Washingtonblade.com, Volume 50, Issue 47, November 22, 2019 by Washington Blade

Could Republican LGBTQ ally be a bridge to right-wing relatives? PAGE 14

Holiday Gift Guide PAGES 26-28

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Margaret Hoover’s approach to bipartisanship could help you navigate awkward holiday dinners with GOP relatives. PAGE 14

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Viewpoint

FBI report shows increase

Holiday Gift Guide

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A Christmas ‘Bombshell’

Comings & Goings

Queery: Morgen Hunt

Remembering 22 trans murders in 2019

Shepard plaque to be dedicated

Despite Harris deal, few surgeries

Arts & Humanities

granted to Calif. trans inmates

Believable ‘Liar’?

Margaret Hoover explains the GOP

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FBI report shows increase in anti-LGBT hate crimes

Many towns in Virginia, Maryland, Del. fail to send data By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM

‘Bias-motivated crimes are a real, frightening problem in the United States,’ said HRC’s ALPHONSO DAVID. Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

The number of hate crime incidents targeting gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the United States in 2018 increased by nearly 6 percent over the previous year and the number of anti-transgender hate crime incidents increased by 41 percent during that same period, according to the FBI’s newly released annual Hate Crime Statistics Report. The report, which covers 2018, the most recent year for which the FBI has released hate crimes data, shows that participating law enforcement agencies throughout the country reported to the FBI a total of 7,120 hate crime incidents for 2018. Under guidelines set by the FBI, the incidents are broken down into six categories of “bias motivation” – Race/Ethnicity/Ancestry, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender, and Disability. The report released by the FBI last week shows that out of 7,036 “single bias incidents” reported in 2018, 57.5 percent were motivated by a race/ ethnicity/ancestry bias; 20.2 percent were motivated by a religious bias; 17.0 percent were prompted by sexual orientation bias; 2.4 percent were motivated by gender identity bias; 2.3 percent were motivated by disability bias; and 0.7 percent (47 incidents) were motivated by gender bias. The 2018 report shows participating law enforcement agencies reported 1,196 sexual orientation related hate crime incidents for that year, an increase of 5.8 percent over the 1,130 incidents related to sexual orientation reported in 2017. According to the report, there were 168 incidents in 2018 in which a victim was targeted for a hate crime based on their gender identity, an increase by 41.1 percent over the 106 gender identity related incidents in 2017. In its 2018 report, the FBI says the 1,196 incidents based on sexual orientation included 726 anti-gay male incidents, 129 anti-lesbian incidents, 303 anti-LGBT “mixed group” incidents, 21 anti-bisexual incidents, and 17 anti-heterosexual incidents. Among the 168 gender identity related incidents, the 2018 report says there were 142 anti-transgender incidents and 26 reported anti-gender nonconforming incidents. In its data on hate crime incidents in individual states and D.C., the report shows there were a total of 213 reported hate crime incidents in D.C. in 2018, with 68 targeting the victim based on their sexual orientation and 33 related to the victim’s gender identity. CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

AIDS Quilt moving to San Francisco New caretaker, future plans for memorial announced at D.C. ceremony By LOU CHIBBARO JR. LCHIBBARO@WASHBLADE.COM The Atlanta-based Names Project Foundation, which has served as the custodian of the massive AIDS Memorial Quilt since 1987, is turning over that task to the San Francisco-based National AIDS Memorial, officials with both organizations announced at a Washington ceremony on Wednesday. The officials, who were joined by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, also announced that the two organizations have agreed to donate the “care and stewardship” of the Quilt’s large archival collection of artifacts and documents to the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center in Washington. A joint statement released by the foundation and the National AIDS Memorial says the Quilt currently consists of over 50,000 individual 3-by-6 foot memorial panels commemorating more than 105,000 people who have died of AIDS since the start of the epidemic in the early 1980s. “This historic decision will return The Quilt to the San Francisco Bay area, where 32 years ago during the height of the AIDS epidemic, a group of strangers gathered at a San Francisco storefront to remember the names and lives of their loved ones they feared history would forget – and with that seemingly simple act of love and defiance, the first panels of The Quilt were created,” the statement says. “This is the culmination of decades of work that achieves a vision long held by The Names Project leadership who, armed with an unwavering commitment to The Quilt, were determined to see that the AIDS Memorial Quilt would stand the test of time,” said Julie Rhoad, president and CEO of the Names Project in the joint statement. “With this set of new caretakers, we are confident that the legacy of The Quilt and the Names Project is secure,” she said. The ceremony in which the AIDS Memorial Quilt changes were to be announced was scheduled to take place Wednesday morning in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress’s main building across the street from the U.S. Capitol. Among those scheduled to speak and participate in the ceremony were Pelosi; U.S. Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Barbara

Lee (D-Calif.); Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden; Names Project Foundation CEO Rhoad; and AIDS Quilt founders Cleve Jones, Mike Smith, and Gert McMullin. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. and Broadway performer Glenn Rainey were scheduled to sing during the event. According to its website, the National AIDS Memorial is the organization that operates the National AIDS Memorial Grove located at a site in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. It also oversees various memorial related programs and projects, including the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship program. “The mission of the National AIDS Memorial is to provide, in perpetuity, a place of remembrance so that the lives of people who have died from AIDS are not forgotten and the story is known by future generations,” the memorial’s website says. “In 1996, through legislation signed by President Bill Clinton, it was federally designated a national memorial,” the website says. The Names Project Foundation’s website says the foundation has been in charge of caring for and displaying the AIDS Memorial Quilt since its founding in 1987. It notes that in October 1987, the Quilt’s first 1,920 panels were displayed on the National Mall in D.C., where a half million people came to see it. An estimated 1.2 million people visited the Quilt when it returned to Washington in October 1996 and covered the entire National Mall from the Washington Monument to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, the foundation states. The foundation notes on its website that in 2000 its Board of Directors elected to move its national headquarters and the Quilt to Atlanta, and the move was completed in December 2002. The joint statement this week by the foundation and the National AIDS Memorial announcing the transfer of custody over the Quilt to the National AIDS Memorial didn’t provide a reason for the change, but further details were expected to be discussed at the Library of Congress ceremony on Wednesday. CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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Comings & Goings Ortiz lands at LMP Advertising; Ryan to ACLI By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com. Congratulations to Jake Amador Ortiz who has begun his new position as Media and Marketing Strategist with JAKE AMADOR LMO Advertising. LMO is located in Arlington, Va., and ORTIZ according to its website is “a fully integrated marketing agency that helps companies capture market share, increase demand, launch new products, differentiate themselves, and drive their business into the future.” On taking the position he said, “I’m so excited to be joining such an established advertising agency. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge in marketing and media with their amazing team.” Ortiz has worked as a New York digital marketing VINCE RYAN intern for iHeartRadio and created multiple social media campaigns to promote popular music artist playlists and cultivated more than 5,000 impressions. He researched and presented marketing strategies and outreach operations to corporate executives to improve the company against other large competitors and assisted in celebrity photo shoots, promotional events, and high-profile concerts. He has worked as a D.C. brand ambassador for them. Ortiz is a recent graduate of George Washington University earning a bachelor’s in communication. While in school he was a division 1 athlete in swimming and diving where he was selected by his peers as senior captain and a representative to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. There he worked to make student athletes voices heard across the university. He was on the GW teams that were Atlantic 10 Conference, Men’s Swimming and Diving Champions (2017, 2018, and 2019). He volunteered with the Adapted Swimming Program, Arlington Parks & Recreation. Congratulations also to Vincent Ryan who recently relocated from Delaware to Washington, D.C., to begin his new position with the American Council of Life Insurers, (ACLI). He will work as a legislative director responsible for all legislative, regulatory and political affairs for the organization and member companies in an assigned region. According to its website, “ACLI advocates on behalf of 280 member companies dedicated to providing products and services that promote consumers’ financial and retirement security. ACLI represents member companies in state, federal and international forums for public policy that supports the industry marketplace and the families that rely on life insurers’ products for peace of mind. ACLI members represent 95 percent of industry assets in the United States.” Previously, Ryan worked as senior adviser to the Delaware Commissioner responsible for managing all legislative and public affairs for the Delaware Department of Insurance. Among his other responsibilities he assisted the department in rate review and negotiation process for Affordable Care Act Exchange plans, including liaising with congressional delegations and CMS administrators. Prior to that, Ryan worked as a litigation paralegal for Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia. Ryan has been a longtime activist in Delaware politics and is a fundraising professional having raised money for among others Hillary Clinton, Phil Murphy, Ralph Northam, and the Delaware Democratic Party. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware and received a Hancock Presidential Achievement Scholarship.

LOCA L NE WS • NOV EMBER 22, 2019 • WA SHIN GTON BL A DE . COM • 09

Maryland state Sen. MARY WASHINGTON (D-Baltimore City) Photo courtesy of JDavis Photography

Mary Washington to run for Baltimore mayor Maryland state Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore) on Tuesday announced she is running for mayor of Baltimore. “Our city needs big, positive change,” she said in a video on her campaign website. Washington in 2018 became the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the Maryland Senate. Washington previously represented House District 43 in the Maryland House of Delegates. Former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh on May 2 resigned over a scandal over the sale of copies of her “Healthy Holly” children’s book series to the University of Maryland Medical System while she served on its board. Current Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young is among the Democrats who have announced a mayoral campaign. MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Stein Club elects new president Members of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s largest local LGBT political organization, elected Ward 1 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Kent Boese as its new president Monday night at the club’s annual election meeting held at the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community. In a break from the club’s usual practice of choosing its leaders by consensus in uncontested elections, Boese beat incumbent president Monika Nemeth, a fellow ANC member from Ward 3 and transgender rights advocate, by a vote of 12 to 9.

Minutes later, Stein members elected Nemeth to the position of Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs by unanimous voice vote in an uncontested race. In three other uncontested votes, Stein members re-elected gay Democratic activist Jatarious Frazier as Vice President for Administration, re-elected Gay Democratic National Committee member Earl Fowlkes as Treasurer, and elected D.C. Office of LGBTQ Affairs Deputy Director Thomas Yabroff as Secretary. Fowlkes, who also serves as chair of the DNC’s LGBT Caucus, is a former Stein Club president. In remarks prior to the vote electing him president, Boese said among his top priorities for the Stein Club would be an aggressive effort to help elect an LGBT person to the D.C. Council in next year’s city election. Boese and other club members noted that since the late Ward 1 gay Council member Jim Graham, a Democrat, and gay At-Large Council member David Catania left the Council several years ago D.C. has fallen behind nearly all major U.S. cities by no longer having an out LGBT member on its legislative body. Among those listening to Boese and other club members calling for the election of an LGBT member to the D.C. Council were five of the six declared Democratic candidates for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat currently held by incumbent Council member Jack Evans. With Evans under investigation for allegations of ethics violations, he has yet to announce whether he will run for re-election in the June 2020 Democratic primary. One of his Democratic challengers, longtime gay rights advocate and Logan Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner John Fanning, told club members he is the openly gay candidate they have been looking for with a strong record on both LGBT rights and civic and government affairs as an aide to three former mayors. LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Remembering 22 trans murders in 2019

ZOE SPEARS was shot to death in June 13.

Days before the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, the nation’s leading LGBTQ group issued a report detailing the murders of each of the 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed this year. The report, produced by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and titled “A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in the United States in 2019,” includes a short bio for each the 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed in 2019. Among them is Zoe Spears and Ashanti Carmon, black transgender women who were killed in Prince George’s County outside of Washington, D.C. Also included is Jordan Cofer, one of the nine victims of the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio. Amid heavy scrutiny of the incident, and another mass shooting that took place the same weekend in El Paso, the media website Splinter reported close friends knew Cofer was a transgender man. Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement the report is intended to draw attention to the anti-trans climate enabling this violence. “Transgender women of color are living in crisis, especially black transgender women,” David said. “While the details of the cases documented in this report differ, the toxic intersection of racism, sexism, transphobia and easy access to guns conspire to deny so many members of the transgender and gender non-conforming community access to housing, employment and other necessities to survive and thrive.” David urged a wide spectrum of institutions to take action to stop the antitrans violence and to draw additional scrutiny to the transgender murders. “Every one of these lives cut tragically short reinforces the urgent need for action on all fronts to end this epidemic — from lawmakers and law enforcement, to the media and our communities,” David said. CHRIS JOHNSON

President and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund Annise Parker speaks at the 2019 LGBTQ International Leaders Conference. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Parker slams media for saying black voters won’t back LGBTQ candidates The head of the LGBTQ Victory Institute took the media to task last week amid a flurry of media reports Pete Buttigieg isn’t faring well in the South because black voters are reluctant to support a gay presidential candidate. Annise Parker, CEO of the Victory Institute, made the remarks in her “State of Victory” speech at the annual LGBTQ International Leaders Conference, which the organization hosted this year in D.C. Parker said the media reports echoed earlier whisper campaigns against openly gay and lesbian candidates decades ago. “But what was once whispers are now New York Times stories, and Washington Post columns,” Parker said. “Right now, some pundits and opposition candidates are pushing the lie that black voters will not vote for LGBTQ candidates. It is wrong.” Late last month, The State, a South Carolina-based newspaper, published a memo on internal Buttigieg campaign focus groups indicating black voters in South Carolina find the candidate’s sexual orientation a barrier to supporting him. Additional stories were published in Politico and the New York Times to the same effect. Repudiating these stories, Parker laid out the case for the many levels why the notion black voters won’t support LGBTQ candidates isn’t right. “It is wrong factually, according to opinion polls,” Parker said to extended applause. “It is wrong morally, because it treats the black community as monolithic and ignores LGBTQ black voices, like those in the room. And it is wrong empirically because we see LGBTQ candidates winning the hearts and minds of black voters across this nation.” Parker cited the recent wins of LGBTQ candidates as evidence the narrative is incorrect. Among them Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who’s both the city’s first openly lesbian mayor and first black woman to serve as mayor. CHRIS JOHNSON

