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Stein Club unable to endorse in 3 key Council races Ward 2 contest features gay candidate By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political group, was unable to reach a 60 percent threshold vote needed to make an endorsement in three key D.C. Council races, including the hotly contested Ward 2 race in which eight Democrats, including a gay candidate, are competing for the seat. In an announcement released on Monday, the Stein Club said 320, or 76 percent, of its 419 eligible members voted in an online endorsement election held May 12-15. The club’s members voted to endorse the reelection of D.C. Council members Robert White (D-AtLarge) and Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7). White is running unopposed in the primary. Club members also voted to endorse the re-election of D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) and D.C. U.S. “shadow” Senator Paul Strauss (D). In addition, club members voted to endorse D.C. U.S. “shadow” Representative candidate Oye Owolewa (D). Norton, Straus, and Owolewa are also running unopposed in the June 2 primary. White, Gray, Norton, and Strauss have longstanding records of support for LGBTQ rights, and political newcomer Owolewa expressed support for LGBTQ related issues during the Stein Club’s May 11 virtual candidate forum and endorsement meeting in which all but two of the 25 candidates running for the D.C. Council and congressional seats attended. The Stein Club said in its announcement message on Monday that the club used a “contingent vote rankedchoice system” in its endorsement election process. According to the announcement, if no candidate received a 60 percent majority vote in the first round of voting the club calculated a second round “realignment” vote based on the second choice of club members who voted. In the Ward 2 D.C. Council race, in which all Democratic candidates expressed strong support for LGBTQ rights, Foggy Bottom Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Patrick Kennedy came in first place in the first round of voting, with 88 votes (30.9%). Gay Logan Circle ANC Chairperson and longtime gay activist John Fanning finished second in the first round vote with 78 votes (27.4%). Jack Evans, who resigned from the Ward 2 Council seat last year following ethics related allegations brought against him by his Council colleagues, finished third with 29 votes (10.2%). The remaining Ward 2 Democratic candidates finished in this order: Former Obama administration official Jordan Grossman, 26 votes (9.1%); former Assistant D.C. Attorney General Brooke Pinto, 21 votes (8.4%); Georgetown area ANC member Kishan Putta, 22 votes (7.7%); community activist Yilin Zhang, 8 votes (2.8%); and community activist Daniel Hernandez, 4 votes (1.4%). In the second round of voting, for which only the top two vote getters in the first round were eligible, Kennedy
and Fanning each received 113 votes, or 39.6 percent, which was far short of the 60 percent vote tally needed for an endorsement under the Stein Club’s longstanding rules. A spreadsheet released by the club showing the vote count for all candidates shows that in the Ward 2 race, six club members voted for “no endorsement” in the first round of voting, with 59 members or 20.7 percent voting for “no endorsement in the second round of voting. Thirty-five members cast a ballot to “abstain” from supporting any candidate in the Ward 2 race, according to the results released by the club. In the Ward 7 D.C. Council contest, incumbent Vincent Gray, a former D.C. mayor with a strong record of support on LGBTQ issues, received 161 votes (63.2%) in the first round of voting, clinching the endorsement for him. Gay Ward 7 candidate Anthony Lorenzo Green, an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, finished second with 55 votes or 21.6 percent. The four remaining Ward 7 candidates finished as follows: Veda Rasheed, 27 votes (20.l6%); Kelvin Brown, 8 votes (3.1%); Rebecca Morris, 0 votes (0%); and James Jennings, 0 votes (0%). Four Stein members voted for “no endorsement” in the Ward 7 race and 65 members abstained from voting in that race. In the Ward 8 Council race, incumbent Trayon White, who has expressed support for LGBTQ issues, came in first with 94 votes or 36.4 percent, falling short of the 60 percent threshold needed for an endorsement. White’s challengers finished in this order: Michael Austin, 80 votes (31.0%); Yaida Ford, 44 votes (17.1%); and Stuart Anderson, 20 votes (7.8%). In what some have considered a surprise development, challenger Austin received 110 votes or 42.6 percent in the second round of voting in the Ward 8 contest, beating White, who received 105 votes or 40.7 percent. Austin nevertheless fell far short of the 60 percent needed for an endorsement. Sixty-two Stein members abstained from voting in the Ward 8 race and 43 or 16.7 percent voted for “no endorsement” in the second round vote. Similarly, incumbent Council member Brandon Todd, who has also expressed support for LGBTQ issues, finished in first place in the Ward 4 race with 128 votes or 48.1 percent, ahead of challengers Janeese Lewis George, 122 votes (45.9%); and Marlena Edwards, 6 votes (2.3%). In the second round of voting Todd received 129 votes (48.5%), finishing ahead of George, who received 124 votes (46.6%). In the At-Large Council race, incumbent Robert White, a longtime strong supporter of LGBTQ rights who’s running unopposed in the primary, received 250 votes or 89.0 percent. Twenty-seven Stein Club members voted for “no endorsement” and 39 members voted to “abstain” in the At-Large race. In the Congressional Delegate race, Norton, another
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The Stein Club’s members voted to endorse the re-election of D.C. Council member VINCENT GRAY (D-Ward 7). (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
longtime strong supporter of LGBTQ rights who pushed hard for the U.S. House approval of the LGBTQ rights bill known as the Equality Act, received 254 votes or 90.4 percent, the highest vote count of any of the candidates vying for the Stein Club’s endorsement. But despite her popularity in the LGBTQ community, 27 Stein members voted for “no endorsement” in that race and 39 voted to “abstain.” In the “shadow” U.S. Senate race, incumbent Paul Strauss, another strong supporter of LGBTQ rights, received 169 votes or 71.9 percent. Sixty-six club members voted for “no endorsement” and 85 voted to “abstain.” In the “shadow” U.S. House race, Owolewa received 162 votes or 71.6 percent, with 61 members voting for “no endorsement” and 97 members voting to “abstain.” “By all accounts, the Stein Club’s first virtual forum and endorsement vote was a resounding success,” said Stein Club President Kent Boese in a statement. “The Club will now focus its efforts on turning out the vote for its endorsed candidates.” Stein Vice President for Legislative Affairs Monika Nemeth added that campaigning in the age of COVID-19 presents “unprecedented challenges” for both the candidates and the Stein Club. “For this reason, the Stein Club plans to employ socially distanced campaign strategies such as phone banks, social media engagement, and online advertisements to support the Club’s endorsed candidates,” Nemeth said. Stein Club Vice President for Political Affairs Jatarious Frazier told the Washington Blade the club’s endorsements will remain in effect for the November general election when the endorsed Democrats will face independent opponents as well as third party opponents, including Republicans and Statehood-Green Party members. Frazier said the Stein Club does not plan to make an endorsement in the race for a second At-Large Council member in the general election. That seat, currently held by pro-LGBTQ Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large), cannot be held by a Democrat under the city’s election law.
COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE BACKING
PATRICK KENNEDY
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PETER ROSENSTEIN
RUBY CORADO
JACK JACOBSON
Columnist, Washington Blade
Casa Ruby LGBTQ Community Center
Ward 2 Representative D.C. State Board of Education
One person stands out among a group of qualified candidates. His relevant experience at the ward and community level, and his living by a set of steadfast progressive and honest principles, make Patrick Kennedy that candidate.”
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We need new voices on Council and Patrick is one of them. He’s the new young talent. He has values for the real people of D.C. Patrick has shown he is committed to our entire community.”
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Patrick Kennedy is one of the most focused, fair-minded, and trustworthy public servants I’ve ever had the privilege of working with. Ward 2 residents have high expectations of our elected officials, and I have no doubt Patrick will serve us well as our next councilmember.”
