Washingtonblade.com, Volume 51, Issue 5, January 31, 2020

JA NUA RY 31 , 2020 • VOLUME 51 • I S S UE 05 • WA S HI N GTONB LAD E.CO M

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JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 05

Comings & Goings Meet Studio Theatre’s new associate artistic director

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 Reginald (Reg) L. Douglas the new Associate Artistic Director of Studio Theatre. He comes to Studio from City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, where he served as Artistic Producer since 2015. David Muse, Studio’s artistic director said about him, “Reg has distinguished himself as a director, a producer, and an institutional-builder in equal measure. His thoughtfulness about the state of our art form, advocacy for emerging talent, and commitment to community REGINALD DOUGLAS engagement make me feel lucky to have him around as we head into Studio’s fifth decade with ambitious plans for the future.”

Douglas said, “I am thrilled to be joining the staff of Studio Theatre, an organization and team that I so believe in and admire. I have longed to work at Studio since my Georgetown days so this opportunity is a dream come true in many ways. Some of my closest friends from college still live in D.C. and I have come back to visit quite often, but now I get to call the city home again! I found my artistic voice here and I am beyond excited and inspired to now use it in service of this dynamic arts community.”

As the Artistic Producer of City Theatre Company, Douglas line-produced, helped curate, and directed in the theater’s six-show season and new play development programs; built artistic initiatives and community engagement partnerships, including the theater’s Directing & Producing fellowship program; played a vital role in fundraising, marketing, and strategic planning; and helped spearhead the organization’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives. Throughout his tenure, he championed local artists, placing Pittsburgh talent at the center of the company’s hiring and programming practices.

Douglas serves on the board of directors of the National New Play Network and is also a guest lecturer at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Theatre Institute. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. He has worked with Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, TheaterWorks Hartford, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Everyman Theatre, Weston Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, TheatreSquared, Playwrights’ Center, The Kennedy Center, among others. He is a graduate of Georgetown University, where he earned a bachelor’s in Theatre & Performance Studies and English, with a concentration in African-American Studies.

Congratulations also to Micah Escobedo who has begun his new position as a Digital Strategist with New Blue Interactive, a full-service digital firm that specializes in helping Democratic candidates/causes and non-profit organizations bring their digital programs to the next level of sophistication.

Escobedo is a detail-oriented communications professional with expertise in high-level messaging and outreach in both the public and private sectors. He said he “hopes to use his skills to work on creating and coordinating strategies in digital fundraising for clients in the political and non-profit arenas.”

MICAH ESCOBEDO For the past nearly five years Escobedo worked as a communications specialist with SelectUSA at the Department of Commerce and managed digital media. Prior to that he worked as an editorial intern at The American Prospect in D.C. and as congressional intern, for Rep. Devin Nunes in his district office in Visalia, Calif.

His additional experience includes being a guest blogger for The Bilerico Project and Gay Fresno; management of The Gabriel Arana Reader (via MailChimp) in 2014; and he had several pieces published The Collegian (Fresno State’s student newspaper). He was a canvasser for the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016. He has his bachelor’s in communication from California State University Fresno and his master’s in political communication from American University.

OBITUARY: Roger Bergstrom, 90

Long-time Gay Men’s Chorus singer dies in New Mexico FROM STAFF REPORTS Roger “Pearl” Bergstrom died from the flu and heart disease at his home in Santa Fe, N.M., on Jan. 20. He was 90. He had retired to Santa Fe after many years in Arlington, Va. His partner of 30 years, Barry Baltzley, was at his side.

Bergstrom was born in Rhinelander, Wis., on Nov. 1, 1929.

He attended the University of WisconsinSuperior. In the summers, he worked as an assistant cook aboard Great Lakes ore boats, which were working vessels that carried iron ore from Minnesota to the steel mills. This began Bergstrom’s lifelong love of cooking and fine dining.

Bergstrom completed a bachelor’s degree with college exemptions from the draft and served in a typing pool after having enlisted during the Korean Conflict.

Bergstrom earned a master’s degree in fine arts (theater/film) from Catholic University of America and taught English, drama and advanced placement/accelerated courses at high schools in Virginia for many years, in both Alexandria and later in Fairfax County.

During his teaching years, Bergstrom worked weekends and summers as a salesclerk for the upscale men’s clothier Britches BERGSTROM of Georgetown. Upon retiring from teaching, Bergstrom worked full time at Britches. Bergstrom wrote a manual and set up a training program for the store’s salesclerks. This led to Britches owner Hindin hiring Bergstrom to be majordomo at his home on Chain Bridge Road in McLean, Va.,, where he used his gourmet cooking skills.

He joined the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington in 1984 and remained for 22 seasons. He was known as “Pearl.” Bergstrom landed numerous leading roles that showcased his talents.

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Bergstrom volunteered to lead the Chorus Care Corps in making countless home, doctor and hospital visits to help relieve the suffering of the many chorus members who were suffering. Bergstrom was inducted into the chorus’s Circle of Excellence in 1996.

Bergstrom co-chaired an ad team that persuaded more than 100 local businesses to support the chorus with program advertising. He developed the travel specifications for the chorus’s first foreign tour to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. In recognition of this work, he was honored in 2005 with the Harmony Award, the chorus’s highest honor for long-time outstanding contributions to the mission of the chorus.

Bergstrom and Baltzley traveled extensively. In 2006, the couple moved to Rainbow Vision in Santa Fe, N.M., for retirement. Bergstrom joined the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus and volunteered with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. They exchanged vows in Palm Springs, Calif., in 2008.

Bergstrom is survived by his husband, Barry Baltzley; son Eric Christopher (Anne), of Tampa, Fla.; daughter Jenni Treadwell, of Richmond, Va.; grandchildren Lindsey, Shawn and Lara; and two greatgrandchildren.

Bergstrom’s ashes will repose in the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery. A military funeral ceremony at Arlington and of a celebration of life are being planned.

Donations in honor of Roger “Pearl” Bergstrom may be made to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, 1140 Third St., N.E., second floor, Washington, D.C. 20002. Condolences may be sent online to Baltzley via email at bwb22201@comcast.net.

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Opponent of black gay circuit party apologizes for ‘rush to judgment’ Civic activist who called event a ‘sex party’ now expresses support

BY LOU CHIBBARO JR.

A resident of D.C.’s H Street, N.E. neighborhood near Capitol Hill who launched a campaign last week denouncing a Jan. 18 circuit party catering to mostly black gay men on grounds that it allegedly allowed participants to engage in sex has apologized for her action and says she would welcome the event to return to the restaurant where it was held.

In an email she sent to the Washington Blade on Sunday, Jan. 26, Jessica Lavin said she had a change of heart after doing online research about circuit parties and after reading a detailed description of the Jan. 18 Deviant Events Circuit Party written by its lead organizer, Micah Roseboro.

“I just wanted to apologize for the rush to judgment that myself and many people in the community had about the event,” she said in her email. “I did some research online about circuit party culture and Mr. Roseboro’s philosophy,” she said. “I was truly inspired after reading Mr. Roseboro’s story about the evolution of Deviant Events,” she continued.

“I have reached out to Mr. Roseboro in a separate email to personally apologize,” she wrote in her email to the Blade.

“It is certainly appreciated to be met with what sounds to be a sincere apology,” Roseboro told the Blade in his own message on Sunday. “However, after having been the victim of vitriol, lies and slander, I would like Lavin to put forth the same energy in correcting her statements to all the appropriate parties,” he said.

Roseboro was referring to Lavin’s decision to send a Jan. 20 email denouncing the Deviant Events circuit party held at the RedRocks Neapolitan Bistro at 1348 H St., N.E. to several D.C. government regulatory agencies and to D.C. police officials asking that they investigate the event.

“Me and many of my neighbors were surprised to learn that this event was an organized sex party where various men gathered and engaged in sexual acts with each other inside the venue,” Lavin wrote in her Jan. 20 email.

“We are concerned that the owners of RedRocks allowed this kind of event to take place at this property especially given the establishment’s proximity to housing containing many families with young children,” she wrote.

In claims made in her email that Roseboro has called “blatant lies,” Lavin said her neighbors reported seeing patrons of the circuit party walking along nearby streets wearing “provocative outfits including mesh thongs and leather harnesses” while others allegedly saw “attendees of this event engaged in sexual acts inside the venue and outside the venue.”

Roseboro said all windows at the RedRocks Bistro were covered with dark curtains to prevent anyone from looking inside when the event started at around 10 p.m., prompting him to conclude that allegations that sexual activity took place at the event are complete fabrications.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BHT Foundation awards $71,500 in grants Eleanor Holmes Norton receives community service award

BY LOU CHIBBARO JR. The LGBT charitable group Brother Help Thyself on Jan. 25 presented grants totaling $71,500 to 26 non-profit organizations serving the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore region.

BHT presented the grant awards in a ceremony held at the DC Eagle gay bar in Northeast D.C. in which D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton was among more than 100 people who turned out for the event.

BHT presented Norton with its Anthony J. Bachrach Award for outstanding service to the BHT Foundation President Nina LGBT community in her longtime role as D.C.’s Love presents Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) with the Anthony J. representative in Congress.

Bachrach Award.

BHT President Nina Love, who presented Washington Blade photo by Michael Key the award to Norton, called Norton a champion for the civil rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities through her work in the U.S. House of Representatives since she first won election in 1990.

Love said BHT, which last year celebrated its 40th anniversary, continues to expand its mission of supporting LGBTQ and AIDS service organizations in the D.C. and Baltimore area.

“It’s just an amazing feeling to make even a small difference for all the grant organizations that are supporting our community,” Love said.

Love told the gathering that since its founding in 1978, BHT has awarded 1,158 individual grants totaling over $3.3 million to 198 non-profit organizations providing services to the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV. Love also announced that BHT has changed its name from Brother Help Thyself to the BHT Foundation.

“Our community has evolved dramatically since Brother Help Thyself was founded in 1978,” the group said in a statement. “We represent diverse and unique people under the LGBTQ+ umbrella and thus recognize the need to evolve to meet the many needs of new, underfunded, and often overlooked non-profits that are filling the gaps in vital services,” the statement says.

“To reflect our own evolution, we announced today that we have changed our name to The BHT Foundation,” according to the statement released on Jan. 25.

Among the 26 groups receiving grants in the form of a check during the ceremony were AIDS Action Baltimore, the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, the D.C. LGBT youth services group SMYAL, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, the Baltimore Men’s Chorus, and Mary’s House for Older Adults in D.C. The D.C.-based group Breaking Ground, which supports LGBTQ youth through original theatrical productions based on the life experiences of its youth cast members, received the single largest grant at the Jan. 25 ceremony — $10,060.

Under the direction of founder and director A.J. King, Breaking Ground members performed in two scenes from one of its productions during the BHT ceremony on a stage. Also performing at the ceremony were members of the Baltimore Men’s Chorus In addition to Norton, BHT presented non-monetary community service awards to two organizations and to its immediate past president, Jim Slattery, who received the BHT President’s Award. The D.C.-based LGBTQ Latinx group LULAC Lambda received the Billy Collison Award for being a grantee “who does a lot with little resources.” Damien Ministries received the BHT Founders Award as a nonprofit providing “outstanding service to our community.”

Visit washingtonblade.com for a list of all grant recipients.

08 • WA S HI N GTONB L A D E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0 • LO CAL N EWS

LGBT health disparities focus of new initiative CHICAGO — A new “fellowship commission” has been formed to study disparities in LGBT health care — which have been widely acknowledged among health professionals and researchers — the American Medical Association Foundation announced this week.

This new initiative will unite a group of LGBT health specialists through the foundation to “ensure the health needs of (LGBT people) are optimally considered,” foundation personnel announced in a press release.

“It is critical we eliminate health care disparities facing the LGBTQ community,” John D. Evans, initiative leader, said in the release. “Intersectional issues of discrimination, stigma, access to and quality of care are experienced at a higher rate by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, and we believe this new initiative will improve the health of LGBTQ people across the country.”

Members plan to work to: • Decrease LGBT health disparities • Increase cultural and clinical competence amongst physicians in LGBTQ health • Build capacity of LGBT health services sector to better identify and address the unique health needs of LGBT citizens, such as the effects of anesthesia on transgender patients undergoing gender affirming surgery due to medications • Improve basic quality of life (health and well-being) of LGBTQ citizens • Understand and address social determinants of health faced by this community through the promotion of research and supporting the dissemination of research findings across mediums such as medical journals • Provide safe entry point to link individuals to broader health and wellness services The goal of the effort is to address the growing gap between how physicians are being trained and the skills they’ll need to practice in modern health systems.

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Utah bans ‘conversion’ therapy NEW YORK — Utah last week became one of the most conservative states in the country to ban licensed therapists from performing “conversion” therapy on minors, curtailing a discredited practice that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender expression, the New York Times reports.

The ban, which Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a Republican, proposed in November, added conversion therapy to a list of practices considered to be “unprofessional conduct” for state-licensed mental health therapists. Punishments could include suspending or revoking their license, according to state law, the Times reports.

The new rule does not apply to clergy members or religious counselors acting in a “religious capacity.” The rule also does not apply to parents or grandparents “acting substantially in the capacity of a parent or grandparent and not in the capacity of a mental health therapist.”

Anti-trans bills emerge in South Dakota

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PIERRE, S.D. — A South Dakota lawmaker has introduced two new bills that deal with PROOF #1 transgender youth, the Dickinson Press reports.

Senate Bill 88 would require a counselor, school psychologist or social worker REVISIONS employed by a school district or nonpublic school in South Dakota to notify a student’s REDESIGN parent if the student is “articulating feelings of gender dysphoria.”

