professional counselor in Maryland, D.C. and West Virginia.

As a member of the LGBT community, she has always understood how important it can be to have a therapist who understands you. She said, “You walk into a therapist’s office and you know they are also LGBT so you don’t have to explain anything. You don’t have to teach them. You can just be yourself and you don’t have to justify anything.”

Zeiger received all of her degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has a bachelor’s in Agricultural and Extension Education; a master’s in Agricultural and Extension Education; and earned her Ph.D. in Health Education, specializing in crisis intervention.

Congratulations also to Tristan Fitzpatrick who joins the National Public Pension Coalition as its new Digital Media Specialist. He said, “With many forces attacking the retirement security of public employees across the U.S., it’s a privilege to work on protecting this vital safety net.”

Prior to this, he held a number of positions with the Cancer Support Community, Washington, D.C., including Digital Outreach Coordinator and Communications Manager. He also worked as a journalist and Social Media Coordinator for Science Node, Bloomington, Ind. Fitzpatrick earned his bachelor’s in journalism, specializing in public relations with a minor in history from Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. He received Merit Awards for Best Blogs & Social Media, Digital Health Awards and was recognized as one of the Top Ten Cancer Blogs of 2018 and 2019,by Healthline.

Baltimore Eagle Founder TOM KIPLE is returning to operate the new Eagle.

Photo courtesy Kiple

Baltimore Eagle aims to reopen in Oct. with new management The Baltimore Eagle, home to the city’s leather community for nearly three decades, is preparing for its grand reopening in October.

Baltimore Eagle Founder Tom Kiple, a prominent member of the leather community for nearly 50 years, will serve as its new operator, owners announced last week. After founding the Eagle in 1991 as one of the original leather clubs on the East Coast, Kiple went on to open the gay resort SunCoast, in Tampa Bay, Fla. His reason for coming out of retirement to run the Eagle again: “Love.”

Kiple is joined by another original Baltimore Eagle team member, former general manager, David Lessner.

“The Baltimore Eagle promises an experience ‘as it was in the beginning’ - a judgment-free space for all members of the leather community,” Lessner said in a release. “We’re dedicated to revitalizing the spirit of this Baltimore landmark as a fun, edgy place for newcomers, while preserving the culture and attitude that has attracted guests from all over the world.”

A remodeling effort is currently underway and the owners announced new experiences and services, including a new courtyard bar, pool tables, kitchen, and a full-service leather shop.

The Baltimore Eagle gained attention both for its leather events and community service initiatives and has hosted benefits for HIV/AIDS awareness, research, and

testing programs, as well as services for the elderly and other charities. To get involved and follow progress on the Eagle, visit baltimoreeagle.com.

STAFF REPORTS

Lawsuit against Md. law banning conversion therapy dismissed

A federal judge on Sept. 20 dismissed a lawsuit that challenges a Maryland law banning so-called conversion therapy for minors.

The Associated Press reported Christopher Doyle, a Virginia-based therapist, in his lawsuit claims the law that Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed in 2018 violates his right to free speech and religious freedom under the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Deborah Chasanow rejected these arguments.

The Liberty Counsel, an anti-LGBT legal organization, represents Doyle. One of his lawyers told the Associated Press they will appeal Chasanow’s ruling.

Maryland, along with D.C., are among the jurisdictions in the U.S. that have banned conversion therapy for minors.

The Richmond City Council earlier this month unanimously approved a resolution that urges Virginia lawmakers to ban the widely discredited practice. The Virginia General Assembly in recent years has killed a number of bills that would have banned conversion therapy for minors in the state.

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Cherry Fund to give $100,000 to LGBT, AIDS groups

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

LGBT dance group joins street-blocking climate protests WERK for Peace not among those arrested in massive traffic backups

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

Cherry Fund Director of Development and Partnerships PAUL MARENGO said the organization has doubled its giving this year.

Photo courtesy of Twitter

The Cherry Fund, the nonprofit organization that since 1996 has produced D.C.’s annual spring Cherry weekend dance parties as a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS and LGBT support groups, announced on Tuesday that it will donate a combined $100,500 in cash grants to 25 HIV/AIDS and LGBT groups this year.

In a statement to the Washington Blade, Cherry Fund Director of Development and Partnerships Paul Marengo said the group earlier this year provided an additional $2,632 of “in-kind support” for two LGBT-related charitable events in Rehoboth Beach, Del., bringing the total amount it will give to LGBT and HIV/ AIDS groups this year to $103,132.

“This is double what we were able to provide last year and we could not have done it without the support of our patrons, donors, sponsors, venues, DJs, entertainers, and volunteers, basically our ‘COMMUNITY,’” the group said in a statement.

Cherry Fund officials were scheduled to present representatives of the 25 recipient groups, all of which are from the D.C.-Baltimore area, checks for the donated funds at a Sept. 26 ceremony at D.C. VIDA Fitness center on U Street, N.W. Among the recipient groups that provide HIV/AIDS services scheduled to receive checks on Sept. 26 are Whitman-Walker Health ($1,000), La Clinica Del Pueblo ($3,000), AIDS Action Baltimore ($5,000), Us Helping Us ($5,000), and Damien Ministries ($5,000).

Other groups slated to receive Cherry Fund grants include Casa Ruby ($1,000), the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community ($6,500), the LGBT youth services group SMYAL ($5,000), the Wanda Alston Foundation ($5,000), Metro D.C. PFLAG ($5,000), and Capital Pride ($12,175).

The Cherry Fund statement announcing the grant recipients says the group this year added a category of recipient groups that “tell our stories” through publications or film. Included among the recipients in this category are the D.C. lesbian TAGG Magazine ($1,000), the D.C. Independent Film Festival ($500), and the Washington Blade Foundation ($5,000).

“The Cherry Fund, established in 1996, and located in Washington, D.C., is a not-for-profit independent, all-volunteer organization that serves as a spark to ignite the dance music community for a greater good,” the group says on its website. “The Cherry Fund actively raises funds to support the HIV/AIDS service and prevention community via charity dance events,” the website statement says, adding: “Over the years Cherry has collaborated with the biggest, most progressive names in dance music, to host some of the largest in the mid-Atlantic.”

The statement says that in the years it has been operating, the Cherry Fund has donated more than $1.2 million in grants and in-kind support.

Marengo said the Cherry Fund Board of Directors this year also decided to add to its list of recipients LGBT groups that provide mental health services and services to members of the LGBT community that are underserved and in need of support.

A full list of the 2019 recipients and the amount they received can be accessed at cherrydc.com/about.

Climate activists gather in Farragut Square in Northwest D.C. on Sept. 23. They are among those who took part in protests in the nation’s capital that blocked intersections during the morning rush hour.

Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers

A contingent of about 150 people associated with WERK for Peace, which describes itself as a queer and trans group that uses dance as a form of protest for social justice, joined over 1,000 others in blocking streets during D.C.’s morning rush hour on Monday to draw attention to what they call the worldwide climate crisis.

D.C. police said they made 26 arrests in locations throughout the city as climate activists carried out a “Shut Down D.C.” non-violent civil disobedience protest by standing or sitting across more than a dozen streets beginning about 7 a.m.

Firas Nasr, one of the founders and leaders of WERK for Peace, told the Washington Blade participants in that group’s protest assembled at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street, N.W. near Union Station, where they joined another contingent that blocked the intersection.

According to Nasr, WERK for Peace members then engaged in a “roving dance party” in which dozens walked along surrounding streets, temporarily blocking traffic while dancing to music blaring from loud speakers carried on a wagon pulled by someone on a bicycle.

Similar to past dance protests carried out by the group, participants tossed what Nasr said was brightly colored biodegradable confetti high into the air, drawing both laughter and frowns from motorists stopped in backed up traffic.

He said the contingent marched to a nearby branch of the Wells Fargo Bank and

the nearby offices of the American Petroleum Institute, both of which protesters believe are responsible in various ways for damaging the environment and causing climate change.

“So we know that climate justice affects marginalized communities around the world,” Nasr said. “And at the front of those marginalized communities are queer and trans people who are disproportionately affected by the climate catastrophes just as people of color and disabled folks and indigenous folks, undocumented folks are also disproportionately affected,” he said.

“Many of those people are also queer and trans, and we wanted to stand in solidarity with everyone who is working on this issue and also show the world that queer and trans people are here to fight for our climate and for our mother earth,” he said.

Kaela Bamberger, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Shut Down D.C., which organized the protests, said the WERK for Peace contingent was among the protest contingents whose member were not arrested because they didn’t continuously block streets from auto traffic.

Organizers said the citywide protest was timed to follow a worldwide action by climate activists on Friday, Sept. 20, in which participants, including students, on six continents went on “strike” to show their solidarity with efforts to curtail climate change.

The timing also was aimed at having Monday’s protests take place on the same day that a United Nations Climate Action Summit was scheduled to take place in New York.

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Thousands expected in D.C. for National Trans Visibility March Weekend events include workshops, ceremony honoring trans leaders

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

Thousands of demonstrators are expected in D.C. this weekend for the National Trans Visibility March.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

At least 4,000 people but possibly many more are expected to descend on the nation’s capital from across the country on Saturday, Sept. 28, for a National Transgender Visibility March on Washington, according to organizers of the march and related events set to take place Friday through Sunday.

Many of the participants will arrive on buses and flights arranged and paid for by a special scholarship fund set up for those who don’t have the financial means to travel to D.C., organizers said.

“Members of the transgender and gender non-conforming communities will take a major stand against hate and discrimination when they rally in the nation’s capital for the first-ever National Trans Visibility March on Washington,” organizers said in a statement.

“Transgender individuals from major metropolitan cities including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Memphis, New York and San Francisco will come together with their allies calling for equal rights, physical safety, and demanding the transgender communities be officially and federally recognized across every state department within this great nation,” the statement says.

A schedule posted on the march website says the march is to begin with a rally from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday at Freedom Plaza in downtown D.C. where 14 prominent transgender and LGBT rights advocates and allies will speak.

Among those scheduled to speak were actress, transgender rights advocate, LO CAL NE WS • S EPTEMBER 27, 2019 • WA SHI N GTONB L A DE . COM • 11

and businesswoman Angelica Ross, who starred in the FX series “Pose.”

Also confirmed as speakers are Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign; Earline Budd, the longtime D.C. transgender rights advocate; and trans activists Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Scott Schofield of the national LGBT advocacy group GLAAD, and Carter Brown, founder and executive director of Black Trans Men, Inc. Organizers say the march will begin following the rally at the east end of Freedom Plaza at 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. and travel east on Pennsylvania Avenue to 3rd Street, N.W., near the U.S. Capitol, where it will end.

Marissa Miller, national organizing director of the march who is also scheduled to speak at the rally, said organizers decided to hold the rally at the start of the march at Freedom Plaza rather than at the end of the march on the grounds of the Capitol.

Organizers have said a major focus of the march will be a coordinated effort for participants to return to their home states and push hard for Congress to pass the Equality Act, a comprehensive LGBT civil rights bill that includes strong nondiscrimination protections for transgender people.

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act earlier this year, but leaders of the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate have refused to bring the bill up for a vote in that body.

When asked on Tuesday by Washington Blade White House correspondent Chris Johnson if President Trump has a message for participants in Saturday’s transgender march and their advocacy for the Equality Act, the White House released a brief statement reiterating its position on the legislation.

“The Trump Administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all,” the statement says. But it adds, “[T]he House passed bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine

parental and conscience rights.”

The statement didn’t elaborate on what the administration means by “poison pills” in the House version of the bill. But opponents of the legislation led by antiLGBT groups have raised objections to the bill’s nondiscrimination provision that would allow transgender people to use the public bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity rather than their gender at birth.

Miller said the march and related events will also focus on the dangers faced by transgender people in their daily lives as demonstrated by at least 18 and possibly more murders of transgender women in the U.S. so far this year who were believed to have been targeted because of their gender identity and expression. Seventeen of those 18 were trans women of color.

In addition to the march, a series of workshops on topics related to helping activists and others to better advocate for advances in the rights of transgender, gender nonconforming and non-binary people will take place on Friday, Sept. 27, at 1:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in the Crystal City section of Arlington, Va. Also scheduled to take place at the Crystal Gateway Marriott on Friday following the workshops is the Torch Award Ceremony honoring transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary leaders for their service of more than 15 years in advocating for equality. Angelica Ross and Carter Brown will be among the Torch Award recipients, a posting on the march’s Facebook page says.

“Our lives have always been on the line,” Ross said in a statement. “This is why we march.”

Miller said that plans for a second National Trans Visibility March to be held in September 2020 in the midst of the U.S. presidential election campaign, were scheduled to be announced at this year’s Freedom Plaza rally on Saturday.

Full details of the weekend’s events, including the Trans Visibility March and workshops, can be accessed at transmarchondc.org.

HRC president: Trump responsible for anti-trans violence David talks 2020 and more on eve of trans march, national dinner

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

Human Rights Campaign President ALPHONSO DAVID photographed this week during an interview at HRC headquarters.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Alphonso David, the new president of the Human Rights Campaign, doesn’t hold back when talking about the harm he says President Trump is inflicting on the LGBT community.

In fact, David said Trump is responsible for the ongoing problem of violence against transgender people. Just this year, as David noted, 18 transgender people have been reported killed, 17 of whom were people of color.

“President Trump is not only responsible, but he is the gasoline that is responsible for many fires around this country,” David said.

