Washingtonblade.com, Volume 51, Issue 8, February 21, 2020

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Comings & Goings

New U.S. Attorney for D.C.’s views Daniel Penchina launches new company on LGBTQ issues unknown

By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings and Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements.

Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.

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

Congratulations to Daniel Penchina on opening his new company, Penchina Partners. Daniel said “I am delighted to announce the launch of Penchina Partners, a consultancy that aims to help organizations, individuals, and funders with solving complex challenges around DANIEL PENCHINA strategy, advocacy, and nonprofit management.” He went on to say “I’ve always loved solving complex problems, and lord knows our country has many to address. I’m genuinely excited to apply all that I’ve learned and have accomplished fighting for the progressive movement to an even broader set of causes.”

Daniel has spent 18 years in Washington, first as a staff member on Capitol Hill, then as a public interest lobbyist and strategist, and finally as a nonprofit leader. His most recent position was as President of Voices for Progress.

Prior to that Daniel worked for nearly ten years with the Raben Group, Washington, DC. His work on the Hill included stints as Legislative Director for two members of Congress, Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Christopher Murphy (D-CT). He began his career on the Hill as a Legislative Assistant/Appropriations Associate with Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

Daniel is an active volunteer in the DC LGBTQ+ community serving on numerous boards and committees including as a Board member of SMYAL; member of the Steering committee of the Healthy Democracy Coalition, and he served a stint on the steering committee of ‘Q’ Street. He was recognized in Washingtonian Magazine’s “Top 40 Lobbyists under 40” list.

Daniel received his BFA with honors in Cinema Studies from New York University, New York, New York.

Congratulations also to Larry Ray on the startup of his new firm SENATUS. Larry describes SENATUS as a dispute resolution firm serving the needs of DMV businesses. The firm will offer two distinct wings of customizable services featuring traditional forms of LARRY RAY alternative dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration, in addition to innovative offerings such as the Business Pre-nup and HR + Office Admin Partnerships. When opening the firm Larry said “Being a lawyer specializing in dispute resolution including mediation makes me feel that I am actually assisting folks to bring peace to their situation.”

Larry has been in private practice as an attorney since 1998. Prior to that he served as Executive Director, National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM); Executive Director, American Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section; and as a City Prosecutor in Columbus, Ohio. Larry has been an active volunteer in the community. He is a former Vice President of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club and former ANC commissioner. He has recently been named a senior expert on mediation, negotiation and arbitration by TASA Alum. The TASA Group is North America’s largest and most experienced Expert Referral ServiceTM, giving access to seasoned professionals in 10,000+ technical and medical specialties. They recently published his article Communication Causes Conflict (Sometimes).

Larry has his B.A. with honors from Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio and earned his J.D. from Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio.

Timothy J. Shea advised Barr at DOJ

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com

Two weeks after U.S. Attorney General William Barr named Timothy J. Shea, one of his top advisors at the Justice Department, as Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C., Shea became embroiled in controversy surrounding his role in overseeing the prosecution of several high profile federal cases.

Among those cases was that of Roger Stone, the longtime friend and informal advisor to President Trump who was convicted last year on seven charges that emerged from former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, including charges of lying to Congress and witness tampering.

Although Shea was not involved in prosecuting Stone during Stone’s trial in federal court in D.C., news surfaced last week that he may have played a lead role in the decision to overrule a recommendation to the judge in the case by career prosecutors at the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office that Stone be sentenced to seven to nine years in prison.

Over the strong objection of the career prosecutors who made the sentencing recommendation, the Justice Department withdrew it and left it up to U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to decide what Stone’s sentence should be without a recommendation by prosecutors.

Inside sources initially told the Washington Post that Barr was the one who overruled the career prosecutors and ordered the office to withdraw the seven to 9-year sentencing recommendation.

But Barr has since said it was Shea who made that decision. Shea has declined to comment about the sentencing flap.

In the midst of this and at least two other high profile federal cases in which Shea has been involved since becoming interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. on Feb. 3, little or no attention has been given to how Shea plans to carry out his role as the lead prosecutor of local D.C. criminal cases, including the large number of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes cases that have surfaced in the past several years. Many of those cases have involved transgender women of color as victims.

D.C. is the only local jurisdiction in the nation in which a federally appointed prosecutor rather than a locally elected prosecutor oversees nearly all local criminal cases.

Shelia Miller, the media spokesperson for the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s office, said the office is working on responses to questions submitted by the Washington Blade asking whether Shea, 59, plans to continue the policy of reaching out to the LGBTQ community on hate crimes and other LGBTQ issues carried out by his immediate predecessor, former D.C. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. Liu left the office on Jan. 31 after Trump nominated her to become Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes at the U.S. Department of Treasury. But in a development that drew criticism from some law enforcement observers, Trump abruptly withdrew Liu’s nomination on Feb. 11 reportedly in response to criticism by conservative Republican operatives who say Liu was too aggressive in prosecuting figures embroiled in the Mueller investigation.

LGBTQ activists in D.C. have said Liu was among the few Trump appointees who were open to addressing concerns of the LGBTQ community. She met with LGBTQ activists to discuss her office’s policies on prosecuting hate crimes following initial concerns that the office wasn’t being aggressive enough in prosecuting hate crimes cases brought to the office by D.C. police.

In keeping with her outreach policy toward the LGBTQ community, Liu agreed to an interview with the Blade in which she discussed at length her efforts to prosecute anti-LGBTQ hate crimes.

Liu arranged for her office to invite LGBTQ community leaders to attend meetings and participate in the activities of her office’s Bias Crimes Task Force, which worked on ways to improve prosecution of hate crimes cases.

Miller, the office’s spokesperson, had not responded as of late Tuesday to the Blade’s questions about Shea’s plans for addressing LGBTQ related issues, including whether he plans to continue the activities of the Bias Crimes Task Force.

Matt Lloyd, a spokesperson for the Justice Department, didn’t immediately respond to a question from the Blade asking whether Shea is under consideration for a permanent appointment to the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s position. Under longstanding practice, the U.S. president officially nominates candidates to become U.S. attorneys throughout the country and the U.S. Senate confirms the nominees.

Most LGBTQ rights advocates contacted by the Blade have said they are unfamiliar with Shea’s position and record on dealing with LGBTQ-related issues in his past role as a prosecutor

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LGBTQ groups oppose sex work decriminalization ballot measure D.C. Board of Elections considering voter initiative proposal

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com In an unusual turn of events, a coalition of D.C. groups, including nine LGBTQ organizations that strongly endorsed a D.C. City Council bill to decriminalize sex work in the nation’s capital, has voiced strong opposition to a proposal by an out of town group to place the bill on the ballot this year before D.C. voters.

The D.C. Sex Workers Advocates Coalition issued a statement on Feb. 13 saying its opposition is based, among other reasons, on the fact that the out of town group, Decriminalize Sex Work, failed to adequately consult local activists on the ballot proposal.

The SWAC statement says its opposition is also based on news that one of DSW’s founders and top leaders, Rob Kampia, was accused of sexual misconduct toward women when he headed a marijuana decriminalization organization about 10 years ago in Colorado. The local coalition will not participate in any effort to pass a ballot measure if Kampia is involved in that effort, according to the statement.

In addition, the SWAC statement says DSW is a mostly white male, cisgender dominated organization that has not adequately reached out to people of color and transgender women who are most often ensnared in arrests for engaging in sex work in D.C. Kaytlin Bailey, DSW’s communications director, disputes that assessment. She told the Washington Blade on Wednesday that her organization has been reaching out to local activists, including trans sex workers of color and others in the community interested in working on the ballot measure.

DSW, which says on its website that it has offices in Austin, Tex.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and D.C.., filed papers earlier this month with the D.C. Board of Elections to place the Sex Worker and Community Health and Safety Act of 2020 on the city’s election ballot in November as a voter initiative.

The proposed ballot measure is a partially revised version of the Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019, a bill introduced by D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large) calling for decriminalizing sex work for consenting adults in the District.

The bill was the subject of a 12-hour hearing before the Council’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee last October, where dozens of witnesses expressed both support and

D.C. Council member DAVID GROSSO (I-At-Large), is the lead author of legislation to decriminalize sex work in D.C. Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key

opposition to the measure.

Following the hearing, both Grosso and Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who chairs the committee, decided it was too soon to bring the bill before the full Council for a vote because the divisions among the witnesses indicated a consensus for passing the bill was lacking. Allen said the bill would remain on hold indefinitely.

Bailey told the Blade that DSW commissioned a public opinion poll in D.C. by an independent polling organization before moving ahead with the ballot measure that found a majority of D.C. voters, 55 percent, support legalization of sex work with 26 percent opposed and 19 percent undecided.

A separate national poll cited on the DSW website shows 52 percent of all those participating in the national poll and two-thirds of voters age 18-44 support decriminalization of sex work. The poll found that 64 percent of those who identify as Democrats support decriminalizing sex work.

The overwhelming majority of D.C. voters are registered Democrats.

The D.C. Board of Elections, meanwhile, has scheduled a hearing for March 4 to determine whether the proposed ballot measure meets the requirements for placing it on the ballot.

Bailey told the Washington Post last week that Kampia would not be directly involved in the D.C. ballot measure campaign and that the group was reaching out to local LGBTQ activists and other local supporters of decriminalizing sex work to work on the campaign.

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According to the Post, one of the local activists hired to work on the campaign is Ceyenne Doroshow, a black trans woman who expressed frustration that local D.C. activists are opposing a ballot measure aimed at bringing about the decriminalization of sex work that the local activists claim to support.

“It’s about getting people out of jail,” Doroshow told the Post, referring to how decriminalization would end D.C.’s longstanding policy of arresting sex workers, including trans sex workers of color.

Kampia told the Post in an interview that his organization has access to significant financial assistance from deep pocket donors across the country, including libertarian advocates, who strongly support decriminalization of sex work.

Grosso, one of the D.C.’s strongest advocates for decriminalization of sex work, told the Blade on Feb. 18 that he is in complete solidarity with SWAC and has asked Kampia and other DSW officials to withdraw their ballot measure proposal at this time.

“I told them that I could not and would not support any effort on this without the buy-in from the local coalition because of the amount of work that has been put into that and because their voice is the most important to me in D.C., not the national movement,” said Grosso.

Grosso noted that the language of the proposed ballot measure by DSW is very similar to his bill with the exception that it doesn’t include a provision calling for the creation of a commission to study the impact of decriminalization. He said the DSW proposal also includes a provision that is not in his bill, which calls for criminal penalties for law enforcement officers who try to coerce sex workers into having sex with them while investigating sex workers or while sex workers are in custody after an arrest.

Sex workers have said police in some instances have coerced them into having sex as a condition for not being arrested.

SWAC, the Sex Worker Advocates Coalition, consists of 23 local and national organizations with a presence in D.C., nine of which are LGBTQ organizations.

Among the LGBTQ groups are Casa Ruby, Whitman-Walker Health, National Center for Transgender Equality, No Justice No Pride, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, Lambda Legal, Trans-Latinx DMV and Trans United.

The D.C.-based LGBT supportive group HIPS, which advocates and provides services for sex workers, serves as the coordinating group for SWAC. Cyndee Clay, HIPS’ executive director; Puneet Cheema, a Lambda Legal staff attorney; and Daniel Bruner, an official with Whitman-Walker Health, told the Blade their respective groups fully support SWAC’s position opposing the ballot measure as proposed by DSW. “Whitman-Walker is a member of SWAC, and fully supports SWAC’s position,” Bruner said. “We believe that criminal law reform in D.C. should be driven by local individuals and organizations, and by those persons who are most affected by the current laws and policing of those laws,” he said.

Cheema of Lambda Legal said his organization believes SWAC and its members “understand the landscape best and the decision to do a ballot initiative should rest with local leaders who understand our campaign’s goals, strategy, and voice.”

Melissa Sontag Broundo, DSW’s general counsel, told the Washington Post last week that SWAC’s focus on Kampia loses sight of the women she said that were in the forefront of DSW’s sex worker decriminalization efforts in D.C. and other cities. She said Kampia’s access to financial resources from big donors would be especially helpful to the upcoming ballot measure.

“If we want to bring it to the next level of actually changing laws, we need those resources,” she told the Post. “We need to put personal infighting aside for the larger goal, which is to not have people arrested for prostitution,” she said.

About 25,000 petition signatures will be required to place the decriminalization measure on the D.C. ballot. At least five percent of the total number of signatures must come from at least five of the city’s eight wards under the city’s election law.

Bailey said she is confident that the decriminalization measure has a good chance of passing in November, when a large turnout of voters, especially younger voters who are inclined to support decriminalization, will turn out for a presidential election.

“The overwhelming majority of D.C. voters want to see the decriminalization of sex work,” she said.

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F E BR UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 0 7

Md. lawmakers hold hearings on panic defense bills Measures would ban use of victim’s LGBTQ identity in court

By PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN

Va. Senate approves bill to ban conversion therapy for minors Measure passed with bipartisan support

By PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN

Maryland lawmakers this month held hearings on bills that would ban the use of the so-called LGBTQ panic defense in court.

Photo by Chad Zajdowicz via Flickr

Two Maryland General Assembly committees this month held hearings on bills that would ban the so-called panic defense.

The House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 11 heard testimony on House Bill 488, sponsored by state Del. Julie Palakovich Carr (D-Montgomery County).

The Senate Judiciary Committee on the same day heard testimony on Senate Bill 554, sponsored by state Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Baltimore and Howard Counties) Both bills would ban the use of a crime victim’s actual or perceived LGBTQ identity as a mitigating factor in court.

“It’s part of a broader trend across the country to prohibit the panic defense,” FreeState Justice Interim Legal Director and Staff Attorney C.P. Hoffman told the Washington Blade in a recent interview.