MIKE SILVERSTEIN
RANDY DOWNS
DAVID BENDER
Commissioner, Dupont Circle
Commissioner, Dupont Circle
Chair, Sheridan-Kalorama Commission
In a city of talkers, Patrick is a listener. In a city of too many self-promoters, Patrick is self-effacing. Above all, in a city too often divided, Patrick is a uniter. He is honest. He is kind. He will be a hard-working councilmember who will make you proud.”
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Patrick Kennedy has consistently fought for our priorities, and has shown true commitment to making sure our communities are supported and funded at the Council. Please vote for Patrick Kennedy!”
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The LGBTQ community achieved political success through our ability to engage, inform and find support within the larger community. Understanding how to persuade, educate, and lead others to achieve our goals are the instincts, abilities, and skills in Patrick Kennedy’s style of leadership.”
Patrick Kennedy’s
Patrick Kennedy is
PRIORITIES
ENDORSED D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson
Serious funding for the LGBTQ community
The Sierra Club, D.C. Chapter
Ending employment discrimination
Greater Greater Washington
Action on hate crimes and banning “panic” defenses
More openly LGBTQ Ward 2 elected officials than all other candidates combined
LGBTQ-affirming senior housing More at PatrickForWard2.com/issues
Updated list at PatrickForWard2.com
Your Vote is Critical in
TWO June Elections
Information: PatrickForWard2.com/vote
Democratic Primary: MAY 22–JUNE 2
Paid for by Patrick Kennedy for Ward 2, PO Box 18055, Washington, D.C. 20036 Marina Streznewski, Treasurer Paid for by Patrick Kennedy for Ward 2 Special June 16 2020, PO Box 18055, Washington, D.C. 20036 Marina Streznewski, Treasurer
Special Election: JUNE 16
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Capital Pride announces ‘reimagined’ events for June D.C. parade, street festival cancelled; ‘Pridemobile’ to drive through city By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, and the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community announced in a joint statement on Wednesday a series of “reimagined” LGBTQ Pride events in D.C. for June and beyond that meet the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. Although the joint statement does not say so directly, Capital Pride Alliance Executive Director Ryan Bos told the Washington Blade the annual Pride parade and street festival and concert, initially scheduled for June 13 and 14, will not be held this year. Bos noted that the two events usually draw over 200,000 people and the uncertainty over whether restrictions on gatherings of that size would be lifted even in September or October made it necessary to cancel the two events. The joint statement says Capital Price Alliance and the D.C. Center have formed “a special collaboration to maximize both organizations’ ability to provide services and programming to the LGBTQ+ community.” It says the two groups have retained the “#StillWe” theme for D.C.’s 2020 Pride season announced earlier this year by Capital Pride. “When we first developed #StillWe, we never imagined just how important that message would become,” Bos said in the joint statement. “Together with the D.C. Center and our partner Pride organizations, we are taking this opportunity to reimagine how we work together to better support and advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. “In lieu of traditional Pride events and in-person gatherings, Pride 2020 Reimagined is being developed,” the joint statement says. “It will include new programming for Pride Month this June, ongoing monthly programs, and potential events for later this fall dependent on social distancing requirements at that time,” the statement continues. One of the few non-virtual events announced in the joint statement is the first-ever Pridemobile Rainbow Blast scheduled for Saturday, June 13, the day the Pride parade would have been held. Bos said the event will involve a vehicle that will drive through each of the city’s eight wards. According to the joint statement, the Pridemobile will “document how businesses, residents, and neighborhoods show they have Pride” and will “entertain our neighborhoods with beats from local DJs and performances from local drag queens and kings.” When asked what type of vehicle the Pridemobile will consist of and what specific route it would take on its journey across the city, Bos said those details had yet to be decided. However, he said organizers don’t want to encourage large crowds along the route of the vehicle if the social distancing requirements are still in place. “But as of right now, the Pridemobile will be going randomly throughout all eight wards,” he said. “And people will be able to follow us online. And we’ll encourage people to come out and wave out of their windows, from their
‘We are taking this opportunity to reimagine how we work together to better support and advocate on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community,’ said Capital Pride’s RYAN BOS.
porches and to cheer on their balconies,” Bos said. “We’ll have a DJ playing some music and just hopefully raising the spirit and taking pride to the folks in the community.” The joint statement by Capital Pride Alliance and the D.C. Center announces these events for June and beyond: • Monthly Community Conversations/Town Halls beginning June 1, with the first one including “leaders from the LGBTQ+ organizations to discuss how the community recovers and moves forward from the COVID-19 pandemic.” • Also on June 1, the two groups will launch D.C.’s Pride Month with a #StillWe Pride video montage that will include “greetings from local community organizations, businesses, sponsors, leaders and influencers.” • Saturday, June 13: Pridemobile Rainbow Blast vehicle tours the city in all eight wards. • Sunday, June 14: Capital Pride Alliance and the D.C. Center launch “an original web series titled “Pride in the City.” The first episode will provide a “platform to showcase the talents of our local and regional performing and visual artists.” • Saturday, June 27: The D.C. area will participate in Global Pride 2020, a worldwide virtual Pride event organized by Pride organizations. • Pride Summit: On an as yet to be determined date. organizers of the various D.C.-based Pride organizations will meet to discuss issues of interest. Among those expected to participate are officials with D.C. Black Pride, Latinx Pride, Capital Trans Pride, Asian Pacific Islander Prides, Leather Pride, and Silver and Youth Prides. The joint statement says Capital Pride Alliance and the D.C. Center are planning additional programming in the fall related to voter registration and voting in the November election. Bos said Capital Pride and the D.C. Center would release information soon on how to gain access to the various events through social media or designated websites. He said the
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information would be posted soon at capitalpride.org. “We’re excited that our community can still come together for Pride despite being apart physically,” said D.C. Center spokesperson Rebecca Bauer. “And we think this partnership will really allow us to maximize our impact and make sure that we’re able to provide some fun, some entertainment, and some relief for our community,” Bauer said in referring to the joint D.C. Center-Capital Pride Alliance plans for the upcoming virtual Pride events. In her own statement, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser thanked D.C. Center and Capital Pride organizers for adapting the 2020 D.C. Pride events to meet the special needs and safety requirements of the coronavirus pandemic. “Pride is certainly one of our favorite times of year in Washington, D.C. – an opportunity to uplift our LGBTQ community and celebrate our city’s progress as a leader in LGBTQ rights,” the mayor said. “Thank you to everyone who is helping us save lives by celebrating at home. While events will certainly look different this year, our pride remains as strong as ever.”