David said Trump is “spewing hate and division and bigotry” and is responsible for discrimination and violence against many minority communities, including transgender people.

“There is a connection between what we’re seeing with transgender violence, with racial injustice, with immigrant bias throughout this country because of Donald Trump,” David said.

David made the remarks in an interview with the Washington Blade in his office on Tuesday days before the first-ever National Transgender March on Washington and the 23rd annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in Washington, D.C. Asked about his message to participants in the transgender march, David issued a call for solidarity with transgender people.

“We have to be supportive of the transgender community, and we have to not only be there for this march, we have to be there after the march, we have to be there in two weeks, we have to be there in six months, we have to create systems that will support the transgender community,” David said.

David kept his cards close to the vest about the upcoming National Dinner, but

said big news is in store for the night.

“And, you know, certainly I’ll be focused on transgender rights,” David said. “I think it’s something that we need to focus on, but the details of that, you’ll have to wait until Saturday.”

Read the full interview here: Washington Blade: I guess my first question for you is you’ve been on the job now for about a month Has anything about being in this job in that time period surprised you?

Alphonso David: Yes. There have been a number of things that surprised me. The dedication, the commitment, the passion that HRC staff members and supporters bring to this work. We often talk about the Human Rights Campaign being the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the world. But we never really talked about the dedication and the sheer grit that people exhibit in doing this work. And so, that has been a surprise.

What has also been surprising to me as I travel the country, talking to advocates, and activists, supporters about the election, and they are incredibly energized. They’re ready to get involved. They’re ready to make sure that their voices are heard. And they appreciate the true impact that this election could have on this country.

Blade: As you were coming on board, did you have any conversations with Chad Griffin at all during the transition?

David: [Laughs] Yes. I’ve known Chad for a long time. I met Chad when he first thought about bringing a lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, which was a ballot initiative in California that ended up going all the way up to the Supreme Court. And we had been colleagues and friends for a long time.

So before taking this job, I had a conversation with him — actually several conversations

with him — about the organization about the challenges that we face in the movement, and about the opportunities that I see that we can take advantage of.

make sure we get him out of office, Donald Trump specifically. And we elect pro-equality candidates that represent all of us, not just simply some of us.

Blade: In your introduction, one thing that’s really notable about your biography is your background and growing up in Liberia, with all the challenges that country faced when you were growing up, and you had to flee violence there. How does that experience inform your approach to the LGBT movement?

David: There are so many takeaways from my experience in Liberia that are applicable to my adult life, and they’re also applicable to my advocacy. I think most important for me is making sure people understand how fragile democracy can be. I grew up in a country that was — had a democratically elected president and a democratically elected, you know, state — our equivalent would be state elected officials. And in the span of a few hours, that all shifted, and my uncle was assassinated, and my father was put in prison, and we were living under a dictatorship.

So that experience for me is very real.

It continues to be very real, and I take that and learn from it to make sure that other people fully appreciate how important it is for us to engage in our democracy. And it’s not only as it relates to LGBTQ issues, right? It’s anything that you care about, it could be the climate, or it could be on race issues, or it could be on economic issues. We have to make sure that people are informed and actively engaged in our democracy, and I bring that to this work.

I also bring to this work the fact that we are living under a significant amount of daily — I would say a barrage of daily attacks — from the Trump administration, and it’s gotten to the point that people have become numb to it. When the Trump administration says we’re filing an amicus brief, and in that amicus brief, we’re saying LGBT people can be fired from their jobs because they’re gay. We’re saying that transgender people can lose their housing because they’re transgender. We’re saying that under the Affordable Care Act, transgender people shouldn’t be protected.

We’re saying transgender people can be thrown out of the military. When you see that drumbeat of attack after attack after attack, my fear is that people become numb to it, or they think that it doesn’t have the impact that it actually does. And part of my role is making sure that we remind people, remind people that we’re living under a climate where LGBT people live under attack, and we have to make sure that we engage, we have to

Blade: We’ve talked a lot about some initiatives you want to pursue, including getting Trump out of office, but what is your No. 1 priority for the Human Rights Campaign? That might be it.

David: [Laughs] I have many priorities, I would say one of the most important priorities is making sure that we have a president that represents our interests, and we have elected officials across the board from congressional members to state elected officials that represent the interests of all Americans and all residents as opposed to just some, so that is a huge priority.

But I’m also going to be outlining a variety of other priorities this week. We have our national dinner that’s scheduled for Saturday. I hope you’re coming. [To Blade photographer Michael Key:] And I hope you’re coming. And I will be unveiling all of those priorities, the things that I think we need to focus on as we go into the election season and as we go into next year.

Blade: Well, can you talk a little bit about what your strategy is going to be for 2020, both for the White House and for Congress?

David: Sure. So we are with respect to the White House, making sure that people are registered to vote, making sure that they’re engaged in the electoral process. And what that means is not only going to make sure that you’re registered, but also connecting with everyone else that you know, to make sure they’re also registered. That’s step one.

Step two is, of course, making sure that people understand the issues and are engaged on the issues. Unfortunately, in some cases, people don’t vote because they’re not informed. Or if they do vote, they’re not really that informed about what they’re voting on. So we want to make sure that we provide as much information as possible. So they’re fully educated about the options that they have. And so when they exercise their right to vote, we hope that they’re exercising their right to vote in support of pro-equality candidates. So that’ll be my focus as it relates to Donald Trump.

And again, highlighting everything that he’s done, because many people, I think we’ve gotten to the point where some people have tuned it out. They’re not really CONTINUES ON PAGE 20

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Tense moment for Biden at Iowa LGBT forum Audience boos reference to Pence as ‘decent guy’

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

Former Vice President JOE BIDEN was booed when asked about his description of Mike Pence as a ‘decent guy.’

Screen capture via YouTube

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Democratic presidential hopefuls came together Sept. 20 at an LGBT candidate forum to lay out their vision for LGBT rights, but the evening yielded to a tense moment when Joseph Biden was defensive on stage about blemishes on his record.

Lyz Lenz, a columnist with the Cedar Rapids Gazette brought up Biden’s votes in the 1990s for the crime bill, a military spending bill that instituted “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage.

When Lenz lumped that together with contemporaneous remarks from Biden in which he called Vice President Mike Pence, who’s notorious for his anti-LGBT record, a “decent guy,” the audience booed.

“You’re a lovely person,” Biden replied, generating applause from the audience that was hard to read.

“Just asking the questions people want to know,” Lenz said, which in turn generated a roar of applause.

Asked by Lenz what assurances he could make he wouldn’t compromise on LGBT rights, Biden made the (untrue) assertion in the wake of that record he “didn’t have to go through any period of adjustment.”

“I came out on ‘Meet the Press’ before anyone else did nationally,” Biden said. “It was honestly, No. 1, and the reason I did, I had to evolve.”

Biden was also indignant about the criticism for calling Pence “decent,” saying it’s just a way to speak “when you try to get things.” Biden added he doesn’t think Trump is decent, but would still call him president.

“I think it’s just an issue because he has not been decent to a whole swath of

Americans,” Lenz responded to audience applause.

In terms of promoting LGBT rights, Biden laid out a plan that included the Equality Act, undoing the Trump administration’s reversal of Obama’s LGBT administrative actions and a ban on “the conversion therapy, nationally.”

The LGBT candidate forum at Coe College’s Sinclair Auditorium marked the first time in the 2020 election Democratic candidates gathered for an event dedicated to LGBT issues and the first time for such an event in 11 years, when the 2008 candidates addressed LGBT issues in a similar forum.

Ten of the Democratic candidates made an appearance during the LGBT forum — which was orchestrated by the LGBT media watchdog GLAAD — to lay out their vision for LGBT rights, but Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg were at their peak performance.

Booker said after years of the Trump administration and its anti-LGBT policies, the time has come for a president who will bring a comprehensive approach to bettering the lives of marginalized people, including the LGBT community.

“It’s about time that we have a woke president on these issues and every day is using their platforms to inspire and ignite justice, compassion, a more courageous empathy, a revival of civic grace so that everyone for the equal dignity and equal citizenship that we all have,” Booker said.

Among the LGBT agenda items Booker said he plans is appointing a U.S. attorney general “who will fight to protect the rights and safety of LGBTQ Americans” and an education secretary who “actually was

in public schools and will stand up and protect every single one of our children.”

Elizabeth Warren took the opportunity of her opening statement when asked about her plan on LGBT rights for her first 100 days to read the name of the transgender women who were killed so far this year.

“It’s time for a president of the United States of America to say their names,” Warren said. “Equality is far off for many people in this country, but the cost of inequality for trans people, particularly trans women of color has now reached a moment of crisis, and it is time for everyone in America to speak out on this issue.”

Warren also incorporated LGBT rights into her anti-corporatism messaging, saying Trump-appointed “corporate lawyers” have been appointed at a time it’s set to consider whether federal civil rights law as it stands prohibits anti-LGBT discrimination.

“I hope we don’t lose this case,” Warren said. “I will stay on top of this, but remember, we also have a Congress that we can hold accountable, and our Congress can decide that we all are equal in this country and that is the fight I am ready to lead.”

Further, Warren invoked a parable from the Bible to make a point about LGBT equality, a risky decision before an LGBT audience who may have felt harmed by religion.

Buttigieg, who had the distinction of being an openly gay candidate at the forum, emphasized the LGBT community has the unique distinction of being able to cut across wide swaths of groups in America.

“We have the power to reach into our own spirit, belonging to a part of America that also cuts across all other different categories,” Buttigieg said. “I can only assume we’re the only minority that exists in equal proportion across every ethnicity and family income.”

Zach Stafford, editor of The Advocate, asked Buttigieg a question about the Food & Drug Administration policy prohibiting men from donating blood if they’ve had sex with another man within the past year.

As a result of that policy, Stafford noted, Buttigieg would face discrimination as a gay man even as U.S. president.

Buttigieg recognized the gay blood ban continues and said its discriminatory impact affected him when he organized a blood drive as South Bend mayor.

“And it’s a great thing that we do,” Buttigieg said. “And I realized I can’t, I can’t be part of it. We still do it. It’s still a good

thing. But it’s an example, one of the many examples of the exclusions that continue in this country.”

Questions came up for candidates who have records against granting gender reassignment surgery for transgender inmates in prison.

When Lenz confronted Kamala Harris about her litigation position as California attorney general representing the California Department of Corrections against the procedure for a transgender inmate, Harris said she defended the state, but also acted to correct the policy.

“When I learned about what they were doing, but behind the scenes I got them to change the policy, and I commit to you, that always in these systems, there are going to be these things that these agencies do and I will commit, as I always do, to deal with it,” Harris said.

Lenz also questioned Warren, who previously was against the surgery for inmates before reversing her position in 2017, asking her how to get others to evolve.

“The way I think about this, in America, equal means equal,” Warren said. “And that is true everywhere, it’s true in the workplace, it’s true in marriage and it’s true in health care.”

While Lenz asked Harris to defend her record, she asked Warren how she can help others evolve, a distinction noticed online by media critics. To be fair, Warren signaled support for gender reassignment surgery for all inmates, a position Harris hasn’t articulated in so many words.

Other candidates weren’t as stellar in their delivery and seemed to take the opportunity to address other issues.

Tulsi Gabbard, who has come under criticism for comments in the 2000s disparaging LGBT rights activists, said she’d work to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in all areas of life, but didn’t exactly assuage concerns by making “the cost of war” a central point at an LGBT forum.

“There’s one issue that is central to all the rest, to our ability to serve all of these needs, and that issue is the cost of war,” Gabbard said. “I want to talk about this because not very many people do, but it is central for our ability to deliver and serve the needs of the American people.”

Gabbard said since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks the United States has spent $6 trillion “to go and pay for wasteful regime wars in other countries,” which she added cost the United States dearly in terms of treasury and blood.

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Buttigieg backtracks on criticism of LGBT media

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

Trump tries again to confirm gay fed’l appeals judge Harris has concerns about Bumatay’s qualifications

By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

PETE BUTTIGIEG said he had a ‘grumpy moment’ last week when he told an interviewer that he can’t even read the LGBT media anymore.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Gay presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has reversed himself after disparaging the LGBT media this week, attributing his Trump-lite comments to having a “grumpy moment.”

Buttigieg made the correction during an interview with Alex Berg of AM to DM with Buzzfeed News, who quoted a question posed to him on Twitter from Out magazine editor Phillip Picardi about the remarks.

“I appreciate the question and the chance to clear this up,” Buttigieg replied.

“Just to be clear, LGBTQ media plays an important role especially at a time like this.”

Buttigieg then shifted the direction of his criticism away from LGBT media to a general sense of some people who “tell people how to be gay.”

“I was having a grumpy moment where I was thinking about some of the coverage that I do get frustrated with that seems to tell people how to be gay, and that’s to be fair happening in a lot of different sources and places online in and other places,” Buttigieg said.

But Buttigieg also acknowledged the situation is different for him because he’s a candidate running for president.

“It’s one of the reasons I was a candidate,” he said. “It’s healthy just not to read too many clips about yourself to begin with. I don’t want to take away from the very good work that’s being done in the queer media right now.”

Asked whether scrutiny of his remarks against LGBT media was unfair, Buttigieg denied that was the case.

“No, look,” Buttigieg said, “when you’re a politician, you’re fair game and even though I don’t think of myself as a political, I’m running for political office, everything you say is on the record, everything you say has an impact and it’s important to make sure you’re saying things in the right way, and that they’re having the right effect.”