Chick-fil-A to end anti-LGBTQ donations Controversial fast food chain Chickfil-A has long been the target of protests and boycotts over its donations to antiLGBTQ causes, but that could soon be a thing of the past. The fast-food giant has revealed that it plans to stop its well-documented donations to anti-queer lobbying groups, citing the chain’s expansion as the reason for change. Speaking to the website Bisnow, COO of Chick-fil-A Tim Tassopoulos said, “There’s no question we know that, as we go into new markets, we need to be clear about who we are. There are lots of articles and newscasts about Chick-fil-A, and we thought we needed to be clear about our message.” Chick-fil-A has a long history of donating to groups like the Salvation Army, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Paul Anderson Youth Home – all of which have anti-LGBTQ positions and policies. In addition, CEO Dan Cathy’s comments against marriage equality have cemented a widespread impression of a company with homophobic corporate policies, and further added to the stigma with which the restaurant is associated by a large sector of the public. That stigma has had real-world consequences; Chick-fil-A has been the target of repeated calls for boycotts; earlier this year, the landlord of the chain’s UK pop-up restaurant said he would not renew their lease due to the company’s history of homophobia, and several airports cited the same reason as the cause in denying applications for Chick-fil-A to open new locations in their facilities. Beginning next year, the Atlantabased fast-food chain – which donated to more than 300 charitable organizations in 2019 – will change its philanthropic structure to focus on three initiatives with one accompanying charity each: education, homelessness and hunger Chick-fil-A has yet to issue an official company statement. JOHN PAUL KING

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Despite Harris deal, few surgeries granted to Calif. trans inmates ‘She failed to act with a commitment to transgender justice’ By CHRIS JOHNSON CJOHNSON@WASHBLADE.COM

Some advocates are criticizing Sen. KAMALA HARRIS over newly released data showing very few California trans inmates are able to access transition-related care. Photo courtesy of CNN

Sen. Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign said Tuesday anti-trans bias may play a role in the implementation of a policy she helped create under pressure to provide transgender inmates in California with gender reassignment surgery, after a Washington Blade public records request found only seven prisoners ever got the male-to-female procedure out of 130 who asked. Harris, a supporter of LGBTQ rights, nonetheless continues to be asked about her work as California attorney general in litigation seeking to deny gender assignment surgery to transgender inmates in the state prison system — and the data indicate that Harris cast the settlement in a rosier light than ended up playing out. Despite the policy she announced in 2015 enabling inmates to obtain gender reassignment surgery, the data from California Correctional Health Care Services — provided to the Washington Blade after a request under California’s Public Records Act — reveals only a small percentage of inmates who have requested the procedure have been able to obtain it, raising questions about its effectiveness. In a letter dated Nov. 8 to the Blade, the state prison health system reveals 130 inmates requested male-to-female

gender reassignment surgery since the policy was announced, but only seven were granted the procedure in the same time period. Meanwhile, 51 inmates requested female-to-male gender reassignment surgery, but only 10 obtained the procedure. Based on these numbers, only 5 percent of inmates who requested maleto-female gender reassignment surgery obtained the procedure under the policy Harris helped create and has promoted on the campaign trail, and only 20 percent of inmates who requested female-to-male gender reassignment surgery have obtained it. Kate Waters, a spokesperson for the Harris presidential campaign, said anti-trans bias may be playing a role in implementation in response to a Blade inquiry on the data. “Kamala Harris believes every American has a right to adequate and comprehensive health care, including transition-related care for those at correctional facilities,” Waters said. “Toward the end of her tenure as attorney general she worked behind the scenes to establish a policy around granting gender-affirming surgeries to individuals who are currently incarcerated — the first

of its kind in the country. It’s clear the implementation of this policy should be evaluated and examined for bias.” Over the course of her presidential campaign, Harris has had to defend herself amid questions about litigation in which she sought to block transgender inmates from having gender reassignment surgery. In fact, at her first news conference for her 2020 presidential campaign in D.C. at Howard University, it was the topic of her first question, which was asked by the Washington Blade. At the time, Harris implied she disagreed with the position of her client, the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, but defended the agency in court because it was her duty as a public official. “I was, as you are rightly pointing out, the attorney general of California for two terms and I had a host of clients that I was obligated to defend and represent and I couldn’t fire my clients, and there are unfortunately situations that occurred where my clients took positions that were contrary to my beliefs,” Harris said. Harris also indicated she wasn’t fully aware of the litigation happening within her office. “It was an office with a lot of people who would do the work on a daily basis, and do I wish that sometimes they would have personally consulted me before they wrote the things that they wrote?” Harris said. “Yes, I do.” The issue came up in an interview with the Los Angeles Blade and at the Iowa LGBTQ forum hosted by GLAAD in September, where Lyz Lenz, a columnist for the The Gazette, asked the 2020 presidential hopeful about it. In both of those instances, Harris brought up in favorable terms a policy agreement she helped institute at the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitations as evidence she redirected the litigation into something positive for the transgender community. “I did it quietly, because I actually disagreed with my client initially, when they had the policy, and so I did it behind the scenes,” Harris told the Los Angeles

Blade. “I helped to resolve and change the policy. The issue for me was to make sure the right thing would happen.” Harris added: “Let me just be very clear: I don’t want to take full credit for that, because I don’t deserve full credit for that. I don’t want what I said to be interpreted as that. There were a lot of people involved in that.” In an interview with the National Center for Transgender Equality, Harris brought up the issue on her own and in particular underscored the importance of that policy. “I made sure that they changed the policy in the state of California so that every transgender inmate in the prison system would have access to the medical care that they desired and need,” Harris said. “I know it was historic in California, but I believe, actually, it may have been one of the first if not the first in the country where I pushed for that policy in a Department of Corrections.” As California attorney general, Harris in 2015 defended the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, which was being sued for refusing to provide gender reassignment surgery to two transgender inmates: Michelle Lael-Norsworthy, who was serving time in prison in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif., for second-degree murder, and Shiloh Quine, who’s serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery. Transgender advocates maintain transition-related care, including gender reassignment surgery, is medically necessary and should be afforded to inmates in prison, where the costly procedure would be provided at taxpayer expense. Withholding the treatment, transgender advocates argue, is cruel and unusual punishment, therefore a violation of the Eighth Amendment under the U.S. Constitution. At one point, when a trial court ruled against the state in the Norsworthy case and ordered the state to grant her gender reassignment surgery, Harris as attorney CO N T I N U E S ON PAGE 1 9

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Margaret Hoover explains the GOP Could Republican LGBTQ ally be a bridge to right-wing relatives? By KAREN OCAMB

‘Firing Line with Margaret Hoover’ host MARGARET HOOVER

Photo courtesy ‘Firing Line’

Overheard almost all the time everywhere: There has never been a more divisive time in American history than now. No caveats for the Civil War or the protests against the war in Vietnam. But to those who are confused, frightened and angry about the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald J. Trump as the unraveling of democracy, today feels much like William Butler Yeats’s poem “The Second Coming:” “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” The poem was written in 1919 about the social and economic chaos that followed the end of World War I. It’s an era Margaret Hoover, Republican political commentator, LGBTQ advocate and host of PBS’ “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover,” knows something about. After World War I, Hoover’s great grandfather Herbert Hoover, an engineer and businessman, was called upon by President Woodrow Wilson to lead the salvation of war-destroyed Europe through massive organized food relief efforts. The stock market crashed seven months after Hoover was sworn in as president of the United States and his term became historically associated with the beginning of the Great Depression. Margaret Hoover believes that Herbert Hoover has been misunderstood over the years and in studying his life to provide his defense, she was deeply inculcated with the concept of “American Individualism,” which she later turned

into a book with the subtitle: “How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party.” The concept of individual freedom led her to the fight for LGBTQ equality and not giving up on the legacy of the GOP. “I haven’t left the party. I have too many elephants in my collection to give them all up. Some of them were my great-grandfathers. They are precious relics of a long history of principled men and women standing for values I still agree with — individualism tempered by communal responsibility, robust international leadership tempered by realism, economic libertarianism, suffrage, abolition,” Hoover tells the Blade. “Conservatives missed the boat on modern civil rights, but Republicans helped pass both the Civil Right Act and Voting Rights Act,” she notes, reflecting on an era of congressional bipartisanship. “When I feel utterly disconnected to the GOP, perspective is a useful tool. In 160-plus years, it’s really the last 30 years that have elements that give me pause. And in a two-party system, neither party will ever have a monopoly on virtue. I’d rather help fight to make the GOP better where it’s falling short.” Hoover thinks she and legendary attorney Ted Olson may be the only two well-known Republicans who came to their support for LGBTQ equality based on their deep belief in individual freedom, rather than in response to having an LGBTQ

relative. Hoover served on the Advisory Council for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER) when Olson successfully argued the federal case against Prop 8 with Democratic stalwart David Boies. “The first time I remember thinking about LGBT equality was when I was 12, when a friend’s dad came out,” says Hoover, now 41. “It was the early ‘90s, and I just did the math then and decided that LGBT Americans shouldn’t have to relate to their government any differently than straight Americans.” Additionally, she says, “I always thought LGBT freedom was entirely consistent with the brand of Western Conservatism I grew up with in Colorado — the same western conservatism that was socially libertarian, that explained why Barry Goldwater’s family brought Planned Parenthood to Arizona and why he famously remarked at the end of his life that you don’t have to ‘be straight to shoot straight,’ regarding gays serving openly in the military.” Hoover’s not happy with how Trump has taken over the Republican Party. “I think the president has abused the powers of his office and betrayed the trust the American people bestowed on him. I suspect he’ll be impeached,” Hoover says. “But one can’t engage with the question of impeachment absent the reality that a House impeachment vote will likely lead to an acquittal by the Senate. Ultimately, I worry that our system has become so hyper-partisan

that no one can think for themselves anymore because going against your party will cost you your job. There’s no moral courage.” But while Hoover recognizes that arguing with staunch Trump supporters can be painful — such as at a holiday meal — she urges compassion to avoid severing connections that could be repaired in time. “In dealing with anyone you love in politics — and I’d be careful not to call Trump supporter’s cultists — my mom and dad and family aren’t cultists, too many smart people have fallen into an ‘us against them’ that is tearing us apart. So check yourself,” she says. “When dealing with anyone I love in politics, I think of my friend Jean Safer’s book — “I Love You but I Hate Your Politics” — and I just focus on the love part. “For the politics,” she continues, “rededicate your personal efforts to changing your elected leader or the policies you care about or the president. But the people in our lives, and the love in our lives, are the relationships that make or break us as happy humans thriving in the world. When the relationships in our lives are off, we’re off. So, you have to separate how you love, and how you think about politics.” In addition to AFER, Hoover has put her personal efforts toward the American Unity Fund – her non-profit “dedicated to advancing the cause of freedom for LGBTQ Americans by making the conservative case that freedom truly means freedom for everyone.” This is not just a nice note on the resume. Hoover advocates for the cause of LGBTQ Americans everywhere, including during a June 2018 appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” pitching her new “Firing Line” show. Colbert — who became famous among conservatives during his Comedy Central show “The Colbert Report” (2005-2014) — watched the original “Firing Line” as a kid and marveled at creator William F. Buckley, the father of conservativism and a TV star, and for 33 years, the longest running host of a TV show. After noting that she would not even try to be William F. Buckley, Hoover suddenly digressed into an LGBTQ tangent when asked if she was a conservative. “I consider myself a conservative to a certain extent. I moonlight as an CO N T I N U E S ON PAGE 1 6

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N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 15

Hoover working on legislation to replace Equality Act CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 LGBT advocate. I run an LGBT advocacy organization (big applause) that works with Republicans,” Hoover said. “We make the case that freedom means freedom for everyone. And where that really lends itself at this moment in time is to secure full civil rights protections for LGBT Americans because there are still 28 states where you can be fired for being gay! All these things that Republicans don’t know — and those states are mostly red states so you need Republicans to engage Republicans on that front. There are many people who are socially conservative who would not say I’m conservative because of those views.” On “Firing Line,” Hoover has a polite, civil “contest of ideas” for roughly 30 minutes with one guest to explore a subject in depth. Some interviews broke news such as her interview with Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez on Israel and the Palestinians and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on prosecuting Jared Kushner’s father. Others are subjects that need further investigation, such as discussing cyber security for the next elections with Sen. Mark Warner. Other interviews are both professional and personal, such as her interview with friend Meghan McCain and Cindy McCain after the one-year anniversary of Sen. John McCain’s death. “I’m a huge fan of ‘Firing Line’ and grew up watching it,” said Meghan McCain, another LGBTQ ally. “It’s such an iconic brand.” Hoover surprised them with a 1998 clip of John McCain on the original “Firing Line” with Buckley. Meghan, then 13, had a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio and her father was concerned she would take up smoking after watching DiCaprio smoke on film. She didn’t. Hoover noted how Democrats are now mentioning McCain to signal bipartisanship. “I think my husband would have a real chuckle over it, I really do,” said Cindy McCain, who noted how close McCain was with Democratic icon, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Meghan had a different view. “I remember people taking real low blows and low shots at him — and I also appreciate people respecting and bringing him up. But I also think that maybe if you hadn’t demonized him so much and demonized Mitt Romney so much, maybe it wouldn’t have bred the feeding ground for Trump because