“We don’t want someone’s murder to go unrecognized by the judicial system because someone claims they panicked at the time of the murder.”

“This bill would ban the use of the LGBTQ panic defense in criminal court proceedings in Maryland,” testified Palakovich Carr at the hearing, explaining the panic defense asks a jury to find that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity “is to blame for the defendant’s violent action.”

Palakovich Carr added this is a legal strategy not based on science but rooted in “hatred and bigotry,” and stated its use in a number of murder cases across the country, including in Maryland.

“And there have been people who have been acquitted of murder or other charges because of this defense strategy,” she said.

“Despite all of this progress in Maryland, it still remains possible … to raise a panic defense in order to mitigate [murder] charges,” added Hoffman.

D’Arcy Kemnitz, executive director of the National LGBTQ Bar Association, reminded the House committee of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard and stated his mother’s fears that he would not get justice if this defense were used in his case.

“When the defendant said Matt put his hand on his knee, she was afraid,” Kemnitz told the committee. “That’s how effective this is.”

State Del. Jon Cardin (D-Baltimore County) asked if the panic defense had ever actually been used in Maryland and if the American Civil Liberties Union supported what seemed to him to be a limitation on free speech.

Hoffman testified the defense had been used in Maryland and Palakovich

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Carr stated the ACLU supported prohibiting the defense.

Hoffman told the Blade, and Palakovich Carr testified, Maryland law currently limits the use of the panic defense relating to discovery of spousal infidelity as a mitigating factor. The state’s proposed panic bills follow this precedent.

Hoffman also explained the bills borrow language from the infidelity panic defense legislation, “so ours is slightly different language from other states.”

Trans Healthcare Maryland, another statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization focused on transgender empowerment also supports the bills as does Annapolis Pride, an advocacy group located in the state capital.

“The use of the ‘gay panic’ defense presumes that the life of an LGBTQ individual is less valuable than that of a heterosexual or cisgender victim,” said Annapolis Pride founder Jeremy Browning, who chairs the group’s executive board. “If we are to all have equal rights under the law, the use of a discriminatory defense should never be allowed.”

Palakovich Carr stated the purpose of the bills was to ensure “victims receive justice in court.”

The Virginia Capitol

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

The Virginia Senate on Feb. 17 passed a bill that would prohibit health care providers from engaging in so-called conversion therapy for minors.

The American Psychological Association has for years condemned the practice for the harm caused to patients as well as for promoting the unsupported “notion that sexual orientation can be changed.”

An earlier version of the bill was killed during the 2019 legislative session.

However, Senate Bill 245, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax County), passed this time with bipartisan support.

The Virginia House of Delegates on Feb. 3 passed its version of the bill.

Governor Ralph Northam is expected to sign it into law.

Criticized for being too gay and not gay enough, Buttigieg has unique burden Out candidate endures criticism from all sides

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Faced on one side with complaints from conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh about being too gay and LGBTQ activists on the other side who say he’s not gay enough, Pete Buttigieg faces a unique burden as an out presidential candidate despite the history he made with success in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The anti-LGBTQ and pro-LGBTQ criticism, of course, aren’t comparable in terms of where they originate. But in the face of this dichotomy — which would seem to leave Buttigieg no option for winning — other openly gay public figures who have won public office have a singular piece of advice for the candidate: Keep calm and carry on.

Annise Parker, CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and the first openly lesbian mayor of Houston, said her advice is “to keep doing exactly what he’s doing, to focus on the issues of the campaign.”

“He should just keep doing what he’s always done, which is focus razorsharp on the issues, acknowledge when there’s differences of opinion or there are venues that he might not be a expert on, and that’s what we want in a presidential candidate,” Parker said.

On the anti-LGBTQ side, trouble for Buttigieg came to the fore last week when Limbaugh — who has a long history of homophobic comments — complained on his radio show about Buttigieg kissing his spouse, Chasten Buttigieg.

“So I saw a political ad, where Mayor Pete, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, going on and on and on and on and on, about how parents in America are struggling to explain President Trump to their children,” Limbaugh said.

Then Limbaugh held up a photo of Buttigieg kissing his husband, which was visible to subscribers watching his video feed.

“You think — natural conclusion — so he says Trump causes problems for parents, what about that?” Limbaugh said. “If you’re not watching on the ditto cam, what it is, a picture of Mayor Pete kissing his husband, which he does frequently.”

Limbaugh had more to say: “America’s still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage president.”

(The radio show host has just announced he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and received from President Trump the Presidential Medal of Freedom live during the State of the Union address, which apparently did nothing to change his hostility to LGBTQ people.)

Even Trump, at least at first, wouldn’t defend that. In an interview days later with Geraldo Rivera on Fox News, Trump was asked if American voters could one day elect a gay candidate to the White House.

Putting distance between himself and his ally Limbaugh, Trump replied, “I think so.”

“I think there would be some that wouldn’t, and I wouldn’t be among that group to be honest with you,” Trump added.

Limbaugh, however, wouldn’t let up.

On his radio show on Monday, the radio show host asserted Trump had called him and told him to “never apologize” for his remarks.

“Hell, the president even called me about this!” said Limbaugh on his radio talk show, according to the International Business Times. “He said, ‘Rush, I just got to tell you something. Never apologize.

Don’t ever apologize.’”

“I had no idea this thing had even bubbled up,” Limbaugh reportedly added. “You know, I’m up doing the

Pete Buttigieg (D-South Bend, Ind.) faces a unique burden over his sexual orientation as a gay candidate.

Photo courtesy of PBS News Hour/POLITICO

medical thing that I have to do here, and I wasn’t even aware of this.”

The White House didn’t respond to the Washington Blade’s request to comment on whether Limbaugh’s claim Trump had called him was accurate.

Buttigieg, in the aftermath of Limbaugh’s comments and Trump’s response, delivered a cutting response at a CNN town hall when asked if he believes Trump is telling the truth when says he could support a gay candidate.

“Well, not if he’s sending out his supporters to talk in this way,” Buttigieg said. “And look, I mean, the idea of the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Donald Trump lecturing anybody on family values? I mean, I’m sorry, but one thing about my marriage is, it’s never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her.

So, they want to debate family values?

Let’s debate family values. I’m ready.”

Christine Quinn, a lesbian and former speaker of the New York City Council, said Buttigieg had the right approach when speaking with the Blade on Wednesday.

“My advice to him would be to continue doing what he’s been doing, which is facing homophobes head on and responding to them in a very thoughtful, authentic way,” Quinn said.

“He needs to keep doing that.”

Slamming Limbaugh’s anti-gay comments, Quinn also urged Buttigieg to “not spend too much time responding to homophobes because they don’t deserve it, they don’t warrant it.”

“He has made it very clear from before day one of his presidential campaign that he is a very out and proud gay man who is wildly in love with his husband and who has a lovely family,” Quinn said. “That’s the reality of who he is. He’s shared that with Americans. If some Americans don’t like it because they are full of hate, that’s really not Mayor Pete’s problem.”

Parker said she isn’t surprised by

Limbaugh’s homophobic comments because he made them in past and the latest remarks are just par for the course.

“He has made a lot of money by demonizing and attacking various groups, so it’s surprising, I’m shocked,” Parker said. “Why would anybody be shocked that Rush Limbaugh would say something like that?”

Referencing Trump saying he’d vote for a gay president, then apparently calling Limbaugh to defend the radio show host’s anti-gay comments, Parker added Trump is “probably lying” one way or the other.

“I cannot imagine any LGBT person in America legitimately saying that Donald Trump is good for the LGBTQ community,” Parker said. “Certainly no one who is trans can say he’s good for the transgender community.”

‘Queers Against Pete’ collects 4,000 signatures against Buttigieg But Buttigieg is also facing criticism based on his sexual orientation from within the LGBTQ community from those who say he’s not gay enough, which is often a metaphor for criticism saying he’s not progressive enough.

One visible LGBTQ group against Buttigieg is Queers Against Pete, which touts gathering a list of nearly 4,000 signatures from LGBTQ people across all 50 states and D.C. for a petition criticizing Buttigieg.

Among its complaints is Buttigieg’s opposition to universal free public college and cancelling student loan debt, having no plan to restore voting rights to felons and incarcerated people or an end to cash bail; support for an increase in defense spending and Medicare for All Who Want It Plan than that falls short of the Medicare for All and universal childcare plans proposed by other candidates.

As Buttigieg struggles with support CONTINUES ON PAGE 19

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Bloomberg previously fought partner benefits for LGBTQ workers NYC mayor defied court order to enforce ordinance

By CHRIS JOHNSON

Michael Bloomberg fought against domestic partner benefits for LGBTQ workers as New York City mayor.

Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg on the campaign trail likes to talk about his early support for same-sex marriage and push for New York State to legalize gay nuptials in 2011, but one aspect of his record he doesn’t mention is his veto in the years before that time of domestic partner benefits for LGBTQ workers.

In 2004, Bloomberg as former New York City mayor, vetoed a measure approved by the New York City Council known as the Equal Benefits Law, which would have required businesses receiving $100,000 in annual city contracts to provide partner benefits, including health and pension benefits, to its LGBTQ employees.

Although the council voted to override his veto, Bloomberg sued to block the measure in court, citing interference with his authority as mayor, state law for municipalities and federal law for worker benefits. A judge refused to grant Bloomberg a temporary restraining order, but he nonetheless refused to enforce it. In 2006, when the case against the measure made its way to the New York State Court of Appeals, Bloomberg won.

At a time when same-sex couples are free to marry nationwide thanks to

the 2015 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges, the idea of domestic partner benefits may seem quaint and insufficient, especially when they’d only be required for businesses doing $100,000 a year in contracts from New York City. But in 2004, when Massachusetts was the only state in the union to allow same-sex marriage and public sentiment was largely against gay nuptials, partner benefits were seen as a modest, but achievable, way to afford protections to LGBTQ families.

Carmen Vasquez, a now retired LGBTQ activist who at the time was deputy director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, told the Washington Blade Wednesday that Bloomberg’s veto of domestic partnership was “just dumb on his part.”

“It reflected poorly on his capacity to understand what the LGBT community was about,” Vasquez added.

Vasquez said Bloomberg overall was a “mixed bag,” citing positive moves of gun control, environment and the arts, but also “blind spots” on race, such as the “stop and frisk” policy for which Bloomberg has apologized since announcing his run for president.

Bloomberg’s veto of domestic partner benefits, Vasquez said, was “a

1 0 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • F EBRUA RY 21 , 2020 • LOCA L NE W S

big blow to the LGBT community” and spurred the decision to move forward with a larger statewide effort to legalize same-sex marriage in New York, which happened in 2011.

For context in 2004, the public perception on domestic partners was far more favorable than the idea of same-sex marriage. At least one other candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination had acted in support of them many years before that time. In 1992, Joseph Biden as U.S. senator voted against an amendment to appropriations legislation that would have overturned domestic partnerships in D.C. Bloomberg is facing renewed scrutiny on his LGBTQ record in the aftermath of a two recently unearthed in which he made derisive comments about transgender people. In a 2016 video, Bloomberg referred to a trans woman as a “man in a dress,” and, as first reported

by Buzzfeed News, Bloomberg in a 2019 video referred to a trans person as “it” and blamed transgender people for Democratic losses in 2016.

A Bloomberg campaign spokesperson responded to the 2004 veto of domestic partner benefits by saying the mayor had concerns the measure conflicted with state and local laws.

“Mike has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ equality throughout his public life,” the spokesperson said. “While Mike has been consistent in his belief that same-sex partners should have equal rights, in this case, he did not think the policy would advance this goal, because it would conflict with federal and state laws.”

Bloomberg had subsequently worked to expand benefits for LGBTQ workers, including partner benefits through a 2005 executive order, the campaign spokesperson said.

“As mayor, Mike worked to expand benefits and health care equality for domestic partners,” the spokesperson said. “In 2005, he secured health care benefits for domestic partners through executive order. He supported marriage equality in 2005 long before many elected officials in either party. As president Mike will pass the Equality Act and will take executive action to ensure equal benefits and protections for LGBTQ+ federal government employees, as well as employees of firms that do business with the federal government.”

Executive Order 72, which Bloomberg signed in 2005, required city vendors to report whether they offered health care coverage on an equal basis to the spouses and domestic partners of those employees, but made no requirement they did so as the city council ordinance did.

At the time of the veto, Matt Foreman, then-executive director of what is now the National LGBTQ Task Force, was so indignant over Bloomberg’s veto he resigned his post on New York City’s Commission of Human Rights — a role to which Bloomberg appointed him.

In a report from Gay City News in 2004, Foreman was quoted as lambasting Bloomberg, going so far as to say the former mayor may not have not ever seen a business contract with New York City.

“The City of New York has used its procurement power for decades to support social equality,” Foreman was quoted as saying. “I’m not sure the mayor CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

Gay Cuban man moves to D.C. after winning asylum case Ray Rodríguez fled after being detained twice in Havana

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com

A gay man from Cuba who was granted asylum in the U.S. last month says he hopes to start a new life in D.C. “I like it,” Ray Rodríguez told the Washington Blade on Tuesday during an interview at Colada Cuban Cafe in Logan Circle, referring to the nation’s capital. “I like it a lot.”

Rodríguez, 36, is from Las Tunas, a city that is roughly 400 miles southeast of Havana.

Rodríguez told the Blade last month during a previous interview in the Mexican border city of Matamoros that Cuban police detained him when he was on Havana’s oceanfront promenade known as the Malecón and kept him in custody for “almost a day for no reason … like they do in Cuba.” Rodríguez said police in February 2019 detained him once again while he was on a portion of the Malecón that is popular with LGBTQ Cubans.