TEXT REVISIONS Senate Bill 93 gives a parent the right to refuse to consent to health IMAGE/LOGO care treatment REVISIONS REVISIONS options, including mental health treatment, for transgender youth, the NO Press reports.

Both bills were introduced by District 33 state Sen. Phil Jensen (R-Rapid City).

The American Civil Liberties Union of South Dakota said they oppose both bills in a news release, the Press reports.

In regard to SB 88, the ACLU said, “this bill could result in forced disclosure of someone’s trans or questioning status to a non-affirming parent which could result in the young person becoming homeless or physically harmed.”

H E A LTH • JANUARY 31, 2020 • WA SHINGTONBL A DE . COM • 09

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Evans enters race for Ward 2 Council seat Ten days after he resigned from his Ward 2 D.C. Council seat to avoid being expelled for ethics violations, Jack Evans filed papers on Monday to run for the seat he gave up in both the city’s June 2 Democratic primary and in a June 16 special election to fill the now-vacant seat.

Under the city’s election rules, the special election was called so that Ward 2 residents could have a temporary representative on the D.C. Council until the winner in the JACK EVANS announced plans to run November general election takes again for Council. office on Jan. 2.

Blade photo by Michael Key Evans becomes the seventh Democratic candidate to enter the June primary and special election race for the Ward 2 Council seat. Among the others is gay Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner John Fanning who is vying to become the Council’s only openly LGBT member after two gay members left office several years ago.

Fanning joined at least two of the other Ward 2 candidates and several of Evans’s former colleagues on the Council in criticizing Evans for seeking to recapture the seat from which he was forced to resign.

His resignation came after all 12 of his colleagues voted unanimously to expel him from the Council in a preliminary resolution based on multiple ethics violation allegations that Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) said were confirmed by an independent investigation. Had he not resigned observers have said it was certain the Council would have voted to expel him.

In his 29 years on the Council, Evans has been credited by LGBTQ activists as being one of the Council’s longest and strongest supporters of LGBT rights.

But Fanning told the Blade on Monday that Ward 2 voters – including LGBTQ voters – have told him they believe it was time for Evans to leave office.

Fanning also called Evans’ introduction of a bill on his last day in office on Jan. 17 that would exempt D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance from thousands of dollars in city fees associated with the annual Pride parade and street festival, a political ploy to gain support from LGBTQ voters.

“I don’t oppose supporting Capital Pride and giving them financial relief,” Fanning said. “But knowing that he would be running in the primary I just think it’s the lowest form of political pandering,” Fanning told the Blade.

Evans couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. In his final newsletter to constituents, Evans said, “I know I have made some mistakes during my service to the city and I’m leaving the Council having learned important lessons that I will carry with me into the next chapter of my life.”

Gay small business and nightlife advocate Mark Lee said he believes Evans “enjoys significant continuing support among Ward 2 voters,” which Lee said was demonstrated by a failure of Evans’s opponents over eight months to collect enough petition signatures to hold a recall vote to oust Evans from office.

Lee and others have said Evans could win in a multi-candidate election where the opposition vote is divided.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Ruby Corado endorses Kennedy in Ward 2 race Ruby Corado, the founder and executive director of the D.C. LGBTQ community services center Casa Ruby, announced on Tuesday that she has endorsed Foggy Bottom Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Patrick Kennedy in the hotly contested race for the Ward 2 D.C. Council seat.

Corado becomes the first well-known LGBTQ rights leader to make an endorsement in the race in which gay Logan Circle ANC commissioner John Fanning is among six other candidates running in the June 2 Democratic primary and in a June 16 special election for the Ward 2 seat.

Former D.C. Council member Jack Evans, who held the seat for 29 years, and who resigned from the Council on Jan. 17 before the Council was expected to expel him for multiple ethics violations, filed papers on Monday to run in the primary and special election in an effort to win back his seat.

“In endorsing Patrick Kennedy, Corado pointed to his combination of youth and experience, with many years of hard work in the community on behalf of young people, the elderly, and those most vulnerable,” according to a statement released by the Kennedy campaign.

“The city needs change,” Corado said.

“We need new voices on Council and Patrick is one of them. He’s the new young talent.

He has values for the real people of D.C.,” said Corado in the statement released by the campaign.

“Patrick has shown he is committed to our entire community,” Corado added. “Patrick reached out to the LGBTQ community from the very beginning, listened, and knows how important we are to the city.”

Kennedy, 27, an education management consultant, said in the statement that he’s “honored and humbled” to have received Corado’s endorsement.

“Her support isn’t just a distinction in a political campaign, it is a mark of trust that I feel a deep obligation to uphold,” he said. “I am committed to centering the experiences of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, trans people of color, immigrants, and others who are too often forgotten and left out of the dialogue in the District.”

In addition to Fanning, a longtime gay rights advocate, and Evans, the others running in the Democratic primary and special election for the Ward 2 seat include ANC commissioner Kishan Putta, former Capitol Hill staffer and D.C. government employee Jordan Grossman; and community activists Daniel Hernandez and Yilin Zhang. All have expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Missing D.C. trans woman died of drug overdose: report A 21-year-old D.C. transgender woman whose friends reported her missing in December and who police at the time said died of unknown causes in the Hyattsville, Md. apartment of a man she was visiting was found to have died of a drug overdose, a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland told the Washington Blade.

The cause of death for the trans woman, Angel Rose Garcia, was “fentanyl, despropionyl fentanyl and heroin intoxication and cocaine use,” according to spokesperson Maureen Regan.

Regan said the “manner” of the death for Garcia, which is a term used to designate whether a drug overdose death was accidental, an act of suicide, or perpetrated by someone else as part of a crime, is “undetermined.”

However, Prince George’s County Police have said the investigation they conducted of the circumstances surrounding Garcia’s death found no evidence to indicate a crime was committed.

“We do not see any evidence of foul play,” said P.G. County Police spokesperson Christina Cotterman.

Another police spokesperson, Jennifer Donelan, told the Blade in December that the person who Garcia was visiting at the time of her death called 911 to report “their friend is gurgling while sleeping and snorting and is very concerned about their well being.”

Donelan said the 911 caller reported placing Garcia in a “recovery position” to prevent her from choking and performed CPR to try to revive her.

But by the time the emergency medical team arrived at the apartment they determined that Garcia had died,” Donelan told the Blade.

Donelan said that although Garcia died on Dec. 10, the same day that friends last saw her at her residence at a Northeast D.C. house for transgender women of color operated by the D.C. group No Justice No Pride, it took police nearly a week to locate a legal next of kin to clear the way for publicly reporting the death.

D.C. police said that Garcia’s mother filed a missing person’s report for Angel Garcia on Dec. 16, six days after her friends at the house became concerned when she did not return home after saying she was going out on a date.

Donelan said the man who Garcia was visiting gave police an address where he thought he picked her up at her residence, but it turned out to be the wrong address, preventing police from immediately finding someone who could lead them to a next of kin.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

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NYC’s first lady working to aid homeless LGBTQ youth ‘Changing society’ by helping the most vulnerable

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com

If there were an award for the warmest person in public service, first lady of New York City Chirlane McCray could very well be the winner.

With her welcoming smile and slow, relaxed manner of speaking, McCray has a gentle demeanor that would put any stranger at ease and perfectly matches her goal as first lady of New York City in making mental health a central priority.

It also makes her an ideal spokesperson for the NYC Unity Project, a multimillion-dollar, city-wide initiative she started to assist LGBTQ young people and their families, especially LGBTQ homeless youth.

In an interview with the Blade last week at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, McCray said her personal experience was a major factor in promoting the initiative after she became first lady when her husband, Bill de Blasio, became mayor.

“There was a big gap, from my perspective, in terms of what was needed in New York City for the populations that we serve,” McCray said.

“I know a lot of this stems from my personal experience. I came to New York when I was 22.

I identified as black feminist lesbian. I saw all around me young people, especially people of color, but young people of all ethnicities who are struggling to get their footing.”

The city-wide initiative started in 2017 with an initial investment of $4.8 million to expand services for LGBTQ youth, including employment training,education,and transitionrelated health care for transgender youth.

A subsequent $9.5 million investment provided drop-in center services, new training for family acceptance clinical practitioners, expanded peer supports for parents, and a family acceptance campaign for parents and family members of LGBTQ youth in New York City.

“Unity was created to make sure that every single one of our [LGBTQ youth] — especially runaway and homeless youth, more than 40 percent of them identify as LGBTQ — make sure that they’re safe, that they’re supported, and they’re healthy,” McCray said.

Previously, McCray said, no agency in New York City had jurisdiction over LGBTQ youth homelessness, but Unity changed that by centralizing the issue under the mayor’s office

Chirlane McCray and Mayor Bill de Blasio Photo via Bill DeBlasio Flickr

in City Hall.

“It was important that we had an office in the mayor’s office or program that was located in City Hall to make sure that all of our agencies were involved in an appropriate way,” she said. “If it comes from the mayor’s office, it’s very different than [something] assigned to an agency.”

A key component of Unity, McCray said, is “getting to the heart of why we have so many runaway and homeless youth,” which she said is due to family and community rejection.

“We want to change society, and many families come from a tradition or religion or culture where this is just what they’ve heard and I’ve been taught and they don’t know anything else,” she said. “So we’re trying to help them.”

Another component, McCray said, is working with clergy, which she acknowledged “has often been another force in rejection.”

“We want those young people who do identify as being religious to feel that they are not being rejected by houses of worship,” McCray said. “And those are also sanctuaries for so many people, right?”

McCray said Unity has a group of 50 to 100 clergy members who are having conservations with families of LGBTQ youth and have taken a pledge to affirm them in houses of worship.

One recently announced component of Unity is NYC Unity Works, a first-in-the-nation program that seeks to ensure LGBTQ young adults, including LGBTQ homeless youth, attain basic work skills and paid training opportunities.

“Some of these kids, they’ve dropped out of school, because they don’t have family that they’re close to,” McCray said. “They are not able to get their GED or finish high school or go to community college because they can’t afford to do it, or they don’t know how to do it, and that’s what Unity is all about.”

Carl Siciliano, executive director of the Ali Forney Center, which provides beds and meals to LGBTQ homeless youth in New York City, is among those praising McCray for her leadership in the Unity project.

“We look forward to our continued work together to ensure that our LGBTQ young people are cared for through mental health services, the addition of desperately needed beds, and through ensuring providers are culturally competent and responsive to the unique needs of our youths,” Siciliano said.

Asked for specific instances of success under Unity in helping LGBTQ youth, McCray said she doesn’t have specific numbers, but maintained the program is

working with thousands of families as part of an administration-wide effort in the city government.

“So this is not the province of just the Unity project,” McCray said. “We’re working across the administration, with all of our agencies.

Many agencies are doing the work of reaching out, because you don’t know [on] whose doorstep someone may turn [up], and it’s important that everybody is doing the work of identifying.”

McCray said LGBTQ youth, for example, may seek help through the Administration for Children’s Services in the foster care system and “they have a way to get connected to what we’re doing to support them.”

“That’s one of the highlights of this administration is working across agencies, so everyone feels like it’s their responsibility, not just the Department of Education or ACS, it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure that these young people are safe and supported,” she said.

Asked whether she had spoken to other mayors outside of New York City about Unity at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in D.C., McCray said her focus had been on giving speeches at the event.

But in the past, McCray said she had spoken about Unity to mayors in California and New Hampshire as well as to London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

“I will say that I talk about Unity. I also talked about work with mothers who are incarcerated, which sounds like, oh my God, these are two [different things], but it’s all related,” McCray said. “It’s about bonding. It’s about bonds with family. It’s about how do we keep people intact because human connection is the essence of what life is about.”

Considering McCray said she based Unity on her experience of coming to New York City as a “black lesbian feminist,” one might have questions about her marriage to de Blasio.

McCray said she still identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community.

“I do! I do!” McCray said. “I’m married. As one of my very good former colleagues says, ‘I’m married I’m not dead.’ I love my husband.

He is my soul mate, but nothing is lost, right?

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

12 • WA S HI N GTONB L A DE . CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0 • N AT IO N AL N EWS

CANNABIS CULTURE Federal marijuana prosecutions declining: report Federal prosecutions for marijuanarelated crimes fell significantly from 2018 to 2019, according to a recently released report from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

Chief Justice John Roberts issued a report on federal marijuana arrests that showed a The 2019 end-of-year report finds that significant decline. the number of federal defendants charged Photo public domain with cannabis-associated crimes declined by 28 percent from Sept. 30, 2018 to Sept.

30, 2019. By contrast, total filings for drug crimes increased five percent over the same time period, totaling over 83,000 cases in 2019.

Separate data compiled by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in July reported a decline in DEA-led marijuana seizures in 2018, but also showed an uptick in DEA-related arrests for marijuana violations. State-level arrests for marijuana violations have increased year-over-year since 2016, according to annual data reported by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

HIV patients see neuroprotection from cannabis SAN DIEGO — A history of cannabis use among people living with HIV is associated with a lower likelihood of neurocognitive decline, according to data published in the Journal of Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego assessed the association between cannabis use, neurocognitive impairment, and verbal and learning performance in patients with HIV and non-using controls.

Investigators reported that HIV patients who used cannabis were significantly less likely to experience neurocognitive impairment as compared to those patients who had no history of marijuana exposure.

They concluded: “Our findings present evidence that cannabis exposure was associated with lower odds of NCI (neurocognitive impairment) in the context of HIV. ... Our results are consistent with the idea that under some circumstances, cannabis might be neuroprotective.”