Trump didn’t just come,” she said. John McCain was “always looking to reach across the aisle, to work alongside — he was a truly decent, wonderful man. I’m not just saying that because he’s my father,” said Meghan. “And now we have someone who has, I believe, no character, no discipline, has no interest in working with the other side, and I think that it was the beginning of it, if we look back now in the past 10 years.” When Trump speaks ill of her father, “I go crazy. I turn into the She-Hulk,” Meghan said. “I get very emotional and very angry, and normally have to call you (Hoover). Or my husband.” Meghan, who identifies as a conservative, not a Republican, told Hoover that her father insisted that she join ABC’s “The View.” “I was called a mushy RINO (Republican In Name Only) for most of my career,” she says. “All of a sudden, I’m like the queen conservative and no one’s more surprised about it than I am.” She’s worried about the party, post-Trump. “Whatever you want to say about the left or people like AOC, they do a really good job of speaking to young people,” Meghan said. “And I think, for us — and I always laugh — Young Republican groups start at 40. I think post-Trump America, for the party, is gonna be a very, very dark place to rebuild.” How millennials approach politics is of concern to Hoover, too. “Here are these authoritarian regimes that are gaining in ascendance and credibility and you ask millennials now whether they think it’s imperative that you live in a liberal democracy – only 30 percent of them agree. So, I do think we need to make these arguments anew,” she told Colbert. But, he retorted, do they only hear the word “liberal” and not know that the base of the idea of liberal democracy is a free democracy? “What I think we need to do both on the show and generally — and this is probably the largest contest of my life — is make the case for the ideas behind the Bill of Rights, for free speech, for freedom, for individual freedom,” Hoover said. “I think that is the major contest of our moment.” But, Hoover said, “the party has been Trumpified. The conservative movement is more a conservative populism that has very little to do with the tenants and pillars that Buckley put together and that (Ronald) Reagan put together.” She has more in common “with George Will and

(the late) Charles Krauthammer and the folks who have a real problem with the president and his approach.” Hoover notes that her “Firing Line” style is very different from the erudite and elitist William F. Buckley. “Buckley was trained in Oxford style debate performance in an era where formality reigned supreme and WASPs ruled the elites,” Hoover tells the Blade. “I’m a product of a cultural moment where reality TV and millennials yearn for authenticity in a more diverse country that’s known what conservatives are for decades, thanks to Buckley. But his tradition — the legacy of engaging someone in a long form exchange of ideas, to understand how they think and what they think and what ideas they think will solve our current problems — has hit a nerve. What’s old is new again.” Hoover also believes that “Buckley unfairly gets cast as a homophobe, which I think is a myth, because of one terrible and over-reported moment with (gay) Gore Vidal on television in 1968.” The two men did not like each other but were under contract with ABC to do a debate, during which Vidal called Buckley a “crypto-Nazi” and Buckley called Vidal a “queer.” Michael Lind, an intellectual who knew them both, wrote in Politico in 2015 that “The Best of Enemies” documentary about the feud gets “just about everything” wrong, “but especially the battle between left and right.” As it turned out, Buckley actually had gay friends, including his National Review best friend, Marvin Liebman, also a co-founder of the conservative movement, who came out in a moving letter published in the July 9, 1990 issue of the National Review. “I am almost 67 years old. For more than half of my lifetime I have been engaged in, and indeed helped to organize and maintain, the conservative and anti-Communist cause,” Liebman wrote. “All the time I labored in the conservative vineyard, I was gay.” Buckley’s editor in chief response to Liebman, his “brother in combat” and “dear friend,” was formal but written with “affection and respect” for Liebman. Buckley wrote that he understood the “pain” inflicted by society on gays “sometimes unintentionally, sometimes sadistically. It is wholesome that we should be reproached for causing that pain.” He also promised that National Review “will not be scarred by thoughtless gay-bashing.” But Buckley added that his “Judeo-

Christian tradition” considers homosexuality “unnatural, whatever its etiology.” Liebman was amused, the Washington Post reported at the time. “He’s been my best and closest friend. That’s just the way he is,” Liebman said. “I don’t feel remotely put down by it. You know, he has these crazy ideas — JudeoChristian bull. But he’s a nice man.” Interestingly, Buckley’s older brother Jim, a former U.S. senator from New York for whom Liebman had fundraised, picked up a hefty dinner check, then raised his glass in a toast. “‘This is my way,’ he said with the characteristic Buckley grin, ‘of saluting an act of courage,’” the Washington Post reported July 9, 1990. In another act of courage, Sean Buckley, Jim Buckley’s college-age grandson, came out as gay on April 26, 2015 in The Daily Beast, which at the time was run by Hoover’s husband, John Avlon. The couple met during former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani’s 2008 presidential bid; they both subsequently became CNN contributors. But what Liebman described as antigay “Judeo-Christian bull” is still around and still a GOP obsession, now termed “religious liberty.” Hoover believes a congressional Republican strategy is needed to secure LGBTQ equality. “I support full political freedom for LGBT Americans and a fully comprehensive bill to secure LGBT freedom in federal law,” Hoover tells the Blade. “I’m unconvinced the Equality Act is a realistic path toward bipartisan passage of a bill that will do this. At the same time, I reject the notion that religious liberty is inherently at odds with LGBT freedom. “I’ve been working for three years on an alternative to the Equality Act that will become public soon, that takes a page out of the historic LGBT nondiscrimination law in Utah where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints supported protections in employment and housing for gay and transgender people in the state—the most religious state in America!” she says. “By taking the concerns of religious leaders sincerely, we can strike a balance that fully protects LGBT Americans from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and beyond, and earn the necessary bipartisan support for achieving these protections nationwide in the near-term.” Right now, Hoover hopes, “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover” illustrates how intellect, compassion and civility can set an example to make bipartisan progress.

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Pope compares anti-LGBTQ hate speech to Hitler

POPE FRANCIS is speaking out against the resurgence of hate speech but official anti-LGBTQ Catholic teachings haven’t changed.

Pope Francis last week compared politicians who use hate speech against LGBTQ people and other minority groups to Adolf Hitler. “It is not coincidental that at times there is a resurgence of symbols typical of Nazism,” said Francis during an international law conference, according to Reuters. “And I must confess to you that when I hear a speech (by) someone responsible for order or for a government, I think of speeches by Hitler in 1934, 1936,” “With the persecution of Jews, Gypsies and people with homosexual tendencies, today these actions are typical (and) represent ‘par excellence’ a culture of waste and hate,” added Francis. “That is what was done in those days and today it is happening again.” Francis made his comments against the backdrop of continued governmentsponsored persecution, violence and hate speech based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in Uganda and dozens of other countries around the world. The Vatican’s tone toward homosexuality and other LGBTQ-specific issues has moderated since Francis assumed the papacy in 2013, but activists have pointed out to the Blade that church teachings on them have not changed. “It is very important that Pope Francis is speaking out against the resurgence of hate speech that is occurring in many countries, and recognizes that this speech endangers the lives of minorities, including LGBTQ people,” Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, a group of LGBTQ Catholics, told the Blade on Friday in a statement. “I hope that leaders and individuals around the world understand why the Pope is speaking out against this trend, and take stock of their role in creating climates that can lead to violence.” Duddy-Burke added she hopes “his words are also understood to be applicable within the Church, and that Catholic leaders who say hateful, disparaging and dehumanizing things or act to limit the human rights of LGBTQ people and others immediately change their ways.” Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Marylandbased group that ministers to LGBTQ Catholics, in a statement described Francis’ remarks as a “long time coming.” “This simple message will save lives, protect people from harm, help keep families together and work towards eradicating hateful attitudes,” said DeBernardo. “When the Pope speaks, people listen — regardless of faith or political leanings.” MICHAEL K. LAVERS

TDOR report shows 331 trans murders last year As the world commemorates the International Trans Day of Remembrance, Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide released the annual results from its Trans Murder Monitoring research project, “to join the voices raising awareness of this day regarding hate crimes against trans and gender-diverse people, and to honour the lives of those who might otherwise be forgotten.” The TMM project is devoted to the systematic collection, monitoring and analysis of reported killings of genderdiverse/trans people worldwide. It was established by TvT Worldwide in 2009, using data from 2008 onward. This year’s update, which was published on the organization’s website November 11, reported 331 cases of reported killings of trans and genderdiverse people between Oct. 1, 2018Sept. 30, 2019. The update is reproduced below: “On the occasion of the International Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR), which is held on 20th of November 2019, the Transrespect versus Transphobia Worldwide (TvT) team is publishing the Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) research project update to join the voices raising awareness of this day regarding hate crimes against trans and gender-diverse people, and to honour the lives of those who might otherwise be forgotten. The TDoR 2019 update has revealed a total of 331 cases of reported killings of trans and gender-diverse people between 1 October 2018 and 30 September 2019. The majority of the murders occurred in Brazil (130), Mexico (63), and the United States (30), adding up to a total of 3314 reported cases in 74 countries worldwide between 1st of January 2008 and 30th of September 2019. Stigma and discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people is real and profound around the world, and are part of a structural and ongoing circle of oppression that keeps us deprived of our basic rights. Trans and gender-

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diverse people are victims of horrifying hate violence, including extortion, physical and sexual assaults, and murder. In most countries, data on murdered trans and gender-diverse people are not systematically produced and it is impossible to estimate the actual number of cases. JOHN PAUL KING

Landmark trans ruling in Zimbabwe A judge in Zimbabwe on Nov. 14 issued a landmark ruling in favor of a transgender woman who filed a lawsuit over the abuse she suffered after her arrest for using a women’s restroom. Police in the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo in January 2014 arrested Ricky “Rikki” Nathanson after she used a women’s restroom in a hotel. Nathanson — who is the founder of Trans Research, Education, Advocacy and Training (TREAT), a trans advocacy group in Zimbabwe — told the Washington Blade earlier this year she was kept in jail for three days. The Southern Africa Litigation Center, a South Africa-based group that supported Nathanson during her case, in a press release said she “was forced to undergo invasive and humiliating medical/physical examination (sic) and asked to remove her clothes in front of five male police officers in order to ‘verify her gender’” while in custody. Nathanson in August 2014 filed a lawsuit against Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs minister, the commissioner of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the assistant commissioner of the Bulawayo Central Police Station and the leader of the ruling Zimbabwe African National UnionPatriotic Front (ZANU-PF) party’s Youth League who instigated her arrest. A three-day hearing in Nathanson’s lawsuit took place in the Bulawayo High Court in 2017. The judge who ruled in Nathanson’s favor awarded her $400,000 in damages for what the Southern Africa Litigation Center, described as “unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution and emotional distress.” MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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Trans advocate slams Harris over California inmate policy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 general appealed the decision to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where she continued to argue the procedure should be blocked. Among Harris’ critics for defending the California state prison system in those cases is Chase Strangio, a New York-based transgender advocate and attorney. “It would have been one thing had she chosen to settle a legal challenge to establish a policy that might help people in custody but that is not what she did,” Strangio told the Blade. “Instead, Harris’s office fully litigated a case to try to block care for transgender people while simultaneously implementing a supposedly improved policy, which we continue to learn is grossly inadequate.” Strangio added Harris sought legal precedent that would have made conditions “substantially worse” for people in the Ninth Circuit and “could have hurt transgender people beyond California and ultimately sent a message to corrections staff in her state that the care being requested was not supported by the state.” “It is impossible to know whether Sen. Harris personally agrees with the notion of providing health care to transgender people in custody but what is abundantly clear is that when she had various opportunities to take a stand to ensure that the system was improved for prisoners who are transgender she failed to act with a commitment to transgender justice,” Strangio said. As media scrutiny of these cases continued when the case was before the Ninth Circuit, including with coverage in the Washington Blade, a settlement was announced on Aug. 8, 2015 that would enable the inmates to obtain the procedure (although for Norsworthy the process consisted of being granted parole, then being able to obtain gender reassignment surgery under the state’s MediCal program). “Members of the LGBT community, especially those who are transgender, are too often subjected to discrimination and forced to live on the margins of our society,” Harris said at the time. “In a groundbreaking settlement, the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation has agreed to evaluate and provide sex-reassignment surgery if recommended to Shiloh Quine, a transgender inmate. This is an important step forward in the ongoing effort to protect transgender rights in California.”

Very few trans inmates in California prison have been granted requests for gender reassignment surgery.