“This time was a bit harsher,” said Rodríguez, noting the police were even more suspicious of him because he was not from Havana.

“It just became a bit traumatic for me and then I said that’s it,” he added.

Rodríguez said he received a visa from the Panamanian government that allowed him to travel to Panama.

Rodríguez told the Blade he flew to Panama City from Havana on April 9.

He said he spent the next several weeks trekking through the jungle and taking buses until he reached Matamoros, which is across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, on May 12.

Rodríguez said he put his name on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection waiting list in order to ask for asylum in the U.S. Rodríguez on July 31 met Jesús Dubra Bazail, another gay Cuban man, when they asked for asylum.

Rodríguez, who asked for asylum based on persecution because of his political beliefs, and Dubra were held together at a CBP processing center in Brownsville for two days before they were forced to return to Matamoros under the Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” program that requires asylum seekers to await the outcome of their cases in Mexico.

RAY RODRÍGUEZ at Resource Center Matamoros in Matamoros, Mexico, on Jan. 14, 2020.

Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers

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.” American government employees “may only travel within a limited radius” between the U.S. Consulate in Matamoros and “their respective U.S. ports of entry” and they “must observe” a midnight to 6 a.m. curfew.

“Organized crime activity — including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion and sexual assault — is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria,” reads the advisory, which refers to Tamaulipas’ capital. Rodríguez was a volunteer translator in Matamoros.

Rodríguez and a Cuban friend shared an apartment in Matamoros.

Rodríguez was a volunteer translator for the Sidewalk School for Children Asylum Seekers, a group that serves migrant children who live in Matamoros’ tent camp, and Resource Center Matamoros, a group co-founded by Gaby Zavala that also helps migrants who live in the encampment.

The Blade first met Rodríguez at Resource Center Matamoros on Jan. 14, a day before a judge was scheduled to

issue her final ruling in his case.

Rodríguez’s hearing was rescheduled because the judge was sick. Rodríguez on Jan. 22 returned to the tent courtrooms on the U.S. side of the Gateway International Bridge over the Rio Grande that connects Brownsville and Matamoros and the judge granted him asylum.

“I lost it,” Rodríguez told the Blade on Tuesday in D.C. “I was crying the whole time.”

Rodríguez said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement then took him into custody because the Department of Homeland Security reserved the right to appeal the judge’s ruling within 30 days. Rodríguez was detained at an ICE detention center in Port Isabel, which is roughly 25 miles northeast of Brownsville, until his release on Jan. 25.

Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, founder of the Sidewalk School for Children Asylum Seekers, picked Rodríguez up at Brownsville’s main bus station.

“It was not as bad as I thought, but it’s prison,” said Rodríguez.

Rodríguez, among other things, visited South Padre Island while he lived with Rangel-Samporano’s family in Brownsville.

“Ray is one of my best friends,” Rangel-Samponaro told the Blade on

Wednesday in a series of Facebook messages. “He has stuck by me (and I him) through everything.”

“When I wasn’t sure if I could even run the Sidewalk School it was Ray that promised to help me and telling me I can do it,” she added.

Rodríguez arrived in D.C. on Sunday, and currently lives with his sponsor in Bethesda.

Zavala during an interview in her office at Resource Center Matamoros that took place before she introduced the Blade to Rodríguez acknowledged it was possible he was going to win his asylum case. Zavala said she and her colleagues were “biting our nails because he may go to the U.S. and he will go to Washington.”

“I said, ‘Go fight for us, Ray, go fight for us,’” Zavala told the Blade.

The State Department and the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights are among the myriad groups that have sharply criticized Cuba over its human rights record.

Cuban police last May arrested several people who participated in an unsanctioned LGBTQ rights march in Havana. A number of independent LGBTQ activists were detained in order to prevent them from attending the event, and several participants were later taken into custody.

Nelson Gandulla Díaz, the former president of the Cuban Foundation for LGBTI Rights who is a vocal critic of Mariela Castro, the daughter of former Cuban President Raúl Castro who spearheads LGBTQ-specific issues in Cuba, has asked for asylum in Spain. Leodan Suárez Quiñones, a transgender activist who lives in western Cuba, and others have told the Blade that Cuban police regularly harass and detain trans women who they suspect are engaged in sex work.

The Cuban government last May detained this reporter for several hours at Havana’s José Martí International Airport before officials escorted him on to a Miami-bound American Airlines flight. Yariel Valdés González, a Blade contributor who suffered persecution in Cuba because he is a journalist, remains in ICE custody in Louisiana as he awaits a decision from the Board of Immigration Appeals in Virginia on his asylum case.

As for Rodríguez, he said he plans to live with his sponsor in Bethesda “until I figure out what I’m going to do.”

Rodríguez also told the Blade he has begun to get to know D.C. He said he plans to visit some of the city’s museums. Rodríguez said he and his sponsor drove around D.C. on Monday.

“It was cute,” he said. “I love it.”

LOCA L • N E W S • F E BR UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 1 1

TO STAY STOPPED. WHEN YOU’RE READY, DC has the help you need to get beyond opioid addiction.

Find out how at 1-888-7WE-HELP or LiveLong.DC.gov ( 793-4357 )

1 2 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • F EBRUA RY 21 , 2020

CANNABIS CULTURE

We believe that every person has a basic right to public benefits, shelter and safety. Every day we work with that goal in mind, providing free legal assistance to D.C. elders most in need.* Virginia Gov. RALPH NORTHAM is on record supporting the decriminalization legislation.

Va. passes pot decriminalization bills RICHMOND, Va. — House and Senate lawmakers have passed legislation decriminalizing minor marijuana possession offenses.

House Bill 972, which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 64 to 34, reduces penalties for offenses involving the possession of up to a half ounce of marijuana to a civil violation – punishable by a maximum $25 fine, no arrest, and no criminal record. Senate Bill 2, which passed the Senate by a vote of 27 to 13, reduces penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana to a $50 fine. It is anticipated that the two competing bills will be reconciled in conference committee.

Under current law, minor marijuana possession offenses are classified as criminal misdemeanors, punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a criminal record, and the possible loss of driving privileges.

According to data from the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, more than 15,000 people were convicted for a first or second marijuana possession offense from July 2018 to June 2019.

We welcome the D.C. LGBTQ community members to call our Hotline at 202-434-2120. *Must be income-eligible, D.C. resident and 60-plus

Legal Counsel for the Elderly is an affiliate of AARP.

Keep your promise to protect each other.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Cessation of CBD not linked to withdrawal symptoms LONDON — The abrupt cessation of CBD (cannabidiol) is not associated with physical withdrawal symptoms in healthy volunteers, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior.

A team of investigators from the United Kingdom and the United States assessed the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms induced by the abrupt cessation of CBD. Subjects in the trial were healthy volunteers who ingested 750mg of plant-derived CBD twice daily for a period of four weeks. Study participants either continued to receive CBD or received a placebo during weeks five and six.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Cannabis associated with reduced use of ADHD meds HAIFA, Israel — The use of medical cannabis is associated with a reduction in the use of ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) medications in patients diagnosed with the syndrome, according to data published in the Israeli medical journal Rambam Maimonides.

Israeli investigators surveyed 59 patients with ADHD who possessed a license from the Ministry of Health to access medical cannabis products. They reported that the use of medical cannabis, and in particular products dominant in the cannabinoid CBN (cannabinol), was associated with medication-sparing effects.

CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Cannabis Culture news in the Blade is provided in partnership with NORML. Visit norml.org for more information.

Wills & Trusts Powers of Attorney • Living Wills Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements

(240) 778-2330 • (703) 536-0220 www.PartnerPlanning.com

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1 4 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • F EBRUA RY 21 , 2020 • V I E W POI N T

PETER ROSENSTEIN

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

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

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

We can’t let Bernie Bros hold us hostage

Vengeance is mine, saith Lord Donald

Democratics more progressive than Trump

Our values demand defeat of mad despot

Recently I blocked a number of people on my FB page who have attacked me personally for criticizing Bernie Sanders’s positions and record. They warn of the need to be careful not to offend Sanders voters who threaten to not vote for the Democratic nominee if it’s not Bernie. My response has been we can’t be held hostage by this group of individuals.

They are the ones who should be called out for not understanding the repercussions to the programs they espouse, and democracy as we know it, if they help to reelect Trump by not voting for whoever is the Democratic nominee.

Every Democratic candidate is flawed just as every voter is flawed. Sorry Bernie Bros you aren’t perfect and neither is your vision or your candidate. Fact is each of the Democratic candidates is more progressive than Trump by a mile and support a more overall progressive agenda than any previous Democratic nominee. The issue is about scale and scope.

It is also about the American electorate.

How far and how fast they are willing to support change. In many ways it is even more important to win the Congress than it is the presidency. By winning the Senate we can stop the appointment of ultra-conservative judges and if we have the Congress can stop budget cuts to programs like Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, the dismemberment of the Environmental Protection Agency and halt future tax cuts for the rich. So it is crucial Democrats have a nominee at the head of the ticket who will not be a stone around the neck of all down ballot candidates.

Some of the online debate has been about whether we are really a socialist country because we collectively fund schools, our police, the military and programs like social security. Should we really compare ourselves to Sweden and Norway? When Sanders does that we must question whether the American electorate believes it and will vote for a candidate who is a self-declared Democratic Socialist? Will the average voter understand what socialism really is and the difference between socialism and democratic socialism?

More likely they will simply fear ‘socialism’ and vote against the candidate who espouses it.

Voters will buy into the ads Trump and his acolytes will surely run attacking Sanders.

Trump and his minions will never use the word Democratic along with the word socialist.

Because of this each of our down-ballot candidates from school board to United States Senate will be spending half their time distancing themselves from the “socialist” at the head of our ticket if our nominee is Bernie Sanders.

Those defending Sanders keep pointing to how he polls well against Trump. What they conveniently disregard is the Republicans have yet to attack Sanders because they want to run against him. They are just waiting with baited breath and a billion dollars to go after him if he wins the nomination. While it may all be nonsense the commercials will come reminding people of how he spent his honeymoon in the Soviet Union, his support of the Sandinistas and Ortega in Nicaragua, and of Fidel Castro in Cuba. I won’t bother going into the nuances of his support because neither will the Republican attack machine nor will the American public.

The president will also use Sanders call for a “revolution” against him. The majority of Americans don’t want a revolution. We are seeing that even in the Democratic primary electorate. Sanders underperformed in New Hampshire by a wide margin. He even lost one of the big college towns he won in 2016. He didn’t get the big boost in Iowa failing to bring out the hordes of new voters he predicted. He is actually running second to Pete Buttigieg in the delegate count with his 21 to Pete’s 22.

In 2018 Democrats took back the House of Representatives by having moderate Democrats win in swing districts across the country. The progressives Sanders and those like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supported in those districts all lost either in a primary or in the election. Primary voters in both parties tend to be more right-wing or leftwing but the general electorate when polled show the majority are middle of the road voters. According to a Gallup poll while Democrats are more liberal Americans as a whole remained center-right ideologically and therefore to win Democratic candidates need to be more moderate. If we field those kinds of candidates we can win. Simply look at Kennedy, Carter, Clinton and Obama as examples of how we win. The goal in 2020 must be to rid us and the world of Trump.

Get out your tiny violins for right-wing radio host Dennis Prager, who complained last week that “the Left made it impossible to use the N-word any longer.”

When I hear Prager’s name I recall his outrage in Nov. 2006 at Congressman-elect Keith Ellison’s plan to take his ceremonial oath of office on his faith’s holy book. For the occasion, Ellison (the first Muslim elected to Congress, now Attorney General of Minnesota) borrowed Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Qur’an from the Library of Congress.

It came as no shock that the embrace of “religious freedom” by ’wingers like Prager is only meant to protect those who agree with them, not all people of faith. The same goes for attacks on politicians’ family members: Republicans who savage Joe Biden over his son’s business activities have no problem with the rampant nepotism in Trump’s White House.

Democrats, meanwhile, are busy applying purity tests. Already in this election cycle, various denizens of the Left have embraced the Right’s divide-and-conquer strategy by declaring that Kamala Harris wasn’t black enough and Pete Buttigieg wasn’t queer enough.

Across the aisle, Trump adds partisan privilege to race and class privilege. He exploits the nihilistic proposition, enforced

by Mitch McConnell, that electoral victories only count if Republicans win them.

Similarly, Republicans’ respect for the right to vote extends only to white people; citizens of color have their voting franchise infringed under the pretext of fighting voter fraud, despite scant evidence of any such problem.

Conservatives endlessly attack “identity politics” because they take it for granted that all rights and power properly belong to white male Christians. That, of course, is not how they put it. But how else to explain, for example, someone like conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan presuming to judge which populations are suitable immigrants, considering that he himself was an HIV-positive immigrant at a time when there was a ban on people in that category?

Race- and class-based privileges remain so ubiquitous they are like wallpaper.

Trump is an extreme case of such privilege. Just as he brazenly insists that the summary of his July 25 phone call with the president of Ukraine proves his innocence, he claims that Article 2 of the Constitution allows him “to do whatever I want” — effectively asserting that the Constitution magically alters itself to conform to his latest tweet.

This owes more to King Louis XIV (“I am the State”) than to our Founders, who crafted a tripartite government with careful separation of powers. At base, he is asserting that his power is granted not on behalf of the people, but as a plaything to use as he pleases. Currently, his pleasure is to use our Justice Department to protect his accomplices and retaliate against anyone who puts devotion to country ahead of fealty to him.

Former Acting Solicitor General Walter Dellinger writes, “Trump has never understood that the literal power to take an action does not mean that it is not profoundly wrong to do so.”

As Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, tweeted in May 2018, “If prosecutors did EVERYTHING within their lawful and constitutional authority, we’d be living in a hellscape. Discretion, judgment, wisdom, restraint matter too.

Someone tell POTUS (and defenders) that constitutional authority is not the end of the argument; it’s the beginning.”

Years ago, when I studied federal procurement procedures as an employee of the Department of Labor, the course ended with a section on ethics. It was made clear that abusing the federal contracting process for personal gain can land a person in prison. Unlike the current president, and contrary to his promiscuous branding of anyone who gets in his way as an enemy of the state, most civil servants are honest.

More than that, they adhere to norms he regards with contempt.

We are at an inflection point. We can yield to the worst in us and slide into kleptocracy, or take inspiration from the public servants who have risked a tyrant’s wrath by obeying their oaths of office. If we rise to the best in us, we can restore the rule of law and continue pursuing America’s promise.

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HARMONY GIOVANNI

DANIEL BENNETT

is a SMYAL Housing Program participant, trans youth, public speaker and philosopher

is a D.C.-based writer.

D.C. Council should pass Pride bill, pay for festivities

D.C. job market not welcoming to trans youth

Unforeseen costs too high

Cis applicants favored

A bill entitled “The Capital Pride Alliance Grant and Equitable Forgiveness Amendment Act of 2020” (DC B23-0618) is pending before the D.C. Council. This bill would allocate approximately $400,000 for Capital Pride Alliance events in 2020; waive D.C. service fees for 2021 and future years; reimburse CPA approximately $300,000 paid to the city for 2019 Pride fees; and forgive a $121,056.76 MPD police invoice.

I support the bill’s passage. The LGBT+ community comprises roughly 10 percent of the Washington, D.C., population, triple the national average. We contribute to D.C.’s impressive diversity. With our intersecting identities and allies, we promote ideals of equality, inclusion, and justice. Additionally, D.C. Pride celebrations attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, increasing local revenue and tax dollars.

Further, the bill seems fair because costs and expenditures may be beyond the control of Pride event organizers. For example, 2019 expenses were apparently high due to the gun scares at Dupont Circle. For those not present, a timeline may be of interest, and might be fleshed out by witness statements and videos from cameras on embassies, shops, or my phone.

At 7:18 p.m., from where I stood two blocks north of Dupont Circle, all seemed well as the Gay Men’s Chorus proceeded by singing “It’s Raining Men.” At approximately 7:25 p.m., the first gun scare occurred, reportedly stemming from an altercation at Dupont Circle, arrests, and the confiscation of a BB gun unrelated to the parade. A buddy with me was suddenly visibly alarmed, and told me he’d just heard people say there was a gunman.

I saw the stadium-sized crowd at Dupont Circle fleeing. If I went immediately indoors, I’d be among the first to safety, ahead of a stampede. If I stayed to help others, I might be the last one out, with my back to an open shooter. I acted on my conscience, and I stayed to help others.

I know I’m not alone. Many of us, instinctively, helped our LGBT+ family that day.

Instead of trampling each other, we helped our fellows to safety. This is the meaning of Pride.

An officer told me that someone was shot.

The parade was over, the crowd dispersed. I

headed for home.

At roughly 7:45 p.m., I was near Connecticut Avenue on Q Street when the second gun scare occurred. I heard approximately 10 loud “pop-pop-pop” noises, and saw three cops run urgently toward Dupont Circle. I ran with eight other people to shelter in an outdoor alcove. About 30 seconds later, we heard approximately 10 more “pop-pop-pop” noises. We spoke, finishing each other’s sentences. “We‘re not safe... we need to get inside... and... NOW!” Together, nine of us fled into the nearest store. My conversation with Pulse nightclub survivor Brandon Wolf at the HRC brunch that morning resonated with me.

The manager stood sentry at the door. His generosity awed me. He could have locked his door and saved himself. Yet he protected us. Sheltering in place, we nervously contemplated possible causes of the “poppop-pop” noises. Gunshots? Grenades?

Firecrackers?

After 10 minutes, I ventured outdoors. I was still uneasy, and went back indoors at the next storefront. A manager stood sentry at this door, too. He unlocked it briefly to usher me in.

The bookstore was filled with folks sheltering in place. Patrons were using phones to tell loved ones they were safe. Many went online seeking information. I heard conflicting reports and few details. Finally, a patron said that the “pop-poppop” noises feared to be gunfire were caused by a fire truck rolling over water bottles.

On the Metro ride home, a collegiate lesbian couple told me that they’d fled Dupont Circle at the first gun scare. A woman fell near them, too frightened to regain her composure.

As the couple fled, they ushered her to safety with them, sheltering in an apartment lobby.

Outside the building, they saw a sobbing teenager, huddled on the pavement against the brick wall. They stopped again, to bring the teenager safely indoors. The couple said that, as they ran, they tore off their rainbow regalia, feeling like they were hunted for being queer.

They put sunglasses on over their rainbowstriped eye-shadow, to conceal all signs of pride.

We talked about whether the parade scares would change our plans to attend the Sunday festival. A grey haired, gay male couple spoke to us sagely, “Of course we’re going to the festival tomorrow. We can’t live our lives in hiding. We’ve learned that lesson, right?”

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It’s hard to miss me. At 5’ 10” in flats, I’m noticeable. And in heels ... yeah, you’ll see me. I try to look my best everyday. Whether its in basketball shoes, or heals, I like to present myself in a way that shows that I ... she/her/they ... care.

But I also know what it feels like to not be seen. And even worse, I know what it feels like to be seen and to have those who see me want to hide me. I experienced that feeling almost daily as a guest service agent at a Fortune 500 hotel chain here in D.C. People always say that hospitality is one of the most welcoming places for people who exist outside of the norm, but for me, as someone who is young, homeless, black, trans and

“The aggressions in the workplace that many trans and gender nonconforming youth like me have faced is quite repugnant.” trying to make it ... it wasn’t welcoming at all.

As a black trans person, I was too outside of the norm.

Even in a city as queer and, in certain ways, progressive as D.C., my trans and gender nonconforming identity has been a conflicting reality.

The aggressions in the workplace that many trans and gender nonconforming youth like me have faced is quite repugnant.

I was quite disturbed to find that even the Office of Human Rights found that 48 percent of D.C. employers appeared to prefer a cisgender candidate for employment over a transgender candidate seeking the same

position. D.C. has so many laws that protect transgender people from discrimination but still is falling below the standard it has set to achieve. From personal experience, the laws of this great city were not effective in protecting me from my own coworkers and their bias against what I can achieve in my employment.

That’s why I was excited, even if apprehensive, to meet Apple CEO Tim Cook when he came to SMYAL earlier this month to listen to queer youth. I was so thrilled to know that a person of his social and economic status, and power, was able to hear and even be concerned about queer and transgender lives mattering in his company, especially youth who where homeless. Many of the issues transgender people face are economic, from housing insecurity, to having money to make doctors appointments, to just having a few bucks to relax and unwind with a friend after a stressful day at work.

Employment effects so many parts of one’s life that its critical that we figure out how to do a better job of supporting transgender and gender non-conforming youth.

SMYAL is working on a program with some partners like the Greater Washington Community Foundation to really address why employers are failing so many youth like me. The program focuses on three areas: 1) basic job skills to support youth who haven’t had the hill internship or the engaged school counselor, 2) social support, so there’s a network that someone can call to say “hey, this happened today at work, and it hurt,” and 3) employer readiness, so that people like myself don’t have to wake up everyday and get ready to do our jobs while also educating our jobs about who we are. That’s exhausting.

We need your help. We need you to email, call, and tweet the mayor and the Council to ask them to support the LGBTQ community in this year’s budget. Groups from SMYAL, to Casa Ruby, to the D.C. Center are asking for $22.4 million to help support real issues that affect the health and safety of the D.C. queer community. We’re asking you to join us by going to smyal.org/engage and spending just a few minutes taking action.

The realities of the world are formed by the way you choose to respond; the evolution of humanity is waiting on you.

Get involved. Get engaged.

OBITUARY

N OW O N STAG E

Dr. Cesar Augusto Cacares

Photo courtesy of Jacqueline W. Schick

Cesar Augusto Cacares, MD, peacefully passed away Feb. 9, 2020, at his home in Washington, D.C. Born April 9, 1927, in Puerto Cortés, Honduras, Dr. Cacares was the only child of Julian R. Caceres, former ambassador to the United States from Honduras, and Mrs. Mariana C. Caceres. His partner of 48 years, W. Raymond Mize, Jr., MD, pre-deceased Dr. Caceres in September 2004, as did his companion Stanley J. Kuliczkowski in July 2015. Dr. Caceres is survived by his cousins Mrs. Gloria Caceres, Dr. J. Desiree Pineda, Mrs. Carmen Alfaro Morawski and Mrs. Ana Maria Alfaro.

In 1953, Dr. Caceres obtained his medical degrees from Georgetown University. He obtained additional training in internal medicine at Tufts and Boston Universities in Boston.

He received cardiology and research training from George Washington University.

Dr. Caceres worked for the Public Health Service where he won two Superior Service Awards for developing the country’s first functional computer-electrocardiographic interpretive system. Later he joined George Washington University where he was professor of clinical engineering. Dr. Caceres has edited and co-authored nine textbooks dealing with various aspects of technology, medicine, and health care.

In 1970, Dr. Caceres opened his private practice in Dupont Circle, integrating computer technology into the day-to-day real world of medical practice. Beginning in the 1980s Dr. Caceres developed for use in his practice The System Integrated Record, S.I.R. By the early 1980s, like other physicians in D.C., Dr. Caceres began seeing patients with HIV and was committed to the care of patients with the goal of improving health and quality of life until his retirement in 2014. In October 1985, in an op-ed article on HIV in the Wall Street Journal and a letter to the editor in the Journal of the American Medical, Dr. Caceres pointed out that the methodology used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to report the causes of HIV transmission understated the national figures of those who had become infected as a result of recreational drug use. As a result of these publications, the CDC changed its methodology for HIV reporting. In his practice, Dr. Caceres authored many unique patient education pieces on HIV, opportunistic infections, and safer sex to better educate his patients.

Dr. Caceres founded the Institute for Technology in Health Care, a non-profit which seeks to support projects designed to identify, investigate, and apply new and existing technologies to the solution of health care problems. Services will be held at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, 1725 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the Institute for Technology in Health Care, 1759 Q St., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20009.

BY JACQUELINE W. SCHICK

Be Who You Want To Be!

410-730-8311 • TobysDinnerTheatre.com Due to the nature of theatrical bookings, all shows and dates are subject to change.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

has ever read a standard city contract.

They contain pages of provisions requiring vendors to comply with the Human Rights Law, advance minorities and women and create a safe working environment.”

In his resignation letter to Bloomberg and Commission Chair Patricia Gatling, Foreman wrote, as reported by Gay City News, “Through its lawsuit, the administration is saying loudly and inexplicably that gay and lesbian families do no merit being part of this tradition [of promoting equity goals through contracting].” Foreman added “principle requires that I resign.”

Foreman, who’s now senior program director for gay and lesbian programs at the San Francisco-based Haas Jr. Foundation, didn’t dispute the 2004 quote in Gay City News when speaking with the Blade and acknowledged he resigned his position on the Human Rights Commission, but said there’s more to the story.

In the fall of 2005, Foreman said he received a phone call from Bloomberg, who explained his position against the council’s measure and urged him to rejoin the commission.

“He went over his objections to the ordinance (which were that it gave an unfair advantage to companies outside the city) and the steps he had taken to get more companies doing business with the city to offer domestic partner benefits,” Foreman told the Blade. “That included requiring all companies to publicly disclose whether they provided DP benefits to their employees and persuading some of the city’s largest health care insurance companies to start offering benefits at affordable rates. He was emphatic with me that he wanted gay couples to get equal benefits and thought the then-current situation was very unjust.”

Foreman told the Blade after listening to Bloomberg, he agreed to be reappointed to the commission and served until April 2008, when he left the Task Force to move to California.

“I don’t think the 2004 veto says anything about Mr. Bloomberg’s views on LGBT equality,” added Foreman, who said he hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the primary. “His actions since then confirm he’s a solid ally.”

At the end of the day, the New York State Court of Appeals — the highest state court in New York State — determined in 2006 Bloomberg was correct in refusing to enforce the measure, despite being unsuccessful in obtaining a restraining order, because the ordinance was “preempted by state and federal statutes.”

Writing the majority opinion in the decision in the case of Council of the

City of New York v. Bloomberg was New York State Court of Appeals Associate Judge Robert Smith, who determined the measure conflicted with Bloomberg’s authority as mayor under the city charter, state municipal law for contracting rules and the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, which sets rules for health and retirement plans in the private industry.

“We have no doubt that the Equal Benefits Law is a good faith effort to make contractors treat the domestic partners of employees in a way that the Council considers fair,” Smith wrote. “But the competitive bidding statute reflects a judgment by the State Legislature that, to avoid among other things the risk of favoritism, municipalities must give business to the lowest responsible bidder, whether the bidder’s benefit plans meet the municipality’s idea of fairness or not.”

With regard to ERISA, the council had argued the benefits measure didn’t require certain business provide certain benefits, which would have been prohibited under federal law. That didn’t fly with Smith, who said the argument is “inconsistent with United States Court precedent” in the case of Boston Harbor v. Gould, which addressed unfair labor practices.