Trans Maryland offers name-change help Trans Maryland (formerly Trans Healthcare MD) is offering free digital name change assistance to trans Marylanders. “This program has been a year and a half in the making, and we are thrilled to announce that we’ve served over 20 people in the first week alone,” said Lee Blinder, executive director and founder of Trans Maryland. “Not every trans person changes their name, but we are thrilled to expand access to this service.” According to Blinder, the program covers the cost of filing the name change petition with a court, posting requirements, a new ID, a new birth certificate, and printing and mailing fees. For an adult Marylander to change their legal name, they must file a Petition for Change of Name in the circuit court of the county in which they live, then have the request published in a local newspaper. The publication requirement may or may not be waived by the court. House Bill 427, a bill currently making its way through the Maryland General Assembly, would require that courts waive the publication requirement. According to a Feb. 3 blog post by Trans Maryland, the passage of this bill into law would serve to protect privacy and make the name change process “quicker and more affordable.” The bill passed in the Maryland House of Delegates by a 139-0 vote margin. A hearing scheduled to take place in the Maryland Senate on March 17 was cancelled on March 15. No action has been taken since. MICHELLE SIEGEL
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McEnany deflects questions about marriage equality White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany deflected questions last week about her opposition in 2015 to same-sex marriage, which at the time she said was driven by arguments based on “farcical blabber.” In response to questioning from the Blade, McEnany asserted her prerogative as White House press secretary wasn’t to discuss her personal views, but to serve as a spokesperson for President Trump. “I’m not up here to give my personal views on anything,” McEnany said. “What I’d say is that I’m very proud of this administration, which has been fair and equitable and just to all Americans, and open to all Americans as it should be.” McEnany, however, disclosed she thinks her views on same-sex marriage are consistent with Trump’s. “I think our views are entirely consistent, and I’m not up here to give my views on a Supreme Court case from many years ago,” McEnany said. After winning election in 2016 on a campaign based on opposition to same-sex marriage, Trump said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that he’s “fine” with the decision and considers the matter “settled.” The White House has subsequently said that demonstrates he came into office in support of same-sex marriage. When the Blade asked how Trump’s comments on same-sex marriage on “60 Minutes” could be consistent with her opposition, McEnany said she wouldn’t contradict her boss. “I stand behind the president and stand behind his views,” McEnany said. “I’m here to represent the president, not to pontificate about Supreme Court cases from long ago.” As revealed in background material from the LGBTQ media watchdog GLAAD, McEnany years before her appointment as press secretary was vocal as a Harvard law student against the Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide. At the time, she chose to back up her opposition to the ruling based on federalism, despite the fact the U.S. Constitution asserts no state can deprive equal protection and due process, and religious freedom, which conservatives often use to justify anti-LGBTQ discrimination. “If you tune into the mainstream media, you will hear a lot of farcical blabber about state-sanctioned discrimination, but that is not what this case is about,” McEnany wrote in a now archived article at Political Prospect. “The case before the Supreme Court tomorrow is about something entirely different: the right of the state to define marriage, a right that has been in its constitutional domain since the inception of this republic.” Rich Ferraro, a GLAAD spokesperson, said McEnany’s past statements against LGBTQ rights “should have disqualified her” from being White House press secretary and her new remarks “show that she will peddle in falsities, just as other press secretaries in the Trump administration did.” “McEnany’s inaccurate statement that this administration has been ‘fair and equitable’ to all Americans ignores the administration’s dangerously
White House Press Secretary KAYLEIGH MCENANY deflected questions on her 2015 opposition to same-sex marriage. (White House photo by Joyce Boghosian)
Equality PAC endorses Biden The Equality PAC, the political action committee led by openly LGBTQ members of Congress, has thrown its support behind Joseph Biden in the 2020 presidential election. In a statement exclusive to the Blade, Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said the Equality PAC, which he cochairs, is backing Biden because he “has been a strong leader on LGBTQ issues over his career and as president will continue to be a champion for our community.” “Too many LGBTQ Americans can still get fired from their jobs or kicked out of their homes just because of who they are,” said Cicilline. “This is wrong and it’s why electing Joe Biden is critical in our fight for full equality.” The endorsement was timed to coincide with the anniversary of U.S. House passage of the Equality Act, a comprehensive LGBTQ bill that a chamber of Congress approved for the first time in history last year, and the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia. “One year ago the House made history and passed the Equality Act, which protects all LGBTQ Americans from discrimination — but the Senate has failed to act,” Cicilline said. “Joe Biden’s candidacy will help elect Democrats across the country to secure the pro-equality Democratic majorities needed in the House and Senate to see the Equality Act become a reality.” Biden has indicated passage of the Equality PAC would be his No. 1 legislative priority if elected president. CHRIS JOHNSON
Navy approves first trans ban waiver long list of anti-LGBTQ actions in policy and rhetoric — from barring trans Americans to serving openly in the military to filing a brief with the Supreme Court which argued that gay workers are not protected by federal civil rights law,” Ferraro said. McEnany takes up the role as White House press secretary as the Supreme Court is poised any day to deliver another ruling on LGBTQ rights: The decision will determine if anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the workforce is a form of sex discrimination, thus illegal under federal civil rights law. Asked by the Blade if the Trump administration was preparing contingency plans for the decision, McEnany again deflected. “Again, I’m not going to get ahead of the Supreme Court, or give a Supreme Court case projection or outcome,” McEnany said. “It’s not my position to do that, so I have no information for you on that at this time.”
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CHRIS JOHNSON
The U.S. Navy has granted the first-ever waiver under President Trump’s transgender military ban to an individual who had sued to remain in the service. The news was first reported by CNN. The waiver was granted to the Jane Doe in the case against the transgender military ban filed in March by GLBTQ Advocates & Defenders and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The anonymous Navy officer had served two extended tours of duty over nine years and faced discharge because she’s transgender. Jennifer Levi, transgender rights project director for GLAD, confirmed in a statement the waiver was granted to her client. “The ban has been in place for over a year and this is the first waiver to be granted,” Levi said.”While we are relieved that our client, a highly qualified Naval officer, will be able to continue her service, there are other equally qualified transgender service members who have sought waivers and are still in limbo, despite being perfectly fit to serve.” Lt. Brittany Stephens, a Navy spokesperson, confirmed to the Blade via email the waiver was granted. CHRIS JOHNSON
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Biden may need to lay down law with service chiefs over trans ban Army, Marine leaders have expressed reticence to open service By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com Chief among Joseph Biden’s plans to reverse President Trump’s anti-LGBTQ policy initiatives is undoing the transgender military ban, but with at least two military service chiefs on the record as being hesitant — if not outright opposed — to the change, that may require a more substantial effort than expected. Reversing the transgender military ban, which was implemented administratively under Trump, could be done easily with another administrative change. After all, the policy of open service initiated by former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter under former President Obama could simply be duplicated. However, if the military service chiefs resist, a change that could in theory be done on Day One during a Biden administration may be prolonged. Douglas Wilson, who served as Pentagon chief of public affairs under Obama and was the first openly gay person confirmed by the Senate for a senior defense role, predicted in an email to the Washington Blade “there would likely be some pushback,” but said it wouldn’t be impenetrable. “Before the Trump ban, there had been general overall acceptance of the Ash Carter policy, which — while initially internally controversial — was essentially accepted over time,” Wilson said. “[I’m] not sure in these times if this would be the issue on which chiefs would fall on their swords in opposition to Biden’s change. I would think they would be expecting it if Biden wins.” Unlike other presidential appointees, who customarily resign their positions at the end of a presidential administration, the service chiefs under Trump would continue serving in their roles if Biden wins the election and stay in place after he takes the White House. A look at the confirmation hearings for the military service chiefs reveals their mixed views on transgender service. The Army chief of staff is on the record in opposition to transgender service and the Marine Corps commandant has expressed hesitation. Meanwhile, the uniform leaders for the Navy and Coast Guard have signaled they’d welcome transgender service. In between is Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, who has chosen his words very carefully. The service chief most clear about objecting to transgender military service is Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville. In a May 2019 questionnaire prepared by the Senate Armed Services Committee, McConville responded in the negative when asked if transgender military service in the Obama years had impact on unit cohesion or morale. “In my experience, a service member with a medical condition who has been non-deployable for multiple periods of significant duration could negatively impact readiness – especially in a high-demand, low-density