As part of this settlement, the California prison system agreed to create a new policy that would ease the process for transgender inmates seeking gender reassignment surgery, enabling them to obtain it without having to win court battles. But the new data demonstrates only a small number of transgender inmates have been able to obtain the procedure, raising questions about the policy’s effectiveness. Asked by the Blade to review the data, Strangio said it speaks volumes about the difficulty for transgender people in obtaining transition-related care, including gender reassignment surgery, while serving time in the criminal justice system. “Sadly, these numbers reflect how dangerously inadequate health care is for transgender people, particularly transgender women, in custodial settings,” Strangio said. The Washington Blade has placed a request with current California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who’s responsible for enforcing the policy, on whether the guidelines are not properly being implemented. It’s unclear why only a small percentage of these inmates have been granted gender assignment surgery. Under policy established by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a person seeking the procedure must have medical clearance, which means they can’t have any health issues that would make the surgery pose too great a risk for the individual.

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As laid out in the actual policy memo for California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, which was most recently updated in December 2018, inmates seeking to have gender reassignment surgery have to go through a multi-step process. An inmate’s request for surgery is submitted to the Statewide Medical Authorization Review Team, or SMART, which will then refer to the Gender Affirming Surgery Review Committee before that panel sends it back to SMART for final review. According to the documents, factors the committee should consider when evaluating the request is a verifiable diagnosis of gender dysphoria; whether other treatments besides surgery should be considered; whether the inmate has no other health conditions the surgery would exacerbate; and if the inmate has been consistent with his or her gender identity for 12 months. The California Department of Corrections didn’t respond to multiple requests from the Blade to comment on whether the system is adequate given the low numbers of requests for gender reassignment surgery from inmates that have been granted. Transgender advocates, however, said the numbers are evidence the California state prison system, despite the policy Harris helped create, is woefully inadequate in providing necessary transitionrelated care to transgender inmates. Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the paucity of requests

granted indicates transgender inmates aren’t being denied the procedure for medical reasons, but due to anti-trans animus and budgetary limits. “It’s not about whether or not they are medically able to have the surgery, it is about the prisons and the state not wanting to do it,” Keisling said. Strangio placed blame with both the California state prison system as well as Harris, saying regardless of the role she had in crafting the guidelines, the data show “it is not a policy that is adequately being implemented.” “It is impossible to extricate the ongoing recalcitrance on the part of the agency from the message sent from the state’s highest officials, Harris included, that providing health care to transgender people in custody should be fought aggressively in court,” Strangio said. Keisling, however, was reluctant to criticize Harris, saying her actual role in creating the California guidelines is impossible to verify and bureaucracies have a way of stymying policies created by public officials. “Definitely the bad guy is the Department of Corrections,” Keisling added. Shawn Meerkamper, senior staff attorney for the San Francisco-based Transgender Law Center, also responded to the data with generalized concerns that weren’t aimed at Harris. “Transgender people’s medical needs are real and cannot be dismissed by the state,” Meerkamper said. “California’s prisons affirmed they have the responsibility to provide medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria, including surgery, in 2015 following the Norsworthy and Quine cases. While policies are a good first step, unfortunately the California prisons continue to deny this life-saving health care to the vast majority of people who need it.” The Transgender Law Center represented Norsworthy and Quine in litigation and hailed the settlement in 2015 when it was reached with the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation. More recently, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a ruling that made access to gender reassignment surgery for prison inmates binding precedent in all states within its jurisdiction, including California. CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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LONDON — The advent of gay marriage has cut suicide rates among lesbians and gay men in Sweden and Denmark but, divorced, widowed or married, gays are still more prone to suicide than their straight peers, according to a study released on Thursday, Reuters reports. The researchers said reduced stigma for sexual minorities was likely driving the drop in deaths, culled from ofﬁcial data on thousands of same-sex couples in the two countries, both early adopters of gay marriage, Reuters reports. “Being married is protective against suicide,” said Annette Erlangsen of the Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention. “Legalizing same-sex marriage and other supportive legislative measures — they might actually reduce stigma around sexual minorities,” said Erlangsen, the lead author of the study, Reuters reports. Suicides of people in same-sex unions fell 46 percent when researchers compared two periods — 2003-2016 and 1989-2002 — versus 28 percent among straight couples, according to the paper published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Same-sex married people still killed themselves at more than twice the rate of those in opposite-sex marriages in both periods, reinforcing research from other countries that points to a higher incidence of suicide attempts among LGBT people, Reuters reports.

Poor mental health rampant for LGBT Southerners

A D V I C E • M E D I A T I O N • L I T I G A T I O N • A P P E A L S • C O L L A B O R A T IAOD N V E R T I S ICHARLESTON, NG PROOF S.C.

— More than half of LGBT respondents in a recent survey of Southerners reported fair to poor REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of mental health. Rates spiked for bi and proof. Proof will be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is trans young people ages 18-24 and were responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or exacerbated for those with lower incomes, IONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair GO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, the Charleston City Paper reports. or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE NS FAMILY | and ESTATE | EMPLOYMENT IMMIGRATION washington blade) to hold brownPLANNING naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless |from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to The your contract obligationsSouthern with the 2019 LGBTQ Health liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes but is not limited to placement, COMPLEX LITIGATION | LGBT | ADOPTION | TREE & representations NEIGHBORpayment DISPUTES by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing and insertion schedule. Survey from the Campaign for Southern and warranties. Equality and Western North Carolina Community Health Services collected responses from 5,617 participants from 13 AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW • D C | M D | VA states, making it the largest-known survey 3 0 1 . 8 9 1 . 2 2 0 0 • S P - L AW. C O M of LGBTQ health issues in the South. 6 9 3 0 C A R R O L L AV E , S U I T E 6 1 0 • T A K O M A P A R K M D ISSUE DATE: 171208

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While all identities on the LGBT spectrum reported relatively poor mental health, some indications were worse than others. Among bisexual and pansexual respondents, 62.1 percent and 73.5 percent, respectively, described their mental health as fair or poor — about 20 percentage points higher than gay, lesbian and straight participants. More than 20 percent of transgender respondents said they do not feel their health care needs are being met, nearly twice the number of cisgender participants. More than one in 10 transgender people reported that they rarely or never have positive experiences with physical health providers, almost triple the number of cisgender respondents in the study. Participants also reported rates of Southerners living with HIV more than 15 times higher than the national average. Among African Americans polled, 22 percent say that they are living with HIV, as are 13 percent of all gay male respondents. More than half of all participants admitted that they rarely — about every three-ﬁve years — or never get tested for HIV.

Serosorting continues in PrEP era

NEW YORK — A Canadian study that compared the HIV status of gay men’s recent sexual partners with what would be expected if they chose partners regardless of status has found that HIV-negative men who used PrEP were nearly twice as likely to have HIV-positive partners as those who did not, AIDSmap reports. It also found that men using PrEP were more likely to have sex with other PrEP users than with men not using PrEP. Conversely, non-users were more likely to have sex with non-users. It also found that HIV-positive men were still far more likely to have partners who also had HIV than men they knew were HIVnegative, though it’s not clear how much of this is due to choice and how much to being discriminated against, AIDSmap reports. Linwei Wang of St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto and colleagues looked at HIV status and PrEP usage among 1,179 gay and bisexual men who completed a survey of gay men in Montreal in 2017-2018. This was not an internet survey; it was enrolled via Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS), in which men already recruited ask their contacts to join the survey. It included trans men, but all respondents had to have had sex with another man (cis or trans) in the last six months.

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GLENN MAGPANTAY

is a lawyer and executive director of the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance. Reach him at glenn_magpantay@nqapia.org.

MARK LEE

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

VI E W PO I NT • NOVEMBER 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTON BL A DE . COM • 21

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

GLENN MAGPANTAY is a lawyer and executive director of the National Queer Asian Paciﬁc slander lliance. each him at lenn ma panta n apia.or .

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Remember the Dreamers! Thousands of young people live each day in fear

The daily swirl and surge of federal political events is mind-boggling: Impeachment hearings, criminal investigations, military withdrawals, and a new Supreme Court session. One development after another hardly allows us to focus. But I urgently ask the eyes of Congress and all Americans to return their attention to DACA. Do not let the fate of thousands of undocumented youth whose lives are in the balance get lost. The Dreamers and fate of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) remains a live issue. On Nov. 12 the U.S. Supreme Court DONBEYERVOLVO.COM heard oral arguments on DHS v. Regents of the University of California. The Dreamers and the Dream Act was long a political football, tossed back and forth for political gain, until President Obama put DACA protections into effect by executive order. President Trump soon followed with an order to put an end to those protections. Lawsuits and appeals followed. Thankfully a court-ordered injunction prevented cancelling DACA and thrusting the fate of thousands of youth into perilous waters. The lives of Dreamers across the country were returned to temporary respite. Dreamers, not knowing the ultimate outcome, nervously returned to living in the shadows, daily A D V E R T Ilives S I Nfilled G Pwith R Ofear. OF Now with the Supreme Court hearing ISSUE DATE: 171208 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: the issue, there is no way to predict REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered ﬁnal and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the final outcome. the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is The National Queer Asian Pacific responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or IONS Islander Alliance, (NQAPIA) has any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair GO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, submitted an amicus (“friend of the or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE NS washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contract obligations with the brief the U.S. Supreme liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. Thiscourt”) includes but is not limited tourging placement, by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertiser’s breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. Court to uphold the Deferred Action and warranties. for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in DHS v. Regents of the University of California. The brief highlights the unique concerns of LGBTQ Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander (API) DACA recipients. More

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than thirty organizations from across the country signed on to the brief prepared with the pro bono legal assistance of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo PC. But it is time for all of us to remember the Dreamers. It is time to recognize that they are not a faceless mass of immigrants, they are real people, with real lives, families, jobs and school to attend to. They live and love just as all people do. When the Supreme Court makes its decision, the right thing to do will be to protect these innocent young people and allow them a path to citizenship. But whatever the court decides it is the responsibility of the Congress to finally act and extend permanent and enduring legal protections to these young people most of whom have never known any place but the US to be their home. Ending DACA would put the lives of 800,000 undocumented young people brought to the U.S. as children at risk of deportation. In my own community alone, 169,000 Asian Pacific Islanders are eligible for DACA. There are an estimated 267,000 undocumented immigrants who are LGBT. If the courts (or the Congress) allow the Trump administration to end the DACA program, many LGBT API youth could be deported to countries that criminalize homosexuality—some which even impose a death penalty. We all deserve to live, work, and study in the U.S. without fear of deportation. Regardless of the Supreme Court decision, Congress must no longer hold the Dreamers hostage to politics. It is time to pass the Dream Act and codify an unencumbered DACA into law. NQAPIA is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander organizations. Give today to continue building an LGBTQ API Movement.

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MARK LEE

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

Is Pete the ‘Hail Mary’ Democrats need? Democratic presidential nomination contender Pete Buttigieg surged to a commanding lead in a poll last week of Iowa party members likely to participate in statewide caucuses on Feb. 3. The CNN/Des Moines Register/ Mediacom survey pegs his support at 25 percent, a 16-point rise in the past two months. The party’s national frontrunners – Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders – are locked in a tight threeway race for second place with each approximately 10-points behind Buttigieg. Buttigieg’s growth in popularity among Iowa Democrats is compatible with both the demographic composition and political tradition of party loyalists. Democrats in the Hawkeye State are overwhelmingly white and liberal, Buttigieg’s core constituencies, and party caucus voters often back up-andcoming underdogs. The outgoing South Bend mayor from nearby Indiana is a classic choice for Iowa Democrats. Being smart, thoughtful, articulate, humble, and exuding a calm demeanor are Midwest commodities that play well.This columnist expressed skepticism about Pete’s prospects in the spring, although not his personal performance, but the glaring general election electoral weaknesses of other candidates may provide him an opportunity to prove competitive in the contest for the party crown. Coupled with former President Barack Obama’s stern warning last Friday that party candidates are swinging too far to the left to be elected, following a similar entreaty from former President Bill Clinton, Iowans might further gravitate toward the liberal-but-center-left Mayor Pete. “The average American doesn’t think we have to completely tear down the system to remake it,” Obama cautioned in what is widely viewed as a thinly veiled critique of both Sanders and Warren. With both major political parties each commanding the allegiance of only evershrinking slivers of voters and internal policy conﬂicts causing strife among the few faithful, Obama is seen as attempting to rein-in Democratic extremists. He noted that “voters, including the Democratic voters

and certainly persuadable independents or even moderate Republicans, are not driven by the same views that are reﬂected on certain, you know, left-leaning Twitter feeds.” “There are a lot of persuadable voters and there are lots of Democrats out there who just want to see things make sense. They just don’t want to see crazy stuff,” Obama advised. Buttigieg, a perceived “centrist” sufﬁciently left-leaning to potentially mollify the dominant Democratic far-left cadre, could continue to rise in popularity. Being able to win next November is what matters most to party members, and the top contenders nationally cause big worries for Iowans by that measure, according to the poll. Many are beginning to think an “outside-the-box” nominee, more moderate and perhaps not currently in the race, is what will be necessary. At the moment, however, the query is simple: Is Pete the “Hail Mary” Democrats need? The White House winner will be determined in only a tiny number of states. In fact, it’s possible the Democratic nominee will win the popular vote by many more millions than last time and again lose the Electoral College tally, due to the concentrated geographic clustering of Democrats and those who will vote with them. An in-depth New York Times/Siena College poll last week indicates that leading contenders Biden, Warren, and Sanders manage to run only even at a statistical tie with President Donald Trump in the competitive “decider” states of Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Arizona. While national polls indicate each would beat the incumbent overall, the survey found Trump remains “highly competitive” in all six states almost certain to decide the outcome. Is Buttigieg better able to win in those places? It will likely take a candidate not currently at the top of polls nationally, as that leaderboard trio is increasingly feared not electable. Whether Pete’s the one who is could make for a grand gamble. The gay guy must convince Democrats desperate to win he’s the candidate that can.