Buttigieg had criticized the LGBT media during a radio interview on Sirius XM when replying to a question about individuals in LGBT circles criticizing him for presenting as masculine and not being gay enough.

In response, Buttigieg said he “can’t even read the LGBT media anymore,” falsely accusing LGBT outlets of writing those articles questioning his gay-ness when they were written by mainstream outlets like Slate and The New Republic.

News that Buttigieg addressed his comments answers why Zach Stafford, of The Advocate, make no mention of it Friday during the LGBT forum with presidential candidates, even though he served as the moderator for the Buttigieg portion.

Stafford revealed on Twitter the next day he didn’t ask the question because he knew Buttigieg addressed it on AM2DM, linking to the candidate’s interview.

Notably, Buttigieg chose to give the news to a non-LGBT media outlet, although the reporter who interviewed him covers women’s and LGBT issues.

In an unexpected role reversal, President Trump is trying — for a second time — to confirm a gay U.S. prosecutor to a federal appeals court despite objections from Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) over his qualifications for a lifetime judicial appointment.

The White House included on Friday Patrick Bumatay, a gay Filipino who serves as a U.S. attorney in Southern California, on a list of six individuals intended for nominations to the federal bench.

Trump tapped Bumatay to serve on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Upon Senate confirmation, Bumatay would become the highest-ranking openly gay federal judge in the country.

Currently, the only other openly gay federal appeals judge is U.S. Circuit Judge Todd Hughes of the Federal Circuit, whom the Senate confirmed in 2013 after he was nominated by President Obama. But the Federal Circuit isn’t considered as prestigious or high-ranking as the Ninth Circuit.

Trump initially nominated Bumatay for a seat on the Ninth Circuit last year, but was thwarted by objections from the nominee’s home state senators. Both Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Harris recommended other judicial picks for the Ninth Circuit, but Trump ended up ignoring them and choosing his own, including Bumatay.

The standoff ended with Trump rescinding Bumatay’s nomination for the Ninth Circuit and nominating him instead to become a trial judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

But things changed after the retirement of U.S. Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, who left the bench amid allegations of sexual misconduct and abusive employment practices.

Speculation emerged Trump would once against nominate Bumatay to the Ninth Circuit — this time to replace Kozinski.

Harris in a statement made clear she continues to hold the same opposition to Bumatay’s nomination she held the first time around.

“Once again, the president has put forth a highly flawed nominee to the Ninth Circuit, without the support of California’s

senators,” Harris said. “I first objected to Mr. Bumatay after his initial nomination to the Ninth Circuit a year ago and again raised concerns about his qualifications and fitness when he was nominated for the district court.”

Harris, a Democratic presidential candidate, also accused Trump of selecting a judicial nominee intended to “advance a political agenda and remake the federal judiciary.”

“A nominee for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench must demonstrate exceptional skill, professionalism and respect for the principle of equal justice under law,” Harris said. “Mr. Bumatay does not meet this standard. Mr. Bumatay has a troubling prosecutorial record, lacks the requisite experience, and has drawn criticism from members of California’s legal community, across party lines. It is clear that he lacks the judgment and qualifications to serve on the Ninth Circuit.”

The Blade has placed a request with Harris’s office seeking examples of incidents in which Bumatay has exhibited a troubling prosecutorial record, lacked the requisite experience and been criticized

by California’s legal community.

At the LGBT forum for Democratic presidential candidates that took place on the same day the White House announced the Bumatay nomination, the Blade asked Harris to square her support for LGBT rights with her opposition to a gay judicial nominee.

“When we look at his background,” Harris replied, “I don’t have any confidence that he is actually going to fight for the civil rights of all people, and oh that he would because I would love to be a part of continuing to do the work that we need to diversify the court.”

Bumatay’s confirmation would mark the second time the Senate has confirmed an openly LGBT Trump judicial nomination. The first was U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland of Illinois, who was confirmed earlier this year as a result of an agreement among the White House, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

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Trump talks decriminalizing homosexuality at U.N.

Luxembourg leader makes history at U.N.

Luxembourg Prime Minister XAVIER BETTEL on Sept. 24 made history when he became the first out head of government to speak about LGBT-specific issues at a U.N. General Assembly.

Photo by Julien Becker; courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on Tuesday became the first out head of government to speak about LGBTI-specific issues at a U.N. General Assembly.

“Being gay is not a choice, but not accepting it is a choice,” said Bettel at an U.N. LGBTI Core Group event that focused on efforts to end anti-LGBTI hate speech in social and traditional media, according to a tweet from Luxembourg’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. “Homophobia is a choice and we have to fight against it!”

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who is the former president of Chile, also spoke at the event alongside others who include OutRight Action International Executive Director Jessica Stern and Sam Brinton of the Trevor Project. Geena Rocero, a Filipina model and transgender rights activist, is among those who were in attendance.

The event took place hours after President Trump delivered his address to the U.N. General Assembly.

Trump referenced his administration’s campaign that encourages countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations, even though the White House’s LGBTI rights record in the U.S. and overall foreign policy continues to spark outrage.

The U.S. in 2018 withdrew from the U.N. Human Rights Council, which has emerged as a vocal champion of LGBTI rights around the world in recent years.

The U.S. nevertheless remains a member of the U.N. LGBTI Core Group.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Scott Busby and Courtney Nemeroff of the U.S. Mission to the U.N. attended Tuesday’s event, but did not have a chance to speak.

Religious freedom is among the other issues that Trump raised in his U.N. General Assembly speech. Trump, along with Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are among those who spoke at a first-of-its-kind religious freedom event at the U.N. that took place on Monday.

“As president, protecting religious freedom is one of my highest priorities and always has been,” said Trump.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

In a surprise move, President Trump included in his speech before the United Nations on Tuesday his administration’s global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality in the more than 70 countries where it remains illegal.

“My administration is working with other nations to stop criminalizing of homosexuality,” Trump said. “And we stand in solidarity with LGBT people who live in countries that punish, jail and execute people based upon sexual orientation.”

The remarks mark the first time ever outside of Twitter Trump has acknowledged the global initiative, which is being spearheaded by U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-ranking openly gay person in the Trump administration.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere echoed the president’s message in response to the Blade’s request seeking background on the decision-making that led to the inclusion of those words in Trump’s speech and what comes next.

“It was an opportunity to deliver an important message to world leaders and a global audience that the U.S. will not stand for the criminalizing of homosexuality,” Deere said.

It’s not the first time a U.S. president has brought up LGBT rights in a speech before the United Nations. That distinction belongs to President Obama, who included gays and lesbians in a speech addressing the General Assembly in 2011.

“No country should deny people their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but also no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere,” Obama said.

In 2011, Hillary Clinton gave an entire speech before United Nations delegates in Geneva devoted to U.S. solidarity with LGBT people across the globe. A notable line in the speech was Clinton saying, “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”

Trump’s speech, however, was likely the first time a U.S. president has explicitly brought up the decriminalization of homosexuality in remarks before the United Nations.

The inclusion of the LGBT initiative in Trump’s speech was one component of a more than 30-minute speech before the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which heavily focused on nationalism, denouncing socialism, and criticizing Iran and China.

“Wise leaders always put the good of their own people and their own country first,” Trump said. “The future does not belong to the globalists; the future belongs to the patriots.”

Charles Moran, managing director of Log Cabin Republicans, praised Trump for

including the global initiative in his speech.

“President Trump is fulfilling his initiative to decriminalize homosexuality across the globe,” Moran said. “We are thankful that he will use this moment while addressing the world to call for the end of senseless persecution of LGBTQ individuals. President Trump is keeping his promises to the LGBTQ community, and for standing up for American values.”

CHRIS JOHNSON

Montego Bay Pride canceled amid security concerns Organizers of a Pride event that was to have taken place in the Jamaican resort city of Montego Bay next month say security concerns have prompted them to cancel the event.

A press release that Montego Bay Pride organizers released on Thursday said Montego Bay Mayor Homer Davis and St. James Councilor Charles Sinclair “don’t feel that we belong in Jamaica” and have banned them from using a public cultural center.

“I am not opposed if Montego Bay Pride wishes to have an event to promote same-sex marriage, but I believe it should not be held at the Montego Bay Cultural Center,” said Sinclair, according to the Jamaica Gleaner, a Jamaican newspaper.

“The cultural center is a building under the management of the municipal corporation, which is a government agency.”

“We, as a government agency, must ensure that we uphold the Constitution of Jamaica, and in upholding the Constitution, why would we engage a building controlled by the municipal corporation to be used to hold a function to promote same-sex marriage?” he added. “It is not consistent with the mandate that we have.”

Montego Bay Pride in their press release said “no other venue will rent to us at a reasonable rate” because of Sinclair and Davis’ comments.

“Venues have even cancelled on us,” it reads. “The local police have advised that the hysteria whipped up against LGBT Jamaicans by the mayor and the councilor is so violent right now that the police can’t provide security for our Walk for Rights without extraordinary measures and expense.”

Upwards of 3,000 people were expected to attend this year’s Montego Bay Pride that was scheduled to take place from Oct. 13-20. The first Montego Bay Pride took place five years ago.

Organizers in their press release say they will “now be pursuing legal action for the breaches of our constitutional rights, including the rights to freedom of expression as well as assembly and association that have been directly curtailed by Mayor Davis and Councilor Sinclair’s dangerous and reckless words and actions.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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HRC’s David blames Trump for anti-trans violence CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 listening anymore. So they don’t know in some cases, what this administration is doing to attack gay people, or LGBTQ people, you know, in terms of all of us.

With respect to the Senate races, and races in the House of Representatives, we’re going to be applying the same strategy, we’re going into certain key districts where we think we have an ability to actually win.

And we’ll have people on the ground in some cases, we do now, to make sure that we can transform those communities — so they support pro-equality candidates.

And finally, with respect to state elected races, we have offices now in Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. We identified those three states, as states where we think we have an ability to actually transform the electoral landscape, and elect more proequality candidates. So we’re working at all three levels, presidency, congressional races, and state races to make sure we support pro-equality candidates.

Blade: Let’s talk a little bit more about President Trump. Does the Human Rights Campaign support his impeachment?

David: Good question.

I think at this point, we are looking at that issue. We are having conversations with various elected officials and our coalition partners to make sure that if we do pull that lever, and we seek impeachment of the president, we know what that actually means.

There are variety of arguments that certainly support impeachment. And I think some would say there are some legal arguments that certainly support impeachment, but some are also concerned about the collateral consequences of doing that. And so we’re weighing all of those options, and we’ll make a final determination in the next few days to the extent it’s something that’s germane.

[Editor’s Note: The Blade conducted this interview with David shortly before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she’d open up a formal impeachment inquiry against Trump.]

Blade: One other piece of news with President Trump is his U.N. speech not too long ago, just today. He brought up a global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality and says that he stands in support of LGBTQ people who are facing persecution overseas. Did you happen to see those remarks?

David: I did not see those remarks. But I read about those remarks. Are you asking me my opinion?

Blade: Yes. David: It’s all noise. It’s all noise, and

we should reject it outright. It doesn’t mean anything. Donald Trump standing up on a stage saying that he supports decriminalization internationally means nothing, and the only place you have to look is right at home. If Donald Trump wants to support LGBTQ people, allow transgender people to serve in the military. If Donald Trump supports LGBTQ people, allow us to get health care. If he supports LGBTQ people, actually put money behind ending AIDS. He doesn’t do that.

So to suggest he’s interested in decriminalizing homosexuality, as he calls it, in other parts of the world is noise. It is a distraction from what he should actually be doing, which is making sure that LGBTQ people actually have protections in our own country.

He claims to be a nationalist, right?

Right? He’s not interested in making sure that immigrants are actually provided an opportunity to seek asylum in this country.

He thinks that we should close the border.

If you’re such a nationalist, why do you focus on international policy when you’re not focused on your own domestic policy as it as it relates to LGBTQ people. That would be my question to him.

Blade: One thing you brought up is the HIV initiative. And you said that he’s not put enough funding to back up that initiative by the Department of Health & Human Services to get new infections down by 90% by 2030. Can you talk a little bit about why he’s not putting his money where his mouth is on that?

David: Again, all we have to do is look at the record. Donald Trump essentially debunked or deconstructed an HIV council that was in place with the express mission of trying to end HIV and develop policies and procedures to do that. He ended up decommissioning that council. Now, — Blade: But he restocked it though, right?

David: I’m not sure if he actually restocked it. I know that he’s claiming he’s going to do that. But that commission was actually in place. Now, even if you were to accept on face value, that he’s interested in ending HIV by 2030, the amount of money that he’s actually put up to invest in that is insufficient.

So I have no faith that Donald Trump is actually interested in ending HIV by 2030, because he’s shown us time and time again, that he’s not to be trusted, and this is simply placating to our community. Now to the extent money is provided, great. But at this point, it has not been provided. To this point, we cannot trust him. In fact, we should be afraid of what he will do to the LGBTQ community. That’s why I have no investment in what he claims to be a mission of ending HIV by 2030.

Interview continues at washingtonblade.com.

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Cannabis Culture Utah officials revise medical cannabis law

D.C. Mayor MURIEL BOWSER clarified legal protections for certain District employees who consume cannabis while away from the job.

Washington Blade photo by Damien Salas

D.C. mayor expands cannabis protections for workers Mayor Muriel Bowser signed an order last week clarifying legal protections for certain District employees who consume cannabis while away from the job. The new rules apply to all District government agencies under the direct administrative authority of the mayor.