“The Equal Benefits Law, as its name implies, is designed to induce contractors to treat domestic partners and spouses equally, just as the Wisconsin statute in Gould was designed to induce contractors to avoid unfair labor practices,” Smith wrote. “Thus the market participant exception does not apply here, and the Equal Benefits Law, except to the extent that the benefits it governs are not provided through ERISA plans, is preempted by ERISA.” The Court of Appeals ruling affirmed the appellate division’s dismissal of proceeding brought by the New York City Council to compel enforcement of the law.

Dissenting from the majority was then-Court of Appeals Associate Judge Albert Rosenblatt, who determined as a matter of separation of powers Bloomberg should have enforced the law after failing to obtain a restraining order because “it is the job of the legislative branch to enact laws and the executive to carry them out.”

Rosenblatt, however, declined to make a conclusion was unlawful or not under the constraints of federal and state law. Although the council maintained the measure would work because it was at minimal cost to contractors, additional evidence was needed.

“Expert testimony would be sought, hearings transcripts would be studied, credibility judgments would be made,”

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Rosenblatt wrote. “Supreme Court would be able to consider the extent to which factual matters were rationally controverted in reaching a conclusion about whether summary judgment was warranted. It would do so with all facts viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving City Council.”

Art Leonard, a professor of labor and employment law at New York Law School and editor of LGBT Law Notes,” said despite the court’s conclusion “issues of ERISA preemption and state preemption of a city ordinance are complicated, and debatable,” adding Bloomberg had more options.

“I think had Bloomberg enforced the law, he would have been sued by potential city contractors and the case would probably have ended up the same as it did, but in the meantime perhaps some employees of contractors would have enjoyed the benefits for their partners and children,” Leonard said. “I don’t know what was in Bloomberg’s heart — whether the legal argument was a pretext to deny benefits — but I would have said that in light of the difficulties of predicting how a court would resolve the preemption question, it would have been more politic for him to enforce the ordinance and have the city defend it in court if a contractor sued.”

Leonard compared Bloomberg’s veto of the domestic partnership measure to his appeal of a trial judge decision in Manhattan ruling in favor of marriage equality, which he said “inspired considerable ire.” The ruling was later overturned by the New York Appellate Division and the Court of Appeals.

“When he decided he was right about an issue, my recollection is that he was pretty much impervious to contrary argument,” Leonard concluded.

“In that sense, of course, he bears a haunting resemblance to Trump along authoritarian lines.”

Christine Quinn, who as a former member of the city council, was chief sponsor of the measure, recalls in her 2013 book, “With Patience & Fortitude,” trying to model the New York City ordinance on a San Francisco measure and her disappointment when the New York Court of Appeals ruled against it.

“The point of that bill — for which I was the lead sponsor — was to get benefits for domestic partners; but even more important, it would demonstrate that we in city government had pushed the envelope as far as we could in recognizing gay families,” Quinn wrote. “We did everything to support the bill, from lobbying members of the City Council and community organizing to organizing businesses.”

Although Quinn conceded Bloomberg was justified in his reasoning,

she concludes the court ruling against the measure was a “big defeat.” (The Blade reached out to Quinn for this article, but she declined to comment.)

“The mayor’s office brought a lawsuit claiming that passage of the bill was a violation of the City Council’s powers, because we don’t have power over contracts, which is actually true,” Quinn wrote. “Mayor Bloomberg didn’t disagree with the content of the bill, but he thought the City Council had overstepped its legislative authority. We had tried to be creative about how we wrote the legislation, doing it in a way that threaded the needle, but the court didn’t agree, and we lost. It was a big defeat.”

In subsequent years, Bloomberg as mayor of New York City would become a prominent voice in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage, advocating for it at the time of a failed vote on the Senate floor in 2009 and ultimately success in 2011. In subsequent years, Bloomberg would sign friend-of-the court briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act in 2013 and rule in favor same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.

At a Washington news conference last month announcing D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s endorsement of his candidacy, Bloomberg said he had an “impeccable” record on LGBTQ rights and told the Blade his early support for same-sex marriage makes him stand from other competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“Well just to address that one community, my recollection is … I went and got the Republican Senate of the State of New York as well as the Democratic House to pass a law permitting gay marriage in New York long before anybody else that I know who’s running for office ever even thought about it or certainly said anything about it,” Bloomberg said.

Foreman, speaking with the Blade, said Bloomberg’s later support for marriage equality is a perfect example of allowing public figures the opportunity to evolve on their views on LGBTQ rights.

“I’m starting my 41st year of essentially full-time work in the LGBT movement, 30 of them paid (yes, I’m unbelievably fortunate),” Foreman said. “What I’ve learned is that no elected official is perfect on our issues, that forward movement should be welcomed, and what counts most is actually getting things done for our people. Therefore, it would have been hypocritical and unproductive for me to have been locked in place when Mayor Bloomberg was doing the right things then. I’ve seen no evidence of backsliding since, just the opposite.”

LEONARD ROBINSON III is a Baltimore-based freelance writer. He has been published in Reason and New Voices magazine.

Keeping sexting teens off sex offender registries Md. needs new laws governing social media and minors Ever heard of someone being listed as both victim and sexual perpetrator on sexual exploitation charges?

Last August, the Maryland Court of Appeals upheld a ruling charging a minor with child pornography after she sent a sexually explicit video of herself to two other minors who turned the video into a school resource officer. The court urged the legislature to amend child pornography laws, arguing, “compelling policy reasons for treating teenage sexting different from child pornography” could possibly exist.

Legislators in Annapolis, however, have taken the challenge proposing four pieces of legislation to carve exemptions for minors in criminal proceedings, including Senate Bill 45 which would “exclude from criminal liability” minors who “are the subject of the (child) pornographic matter.”

For starters, recorded consensual sex acts among teens, especially those over the age of consent, simply fail to meet the threshold for lifetime stigma and are becoming more common. According to a 2018 research review published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers discovered that 15% of teens have sent a sexual text with 27% having received one. An earlier Drexel University study, in 2014, reported that over 50% of minors engaged in sexting.

Yet, Maryland, unlike our neighbors in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, lacks laws addressing “sexting” allowing for disastrous rulings like this past summer to occur. But, sometimes even worse happens. In states like Ohio and Oregon, teens are required to register as sex offenders bringing a host of life altering complications including difficulties in finding housing and employment. Passing legislation on this issue would establish a clear legal standard that prevents fewer minors from entering the criminal justice system while strengthening the integrity of our

child pornography laws.

It is also worth noting that this legislation would have a positive impact on queer teens who may engage in consensual “sexting” while still keeping their sexuality quiet from their families and peers. Being outed in the midst of

“Funneling more minors through the criminal justice system won’t solve this problem.” criminal proceedings while facing the possibilities of prison or sex offender registration is an experience that no one deserves.

Finally, funneling more minors through the criminal justice system won’t solve this problem. But, sexual education programs that continue to be funded and encouraged to innovate and adapt to the needs of a more technologically connected generation will.

With the exception of the August ruling, Maryland is one of the most progressive states in terms of minors and sex with an age of consent at 16 with close age exemptions, also known as Romeo and Juliet laws, to show for it.

Lawmakers should realize that most bedroom issues, such as this one, are solved best when the government plays the least role possible. Voluntary sexting between teens is best solved with parents at dinner tables and teachers in classrooms not judges in the courtrooms.

Let’s hope that legislators in Annapolis get the message.

Buttigieg has unique burden CONTINUED FROM PAGE 09

among black voters, Queers Against Pete also criticizes the candidate for his handling as South Bend mayor of a white police officer shooting a black resident, the firing a black police chief investigating racism in the police force and a housing plan that demolished low-income homes, including in minority communities.

“Some have touted former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s openly gay identity as proof of progress in our politics,” the letter says. “However, being gay is not enough to earn the support of LGBTQIA communities. We cannot in good conscience allow Mayor Pete to become the nominee without demanding that he address the needs and concerns of the broader lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual communities.”

LGBTQ public figures who spoke the Blade about the criticism were indignant over the idea the group make gay identity grounds to criticize Buttigieg, saying it validates the idea that a gay person should conform to certain stereotypes or ideals.

Parker called the “Queers Against Pete” faction a “tiny group of fringe voices.” Although she acknowledged “there are important issues being raised,” she questioned why they’d focus on the gay candidate as an LGBTQ group and not others.

“I’m intrigued by the idea there’s ‘Gays Against Pete,” but not ‘Gays Against Bloomberg’ or ‘Gays Against Klobuchar’ or ‘Gays Against Sanders,’ which makes me question the motivation of the group,” Parker said.

In response to the list of the nearly 4,000 LGBTQ signatures “Queers Against Pete” compiled against Buttigieg, Parker said out of 7 million LGBTQ voters in the United States “that’s something like .0005 percent of LGBTQ voters.”

Queers Against Pete, however, repudiates the idea their criticism is about Buttigieg not being gay enough.

A Queers Against Pete spokesperson referred the Blade in response to a request to comment to the organization’s website, which states the organization has “never stated or implied Buttigieg isn’t gay enough” but has said “being gay isn’t enough to warrant our support.”

“We are uniquely positioned as LGBTQIA+ people to state our opposition to Pete,” the website says. “We’ve seen Black people name the harm he’s caused them and they’re called homophobic.

We stand in unity with all marginalized communities and some of us belong to more than one oppressed group.”

But Queers Against Pete isn’t the only LGBTQ entity against Buttigieg.

A look at social media accounts from

LGBTQ progressives would reveals their discontent over the fact the LGBTQ community is being represented in the presidential primary by a white man who hasn’t endured the experience of a racial minority and who has no background in LGBTQ activism leading to his candidacy.

Parker said the idea of criticizing Buttigieg for not being gay enough is “absolutely an absurd statement” because the LGBTQ community had long fought against those constraints.

“We are different, but are differences part of who are and we’re asking for you to asking to accept that, and then to turn around and attack someone fit some standards of gayness that only they know exist upsets me,” Parker said.

Up in arms over the idea Buttigieg should be criticized for not being gay enough was Quinn, who she said she doesn’t even understand the concept.

“What the hell does that mean?”

Quinn said. “What the hell does not gay enough mean? That’s ridiculous. The man is gay. Period. He is a out gay public official, elected official, former mayor who has never once done anything anti-LGBT. If he was gay and against the community, then you can attack him and should attack him, but that is not the case as it relates to Mayor Pete.”

Other criticisms about Buttigieg’s “aesthetics” as a gay candidate, Quinn added, are “ridiculous.”

“It just feeds into the stereotyping of the LGBT community,” Quinn said. “He needs to be himself, to be Pete Buttgieg, to be himself, to be a veteran, a former mayor, a husband, on and on. That’s who he needs to be, to be a gay veteran, a gay former elected official, a gay candidate for president, a husband. That’s what he needs to be because that’s what he is.”

At the end of the day, Parker said attacks about Buttigieg based on the ground of his gay identity — whether it’s from Limbaugh, Queers Against Pete or any other critic — won’t hamper the candidate’s chances in either the primary or general election.

“There’s no candidate whom everyone is going to agree with,” Parker said. “What a candidate does is get out and put forward plans, policies, express where they stand on issues and voters make choices. Voters need to make choices on who they’re preferred presidential candidate is without creating divisive and frivolous attacks based on things not related to policies and programs a candidate has put forward.”

A Buttigieg campaign spokesperson referred the Blade to Buttigieg’s response during the CNN town hall when asked about challenges he faces as a gay candidate from pro-LGBTQ and antiLGBTQ critics.

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F E BR UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 1

Authentic casting, authentic laughs ‘These Thems’ explores the queer spectrum through comedy

By PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN

The cast of ‘These Thems’ is from left SHAAN DASANI, NICK PARK, VICO ORTIZ and GRETCHEN WYLDER. Photo courtesy Chatter Republic

An episodic romantic comedy about a newly out lesbian journeying with nonbinary and transgender friends through New York City’s vibrant queer scene streams Feb. 27 on YouTube’s OML channel.

“These Thems” follows 30-year-old Gretchen and her nonbinary friend and LGBTQ educator Vero as they navigate the increasingly-complex-yet-still-inclusive world of colorful queer community.

Similar to “Pose,” this series features a multitude of transgender, nonbinary and queer characters portrayed by actors who are the same. It’s run by crew members who identify across the queer spectrum.

Series writer, creator and star Gretchen Wylder, who identifies as a queer cisgender femme, and director Jett Garrison, who

identifies as a femme-attracted transgender man, recently spoke with the Washington Blade about this show, which both called a “comedy with heart.”

“These Thems” was listed in GLAAD’s “Top Trans Creatives and Stories to Watch in 2019” and has received awards at film festivals in Chicago, Austin, North Carolina and Kansas. It was also screened at Toronto’s Inside Out festival, Atlanta’s Out on Film and Los Angeles’ Outfest.

The series is set to stream Thursdays on OML through mid-April.

queer comedy series that follows four main characters in New York City. We follow a newly out lesbian who is trying to make up for lost time, and a nonbinary/wannabe queer educator who takes Gretchen under their wings. Their best friend is a trans man who is deciding whether or not to out himself at work, and he quickly falls for Gretchen’s best friend who is a cis gay man who is lovelorn and doesn’t really have any experience within the queer world. The audience follows Gretchen’s perspective through her lens of exploring the queer world for the first time.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Gretchen, can you tell us a little about the show? How would you describe it?

GRETCHEN WYLDER: The show is a

BLADE: You also named the lead character Gretchen. Was there any special reason?

WYLDER: There’s a lot of actor/writers

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whom I look up to who have named lead characters after themselves. Lucille Ball, Issa Rae. … And a lot of it is based off my own personal experience. Some of it is based on my own coming out experience, even though I came out 13 years ago. The first episode is inspired by a similar situation.

BLADE: Would you say you’re similar to your character?