[military occupational specialty],” McConville said. “Non-deployable soldiers can negatively impact a unit’s force readiness, especially smaller units or in highly specialized areas with a very small population.” Those remarks — generalized and based on a hypothetical framework — fly in the face of comments before that time from service chiefs, who each affirmed to the Senate Armed Services Committee that transgender service didn’t impair unit cohesion. Hesitant about transgender military service in his confirmation hearing was Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger, who in April 2019 hedged by denying any negative impact on unit cohesion, but expressing concern about “gender dysphoria,” often a defining characteristic of being transgender. “I am not aware of any specific impacts,” Berger said. “Gender dysphoria is a serious medical condition. Treatment of any medical condition can impact readiness.” Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley chose his words carefully during his confirmation hearing in July 2019 under questioning about transgender service from Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). “I don’t believe there’s anything inherent in anyone’s identity to prevent them from serving in the military,” Milley said. “It’s about standards, not an identity.” Although Milley said he sees no problem with transgender troops, he also tempered that by saying service members need to meet the military standards, which currently bar transgender service. “I think that, in my view, we’re a standards-based military, as you point out,” Milley said. “We’re concerned about the deployability and effectiveness of any of the service members.” “So if you meet the medical, behavioral health, the conduct standards and physical standards, etc., then it’s my view that you should be welcomed in,” Milley added. The Navy appears to have the service chief most amenable to transgender service. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday affirmed in August 2019 during his confirmation hearing he sees no problem in any capacity with allowing transgender people in the military. “I am unaware of negative impacts on unit or overall Navy readiness as a result of transgender individuals serving in their preferred gender,” Gilday said. Just last week, the Navy granted its first-ever waiver under the transgender ban to an officer facing discharge, allowing her to stay after she sued to remain in the service. The waiver, however, was granted by the acting secretary of the Navy, who would be expected to resign at the end of the Trump administration. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz, who pledged last year a “dedicated campaign” to increase
1 2 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 22, 2020 • NATI ON A L N E W S
Joe Biden may need to lay down the law with Army Chief of Staff Gen. JAMES MCCONVILLE and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. DAVID BERGER over transgender service. (Photos public domain)
diversity in his service, in April 2018 also dismissed concerns about transgender service in his confirmation hearing. “I am not aware of any disciplinary or unit cohesion issues resulting from the opening of the Coast Guard to transgender individuals,” Schultz said. Although the Coast Guard technically isn’t a service because the Department of Homeland Security, not the Defense Department, has jurisdiction over it, it has a tradition of following the personnel policy set by the Pentagon, including on transgender service. The incoming Air Force chief of staff, Gen. Charles Brown, is in the middle of his confirmation process and hasn’t yet publicly commented on transgender service. The service chief for the newly created Space Force, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond, wasn’t asked about the issue before his confirmation. Will Biden put his money where his mouth is with his campaign pledge and lay down the law with the service chiefs? Jamal Brown, national press secretary for the Biden campaign, reiterated the presumptive Democratic nominee’s commitment to the transgender community in response to the question from the Washington Blade. “Joe Biden believes that ‘bigotry is bigotry, prejudice is prejudice, and hate is hate, no matter where we find it,’” Brown said. “Transgender Americans should have the right to serve the country they love and, in this time of a global pandemic, our nation should be tapping the talents and skills of every person who is willing to serve.” Brown also affirmed Biden would direct the Pentagon to implement openly transgender service, but didn’t disclose anything about process or timing. CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
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M AY 2 2 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 1 3
PAUL KUNTZLER
BROCK THOMPSON
is a long-time LGBTQ rights activist based in D.C. He is one of the original members of the Mattachine Society and founder of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance.
is a D.C.-based writer. He contributes regularly to the Blade.
Gays and their gyms Why are we taking this loss so hard? We’ve been at this stay-at-home thing since, what, March 15? A long time. And for gays, that means a long time since they’ve seen the inside of a gym. And every day since this whole thing started more and more gays on social media seem to be lamenting that. What’s striking to me is we didn’t even take losing Pride this hard. Or for that matter having our summer plans thrown out the window. This weekend has always been the official start of summer. Come Friday, many of us should be piling into cars, beach bound. After that, the energy should be rolling right into Pride, our city’s largest, and best, celebration. But when news came out that these events were postponed, we sort of collectively shrugged with a ‘yeah, we understand’ nod that it was the necessary thing to do. So what made losing the gym so special? Again, every week seems to be another howl of regret from social media of gays losing this particular space, wondering when it will be available to them again. And maybe this isn’t just a gay thing? Last week saw news reports of gym goers, straights presumably, staging a protest outside a Florida courthouse to pressure city officials to reopen their gyms. That particular demonstration had protesters collectively doing squats and pushups on the sidewalk, which seemed somewhat silly in that they were actually proving they don’t need the gym to work out. D.C. gays wouldn’t go that far. We’re too classy and erudite. But still, going this long, and the prospect of going even longer without our beloved gym space is hard to swallow for a lot of us. And just why the gym as a space is so important to us could fill up dissertations. I, for one, always found it amusing that as gay kids we did everything we could to avoid gym, but as gay adults we flock to them.
For many of us the gym is certainly a social space. I have the luxury of going during the day, during what I call ‘bartender, Realtor, stripper hour.’ Even during this relatively sparse time I do enjoy interacting with others. At night, that is after most folks are done with work, the space is just as crowded as any bar. But of course differing from the bar scene, the space is there for our physical health. And again, to say gays prize their physical health, or at least their physical appearance, could keep graduate students busy for years. But that’s the real prize, isn’t it? The self. That the gym exists so that we can strive for optimal physical health, that is strive for the possibility of our best selves. I think that, given the high concentration of type-A gays we have in this town, is the real reason we can’t stand losing the gym. Just Google ‘type-a’ and the first words you find are competitiveness, drive, impatience, need for control, and focus. That’s pretty much the gym on any weekday at 6 p.m. I wanted this column to be a sort of shoutout to all the different kinds of gays I’ve been missing at the gym. Like the one wearing pristine gym clothes who just stands there, texting. I’ve still never seen him pick up a weight. Or the one gay who must be allergic to all types of deodorant. I wanted to but alas, it would probably be too easy to suss out their identities. That, and in a strange way, I do miss seeing these people. With our city’s phased reopening, it’s my guess we really won’t see the inside of gyms until August. Until then, keep jogging, cycling, and doing those at-home yoga classes. I do miss seeing your faces, but we will see each other again.
1 4 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 22, 2020 • V I E W POI N T
Vote Fanning for Ward 2 Council member Representation still matters in order to achieve full equality The COVID-19 pandemic is, I hope, a once-in-a-lifetime crisis that will significantly impact the District and its residents for years to come. Voters across the city, especially in Ward 2 have an important choice to make in the upcoming election. I am pleased to endorse John Fanning and encourage the residents of Ward 2 to vote for him. Now more than ever, it is critical that we choose leaders with the right kind of experience to help guide our city’s response to this pandemic. We need someone who has worked with local government and understands how to make it work from day one. We also need leaders who have not only been civically active in the ward but have also made significant contributions to improving our neighborhoods and more importantly our LGBTQ community. John Fanning is that leader and I enthusiastically endorse him to be the next Ward 2 D.C. Council member. I have known John since he moved to Washington in 1984. I have long thought of him as an excellent candidate for our LGBT community to regain a seat at the table of government since David Catania held an at-large seat on the D.C. City Council and the late Jim Graham who represented Ward One. Over the 36 years that I have known John Fanning, I have found him to be accessible, committed and an experienced community leader with a track record of getting results. As one of the original and only living members of the Mattachine Society, I have been involved in LGBTQ activism for over 58 years. I was one of the founders of the Gay Activist Alliance of Washington, D.C., and was Frank Kameny’s campaign manager when he was the first openly LGBTQ person to run for Congress.
JOHN FANNING, who’s gay, is running in a crowded field for Ward 2 Council.