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Cannabis aids sleep in pain patients: study HAIFA, Israel — The use of plant-derived cannabis is associated with improved sleep among older patients with chronic pain, according to data published in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

A team of Israeli investigators examined the association between sleep problems and cannabis use in older (50+ years of age) chronic pain patients. A total of 128 patients were enrolled in the study. Of them, 66 used medical cannabis for at least one-year. Sixty-two were non-users.

Researchers reported that cannabis use was associated with an overall “positive effect on maintaining sleep throughout the night.”

They concluded: “This study is among the first to test the link between whole plant MC (medical cannabis) use and sleep quality. ... Our findings showed that MC patients were less likely to report problems with staying asleep compared with non-MC patients, independently of potential confounders. ... This suggests that MC may have a sleep-promoting characteristic in terms of minimizing awakenings during the night. ... These findings may have large public health impacts considering the aging of the population, the relatively high prevalence of sleep problems in this population along with increasing use of MC.” Cannabis Culture news in the Blade is provided in partnership with NORML. For more information, visit norml.org.

H E A LT H • JANUARY 31, 2020 • WA SHINGTONBL A DE . COM • 13

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Do or die for Buttigieg in Iowa?

Caucuses present key test for gay candidate’s viability

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com

With just days to go before the Iowa caucuses on Monday, all eyes will be watching to see which candidate claims the momentum going forward — and a win for Pete Buttigieg is all but essential.

Buttigieg, the first viable gay presidential candidate, will need to win delegates in the Midwestern state near his home in South Bend, Ind., to show he can compete elsewhere in the nation.

If he doesn’t pull it off, his case will be much harder to make.

Spencer Kimball, a professor in political and sports communication at Emerson College, said a strong performance in Iowa is “vital to a Buttigieg candidacy, and likely for [Sen. Amy] Klobuchar as well.”

“I think only one of them gets a ticket out of Iowa because they are both pulling from a similar voting bloc,” Kimball said.

“Both need the momentum to catapult them onto the national stage as both are struggling nationally and in other early states.”

Although Buttigieg was once polling well above his competitors in Iowa, the front-runner status seems to belong to Bernie Sanders now. An Emerson College poll puts his support at 30 percent.

As pointed out by Vox, three of the four latest polls have the Democratic socialist from Vermont as the favored candidate, while former Vice President Joseph Biden is the front-runner in the fourth poll.

Meanwhile, Buttigieg’s ranking is now all over the place. The former South Bend mayor is second in the New York Times poll, with 18 percent support, but CBS and Suffolk polls put him in third, while the Emerson poll has him fourth place tied with Elizabeth Warren.

(National polls, in contrast, have Biden in the front-runner position, where he has been since he announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination last year. Although Biden’s performance in Iowa polls, as well as New Hampshire, is comparable to other Democratic candidates, he’s polling well ahead of the pack in South Carolina, which has a greater population of black voters.)

One prominent Buttigieg fundraiser who talked to the Blade on condition

Pete Buttigieg faces a crucial test on Monday as Iowans finally head to the caucuses.

Washington Blade file photo by Michael K. Lavers

of anonymity emphasized the critical importance of finishing first or second in Iowa and New Hampshire. The winner in Iowa will see a tremendous boost in fundraising overnight, leading to a big advantage moving forward, the source said. If Buttigieg fails to finish in the top two in those states, he will likely be forced to end his campaign before Super Tuesday, the source added.

Keep in mind the Democratic primary contests aren’t winner-take-all like the Republican primary or the Electoral College. Each candidate will be allocated an amount of delegates proportionate to their wins on caucus night.

But what makes the situation demanding is a candidate needs at least 15 percent of support from caucus-goers at any particular site to remain viable.

Any candidate with less than that won’t be scored by the Iowa Democratic Party to receive delegates in the presidential candidate nominating process at the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

As a result, the winner of the most delegates at the end of the day may be

the candidate whose campaign has the greatest ground game and is able to bring out supporters to the caucus. If Buttigieg can pull that off, he may have a strong performance at the end of the day.

On top of that, the Iowa Democratic Party for the first time this year will report out the raw vote total for each of the candidates — both for the beginning and at the end of the caucus. Because a candidate needs to meet the 15 percent threshold to be viable, the numbers could be different at the end.

So that means three sets of results: A vote tally at the beginning, a vote tally at the end and the delegate count.

As a result, three different Democratic contenders could claim victory when everything is said and done.

Lyz Lenz, a columnist for The Gazette who was a moderator at the GLAAD presidential candidate forum in Iowa on LGBTQ issues, predicted caucus night is “going to be madness.”

“It’s possible I’m going to be very wrong,” Lenz said. “But I think we will see a lot of confusion coming out of the

caucuses. There will be three reported counts. And in a very tight race, that’s three ways for candidates to claim some sort of victory. So, on to New Hampshire and no one will have to think about ethanol for another four years.”

In a related development, Biden took a not-so-veiled swipe at Bernie Sanders for accepting Joe Rogan’s support despite comments from the podcast host condemned as transphobic.

Taking to Twitter, Biden drew on comments he made as vice president when he called transgender rights “the civil rights issue of our time,” which stands in contrast to the Sanders campaign accepting Rogan’s support.

An LGBTQ backlash against Sanders ensued after he promoted the Rogan endorsement on his Twitter account. Among those criticizing Sanders was Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David, who said, “it is disappointing that the Sanders campaign has accepted and promoted the endorsement.”

“The Sanders campaign must reconsider this endorsement and the decision to publicize the views of someone who has consistently attacked and dehumanized marginalized people,” David said.

Among other things, Rogan in the past has said a transgender woman athlete is actually a man, has used antigay epithets before “retiring” them and compared a black neighborhood to “Planet of the Apes” before admitting the comments were racist.

Amid the backlash, the Sanders campaign didn’t retract the endorsement or admonish Rogan for his comments, but instead defended the decision.

“Sharing a big tent requires including those who do not share every one of our beliefs, while always making clear that we will never compromise our values,” said Sanders national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray.

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Group becomes lifeline to migrants in Mexico border city Thousands living in tent camp

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com

MATAMOROS, Mexico — It was shortly before noon on Jan. 14 when Gaby Zavala, co-founder of Resource Center Matamoros, walked into a camp in the Mexican border city of Matamoros in which more than 2,000 migrants are currently living.

Zavala passed a man who was getting his beard trimmed in a makeshift barbershop before she arrived in the portion of the camp that Resource Center Matamoros manages.

Zavala began to speak with a group of migrants and volunteers, including Reuven Magder, a 12-year-old boy from D.C., who were erecting a tent for two families from Honduras and Ecuador who had just arrived in the camp.

Zavala said the Mexican government last month built a canopy over the tents after officials learned Resource Center Matamoros was planning to install “better shelters” that would be “more appropriate for a refugee camp setting.” Zavala told the Washington Blade the organization now works with Mexican immigration authorities “to help set people up under them with better, more spacious tents.”

“We’re working as a collaborative to relate to the Mexican government,” she said.

The camp is located adjacent to the Gateway International Bridge that spans the Rio Grande and connects Matamoros with Brownsville, Texas. Resource Center Matamoros is among the myriad groups that provide assistance to migrants who live there.

Zavala noted Resource Center Matamoros was the first group to bring clean, treated water to the camp. She said the drowning of a 15-year-old girl in the Rio Grande prompted her to bring water tanks into the camp and build privacy tents with cups, buckets and donated shampoo and conditioner that migrants could use to bathe.

“Before that people were bathing in the river, washing clothes in the river, using the restroom in the river,” said Zavala.

Resource Center Matamoros last October moved into a building that is across the street from the camp.

Lawyers for Good Government’s Proyecto Corazon and the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) work alongside private attorneys at Resource Center Matamoros to provide legal assistance to migrants who have asked for asylum in the U.S. Resource Center Matamoros also

More than 2,000 people are currently living in a migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico.

Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers

provides a variety of other services that include massage therapy and yoga for migrants who have suffered trauma.

Resource Center Matamoros, along with Oscar Raúl López, a long-time HIV/AIDS activist who lives in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, next month will launch an HIV testing program in the camp. Ray Rodríguez, a gay Cuban man who asked for asylum in the U.S., were among the migrants who were working at Resource Center Matamoros on the day the Blade visited.

“People, when they left their countries, they were fully functional people,” said Zavala during an interview in her office. “They had jobs. They had houses, they were supporting their children.

They were self-sufficient at one point.”

“The whole migration has victimized them … in so many different ways,” she added. “So, they are now basically, left as a dependent, dependent on other people for food and for shelter.”

Zavala, 37, has been a community organizer for nearly two decades. The Valley AIDS Council, an HIV/AIDS service organization in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, and Planned Parenthood are among the groups for which she has worked. Zavala’s family is also from Matamoros.

Zavala in 2018 began to cook food for migrants in Matamoros. She later brought them to “consultorios” in the city where they could see doctors and receive medications.

Zavala last spring started to provide meals, clean clothes, personal hygiene items and other items to migrants who U.S. Customs and Immigration Services and U.S. Border Patrol dropped off at Brownsville’s main bus station, which is a few blocks from the Gateway International Bridge. Zavala also helped organize a respite center for migrants at a Brownsville church.

“It just made sense that we were to take the people at the bus station to them so that they can take a shower, they can get information about what’s happening, get supplies that they needed,” she said.

A State Department travel advisory urges U.S. citizens not to travel to Mexico’s Tamaulipas state in which Matamoros is located because of “crime and kidnapping.”

Many of the migrants who live in the Matamoros camp have been forced to return to Mexico under the Trump administration’s controversial “remain in Mexico” policy and await the outcome of their U.S. asylum cases there.

“Now we have MPP,” Zavala told the

Blade, referring to the Trump administration’s overall immigration policy that includes a requirement for migrants to place their name on a waiting list in order to apply for asylum at a U.S. port of entry. “And now we have several others that have just been implemented that are completely unfair, and they leave asylum seekers available in this country.”

Zavala, who identifies as bisexual, also told the Blade that LGBTQ migrants who live in the camp are even more vulnerable to mistreatment, discrimination and even violence from groups that include drug cartels and Mexican police officers.

“For me seeing that in the context of the camp is hurtful,” she said.

Resource Center Matamoros works with the Texas Civil Rights Project, a group that provides assistance to LGBTQ migrants.

Resource Center Matamoros also provides LGBTQ migrants with a space in which they can privately meet with lawyers and volunteers.

Zavala said she hopes to provide HIV tests to up to 150 migrants a month once the program launches and connect those who test positive to HIV/AIDS clinics known by the Spanish acronym CAPASITS (Centro Ambulatorio para la Prevención y Atención en SIDA e Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual) that the Mexican government operates.

Zavala conceded the program will prove challenging, in part, because LGBTQ migrants in Matamoros are often not out and have fled countries where violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity is rampant.

“You really have to take extra, extra caution when you’re having a ‘charla’ because rumors run through the camp like wildfire,” she added, noting confidentiality remains a top priority. “It’s very sensitive.”

Zavala told the Blade she has faced resistance from organizations outside the Rio Grande Valley who “feel like you can’t do it … and want to usurp all the hard that we’ve ever done.” Zavala also said she has felt judged and not supported in her efforts to help migrants, but stressed she has become part of the “main stakeholders of the work in Matamoros.”

Zavala also described Resource Center Matamoros “a big family.”

“What I have found here is life, is love, is compassion,” she said. “We all take care of each other and I’ve never felt so backed by a group of people.”

16 • WA S HI N GTONB L A DE . COM • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0 • IN T ER N AT IO N AL N EW S

VI E W PO I NT • JANUARY 31, 2020 • WA SHINGTONB L A DE . COM • 17

PETER ROSENSTEIN

BROCK THOMPSON

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

is a D.C.-based writer.

He contributes regularly to the Blade.

‘Misc. fetish,’ my first weekend at MAL Just when I thought I’d seen it all A couple of weeks ago I was down in Key West with some friends. The gay resort where we stayed offered, shall we say, a plethora of porn channel options labeled by category in the rooms. My favorite — channel seven — “misc. fetish.”

We made it sort of a game; every time we clicked on it was ‘spin the fetish.’ And let me tell you, the category of misc. fetish is very, very large indeed.

Fast forward to earlier this month, and it was my first time to Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend. Held annually in Washington, D.C., in January, the event on the whole is one of the more uniquely authentic queer happenings in the country. And, to tell you the truth, this all folds into, as did Key West, my overall goal of being more body positive. Because after living in this city for more than 14 years I’ve finally made it to MAL. I even bought my first harness — a saucy black leather number.

I did that on Friday, rushing over to the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill promptly at the opening of the expo.

The next day was spent with friends exploring the hotel and having cocktails in the lobby. If you know the Hyatt on Capitol Hill, it has a huge glass atrium that is usually hosting fanny-packed tourists and lanyard-ladened convention goers from all over the country. For MAL weekend it’s transformed into one of the most remarkable queer spaces I’ve ever seen. I was sporting my harness. And though I’m usually not in the market for more things to feel self conscious about, the whole space was so accepting and free, not to mention my harness was on the more vanilla side of things you’d see around.

Chatting with men from all over — Dallas, Miami, Chicago, even as far away as Brazil – you’re reminded that this whole community is so varied and beautiful. You’re also reminded that there are countless ways to feel sexy; that everything is accepted and indeed encouraged. For me the feeling was akin to when you walked into your first gay bar and just how liberating that first few steps were. And just looking around at the sight that was unfolding underneath that glass ceiling you just know that this vision in leather is probably what gave Phyllis Schlafly that stroke we were all waiting for.

The hotel staff I talked to seemed to love what was going on around them.