Under the rules, many would-be employees will no longer face pre-employment drug screenings. The order states: “Employees who are not in a safety-sensitive position will be tested for drugs only upon reasonable suspicion, or after an accident or incident.

Thus, those employees not in safety-sensitive positions may find that they can use cannabis, with or without a medical card authorizing [it], so long as they are not impaired at work.”

Commenting on the policy change, NORML NE Political Associate Tyler McFadden said: “Employment protections are critical to ensure that law-abiding adults are not unduly discriminated against in their efforts to be productive members of society solely because of their use of cannabis while off the job.

This order provides clarity and guidance to employers and peace of mind to the employees who work in the District of Columbia.”

For employees seeking safety-sensitive positions, the order states that those who test positive for the presence of cannabis on a pre-employment drug screen may be “disqualified.” In some cases, however, the order states that those who initially test positive for cannabis may receive a “second opportunity to take a drug test at least two weeks after the initial test results have been provided.”

In cases involving post-accident testing, a positive drug test result for cannabis metabolites will continue to be viewed as presumptive evidence of impairment. However, this “presumption may be overcome if the employee presents clear or convincing evidence that he or she was not impaired at the time of the test.”

Because THC’s primary metabolite, carboxy-THC is lipid soluble, residual levels of the compound may persist in urine for weeks or even months post-abstinence. According to the US Department of Justice, a positive urine test screen for drug metabolites “does not indicate abuse or addiction, recency, frequency, or amount of use; or impairment.”

Earlier this month, members of the DC City Council approved Act Number A23-0114: The Medical Marijuana Program Patient Employment Protection Temporary Amendment Act, which seeks to impose explicit protections for medical cannabis patients against workplace discrimination.

H E A LT H • S E PT E MBER 27, 2019 • WA SHINGTON BL A DE . COM • 21

SALT LAKE CITY — Members of the Utah House and Senate unanimously approved legislation revising the state’s nascent medical cannabis access program during a special legislative session last week.

Under the revised plan, the distribution of medical cannabis products will no longer be overseen by public health regulators.

Rather, the state will license as many as 14 private entities throughout the state to dispense cannabis products to authorized patients. The new legislation also permits courier services to engage in cannabis deliveries to those patients who either reside a significant distance from an operating dispensary or who are homebound.

Republican Gov. Gary Herbert expressed support for the changes, stating, “The bill will help provide safe and efficient access to an important medical option for patients while also taking public safety into consideration.”

This is the second time in less than a year that lawmakers have convened a special session to amend the state’s medical cannabis law. 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.

Regulators want to amend rules for clinical cannabis testing The Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration have acknowledged that existing federal regulations hinder clinical cannabis research, and are suggesting that scientists be able to legally access cannabis products from sources other than the University of Mississippi – the only federally licensed supply source of marijuana for research purposes.

In a letter to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), first obtained

by Politico, the officials acknowledge that the existing monopoly on federally authorized cannabis production limits “the diversity of [cannabis] products and formulations available to researchers, [thus] slowing the development of cannabis-based medications.”

The letter’s authors suggest both “licensing additional entities to supply cannabis,” as well as “enabling researchers holding Schedule I licenses for marijuana to obtain products from state authorized dispensaries.”

They conclude that the current regulations governing the clinical study of cannabis, along with the Schedule I status of marijuana under federal law, create “significant administrative cost challenges that slow this research and may deter scientists from pursuing cannabis research altogether.”

Since 2016, officials at the DEA have promised to license additional, private producers of research-grade cannabis. As of yet however, the DEA has failed to take action on more than 30 applications pending before it, and the agency has yet to provide a timeline as to when they intend to do so.

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

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Serving the LGBT Community in DC/MD/VA since 1983 Lawrence S. Jacobs/McMillan Metro, PC 24 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

JOHN-MANUEL ANDRIOTE

is an author and blogger.

Reach him via stonewallstrong.com.

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

VI E WPO I NT • S E PTEMBER 27, 2019 • WA SHIN GTONB L A DE . COM • 25

BROCK THOMPSON

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

MARK LEE

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

PETER ROSENSTEIN

JOHN-MANUEL ANDRIOTE

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

is an author and blogger. Reach him via stonewallstrong.com.

How many more Ed Bucks are out there?

Meth use ‘at epidemic levels in the gay community’ Los Angeles LGBTQ activist and Democratic donor Ed Buck’s arrest on Sept. 17 offers a lens into both the widespread use of crystal meth in a segment of the gay male community, and arrangements in which older men with more money and status use meth to ply sexual favors from younger men—sometimes ending very badly for the younger men.

Buck, 65, was charged on Sept. 17 with one count each of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine, and maintaining a drug house after a 37-yearold man overdosed, but survived, at Buck’s apartment on Sept. 11.

This follows the 2017 meth overdose deaths of two African-American men— Gemmel Moore, 26, and Timothy Dean, 55— in Buck’s West Hollywood apartment.

Prosecutors say Buck lured the men to his home with offers of drugs, money, and shelter. In exchange he manipulated them into joining in sexual fetishes that include “supplying and personally administering dangerously large doses of narcotics to his victims,” they wrote in court papers.

“I feel vindicated for all the people who said [Buck’s arrest] was never going to happen,” said Jasmyne Cannick, an LGBTQ advocate and spokeswoman for Moore’s mother. “I feel really good for all the young men he took advantage of because they didn’t feel like anyone took them seriously, like their lives weren’t important enough for anyone to really care about.”

Ft. Lauderdale-based substance abuse expert and certified sex therapist David Fawcett, Ph.D., says, “Meth use among gay men in New York City has risen 400 percent.” Author of “Lust, Men and Meth: A Gay Man’s Guide to Sex and Recovery,” Fawcett says estimates run as high as 1 in 4 gay men in major urban areas in the U.S. who are semi-regularly using meth. “It’s at epidemic levels in the gay community,” he says.

As for the inter-generational drugsfor-sex exchange, Fawcett says in the justout documentary “Crystal City” “Meth is a great equalizer.” He explains, “The older guys with money provide the meth and the younger guys provide sex.”

Why does this wildly addictive, potentially deadly drug—its lethal effects can include stroke, heart attack, liver and kidney failure, and even rotted teeth—hold such strong appeal for a large minority of gay men in particular?

Meth’s best known effects are pleasure

and dissociation, as it works on the brain’s limbic system, the reward circuitry.

Combined with sex, as it frequently is by its gay male users, meth explodes physical and emotional pleasure through the roof— and kicks good judgment to the curb.

Meth is well known to make men hypersexual even as it shatters any personal standards they may have had for protecting themselves and their partners against HIV. But if pleasure alone were meth’s main appeal, then surely the three-quarters of gay men who do not use the drug would also be drawn to it— along with the rest of the human race.

A bigger attraction is the chance to escape the isolation and loneliness that are rampant in the gay community. “Meth is a really effective way to numb what in the literature is called ‘minority stress,” says Fawcett. “People who have experienced a lot of stigma based on who they are, experience a lot of mental health and addiction issues.”

Those who combine meth and sex face the highest rate of relapse, “typically about 90 percent,” says Fawcett.

Fawcett told me in an interview about Crystal City that both straight and gay men connect meth use to porn and sex addiction because both operate similarly in the brain.

“We approach it as an intimacy disorder, an intensity disorder, an increasing need for intensity,” he said, describing the practice called Seeking Integrity through which he and fellow therapist Rob Weiss work with gay men.

Twelve-step abstinence-based recovery programs have proved to be the most successful approach to addressing meth addiction. A key to their success is the supportive community they provide. “Any recovery solution must have a communal aspect,” said Fawcett.

The LGBTQ community certainly has the creativity, connections to government funders, and other resources to be able to direct attention to the growing meth epidemic among urban gay men.

We need one that addresses depression and HIV stigma, two major drivers of risky behavior—and huge reasons so many gay men feel the need for analgesia to ease their emotional pain.

Meth and other drug abuse, and HIV too, should rightly be looked at as symptoms of that pain.

Mayor Pete, thank you for the apology Attack on LGBTQ media just a ‘grumpy moment’ I am supportive of Mayor Pete Buttigieg running for president. As the first openly gay candidate to have a wide impact running for president I think he represents the LGBTQ community well. I have cohosted a fundraiser for him in D.C., offered to do a second one in Rehoboth Beach, and helped advertise three others he recently held in the area.

So why was I upset with his recent comments to Clay Cane on SiriusXM Urban View? Cane in a sort of weird question said to him, “I’m sure you’ve heard this before in LGBT circles that more masculinepresenting men have more access,” Cane said. “How different would it be if you were quote-unquote more effeminate?”

Buttigieg responded, “It’s tough for me to know, because I just am what I am and there’s going be a lot of that. That’s why I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore, because it’s all too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay. All I know is that life became a lot easier when I just started allowing myself to be myself. I’ll let other people write up whether I’m too this or too that.”

Now I liked the part of his answer where he said “All I know is that life became a lot easier when I just started allowing myself to be myself.” But the problem came when he said he no longer even reads the LGBT media.

Mayor Pete is smart and I thank him for saying in response to a follow-up question later, “I appreciate the question and the chance to clear this up. Just to be clear LGBTQ media plays an important role especially at a time like this.” He added, “I was having a grumpy moment where I was thinking about some of the coverage that I do get frustrated with that seems to tell people how to be gay, and that’s to be fair happening in a lot of different sources and places online in and other places.”

I know he recognizes it is the LGBTQ media like the Washington Blade that helped him get his campaign off the ground. The Blade did a cover story on him in February before all the hoopla around him began. That, in turn, helped move the LGBTQ community to come forward with the money to finance his campaign.

It is important for Mayor Pete to recognize how LGBTQ media like the Washington Blade, this year celebrating its 50th anniversary, have been in the forefront of the drive for LGBTQ equality,

which led to his being able to run for president. When the Blade began publishing back in 1969 you could be fired from the federal government for being gay. Its reporters covered events that were dangerous and no mainstream media outlet would consider covering.

They reported on the activists from Frank Kameny fighting the federal government to Stonewall veterans demanding their rights. These media outlets are not owned by any conglomerate, rather by men and women of the LGBTQ community.

They struggle every day to stay alive in a market difficult for any publication. If they close there won’t be any publications reporting stories of importance from the communities perspective of which Mayor Pete says he is proud to be a part of.

If Mayor Pete makes it to the White House he will find only one LGBTQ media reporter credentialed as White House press — Chris Johnson of the Blade. If the president gets asked a question on how his actions impact the LGBTQ community it is nearly always from Johnson, who takes his turn as the pool reporter every month being the one to cover the president on that day and all the media get their news from him. I know if Mayor Pete makes it to the White House he would respect and read the reporter from the LGBTQ media.

We are living in difficult times for all minorities and for women. Some have said Kamala Harris isn’t “black enough,” which is as crazy as saying Mayor Pete isn’t gay enough. Harris doesn’t go after the AfricanAmerican media. When women candidates are attacked for not being authentic, not nice enough, don’t smile enough, etc., they don’t attack publications like Ms. magazine, Elle or other women’s media. They understand in the long run that media will stand with them.

So again I thank Mayor Pete for his apology, even presidential candidates are entitled to a grumpy day. But surely he knows in the long run it is the LGBTQ media that will be standing with him when other media walk away. It is the LGBTQ media that will support his efforts long after the campaign is over whether or not he is successful. We in the LGBTQ media are excited he is representing our community and representing it well.

26 • WA S HI N GTON B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9 • V IEWP O IN T

MARK LEE

BROCK THOMPSON

is a long-time entrepreneur and community business advocate.

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

is a D.C.-based writer.

He contributes regularly to the Blade.

Let’s stop telling Mayor Pete how to be gay

We’re a tough crowd but enough is enough Mayor Pete Buttigieg apparently can’t read LGBT media anymore. That’s what he told Sirius XM radio’s Clay Cane last week, saying that “I am what I am, you know, and there’s going to be a lot of that,” adding, “that’s why I can’t even read the [LGBTQ] media anymore because it’s all: ‘Too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay.’”

I guess this all left me a little miffed.

I honestly had this fantasy image in my head of him reading my columns out loud to that one-eyed dog of his. And when we finally met in person, it’s all we’d talk about.

Later on, Mayor Pete backpedaled a bit on his criticism of queer media, chalking the comment up to a “grumpy moment.”

He said that he at times gets “frustrated” with those that tell others “how to be gay,” ending “it’s healthy just not to read too many clips about yourself to begin with.”

But honestly, who can blame Mayor Pete for wanting to give up on queer media? Remember the now-deleted crap article The New Republic ran this past summer by author Dale Peck. That was probably the worst of the worst of gayon-gay crimes. In the article called “My Mayor Pete Problem,” Peck commented on the Mayor’s sexual behavior, calling him “Mary Pete” throughout the article, and even labeled him a gay “Uncle Tom.” Yeah, pretty outrageous. So much so that the publication apologized for even running it.

That was just one, albeit perhaps the most egregious, criticisms of Mayor Pete. After reading that if I were him I’d quit reading stuff about myself too.

Gays can be rough. Gays in Washington, D.C., maybe even more so. Wasn’t it Harry Truman who said if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog? I wonder if that’s why so many gays have dogs.

Honestly, we all live in a town where everyone has an opinion on you and what you do and how you live. So I think we can all sympathize with Mayor Pete on this one.