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This little piggy went shopping. That little piggy stayed home. Now this one owns a condo and that one still has none. VALERIE M. BLAKE, Associate Broker, GRI, Director of Education & Mentorship Dupont Circle Ofﬁce • 202-518-8781 (o) • 202.246.8602 (c) Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com • www.DCHomeQuest.com

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

Who am I? Liar, bully, racist, homophobe, sexist pig

December 7 8PM December 14 3PM | 8PM December 15 3PM Lincoln Theatre | 1215 U Street NW Tickets: 877-435-9849 or GMCW.org tickets and groups of 10 or more call 202-293-1548

Just a few years ago it would have been impossible to fathom in my lifetime people would see the terms ‘liar, bully, racist, homophobic, sexist pig’ being used to refer to a person and guess that person is the sitting president of the United States. Yet that is where we are in our country. We see a president bully and try to intimidate a congressional witness, Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, by tweet in the midst of her testimony to Congress. He tweeted “Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch went turned bad.” Yes the president has the right to appoint ambassadors but demeaning them publicly, and doing it in the midst of public testimony, claiming a foreign leader doesn’t like them is unheard of. We have the Trump administration now filled with a host of questionable people from Attorney General Barr who speaks one-sided lies to the Federalist Society; and a top White House adviser Stephen Miller who it has now been shown has connections and sympathies promoting white nationalists. There have been 68 highranking administration officials and Cabinet secretaries who have either resigned or have been fired, many under a cloud, in the three years Trump has been president. In addition 34 people with ties to the president and his campaign, including those who worked as Russian spies with ties to the Kremlin who worked to help him win, either indicted, convicted or having pled guilty. The world looks at us as if we were the lowest form of banana republic. They see us with a president who coddles dictators and abuses friends. A president who praises Kim Jong-un of North Korea and works with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey while leaving our allies the Kurds to die. Part of his rationale for abandoning the Kurds who have helped us in the war against ISIS was they didn’t help us in World War ll. But then Trump is so uneducated, and we know he doesn’t like to read, he didn’t even know the Kurds did help us. He continues to attack our allies and NATO while cozying up to Vladimir Putin. Decent people in the world see President

Trump taking the United States down a path leading us backwards in every way.A president who has made it once again acceptable to be openly racist, sexist and homophobic. All things we as a nation have been struggling to overcome and seemed to be gaining ground on. They see a president who has encouraged divisions and hatred because he sees their result as a political gain for himself. He has dealt with international affairs the same way highlighted in his dealings with Ukraine for which he is now facing an impeachment inquiry. He has shown he is willing to subvert long-held American policy and freeze out the State Department in his efforts to bribe Ukraine’s leaders to do something to benefit his reelection campaign. So our allies see a leader who has taken our nation so off-track they must wonder if we can ever again claim a leadership role in the world. It is imperative Trump be ousted from office and if impeachment doesn’t do it then the voters must in November of 2020. I recently heard Democratic pollster Celinda Lake tell an audience defeating Trump in the election will not be easy and I agree with her. It will require Democrats to come out and VOTE. Which Democrat we nominate is still up in the air. We have reached a point where millennials and Gen Xers now will out-number Baby Boomers. The question this election will answer is whether they will actually come out and vote. What are the issues that will motivate them to take the time to cast a ballot? Will it be climate change, gun control, healthcare, or minimum wage? Will it be a renewed push for the Equal Rights Amendment, equal pay for equal work for women, the Equality Act for the LGBTQ community, choice, or some other issue that will move them beyond demonstrations to actually casting a ballot? We have seen Trump nominate and his sycophants in the Senate approve ultra-right and often unqualified judges. The administration backtracking on DACA, caging children and pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords. Yes voting does make a difference.

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PrEP

N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 25

Vol. 1

Pop culture Christmas Old albums new on vinyl, lavish box sets and more make great gay gifts — for others or yourself! By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM Tired of sifting through the heteronormative glut that feels like it’s about 99 percent of what’s stocked at area malls? Wanna make it look like you did a little more than swing by the Hickory Farms kiosk? There are some queer gems — if you know where to look.

Yvonne Craig as Batgirl (a la the ‘60s “Batman” TV show) gets her own Hallmark Keepsake Ornament this year. $16.99 at hallmark.com.

We mentioned this release last year on CD but now Diana Ross’s compilation album “Wonderful Christmas Time” is out on black or translucent cherry red vinyl. It’s out now for $34.98 at shop. udiscovermusic.com. Heads up — Miss Ross plays the Kennedy Center with the NSO Pops Jan. 9-11.

Janet Jackson released her ’86’01 classic albums (plus a double-disc remix compilation) in both black and color (or photo) sets. “The Velvet Rope” (1997) is $24.98 in black or $29.98 in red at janetjacksonshop.com. Also, 90 (!) “Rhythm Nation” remixes were gathered in September and released digitally.

If you want a rougher, more complicated (and unexpected!) gift this season, you could do worse than giving out the “Cruising” soundtrack, new on a three-vinyl set (black, blue and white), which came out this summer. William Friedkin’s notoriously gay-themed 1980 serial killer movie starring Al Pacino features the complete music from the film from Waxwork Records on 180gram vinyl featuring the original masters from composter Jack Nitzsche. $65 at Amazon, etc. The controversial film, dubbed “technically a mess” in a 1980 Blade review, has become a cult favorite.

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Vol. 1 R.E.M. celebrates the 25th anniversary of its classic album “Monster” with several configurations — a remix album from producer Scott Litt, previously unreleased demos, a ’95 concert, extensive video footage and new liner notes. Lead singer Michael Stipe is queer. Bundles range from $22 for the standard vinyl reissue to $135 for a set with T-shirt, socks, hoodie, patches and more at store.remhq.com.

“Cheap Queen” is the debut album (out in October) from unabashedly queer artist King Princess. Look for her on “SNL” this weekend (Nov. 23) and on tour in 2020 with Harry Styles. Look for it at kingprincessmusic.com or anywhere music is sold or streamed.

Mariah Carey has a bounty of tie-in goodies to go along with the deluxe anniversary edition of her classic ’94 album “Merry Christmas” Get the two-CD set with this stocking for $39.98 at mariahcareyshop. com. She plays MGM National Harbour Dec. 9-10.

“Charlie’s Angels: the Complete Collection” is out on Blu-ray this week. It lists for $169.98 but look for discounts at Amazon, etc. Proceed with caution though — some fans pointed out that a previous DVD release featured syndication (i.e. edited) versions of the episodes. No word yet if they’ve been restored for this set. Let’s hope complete really means complete.

Revisit early gay iconography with the coffeetable book “Peter Berlin: Icon, Artist, Photosexual” ($37), a tribute to the early ‘70s provocateur. Available at Amazon, etc. Anybody on your list having “Game of Thrones” withdrawal? “The Complete Collection” drops on Blu-ray Dec. 3 for $282.99 at shop.hbo.com.

N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 27

“The Movie Musical!” by Jeanine Basinger ($45) bills itself as “irresistible and authoritative.” Available at Amazon, etc.

C ON T I N U E S ON PAGE 2 8

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Frozen’ merch abundant at brick-and-mortar stores Got a Barbie fan on your list? (We’re looking at you Freddie Lutz!) Mattel celebrates a late, gay New York artist/legend with “Keith Haring x Barbie.” It’s $50 at barbie.mattel.com.

Got a “Drag Race” fan on your list? “The Ultimate Fan Guide to RuPaul’s Drag Race” (hardcover, $16.99) came out this summer. All 127 queens featured in seasons one-10 and “All Stars” seasons one-three are profiled. Available at Amazon, etc.

Need something fast? Wait too long to order something? Fun options still abound at brick-and-mortar retail despite the apocalypse. At a recent outing to 2nd & Charles (locations in Woodbridge, Va., and Hagerstown, Md.), some fun finds were this Maleficent backpack ($64.99), “Frozen II” merch galore (various prices), multiple used copies of a lavish LP box set called “The Immortal Judy Garland” (going for less than $10 each).

Joni Mitchell is one of the rare popular acts who may have a roughly equal following of gay men and lesbians among her devotees. The singer/ songwriter has just released “Morning Glory on the Vine,” a book of early lyrics, poems, drawings and paintings. It’s widely available, retailing for $40.

Here’s one you may have missed. “The Harvesters” (aka “Die Stropers”) is set in the Free State region of South Africa where 15-year-old Janno’s world turns upside down when his fanatically religious mother brings home Pieter, an orphan, who inadvertently awakens Janno’s sexual identity. This debut feature from Etienne Kallos was an official Cannes selection. Hollywood Reporter said the gay-themed coming-of-age story is “one of the the year’s major acting discoveries.” It releases on DVD ($24.99), Blu-ray ($27.99) and streaming formats Dec. 10 at Amazon, etc.

At Books-a-Million (locations in Leesburg, Dulles, Winchester, Hagerstown, et. al. — sadly our Dupont Circle location is long gone): Ruth Bader Ginsburg hand puppets ($9.50), “Downton Abbey”-themed cocktail book, calendar, Christmas tree ornaments, cookbook, “Official Film Companion” et. al. (prices vary). Sadly, I’m still waiting on the Thomas (Robert James-Collier) spinoff sequel, pictorial calendar or guide to dancing the Black Bottom.

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The cast of ‘Knives Out.’

Photo by Claire Folger; courtesy Lionsgate Films

A Christmas ‘Bombshell’ Family fare, Oscar bait, franchises pepper holiday ’19 movie season

By BRIAN T. CARNEY

With Thanksgiving coming so late this year, the holiday movie release schedule is especially crowded. LGBT cinephiles have plenty of great films to choose from. Currently on screen is Elizabeth Banks’ stylish and suspenseful reboot of the “Charlie’s Angels” franchise. Despite a great cast, including Kristen Stewart as a queer crimefighter, the movie unfortunately failed to catch fire at the box office. It’s worth a look, especially as a fun break from holiday preparations.

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Also on screen is “Parasite,” by South Korean director Bong Joon Ho (“Snowpiercer” and “Okja”). A contemporary fable about class warfare, the movie has already been generating a lot of awards buzz. Opening today (Nov. 22) is “Waves” by acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults (“Krishna” and “It Comes at Night”). The moving drama about a suburban African-American family stars Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”), Kelvin Harrison Jr., Taylor Russell, Lucas Hedges and Renée Elise Goldberry (“Hamilton”). “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” stars Tom Hanks as the legendary Mr. Rogers, but the focus of the movie is really on cynical journalist Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys) whose life gets turned around when he’s assigned to do a profile of the legendary children’s television host. Viewers be warned: this is not a movie for the whole family. This week’s family-friendly opening is Walt Disney’s “Frozen II,” the continued adventures of Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf. The confusing sequel lacks the charm (and narrative coherence) of the original, but still packs a significant visual and emotional punch. Opening in time for the Thanksgiving holiday (Nov. 27) is the delightful family crime caper “Knives Out.” Directed by Silver Spring native Rian Johnson (“The Last Jedi”), the all-star cast includes Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Jaime Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Toni Colette and Chris Evans. It’s a great way to spend quality time with your own family. Queer filmmaker Todd Haynes (“Carol,” “Far from Heaven” and “Velvet Goldmine”) branches out in a very different direction with “Dark Waters.” The true crime drama stars Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman and out actor Victor Garber. Also opening for the holiday weekend is “Queen & Slim.” Written by queer authors Lena Waithe and James Frey, the movie stars Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out”) and newcomer Jodie Turner-Smith in a tale of a first date gone horribly wrong. In the meantime, following the critical and popular success of “Roma,” Netflix is again pursuing a hybrid release strategy for three of its prestige projects: they’ll receive a theatrical release before they start streaming. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s history plays, “The King” stars Timothée Chalamet as the

From top: Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Sven in ‘Frozen II.’ Photo courtesy Disney; MARK RUFFALO in ‘Dark Waters.’ Wars: the Rise of Skywalker.’ Photo courtesy Disney and DAME JUDI DENCH in ‘Cats.’ Photo courtesy Universal

future Henry V. Martin Scorsese’s epic crime drama (with a running time of three-and-ahalf hours) “The Irishman” stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and Anna Paquin. “Marriage Story” stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a couple facing the break-up of their marriage. More traditional holiday offerings

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at Netflix include the animated tale “Klaus” with the voice talents of Joan Cusack, Rashida Jones and J.K. Simmons and “Let It Snow,” a story about a smalltown Christmas that includes an LGBT storyline. On a less seasonal note, Netflix is also streaming “I’m With the Band: Nasty Cherry” about a fledging all-

Photo by Mary Cybulski for Focus Features;