WYLDER: Oh, Lord! We’re very similar, ha! I’m a Pisces and I’ve had my run of heartbreak, so we kind of see Gretchen going through the wringer a little bit. But near the end we see Gretchen reclaiming herself, her individuality and her sexuality.

BLADE: What inspired you to create a newly out lesbian navigating the queer world?

WYLDER: I like to think our show draws from and was inspired by “The L Word,” and it was so important to queer representation.

But something that we deliver that “The L Word” doesn’t have is a more broad scope of what the queer community looks like. I feel like as enjoyable as it is, it for the most part it seems to focus its lens on cisgendered and conventionally attractive characters facing relationship troubles, and this show focuses more on the broadness of the New York queer community. One thing I never related to with “The L Word” was the predominantly white, feminine, lesbian circles. One thing that I wanted to reflect was queer intersectionality and to show that sometimes it is really difficult to navigate. We all don’t have the answers and we’re all learning and we’re all growing and the characters are just trying their best and experiencing life together — even if it looks different depending on the character.

BLADE: Was it a challenge writing for nonbinary cast members?

WYLDER: Many of my friendships and relationships are with people who identify as nonbinary or trans and I was very active in the queer community in New York City.

When I was writing the show, I had four table readings in New York City. I come from a theater background and it comes immediately across from the audience when something is working or isn’t working.

I tell you what, there have been so many rewrites of the script because so much of the language was clunky at first. I would get feedback and something wouldn’t work. It was a lot of trial and error.

BLADE: Jett, what drew you to this project?

JETT GARRISON: I read the script and fell in love with the characters, fell in love with the story — the humor. One of the things that drew me to the project was how beautifully Gretchen wrote all of these characters.

Gretchen, the character, is having her coming out of sorts, but this is not a coming out story, per se. It is a coming out for folks who are already in the queer community.

We have been over the past maybe five years learning a whole new vocabulary that didn’t exist for some of us in our 30s, 40s or 50s. We didn’t have words like nonbinary or trans, so Gretchen gets a new vocabulary and is excited and overwhelmed and she’s trying her best to figure it out. And I feel like everyone, whether they are a straight cis ally or part of the queer community, has

had some kind of moment where they are trying to navigate and honoring somebody’s sexuality, identity or humaness in a way that is foreign to them.

BLADE: How did you become involved?

GARRISON: I’ve been a filmmaker for almost 20 years, and primarily as a queer, feminist, female-forward type of storyteller.

Gretchen was reaching out to transmasculine, trans male directors because of a central storyline that she knew she wanted to have an extra set of eyes and an extra heart to pay attention to. And I really connected to our transmasculine character, Asher. I knew that I wanted to develop those stories because we haven’t been seen in these storylines or characters.

BLADE: Did being a transmasculine director help with developing the authenticity in those scenes?

GARRISON: When you are a director working with your actors, whether it is in theater or film, you have to build this trust. … We (two of the transmasculine actors) were able to work in my apartment and have a discussion about what each of their identities mean to them and where they come from. Shaan (Dasani) happened to be

a good friend of mine and we talk a lot about different experiences and where safety comes into play about being out — whether it’s at work or in public — so we’re constantly in dialogue. So, when you’re on set, you just develop the shorthand. And when you’re asking for subtle changes in a delivery, or maybe a shading of a line, it also incorporates the writer and Gretchen knew she could trust me and our actors to collaborate and make sure it all worked together.

BLADE: As a transmasculine director, what challenges did you face in the industry prior to this project?

GARRISON: I directed quite a bit. I got my MFA at the University of Texas and one of my shorts was nominated for a student Academy Award. But I haven’t done much directing since I transitioned, which was just a few years ago. It’s been a challenge for me because I identified as a butch lesbian and was a member of many female directing initiatives. But once I transitioned, I kind of transitioned myself out of those communities.

I transitioned at a time when our trans sisters were doing a good job of elevating their visibility in the media. For us trans masculine folks, that wasn’t the case for a multitude of reasons. Now, a lot of it is coming out and meeting each other and helping try to

elevate one another. “These Thems” came along at a perfect time. Episodic directing has been a goal of mine for a while.

BLADE: Does the show include cisgender heterosexual cast and characters? Are there any funny moments that stand out?

GARRISON: We wanted this to be participatory to see how cis-het connect with us and are a part of this world that we all live in. Our gender reveal party episode is hilarious and we didn’t want our cis-het people to come off as dumb or unknowing but learning about this new world along with Gretchen and the rest of us.

BLADE: Gretchen, how did cisgender heterosexual audience members feel about the show? Did they get what you were trying to say?

WYLDER: Cis-het friends who watch the show enjoy it and so did older lesbians and cis-gay men who are not within the trans spectrum and don’t understand it. So, this is a way to watch and learn in a fun comedic way. The character of Gretchen represents anyone, regardless of how they identify, who is new to this new world and faces its challenges in a funny, relatable way. Humor is something that everyone can relate to.

The cast of ‘These Thems.’

Photo courtesy Chatter Republic

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QUEERY Jade Jones

15 in Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St., N.W.) and features a dazzling cast of local actors such as Mia Ellis, Harriett D. Foy, Antonio Michael Woodard, Lauryn Simone, Nova Y. Payton and more. Details at shakespearetheatre. org.

Jones discovered the work during a reading at STC last year and says, “It hit me hard.”

“I love Baldwin’s use of gospel music throughout the piece,” she says. “It definitely resonated with me and brought me back to my roots in gospel music.”

Jones has been in about 10 Equity shows here in Washington. Her favorite so far was “School Girls: or the African Mean Girls Play” at Round House. She dreams of doing theater around the country and abroad.

Jones is single and lives in the Sixteenth Street Heights. She enjoys theater, jam sessions, playing the ukulele, French pressing coffee and exploring.

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

I came out to my parents when I was 21 and they were definitely the hardest people to tell. I grew up in a very religious household.

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

I came out to my parents when I was 21 and they were definitely the hardest people to tell. I grew up in a very religious household.

Who’s your LGBTQ hero?

Tiffany “New York” Pollard

Washington Blade photo by Michael Key

QUEERY: Jade Jones

The ‘Amen Corner’ actress answers 20 queer questions

By JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com

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Many folks who end up on stage dream of it for a long time before getting there. Jade Jones was the opposite.

Though she’d always wanted to do something in theater, her low self confidence had her thinking she could never be an actor. Planning to teach, she got a theater degree but after a few months of unemployment, she auditioned for “Hair” at Keegan Theatre in 2014.

“I’ve been here ever since,” the Reston, Va., native, who identifies as queer, says.

She’s starring now as Sister Rice in ‘The Amen Corner” at Shakespeare Theatre Company.

The James Baldwin-penned plays tells of a 1950s storefront church in Harlem where a gospel choir sings of redemption in one room while Pastor Margaret Alexander’s on bonds with his ailing father over their mutual love of jazz in the next. It runs through March

What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you?

That all bisexual people are promiscuous.

What’s your proudest professional achievement?

Getting to perform “The Wiz” for Michelle Obama at Ford’s Theatre in 2018.

What terrifies you?

Being late. Not saying I’m never late. Just terrified of it.

What’s something trashy or vapid you love?

Trashy TV — “Flavor Of Love,” “Real Housewives.” The more drama the better.

What’s your greatest domestic skill?

I make a mean margarita.

What’s your favorite movie or show?

“Paris Is Burning”

LGBTQ

What’s your social media pet peeve?

When people post fake news.

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

Not sure — we have a long way to go and I hope we don’t forget the trans community. I hope we fight for them as hard as we fought for our basic human rights.

What’s the most social custom?

Shaking hands. Yikes.

overrated

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

I grew up in the United Church of Christ. I consider myself a spiritual person, not religious.

What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem?

Looking Glass Lounge in Georgia Ave. I guess it’s not so hidden, but it’s always a vibe. Good music and drinking are straight to the point.

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

Britney/Madonna/Christina kiss at the 2001 VMAs. I must’ve rewatched it 500 times.

What celebrity death hit you hardest?

Kobe Bryant, just because it was so shocking. It definitely shook me into living every day like it’s my last.

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

Taking out student loans, for sure.

What are your obsessions?

Pineapples on pizza, “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Rosé, Drake, Cold Brew, Flannels, Vinyls, a good play, Oreo Mcflurries, and honestly a nice butt.

Great for cuddling...

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Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time: … we get this administration out of Chocolate City.

What do you wish you’d known at 18?

How to properly do my own taxes.

Why Washington?

For the culture. If you don’t understand that, we ain’t meant to be friends.

F E BR UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 5

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presents

TRIXIE MATTEL plays Washington March 1.

Photo courtesy Shore Fire Media

Going ‘Wider’ A Celebrate Diversity cocktail reception hosted by A Wider Bridge and Fuente Latina is Sunday, March 1 from 8:15-10:30 p.m. during the 2020 AIPAC policy conference at the Washington Convention Center (801 Mt. Vernon Place, N.W.).

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a bipartisan organization promoting the U.S.-Israel relationship. This year’s confirmed speakers include House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

A Wider Bridge works to expand LGBTQ inclusion in Israel through education, advocacy and relationship building. Fuente Latina is a nonprofit organization seeking to facilitate Spanish-speaking media covering Israel and the Middle East.

For conference tickets and information visit awiderbridge.org/aipacreception and event.aipac.org.

A GLAM ROCK SPECTACLE SERVING SELF EXPRESSION REALNESS March 14 8PM March 15 3PM Lincoln Theatre | 1215 U Street NW Tickets: 877-435-9849 or GMCW.org tickets and groups of 10 or more call 202-293-1548

Wellness festival is Feb. 29 D.C.’s LGBTQ Health and Wellness Festival hosted by the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) kicks off Saturday, Feb. 29 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The public is invited to this inaugural event for the D.C. Center.

The festival includes a day of LGBTQ-focused workshops and panel discussions as well as hands-on activities such as yoga, tai chi, meditation and more. Also available will be on-site HIV and STI testing, vendor tables and other health screenings.

For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Trixie here March 1 Trixie Mattel’s ‘Grown Up Tour,’ presented by AEG entertainment, is Sunday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.). Tickets are $39.50.

Mattel, a drag performer, singer-songwriter and comedian, is backed by a live band for the first time during this stage show packed with music, comedy and more. Mattel came in sixth on the seventh season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and went on to win the third season of “Drag Race All Stars.” Her new album “Barbara” was released this month.

Tickets and information are available on eventbrite.com.

Ready for Dick’s!

Dragged Out at Dicks!, a new Baltimore drag show, premieres at Dick’s Last Resort (621 E. Pratt Street, Baltimore) Saturday, Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. General admission tickets are $15.

Camilla Rose and Sherry Blossom partner up to play host to performers Venus Starlight, Druex Sidora, Emma Zon Prime and Indiana Bones.

Visit Eventbrite and dickslastresort.com for more information.

F E BR UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 7

2 8 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • F EBRUA RY 21 , 2020

CALENDAR TODAY Bear Happy Hour is tonight from 5-10 p.m. at UPROAR lounge (639 Florida Ave., N.W.). D.C. Bear Crue: Bear Happy Hour celebrates 20 years with this 21-and-up weekly event and no cover charge. For more information on this and other events, visit uproarlounge.com.

Stop Banning Us: Wheat Pasting to Challenge Muslim & African Ban hosted by Justice for Muslims Collective is tonight at 7 p.m. at the Rayburn house Office Building (45 Independence Ave., S.W.). The event begins at Capitol Hill and moves out from there. For more information, visit justiceformuslims.org.

The ALT-Queer Party at Mixers bar (6037 Belair Rd., Baltimore) is tonight at 9 p.m. All are welcome to celebrate diversity and body positivity while dancing the night away.Visit mixersbaltimore.com for more information on this and other events.

Rough House hosted by Lemz is tonight at 10 p.m. at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.). This lights off, hands-on dance party features music by Lemz and DJ Sean Morris. Cover is $5 and includes clothes check. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Saturday, Feb. 22 Drag Queen Story Hour with the D.C. Public Library is today from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Adams Morgan Community Center at the LINE Hotel (1770 Euclid St., N.W.). Visit eventbrite.com to register for this free, family-friendly event.

The GenOUT youth chorus’ Youth Invasion concert sings songs to inspire and celebrate LGBTQ pride today at 3 p.m. at Live! At 10th and G (945 G St., N.W.). General admission tickets are $25 on gmcw.org.

The Mardi Gras Parade at The Wharf (760 Maine Ave., S.W.) is today from 4-7 p.m. This festive parade features floats, a dance party with live music on District Pier and a fireworks finale. There will also be activities and crafts for kids. Visit warfdc.com for more information.

The D.C. Queer Theatre Festival’s Reading Series closes tonight at 7 p.m. with a staged reading of “We All Fall Down” by Esther Rodriguez at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W., Suite 105).

A reception and discussion with the playwright follow the reading. Tickets are $10 at thedccenter.org.

Marc Anthony’s “Opus Tour” hits Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $59 on Ticketmaster. This award-winning Puerto Rican entertainer is also a 2009

Wed, Feb. 26

‘Pose’ star DYLLON BURNSIDE will be at Metropolitan AME Church Thursday for a Black History Month discussion on black/queer issues.

Photo courtesy The Family Room

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Lifetime Achievement Award winner. For tickets and information, visit Facebook Events.

JOX at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.), hosted by Matt Black Productions and featuring music by DJ UltraPup, is tonight at 9 p.m. The $8 cover includes clothes check and all night drink specials. More information on this and other events is available at greenlanterndc.com.

Sunday, Feb. 23 The Disney Princex Drag Brunch is today from noon-3 p.m. at Taqueria Del Barrio (821 Upshur St., N.W.). $25 tickets include an entree and mimosa. The public is invited to sing-a-long to Disney tunes with host Vagenesis and a cast of drag stars. Visit taqueriadelbarrio.com for details.