And like Dale Peck and his words, not only do gays have an opinion on how you live — you came out too late, you drink too much, you don’t drink enough, aren’t you too old for kickball or dodgeball or Miss Adams Morgan? — they freely offer up these unsolicited opinions as if they matter.

Gays hold up diversity as paramount to our culture, but that seems to go out the window pretty quickly when we hold anyone one of us up to just the least bit of scrutiny. There’s diversity in that regard.

There’s also diversity in how we treat each other. That can be pretty limited, too.

Not gay enough, he’s too gay, he’s not the right kind of gay. You can’t win with the gays. But isn’t it similar to what we heard about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama when they ran for president? Clinton was slammed for being too shrill, robotic. Trying not to be shrill, her maternal instincts were then criticized as fake. Obama was all at once too black and not black enough. It’s only straight white males who seem to get a pass on all this. Having found a perfect formula for beyond-reproachness with their navy suits and red ties — it all looks so, well, straight. Perfectly straight, I guess.

Perfectly masculine.

So, for now, let’s go with Mayor Pete being perfectly gay. Perhaps he could use a better haircut. Like a sharp and high and tight fade on the side or something. That is perhaps my only criticism that could be considered a thought on how gay he is. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s stop telling Mayor Pete how to be gay. And why not just stop telling everyone how to be gay while we’re at it.

VI E W P O I NT • S E PTEMBER 27, 2019 • WA SHIN GTONB L A DE . COM • 27

Buttigieg was right, for Pete’s sake Candidate softens quip that presaged debacle of LGBT presidential forum A radio interview last week by gay Democratic presidential nomination candidate Pete Buttigieg created a kerfuffle among some LGBT publications. Umbrage followed the candidate stating, “I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore.”

Buttigieg’s comment was prompted by ongoing accusations that he isn’t “gay enough.” When queried by an Associated Press reporter regarding these criticisms in mid-July, the South Bend, Ind., mayor said, “The best way I’ve found to deal with that is to just be myself and let other people worry about whether it’s enough.”

Last week, in response to being asked on SiriusXM Radio by ‘Urban View’ program host Clay Cane about disparagements lodged in “LGBT circles” that the 37-year-old gay politician is “too masculine” and benefits from a “privilege” as a result, Buttigieg riffed at length when asked, “how different would it be if you were ‘quote-unquote’ more effeminate?”

“It’s tough for me to know, right? ’Cause I just am what I am and, you know, there’s going to be a lot of that. That’s why I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore, because it’s all, ‘Too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay.’ Like jeez, alright. All I know is that life became a lot easier when I just started allowing myself to be myself.

I’ll let other people write up whether I’m ‘too this’ or ‘too that’,” Buttiegieg declared while chuckling.

Rank-and-file folks were largely unperturbed by Buttigieg’s pronouncement, nationally reported by NBC News. More than that, many nodded in agreement.

Buttigieg was right, for Pete’s sake.

One complaint volleyed by several LGBT publications, including the Washington Blade, was that several of the more prominent critiques of Buttigieg being “the wrong kind of gay” were written by lesbian or gay writers but appeared in “straight publications.” Among the more controversial of those articles, published

by Slate in late March and starting-up much of this dust-up, was a piece by D.C.based reporter Christina Cauterucci, a self-described “queer lesbian” formerly at Washington City Paper.

Cauterucci argued, “Buttigieg isn’t just gay – he’s also white, male, upperclass, Midwestern, married, Ivy Leagueeducated, and a man of faith” who “can be more accurately lumped in with his white male peers than with anyone else.” She fretted, “From what I’ve seen, Buttigieg doesn’t seem terribly sold on the idea of gayness as a cultural framework, formative identity, or anything more than a category of sexual and romantic behavior.”

Two days after his remarks, during a Buzzfeed News ‘AM2DM’ live Twitter interview, Buttigieg deflected the LGBT media anxiety his statement generated by attributing his candor to having a “grumpy moment.”

Mayor Pete explained, “I do get frustrated with [the coverage] that seems to tell people how to be gay. And, to be fair, that is happening in a lot of different sources and places online.” It was clear that Buttigieg’s primary objective was not to deny disappointment with the continuing critiques of his “gayness” quotient, but to clarify that he appreciated the role of LGBT media. As a gay presidential candidate who has benefited from largely positive gay media coverage while raising boatloads of campaign cash from LGBT donors, softening his earlier quip posed a clear upside.

Sandwiched between Buttigieg’s comment and contrition was the nontelevised “LGBTQ Presidential Forum” last Friday night, produced by GLAAD and the Advocate. Fortunately, few voters of any orientation watched the online debacle.

It was an embarrassing train-wreck, more bar-style off-night karaoke experience than of prideful caliber or newsworthy content. The wilting center-stage floral arrangement was symbolic of cringe-worthy amateurishness and head-scratching oddball presidential candidate inquiries.

Startlingly silly pontification by LGBT extremists regarding whether Buttigieg is “gay enough” and a dumbfounding inability to articulate more than fringefocused dogmatics signifies much is terribly amiss in conveying community consensus and collective concerns.

Putting Pete in a petticoat won’t change that.

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Moving back home?

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Genderqueer Danny Mendoza, 27, lived briefly with their parents during and after college for cost and convenience, but felt motivated to make the experience a temporary one.

“I definitely felt that I would be able to express myself more after moving out,” Mendoza says, now living in a more “trans-inclusive” house with five LGBTQ roommates across the gender spectrum.

This is in contrast to nearly half of the young Millennials (ages 22-28) surveyed in recent studies by TD Ameritrade and Bank of America who planned to move back home and delay homebuying and other major life decisions due to student debt.

However, Gen Z (ages 15-21) was far more optimistic about saving up and striking out on their own at a young age.

Student loan debt is the key trigger to delay adult milestones, the TD Ameritrade study found. About one in five Millennials say they’ve delayed milestones because they simply can’t afford it with student debt. Among the delays: • moving out of parents’ home (Millennials 31 percent; Gen Z, 20 percent) • buying a home (Millennials 47 percent, Gen Z 18 percent) • getting married (Millennials 21 percent, Gen Z 11 percent) • having children (Millennials 21 percent, Gen Z 10 percent) • saving for retirement (Millennials 40 percent, Gen Z 10 percent) Gen Z people are more optimistic they can move out on their own. Millennials, having experienced the process, are returning into their late 20s and even 30s (24 percent), the study found.

Being queer complicates matters for some, but not all, young adults.

Connor Murphy, a cisgender bisexual 19-year-old college student, currently lives with his folks after recently moving up from Virginia.

He, too, views his situation as temporary.

“I’m a lucky one,” he says of his parents’ ability to help him “with paying for school and with a career” later in government.

Murphy credits this help with being able to afford a house of his own down the road.

“Despite their young age, this group recognizes that buying a home is not easy and is taking a pragmatic approach,” says D. Steve Borland, head of consumer lending at Bank of America in a recent Bloomberg.com interview. He pointed out Gen Z is willing to take on second jobs and move in with parents to further save costs and meet goals.

But for Mendoza, dreams of homeownership are far more personal.

While living in the D.C. area, they have seen trans youth in particular living in difficult situations. They say the family they hoped to build was a nontraditional one.

“I know it sounds very ‘Blanca Evangelista,’ but I would love to be a house ‘parent’ one day,” they says.

In contrast, Murphy looks forward to having a partner and raising children under his own roof like his parents one day. His goal is similar to those expressed in both surveys which did not sample for LGBT populations.

Despite the distance, Mendoza’s mom encourages them to invite their LGBT friends over for sopes and margaritas.

Though Mendoza doesn’t drink, they enjoy maintaining the close connection with family.

“I still love my family,” Mendoza says.

“And I think that moving away helped me grow.”

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S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 29

Selling season?

Find out your borrowing rate before seriously entering the housing market

By ALEX GRAHAM

Fall is historically a good time to buy and sell in Washington.

Washington Blade photo

People often think when summer winds down, so does the real estate market. But, that’s not the case. With the fall real estate market in full swing, it’s a good time to reassess your home buying plan. Do you plan to remain in the D.C. area? Have you met your savings goals? Do you still qualify for any governmental assistance programs?

If you’re a first time home buyer, it’s important to remember that there are many incentives to assist with the purchase of your home. Many of these programs have income requirements, so it’s important to look at the details and determine if you qualify or not. Not all programs have income limits, though. Matthew Koerber of TTR Sotheby’s Realty believes that many first time buyers don’t realize they can save nearly $4,000 on closing costs by taking advantage of reduced recordation costs. There’s no reason to walk away from a material discount or an incentive program that you could use to improve your new home.

If you’re serious about entering the home buying market, your first step should be to get a better idea about not just your borrowing rate, but how much you can borrow. According to Austin Auger of Caliber Home Loans, companies like Caliber allow your file to be underwritten prior to finding a home.

“This will allow you to submit a commitment letter with your offer rather than a pre-approval letter. It lets the listing agent know that your file has already been on an underwriter’s desk and been reviewed,” Auger says.

While you may want to be cautious and receive multiple quotes, Auger’s advice allows you to show any seller that your offer may be more secure than others. Unfortunately for buyers things can be just as competitive in the fall, but as you near the holidays that also means we see better options.

In the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the real estate market is extremely active during the spring and fall. Jackson Verville of TTR Sotheby’s Realty says this is driven by the weather and buyer activity.

“It’s common knowledge that no one wants to move during the winter months, and if you’re a local, you know the city clears out during the summer,” Verville says. “Therefore, savvy sellers will wait until spring or fall to list their homes.”

Verville says the greater inventory during spring and fall draws more buyers into the market during those months.

“More buyers in the market means higher demand for our already limited housing inventory which translates to potentially multiple offers, with higher sales prices and better terms for the seller,” he says.

While some may be looking to buy during this fall real estate market, others, especially those looking to retire, are asking themselves if now is the best time to sell. For many, it’s a hard question, because our home is most people’s primary fixed investment — meaning that it’s harder to convert it into cash or a liquid asset. My advice is that if you plan to relocate elsewhere and not return within five years it makes sense to sell. Five years is, historically, an average economic cycle and our lives (and property values) can shift dramatically during that time.

If you decide to buy a new property and hold your current property, I recommend finding a long term tenant and, for peace of mind, outsource management to a Realtor. A good Realtor will work to get you the best deal and ultimately, would love to have the first shot at selling your property if you decide to do so. Airbnb is also a hot topic, but with evolving regulations and the extra wear and tear on your property, it can really hurt the economic case to use your property as a short-term rental.

Alex Graham

is a principal at Graham Capital Wealth Management, a registered Investment Advisor located on K Street. He can be reached at 202-780-7726 or at Alex.

Graham@grahamcapitalwealth.com.

30 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

Learn to price your home strategically Working with a smart Realtor will help increase your return

ASTER blooms in late summer through early fall deer + disease resistant

Bryn Wallace

By JOSEPH HUDSON

Lots of factors contribute to the sale price of a home.

Photo courtesy of Bigstock

How do we determine the value of a home?

Well, there are lots of factors that contribute to the sales price of a house. Any listing agent can look at comparable properties that sold within the last few months. That can give an indicator of a range for pricing a home for sale. But the ultimate decision on the sales price will be the market.

When we say that, we mean what combination of demand, timing, attractive finishes and even staging and marketing will drive the price of a home up or down? What is going on in the neighborhood that could improve the value of a home going forward?

A smart agent will try to convince their seller to price their home at the lower end of the spectrum, thereby creating more demand. He or she will also market the listing smartly — with good photography, open houses, quality marketing materials and even using word of mouth within their sphere of contacts.

A less-than-smart agent will tell a seller their home is worth more than it is, promise to sell it for a definite amount and basically reduce the return on investment by using less-desirable marketing techniques, and promising to deliver something that may not be likely.

The longer a listing sits on the market,

the more stale it can seem and will attract people who will lowball it in their offer. I have seen pictures of homes on listings on the internet that make no sense. Why would you post a photo of a room that is not clean, a bed that is not made or a bunch of clutter or trash on a countertop?

Always ask a trusted agent their opinion on the price you should list your home at, and also the amount you should offer on a home. A good agent will look “at the forest and not just the trees” to determine what factors other than the square footage and cost of construction should go into pricing.

Does a railroad run right behind this property but not the comparable property that is three blocks away? Does this property have 100 square feet difference from the comparable one, but you can see the Washington Monument from the living room window? Or the roof deck?

Factors like that can make a huge difference.

Call me today for an appointment to find out how to list or buy your next home.

Joseph Hudson

is a Realtor with The Oakley Group at Compass. He can be reached at 703-5870597 or joseph.hudson@compass.com.

S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 31

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

‘Black Friday of Home Shopping’ is this week Sellers are more motivated later in the year

By KHALIL ALEXANDER EL-GHOUL

Now is the best time to find a good deal on a house.

Photo by GaJaS; photo courtesy of Bigstock

Most people know that historically the best time of the year to sell a home is during the spring, more specifically March through May. However, in my experience homebuyers (and sellers) are often wrong when it comes to the best time to buy a home.

According to CNN Business, “This is the best week of the year to get a good deal on a house.”

“The last week in September tends to be the best time to buy based on these indicators,” says George Ratiu, senior economist at Realtor.com. “You can call it the ‘Black Friday’ of home shopping.”