BB-8 in ‘Star

female rock band that includes an openly lesbian musician. Amazon Studios is also trying a hybrid release strategy with “The Report.” Screening in theaters now and CO N T I N U E S ON PAGE 3 2

Netflix pix encroaching into theaters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 streaming on Amazon Prime on Nov. 29, the inside-the-Beltway tale stars Adam Driver as a Senate staffer investigating the CIA’s post 9-11 Detention and Interrogation Program and features Annette Bening as Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Fans of the Christmas favorite “Love Actually” can enjoy the film and a special holiday party on Thursday, Dec. 5 at the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (si. edu/imax/movie/love-actually). New releases continue pouring into theaters in December. On Dec. 6, there’s the Cannes favorite “Little Joe,” a horticultural thriller with Emily Beecham and out actor Ben Whishaw; “The Aeronauts,” which reunites Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones from “The Theory of Everything;” and the stunning “Two Popes” starring Jonathan Pryce as Pope Francis and Anthony Hopkins as Pope Emeritus Benedict. On Thursday, Dec. 12, Reel Affirmations will commemorate World AIDS Day with a special screening of “Crystal City,” a hard-hitting look at crystal meth addiction, another public health crisis facing LGBT people. The second half of the evening’s double feature will be “José,” a coming-of-age story about a young gay man living in Guatemala City. Tickets are available at thedccenter.org/events. On Dec. 13, acclaimed director Clint Eastwood returns with “Richard Jewell,” a drama about the man falsely accused of planting a bomb at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Three of the year’s most highly anticipated movies will be released Dec. 20: Tom Hooper’s all-star adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats”; “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” the ninth and final installment in the Skywalker saga; and “Bombshell,” the sordid star-studded saga of sexual harassment at Fox News with Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and John Lithgow. Last but hardly least, two stories about life during wartime will be released on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. Directed by Sam Mendes (“Skyfall” and “American Beauty”), “1917” stars Andrew Scott and

From top: CHARLIZE THERON, NICOLE KIDMAN and MARGOT ROBBIE in ‘Bombshell.’ Photo courtesy Lionsgate Films and TOM HANKS as Fred Rogers. Photo by Lacey Terrell; courtesy Sony Pictures

Benedict Cumberbatch in a gripping World War I drama. Directed by Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”), the latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War saga “Little Women” stars Saoirse Ronan and an

all-star cast and is already generating significant Oscar buzz. Finally, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring is always a splendid place to celebrate the cinema of the season. AFI’s

delightfully eclectic offerings typically range from the classic (“It’s A Wonderful Life” and the Alastair Sims’ “A Christmas Carol”) to the contemporary (“Die Hard” and “Krampus”). For this year’s schedule, go to afisilver.afi.com.

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QUEERY Morgen Hunt Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

QUEERY: Morgen Hunt

The new Equality Chamber president answers 20 queer questions By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO JOEYD@WASHBLADE.COM Like many LGBT organizations, the nomenclature of D.C.’s local gay chamber business group has evolved to be more inclusive over time. Originally founded as Potomac Executive Network and dubbed “PEN,” it then became the Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and was often called “CAGLCC.” It’s been rechristened as The Equality Chamber of Commerce D.C. Metro Area (ECC/DC) and has a new president. Morgen Hunt, formerly the vice president, is succeeding Van Goodwin as his term has ended. “I feel as a business owner myself within the community it’s necessary to have outlets specifically for us,” Hunt says. “Helping diversify the crowd at chamber connects and membership has definitely been a goal. We now have a visual that allows people to see all of us in the community are valuable and capable in business.”

The volunteer-led group has about 500 members and operates on an annual $20,000 budget. Hunt joined nearly three years ago and served one year as vice president. Goodwin suggested Hunt as his successor. Hunt started HPL (Horizon Paramedical LLC) four years ago, a business that conducts insurance medical exams in the region. Her vision for the chamber is “an all-inclusive networking environment accompanied with multiple new business relationships provided by the chamber,” the lifelong D.C.-area resident says. The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce holds its annual National Dinner on Friday at the National Building Museum. The Washington Blade is among this year’s honorees. Hunt, who is transgender, has been dating Tiger Roos for a year. Hunt lives in Lakeridge, Va., and enjoys meditation, wine and Mariah Carey videos in her free time.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? Since high school and I don’t know there was a specific person. Maybe my first crush. Who’s your LGBTQ hero? Anyone who has helped pave the way for others in the community. What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you? That only certain LGBTQ people are capable of everything heterosexuals are. What’s your proudest professional achievement? Starting my own business. What terrifies you? Failing and losing a sense of self control. What’s something trashy or vapid you love? Watching zombie movies. What’s your greatest domestic skill? Organizing What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show? “The Crying Game”

What’s your social media pet peeve? Disconnecting has now become a hard choice. What would the end of the LGBTQ movement look like to you? Everyone belonging and feeling equal each and every day. What’s the most overrated social custom? Pretending to be something you’re not for other people who most likely don’t pay your bills. We are all humans and a lot of people live less happy due to judgment of others. What was your religion, if any, as a child and what is it today? I’ve been around many religions (mostly Catholic) but now feel more spiritual. What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem? Blues Alley What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s duet. What celebrity death hit you hardest? Whitney Houston

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Clockwise from left: BENDELACREME joins Jinkx Monsoon for a holiday performance Nov. 29. Photo courtesy Zidell & Associates; Local drag legend KRISTINA KELLY Washington Blade photo by Michael Key and DENNIS and JUDY SHEPARD, parents of slain hate crimes victim Matthew Shepard, at Washington National Cathedral last year. Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

Shepard plaque to be dedicated

Ben and Jinkx join forces

Sending Kristina love

The Honoring Matthew Shepard: Plaque Dedication hosted by the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Washington National Cathedral (3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) is Monday, Dec. 2 from 7-9 p.m. at the National Cathedral. The ceremony is a celebration honoring Shepard’s legacy while dedicating the Matthew Shepard Memorial Plaque. The plaque, part of a grassroots, crowd-funded campaign in the weeks following Shepard’s 2018 interment in the Cathedral, is intended to honor his memory and to serve as a source of strength in the continued journey for LGBTQ equality. Speakers and musicians will highlight Shepard’s legacy while celebrating the foundation’s ongoing efforts to “envision a future without hate.” Visit tix.cathedral.org for tickets and more information.

“All I Want for Christmas is Attention” starring BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon comes to Washington on Friday, Nov. 29 from 8-11 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.). Tickets start at $35. Jinkx and DeLa return to the stage after last year’s holiday run of “To Jesus, Thanks for Everything!” This year’s fare includes more singing and merriment as well as tour dates in both the U.S. and the U.K. DeLa is best known as Miss Congeniality from season six of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and has performed in four critically acclaimed solo shows offBroadway. Jinkx is a season five “Drag Race” winner and has performed her original cabaret shows with her music partner Major Scales. Her voice has also been featured in “Steven Universe” and “Mighty Magiswords.” For tickets and information, visit ticketfly.com and jinksanddela.com.

“Kristina Kelly’s Surgery Send Off” is Sunday, Dec. 1 from 8-10 p.m. at Shaw’s Tavern (520 Florida Ave., N.W.). The show includes performances by Katrina Colby, India LaRelle Houston, Kendra Lattimore, Logan Stone and more to support Kelly’s recovery from surgery. The venue is an American tavern with a Southern flair in the heart of Washington’s Shaw neighborhood. Kelly, a D.C. drag legend for many years, has been open about her upcoming gastric bypass surgery on social media. Email shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail. com for reservations and information.

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TODAY The 2019 NGLCC National Awards Dinner hosted by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce is tonight from 5:45-10 p.m. at the National Building Museum (440 G St. N.W.). Leading LGBT business owners, corporate partners and community leaders are invited in this culminating event for Global LGBTI business week. More information available at nglcc.org/events/2019nglcc-national-dinner. A Magical Cirque Christmas performs tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Warner Theatre (13th and E St., N.W.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for this seasonal event. Tickets start at $47 on concerts1. livenation.com. Go Pop: Underwear Flair hosted by Kicks and Giggles is tonight at 10 p.m. at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.). Wear your best kicks for a chance to win a free bar tab; $5 cover gets you one free drink before 11:30 p.m. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Saturday, Nov. 23

New trans/ nonbinary yoga group launches YogAlle presents Queer-transnonbinary yoga on Thursday, Nov. 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Lamont Dharma House (1719 Lamont St., N.W.). The group will continue meeting each Thursday. All are welcome to this safe space for those who identify outside the lines and may not feel comfortable in traditional yoga studio. Attendees are invited to pay what they can. Alle Kamela, who is a trained Dharma Yogi also specializing in Reiki healing, is nonbinary and uses they/ them pronouns. Look for the group on Facebook for details.

Flashy Saturdaze is tonight from from 4-10 p.m. at Flashy Sundays (645 Florida Ave, N.W.). There is no cover for this special rooftop event featuring music by DJs TWiN and Sean Morris. Visit facebook.com/flashydc for more information. “Wallah She’s Funny” the comedy benefit tour is at 6 p.m. tonight at the Jack Morton Auditorium (805 21st St., N.W.). Featuring an all female lineup of comics representing diversity in faith, ethnicity, professional background and identity. It’s part of an eight-city national tour highlighting the spectrum of Muslim women’s experiences navigating American society. Tickets start at $25 on eventbrite.com. The D.C. Queer Theatre Festival Staged Reading Series is tonight at 7 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105). Tonight’s “Crying on Television” by R. Eric Thomas, the first reading in the series, is a comedy about trying to make a connection through a small screen. Tickets are $10 for each reading, $25 for the series. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons continues tonight at 8 p.m. at the National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.). Leguizamo’s Tony-nominated one-man play was inspired by the near total absence of Latinos from his son’s American history books and audiences

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share in his frenzied search to ﬁnd a Latin hero for his son’s history project. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Tickets start at $59 at thenationaldc.com. “A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour” is tonight at 8 p.m. at the Warner Theater (13th and E St., N.W.). An evening of holiday performances featuring contestants from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Tickets start at $38 on concerts1. livenation.com. Desiree Dik’s Drag Show Extravaganza hosted by Red Bear Brewing (209 M St., N.E.) is tonight at 9 p.m. Bombalicious Eklaver, Chicki Parm, Baby and Indiana Bones perform at this pre-holiday event. More information is available at redbear.beer. The Tart Queer Dance Party is tonight at 10 p.m. at the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H St., N.E.). Shows featuring Vagenesis, Desiree Dik, JaxKnife Complex and Washington Heights are at midnight and 1 a.m. with music by DJ Honey. Tickets are $10 on rockandrollhoteldc.com. The D.C. Chamber Musicians offer a free concert today at 3 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church (5533 16th St., N. Arlington, Va.). A Beethoven piano trio, a Brahms clarinet trio and other works will be performed. Donations accepted. Details at dccos.org.

Sunday, Nov. 24 Portrait Story Days: American Indian Heritage Month Sitting Bull is today from 1-4 p.m. at the National Portrait Gallery (8th and F St., N.W.). Admission is free to this cultural family event. For more information, visit npg. si.edu. Live Nation presents Jaden and Willow Smith in the “Willow and Erys” tour tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Rd., N.E.). Jaden, known for his nonbinary style, co-headlines with his sister for this international music tour. Tickets are $32.50 on echostage.com.

Monday, Nov. 25 Womxn’s Circle facilitated by Naika Gabriel is tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Potter’s House (1658 Columbia Rd., N.W.). This free event is open to all people who identify as female, girl, femme, queen, lady and all expressions of the feminine regardless of sex assigned at birth. Food and drink are available for purchase. Register at eventbrite.com. Womxn/Muxer: A Trans Womxn of

Color Artist Revue is tonight at 8 p.m. at the Anacostia Playhouse (2020 Shannon Pl., S.E.). Tickets to this event hosted by Xemi Tapepechul are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and free to trans womxn of color. Visit translatinxdmv.org for tickets and information. The D.C. Sisters meet tonight at 9 p.m. for Singing with the Sisters at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.). All are welcome to grab a drink and enjoy karaoke at this weekly event. Visit greenlanterndc. com for more information.

Tuesday, Nov. 26 The National Museum of Natural History hosts Live Tarantula Feedings today at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Smithsonian Insect Zoo (10th St. and Constitution Ave., N.W.). Admission is free and families are invited to watch volunteers conduct live feeding demonstrations while answering questions. More information is available at naturalhistory.si.edu. The “A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History” book talk and signing by author Seth Berkman is tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Georgetown University (3700 0 St., N.W.). In January 2018, North and South Korea merged their women’s ice hockey teams and invited teammates of Korean descent from all over the world. Berkman traveled to South Korea, his ﬁrst since his adoption, to chronicle the event. Register at eventbrite.com.

Wednesday, Nov. 27 The 2019 Malaysian Cultural Festival is from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. today at the Malaysian Embassy (3516 International Ct., N.W.). This one-day event brings Malaysian university students and local communities together to celebrate the cultures, traditions, games and food of Malaysia. Tickets and an interesting colored smoke animation graphic are available at ecprescouncil.wixsite.com.

Thursday, Nov. 28 Thirst Trap Thursdays hosted by Venus Valhalla continue tonight at 11 p.m. at Pitchers D.C. (2317 18th St., N.W.). All are invited to see Venus and her line up of queer performers who are set to entertain. More information is on Facebook events.