No one is required to work the event, all volunteers. Many remarked on just how well-mannered everyone is — good tippers, polite. One told me that the hotel staff refers to their event as their ‘Super Bowl.’ I was told the whole hotel is already booked solid for MAL 2021. The whole hotel, since I was told that one year there was some overlap with MAL attendees and a certain agricultural group from the Midwest. Truth be told as I arrived for the opening on Friday, I was entering as a certain flock of businessmen were leaving. All dressed in similar grey suits, they had this look on their faces that they couldn’t get out of there fast enough. If anyone is still keeping score out there, our lives are far more colorful and exciting than theirs, that’s for sure.

The main takeaway for me — every time you think you know everything there is to know about gay, there’s another layer to scratch off, another miscellaneous, another group of men doing it another way. For my first MAL, I think I just scratched the surface.

But there’s always next year.

Iowa voters will finally get their say But it’s time to end their first-in-the-nation say

Time to stop looking at the polls and find out who voters will caucus for in Iowa on Monday, Feb. 3. Let me be clear: I think both Iowa as the first state to vote in the Democratic primary, and all caucuses, need to be placed on the dust heap.

Nevertheless, here we are.

Since no one has voted all we have is polling, and caucus polling is extremely hard to do and not reliable. It appears four candidates have a shot at winning Iowa: Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg and perhaps less likely, Elizabeth Warren.

Five Thirty Eight has Sanders up as of Jan. 25. A USA Suffolk University poll has Biden up by 6% The New York Times poll has Sanders up by 7% with 40% of voters saying they could still change their minds and a margin of error for the poll of nearly 5%. No one knows if it will make a difference that Biden and Buttigieg have extra time campaigning in Iowa while Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Warren and Sanders are sitting through the impeachment trial.

Or whether the president’s team focused on trashing Biden at the trial will hurt or help him.

Once Iowa votes the guessing game turns to what it will mean going forward for the winners and losers. Whose campaign will be on life-support if they don’t win? Who can survive a loss and move on still having a realistic hope of being the nominee? For some the stakes are higher than for others. If Klobuchar would come from the middle of the pack to be one of the top three finishers it would give her a tremendous lift and the headlines will scream “look at her.” If Sanders wins they will say he has come all the way back from his heart attack and is the man to watch. If Biden wins they will say with his strength in the Super Tuesday primary polls he is now the presumptive nominee. If Buttigieg wins he will be hailed as the young hero and the media will look to New Hampshire and question if he wins there will it make any difference in any Super Tuesday state where he currently polls at less than 8%

everywhere. If Warren were to win it would recharge a candidacy that seems to be going downhill.

What if they lose? If Sanders doesn’t win Iowa it will be said his surge is over and it looks like he will see the same result as 2016. If Klobuchar gets some delegates but is not in the top four she will continue in the race but it will be accepted it’s only for a chance to be the vice presidential candidate. If Buttigieg loses it will most likely be the end of the line for his hopes of winning the nomination. He will have the money to go on for a while but his problem will be many supporters will move on to new candidates. He recently didn’t win the endorsements of any of the three LGBTQ political clubs in New York and it is reported the lesbian mayor of Chicago is considering endorsing Bloomberg. Rufus Gifford, the gay former ambassador to Denmark and finance director of President Obama’s successful campaigns, recently endorsed Biden. If Biden loses, the media will start asking about whether his leads in the South will hold up or whether Bloomberg’s billions will eat into those leads. But win or lose he moves on to Super Tuesday. If Warren loses it will signal her campaign is close to over.

If there is no clear winner — if Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg and Biden all end up within a point of each other in Iowa, the game moves on to New Hampshire on Feb. 11 pretty much unchanged, except for maybe Biden who gets a positive boost because so many people anticipated by Iowa his campaign would fade. So even with a near win he will have shown he has staying power along with his big leads in the Super Tuesday states.

I began this column suggesting Democrats continuing to allow Iowa to go first with a caucus is insane. The state is not representative of the Democratic primary voters nor the general election voters Democrats need to win. The state has sometimes proven it can make or break a candidate, but often the winner of the Iowa caucus either doesn’t become the nominee or if they do, goes on to lose the general election. Time to end the tradition of Iowa being first in the nation.

18 • WA S HI NGTON BL A D E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0 • V IEW P O IN T

JA N UA RY 31, 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 19

MARK LEE

is a long-time entrepreneur and community business advocate.

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

ROC’s tip-wage war falls off the menu Group loses all state battles, shutters ‘model eatery’ It’s been a rough month, and a devastating several years, for the controversial fringe organization Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC). Whether the richly funded but poorly supported coterie of labor radicals can remain politically viable and survive legislative shutouts and public relations setbacks is now in question.

ROC-United was the outsider gaggle of imported activists that two years ago launched D.C. Initiative 77, a ballot measure narrowly approved by voters in 2018 that would have outlawed the tip-wage system in the District.

Elected officials soon after repealed the proposal due to near-universal opposition by affected nightlife and hospitality tipped workers and community establishments.

The pseudo labor-organizing outfit has unsuccessfully attempted to destroy the wage model standard to full-service dining and drinking establishments across the country in 43 states plus D.C. ROC has lost every battle in every state in which it has waged war.

ROC has failed to eliminate the tip-credit and mandate imposition of a so-called “One Fair Wage” requirement that all bars and restaurants must directly pay tipped employees the full local minimum wage. Bartenders and servers in all but seven states that never had a tip-credit or rescinded it decades ago are paid a base-wage with the guarantee that when combined with tips their total pay equals, and typically greatly exceeds, the minimum wage.

Two new developments have ROC hitting the ropes.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on New Year’s Day that the state would retain the tip-wage system for hospitality and nightlife establishments. Cuomo’s longawaited decision was contrary to his pledge two years earlier to abolish the tip-wage set-up.

Cuomo had directed the New York State Department of Labor to hold hearings throughout the state on the issue and, as in D.C. and all states considering the matter, restaurant and bar workers turned out in impressive numbers to oppose changing the

wage system. In addition, the New York labor department indicated that hospitality operators were successful in educating state officials on why-and-how the current tipping system benefits both workers and businesses. The agency report noted, “hospitality businesses submitted copies of their pay records as part of their written comments and others … open[ed] their books to Department representatives.”

Real-world data, alongside worker opposition, clearly aided agency officials and the governor in understanding the multiplicity of tip-wage benefits. Cuomo’s decision to retain the tip-credit for the hundreds-ofthousands of tipped employees at bars and restaurants was based on the labor board’s finding that “tips are so common that total compensation far exceeds the minimum wage [and] therefore some offset of the minimum wage [is] warranted.”

While Cuomo did eliminate the tip-credit for those classified as working in “miscellaneous occupations” such as nail salons and parking garages, his decision underscored that the well-functioning economics of tipping at hospitality establishments is fundamentally different than in other business sectors.

ROC’s failures were even more evident last week when the group suddenly announced the immediate shuttering of its “model eatery” in Manhattan after only a month of operation and for the second time. The fastfailed COLORS restaurant was supposed to be “proof of concept” for the compensation scheme ROC desires to dictate.

This abrupt shut-down followed a similar eatery closure in Detroit just days prior and the public cancelation of plans to open others in several cities, including D.C. Worse, employees received only text messages telling them they no longer had jobs and, similar to staff complaints surrounding ROC’s previous restaurant in New York City, included allegations of unpaid wages and other operating violations.

After spending tens of millions of dollars trying to coerce the outlawing of a wage system that works well for tipped, hourly, and salaried restaurant and bar service professionals, ROC has learned two things the hard way: Not only do hospitality employees broadly oppose them, the group is also not capable of operating a restaurant.

The Washington Examiner’s leather problem Columnist attacks MAL, Pride celebrations

By LEONARD ROBINSON III The Washington Examiner has an issue with leather. Or at least its columnist Brad Polumbo does.

What’s his problem, you ask? Did a popular leather site run out of straps in his size? Nope. Does his favorite strap no longer fasten? Nope. Or worse, did some leather-clad daddy not accept his Twitterdm advances? As far as we know, no.

Instead, he argues the D.C. leather community, which celebrated MidAtlantic Leather Weekend earlier this month, is responsible for annihilating gay progress.

Last summer, Polumbo wrote that Pride month celebrations were “hijacked by a left-wing agenda” and that these marches are inevitably prone to “devolve into the same stereotypes of sexual deviancy that they’re supposed to be dispelling.” Months later, he argues that Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend was yet another example of a, “phenomenon, wherein a loud minority of “progressive” gay people flout their deviancy in public and reinforce bad, faulty stereotypes, was on display once again this weekend.”

“Across the country, untold millions of gay people such as us went about their normal lives, without making any headlines in the process,” writes Polumbo. “Meanwhile, D.C.’s degenerate gay community was busy celebrating ‘leather weekend’ giving us all a bad name and annihilating what progress we’ve made.”

In June, he wrote: “The hypersexualization of the Pride movement is so extreme that it’s reinforcing the biases some Americans still have against gay people. Attitudes toward gay rights are shifting in the right direction, but a portion of the country remains deeply opposed to homosexuality, and views it as a deviant, immoral lifestyle. How will we change their minds?”

In reading these words, I couldn’t help but ask: Why should gay people be forced to tone down their expressions of themselves and their sexuality to comfort a group that will probably never embrace them?

It is nearly impossible to consider that the opportunity to live, work, play, and love as an openly gay man in one of the most gay-friendly metropolitan

areas in the country could lead many to believe that gay people should earn the acceptance of their straight peers as a reward for heteronormative behavior. If everyone just found a boyfriend, cooked dinner with them every night, and didn’t mention that they have sex, then we would be well liked.

Polumbo is certainly not the first to echo that sentiment. After all, it is imperative that gay people have the ability to buy into monogamy, marriage, children, and the white picket fence as was the focus of much of the 2010s gay rights movement.

This alone, however, is not enough.

Gay people must also have the ability to explore and express themselves sexually, as long as everyone is a consenting adult. In fact, this might be a plus in proving to people that are not gay that gays like almost any group are not monolithic and include a wide array of people.

It is fascinating that for all their libertarian priorities, like individual freedom and freedom of expression, gays on the right would shudder at the idea of sacrificing traces of their identity and expression for the sake of group conformity. This is merely the cultural equivalent of a business owner being forced to violate their religious beliefs or someone’s speech on campus being suppressed due to restrictive and burdensome rules surrounding hate speech.

Polumbo’s article adds fuel to the fire caused by the false dichotomy between gays who embrace a more traditional understanding of relationships and sexuality and those who embrace an alternative. Not only is this dichotomy false, but tragically ignores the contributions that both of these vital aspects of the gay community have made for our advancement.

Lastly, this only emboldens our opponents who like nothing more than watching the gay community fight their battles for them. What’s the best way to encourage people to suppress who they are? Get the brunch crowd made up of other urban gays to do it for them.

It seems like Polumbo has taken the bait, but I hope he learns his lesson.

Leonard Robinson is a Baltimore-based freelance writer who has been published in New Voices magazine and Reason.

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“An enduring classic… gives [ABT’s] fans their richest reward” —The New York Times

Devon Teuscher in Giselle, photo by Gene Schiavone

American Ballet Theatre Giselle February 11–16 | Opera House Kennedy-Center.org (202) 467-4600

Groups call (202) 416-8400

A Tribute to Marian Anderson Monday, Feb. 3, Tuesday, Feb. 4 & Monday, Feb. 24 6:30 p.m. | McEvoy Auditorium

The National Portrait Gallery’s Choreographer-inResidence, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, debuts a performance inspired by the exhibition One Life: Marian Anderson.

The performance is free and open to the public. Register at npg.eventbrite.com.

8th and F St. NW • Washington, DC 20001 npg.si.edu • #myNPG • @Smithsoniannpg For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540

American Ballet Theatre’s engagement is made possible through generous endowment support of The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund.

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

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company:

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Jaya Bond and Sidney Hampton of the Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company.

Photo: Jeff Watts, 2019

Dare to dance

Queer Alvin Ailey performers ready triumphant Kennedy Center return

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

GHRAI DeVORE-STOKES and MICHAEL JACKSON Jr. in Alvin Ailey’s ‘Revelations.’

Photo by Pierre Wachholder; courtesy AAADT

The world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Kennedy Center Feb. 4-9 for its annual winter engagement.

Led by Artistic Director Robert Battle, this year’s program will include regional premieres of three works, two entirely new productions and two company premieres.

Tickets start at $49. Full details on time, dates and more is online at kennedy-center.org.

We asked three of the company’s LGBT dancers to share their training, favorites, goals and more.

NAME: Ghrai DeVore-Stokes HOMETOWN: Washington, D.C. AGE: 30 RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married IDENTIFY AS: I don’t subscribe to labels but if forced, I would say either queer or pansexual.

CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE: Brooklyn HOW LONG WITH ALVIN AILEY: 10 years WHAT DREW YOU TO THE COMPANY: Mr Ailey died on the day I was born so I always felt a connection to him. Also I was

inspired by the work that the company has done to celebrate and illuminate the African diaspora and the lives and legacies of people of color in America.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR DANCE BACKGROUND: I have studied and trained extensively in ballet (Vaganova) and modern (Horton and Graham). I have also studied jazz and some tap.

HOW LONG DANCING PROFESSIONALLY? 14 years FAVORITE CURRENT PIECE TO PERFORM: A mix between Jamar Roberts’ “Ode” and Aszure Barton’s “Busk.”

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DANCED AT THE KENNEDY CENTER PREVIOUSLY? This year will be my 10th. My first was 10 years ago in my first year with the company.

THOUGHTS ON THE VENUE/AUDIENCE: The Kennedy Center stage is one of the most beautiful stages and theaters I have performed in. I might be a bit biased because D.C. is my hometown, but in all honesty it’s beautiful to come to such a majestic stage as

our first stop on our domestic tour usually.