Although we have made tremendous progress in my lifetime, representation still matters in order to achieve full equality. There is still progress to be made especially in helping homeless youth, members of our transgender community and other marginalized populations. Representation still matters. While I am pleased that we have more allies, I believe that there is no acceptable alternative for our community than having a seat at the table of government. Our community doesn’t often have opportunities like this and we should not let this one pass by us. I urge you to support our LGBTQ community by casting your vote for John Fanning. Our city needs leaders with the right kind of compassion and experience to help lead us through these challenging times. Please vote for John Fanning in the Ward 2 D.C. Council Democratic Primary on Tuesday, June 2 and the Special Election on Tuesday, June 16.
M AY 2 2 , 2 0 2 0 • WAS H IN GTO N B LAD E.CO M • 1 5
KATHI WOLFE
PETER ROSENSTEIN
is a regular contributor to the Blade and winner of the 2014 Stonewall Chapbook competition.
Remembering the women-run WWI hospital Story of Endell Street offers hope that we’ll get through COVID-19 In the 1970s, my Dad, a veterinarian, hired a woman to be his associate. Many in our small southern New Jersey town were mystified – others were outraged. “Why would you want to work with a girl?” his friends and clients asked. “Will she be strong enough to lift big dogs? What if she faints at the sight of blood or can’t stop crying when animals die?“ It’ll turn out fine, my father told the naysayers. “When I was in veterinary school,” he said, “the women were tougher than all of us. They had to work twice as hard and put up with insults from a lot of the guys.” Recently, I thought about my Dad’s stand against sexism as I read a new book, “No Man’s Land: The Trailblazing Women Who Ran Britain’s Most Extraordinary Military Hospital During World War I,” by Wendy Moore. Like so many of us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic when so much feels hopeless, I’ve been searching for nuggets of inspiration. A century ago, women in the United States got the right to vote. (The 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women voting rights was ratified in August of 1920.) During the 100th anniversary year of this milestone, I’ve been seeking out stories of inspiring, resilient, brave women. “No Man’s Land,” a page-turner about Endell Street Military Hospital, a London health care facility run by women during World War I, is a tale of inspiration and courage.. I don’t mean “inspiration” or “courage” in a sappy sense. I’m talking about “inspiration” and “courage” in the midst of blood, mud, dirt, disease, death, shell shock (what we now call post traumatic stress) and sexism. Louisa Garrett Anderson, 41, a surgeon and Flora Murray, 45, an anesthesiologist, the directors of Endell Street Military Hospital, were also life partners. “Unlike male homosexuality, lesbian relationships
were not illegal,” Moore writes, “it was deemed perfectly respectable for two professional women to share a home without a hint of scandal.” They lived like a married couple, Moore adds. At the outbreak of World War I, Anderson and Murray were experienced doctors. Yet, due to sexism, they hadn’t been allowed to work in mainstream hospitals, in the military or to obtain high-level professional positions. Women physicians usually had to only with women and children. “They knew that war with Germany posed a terrifying threat to Britain, but it also offered women a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Moore writes. At Endell Street, everyone from the radiologist to the ophthalmologist to the dentist to most of the orderlies was a woman. At that time, this was almost unthinkable. “Oh, God, women!” decried army brass at the idea of female docs in the military. Others feared that havoc would ensue if a group of “Amazons” were set loose on patients. Anderson, Murray and their staff worked non-stop during World War I. Words fail to describe the suffering caused by the first World War. More than 20 million people were killed and 20 million wounded (often permanently disabled) in the war. There were no antibiotics or many of the other treatments available in medicine today. The horror didn’t end when peace was declared. At the request of the military, Anderson and Murray ran the hospital for a year after the war was over. With peace, came more horror: the 1918 flu, which killed more than 50 million. As is the case with COVID-19 there was no treatment or vaccine. Many of the staff and patients at Endell Street Hospital got ill or died from the flu. After the conflict ended, most of the women doctors who’d served in the war had to give up their positions. Yet, their legacy endures. Their work inspired future generations of women to enter medicine. Living through our pandemic is hard. The story of Endell Street gives us hope that we’ll get through it.
1 6 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA DE.COM • MAY 22, 2020 • V I E W POI N T
is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.
Trump, a dangerous moron Administration continues dismantling our democracy We know Donald Trump doesn’t read and is a congenital liar. He’s often seen as a blustering moron. But let us not be deceived that he is very dangerous. He often believes what the last person who whispers in his ear tells him evident from his suggesting we inject or drink Lysol or bleach and use hydroxychloroquine (he now says he is taking it himself) to treat coronavirus patients. That drug has now been shown to hurt many of the patients it was given to. More frightening is his administration’s insidious dismantling of our democracy. He clearly sees himself as a king or potentate, all powerful. He functions as if he can do as he pleases running roughshod over our government and the decent, longtime public servants who have protected us for years. He is firing inspectors general who displease him, one every Friday night, the latest being the Inspector General of the State Department. He appointed an attorney general who does his dirty work and his bidding at every turn, a sleaze bag who is taking the Justice Department down a very dangerous rabbit hole, threatening our very judicial system in ways it will take years from which to recover. While he has left hundreds of positions in federal agencies unfilled his few appointments are overturning years of hard work that went into making our environment safer and business practices fairer. His appointees are responsible for making our air and water less safe and dismantling the Department of Education’s civil rights section hurting all students, including those who are members of the LGBTQ community. He is alienating our allies and turning the United States into a country that withdraws from the world rather than leading it. We know Trump has succumbed to Russia and Putin in every way possible and will do nothing to stop them once again influencing our
upcoming election in his favor. The one question people have is will China use its muscle to influence our election and if so will they see it to their benefit to help Trump or hurt him? What is incredible to thinking people is he is doing this with the apparent approval of nearly half the population if you believe current polls. While in so many ways he seems to be a moron, he is also a slick carnival barker who scared most of the members of what was once called the Republican Party, now rebranded the Party of Trump. A prime example of a person who has given up any semblance of principle or decency is Dr. Ronny Jackson who I met through a friend and chatted with in the days he worked in Barack Obama’s White House and again after Trump first became president. He seemed like a decent man. No one listening to him today as he campaigns for a congressional seat in Texas would have that impression. According to the Washington Post, “The retired Navy admiral, who served as the physician to the president under George W. Bush, Obama and Trump, released a lengthy statement Thursday doubling down on a tweet he’d sent the day before calling Obama, and people who worked for him, ‘a Deep State traitor’ who deserves to be brought to justice for their heinous actions.” Jackson’s comments followed a tirade of tweets from Trump proclaiming “Obamagate,” over unsubstantiated claims that the Obama administration was working to take down Trump. Jackson accused his former boss of weaponizing “the highest levels of our government to spy on Trump.” He has clearly succumbed to the pig in the White House to try and win the seat. Unless so many of us totally misjudged him when we first met him, you have to wonder how he can ever again look himself in the mirror. We will see more Jacksons as Trump’s sycophants say anything to win. It will be up to the decent people of the nation to say a resounding no to them and Trump on Nov. 3, if we are to save our country.