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This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Thru Dec 22. Round House. roundhousetheatre.org. The Magic Flute. Thru Nov 23. Soloman Howard in Concert. Nov 25. WNO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

DANCE Singin’ In The Rain Thru Jan 5. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org.

The greatest movie musical of all time comes to life on the Mainstage and for once, rain during the holidays is guaranteed to make you smile. Comden and Green’s ingenious tale of Hollywood’s transition from the silent era is buoyed by the thrill of live singing and dancing to some of the greatest songs in the American canon including “Good Mornin’,” “Make ‘em Laugh,” and “Moses Supposes.”

John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons Nov 21-23. National Theatre. thenationaldc.com.

Leguizamo embarks on an outrageously funny, frenzied search to find a Latin hero for his son’s school history project. From a mad recap of the Aztec empire to stories of unknown Latin patriots of the Revolutionary War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down the 3,000 years between the Mayans and Pitbull into 110 irreverent and uncensored minutes above and beyond his unique style.

RUBBERBANDance Group Nov 22. Mason’s Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.

RUBBERBANDance Group creates a bridge between the grace and structure of classical ballet and the raw, improvisational moves of hip-hop. A native of Los Angeles, Quijada’s genre-bending style mixes his experiences from urban street and club scene dancing with his professional experience dancing with acclaimed postmodern and ballet companies.

Moves Like Walter: New Curators Open the Corcoran Legacy Collection Thru Dec 15. AU Museum at the Katzen. american.edu. Moves like Walter: New Curators Open the Corcoran Legacy Collection is a product of Director and Curator Jack Rasmussen’s spring course on curatorial practice. Upon receipt of the Corcoran Collection, graduate students in art history, arts management, and studio art have curated a playful and provocative interpretation of the 9,000-piece gift. Photo Courtesy of Olney Theatre

THEATRE A Chorus Line. Thru Jan 4. Soul Divas. Thru Nov 23. Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org. Airness. Thru Nov 30. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com. Amadeus. Thru Dec 22. Folger Theatre. folger.edu.

Aquila Theatre: 1984. Nov 23. Mason’s Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu. Aquila Theatre: The Odyssey. Nov 24. Hylton Center. hyltoncenter.org. Edward Albee’s Occupant. Thru Nov 30. Theater J at EDCJCC. theaterj.org. Sea by Jon Fosse. Thru Nov 24. DC Arts Center (DCAC). dcartscenter.org. Sutton Foster. Nov 23-Nov 24. The Barns at Wolf Trap. wolftrap.org.

Atlanta Ballet: The Nutcracker. Nov 27Dec 1. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org. Baakari Wilder & Kerri Edge. Nov 23Nov 24. Dance Place. danceplace.org. Senior Dance Capstone. Nov 22-Nov 23. AU Museum at the Katzen. american.edu.

MUSIC Chamber Music Concert. Nov 23. DC Concert Orchestra Society at Trinity Presbyterian Church. dcconcertorchestra.org. Cultural Capital: 19 the Musical. Nov 25-Nov 27. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org. Elham Fanoos, piano. Nov 22. Embassy Series at Embassy of Afghanistan. embassyseries.org. Escher String Quartet and Jason Vieaux. Nov 22. The Barns at Wolf Trap. wolftrap.org. Fleming and Gilfry in an NSO cocommission / Noseda conducts Also sprach Zarathustra. Thru Nov 23. NSO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org. From Baikal To Brazil. Nov 23 at F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre. Nov 24 at Kenmore Middle School. balalaika.org. Leila Josefowicz, violin & John Novacek, piano. Nov 23. Library of Congress. loc.gov. Nevertheless, She Persisted . . .. Nov 24. Congressional Chorus at Church of the Epiphany. congressionalchorus.org. The BSO Music Box. Nov 23-May 9. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com. The Crooked Road On Tour. Nov 23. Hylton Center. hyltoncenter.org.

MUSEUMS AU Museum at the Katzen. Topographies of Life: Pam Rogers, Lynn Sures, Mel Watkin. ARCADIA: The Clyde’s Murals by William Woodward. Christine Neill: Observations from the Valley Floor. Dark World: Photographs by Frank Hallam Day. Michal Heiman’s Radical Link: A New Community of Women, 1855-2020. Fair is foul & foul is fair. Thru Dec 15. american.edu.

Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Right to the City @Anacostia Neighborhood Library. Thru Apr 20. anacostia.si.edu. Dumbarton Oaks. Ornament: Fragments of Byzantine Fashion. Thru Jan 5. 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. 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 Geographic. WOMEN: A Century of Change. Thru May 1. Becoming Jane. Nov 22-Jun 1. nationalgeographic.org. National Museum of Women in the Arts. Women Artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Thru Jan 5. 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. Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence. Thru Jan 5. In Mid-Sentence. Thru Mar 29. One Life: Marian Anderson. Thru May 17. Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits. Thru May 31. Storied Women of the Civil War Era. Thru May 8. npg.si.edu. Postal Museum. None Swifter Than These: 100 Years of Diplomatic Couriers. Thru Jan 26. postalmuseum.si.edu.

GALLERIES Arlington Artist Alliance. 2019 Artful Weekend at Fort C.F. Smith Park. Nov 22-Nov 24. Road Trip Solo Show by Pattee Hipschen. Thru Nov 29. Scenes of Scotland Solo Show by Shelley Micali. Thru Dec 7. arlingtonartistsalliance.org. Arlington Arts Center. Assembly 2019. Thru Dec 22. arlingtonartscenter.org. Arlington Cultural Affairs. Places in Paper - Guild of American Papercutters. Thru Dec 8. arts.arlingtonva.us. CHAW. Migrant Quilt Project. Thru Dec 9. chaw.org. DC Arts Center. ReVisions by Ellyn Weiss. Thru Dec 1. Out of Joint - Small Drawing by Karen Schiff. Nov 22-Feb 23. dcartscenter.org. Del Ray Artisans. $100 & Under Art Exhibit. Thru Dec 1. Creature Comforts Art Exhibit. Thru Jan 26. delrayartisans.org.

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Believable ‘Liar’? “Imagine a Christmas tree ornament made by Picasso on an absinthe bender”

McKellen and Mirren shine in dastardly tale that doesn’t always play fair By JOHN PAUL KING

—LA Times

IAN McKELLEN and HELEN MIRREN star in ‘The Good Liar.’ Photo courtesy New Line Cinema

Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce December 12 at 7:30 p.m. Opera House 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

“The Good Liar” is the kind of film for which the phrase “no spoilers” was invented. What can be safely said is that the movie centers on Roy Courtnay (Ian McKellen), an elderly con artist who specializes in high-stakes financial swindles. He targets Betty McLeish (Helen Mirren), a well-off widow he finds on an online dating site and begins to cultivate a relationship with the intention of gaining access to her considerable bank account. As he gets to know her, he finds himself having feelings for her — but will it be enough to stop him from taking everything she has and leaving her penniless and alone? Things are complicated by her grandson Steven (Russell Tovey), who doesn’t trust him, and a disgruntled former mark (Mark Lewis Jones) out to take back what was stolen from him. Adapted from a novel by Nicholas Searle, Condon’s movie teams him for the third time with McKellen, who starred as “Frankenstein” director James Whale in the pair’s first collaboration, “Gods and Monsters” (1998). That Oscar-winning film — a story about an out gay director made by an out gay filmmaker and an out gay actor — became revered by fans who recognized it as a queer classic. Their second project together, 2015’s “Mr. Holmes,” about the later years of the famous fictional detective, was well reviewed but failed to match the popularity of the previous effort. This time, they are joined by the always-luminescent Mirren, her co-star’s fellow British acting legend and one of the few people able to bring as much gravitas

to a character as he does. The trio makes a formidable team, unsurprisingly, and their combined talents make the movie deliciously engaging from start to finish. That’s fortunate, because in terms of story, “The Good Liar” needs that powerhouse quality in order to sell itself to an audience. In keeping with the sense of nostalgia that has been at the heart of the previous Condon/McKellen teamings, it’s a movie that evokes a certain type of film that was almost a subgenre of its own in the ‘70s and ‘80s: clever, literate, two-or-three character thrillers like “Sleuth” or “Deathtrap,” that teased and toyed with viewers by winding their way through multiple plot twists on the way to a surprise ending. The difference is that those older films acknowledged their own inherent silliness. They had almost a sense of camp, with excellent performances that were nevertheless over-the-top and an unapologetic embrace of the ludicrous at their core. Though there was murder afoot, it was ultimately all meant to be good fun. “The Good Liar” can’t get away with that — all that can be said is that it goes very dark — and doesn’t leave quite as satisfying a taste as those pulpy cinema “classics” of the past. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great ride. The two stars, who have worked together before onstage, are as superb together as one would expect; their chemistry is palpable and the skill with which they manage the delicate balance of truthfulness in performance with the necessity for not giving anything away is a delight to behold.

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N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 43

Prior to meeting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, composer to the court of Austrian Emperor Joseph II, led a neatly organized life. He wrote popular works, was roundly praised and well paid. But all that changes when he hears the music of the younger, more talented composer. Jealousy consumes Salieri, and disguised as Mozart’s concerned mentor, he sets out to obliterate his new rival at all costs. Or at least this is how Peter Shaffer tells it in his brilliantly entertaining, Tony Award-winning play “Amadeus,” now at Folger Theatre (first performed in ’79, it won the Tony in ’81; it was adapted to the screen in a Best Picture Oscarwinning ’84 smash). The late British gay playwright gives a fictional account of how the two men’s lives intersect. Shaffer toys with rumors including Mozart’s death by poison. “Amadeus” is told in flashbacks. We first meet Salieri (Ian Merrill Peakes) in Vienna in 1823. He’s an old man seated in a wood and cane wheelchair on what he claims is the last day of his life. His career is over; he’s well looked after but otherwise miserable. Just knowing that he is second rate despite his great successes is unbearably painful. And Mozart (Samuel Adams), long ago dead at just 35, remains on his mind. Salieri addresses the audience with, “And now! Gracious ladies! Obliging gentlemen! I present to you — for one performance only — my last composition, entitled The Death of Mozart — or, Did I Do It?” Under Richard Clifford’s able direction, time turns swiftly back to 1781. Simply by doffing his dressing gown and cap and standing straight, Peake’s bent Salieri is again young and at the height of his powers — powers that he knows all too well are inferior to those of Mozart. At 16, Salieri, an ambitious boy from provincial Italy, makes a deal with God. “Signore, let me be a composer! Grant me sufficient fame to enjoy it. In return I will live with virtue. I will strive to better the lot of my fellows. And I will honor You with music all the days of my life.” His plan has worked. At 30, Salieri is the enormously successful toast of Vienna. Nonetheless, a meeting with the outrageously boorish, cotton candy wig-wearing, mega-talent Mozart stirs up envy the likes of which Salieri has never before experienced. Plots ensue.

But Salieri’s real beef is with God. How could God bestow such gifts on a loutish buffoon? He’s furious, so in defiance of his pledge, he breaks the vows he made as a teenager. Shaffer’s smartly balanced writing is a treat. And while the play is undeniably longish (a perfectly constructed, quickpaced first act is followed by a longer second) it’s always engaging. Director Clifford, a Folger veteran and longtime partner of British actor Derek Jacobi, has assembled a top-notch group of actors. In addition to Peakes, who’s absolutely marvelous as the conflicted, scheming Salieri, and the terrific Adams as Mozart, the cast includes talented Lilla Hokama as Mozart’s fun-loving yet loyal wife Constanze Weber. Able trio Deirdra LaWan Starnes, Justin Adams and James Joseph O’Neil play competing advisers to the amiable but vapid Emperor (John Taylor Phillips). Yvonne Paretzky is perfect as Salieri’s unrelentingly dull wife Teresa. Amadeus is a theatrical piece. Rather fittingly, the action is backed by a wall of beautiful outsized musical strings from the abundant imagination of scenic designer Tony Cisek, and underscored by Mozart’s awe-inspiring music. Today we’d describe Shaffer’s Mozart as having no filter. He cackles uproariously and indulges in childlike potty humor. He’s aware that he should have manners, but simply can’t help himself. What’s more, he feels confident that is he is by far Europe’s best composer so he simply can’t understand why he has not been met with more success. In time, Mozart becomes increasingly impoverished and ill. Devious machinations have stymied his career, yet despite these setbacks Mozart continues to take inspiration from his own, now darker, life. In this diminished state, he composes his gorgeous Requiem, further fueling Salieri’s bitter envy. Salieri knows immortality when he hears it. And he longs to be part of it, however possible.

IAM MERRILL PEAKES as Salieri and SAMUEL ADAMS (in front) as Mozart in ‘Amadeus.’

Photo by C. Stanley Photography

The ugly green monster Salieri envies younger, more talented Mozart in ‘Amadeus’ By PATRICK FOLLIARD

‘Amadeus’ Through Dec. 22 Folger Theatre, 201 E. Capitol St., S.E. $42-85. 202-544-7077 folger.edu/theatre

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A Very Special Holiday with Marian Anderson Sunday, December 8 | 12 & 3 p.m. Kogod Courtyard & Great Hall

Sing and be merry! This day of song pays tribute to acclaimed contralto Marian Anderson. Join in a family-friendly sing-along with the Choral Arts Society of Washington and hear soprano Janice Chandler-Eteme perform spirituals from Anderson’s repertoire. This program is part of the Smithsonian Year of Music.