HRC at Barry’s Bootcamp (1345 19th St., N.W.) is today from 1:20-2:20 p.m. Tickets are $35 with a Barry’s Bootcamp account and renews your HRC membership for another year. For tickets and information, visit barrys.com/ register.

Monday, Feb. 24 Jacob Tobia and Casey McQuiston authors of “Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story” and “Red, White and Royal Blue” converse with Roswell Encina of the Library of Congress tonight at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.). The public is invited to this free event which will be livestreamed at kennedy-center.org.

Celine Dion’s “Courage World Tour” takes the stage in Royal Farms Arena (201 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore) tonight at 7:30 p.m. This event features Dion’s musical legacy which includes iconic songs such as “My Heart Will Go On” from the mega-hit film “Titanic.”

Visit ticketmaster.com for tickets and information.

Singing with the Sisters is a weekly karaoke night at the Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) tonight at 9 p.m. The public is invited to grab a drink and enjoy a few tunes with the D.C. Sisters, a drag nun order. For more information, visit greenlanterndc.com.

Tuesday, Feb. 25 “Sagan” by Dianne Kurys screens tonight at 7 p.m. at the French Embassy (4101 Reservoir Rd., N.W.). This film features the life of French author Francoise Sagan whose hedonistic lifestyle was almost as famous as her 1958 novel “Bonjour Tristesse.” Free tickets are available on frenchculture.org.

Drag Bingo is tonight at 7 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing (209 M St., N.E.). Host Desiree Dik invites guests to dress up in their best Mardi Gra gear to win prizes.

For more information, visit redbear.beer.

A Democratic Debate Watch Party hosted by the Woman’s National Democratic Club (1526 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.) is tonight at 8 p.m. Free tickets are available at events.constantcontact. com.

Action to Demand an End to MPP hosted by Project Lifeline is today from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol (1st St., S.E.). The public is invited to join legal and medical professionals in signing and delivering to Congress an open letter calling for an end to the Migrant Protection Protocols also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Visit actionnetwork.org for more information.

Jazz, Gender and Society with Terri Lyne Carrington is tonight at 7 p.m. at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (1400 Constitution Ave., N.W.). Carrington, a Grammy Award-winning drummer, composer and producer, discusses their work and activist music.Tickets are $30 at nmaahc.si.edu.

The Lambda Bridge Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m., at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No reservations are needed and newcomers are welcome. Call 202-841-0279 if you need a partner.

Thursday, Feb. 27 Reel Affirmations Xtra Presents “Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America” at Landmark’s E Street Cinema (555 11th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. This documentary by Tom Shepard explores the stories of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers resettling despite increasing U.S. restrictions. For tickets and information, visit thedccenter.org.

Nashwa: Night of Middle East and North African Rhythms in D.C. presented by The Andalusian is tonight at 7:30 p.m. at La Pop D.C. (1847 Columbia Road, N.W.). Raqs Sharqi (belly dance) classes are followed by live music and open dancing. The cost is $10 and dancers are encouraged to bring a scarf to tie around their waists. Visit lapopdc. com and Facebook Events for details.

Metropolitan AME Church (1518 M St., N.W.) offers its conversation series The Family Room tonight at 6:30 p.m. when Dyllon Burnside (Ricky from “Pose”) will discuss the “expanding boundaries of blackness — the intersection of black and LGBT issues” with Darnell Moore, author of “No Ashes in the Fire.” Tickets are $40 on eventbrite.com. Deatils at thefamilyroomdc.org.

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.

F E BR UA RY 2 1 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 2 9

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MUSIC

Photo courtesy of Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C.

Youth Invasion

Feb 22. Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC. gmcw.org.

The GenOUT Chorus’s third Youth Invasion concert will feature songs that inspire and celebrate LGBTQ pride. Soloists and small ensembles will be interspersed with songs performed by the entire GenOUT Chorus in a concert featuring hit songs from Broadway and film, and pop favorites. Now in its sixth season, the GenOUT Chorus is made up of 25 singers from 17 schools around the DC metropolitan area.

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Thru Mar 1. Folger Theatre. folger.edu.

Some appetites never go out of style. 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. Directed by Aaron Posner.

Black Pioneers Composers w/Melissa White, violin

Feb 22. National Philharmonic at Strathmore. nationalphilharmonic.org.

Piotr Gajewski conducts the National Philharmonic in this tribute to Black Composers in Classical Music featuring compositions by Wynton Marsalis, Florence Price, George Walker and William Grant Still. Joining the National Philharmonic is Melissa White, violinist, Sphinx Competition winner and founding member of the Harlem Quartet.

Come hear why The Cincinnati Enquirer says that Melissa White is “bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent.”

Graciela Iturbide’s Mexico

Thru May 25. National Museum of Women in the Arts. nmwa.org.

For the past 50 years, Graciela Iturbide (b. 1942, Mexico City) has produced majestic, powerful, and sometimes visceral images of her native Mexico. One of the most influential contemporary photographers of Latin America, Iturbide transforms ordinary observation into personal and lyrical art. Her signature black-and-white gelatin silver prints present nuanced insights into the communities she photographs, revealing her own journey to understand her homeland and the world.

THEATRE Boy. Thru Mar 7. Keegan Theatre. keegantheatre.com.

Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes. Thru Mar 29. Gun & Powder. Thru Feb 23.

Signature Theatre. sigtheatre.org.

Exquisita Agonía (Exquisite Agony). Thru Mar 1. GALA Hispanic Theatre. galatheatre.org.

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

Play Date. Thru Feb 23. Arts on the Green at Arts Barn. gaithersburgmd.gov.

Spring Awakening. Thru Feb 23. Round House. roundhousetheatre.org.

Suddenly Last Summer. Feb 27-Apr 5. Avant Bard at Gunston. wscavantbard.org.

The Wanderers. Thru Mar 15. Theater J at EDCJCC. theaterj.org.

DANCE Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company A Tribute to Marian Anderson. Feb 24. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian. npg.si.edu.

culture capital

Altan. Feb 22. Bokanté with Michael League. Feb 26. Frontiers. Feb 21. Raul Midón & Lionel Loueke. Feb 23. AMP. ampbystrathmore.com.

Budapest Festival Orchestra. Feb 21. Washington Performing Arts at Strathmore. washingtonperformingarts.org.

Cherish The Ladies. Feb 25-Feb 26. The Last Bandoleros. Feb 22. 1964 The Tribute. Thru Feb 21. Wolf Trap at The Barns. wolftrap.org.

Mason Bates’s KC Jukebox: Ekhodom and Mason Bates. Feb 27. The Reach @The Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Miranda Cuckson & Friends. Feb 21. Library of Congress. loc.gov.

Niccolo Seligmann. Feb 26. Strathmore at The Mansion. strathmore.org.

Noseda conducts Mahler’s Fifth and Schubert. Thru Feb 22. Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.

Feb 27-Feb 29. NSO at Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

NSO of Ukraine. Feb 22. Mason’s Center for the Arts. cfa.gmu.edu.

Rob Kapilow’s What Makes It Great? American Songbook. Feb 23. The Washington Chorus at Baird Auditorium. thewashingtonchorus.org.

Winter Concert. Feb 23. Kennedy Center. kennedy-center.org.

Third Coast Percussion. Feb 23. National Gallery of Art. nga.gov.

West-Eastern Divan Ensemble. Feb 27. Washington Performing Arts at Kennedy Center. washingtonperformingarts.org.

MUSEUMS AU Museum at the Katzen. 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. 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. Docent’s Choice Tour of the Portrait Gallery. Thru Feb 29. 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. New Landscapes Group Show. Thru Feb 28. arlingtonartistsalliance.org.

Arlington Arts Center. Winter 2020 Exhibitions. Thru Mar 28. arlingtonartscenter.org.

CHAW. The all-media exhibit Rhythm and Blues. Thru Mar 14. chaw.org.

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

Del Ray Artisans. Kondo vs. Chaos Art Exhibit. Thru Mar 1. delrayartisans.org.

Glen Echo Park. Advocacy & Activism Through Art. Feb 22-Mar 15. Sarah Salomon: Solitudes. Feb 22-Mar 15. glenechopark.org.

Hill Center. Regional Juried Exhibition 2020. Thru Apr 18. hillcenterdc.org.

Korean Cultural Center DC. The Moment: Nature, Life, and Re-creation. Thru Feb 25. koreaculturedc.org.

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

Waverly Street Gallery. Waverly Street Gallery Invitational Exhibition. Thru Mar 7. waverlystreetgallery.com.

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Dancing defiantly

Gender norms challenged in insular world of traditional Georgian dance outfit

BY BRIAN T. CARNEY

GIORGI TSERETELI, LEVAN GELBAKHIANI and ANA JAVAKISHVILI in ‘And Then We Danced.’

Photo by Anka Gujaabidze; courtesy Music Box Films

The excellent “And Then We Danced” is a thoughtful and passionate coming out/coming-of-age story set in a country facing significant political and cultural changes.

The movie centers on Merab (a blazing breakout performance from Levan Gelbakhiani), the star student at the National Georgian Ensemble, a conservative institution founded to preserve the traditional dances of the country of Georgia. Following in his family’s footsteps, Merab and his partner/girlfriend Mary (Ana Javakishvili) have been training since they were children for a spot in the prestigious main ensemble.

Merab finally gets his chance to audition (one of the male dancers has been kicked out for being gay), but despite his dedication and talent, Merab faces obstacles. The first is a constant stream of criticism from his coach Aleko (Kakha Gogidze). The slight and expressive Merab does not fit the rigidly gendered expectations for male Georgian dancers.

“You should be like a nail,” Aleko shouts at Merab, “Your eyes are too playful. You’re too soft.”

These criticisms also have political overtones. A school official reminds the students that Georgian dance is the spirit of the nation and Aleko says, “There is no sex in Georgian dance; this is not the lambada.”

Merab’s position in the academy is further threatened by the arrival of Irakli (Bachi Valishvili), a handsome male dancer who replaces Merab in a prominent duet with Mary. The two rivals begin to rehearse together and their relationship quickly blossoms into friendship and then romance.

Writer/director Levan Akin skillfully sets their story against the challenging conditions in contemporary Georgia.

There is deep pride in national identity and national traditions, but there is deep xenophobia (marked by recurrent ethnic slurs). Sexism is rampant at the academy and in the society at large, as is homophobia. Economic opportunities are limited; Merab’s family is just barely

scraping by and at one point, their electricity is cut off.

And, as the rich soundtrack demonstrates, Merab’s heart beats to both the percussive music of his beloved traditional dances and the modern international pop sounds of ABBA and Robyn that he hears at parties and at the underground gay club he visits.

Akin captures this complex material with admirable grace and subtlety. The dialogue is relaxed and natural and the pacing is confident and comfortable.

He has a great collaboration with cinematographer Lisabi Fridell; together they deftly capture the beauty and discipline of the dance sequences as well as the urban grit of the city of Tbilisi.

He also provides expert guidance to the actors. Newcomer Gelbakhiani turns in a stunning performance. He has a great natural charm and his exuberance is infectious. His dancing is precise and passionate; his sweat-soaked body documents the amazing labor and

discipline behind his craft even as it radiates in the thrill of performance. His expressive face sensitively displays the joys and sorrows of first love.

There is a powerful chemistry between Gelbakhiani and the rest of the cast, especially the dashing Valishvili as rival dancer Irakli. Their relationship unfolds naturally and easily; much of their story is conveyed with dance moves and smoldering glances. Javakishvili is delightful as Mary, the supportive friend and dance partner who is obsessed with the latest fads from London. Gogidze turns in a richly nuanced performance as the stern coach Aleko, the uncompromising guardian of traditional norms and culture who still cares deeply for his rebellious student.

Giorgi Tsereteli is also great as David, Merab’s neer-do-well brother who turns out to be a surprisingly decent guy.

Finally, Akin has an amazing partnership with his choreographer who lovingly recreates the traditional Georgian dances as well as Merab’s variations on them. Merab’s final dance number, where he finally gets the chance to fully express himself through movement, is simply stunning.

It is destined to become an important piece of cinematic history.

Unfortunately, the choreographer of “And Then We Danced” is uncredited because they were afraid for their personal safety. The film was shot on location on Tbilisi. Given the homosexual content in the film, Akin and the crew received death threats.

Filming was done secretly and under the protection of private bodyguards.

The Sukhisvili National Ballet and other national dance troupes refused to cooperate with the filming because “homosexuality does not exist in Georgia.” Screenings of the movie throughout Georgia were met by protests.

Fortunately, LGBT audiences can support Akin and his brave colleagues by going to see this fine film which opens today in area theaters (in Georgian with English subtitles).

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Gender injustice Keegan’s ‘Boy’ is gut-wrenching coming-of-age tale

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

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Anna Ziegler’s “Boy” is a searing story of sex and gender. Currently making its Washington-area premiere at Keegan Theatre, the prolific playwright’s 2015 work unblinkingly explores the pain and struggle that results when gender is imposed regardless of what the person feels he/she/they are.

In Ziegler’s play, the boy in question is Adam Turner (John Jones).

His tale is told swiftly in numerous scenes, some far more illuminating than others. We’re introduced to Adam on Halloween. He’s at a party, tellingly dressed as Frankenstein’s monster, where he meets, seemingly for the first time, a very tipsy Jenny (Lida Maria Benson). She’s dressed as a Playboy bunny, a costume she’s been reprising since 10th grade.

In fits and starts, a romantic relationship develops. But to Jenny’s dismay, Adam is hiding something. If he doesn’t open up, this boy-meets-girl love story will end before it begins.