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Remembering Richard and Roy By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com
LITTLE RICHARD at a charity event in Washington in 2002. (Photo by John Mathew Smith; via Wikimedia)
SIEGFRIED & ROY at the height of their Vegas fame. (Photo illustration from 1998 program book; courtesy Mirage)
Rock pioneer struggled wth sexuality; Vegas tiger king downplayed and evaded it It was perhaps ironic that Little Richard and Roy Horn (of Siegfried & Roy) died within hours of each other this month. Though they were from totally separate pop culture factions, seeing their obits side by side in some outlets, such as the May 10 New York Times, was a sobering reminder of how an older generation of gay men — Horn, who died at 75 was on the outer cusp of the Boomers; Richard was 12 years older — dealt with (or didn’t deal with) their sexuality in a pre-Stonewall era when practically nobody was officially out but demeanor, style, stage persona and more “read” gay to middle America the same way sexual innuendo was implied in early jazz and movies long before it was discussed or depicted openly. Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman was his legal name) was known for a string of ’50s hits like “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally” whose impact went far beyond their initial chart peaks. Richard has been widely lauded as a rock and roll innovator and the first pop star to integrate black and white audiences in a time of rigid segregation in music and society. He died May 9 from bone cancer at his home in Tullahoma, Tenn., after a two-month illness. He was 87. Horn came to fame with his nearly life-long professional (and for a time personal) partner Siegfried Fischbacher, who were known for their flashy Las Vegas act in which they made lions and tigers (and each other) vanish and reappear. They came to Vegas in 1967 and had a sellout run at the Mirage Resort and Casino from 1990-2003 that found them performing 500 shows yearly. By 1999, the show had grossed half a billion dollars and they were Vegas’s highest-paid entertainers. Sadly, their careers ended abruptly on Oct. 3, 2003 (Horn’s birthday) when one of the tigers attacked Horn resulting in serious injury. Suffering a stroke and partial paralysis on his left side, Horn was eventually able to walk with assistance but never performed again. The duo made one final public appearance in 2009 with a tiger at a benefit for the Lou Ruvo
1 8 • WAS H I NGTO NBLA D E.COM • MAY 22, 2020
Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, the Times reported, before retiring officially in 2010. Horn died of COVID-19. Neither Fischbacher nor Horn (both German immigrants) ever officially came out, gave few interviews (even in their heyday) and could be testy about it when pressed. BEHND THE GLITZ But with their over-the-top costumes (including Roy’s trademark codpiece), ostentatious Vegas home and inseparable public image (and never a hint that either might be involved romantically with anyone else), they didn’t have to state it explicitly. They donned capes and silver space suits, battled a sorceress and a fire-breathing dragon amidst smoke machines, lasers and, of course, lions and tigers, many of which were white, which are uber rare. Their act had a Liberace-esque flair to it, even if neither were ever quite that fey. Siegfried was the magician; Roy the animal trainer. They presented a yin/yang-type persona and lived together at Jungle Palace, an eight-acre Vegas estate (a much larger ranch was just outside the city proper) with, as of 1999, 55 tigers and 16 lions. Horn was the “Tiger King” decades before anybody heard of Joe Exotic (also gay) of the hit Netflix series. “So you go deeper and say what is going on in my bedroom and in Roy’s bedroom,” Fischbacher said in a 1999 Vanity Fair profile. “I don’t care, I don’t know. I tell you this because this is me and I wouldn’t ask what you do with your dick either.” Both said they were “very honored” to be considered gay icons but spoke of gay as “other.” “I have a lot of friends who are gay and I made a lot of friends in show business and I found out that they are always interesting, intelligent and good people and fun to be with,”
Fischbacher told Vanity Fair. “I am flattered to think that people think that I am versatile,” Horn said. “You don’t have to define everything and I don’t want to disillusion people because I’m not a guy who kisses and tells.” Pal Shirley MacLaine told the magazine they “used to be lovers a long time ago, yeah? In this day and age, who cares?” Mainstream media only coyly touched on Horn’s sexuality. The Times said Fischbacher and Horn “were domestic as well as professional partners” but left it at that. Journalist Steve Friess, who in The Advocate called them “the world’s most openly closeted celebrities,” said a Mirage spokesperson told him the night of Horn’s attack that “it’s well known that they were lovers at one time.” They were said to have zero presence in the Vegas gay life, according to Friess and others, and outside of buying an ad in a program book for an AIDS fundraiser, were not known to have used any of their vast wealth to support LGBTQ rights. For some, that’s not a problem.
Milt Larsen, founder of The Magic Castle, a private club for magicians and enthusiasts in Hollywood, is 89, straight and knew Siegfried and Roy for many years, initially through his late sister-in-law, Irene Larsen. She and her husband Bill Larsen (Milt’s brother) loved magic and animals and discovered Siegfried & Roy in their early years in Vegas. Larsen later met the duo through his brother and sister-in-law and says Horn was “a dear, great friend.” “Before Siegfried & Roy, magicians were very seldom anything other than an opening act,” Larsen says. “They came along and went from being an opening act to the headliner with their own huge show because it was so popular. … They were the best.” Larsen’s friend Dale Hindman also know Siegfried & Roy and says he was at their house several times. He says Roy “fought like crazy” to recover and “they had the best medical people” working with him. He did daily physical therapy, swam and would zip around the grounds on a scooter. He recalls one Vegas convention in which Horn made a rare, postaccident appearance and walked to the podium. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Hindman says. “I saw him a number of times at different places. He was in the scooter, he would talk, he loved people, he had great quality of life and they had the resources to have the best medical care. It’s such a shame that something like this virus came along and killed him.” Larsen and Hindman say Horn’s sexuality was understood but “never really discussed.” “I’ve been in show business a long time and sometimes it feels like just about everybody I’ve ever known was gay,” Larsen says with a laugh. “It was a different world then. I just don’t recall anybody ever talking much about it.” Hindman says it was generational and gradual when more celebrities started coming out officially. Larsen says Fischbacher, especially (whom he calls a “great” businessman), just “never made a big point of it.” “They were a couple in the sense that they were absolute partners in what they did and that their lives were their business,” he says. “People are people and in the world we live in today, it’s just not questioned as much.” Larsen remembers “many, many times” being backstage in their Vegas dressing room post-show. “The Champagne would be flowing and there were lots of wonderful friends,” Larsen says. “[Roy] was very, very gregarious and he and Irene really got to know each other and became wonderful friends.” “There would be drinks and hors d’oeuvres and plenty of people,” Hindman says. “After awhile, Roy would go play with the animals. Siegfried would say, “I’m tired but you all stay as long as you want.’” Out magician/actor Michael Carbonaro, 44, of reality show “The Carbonaro Effect,” said in a written comment to the Blade it didn’t matter if Siegfried & Roy were coy about their sexuality. “I actually don’t know what Siegfried & Roy ever did or didn’t put into words,” he said. “I grew up seeing two gorgeous men living their magic dreams in bedazzled outfits, so they were always an iconic form of queer inspiration.” IT’S COMPLICATED Others, however, aren’t willing to let them off the gay hook so easily. Matthew Rettenmund, a gay blogger and pop culture historian/author, says Horn’s approach to being “out” reminds him of singer Barry Manilow who finally came out in 2017 at age 73 after decades of evading the question. “They’re men who have convinced themselves that being gay in private is the same thing as being out,” he said in an e-mail. “Which is simply not true. I do hope that as the Rip Taylors and Richard Simmonses of the world leave us, as sad as it is to lose their talent, that they won’t be replaced by more of the same. Hiding in plain sight is still hiding and it still sends such a warped message of self-acceptance.” And while Richard stated he was gay explicitly on multiple occasions, he was never at peace with it and at multiple times in his career recorded gospel music and even for a time sold Bibles in a repudiation of the rock and roll and gay “devil’s” music and “lifestyle.” For him, being gay was a vexation and something to be overcome, which is, to some, even more troubling than Horn’s avoiding the issue. “The problem is his religiosity and self doubt forced him back in the closet just as many times, “Rettenmund wrote. “And though he camped it up to earn a living in his final decades, it was homophobia that won. He died an ‘ex-gay,’ a sad loss.” Richard was married to a woman from 1957-1964. They had one adopted son. As recently as 2017, he was condemning gay sex. “God, Jesus, he made men, men, he made women, women, you know? And you’ve got to live the way God wants you to live,” Richard told the Three Angels Broadcasting Network, a religious channel, reported by The Advocate.