The audience also loves us. We always feel the energy from the audiences at Kennedy Center.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION/DANCE: It’s really important to me that I tell a story every time I walk on the stage. I want to invoke a feeling in the audience. I want people to remember their humanity when I’m on the stage. I want people to be able to relate to me as well. I want the audience to have left the theater feeling something.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL FITNESS PROGRAM: I got into the company when I was quite young and as the years have passed, it’s become necessary for me to start slower and build up to more strenuous activity. I like to start with some sort of floor work.

Maybe a bit of rolling around, feeling my muscles and bones on the floor waking up the joints. Then perhaps a bit of stretching to release the tendons and ligaments. I like an all-inclusive class. That usually means something that incorporates all of the things I will be required to do during the rehearsal day. It’s very important that my back, my neck, my hips and my feet are thoroughly warmed up before I start trying to throw my body around. On the off time I like to do a bit of gym work. Resistance band, elliptical. I also just learned to swim and that’s good for stamina and breath monitoring.

OF ALL THE ARTISTIC MEDIUMS AVAILABLE, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DANCE? I chose dance because it encompasses so much. You must have a working understanding of musicality. You must be a bit of an actor. Sometimes you must use your voice. All while finding the best angles and being cognizant of the people around you. You’re constantly using your brain and all of your body. It also important to know the aspects of the theater so that you help the crew run the show smoothly. Being a performing artist means you are always learning.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DANCERS OF ALL TIME? I don’t really have a favorite dancer of all time.

My astrological chart doesn’t really allow me to choose one person out of the many who move me. I like dancers who are virtuosic and push boundaries. I like to feel as if at any moment the dancer will fly off the stage and into the cosmos. I love to see someone dancing both with technical prowess and complete abandon.

WHAT LGBT THEMES ARE IN YOUR REPERTOIRE? The fact that the company is made up of dancers who are spanning the spectrum of sexuality means that whenever we walk on stage, we are living and showcasing the truth of our very existence. Take “Ode” for example. There is a cast of men and a cast of women and no matter how we identify, we must love and acknowledge the humanity of our fellow dancers. Our pieces don’t often center around LGBTQ themes but we bring it to the forefront simply because of who we are as people.

WHAT’S THE MOST ARDUOUS/TEDIUS PART OF THE DISCIPLINE/LIFESTYLE? Making sure our bodies are at 100 percent no matter what. More often than not these days it’s difficult for me to get out of bed. It might be hard because I need more sleep or it might be hard because my body is in pain but I have to figure out to get my body working efficiently in order to perform at the caliber that’s required. It’s also hard balancing the personal and the professional.

My wife is a teaching and performing artist currently based in Dakar and trying to match our schedules is always tedious. Sometimes you just want to break down but in those moments I think we take comfort and strength from each other as a company so that we can support each other.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN 15 YEARS? I’d like to be fluent in at least five languages with three or four more tattoos. I would like to be living in either Japan or Europe and own either land or property somewhere. I’d like to be a model and or working on the silver screen. I’d also like to be a rehearsal director or be setting works for a company. I have a lot of different interests that span all walks of life. I want to be continuing to explore life in 15 years.

NAME: Chalvar Montiero HOMETOWN: Montclair, N.J. AGE: 31 RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single IDENTIFY AS: Gay CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE: New York, N.Y. HOW LONG WITH ALVIN AILEY: five years WHAT DREW YOU TO THE COMPANY?: I was drawn to this company because they looked like me. I had never seen something like that before. On top of that, the control, personality and finesse of each artist are unmatched.

22 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR DANCE BACKGROUND: I started my formal training at Sharron Miller’s Academy for the Performing Arts. I attended a few summer intensives at The Ailey School before going to Purchase College at SUNY (state university of New York) and getting my degree in dance. From there I freelanced and worked with great talents, spending most of my time with Kyle Abraham’s Abraham.

In.Motion. I joined Ailey II the summer of 2014, and joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the spring of 2015 HOW LONG DANCING PROFESSIONALLY? 11 years.

FAVORITE CURRENT PIECE TO PERFORM: Judith Jamison’s “Divining” HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DANCED AT THE KENNEDY CENTER PREVIOUSLY: four THOUGHTS ON THE VENUE/AUDIENCE: This theater is one of my favorite venues of the entire domestic tour. The audience is so generous and tickets are always sold out. D.C. is one of my favorite cities to visit.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION/ DANCE: Dance is a natural way to communicate for all humans. I think we are naturally drawn to the arts because it’s the healthiest and most fulfilling way to convey any message.

The more we invest in our modes of communication through the arts, the more we heal ourselves as a community/nation.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL FITNESS PROGRAM: Outside of dance, the amount of time I spend

cross training depends on the demand of the repertoire. I don’t do much cardio because I do that all day in rehearsal. Instead I focus on strength training in my shoulders, back and glutes, making sure those muscle groups are supported.

OF ALL THE ARTISTIC MEDIUMS AVAILABLE, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DANCE? I didn’t choose dance. I’ve tried it all but nothing felt natural to me besides this form of expression.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DANCERS OF ALL TIME: Matthew Rushing. Clifton Brown. Bahiyah Hiba, Linda Celeste Sims. Sylvie Guillem.

Darcey Bussell. Desmond Richardson. (I can go on and on.)

WHAT LGBT THEMES ARE IN YOUR REPERTOIRE? I don’t see any specific themes of LGBTQ identity in the repertoire. Instead, it’s the responsibility of the artist to bring their truth to whatever they’re given and make sure their authenticity shines through, regardless of the subject matter WHAT’S THE MOST ARDUOUS/TEDIUS PART OF THE DISCIPLINE/LIFESTYLE? The most tedious, but beneficial, thing is rehearsing. Making sure everyone is on the same page, with the same information is the part that takes the most time, but there’s nothing more rewarding than sharing a stage with your peers when everyone is comfortable and confident in what they know and who they are.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN 15 YEARS? In 15 years I see myself being in the other

CHALVAR MONTEIRO in Alvin Ailey’s ‘Revelations.’

Photo by Paul Kolnik; courtesy AAADT

JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 23

side of the room, cultivating and grooming dancers by way of being a rehearsal director/ choreographer. It’s a dream of mine to give back to the next generation of performers, making sure that integrity, excellence and consistency are a few of the core values that are focused on.

MICHAEL JACKSON, Jr. of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Photo courtesy AAADT

NAME: Michael Jackson, Jr. HOMETOWN: New Orleans, La. AGE: 32 RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single IDENTIFY AS: Gay CURRENT CITY OF RESIDENCE: Bronx, New York HOW LONG WITH ALVIN AILEY: This is my eighth season.

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE COMPANY: I had never seen black people, especially men, move and shown so beautifully elegant and commanding.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR DANCE BACKGROUND: Started dancing at the prestigious Duke Ellington School Of the Arts. I first danced professionally with Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble company in 2005. Then going on to dance for Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Philadanco before joining Ailey in 2012.

HOW LONG DANCING PROFESSIONALLY? 14 years FAVORITE CURRENT PIECE TO PERFORM: Jamar Roberts’ “Ode” HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DANCED AT THE KENNEDY CENTER PREVIOUSLY: My first performance at the Kennedy Center was at the age of 17 back in high school where I attended a Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency led by the spectacular Lorraine Graves. I returned years later with Ailey in 2012 and have been back every year.

THOUGHTS ON THE VENUE/AUDIENCE:

The Kennedy Center is beautiful all around.

The theater is dripping in elegance and the audience is always lively and engaged.

So many historical moments for AfricanAmerican artists here so that makes it just all the more special.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION/ DANCE: I feel that dance is my language and medicine.

I am a nervous person and performing most times challenges that. So when the lights and people are stripped away I know that dance on my body heals me.

BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL FITNESS PROGRAM: Our work schedule is so intense so mostly the dancing is enough. But I truly enjoy the gym. I use it for muscle building and rehabilitation. I like getting to choose the intensity of my workout. Mostly based on the intensity of my dance schedule of the season.

OF ALL THE ARTISTIC MEDIUMS AVAILABLE, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE DANCE? It just felt very natural to me from day one. I say it choose me. I didn’t start dancing at a really young age like most. I was thrust into the dance world in high school and never looked back. I know it’s cliché but it was so just much fun!

WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DANCERS OF ALL TIME: Alvin Ailey and Arthur Mitchell WHAT LGBT THEMES ARE IN YOUR REPERTOIRE? Jamar Roberts new work “Ode” is about the victims of gun violence. And a group that knows that subject extremely well is the LBGTQ community. It’s a work with an all-male cast as well as an all-female cast.Though it’s not necessarily token “gay,” I do find dancing with the other men in this work brings a sorrowful yet prideful feeling about my experience as a gay black man.

WHAT’S THE MOST ARDUOUS/TEDIUS PART OF THE DISCIPLINE/LIFESTYLE? The most difficult part for me is the fight for balance when it comes to work and play.

Dance is my life and it not only requires a physical demand but emotional as well. I find myself still working on dropping all the emotions of work and focus of personal ones.

And vise versa.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN 15 YEARS? That’s the question of 2020! I have been dancing for so long and only now am I starting to think about a true next step for me.

It’s extremely scary but exciting. But it’s nice to know I can maintain my craft, do what I love, see the world and get compensated for it while I figure it out.

Who’s your LGBTQ hero?

Adrienne Maree Brown

QUEERY Olga Liapis-Muzzy

What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

That we are all one big monolith of a community.

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

The first tango performance where I was leading, was both one of the scariest and ultimately proudest moments of my dancing career.

What terrifies you?

The prospect of Donald Trump being in the White House another four years.

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

QUEERY: Olga Liapis-Muzzy

The tango instructor answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

Olga Liapis-Muzzy doesn’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t dancing in some capacity. Her Dad says she was even bopping around in her stroller.

“My parents had taken me to my first concert, a jazz concert, and as soon as the music began, the story goes, I started dancing and giggling,” she says.

She started dancing more seriously in college and was intrigued by a dissertation she heard about tango dancers in Chicago.

Upon checking out a local tango group the following week in Bloomington, Ind., LiapisMuzzy was immediately hooked.

“I love the level of improvisation and creativity,” the 33-year-old Milwaukee native says. “I love the fact that I can walk into a tango event in any part of the world and dance with a complete stranger in an

improvised way.”

Liapis-Muzzy now teaches Queer Tango Initiation classes with Tango Mercurio. The current series runs Feb. 3-March 9 at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.). The series is $120.

Details at tangomercurio.org or look for “queer tango” on Facebook. Queer Tango classes offer a safe space for same-sex dancers to study Argentine Tango learning both traditionally male/ female roles, role switching and dancing with a variety of partners. The classes are on the second floor from 7:30-9 p.m. on Mondays.

How hard is it to learn the tango?

Liapis-Muzzy says be ready for a challenge.

“It’s not that it’s difficult, it’s that it takes time,” she says. “Unlike other dances where you are learning choreography, with tango it’s more like you’re learning a new language.”

Liapis-Muzzy moved to Washington five years ago after several years in Baltimore. She works by day in training and organizing with Indivisible, a progressive activist company.

She’s in a relationship with Nathalie Karpati and lives near Fort Totten. Liapis-Muzzy enjoys tango and gardening in her free time.

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

I was a bit of a late bloomer and didn’t start dating women until I was 23 years old — which (wow) means I’ve been out for 10 years! My aunt was definitely the hardest to tell.

What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

I love all those terribly embarrassing moments on “America’s Funniest Home Videos” where someone unexpectedly falls down.

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

Sewing buttons back onto clothing.

What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show?

Season one of “Queer Eye” takes the cake for me. That first season was chock full of genuine moments of vulnerability and bonding between unlikely connections. The episode where the Fab Five are working with the police officer and Karamo doesn’t just empathetically and genuinely connect with the guy, but actually dives into a true conversation around police brutality was an act of community organizing.

What’s your social media pet peeve?

There really is such a thing as too many hashtags.

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

I don’t believe there will ever be an end to the LGBTQ movement. As with so many other movements, those of us with the most privilege will win rights/ access/liberation the fastest and that only makes it more imperative that we don’t walk away from the fights of our sisters/brothers/siblings who are still being marginalized.

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What’s the most overrated social custom?

The question “how are you” used as a greeting. We don’t really want to know how the other person is doing and yet we constantly ask it.

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

I spent part of my childhood living in Greece, from 2-9 years old, so grew up Greek Orthodox. I definitely don’t consider myself Greek Orthodox anymore, although I still celebrate some of the traditional holidays with my family.

What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem?

The Mansion on O Street! It’s a labyrinth of secret doors and passageways, one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon in D.C. What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

I still remember buying the last Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.” I was in college and both really excited but also quite sad to be reading the last book in a series that had followed me through so much of my childhood.

What celebrity death hit you hardest?

It’s always hard to lose public figures.

I’m still in shock at Kobe Bryant’s death last weekend.

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

I’d have bought some Bitcoin in the early 2000s.

What are your obsessions?

Cheese, houseplants and tango.

Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time: … we all had a living wage.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

That everyone is in fact just trying to figure it out.

Why Washington?

Because this city is beautiful.

JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 25

Ottobar in Baltimore is the site of an Elvira-themed event next weekend.

Photo by Josh Sisk

Desiree’s back The Valentine’s edition of Desiree Dik’s “SLAY THEM!” drag competition, is Friday, Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing (209 M St., N.E.).

Friends and fans of queer art and drag are invited to support the performers at this monthly competition. Everyone is welcome to compete and for a chance to win $50 and an opportunity to co-host and perform in a future Red Bear event with Desiree.

Visit redbear.beer for more information on this and other events.