“In previous years, buyers faced an average of 26% less competition when comparing this week versus a typical week and yet there were 6% more homes on the market, according to Realtor.com’s analysis of data from 2016 to 2018.”

So what gives? Well, the fall market is short, typically from Labor Day through Thanksgiving and folks who failed to sell in the spring or who have not sold yet see the window for selling before the year end closing. I typically advise my buyers to be on the lookout this time of year for homes that might currently be out of their price range but are prone for a price reduction or discount close to their target price point.

For sellers, if you have been at it for

a while and you want to sell this year it might be time to get real and adjust the price in line with the market or consider trying again next year. With that said, the market is still strong for most sellers.

According to Market Stats, the August 2019 Washington, D.C. Metro area median home price of $465,000 was up 5.1% or $22,750 compared to last year, the highest August price of the decade.

Whenever you are trying to sell a home or determine whether a price reduction is in order it’s best to talk to a real estate professional. Glass House Real Estate is a modern, more affordable way to buy and sell a home in the D.C. Metro area. Our team of accomplished agents proves that affordability doesn’t have to come at the expense of service or results. We help you achieve your goals for a fraction of the cost.

Unlike typical discount real estate firms, we are local and part of your community. Let us reward you with exceptional results.

Khalil Alexander El-Ghoul is Principal Broker of Glass House Real Estate. Reach him at 571-235-4821 or khalil@glasshousere.com.

32 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

A MODERN & AFFORDABLE WAY TO SELL A HOME PRICE REDUCED! UNIT #1

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230 S Street NE is located in the popular Eckington neighborhood, D.C’s not so secret gem! Explore Eckington’s mature trees, colorful houses and delicious eateries including Big Bear Cafe & DCity Smokehouse. These won’t last!

List Price: Price REDUCED $699,900 This Penthouse Unit has it all. 3BR/3BA, exposed living, and more. Exquisitely designed, Unit #2 consists of the upper levels and features almost 1400sf of bright and open living and I, along w "Courtney space, waterfall island, walk in closets, linear gas fireplace, daughters, Nahla and Ava, live full size parking space and modern finishes throughout.

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571-235-4821 Khalil Alexander El-Ghoul,

Khalil@glasshousere.com glasshousere.com

Principal Broker & Owner of Glass House Real Estate

571-235-4821

khalil@glasshousere.com 145 Church St NW #301, Vienna VA 22180 718 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 www.glasshousere.com

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S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 33

DAVID MARINER has been credited with helping the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community expand its programming exponentially during his 11-plus years as executive director.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Center director David Mariner reflects on 20 years in Washington Longtime gay D.C. community leader heading to Rehoboth with new husband

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

David Mariner began in 2008 as a volunteer and then a part-time employee when the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community had a small office suite in the American Dental Association’s building on 14th Street, N.W. next to Thomas Circle.

Mariner, 48, who soon became the Center’s executive director, recalls that the center’s volunteer treasurer told him back then that the organization had about $2,000 in the bank.

Now, a little over 10 years later, the D.C. Center operates in a comfortable suite of offices in the city’s Reeves Municipal Center building at 14th and U Streets, N.W. with an annual budget of $442,000 and an expected 2020 budget that Mariner says will reach the half-million dollar mark.

The Corning, N.Y., native, who moved to Washington in 1999 after graduating from college at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., departs Monday for a similar job at CAMP Rehoboth in Rehoboth Beach, Del., with his husband of one week, Khusan. He spoke to the Blade this week about his decade-plus at the D.C. Center.

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WASHINGTON BLADE: When did you start at the D.C. Center?

DAVID MARINER: I began working at the D.C. Center in 2008. I volunteered for the first few months, and then they brought me on part time. When I started volunteering, they did not have the budget to hire me, but we worked up to that.

BLADE: What were things like back then?

MARINER: When I started Jim Marks (gay activist and former Washington Blade feature writer) was our treasurer. And other than a grant to work on crystal meth, which we were doing collaboratively with other organizations, we had about $2,000 in the bank, and for the first few months I would always ask Jim where we were money wise, and he would always say we have about $2,000.

BLADE: And where was the Center located at that time?

MARINER: At that time we had a suite at the American Dental Association Building on 14th Street, near the Green Lantern.

BLADE: That was the first office the Center had when you began working there?

MARINER: Uh-huh. We had no fulltime staff when I started, and now we will soon have a team of six or seven people in October. So we’re going to have the biggest and most robust team we’ve ever had at the Center.

BLADE: So when did you begin as the full-time executive director?

MARINER: That was January 2009, one year later.

BLADE: Can you tell a little about how the Center has changed since that time?

You’ve been credited with helping to grow it quite a bit.

MARINER: We have a $47,000 grant from the Department of Aging and Community Living, which is the first time DACL has ever funded an LGBT group, which is exciting. The grant expands our social support network for LGBTQ older adults.

We will continue having regular lunches and weekly coffee socials for LGBTQ older adults and expand into other programming, including yoga. We will also have a part-time case manager on site to support our LGBTQ older adults. One of the things we’ve asked for is for the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs to get to 20 housing vouchers for LGBTQ seniors. And I still don’t know where that stands, but a case manager like the one we will have is really important in helping older adults utilize those vouchers.

BLADE: Was there one other place the Center moved to before moving to the current location at the Reeves Municipal

Building at 14th and U Street, N.W.?

MARINER: In 2009, we moved out of the American Dental Association Building at 1111 14th Street, Suite 350 and moved into the Whitman-Walker Space at 1810 14th Street, N.W., where Doi Moi is now. JBG Properties gave us the opportunity to stay there at a very reasonable rent knowing they were planning to demolish the building. When JBG moved forward with demolishing that space, we moved to another JBG property 1308 U Street N.W., in June of 2010. We encouraged the city to release an RFP for vacant space at the Reeves Center. There is still a lot of unused space at the Reeves Center including a hair salon that has not been touched for many years. We submitted our application with others that included a convenience store and a restaurant. At one point after our RFP was accepted there was a proposal for the city to trade the Reeves Center. Ultimately those plans fell apart. However, the future of the Reeves Center is still up in the air.

BLADE: Since moving into the Reeves Center the D.C. Center appears to have grown considerably. What do you see as your accomplishments there?

MARINER: Well when I visited other community centers through my consulting, what I loved most about them is how they created a space for everyone in the community, and how easy it was for community members to organize and support each other because they had a space to gather. I really wanted the D.C. Center to be a place where everyone felt welcome, which is difficult in a city that is so often divided. And I wanted it to be a space where we could work together to make D.C. better for everyone. Some of the work I’m most proud of is not the work I did, but the work community members did. The D.C. Center just made it easier by supporting their work. So for example, I’m very proud that D.C. for Marriage was a program of the Center, and (marriage equality leader) Michael Crawford and others did such amazing work creating marriage equality in D.C. long before it was nationwide. I’m proud of Daniel O’Neal, who worked on HIV prevention when we saw an increase in new HIV cases among younger gay/bi/trans men, and I’m really proud of the work Eddy Ameen and the Youth Working Group did holding forums and advocating for more beds for homeless LGBTQ Youth. As you remember, the Youth Working launched a petition for more beds for homeless LGBTQ youth when there were only a handful of beds. That has thankfully changed. And of course I’m proud of the fact that the D.C. Center is filled with activities almost every evening we are open.

Many of our meetings at the D.C. Center are peer-facilitated support groups. There are 18 different peer-facilitated support groups that meet at the D.C. Center including our newest, which is for LGBTQ military

S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 35

members and first responders. In an era where trans people and people living with HIV are being pushed out of the military, I’m very excited we can offer this service.

BLADE: What is the D.C. Center’s current budget?

MARINER: Our current 2019 budget is $442,000 and next year we will surpass the half million mark. That includes about $190,000 in government grants, $60,000 in private foundation grants and generous community support that comes through monthly donors, special events and our professional partners.

BLADE: What was your vision for the Center when you started and how much of that were you able to make happen?

MARINER: A lot of the goals that I set for myself when I started at the D.C. Center have been met. And 11 years is a long time to be with any organization. For me, I wanted to build an LGBTQ community center that I knew would last after I left and I believe that we’ve done that. I’m really proud of the work that I’ve done, but I’m ready for a new adventure and I’m ready to see what someone will bring to the D.C. Center when they take over.

BLADE: Will your new endeavor in Rehoboth Beach bring some changes in your personal life?

MARINER: Personally, this year has had some changes for me as I’ve gotten married. And I’m excited to be moving to Rehoboth with Khusan and be able to get a bigger place to live and for us to have a new beginning together. We’ve been together for two years.

BLADE: How did you and Khusan meet?

MARINER: Khusan and I met at Trade (the D.C. gay bar) in August 2017, and got engaged in Key West, Fla., on July 13, 2019, and then we got married this past Friday, Sept. 20. Christopher Dyer was our officiant and it was a very small gathering of friends.

BLADE: How did you find out about the job opportunity at CAMP Rehoboth?

MARINER: I saw the Rehoboth job posting through CenterLink, the national association of LGBT Centers, and it felt like a great fit and a great opportunity. I applied and went to Rehoboth for two different interviews and got a chance to meet the team there. I had the opportunity to meet the board of directors and staff, and they are truly an amazing group of people, and Rehoboth itself is simply a very special place for the LGBTQ community.

BLADE: What if any new projects to you expect to be working on when you begin your new job in Rehoboth?

MARINER: Well I think the first task at hand for me when I get to Rehoboth is

to really learn more. There are so many programs that CAMP Rehoboth offers and so many amazing volunteers and supporters that I want to learn from. Obviously there is a lot of overlap between what different LGBT Centers do across the country, but CAMP is also a unique place that I need to learn more about. One thing that is going to be unique for me is having a (U.S.) Senator and Representative that can vote, and I’m really looking forward to learning more about local politics. Obviously I could not be more excited that (transgender rights advocate) Sarah McBride is running for office, and CAMP has always played a role not just in Rehoboth, but in the state of Delaware. I’m excited to learn more about how we can support students in our area, and how we can best support LGBTQ older adults as well. I’m also excited to make some connections between D.C. and Rehoboth. For example, I know there are LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness who’ve never had a day at the ocean. And being so close to the ocean, I would love to have some D.C. visitors. So I’ve already started some of those conversations with local organizations about visiting.

BLADE: Do you have any thoughts about carrying on the legacy of the late Steve Elkins, who co-founded CAMP Rehoboth and served as executive director for over 25 years before his death last year?

MARINER: Steve Elkins had such a profound impact on Rehoboth and the entire state of Delaware. The entire team at CAMP Rehoboth continues that legacy. I was impressed when I recently visited Rehoboth for the Sundance weekend and met so many elected leaders and community leaders who are deeply invested in CAMP and our future.

Much like D.C., I believe that those of us who are fortunate enough to live in parts of our country that are LGBTQ supportive, have a responsibility to move the ball forward in the quest for full equality, and there is still much work to do.

BLADE: What can you say about the selection of your successor at the D.C. Center and what that person will be dealing with in the next few years?

MARINER: The board of directors is working with our friends at CenterLink to conduct a job search. I believe there has recently been a renewed focus on LGBTQ advocacy locally in D.C. and I very much hope to see that continue. This includes passing the LGBTQ Older Americans and Older People Living HIV legislation, the Bella Evangelista and Tony Hunter Gay and Trans Panic Defense Bill, and the bill to Decriminalize Sex Work in D.C. I know the D.C. Rainbow Caucus (of LGBT Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners) and others will continue to push for more local funding and I hope to see that happen. And if we are pushed out of our current space at the Reeves Center, I hope to see at least twice as much space in our new home, as we continue to grow.

Counterclockwise from left: Out organist CHRISTOPHER HOULIHAN plays here Oct. 1 Photo courtesy of Aleks Karjaka; HRC has its National Dinner Saturday night Washington Blade photo, and CHELSEA CLINTON and her mom HILLARY are on a book tour Photo courtesy GW Lisner.

‘Bachelor’s Mill’ reunion planned

Victory Fund pow-wow is Oct. 1

Hillary, Chelsea unite for book tour

“The Bachelors Mill Reunion 2019” is Saturday, Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at the original Bachelor’s Mill location at District Soul Food Restaurant & Lounge (500 8th St., S.E.), presented by Ebony Pyramid Entertainment.

October marks one year since the iconic black D.C. gay nightclub closed. The Sparkle MaHarris Memorial Talent Showcase will start the evening with performers from the ‘80s and ‘90s. A reunion walk of fame will be held for all enteratiners. E-mail requests to info@ebonypyramidonline.com if you wish to participate.

At 8, a dance party will be held with DJ Rodney, DJ BeJay and DJ Freaky. It runs until midnight. Admission is $10 before 7 and $15 after.

Look for the event on Facebook for full details.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund is hosting a happy hour fundraiser Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 4-8 p.m.at Dacha Beer Garden (1600 7th St., N.W.).

All are invited to enjoy extended happy hour specials with the purchase of a $10, $20 or $30 wristband. For $50, purchasers receive a wristband and a Victory for Pete T-shirt. All wristband proceeds benefit Victory Fund efforts to elect LGBTQ candidates at every level of government dedicated to advancing equality for the community.

For more information, visit victoryfund.org.

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton take the stage at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium (1918 F St., N.W.) Friday, Oct. 4 from 6-8 p.m. to share stories of inspirational women.

Co-sponsored by the Politics and Prose bookstore, the Clintons’ speaking engagement is a part of the GW Presidential Distinguished event series, and covers topics raised in their co-authored work “The Book of Gutsy Women,” which spotlights courageous women throughout history who spoke truth to power and overcame challenges.