LITTLE RICHARD in the 1950s when he first achieved fame. (Photo courtesy Atlantic Records)
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sometimes difficult, he was always by my side. Who’s your LGBTQ hero? Ellen DeGeneres for her frontline support for our community and my husband Mark and our close friend Eileen who stuck by Steve, Mark’s first husband, through his battle with AIDS.
QUEERY Jim Kelly
What LGBTQ stereotype most annoys you? That all gay men are feminine and all lesbians are more masculine than us. There are so many types of people and that is such a great thing. I will admit I try not to waste my energy giving power to stereotypes or waste my time feeling annoyed. What’s your proudest professional achievement? Saving the National Philharmonic from bankruptcy closure last year has been my biggest achievement. Also, growing a small business, Potter Violins, with my business partner Dalton Potter by 300 percent over the past 15 years. (Photo courtesy National Philharmonic)
QUEERY: JIM KELLY
The National Philharmonic president answers 20 queer questions By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com
National Philharmonic President Jim Kelly calls the orchestra’s new video tribute to frontline medical workers battling the coronavirus “truly a labor of love.” The video features several National Philharmonic musicians playing multiple parts of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” over photos of D.C., Maryland and Virginia hospital staff working in COVID-19 wards. The music was performed by National Philharmonic musicians Michael Hall (horn), Chris Gekker (trumpet), David Sciannella (trombone), Willie Clark (tuba) and Tom Maloy (percussion, timpani) at their respective homes and required the technical feat of recording multiple parts per person. Each part was recorded live with the musician’s own equipment and mostly filmed on their personal cell phones. The sound was mixed by Director of Artistic Operations, Kyle Schick and the video was produced by Patron Services Manager, Quinton Braswell.
Several of the photographs that accompany the music throughout the video were taken by photographer Sinna Nasseri. The project took about five weeks to produce. The video is on YouTube. “Now more than ever, our community needs the arts to nurture our souls,” the 43-year-old Southington, Conn., native says. Kelly, a violist, came to Washington in 2001 while working for Gucci. He soon met Mark Todd Baird and they’ve been together since 2001, married since 2010. They have five dogs and live in Rockville. He enjoys music, his violin company, travel and Sunday time with “husband and pups.” How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? I never really was in the closet but if there was a person that had to be told, it was my father and that was a work in progress over many years and although
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What terrifies you? Killer bees and spiders. What’s something trashy or vapid you love? “Sordid Lives,” the first movie. What’s your greatest domestic skill? Throwing a great dinner party. Other than that, I’m not allowed in the kitchen except to load the dishwasher. What’s your favorite LGBTQ movie or show? TV: “Will & Grace”; movies: “Call Me By Your Name” and “A Single Man.” What’s your social media pet peeve? Advertisements generated by what you Google or talk about. 2. Abusing freedom of speech: Everyone has a right to post what they want so long as it doesn’t cause hurt or damage to anyone or anything. There are ways to communicate your message and freedom of speech without using it to damage someone. Using the social media platform for bullying and discrimination is a zero-tolerance situation. What would the end of the LGBTQ movement look like to you? We can dream right? Living in a world where everyone is accepted for who they are and learned discrimination is a thing of the past. All people living together without judgement.
What’s the most overrated social custom? Giant, overpriced weddings and wedding dresses. What was your religion, if any, as a child and what is it today? I was raised in a Catholic community where being LGBT was not acceptable and instead of feeling ashamed about it, I chose to find a place where I accept their right to an opinion or belief system so long as it is not thrown in my face. At the same time, nobody has the right to discriminate based on religious beliefs just like I don’t have a right to discriminate against their religious beliefs. I choose to love them as they are. What’s D.C.’s best hidden gem? Le Diplomat and Annie’s for restaurants! And for music I will say The National Philharmonic, The American Pops Orchestra and Maryland Lyric Opera. What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? The release of Madonna’s “Ray of Light” album was a key to my entry into my adult LGBT life. Call it coming out, I prefer to call it a coming-of-age event. What celebrity death hit you hardest? That has not happened yet — it will be Betty White. I have made a promise that if and when she passes, (yes I said IF, as she may outlive me) I will dedicate myself to watching “The Golden Girls” (in order) as a marathon in her honor with all of my friends, the week of her death. If you could redo one moment from your past, what would it be? Be more compassionate toward my father instead of judging him. What are your obsessions? Music, of course, but dogs, cars, shoes and viola bows. Finish this sentence — It’s about damn time … … for my Blade interview....(just kidding) What do you wish you’d known at 18? How quickly life goes by and to value every single moment. Why Washington? Didn’t pick D.C., Gucci moved me here. I stayed because I met Mark and he is the love of my life so wherever he is, that is where home is.
CALENDAR
OUT&ABOUT BY PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN
Film fest goes virtual We Are One: A Global Film Festival produced and organized by New York’s Tribeca Enterprises and hosted by YouTube kicks off Friday, May 29 and runs until Sunday, June 7. This free 10-day event features programming from the top 20 film festivals around the world, including the Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Tribeca. The global festival will run without ads and will include feature films, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy and panel discussions. Organizers have not yet released a lineup, but announced in Variety that a full schedule should be available in a few weeks. Though the event is free to watch, viewers are asked to make donations to a COVID-19 relief fund to benefit the World Health Organization as well as local and regional groups. More information is available at youtube.com/weareone and variety. com/2020/digital/news/youtube-freefilm-festival-cannes-tribeca-sundance.
JAIDA ESSENCE HALL, one of the finalists of season 12 of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’ The winner will be crowned online May 29. (Photo courtesy World of Wonder)
TODAY
Sunday, May 24
Woodhull’s Sexual Freedom Summit celebrates the polyamorous with the Facebook live event “What Do I Bring to a Relationship?” today at 3 p.m. Polyamory educator and bisexual activist Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti shares her partners’ and her own answers to the self-searching question. Visit woodhullfoundation.salsalabs.org/ whatdoibringtoarelationship to register for this event.
Shaw’s Tavern Virtual Bingo Night is tonight at 8 p.m. on Facebook live. A $10 donation is suggested to support host Kristina Kelly and the performers. Send an email to shawsdinnerdragshow@gmail.com to register for bingo cards and to receive the venmo information for donations.
Saturday, May 23
May is? All About Trans hosts a Trans Town Hall tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. During this event, the trans community and allies will discuss community needs and how best to solve them. To register for this free event, visit mayistransdc.com. The Whitman-Walker 40 Stories Part 2 Watch Party is tonight at 8 p.m. via Facebook. For this online event, Whitman Walker shares stories of Lili Leonard, Ahmed, Vallerie Villalta, Michael Shilby and Antonio Hardy as part of Whitman-Walker’s 40th anniversary event begun in 2018. Visit its Facebook event page for details.
Monday, May 25
Stay-At-Home Showtunes, a weekly streaming benefit show for JR.’s bar, continues tonight at 8:30 p.m. A rotating cast of drag performers, hosts and more participate in this virtual event to support JR.’s staff during the crisis. For more information, visit its Facebook event page.
Tuesday, May 26
Educational Sessions for the LGBTQ Latinx community hosted by La Clinica del Pueblo, Centro Empoderate are tonight at 5 p.m. via Facebook Live. These weekly live sessions are every Tuesday and Thursday and provide community members an opportunity to learn together about HIV or other topics of interest and share experiences. Visit programs-serviceslgbtq-health.html for more information.