Jody Watley here Feb. 8

Underwear party is Feb. 7

Grammy winner Jody Watley performs at The Howard Theatre (620 T St., N.W.) Saturday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $42.50 in advance and $50 the day of the show. She’s performed there many times since renovations were completed in 2012.

Watley, whose pop solo hits include “Looking for a New Love” and “Don’t You Want Me,” is also known for her postfunk-era dance hits with the R&B group Shalamar as well as a crossover duet with George Michael called “Learn to Say No.” For tickets and information, visit thehowardtheatre.com.

The District 1st Friday: ’80s & ’90s Bash hosted by Davon Hamilton Events and the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) is Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 p.m.

This event is also an underwear party featuring music by DJ Honey, GoGo dancers and more. The $10 cover charge also includes clothes check.

SBY Power Program will be on deck to conduct HIV testing for free entry. District 1st Friday is a body-positive space for queer individuals of color to shed their inhibition and dance the night away.

More information is available at greenlanterndc.com.

Night of 100 Elviras The Ottobar (2549 N Howard St., Baltimore) hosts Night of 100 Elviras Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $10 for this 18-and-over event.

Halloween comes early this year as this party pays tribute to the queen of camp horror. The public is invited to don their little black dresses and big hair in tribute while RjVj performs horror soundtracks and murder ballads. The event also includes performances by cover bands A Date with Elvira and The Universal Donors.

Visit eventbrite.com/e/night-of-100elviras-tickets or theottobar.com for more information.

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CALENDAR

TODAY Lesbian and Bisexual Women Speed Dating hosted by Professionals in the City is tonight at 7 p.m. at Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.). Tickets are $30 on Eventbrite.

LezLink DinnerD8: Masc for Fem is tonight at 8:30 p.m. at O-Ku Sushi D.C. (1274 5th St., N.E.). This event hosted by the LezLink Singles Club is for feminine womxn interested in dating masculine womxn aged 40-50. Tickets are $10 on Eventbrite.

ASL Poetry & Sign Songs 2020 is tonight at 9 p.m. at Busboys and Poets (450 K St., N.W.). $5 admission is free to the first five performers. All are invited to this abilityinclusive event. For more information, visit facebook.com/ASLpoetry.

An Underwear Dance Party presented by The Imperial Court of Washington is tonight at 10 p.m. at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.). This event has a $5 cover and features music by Alpha & Omega, DJ Phoenix Rise and UltraPup. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Saturday, Feb. 1 A Transversations Brunch is today from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.). This free event is open to all LGBTQ people and allies who would like to learn more about transgender men. Visit Eventbrite for tickets and information.

A Chinese New Year Family Celebration hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery (800 G St., N.W.) is today from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Cultural performances including Chinese ribbon dancing and an interactive magic show are a part of this free event. For details visit americanart. si.edu.

The Birth of a Dik, drag performer Desiree Dik’s birthday roast, is tonight at 9 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing (209 M St., N.E.). Queer artists perform as the birthday queen with Geneva Confection playing Roast Master. Visit redbear.beer for more information.

It’s Wig Night Out tonight at 9 p.m. at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.).

The D.C. chapter of the Supreme Wig Council celebrates its 10th anniversary and continued partnerships with Whitman-Walker, Casa Ruby and the Point Foundation. There is no cover but a $10 donation is encouraged. Visit pitchersbardc.com for more information.

AVALON Saturdays and 0ft Away present Celebrating the Life of Sung Kim, a charitable dance party honoring the recently deceased gay entrepreneur,

Wednesday, Feb. 5

A new book by DIANE KEATON discusses her life with her brother. She’s at Sixth & I next week.

Photo courtesy Penguin/Random House

tonight at 10 p.m. at Soundcheck (1420 K St., N.W.). A majority of the proceeds will be donated to StartOut, an organization dedicated to diversity in business.

General admission tickets are $20 on Eventbrite.

Hummer D.C. featuring DJ Phoenix Rise is tonight at 10 p.m. at the D.C. Eagle (3701 Benning Rd., N.E.). Admission is $25. For more information, visit dceagle. com.

Sunday, Feb. 2 It’s Free Community Day at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1250 New York Ave., N.W.). Starting at 1 p.m. is “Fierce Women,” a free tour highlighting women artists, activists and innovators. For more information, visit nmwa.org.

The Hot Lips Drag Brunch hosted

by The Imperial Court of Washington is today from noon-3 p.m. at The Ugly Mug (723 8th St., S.E.). Tickets are $40 and include one brunch cocktail, one brunch dish and drag entertainment. Proceeds benefit the court. Tickets and information are available on Eventbrite.

The D.C. Dyke March 2020 initial planning meeting is today from 2-4 p.m. at the Shaw Library (1630 7th St., N.W.). Participants are invited to this first planning meeting of 2020 for the upcoming Pride season. For more information, visit dcdykemarch.com and

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Facebook events.

Super Drag Sunday is tonight at 6 p.m. at Shaw’s Tavern (520 Florida Ave., N.W.). A drag show featuring Kristina Kelly will perform during the Super Bowl halftime show while the game airs on the venue’s multiple screens. RSVP at shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com.

Latin Night is tonight at 9 p.m. at the Dupont Italian Kitchen (1637 17th St., N.W.). Drag divas perform to Latin music all night with host Sylvanna Duvel. Visit dupontitaliankitchen.com and Facebook events for more information.

Tuesday, Feb. 4 The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs tonight at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) at 7 p.m.

Performances include Ailey’s signature classic “Revelations” as part of the Afrocentric dance event. Tickets start at $49 at kennedy-center.org.

D.C. Gaymers hosts a Pokemon Slash and Bash Tournament tonight at 7 p.m. at the Uproar Lounge (639 Florida Ave., N.W.). Tournament consists of 3v3 singles. Other tabletop games such as Uno, Battleship and more will be available as well. More information is available at uproarlounge.com.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund hosts the National Brunch 2020 Table Captain Happy Hour at its headquarters (1225 I St., N.W., Suite 525) today at 5:30 p.m.

This event provides an opportunity to meet the team and network with local elected officials. Visit victoryfund.org for more information.

BOOKMEN D.C., an informal men’s gay-literature group, discusses the Randy Shilts HIV/AIDS classic “And the Band Played On” tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Park Library (3310 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). All are welcome.

For more information, visit bookmendc. blogspot.com.

It’s Market Crash: LGBTQ Night at The Big Board (421 H St., N.E.) at 9 p.m.

There is no cover for this all-inclusive event. Visit thebigboarddc.com for more information.

Thursday, Feb. 6 Queer/Trans/Nonbinary Yoga is this evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Lamont Dharma House (1717 Lamont St., N.W.).

This event is a safe space for those who identify outside of traditional boundaries and do not feel comfortable in a yoga studio. All are welcome to pay what they can. Visit Facebook events for details.

Diane Keaton shares intimate details of life with her troubled, alcoholic brother Randy in her new book “Brother & Sister” at a book signing event at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. The Oscarwinning actress discusses the ravages of mental illness on a family through Randy’s own writing and art. Tickets are $40 on Eventbrite.

D.C. Lambda Squares holds its club night tonight (and every Thursday) at 7:30 p.m. at National City Christian Church (5 Thomas Circle). Details at dclambdasquares.org.

This Week in the Arts provided by CultureCapital.com DANCE Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Feb 4-Feb 9. The National Ballet of Canada: The Sleeping Beauty. Thru Feb 2. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company. Feb 3-Feb 24. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. npg.si.edu.

Passion Fruit Dance Company. Feb 1-Feb 2. Dance Place. danceplace.org.

The Merry Wives of Windsor Thru Mar 1. Folger Theatre. folger.edu.

The pursuit of money is bound to backfire when the targets are smarter than their gold-digging schemer. Falstaff’s dubious plan to woo Windsor’s wealthy housewives is met with hilarious retaliation, when the ladies devise a plot to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget. The comedic comeuppance is an absolute treat in Shakespeare’s delightful comedy on love, money, deception, and the power of women.

Bereishit Dance Company Feb 6. Strathmore. strathmore.org.

Groundbreaking Seoul-based company that approaches Korean traditional culture from a contemporary view. Judo and Balance & Imbalance, two of the company’s acclaimed works, are stunning examples of their style that merges the control and full-body excitement of break dance with sleek artistry and urban cool. Live traditional pansori music reaches the heights of athletic ability fused with beautiful choreography.

Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company Feb 1. Mason’s Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.

For more than 35 years, the landmark Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company has revolutionized modern dance while exploring issues of identity through social commentary. In this world premiere, co-commissioned by the Center for the Arts, Bill T. Jones examines group identity and its relationship to aloneness through his iconic choreography, set to spoken word and live music.

National Archives Sleepover Feb 1. National Archives. archivesfoundation.org.

A night of adventure awaits at the National Archives! Join us for a special sleepover at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, and spend the night next to America’s most precious treasures: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

Photo Courtesy of Folger

THEATRE Broadway Center Stage: Next to Normal. Thru Feb 2. Maz Jobrani. Jan 31.

WORLD STAGES—Huff: featuring Cliff Cardinal. Feb 6-Feb 8. WORLD STAGES— Sundance Institute: Grey Rock. Thru Feb 1. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Exquisita Agonía (Exquisite Agony).

Feb 6-Mar 1. GALA Hispanic Theatre. galatheatre.org.

Gun & Powder. Thru Feb 23. Signature

Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Miss You Like Hell. Thru Mar 1. Olney Theatre. olneytheatre.org.

Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in The New World. Thru Feb 16. Mosaic Theater Company at Atlas. mosaictheater.org.

Recent Tragic Events. Thru Feb 16.

Prologue Theatre at Atlas. prologuetheatre. org.

Sheltered. Thru Feb 1. Theater J. EDCJCC. theaterj.org.

Spring Awakening. Thru Feb 23.

Round House. roundhousetheatre.org.

MUSIC Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Feb 1.

Washington Performing Arts at Kennedy Center. washingtonperformingarts.org.

Apple Core. Feb 1. Billy Price. Jan 31.

AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

Asko|Schönberg. Jan 31-Feb 1.

Skride Piano Quartet. Feb 5. Library of Congress. loc.gov.

Brian Ganz Plays Chopin. Feb 1.

National Philharmonic at Strathmore. nationalphilharmonic.org.

Jane Bunnett & Maqueque. Feb 2.

Atlas. atlasarts.org.

Broccoli City Festival Preview. Feb 1. Linda May Han Oh, Aventurine. Feb 6.

Kennedy Center. The Reach @The Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

California Guitar Trio + Montreal Guitar Trio. Feb 6. Tanya Tucker with Brandy Clark. Feb 5. Wolf Trap at The Barns. wolftrap.org.

Diane Monroe, violin, with PUBLIQuartet. Feb 2. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. npg.si.edu.

Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. Feb 6-Feb 9. Lugansky plays Mozart / Honeck conducts Dvořák. Thru Feb 1. NSO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars. Jan 31. Strathmore. strathmore. org.

Margot MacDonald & Piotr Pakhomkin. Feb 6. Strathmore at The Mansion. strathmore.org.

Massenet’s Thaïs. Thru Feb 1.

Maryland Lyric Opera at The Clarice. mdlo. org.

The Siberian State Symphony Orchestra. Jan 31. Hylton Center. hyltoncenter.org.

MUSEUMS AU Museum at the Katzen. Washington Print Club. Feb 1. Communicating Vessels: Ed Bisese, Elyse Harrison, Wayne Paige.

Thru Mar 15. Good Form, Decorum, and in

the Manner: Portraits from the Collections of Washington Print Club Members. Thru Mar 15. Heroes & Losers: The Edification of Luis Lorenzana. Thru Mar 15. Landscape in an Eroded Field - Carol Barsha, Heather Theresa Clark, Artemis Herber. Thru Mar 15.

Robert Franklin Gates: Paint What You See. Thru May 24. Volkmar Wentzel. Thru May 24. american.edu.

Anacostia Neighborhood Library.

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

Dumbarton Oaks. Asian Art from the Bliss Collection. Thru Jun 1. A Nobility of Matter: Asian Art from the Bliss Collection.

Thru Jun 1. doaks.org.

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. Thru Jun 1. nationalgeographic.org.

National Museum of Women in the Arts. Delita Martin: Calling Down The Spirits. Thru Apr 19. New York Ave Sculpture Project. Thru Sep 20. nmwa.org.

Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. The Great Inka Road.

Thru Jun 1. Our Universes. Thru Sep 30.

Nation to Nation. Thru Dec 31. Return to a Native Place. Thru Jan 1. Americans. Thru Dec 31. americanindian.si.edu.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian.

In Mid-Sentence. Thru Mar 29. One Life: Marian Anderson. Thru May 17. Women of Progress: Early Camera Portraits. Thru May 31. Storied Women of the Civil War Era. Thru May 8. npg.si.edu.

GALLERIES Arlington Artists Alliance. High Caliber Art Exhibition. Thru Jan 31.

Kaleidoscope National Juried Show. Thru Feb 8. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

CHAW. Gallery Resident Artist MK Bailey. Thru Feb 10. chaw.org.

DC Arts Center. Out of Joint - Small Drawing by Karen Schiff. Thru Feb 23. dcartscenter.org.

Del Ray Artisans. Tangerine. Thru Feb 2. delrayartisans.org.

Hill Center. Hill Center Galleries. Thru Feb 1. hillcenterdc.org.

Library of Congress. Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words. Thru Sep 30. loc.gov.

Strathmore. David Scheirer. Thru Feb 23. The 29th Annual Strathmore Juried Exhibition: Home. Thru Feb 23.