8th and F St. NW • Washington, DC 20001 npg.si.edu • #myNPG • @Smithsoniannpg #SmithsonianMusic Marian Anderson by Beauford Delaney, oil on canvas, 1965. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, J. Harwood and Louise B. Cochrane Fund for American Art. Photo by Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Estate of Beauford Delaney, by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator

N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 45

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A lot has been said about Whitney Houston since her accidental 2012 death. There’ve been two documentaries — “Whitney: Can I Be Me” (2017) and “Whitney” (2018). Her mother, Cissy Houston, released the fairly candid “Remembering Whitney” in 2013 and gospel singer BeBe Winans released “The Whitney I Knew” in 2012 just months after her death. Long-time Houston confidante Robyn Crawford was a glaring absence from all these projects. Cissy dismissed her as “disrespectful” and had nothing good to say about her. Now finally — despite saying she never would — Crawford has decided to talk. Her new book “A Song For You” chronicles her complicated life with the late, great singer. When Coach Clark called, you responded. That’s why Robyn Crawford rose early that morning in 1980: her basketball coach needed help registering counselors for summer programs. Crawford was 19 and thinking about college, but 17-year-old Whitney Houston was one of the people waiting to register and Crawford was smitten. In the following days, as the two got to know one another, they became “inseparable.” Crawford liked “having fun with a new friend” but, she says, “something more was growing between us.” Before the summer was over, they were lovers. It was “a typical teenage relationship, with … the exception of cocaine,” although they never named their love. Houston introduced Crawford to her world of music; Crawford attended church with Houston and Houston caught Crawford’s basketball games. Sometimes, they had to sneak around to be together and they talked on the phone every night when Crawford was at college. Soon after, Houston’s modeling career rose and she was on her way to being a star in the music industry. On the day she signed her first recording contract, Houston told

Crawford that she thought they “shouldn’t be physical anymore.” The end of the love affair, however, didn’t signal the end of their bond and Crawford gave her life over to Houston. She served as Houston’s assistant, chauffeur, manager, record-keeper and sounding board. She propped Houston up when Houston needed it, sometimes literally, watching and helpless, unable to save Houston from her addictions. And then came the day, says Crawford, when “I realized that I needed to save myself.” Be honest: you are only the smallest bit surprised at all this. Whitney Houston’s cocaine problem was pretty common knowledge and it’s not a stretch to imagine the rest of what’s inside this book. Even so, author Robyn Crawford has a few secrets to tell you. That, however, doesn’t seem to be the reason behind “A Song for You.” All Whitney, All the Time, is perhaps a good way to describe this memoir; indeed, while it’s about Crawford’s decades-long relationship with Houston, it often appears that Crawford — now same-sex married with children — is secondary in her own story here. That comes across as selflessly joyful but it also seems, at least initially, to be fraught with fear, as if Crawford recognizes something that’s incredibly fragile. As this book progresses, that fear runs alongside a shrieking siren that announces the inevitable, the approach of which, even now, is impossible to stop watching. For fans still looking for scandal, know that it’s there and you’ll be happy with “A Song for You.” If you’re not necessarily looking for gossip, though, try it anyhow. You can still anticipate a good read.

‘A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston’ By Robyn Crawford Dutton $28 319 pages

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N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 47

The ‘Break-In Turkey’ in the bottle and out at Kingbird in the Watergate Hotel. Photo by David Preta; courtesy Watergate Hotel

Turkey in a bottle? Area chefs come up with novel spins on Thanksgiving staples By EVAN CAPLAN

Tan may not be there to dress you and Jonathan might not be able to shave your beard, but Antony just might approve of these five fabulously different nontraditional-traditional takes on Thanksgiving. Whether with your family or your other family, Thanksgiving really is time to celebrate and say cheers with the people that are important to us. Along with the wine pairing. The recently refashioned Watergate Hotel restaurant Kingbird (2650 Virginia Ave., N.W.) gets to the true meaning of stuffing. Apparently something of a leader in glass-container cooking, chef Sébastien Giannini is serving a dish featuring a turkey in a bottle: the “Break-In Turkey.” His technique involves cooking a turkey roulade in a whiskey bottle. The turkey is stuffed to the brim with black truffle mousseline and “aromatized” with Japanese Suntory Whisky, and cooked on a grill. To finish, it’s placed in the bottle, sealed and steamed for 36 minutes. When presented at the table, the bottle’s bottom slides out. The turkey is then hand-sliced at the table (the dish was featured on foodnetwork.com). The offer is on Nov. 25-28 after 5 p.m., for up to four people and includes three sharing starters, sides and dessert. The restaurant is also serving a brunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. In creating the dish, Giannini says, “Kingbird has gained a reputation for finding unexpected flavors from favorite ingredients and cooking turkeys in a glass bottle certainly raises that expectation. I’ve been intrigued by this technique for years and like to challenge myself by changing the rules.” Details at thewatergatehote.com. Farm-to- (elegant) table Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt Washington (1201 24th St., N.W.) knows its local audience. Blue Duck is offering a Brunch Into Dinner service stretching from noon8 p.m. The three-course meal starts with a cornucopia of seafood, salad, cheese and charcuterie, followed by familystyle entrees and seasonal desserts. The festivities don’t end at 8, however, for those needing to get out: guests can relax in the Blue Duck Lounge, which has a la carte dinner from 6-10:30 p.m., and smaller bites and drinks all the way until close. Blue Duck Tavern is also offering togo menus. Details at blueducktavern.com. Drawing from the depths of the Mediterranean, Israeli restaurant SABABA (3309 Connecticut Ave.,

N.W.) brings millenia of inspiration to a centuries-old holiday. Turkey finds its way into kofta (a ground-meat skewer) over rye stuffing, and heady tahini livens up green bean casserole. Of course, dessert is anything but basic: the restaurant will serve a pumpkin spice Mahalabia, or pudding topped with candied pecans. Details at sababauptown.com. Thanksgiving may have been turkey based, but plants are also worthy of thanks (and let us celebrate the holiday for a few more centuries). Equinox (818 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) has three-course prix-fixe dinner that features several plant-based options. Before dinner, the feast begins with an annual oyster roast (oyster mushrooms are also roasted); this is an annual tradition from Chef Todd and Ellen Gray’s family. Details at equinoxrestaurant.com. The dinner can start with kabocha squash soup or caramelized hearts of palm, among other plant-based items, as well as mains like housemade spinach bucatini touched up by cashew-based cheese. The meal itself tends to the traditional side, but include exotic ingredients like date honey and bulger served with quail, and shaved cashew cheese grated over homemade pasta. Vegan-only Sticky Fingers (stickyfingersbakery.com) and Fare Well (eatfarewell.com) will both offer to-go plant-based Thanksgiving spreads as well. The Wharf’s colorful Kith/ Kin (kithandkindc.com) at the InterContinental (801 Wharf St., S.W.) allows diners to go Afro-Cuban this season thanks to celebrated Executive Chef Kwame Onwuachi and the Executive Pastry Chef Paola Velez. Set up for takeout, Onwuachi takes turkey on an adventure, preparing them in the Jamaican-Caribbean style: slow roasted, jerk marinated and smoked. Post-bird, there’s a lineup of four pies: tamarind pecan, brown butter apple, buttermilk and dulce de leche pear. This holiday, feel free to think about even more giving. Food & Friends, an organization that provides nutritious meals for those living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses, will serve more than 3,500 meals during Thanksgiving. You can volunteer for food Nov. 25-27 to prep and pack the food, or on Thanksgiving Day itself to offer food delivery or participate in the “Thanksgiving Pilgrims” program to assist with day-of logistics.

48 • WA S H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • N OV EM B ER 2 2 , 2 0 1 9

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The DC Queer Theatre Festival Staged Reading Series Presents Crying On Television by R. Eric Thomas Four strangers; one apartment building; unlimited channels. On the fourth ﬂoor, a former reality show contestant is here for the right reasons; on the eighth ﬂoor a Miranda Hobbes type waits for transformation; in the lobby an amateur detective solves a mystery. And then there’s Mackenzie, who says she’s just here to watch. Crying on Television is a comedy about trying to make a connection

through a screen and is performed live in front of a studio audience. Through The DC Queer Theatre Festival 2019/2020 Reading Series you will Experience local playwrights’ new, unpublished, diverse, thought provoking and humorous work performed as a developmental staged reading.

Join us after for Our Playwright Talkback Session with catered reception with light fare, wine, beer and non alcoholic beverages.

NOVEMBER 23RD AT 7PM THE DC CENTER 2000 14TH STREET NW, SUITE 105

Tickets for each reading is $10.00 and $25.00 for the series

Future readings will be on Saturday December 7, 2019 and Saturday February 22, 2020

Union by Bob Bartlett

Crying on Television by R. Eric Thomas

TICKETS AND INFO AT WWW.THEDCCENTER.ORG/ARTS N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.CO M • 51

We All Fall Down by Esther Rodriguez

52 • WA S H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • N OV EM B ER 2 2 , 2 0 1 9

Four Thanksgivings and a nap

Make time during holidays to de-clutter your life By VALERIE M. BLAKE

Whether you walk into Target, Walmart, or other favorite big box store, your eyes are already assaulted by tinsel, twinkle lights, artificial trees, and an occasional menorah. Retailers have gone straight from Halloween to Christmas without giving Thanksgiving much of a thought. I remember my mother decorating our house for Thanksgiving. We had a cornucopia of gourds on the sideboard and a colorful wreath of Indian corn on the front door. The centerpiece for the dining table was a large turkey made of honeycomb tissue and the fireplace mantel held male and female pilgrims made from dried cornhusks. We had candles that smelled of cloves and allspice and a roaring fire in the wood-burning fireplace. Mom and Dad would stuff the turkey in the morning and I would set the table with the “good” silver, china and crystal, an assortment of trivets for the upcoming hot dishes, and dinner napkins with fall scenes on them, while the aroma of a roasting bird would permeate the house until our midafternoon feast. Dinner consisted of thinly carved turkey (Dad was a pro), homemade chestnut stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and roasted turnip. There was also the obligatory green bean and mushroom soup casserole with French fried onions on top and a tomato aspic salad infused with celery. The cranberry sauce was always jellied, allowing Mom to use her vintage, silver cranberry spoon (which wasn’t vintage at the time) to slice and serve. Finally, there would be mince pie for Dad and mini Canadian butter tarts with currants for Mom and me. Is it any wonder we all fell asleep in easy chairs during the late afternoon football game? The first (and only) time I ever cooked

Christmas decorations are everywhere as soon as Halloween is over but what about Thanksgiving? Photo by Nastyaofly; Courtesy of Bigstock

a turkey myself was to impress a certain fella at Thanksgiving in 1983. It must have been pretty good because the relationship lasted three years longer than the turkey. For the past five years I’ve had a standing Thanksgiving dinner-and-amovie date with a dear friend. It had the effect of being an enjoyable afternoon while dispensing with the need to cook. Regrettably, my friend moved away earlier this year. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not fishing for an invitation. I have plenty to keep me busy. Anyone who owns a home knows that one’s possessions expand to fill available space. I recently read an article on the Apartment Therapy website entitled 54 Things Absolutely Nobody Should be Storing, Anywhere. I was chagrined to find that I have at least 18 of the things on the list in my garage. What a great incentive to determine which things can be donated to those less fortunate, sold for cash donations to charity, or simply thrown away. Here is what I’ve pinpointed for action. We all like to believe we can diet our

N OV EMBE R 22, 2019 • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 53

way back into clothing that’s too small or hedge our bets by keeping a few pieces from larger sizes once worn, but most of the time they just hang in our closets taking up space, so they will be the first to go to a worthy association. Next will be stray pieces of dishware and glassware, and cookware that dates back as far as 1975. Does anyone need a fondue set? I have two. My cookbooks have been in boxes in the basement for four years. There may be a few favorite recipes in there somewhere, but the Internet can replace most of them. Hitting the kitchen, I’ll dispose of coupons that have expired or are for food that I rarely eat or am required to buy in bulk. Old take-out menus will also go, as well as a drawer full of packages of soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, hot mustard and ketchup. I haven’t had a Christmas tree for 10 years, so two large tubs of decorations will be better off on someone else’s tree. Likewise, any candles or aromatic oils that have scents I don’t like may please another person or family more.

I’ll take my five allowable boxes of paper to the Fort Totten Waste Transfer Station to be shredded on the first Saturday of December and every month thereafter, until they’re all gone. I may even recycle some electronics that no longer function, as well as cords and chargers for devices I no longer own. And finally, I’ll attack number 54 on the Apartment Therapy list – empty boxes. Thankfully, I have a treasure trove of them to pack up and transport my unwanted and unneeded items to their ultimate destination – and leave them there. Somewhere in the middle of all this, I’ll grab a turkey sandwich and a glass of wine.

Valerie M. Blake

is a licensed Associate Broker in D.C., Maryland and Virginia and Director of Education & Mentorship at RLAH Real Estate. Call or text her at 202-2468602, email her via DCHomeQuest. com, or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.

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