Originally Samuel, self-named Adam was the victim of a botched circumcision that destroyed his penis. Unsure what to do, his parents reach out to renowned specialist Dr. Wendell Barnes (Vishwas) who insists the only successful response to the situation is to raise Samuel as a girl and never reveal his true sex.

Parents Trudy (Karen Novack) and Doug (Mike Kozemchak) follow the wellmeaning doctor’s instructions slavishly, changing their son’s name to Samantha, supplying a wardrobe of dresses and filling his toy box with dolls.

But despite the trusting Iowans best efforts, Trudy notes Samantha’s unhappiness.

When Doug shows Samantha’s twin brother how to work on cars, the little girl looks on longingly from inside the house. At school, she is generally miserable, alienated from her classmates.

The only respite in Samantha’s life are her occasional visits to Dr. Barnes in Boston where she feels accepted and loved. But as the patient enters puberty, those visits are no longer cheerful.

Alone with the doctor, Samantha refuses to discuss a proposed vaginoplasty and rebels against taking hormones. And despite being brought up as a girl, she feels like a boy, rather loudly disproving the doctor’s much-touted theory that nurture trumps nature every time.

With the help of Jeremy Bennett’s projections, the play moves lucidly back and forth from Adam’s childhood to early adulthood, spanning the 1960s through 1990. For the protagonist, it’s a tortuous, confusing journey.

What’s even more disturbing, the play is drawn from truth. “Boy” is loosely based on the life experience of a man named David Reimer, who suffered greatly before committing suicide at 38 in 2004.

As Adam, Jones, a senior at Catholic University, makes an auspicious professional debut. On press night, they warmed up as the 90-minute play progressed, revealing an increasingly spontaneous handle on their complex character. Without costume or baby talk, the actor subtly employs posture and pitch to transform from petulant young girl to angry young man.

And Benson is refreshingly natural as bubbly, generous Jenny, a young single mother.It’s a delightfully nuanced performance.

Without revealing too much, Adam is put through the wringer. In pursuit of authenticity, he palpably demonstrates courage and love as he inevitably frustrates his loved ones, including the doctor, along the way.

Some of the story is unsatisfying.

For instance, how the couple deals with their dearth of physical contact is blithely glossed over. Still it’s mostly compelling, and director Susan Marie Rhea has staged the production with sensitivity.

At the center of Matthew J. Keenan’s minimal but metaphor-heavy set, is a large door frame behind which lies a black abyss. It’s through this door that Adam’s destiny lies.

In conjunction with “Boy,” for one night only (Feb. 24), Keegan’s Boiler Room Series will produce a staged reading of “Alix in Wonderland: A gender Journey Down the Rabbit Hole” by Buzz Mauro and out playwright Norman Allen, followed by a guest panel discussion and audience talkback.

‘Boy’

Through March 7 The Keegan Theatre 1742 Church St., N.W. $41-51 202-265-3767 keegantheatre.com

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GAME CHANGERS: Bryan Yamasaki Stonewall Climbing founder embraces diversity

By KEVIN MAJOROS This week in the Blade’s Game Changers series, we meet a gay athlete who has been on a mission to create a more inclusive environment among local queer climbers.

Bryan Yamasaki launched Stonewall Climbing in 2017 along with Brinda Dass in a league format with two seasons per year. There were already climbing groups in existence, but he was looking to expand the definition of a safe space.

“Even though they were LGBTQbased groups in existence, I didn’t consider them safe spaces. There was ageism, racism and sexism. In the LGBTQ climbing community, we weren’t exposed to people who weren’t gay men,” Yamasaki says. “The LGBTQ community is constantly changing and there are people who we haven’t seen or heard yet. It is an ongoing evolution.”

Yamasaki grew up in Gaithersburg and was more focused on music than sports. He played piano and was in the marching band in high school where he played trombone, baritone horn and tuba.

He ran cross country in high school and picked up fencing in college along with playing in the Ohio University Marching Band.

When he returned to the D.C. area after graduation, he grew tired of the bar scene and wanted to find a healthy lifestyle. A quick search of trust-building activities brought up climbing.

“In my first climb I got halfway up the wall and had a bridesmaid moment,” Yamasaki says. “It was like walking a plank and it felt symbolic that it was just me out there by myself.”

Within a year, he stepped into a leadership position and began recruiting people. The climbing touchstones are self-reliance, learning from failure and using physical activity to improve self-confidence.

Yamasaki says the model being built still needs work and he continues to look for pockets of queer climbers. In March he will launch a national survey with hopes of connecting with people

BRYAN YAMASAKI says his passion for climbing grew out of ennui with the local gay bar scene.

Photo courtesy of Yamasaki

from the deep South to the Pacific Northwest.

“I recently traveled to Tennessee and Oregon for climbing events and the first thing I do when I visit a new city is find the local LGBTQ community center,” Yamasaki says. “I am interested in communities that create safe spaces and learning how I can use that information to make climbing available to more people.”

Sport climbing is growing at a fast pace and will be included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer. There is no queer national governing body, but Yamasaki hopes that will happen eventually along with a national tournament.

“This journey started with feeling alone, being alone and wanting to raise my self-awareness. Embracing the queer climbing community has exposed me to other people who are like me,” Yamasaki says. “That selfawareness has led to me asking what is missing from this picture and how do I actively change it. I am willingly putting myself out there because I know there are more people who need to be seen.”

Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company:

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

Photo: Jeff Watts, 2019

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A new case for pronouns

Colonel Don Schofield, Commander and Conductor

Retired linguistics professor brings nuance to singular ‘they’ controversy

By KATHI WOLFE “Ask the question: What is your pronoun?,” Lady Gaga told an audience last year at a concert on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, “For a lot of people, it’s really hard, and their pronouns aren’t respected or they’re not asked.”

This is one of the many stories that Dennis Baron tells about the passion and politics surrounding pronouns in the new book “What’s Your Pronoun?”

You might think a book on a part of speech is as fascinating as reading the tax code: that it has as much to do with your life as climbing Mount Everest. But you’d be wrong.

Today, pronouns are up close and personal for everyone. We sign our emails with our pronouns. Trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students and prisoners fight to be addressed by their preferred pronouns.

The Meriam-Webster dictionary declared “they” to be the word of the year in 2019.

“Pronouns are suddenly sexy,” Baron writes, ”They’re in the air, on the news, all over social media. People are asking each other, ‘What’s your pronoun?’ — it’s the new ‘Hello, my name is ___.’”

Asking about pronouns is a question about a part of speech, Baron writes. But, he adds, the question is also “an invitation to declare, to honor, or to reject, not just a pronoun, but a gender identity.”

It’s cool now to talk about pronouns, but the discussion is often heated. Why is this such a contentious topic? Because, “English has masculine and feminine and neuter pronouns,” Baron writes, “but it is missing a pronoun for someone whose gender is unknown, unclear, nonbinary, or ‘other.’”

Historically, “he” has been used to refer to everyone (male, female, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, etc.). Many grammarians thought using the “generic” he was fine.

But, using the “generic” he left many feeling excluded. “Too often he means ‘only men,’” Baron writes.

Feminists have decried this exclusionary use of he. People who are nonbinary or gender nonconforming feel excluded when the pronoun he is used to describe them.

Many find using “he or she” to be both too clunky and binary.

“The grammar sticklers are always sure

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that English speakers don’t need any new pronouns,” Baron writes, “they’ve gotten along just fine with generic he, thank you very much.”

Many people are working to fill the void of the “missing,” inclusive, gender-neutral pronoun by creating new pronouns such as zie or tey. Fortunately, the grammar “sticklers are becoming hard to find,” Baron writes.

Finding a new gender-neutral, inclusive pronoun that people will use isn’t easy.

Language is always evolving. Yet new words, especially when they’re personal like pronouns, often sound or look strange to us.

Yet a growing number of people realize that we’ve had the pronoun we’ve been searching for all along, Baron says. “It’s singular they,” he writes.

‘What’s Your Pronoun?: Beyond He&She’

By Dennis Baron Liveright Publishing $25.95 283 pages

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Sedans that sizzle Flashier looks, feistier engines enliven ’20 models

By JOE PHILLIPS

Now that crossover SUVs are all the rage, four-door sedans simply have to try harder.

That means flashier looks, feistier engines and fantabulous features. Below are three of the finest sedans on the market today.

LEXUS ES 350 F-SPORT $45,000 MPG: 22 city/31 highway Zero-60 mph: 5.9 seconds The Lexus ES, long the epitome of oldschool cool, keeps nipping at the heels of Audi and BMW. This mid-size ride was restyled just last year, with a jazzy grille, jagged headlights and sexy tush that would make Billy Porter blush This isn’t your parents Lexus, and it shows — especially in the F-Sport version. While it has the same sturdy V6 as a base-model ES, the F-Sport boasts tighter steering and a huskier engine growl. Add in large 19-inch wheels, extra bolstering in the seats and a finely tuned suspension, and the result is a firm yet pleasant ride. Inside, a fluctuating wave pattern on the interior aluminum trim looks almost three-dimensional.

I fell in love with the large 12.3-inch display in the center dash, though the touchpad was too touchy at times to operate smoothly.

The parking camera provides a nifty split screen, with rear-view image on one side and panoramic birds-eye view on the other.

VOLVO S60 T6 AWD R-DESIGN $48,000 MPG: 21 city/32 highway Zero-60 mph: 5.3 seconds The Volvo S60 T6 AWD R-Design. Yes, its’ a mouthful. And yes, the name of this particular vehicle sounds nerdy. But make no mistake, this is one sophisticated hot rod.

The design is lean and sinewy — a stretched hood, aggressive air dams and side panels as taut and chiseled as John Kasinski’s oblique muscles. The grille, window trim and mirror caps are all painted with a chic blackgloss finish. I forgot how much fun a true sport sedan can be until I slipped behind the wheel of this souped-up S60. Acceleration is swift, thanks to a clever four-cylinder engine that’s both supercharged and turbocharged.

There’s aluminum everywhere, which

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makes the S60 feel light and lively. Yet those large wheels and impeccable all-wheel-drive configuration help you hug the road. Inside, the seats are satisfyingly snug, and the cabin is as quiet as a sanctuary. The 9-inch vertical infotainment screen in the center of the dash mimics an iPad, allowing you to swipe left or right to access various functions. A separate horizontal screen is chock full of digital gauges for the driver. At $48,000, the S60 R-Design isn’t cheap (a base-model S60 is $12,000 less).

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MERCEDES CLS 450 $71,000 MPG: 23 city/30 highway Zero-60 mph: 5.1 seconds

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS

The Mercedes CLS 450 is a sport sedan on steroids. With Lexus-like comfort and the verve of a Volvo, the CLS 450 amps everything up: power, performance and panache. Launched some 15 years ago, the CLS was the first sedan marketed as a “fourdoor coupe.” A swooping roofline and low chassis help the CLS mimic the look, feel and handling of a coupe.

Yet there’s room for five passengers, as well as decent trunk space. But backseat headroom is tight. And beware bumping your head the first time you try to lower yourself into a CLS (I learned the hard way). But just when it seemed Mercedes focused too much on form over function, a quick press of the ignition button proved otherwise. This finely tuned machine roared to life, with different drive modes ramping up the exhaust growl.

The headlights immediately do a dance routine — rolling up, down and all around — before settling into a normal setting. A spaceage cockpit is like something out of “Ad Astra,” with panoramic digital readouts stretching far across the dash.

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NPR’S FROM THE TOP

Hosted by Anderson and Roe Saturday, Feb. 29 at 8 p.m.

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BALLET FOLCLÓRICO NACIONAL DE MÉXICO A D V E RT I S I N G P R O O F DE SILVIA LOZANO Saturday, Mar. 21 at 8 p.m.

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Make a list, check it twice

Buying a house as a couple requires thought, discussion and recognizing how your analytical skills differ

By JOSEPH HUDSON

Take time to consider what you want, what your spouse wants and how they blend or don’t blend before starting the home buying process.

Often I am working with clients who feel like they are making the biggest decision of their life when deciding to buy a home. They are about to make the largest purchase they have ever made with someone (or alone) and they both may have different styles of making decisions. Buying a home can be an exercise in compromise, collaboration and patience.

How do my clients decide where to buy their first place?

Well let’s get a little analytical. I often advise each member of a couple to make a list of their wants, needs and “no ways” separately. Then they can put their lists together to see what they have in common and where they have surprised each other with their answers.

REALTOR®speak Needs TLC

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What does the Venn diagram of that look like?

I often advise clients to have a significant conversation with each other about what they both want. Write down what you want and ask your partner to do the same. I find that then I can take that information and help them find something that checks off most of what they’re looking for. Another thing to think about is decision-making styles.

Is one person more numbers based and the other intuitive? How are they going to make this decision together?

I’ve heard motivational speakers talk about decision styles. Some people are very gut instinct based. Some make spreadsheets and put it all into the hopper. And some have gut instincts but don’t know to trust them.

As you decide on your next (or first) purchase, think about your decision style and gut instinct reactions and have the conversations with trusted friends that will help you feel at peace with your decision. Don’t be afraid to bring along a supportive friend who can know when SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OFallA the LOVED ONEgives you are having feels and BE THE FINEST? youAMONG the permission to do so. Or that friend who will tell you, “I can tell by the look on your face that this is a no.”

Happy house hunting and feel free to contact me about my next homebuyer’s seminar.

SHOULDN’T THE FINAL MEMORIES OF A LOVED ONE BE AMONG THE FINEST? Joseph Hudson Joseph Hudson is a realtor with The Oakley Group at Compass. He can be reached at 703-587-0597 or joseph. hudson@compass.com.

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