28 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0

Gay dad, gay son

Fatherly advice has special meaning in ‘Gay Like Me’

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

APPLY FOR DISCOUNTS ON YOUR UTILITY BILLS APPLY FOR DISCOUNTED RATES ON :

Natural Gas

Residential Essential Service (RES) Program

Electric

Residential Aid Discount (RAD) Program

RES eligible customers will receive an approximate 25% discount on total bill.

Water

Customer Assistance Program (CAP)

Potential savings of $300-475 annually.

Telephone

Lifeline Program (Economy II)

Potential discount could be over $500.00 annually.

Annual discount on one land line service per household.

for more info call 311 or visit doee.dc.gov/udp To apply for the telephone Lifeline Service (Economy II),call 1-800-837-4966 These discounts are for DC residents only and are subject to income eligibility requirements.

RICHIE JACKSON

Photo by Nathan Johnson, Courtesy Harper

Like father, like son.

When you were small, people said you looked just like your dad. As you grew up, they said you had his sense of humor or his temper, you laughed alike, you walked alike.

Today, you may be close or you may have a chasm of miles or emotion between you, but as in the new book “Gay Like Me” by Richie Jackson, you’re a lot more like Dad than you think.

From the time he was small, Richie Jackson knew two things: he “felt lucky to be gay” and he wanted to be a father someday.

“Everything good that has happened to me is because I am gay,” he says — and that includes the birth of his son, born to a surrogate when Jackson was in his 30s. Since then, in the meantime, the sentiment has surely doubled since Jackson’s son came out as gay.

That was his “greatest wish for” his son, that he know the joy of being gay because it’s “a gift.” Says Jackson, he is “thrilled for the flight ahead of you” and “wary of the fight ahead of you” because wonderful things could happen but vigilance is required, and the knowledge that pain sometimes comes from people you didn’t think would hurt you.

Still, Jackson is excited for his son, who is college-age now and who grew up at a time when AIDS isn’t a death sentence, hiding isn’t mandatory and so many large battles have already been fought by people at Stonewall, in the military, in marriage equality and in everyday life. These things give Jackson hope as he launches his eldest son in the world as a gay man, but he has advice.

Know who you are, he counsels, and

“never diminish your essence.” Know the heroes who went before you. Never let your sexuality shame you and never use it to shame others. Know your partner’s HIV status in advance. Don’t fall into the same drugs-and-alcohol trap that’s ensnared so many other gay men. And “vote as if your life depends on it, because it does.”

Is there a modern teenager in the world who takes his father’s advice? Perhaps not, but if he’s a gay young man, he might still be glad to have “Gay Like Me.” Written with enthusiasm and gratitude, author Richie Jackson also displays a lot of loving steel hidden in the things he wants his son to know. His advice is fierce, but tempered with the kind of acquired fear that traumatically becomes a part of one’s DNA. In the sweetest of dad tones, he’s honest, using a please-don’t-do-as-I-did warning, heavy on the “please.” He doesn’t just write words to his son, but he penned them about his son and they’re caressing, but difficult, words that aren’t only for the sake of, or aimed at, one specific, specifically young man.

You don’t, in other words, have to be young or gay or even a man to enjoy “Gay Like Me.” Mothers of gay teens will want it, fathers and sons alike.

‘Gay Like Me: A Father Writes to His Son’

By Richie Jackson

By Abby Chava Stein Harper $24.99 163 pages

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Grand finale

Omari’s anger

New Pet Shop Boys album brings Berlin trilogy to satisfying close

Teacher-shoving incident haunts black teen in ‘Pipeline’

By CHRISTINA LAMBERT

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

“Hotspot,” Pet Shop Boys’ muchanticipated 14th studio album, was released last week on x2 Records/Kobalt. On this outing, which rounds out the intended trilogy of albums with producer Stuart Price (after 2013’s “Electric” and 2016’s “Super”), Neil Tennant (who’s openly gay) and Chris Lowe present us with a buffet of songs that are both fresh and familiar, hypnotic and pensive.

“Hotspot” juggles living-in-the-moment anthems with narratives of wistful reflection.

Giving us a little more mood than its two predecessors, but mercifully not straying too far into “Elysium” (2012) territory (that had many wondering whether Neil and Chris were calling it a day), “Hotspot” gives both casual PSB listeners and the endearingly dubbed “Petheads” plenty to celebrate.

Peppered with nods to Berlin, opener “Will-o-the-Wisp” is a pulsing lament on a former paramour trading reckless for respectable, much to the dismay of Tennant (“You were always such a free spirit/Aren’t you getting bored?”), whose candor and persistent yearning are underscored by the squealing sounds of the U-Bahn.

Released last September, “Dreamland” is the first single, featuring a collaboration with synth-pop band Years & Years. As the name suggests, “Dreamland” is a utopialike, otherworldy place, a better, more welcoming place full of hope and promise.

Delivered with a punchy groove, the weighty messaging and not-so-subtle lyrics around a “free land and they welcome everyone to stay,” “leaving all our worries behind” and not needing a visa to move freely alludes to the continuing global tensions around borders, access and acceptance.

Featuring Bernard Butler (Suede, The Tears, McAlmont & Butler) on acoustic guitar, “Burning the Heather,” as the melancholy second single, sees a misunderstood Tennant contemplating his life’s journey and where he might find himself next, which is anyone’s guess: “I am a stranger in this town but that’s as far as it goes and where I am bound no one knows.” The delicately haunting “Heather” is reserved in the tracklisting as the closing ballad (if you’re playing straight through and are not a “shuffle play” listener), artfully anchoring the end of the album in third-act introspection.

New single “Monkey Business” is all

The Pet Shop Boys are NEIL TENNANT (left) and CHRIS LOWE. Photo by Phil Fisk

attitude, hyper-confidence and bloated selfimportance (“people tell me I’m a legend round these parts”) but this track is pure disco-dosed fun, punctuated with hand claps and full of the-night-is-young optimism and antics with assuredly questionable consequences (“we’re gonna have a party where we all cross the line”). This wonderfully infectious song is what you’re playing on repeat as you’re mixing your Saturday night pregame cocktails.

Weaving these singles together is an assortment of “all-the-feels” ballads such as “You Are the One,” so earnest in its declaration of love, and “Only the Dark,” so atmospherically 1980s it could have been plucked directly from some beloved coming-of-age film; it’s an expression of tenderness and contentment, with Tennant sweetly reassuring “You’re all that I want/ it’s all that I need/to be here with you,” and funky up-tempo dance gems found in the ’90s-throwback bliss of “Happy People” and “I Don’t Wanna,” the stylistic counterpart to “Monkey Business,” even if the music belies the subject matter. Tennant’s subject is insecure, introverted and simply doesn’t wanna go dancing, but this song is absolutely meant to be danced to, perhaps he might come around?

“Wedding in Berlin,” the final track, wraps up “Hotspot” with a positive message and a surprise appearance by Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” but comes across as an uninspired effort without much lyrical or emotional depth.

Without question, “Hotspot” is an overall win, an absolute treat to spend time with and a satisfying conclusion to their Price collaboration. No matter what direction they head next, Pet Shop Boys are still here, still relevant, still masters at balancing powerful pop with insightful message, here with a little more gravitas. Don’t sleep on this beautifully executed album.

In Dominique Morisseau’s hard-hitting drama “Pipeline” (now at Studio Theatre), there’s a lot happening. Characters are operating under unrelenting emotional stress, sometimes with physical manifestations. And despite their best efforts to move forward as pragmatically as possible, feelings of frustration and dread get in their way.

Nya (Andrea Harris Smith) teaches English at an urban public high school. As she explains famed poet Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool,” a poem about young AfricanAmerican males and the risks that surround them, she can’t help but think about her own teenage son Omari (out actor Justin Weaks). While Nya speaks to the class (we, the audience), the poem’s words and Omari’s image are worryingly projected on to Arnulfo Maldonado’s purposely blank, utilitarian white set.

“Pipeline’s” title is derived from the awareness that low income children of color are channeled directly from the public education system into America’s jails and prisons. It’s a theory that has been explored extensively and one that would certainly be familiar to Nya and motivate her to do everything in her power to protect her son.

And though Nya and ex-husband Xavier (Bjorn DuPaty) send Omari to a private boarding school, he’s not immune from certain feelings and expectations.

During a class about Richard Wright’s seminal novel “Native Son,” a teacher pressured Omari to weigh-in on the rage that pushed the book’s Bigger Thomas, a poor black youth, to commit murder.

Uncomfortable with being singled out to comment on the character’s motivations, Omari lost his cool and shoved the teacher.

The altercation has been recorded by fellow students and is about to go viral.

Fearful that the school will press charges, Omari plans to run away despite the protestations of his girlfriend Jasmine, an insightfully written character enjoyably assayed by Monica Rae Summers Gonzalez.

On an island of privilege, Omari and Jasmine share not only similar non-posh backgrounds and code switching, but also a certain level of alienation. Both are uncomfortable with their parents’ notion that shunting them off far from home will somehow make them better people.

Back in the city, Nya and her coworkers

— Laurie (Pilar Witherspoon), an angry and literally scarred-from-the-job fellow teacher, and philosophical security guard Dun (Ro Boddie) — contend with the daily challenge of keeping peace at a school rife with violence and discord.

And now with Omari in trouble, Nya’s anxiety level is growing increasingly higher.

As an educator, she demands that Omari have respect for her profession, insisting it’s a teacher’s job to provoke a student into learning. Then again, on a more or less unspoken level, as a black mother who is fearful every time her young male son leaves the house, unsure what kind of trouble might ensnare him, Nya would like Omari to suck it up and not defy figures of authority. She’s in a difficult place.

Naturally, Omari feels frustrated. He’s grappling with both racial and familial concerns that dramatically come to a head in a pivotal scene between Omari and his distant father in an E.R. waiting room.

Ultimately (without giving too much away) it takes a written list of requests to prompt some honest exchange and a glimmer of hope.

“Pipeline” is made up of a string of intense, lyrically penned and staggeringly intimate scenes and monologues. Here, perceptively staged by Awoye Timpo and keenly acted by a deeply invested cast.

As a playwright, Morisseau strives “to illuminate the humanity behind social issue.”

She succeeds, strongly.

JUSTIN WEAKS (left) as Omari and BJORN DuPATY as Xavier in ‘Pipeline.’

Photo by C. Stanley Photography; courtesy Studio)

‘Pipeline’ Through Feb. 16 Studio Theatre 1501 14th St., N.W. $60-90 202-332-3300 studiotheatre.org

30 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0

GINA CHERSEVANI opened Last Call in October.

Photos by Rey Lopez

Funky interiors at Last Call.

Photos by Rey Lopez

‘Little jewel box’

Entrepreneur goes for ‘dive bar’ vibe at Last Call

By EVAN CAPLAN As a bar, Last Call officially opened in October. Its spirit, however, dates from the time its doors received a striking coat of green.

The inexhaustible Gina Chersevani, also known by her nom de cocktail Mixtress D.C., is at it again, opening not one but two new watering holes in the space of two months.

The first is Last Call, (1301-A Fourth St., N.E.), tucked into the shadowy warren of alleys a mere block from the highbrow vendors in Union Market, where Chersevani operates the Brooklyn-flavored Buffalo & Bergen stall.

Easy to miss, Last Call sits in a low-slung converted warehouse, but its history is as varied as it is inglorious. That green door painted is a Prohibition-era signifier that it was safe to sample and sip the pours flowing inside.

Yet Chersevani, who’s straight, isn’t attempting an exaggerated homage to a speakeasy. Last Call hews as close to a dive as a new bar can, upholding an effortless ease that its owner exudes. Beers start at a mere $3 (PBR, Budweiser); other drafts don’t break $7.

As for the cocktail list, “it was an exercise in constraint, since we love all kinds of booze,” Chersevani says. “It’s really hard to make great drinks cheaply without comprising product, but we found a way and they are all damn

JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 31

tasty.”

Drinks are in the $5-11 range, the last double-digit price for a caffeinated concoction with Jameson, Irish cream, coffee and a New Orleans-inspired green chartreuse float.

Partygoers can partake in Jell-O shots to recall college days. Should they want to reminisce about study abroad, Last Call serves a play on the Aperol spritz, swapping out refined prosecco with a more approachable Schlitz.

The bar’s décor matches its attitude.

Every piece of furniture is a found or donated object. The previous green-blue interior paint job remains intact; retro lockers line the walls in the back.

“The design was actually really thought out, so it’s not just slapped together,” Chersevani says.

Modern elements? Flat-screen TVs allow for views of the game.

PBRs and frose drinks call for munchies. A short list of DIY noshes: choose chips (Zapp’s chips, flown in from New Orleans) or locally made Snacklin’s to pair with dips like French onion and pimento cheese.

“Didn’t you ever go out with friends and tell the story the next day that, ‘I was out until last call last night?’” Chersevani says. She’s aiming for much more of that.

A mere 36 days later, Chersevani opened a grown-up version of Buffalo & Bergen in Capitol Hill (240 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.), an outgrowth of her wildly popular Union Market stall.

“B&B Capitol Hill is a gorgeous little place that leads with drinks and bagels,” Chersevani says.

This “drinkery-dinette” marries Chersevani’s throwback style with cheeky modern flair “into this little jewel box of a place,” she calls it.

Named for a cozy corner of two streets in her native Brooklyn, this new Buffalo & Bergen lets Chersevani flip dishes reflective of all the character of New York (and D.C.).

New York-style side-eye is a major component of the menu. Chersevani’s true love — bagels — shines in the Cheezus Has Risen, a generous package of gooey doublecream brie, smoked Gouda and cheddar.