Tickets are free for GW students and are accompanied by a complimentary copy of the book. For more information, visit gwutickets.com.

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TODAY The Fall LGBTQ Community Happy Hour Rooftop Social is tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Embassy Row Hotel (2015 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.). Guests gather on the Embassy’s rooftop lounge to enjoy the view, network and socialize.

Registration is free but required for admission.

For more information, visit eventbrite.com.

Saturday, Sept. 28

Houli returns Concert organist Christopher Houlihan will perform both solo works and Joseph Jongen’s “Symphonie Concertante” with orchestra at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church (4001 Yuma St., N.W.) on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m.

Jongen’s “Symphonie” is considered by many eminent organists to be among the greatest works ever written for organ and orchestra and could be a challenging display of Houlihan’s talent.

Houlihan (openly gay) has performed abroad in venues spanning North America and Europe, and has participated in numerous conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society.

A $20 donation is recommended. Learn more at christopherhoulihan.com.

The National Trans Visibility March is today from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. beginning in Freedom Plaza (1455 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.). March organizers seek to raise awareness of anti-trans policies as well as engage both local and national elected officials in an ongoing dialogue.

The event is free and all are invited to participate. Visit transmarchondc.org for more information.

The Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner is tonight from 5-11 p.m. at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W.). HRC is a leading national advocacy organization working for the equal rights of the LGBTQ community through education, research and political activities.

The national dinner features a cocktail reception, silent and live auction, elegant dinner, live entertainment, speakers and guests. For tickets and information, visit capitalpride.org.

Blisspop Disco Fest featuring Chromeo is tonight at the 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.). Doors open at 10 p.m. and tickets start at $40. Canadian electrofunk duo Chromeo was featured in DJ Mehdi’s song “I Am Somebody” and has supported indie rock groups. Also performing are Dam-Funk, RAC and Robotaki. Tickets and information at 930. com and ustreetmusichall.com.

The D.C. Queer Theater Festival Reading Series is tonight from 7-10 p.m. at Center Arts in the D.C. Center (2000 14th St. N.W., Suite 105). The festival showcases new and unpublished work from local playwrights performed as a developmental table reading. After each reading is a playwright talkback

S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 37

session and a reception with light fare, wine, beer and nonalcoholic beverages.

Tickets for each reading is $10 and $25 for the series. For tickets and information, visit thedccenter.org.

The event opens with a happy hour showtune singalong and continues with $4 draft pints, special performances and giveaways. For more information, visit jrsbar-dc.com or Facebook events.

Sunday, Sept. 29

Tuesday, Oct. 1

Bishop Gene Robinson preaches today at 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Parish’s new location (1517 18th St.,N.W.) followed by a reception on the rooftop balcony. St. Thomas will join with St. Luke’s church for the occasion. Robinson was consecrated in 2003 as the first openly gay bishop in a mainline Christian denomination. He moved to Washington upon retiring in 2013. Details at stthomasdc.org.

The D.C. Front Runners Distance Run meets today at 9 a.m.-noon for their weekly Sunday run beginning from the Taras Shevchenko Monument (22nd and P St., N.W.). D.C. Front Runners is an LGBTQ group welcoming runners for exercise in a fun and supportive environment.

Running route distance is 8-12 miles and participants can run at their own pace. For more information, visit dcfrontrunners.org.

Gayborhood Night Piano Bar is tonight from 5-8 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 23rd St., S, Arlington, Va.). Gayborhood Night fosters greater community for LGBTQ and allies and an opportunity to enjoy happy hour specials with neighbors. Everyone is welcome. Free door prize raffle around 7 p.m. for more information, visit freddiesbeachbar.com.

“Sheer Madness” runs tonight starting at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center theater lab (2700 F St., N.W.). This show is an interactive comedy whodunit that lets audiences solve the crime. With more than 13,200 performances at the Kennedy Center, Sheer Madness is the second longest-running play in the history of American theater (its sister production in Boston is number one). For tickets and information, visit kennedy-center.org.

August Wilson’s “Fences” continues its run at Ford’s Theatre (511 10th St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Set in segregated Pittsburgh in the 1950s, this play depicts the life of a former Negro League baseball star now scraping by as a sanitation worker. He takes responsibility for his wife and son’s well-being, but betrays them in ways that will alter their lives forever.

“Fences” explores the walls we build around ourselves and our loved ones as well as what walls say about divisions in our society.

Visit fords.org for tickets and information.

Monday, Sept. 30 Walking With Anthony’s seventh annual charity celebrity golf tournament and dinner is today at the Country Club of Fairfax (5110 Ox Rd., Fairfax, Va.). Player registration starts at 9:30 a.m., lunch is at 12:30 p.m., cocktails and the silent auction is at 4:30 and dinner starts at 5:30. Proceeds benefit the Walking with Anthony Foundation which promotes spinal cord injury education, research and grants to individuals with SCI. Visit walkingwithanthony. org for more information.

JR.’s Bar (1519 17th St., N.W.) presents Showtunes Monday with Vagenesis tonight starting at 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 2 The Center Careers Discussion Group is tonight from 6-7 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite 105). The Center Careers Job Club meets weekly at the D.C. Center on Wednesday as a weekly job support group.

Details at thecenterdc.org.

Thursday, Oct. 3 The Asian Pacific Islander Queer Support Group meets tonight at 7 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., suite 105). The group has been renewed for 2019 and runs every first Thursday of the month. The event is a closed space and only for individuals who identify as queer and Asian and/or Pacific Islander. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

QUEERY Evan Johnson Photo courtesy Johnson

QUEERY: Evan Johnson

The D.C. Realtor answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM

Evan Johnson’s “tricks of the trade” for real estate are simple.

“Honesty, integrity and focus on being client centric,” the 43-year-old Anchorage, Alaska native says.

And he should know. Johnson, who came to the region in 1989 with his parents, has been in D.C. real estate since 1999. Since 2016, he’s been at

The Evan+Mark Team of Compass, his third agency, where 2019 team sales to date are $60 million. Find him online at compass.com/agents/dc/evan-andmark-team or e-mail to evanandmark@ compass.com.

Johnson lives with husband Tom Bauer in City Center. He enjoys running, boating and travel in his free time.

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

Since 2000; my mother.

Who’s your LGBTQ hero?

There can’t be just one to me. Every person that paved the way for us to live our lives openly and accepted to the degree we can now.

What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

That stereotypes are a thing. We are all individuals and fabulous!

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

My dedication to D.C. real estate and mentoring newer agents in the industry.

What terrifies you?

Alzheimer’s Disease What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

Going off road in my Jeep and getting muddy.

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

Home improvement.

What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show?

“The Birdcage” What’s your social media pet peeve?

Not posting your true self.

Don’t be fake.

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

No discrimination at all, from anyone.

We are all one people.

What’s the most overrated social custom?

The bandwagon on every new trend.

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

No organized religion.

What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem?

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

The start and fade of MTV.

38 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

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Invest even more when I was in my 20s.

What are your obsessions?

Vancouver and Whistler BC Canada.

Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time: To buy a ski home.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

Time flies. Treat people how you would like to be treated and life will always be great back to you.

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S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 39

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com

MUSIC Audra McDonald Sep 28. Mason’s Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.

McDonald performs her trademark mix of hits from Broadway and the Great American Songbook. In addition to a record-breaking six Tony Awards— distinguishing her as the most decorated performer in American theater—she is the recipient of two Grammy® Awards, an Emmy® Award, and a 2015 National Medal of Arts bestowed on her by President Barack Obama.

Fall Plant Sale and Picnic Sep 29. Tudor Place Historic and Garden. tudorplace.org.

Spend an afternoon experiencing our historic gardens. Take a “de-tour” through the fall foliage and blooms with our gardeners and educators. Bring your own picnic and blanket to relax in this spectacular setting. See you rain or shine!

Carmina Burana Oct 3-Oct 5. NSO at Kennedy Center. choralarts.org.

“O Fortuna!” Carmina Burana’s towering first movement rolls in like thunder, announcing a celebration of spring, the humor of life in the tavern, and the joys and sorrows of love. Although the words were written by medieval monks, Orff’s outrageous cantata is an unstoppable force brimming with decadent debauchery.

Under the baton of Maestro Gianandrea Noseda, the Orchestra is joined by two choruses for a symphonic experience sacred and profane.

Escaped Alone Thru Nov 3. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Hailed as one of the most important playwrights of our time, Caryl Churchill’s (Cloud 9, Top Girls) electrifying Signature debut is a caustically funny and surreal afternoon of tea and calamity.

Photo Courtesy of Mason’s Center for the Arts

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

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

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

In the Parlour. Sep 29. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.

Fences. Sep 28-Oct 27. Ford’s Theatre. fords.org.

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. Thru Sep 29. National Theatre. thenationaldc.org.

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

Shear Madness. Oct 1-Nov 24. Cats. Thru Oct 6. The Improvised Shakespeare Company. Oct 1-Oct 6. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Women Dramatists. Sep 30-Nov 18.

Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain. spainculture.us.

The Royale. Thru Oct 27. Olney Theatre at Theatre Lab. olneytheatre.org.

West by God. Sep 27-Oct 20. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com.

Music for Machiavelli. Sep 27-Sep 29.

Folger Consort at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. folger.edu.

The Ornamented Suites for Cello. Sep 28. Hill Center. hillcenterdc.org.

Photography, Music, Community.

Sep 28-Sep 30. Dupont Underground. dupontunderground.org.

Margaret Leng Tan, Toy and Prepared Piano. Oct 2. The Reach @The Kennedy Center.

Shenson Chamber Music Concert. Oct 2. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.

Skerryvore.

Sep 27.

AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

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.

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.

Comic Art: 120 Years of Panels and Pages.

Thru Sep 12. loc.gov.

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

National Museum of Women in the Arts.

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.

GALLERIES Arlington Artists Alliance. Arlington Visual Art Studio Tour. Sep 28-Sep 29. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

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

CHAW. Road Trip Exhibit. Thru Sep 28.

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.

Thru Sep 29. delrayartisans.org.

Gallery Underground. Draftsman Solo Show by Barry Barnett Keith. Thru Sep 27. Chaos Art Exhibition. Oct 1-Oct 25. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

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

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

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

Waverly Street Gallery. Line of Sight.

Thru Oct 5. waverlystreetgallery.com.

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

AND MORE...

Gandhi Memorial Center. Gandhi Jayanti.

Oct 2. gandhimemorialcenter.org.

Library of Congress. Perspectives on Congressional Policymaking. Oct 3. loc.gov.

Signature Theatre. Inside Signature with Catherine Flye. Oct 3. sigtheatre.org.

Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House.

Twilight & Tipple Tours at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House. Thru Oct 22. woodlawnpopeleighey.org.

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S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 41

CHRISTIAN CONN and SARAH MARSHALL in ‘Doubt: a Parable.’

Photo by Teresa Wood; courtesy Studio

Catholic guilt and lingering ‘Doubt’

Pulitzer-winning drama winningly adapted in Studio production

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Inspired by the shortcomings of certainty, John Michael Shanley wrote “Doubt: A Parable” around the time of the Iraq War. Timely then, and timely now when immutable convictions continue to substitute for something better.

Now at Studio Theatre in a deeply satisfying production directed by Matt Torney, Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, tightly constructed drama makes you think.

In short, it’s the story of an old school nun who accuses a younger priest of molesting a 12-year-old boy. Without actual proof, she remains adamant in her claim because she “knows people.”

Set at St. Nicholas, a Catholic workingclass church and school in the Bronx, New York, “Doubt” takes place over the autumn of 1964. Reeling from the modernizing Second Vatican Council, the old guard is grappling with change while a younger clergy strives to move forward. The piece was winningly adapted to the screen in 2008 with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The primary school’s principal Sister Aloysius Beauvier (out actor Sarah Marshall) is of the former camp.

To say she’s resistant to change is a wild understatement. A doctrinaire termagant, she’s an advocate of fearinstilled discipline. Her pet peeves are ball point pens, sugar in tea and men with manicured nails. She warns against introducing secular music into the annual Christmas pageant, particularly “Frosty the Snowman” which she perceives as a celebration of the occult — the enchanted top hat, etc.

Next to the principal, young Sister James (winsomely played by Amelia Pedlow) is a breath of fresh air. Her love for teaching history and concern for her students is admirable. While Sister Aloysius would prefer a nun with more experienced (read: less kind) teaching a troublesome, hormonally charged eighth grade class, she’s “working within constraints” (a

diminishing population of sisters).

Sister Aloysius’ true opponent is formidable Father Brendan Flynn (the excellent Christian Conn), a vigorous, charismatic priest who relates easily to the children, especially the boys. He’s a proponent of progressive education and a more welcoming, forgiving church. If that weren’t enough, Sister Aloysius is uneasy about his moral character.

She enlists Sister James to keep an eye on things. Several weeks later, the young sister reluctantly files a report. Father Flynn has taken a special interest with unseen student Donald Muller, the school’s only African-American pupil. The pair have met alone together in the rectory and sacramental wine was involved.

This tip off prompts Aloysius to wage all-out war. The battlefield is the parish, a gothic revival pile constructed from gray stone (designed by Daniel Conway). The convent is separated by a barren courtyard, a sort of no man’s land where nuns and priests occasionally meet in passing Sister Aloysius must be cagey — as she says, her “job is to outshine the fox in cleverness.” But the church’s rigid patriarchy puts her at a disadvantage. The priests protect one another. She knows this.