Latkes are no longer just Hanukkah fare: the Live, Love Latkes is a heaping pile of crispy potato pancakes aside the appropriate toppings — crème fraiche, mascarpone and a smoky-sour bourbon applesauce.

Chersevani isn’t Jewish, but grew up in a Jewish neighborhood and takes license with her Brooklyn heritage. She spikes her bloody Mary with an everything bagel stuffed with lox, cream cheese, capers and red onion. She also offers the opportunity to make your bagel very, very bad: the Original Sinner tosses verboten bacon on the classic lox combo.

Drinks are even more wide-ranging, but almost all infuse apples as a nod to, well, the Big Apple. Splashing south-of-the-border into a touch of Lower East Side is the “A Dolla & A Dream,” with mezcal, quince, honey, and yes, Manischewitz.

Through all this action, Chersevani was back at work to plan her fourth annual madcap Mardi Gras Extravaganza party to rival anything the French Quarter could offer.

Taking over Union Market’s Dock 5 on Fat Tuesday (Feb. 25), the party features celebrity chefs, live music, and benefits D.C. Central Kitchen.

Chersevani was effusive about the event, as is her style. “Mardi Gras Extravaganza is incredible — it’s a great [expletive] party with a Hurricane competition in the dead center of it.”

Puerto Vallarta — what’s not to like?

Reasonable, warm, easy to get to and gay friendly are attractions in Mexican resort spot

By BILL MALCOLM Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is the premiere LGBT resort in North America and winter is a perfect time to visit. It’s the dry season and temperatures are in the low to mid80s every day. Your cost would be half what you would pay for a similar vacation in Florida. It’s on the Pacific Ocean on the largest Bay in Mexico and is a steal.

The food is excellent with lots of seafood and Mexican dishes. And did I forget to mention that Tequila comes from a small town nearby of the same name?

Nestled in the Zona Romantica (old town) is the LGBTQ district with its many charming hotels, bars and restaurants which are all steps from each other on cobblestone streets. Don’t miss the farmers’ market on Saturdays and Art Walk Wednesday nights. The Malecon, a sculpture-lined beach walkway, leads you to the Playa de los Muertos beach and pier. South of the pier is the gay beach.

WHAT TO DO Sailing on Banderas Bay with Vallarta Adventures is a great way to see wildlife like the whale sharks, sting rays (which the locals call manta rays), pelicans, bluefooted booby birds (which dive for fish) and dolphins. Our sailing adventure stopped to paddle board, snorkel and swim on a great beach on the northern part of Banderas Bay. The trip leaves from the Marina Nuevo Vallarta. Book your adventure at vallarta-adventures. com.

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens is a 50-minute bus ride down the coast and up into the mountains at 1,500 feet. It is a “dry season tropical forest” with lots of plants and trees. They feature tropical plants like the sun burn tree (the Gumbo Limbo) as well as swimming in the bottom of the canyon in the Rio Sendero.

Have lunch at the fabulous Rooftop Restaurant featuring local fare. Don’t miss the Orchid Conservatory as well as the Vanilla Plantation walks. To get to the

gardens, catch the El Tuito bus at Carraza at Aguacate Streets. The fare is around 40 pesos.

There are several beach clubs on the beach catering to the community including the Blue Chairs and the Green Chairs (Ritmos). It’s never a dull moment as peddlers stop by try to sell you souvenirs. You can order lunch under the beach umbrellas as well as drinks. It makes for a great day.

You can work out daily at The Fit Club which features day passes as well as longer-term pricing options.

NIGHTLIFE I saw the fabulous Kim Kuzma at the Palms Cabaret who did her British Invasion show featuring songs from Annie Lennox, Adele and British singers and groups. You can see the show Tuesdays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. The cabaret is at 508 Olas Altas, the main street in the Zona Romanica (Old Town).

Tickets at thepalmcabaret.com.

Many of the bars are on Lazaro Cardenas Street including Mr. Flamingo (347 Lazaro Cardenas on Vallarta) and CC Slaughters. The others are down the street in the Zona Olas Altas including the Anonimo, a video bar which has three floors and great views of the street scene.

Catch the nightly drink specials including the 50-peso Cosmos on Sunday. Then grab a slushie drink at the nearby Blondies Bar. Swedes Restaurant and Bar features Cosmos for 40 pesos all night Wednesday and also serves excellent food. Show your Palm Cabaret ticket for 15 percent off.

Up the hill are two roof top bars located in condos but open to the public which feature great views of the sunset.

They are the Pinnacle Rooftop Bar and The Signature Lounge both which feature great happy hours.

Old Town has 32 LGBT bars that are quite varied.

Puerto Vallarta offers a warm weather bargain and is exceedingly LGBT-friendly Photo by Bill Malcolm

GETTING THERE I took Southwest Airlines via Houston on the way down and via Denver on the way back. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines also has service to Puerto Vallarta as does United.

From the airport, catch the city bus for just 10 pesos (50 cents US) to town (look for the sign on the window saying Centro or Tunnel). You will find the stop just to the left as you exit the airport.

WHERE TO STAY I stayed at the Hotel Mercurio in the heart of Old Town. The rates are reasonable and the rooms surround the pool which has a great bar and restaurant.

Sundays is the beer bust (Beer, Boys, and Burgers) which also features a drag and a strip show from 4-7 p.m. Happy Hour starts daily at 3 p.m. Book your room at hotel-mercurio.com. They also have a swim suit store. Even if you can’t stay there, stop by for a meal or drink or to buy a swim suit. You will find them and Francisco Rodriugez no. 168.

I have also stayed at the 50 Callejon del Amendro condos (book at pvrpv.com which also offers other condos such as the V399 where my friends stayed).

Other options include the La Terraza Inn and The Almar Hotel although the latter apparently now has a $8 resort fee.

(I boycott hotels with such surcharges.)

WHERE TO EAT Daiquiri Dicks has great views of the beach as well as excellent Mexican and American Food.

Barra Light features great salads and fresh carrot juice.

Dees Coffee near the Pier and Vallarta

Coffee Roasters both have excellent coffee drinks.

The Hotel Mercurio has the best breakfast in town. The selection varies daily but is authentic local fare. My favorite was the beef picadillo, a beef hash with vegetables and lots of spices.

Plus, the fresh fruit which included papaya.

TRAVEL TIPS Puerto Vallarta is a bargain. Food and drinks are about half what you would pay at home and the hotels are much cheaper than other warm weather destinations.

There are around 18 Mexican pesos to the dollar. One hundred pesos equals around $5. (Drop the zero and divide by two to go from pesos to dollars).

Your ATM card will work in Mexico.

Use it at the banks for the best rates.

Pick up a copy of Gay PV or read it on line (gaypv.com). They also have a Gay Guide (gayguidevallarta.com).

Out and About Puerto Vallarta (O&APV) is the monthly magazine filled with adventure ideas.

This was my third trip to Puerto Vallarta and it won’t be my last.

Bill Malcolm

writes this syndicated LGBT value travel column which focuses on seeing a city without breaking the bank. He focuses on affordable hotels, using public transit and other fun ideas to enjoy a city like a local. This is a hobby. Special thanks to Michelle Gonzalez of Choose Chicago for helpful ideas and a CityPass.

32 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0

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BHT Foundation grant awards Brother, Help Thyself rebranded its name ‘BHT Foundation’ at its annual grant ceremony at the D.C. Eagle on Saturday. BHT gave out $71,500 in grants to local LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS organizations. Non-monetary community service awards were given to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), LULAC Lambda, Damien Ministries and Jim Slattery. (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

34 • WA S H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0

Delaware beach market update Rehoboth, Lewes, Milton are open for business

By LEE ANN WILKINSON Happy 2020 from the Delaware beaches! In years gone by, even within the past decade, January signaled a time to exhale for beach real estate sales agents. Our offices experienced some down time and we even took vacations, while rental agents would be in the throes of their peak booking season (which is still the case for rentals). Like so many other markets, due to factors ranging from demographic shifts to easier Internet shopping and booking, the Coastal Delaware real estate market is now “open for business” year-round.

To put this trend in context and provide metrics for the more left-brained reader, in Sussex County, Delaware (which is where the Bright MLS covers), as of December 31, 2019: • Total single family homes on the market: 1,639 (63% resale; 37% new construction) • Total single-family homes sold in 2019: 4,128 (a 9% increase from 2018) • Average sale price in 2019: $414,760 (a 5% increase from 2018) These numbers cast a wider net than traditional “beach towns,” and include areas west of Coastal Highway. To look at the beach in more detail, you can put the

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST?

Summer will be here before you know it, so prepare now.

microscope on Lewes.

In 2019, 53 properties (lots, condos/ townhomes, and single family homes) sold on Lewes Beach, compared to 46 in 2018; 114 properties sold in-town Lewes, compared to 78 in 2018; and 298 properties sold East of Route 1 in Lewes, compared to 195 in 2018. This uptick in properties is attributable to new construction as well as a brisk resale market.

While the number of properties sold has increased, there is still a relatively low

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST?

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST? times when short ofshort the bestofwill A memorial ThereThere arearetimes whennothing nothing thedo.best will do. A service is service one of them.isItone is a final expression, theaculmination of a lifetime the memorial of them.

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What leaves into a lasting culmination of into a lifetime orchestrated a impression? singular event.

A ceremony that is as unique as the individual.

We’ll help youthat plan is as What leaves a lasting impression? A ceremony and design every detail of your own remarkable send-off. uniqueahead as the individual. We’ll help you plan ahead and design every detail of your own remarkable send-off.

inventory in ‘hot’ areas like Lewes Beach and downtown Historic Lewes.

Currently, as of 1/29/2020, there are 26 homes for sale in-town Lewes, ranging in price from $249,000 for a rancher several miles to the beach to $2,295,000 for the highest priced beachfront home.

In Rehoboth as of 1/29/2020, there are 58 homes for sale, from $320,000 for a condo to $4,400,000 for a beachfront condo – and $2,748,000 for a single family home in a beach block in South Rehoboth.

Downtown Rehoboth offers

unquestionable appeal with walk-ability, restaurants, shopping, and some of the best beaches in the country. There is a vast array of prices for a beach getaway in Rehoboth – from downtown condos and luxury homes to adjacent neighborhoods and golf communities.

Lewes offers a more traditionally historic setting, increasingly comparable restaurant options, and quieter beaches of the Delaware Bay and Atlantic Ocean via Cape Henlopen State Park. Milton is more affordable yet with its own budding restaurant and gallery scene and is still just a 15-minute or so drive to Lewes.

This is just a glimpse of the many real estate options available at the Delaware Beaches. The bottom line is that Rehoboth, Lewes, Milton and surrounding areas are “open for business” and a strong selection of restaurants (with winter specials) are open, too. To truly comparison shop, contact a beach real estate expert who can help you navigate the benefits of each location. Make 2020 your year to move to the beach!

Lee Ann Wilkinson is CEO and a Realtor at The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Gallo Realty in Lewes, Del. The group is the #1 sales team in Delaware and #4 nationally for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.

Visit LeeAnnGroup.com for more information.

REALTOR®speak Updated Kitchen

Translation: Sink no longer overflows

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 JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 35

There are times when nothing short of the best will do. A memorial service is one of them. It is a final expression, the culmination of a lifetime

In 2019,

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36 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • JAN UARY 3 1 , 2 0 2 0

New Year, New View!

Take a fresh look at beach life from these fabulous Lewes Beach and in-town Lewes homes. Hop on the new bike trails and coast on the coast between Lewes and Rehoboth Beach!

Visit LeeAnnGroup.com to see more photos of these well-located homes; call us to see them in person!

1802 Cedar Street, Lewes Beach MLS: 154168 Offered at $1,350,000

16612 Shoal Road, Breakwater, Lewes MLS: 152902 Offered at $609,900

35104 - 26B Roebuck Lane, Breakwater, Lewes MLS: 146678 Offered at $369,900

107 Carter Way, Canary Creek, Lewes MLS: 146650 Offered at $415,000

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JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA DE.COM • 37

.11

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Are you interested in improving the lives of patients living with HIV? Learn more about Inova Juniper at: https://www. inova.org/juniper Family Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - $2500 Sign On Bonus - Fairfax/ Mt. Vernon RN Nurse Case Manager – $2500 Sign On Bonus – Fairfax/ Mt. Vernon and Falls Church Outpatient RN/ LPN - $2500 Sign On Bonus - Opportunities available in Fairfax & Dumfries Clinical Therapist, MSW (LCSW Preferred) - Falls Church Ambulatory Clinical Manager (RN) – Fairfax/Mt. Vernon Education and Prevention Manager Grants Manager Program Coordinator – Gay Men’s Health Collaborative (GMHC) Community Health Educator / Community Health Worker Patient Access Associate (Bilingual Spanish Preferred) – Fairfax To apply for any of these positions please go to: https://www. inovacareers.org/ or contact Joseph Schmucker at joseph.schmucker@inova .org

WHOLISTIC SERVICES, INC. Seeking Full Time Direct Support Professionals to assist intellectually disabled adults with behavioral health complexities in group homes & day services throughout D.C. Requirements: Valid Driver’s License, able to lift 50-75 lbs., complete training program, become Med Certified within 6 months of hire, pass security background check. (Associates degree preferred) For more information please contact Human Resources @ 301392-2500.

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FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of ll be considered final and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of oof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is r any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users gh the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or hird parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any ent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair efamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, ight of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all amages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred

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MOVERS

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JA N UA RY 3 1 , 2020 • WA SHINGTONBLA D E.COM • 39

RENT / DC $2200/1BR-700ft- Lots of Sunlight, Space, & Style (1245 13th St NW). Come home to this gorgeous PH condo in Logan Park.

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Small pets OK. Showing this weekend or by appointment.

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