And when the nun draws the boy’s mother, Mrs. Muller (Tiffany M. Thompson), into the battle, she is astonished by the dignified parent’s strangely practical response to the allegations of sexual abuse.

As Shanley’s work compellingly unfolds in suspenseful, humor-imbued scenes, a clear outcome becomes increasingly elusive. Sister James wants to believe the seemingly kind priest with whom she shares values and aspirations. But Sister Aloysius remains undeterred. She doesn’t have actual proof, but she’s determined to “take him down.”

Dressed in the order’s unique black habit of bonnet and short cape, Sarah Marshall gives a nuanced performance, coupling an air of physical frailty and discomfort with ramrod conviction. Despite everything, she is the children’s fiercest guardian. As Father Flynn, Conn moves freely from delivering relatable sermons on doubt and gossip to instructing how best to shoot free throws from the foul line.

He’s alternately likeable and suspect.

While Shanley’s play denies audiences a firm conclusion, it brilliantly leaves us uncertain and questioning what we’ve seen.

‘Doubt: A Parable’ Through Oct. 6 Studio Theatre 1501 14th St., N.W. $20-111 studiotheatre.org

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The late ROY COHN and DONALD TRUMP as seen is ‘Where’s My Roy Cohn.’ Filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer says it’s important viewers know ‘how the dots connect.’

Photo courtesy Sony Pictures Classic

Remembering ‘Roy’

‘Media whore’ and lifelong closet case gets doc treatment in ‘Where’s My Roy Cohn’

By BRIAN T. CARNEY In his excellent and timely new documentary “Where’s My Roy Cohn,” out filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer creates a vivid portrait of the poisonous lawyer and New York power broker Roy Cohn, whom Tyrnauer describes as “evil but indisputably brilliant” and an “American Machiavelli.”

It opens today (Sept. 27) at Landmark E Street, Landmark Bethesda Row, Angelika Mosaic and AMC Shirlington.

As Tyrnauer conclusively demonstrates, the closeted lawyer (1927-1986) was a central figure in a network of mentorships and relationships that shaped American right-wing politics from the 1950s to the present. The ambitious Cohn graduated from law school at age 20 (even though he couldn’t take the bar exam until he was 21) and through family connections landed a job in the office of the United States Attorney in Manhattan.

He was involved in several wellpublicized trials of accused Soviet operatives but rose to national prominence during the infamous trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were accused of spying for the Soviet Union. Historians still disagree on their guilt, but Cohn bragged that his illegal communications with the judge led to their execution.

Cohn came to the attention of two powerful men who became his mentors.

The first was journalist Walter Winchell

whom Tyrnauer describes “as the Fox News of the analog era.” Tyrnauer explains that he “was an extremely powerful right-wing force in the world of news and information.

He had the highest-rated radio shows of the time and was a syndicated newspaper columnist. He was a household name with a demagogic anti-Communist agenda.”

Cohn’s other powerful mentor was the closeted director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. According to Tyrnauer, Hoover had a symbiotic relationship with Winchell.

“They used each other to spread their poison,” he says. He also points out that Hoover introduced Cohn to Senator Joseph McCarthy. With Cohn at his side, McCarthy ran a series of Congressional hearings that ruined the careers of hundreds of people who were accused of being Communists or homosexuals.

One of the most fascinating sequences in the documentary deals with the next phase of Cohn’s turbulent career, the Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954, which Tyrnauer delightfully presents as an unrequited queer love story. Cohn befriended the straight G. David Schine, an anti-Communist propagandist. When Schine was drafted, Cohn lobbied to get him special privileges; when the Army refused, the Cohn “threatened to “wreck the Army.”

The closeted Cohn was openly mocked during the hearings, which came to an end when the Army’s attorney Joseph Welch finally asked McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”

McCarthy retired in disgrace, but Cohn returned to Manhattan to become a fixture in the glittering New York social whirl. His clients included the New York Yankees baseball team and their controversial owner George Steinbrenner; media mogul Robert Murdoch, the founder of Fox News; Aristotle Onassis; the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York; and, members of several prominent Mafia

families. As Tyrnauer notes, “Cohn was orbiting anywhere there was power or money. He was a thoroughly transactional political creature.”

Cohn also worked behind the scenes to smooth the way for the presidency of Ronald Reagan, especially through his friendship with Nancy Reagan.

“Cohn was a registered Democrat but identified with right-wing Republicans and actively undermined liberal Democrats,” Tyrnauer says. “Nancy Reagan had a very hypocritical relationship with many gay men, all of whom were in the closet. She used that network of right-wing gay power to infiltrate the imperial drawing rooms of moneyed New York and Washington.

Cohn was a conduit to a lot of big-ticket political donors.”

Cohn was also the lawyer for the owners of the fabulous Studio 54, as well as a frequent visitor to the club. Tyrnauer actually got the idea for making a movie about Roy Cohn while he was making his documentary about the famous A-list night spot. He remembers, “I kept seeing all this archival forage of Roy Cohn and I kept thinking this is such a great character for a film. He’s on camera all the time because he was basically a media whore, a selfpromoter who loved the cameras. All this footage of him fairly leapt off the screen.”

Despite Tyrnauer’s interest in Cohn, the filmmaker admits the film would not have gotten made without the unexpected 2016 election of Cohn’s protégé, Donald J. Trump. Before the election, Cohn would have been a footnote in American history and a character in Tony Kushner’s celebrated “Angels in America.” After the election, Cohn became a force of history.

“That’s why I made this movie,” Tyrnauer says. “Everyone needs to know who this person is, how the dots connect.

As the movie demonstrates, it was Cohn who taught Trump about the power of “The Big Lie” and who tutored him in lessons like “Never admit you’re wrong.”

Tyrnauer, by the way, is a big fan of Kushner. When it comes to Roy Cohn, “Kushner gets it all right,” he says. “’Angels in America’ is an immortal and transcendent piece of art. His use of Roy Cohn is just breath-taking.”

“I thought that Trump would lose and that Roy Cohn would best be remembered as a character in that play. Unfortunately, because he created a President from beyond the grave, Cohn is still impacting the current day,” Tyrnauer says.

44 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

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Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. 1232 31st Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 |202.448.9002

Just friends?

King/Buchanan relationship continues to intrigue

Mariinsky Ballet: Paquita

Valery Gergiev, Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre Yuri Fateev, Deputy Director of the Ballet Company with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra Gavriel Heine, conductor

Photo by Valentin Baranovsky

October 8–13 | Opera House

Image courtesy Oxford University Press

Visit Kennedy-Center/org for the star-studded casting

Kennedy-Center.org (202) 467-4600

Groups call (202) 416-8400 For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540

Tethered by a cord.

That’s what people think when they see you and your closest pal: that you’re tethered by some sort of invisible cord.

You think alike, talk alike, you sometimes mirror each other’s actions. Where there’s one, there’s the other even, as in the new book “Bosom Friends” by Thomas J. Balcerski, when you’re often poles apart.

In the years prior to the Civil War, our nation’s Capital was “very much a work in progress”: roads were little more than mud, neighborhoods were far apart and, indeed, Washington, D.C. was a swamp to which most Congressmen had to travel. Since nearly all were landowners elsewhere, few elected officials brought their families to the city with them; those who came solo needed places to live, so boardinghouses called “messes” sprung up to house the politicians.

It was at one such “mess” that William King met James Buchanan.

King was born to be a politician: educated at the University of North Carolina, he almost immediately went into politics after graduation. He was a social man and very charming, but he never married, blaming it on a broken heart over a princess who was angered by a perceived insult. Balcerski hints that the princess story was a convenient ruse.

Buchanan was also educated and politically minded but his personal life differed: he was engaged to be married but a misunderstanding caused his fiancé to call off the nuptials. Before Buchanan could patch things up, she fell ill and died. For the rest of his life, he, too, claimed that a broken heart kept him from marrying.

At that time in history, says Balcerski, homosexuality was strictly forbidden but deeply “intimate” friendships between men were common and even encouraged; it seems likely that King and Buchanan (the 15th U.S. president, 1857-1861) formed one of these while living at the “mess,” partaking in debates together, and working at the

Capital. Their “bosom friendship,” however, appeared exceptionally close: tongues wagged and others publicly teased the politicians for their particular bond.

But were they lovers, as rumors have claimed for about 170 years?

Inconclusive, as you’ll see in “Bosom Friends.” There are many reasons to think either way; although author Thomas J. Balcerski says they weren’t, evidence otherwise is tantalizing.

To get there, though, will take some rock climbing.

To understand the lives of King and Buchanan, one must inherently understand politics, of which much of this book consists.

This is necessary, since it also shows division between the two men, ultimately both physically and emotionally; the scrappy political competition in which they engaged; and an untraversable gulf of disagreement — facets that, individually and together, are fascinating. Readers will clearly see the affection between the two men here, though we’ll never completely know the true nature of it: possibly-argument-settling written communication between the two disappeared shortly after the Civil War. That sets up a delicious double-mystery that leaves you to make up your own mind: letters lost or tossed? “Bosom Friends,” or more than that? If you’re curious to know, this book will keep you tethered to your chair.

‘Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan & William Rufus King’

By Thomas J. Balcerski Oxford University Press $34.95 337 pages

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Support for Ballet at the Kennedy Center is generously provided by C. Michael Kojaian.

International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts.

46 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • S EPT EM B ER 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

Healthy and fast

HipCityVeg, Fruitive reinventing vegan, earth-conscious consumerism

Hookups =

By EVAN CAPLAN

A vegan burger and fries at HipCityVeg. Photo by Evan Caplan

Stuffed unapologetically between two pillowy potato buns, the burger patties at HipCityVeg (1300 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) are hefty with significant juice and just the right pink in the center.

The overstuffed sandwich (it comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and organic ketchup), is hardly enough to contain much else. But it also envelops the save-the-earth philosophy of HipCityVeg, the Philly-based vegan fast-food chain. The restaurant opened in Dupont Circle last month, only two storefronts away from Fruitive (1330 Connecticut Ave., N.W.), the Virginia Beach-based vegan café.

On this one block of downtown with mainstays like Krispy Kreme and Panera, these two quick-service spots are redefining what vegan food (and food in general) looks, tastes and acts like.

As giant chains like Burger King and White Castle hop on the plant-based food trend, HipCityVeg began by serving burger classics, but hold the meat.

Founder Nicole Marquis, who identifies as straight, opened the first HipCityVeg in April 2012 in Philadelphia, selling out within its first few hours.

“It was a risky move, but I knew given the choice, even cheesesteak eaters would choose a vegan version if it tasted as good,” she says.

HipCityVeg is not the traditional health-food concept store that vegan cuisine had been known for. Instead, its inspiration is traditional fast food: burgers, fries, shakes and nuggets.

“Then, we turn them into equally delicious plant-based options,” Marquis says. “To ask someone to completely stop eating meat is radical. When we present food in familiar, nostalgic way, it’s no longer a sacrifice.”

Beyond the Beyond Burger, the menu does offer green smoothies and fro-yo made entirely from blended frozen bananas. But the biggest sellers are the sandwiches like Smokehouse Burger, a grilled “beyond meat” patty smothered in potato-based smoked Gouda cheese, topped with towering layers of fried-crisp onions and a helping of special sauce. Bacon, tempeh-based, is also an option.

“We see a hunger in D.C. for craveable food that is ethically sourced, served

in sustainable packaging and that can be served to customers quickly,” she says, noting that, “You all work a lot in D.C,” Health food, HipCity is not. Its attitude is healthy. Every piece of packaging — containers and cups, straws and utensils — is compostable; everything else is recycled. “By choosing vegan ingredients and compostable materials, we’re creating a new normal,” Marquis says.

This ethos has extended to the way in which she runs her shops, too. Empowering customers to choose healthier lifestyles, the shop also encourages its management team to do the same.

“Positive vibes and good energy are infectious, and it’s really a way of life at HipCityVeg,” says Krystal Harris, head of talent development and who identifies as a lesbian. “We are proud of our sexuality and our open environment.”

As HipCity’s “bleeding” plant-based burgers and breaded fried chicken sandwiches rocket into the mainstream, Fruitive keeps a lid on following in the footsteps of big red shoes.

Its Dupont Circle location launched in January, following its first D.C. location in CityCenter. Every menu item, save some condiments and the tortilla, is made from scratch in-house.

“From the beginning, it’s always been about offering certified organic food and keeping food as pure as we can,” says founder Gregg Rozeboom, who is straight. “We’re very strict about not just the ingredients but the processes we’re using, too.”

Built on a foundation by way of an opening party that featured an avocado toast (on spelt-flax bread) giveaway, Fruitive leans all the way in on its founder’s philosophy.

Fruitive’s stated motto is “Live Your Health.” Cold-pressed juices, “liquid meals” and superfood bowls are as central to the menu as are the tacos served in collard green leaves and kale-quinoaedamame salads. Wheatgrass and maca powder shots are two of the several optional smoothie add-ons.

S EPTE MBE R 2 7 , 2 019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 47

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“

I love wandering through Smithsonian museums, eating on H Street with friends, and going to shows at Howard Theatre.

I’m a transgender woman and I’m part of DC. Please treat me the way any woman would want to be treated: with courtesy and respect.

Discrimination based on gender identity and expression is illegal in the District of Columbia.

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