Odds and ends May is? All About Trans hosts “Bridging the Gap,” a conversation with cisgender gay men and the transgender community, tonight at 7 p.m. via Zoom. For more information and to register for this free event, visit mayistransdc.com.
Wednesday, May 27
P&P Live! presents a virtual storytime with Parker and Jessica Curry, the motherdaughter duo who gained fame when a picture of Parker staring up at former First Lady Michelle Obama’s portrait went viral. The moment inspired Jessica Curry to write a children’s story about the power of representation. To register for this free event which goes live today at 10 a.m., visit crowdcast.io/e/parkerjessica-curry-parker-looks-up.
Thursday, May 28
The Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company performs “Hyphen,” a 25-minute dance integrating the work of video artist Nam June Paik, via web video. This work explores the concept of a “hyphenated person” such as AsianAmerican and how hyphens connect and disconnect identities. For more information, visit dtsbdc.org.
Lots of stuff has been bumped or altered for the next few weeks. D.C. Black Pride, always held Memorial Day Weekend has canceled its 30th anniversary festivities because of the coronavirus. Organizers have said some virtual events will be held but nothing official has been announced. Check back soon at dcblackpride.org for details. Lady Gaga’s new album “Chromatica,” her sixth studio project, is slated for a May 29 release date. It was bumped from an April release because of lockdown. Second single “Rain On Me” goes to radio today. After 2016’s subdued “Joanne,” it’s expected that “Chromatica” will return the singer to her more dance-oriented earlier work. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 12 will do its reunion episode (tonight) and finale (May 29) virtually. Tonight’s episode will be a “virtual slumber party” reunion. The finale was shot via virtual video and will feature finalists Gigi Goode, Jaida Essence Hall and Crystal Methyd. No word yet on if Jackie Cox, eliminated last week, will return for the finale in the place of Sherry Pie, who was eliminated in a catfishing scandal. “All Stars” returns June 5 on VH1, not Showtime as originally reported.
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The Kinsey Sicks’ COVID-era creations ‘From a Distance’ parody thrills fans By SCOTT STIFFLER Sheltering in place but not standing still, veteran Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet-cum-satirical/political group The Kinsey Sicks (kinseysicks.com)—who would have been touring right now, were it not for shuttered venues—have amped up their online presence, with timely new music and a determination to get back on the boards just as soon as the all-clear is called. (The national tour of their “Electile Dysfunction” musical extravaganza has been postponed until further notice, although in the spirit of “subject to change,” it’s presently noted on their website.) But if anything good can come out of this end-times scenario, count among that short list drag queens who’ve employed everything from gallows humor to heartfelt advice to score-keeping tales of woe to get them out of bed in the morning, in the hopes that one day soon, they’ll be bed-hopping again. Chief among those able alley cats, The Kinsey Sicks: Trixie (Jeff Manabat), Winnie (Nathan Marken), Angel (J.B. McLendon), and Trampolina (Spencer Brown). The group, whose “Social Distance” parody of The Divine Miss M’s “From a Distance” dropped at the tail end of March, finds our quarantined quartet biding their time indoors by playing Jenga-for-one, eating peanut butter straight from the jar, binging on Disney+, waiting for that stimulus check, and, sans a man, spooning toilet paper. Early May’s “Don’t-cha Touch-a, Touch-a-Touch Me!” found our girls one month into self-isolation—feeling the strain of no human touch, and making due with suggestive cameo appearances by bananas and carrots. Still, their collective dry spell finds some solace in non-stop digs at Trump. “I’ll trade off satisfaction for strong leadership and action,” goes the tune, based on a certain ditty from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” And if you don’t get the reference, you’d better hand in your Gay Club Membership Card. But it was sunny skies ahead, when the bill came due for The Kinsey Sicks to answer our burning inquiries. BLADE: How did “Social Distance” come about? How was it written/shot, and what sort of feedback has it gotten from fans? SPENCER/TRAMPOLINA: Anyone familiar with The Kinsey Sicks already knows that the group’s origins were inspired by attending a Bette Midler concert in the ’90s. When her classic hit “From a Distance” got into my head, I immediately sat down and hammered out the lyrics. Then Jeff, one of our other members, whipped up the arrangement and sent the music file for all of us to learn and record. Within a short amount of time, those individual recordings were sent back to him for mixing, and the combined four-part harmony track was then sent out for us to sing along to for reference. Over the next few days, we each got in drag and shot our videos, which were then sent back to me for a few more days of editing. Finally, after a little more than a week since I was inspired to write “Social Distance,” we released the finished video to our fans all over social media. Their feedback has been nothing but positive. Though we are devastated to cancel
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TRIXIE (Jeff Manabat), WINNIE (Nathan Marken), ANGEL (J.B. McLendon), and TRAMPOLINA (Spencer Brown). (Photo by Paco Ojeda)
our spring tour (something we’ve never done in our 26 years of this group existing), this video is a gift for our fans, and lets them know we’re still here fighting the good fight. BLADE: Are there other group projects in the works? SPENCER/TRAMPOLINA: This first video (“Social Distance”) was an experiment. All four members of the group live in different states across the country (Kansas, Maryland, California, and Illinois, presently). Being able to write a parody, get it arranged, learn it, then record it (individually!), and edit/mix everything in a short amount of time is something we’ve never attempted, but having done that and seeing the reaction of fans both old and new, we’re now inspired to create more. BLADE: What impact did the realities of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic have on the group’s worldview, and what parallels, if any, do you draw to the current COVID-19 crisis? JEFF/TRIXIE: By the time The Kinsey Sicks was formed
in San Francisco in the early ’90s, almost a quarter-million people, most of them gay and bi men, died from the epidemic, and San Francisco was one of the epicenters. Although thousands were dead and dying, mainstream American society still had a negative view of the community, and the American government had barely made any response to help. For several years, the LGBT community and its allies were almost entirely alone. And yet there was still a need to find some measure of joy amidst all the pain and tragedy, perhaps a creative yet politically charged way to respond to the incredible injustice from not just politicians, but our fellow Americans. Amid this atmosphere, a group of close friends was inspired to create The Kinsey Sicks. To get a fuller picture of the beginnings of the group, and to trace its origins to the current political atmosphere, it’s worth watching a remarkable monologue by Emeritus member Ben Schatz (“Rachel”), a Harvard-trained civil rights lawyer, former director of the National Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, and one-time presidential adviser on HIV issues, who created the first national AIDS legal project and authored Clinton’s HIV policy during the 1992 presidential campaign. The video can be found on YouTube. Our worldview is still heavily influenced by this genesis. It’s embedded in our DNA. For decades, The Kinsey Sicks has produced works commenting on that nexus of politics, culture, and sexuality through drag and a cappella, and we will continue to be influenced by, comment on, and respond to the world around us that way. There can be parallels made between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the current crisis, such as the extreme measures by the GOP to use tragedy for their own political gain, and to pit communities against each other whilst hoarding more power. However, the swift response of the government on all levels—from federal to state to local—and the mobilization of the majority of Americans to support those in crisis is much different. Back then, it was several years before the federal government even acknowledged the existence of AIDS/HIV, let alone begin the search for treatment. Today, the Coronavirus response has been a matter of weeks or months, and the search for a vaccine has become a national priority. However, for both times, higher powers have acted in ways that merit a critical response from artists— and for us, as it was then, it’s a response of the musical variety. BLADE: Has this forced time away from public performance impacted the group’s output, and approach to using online/social media as an expression of your artistry? SPENCER/TRAMPOLINA: Absolutely! When we’re not on stage, the group is always working behind the scenes on how we can effectively produce new material, and the traction that this new video [Social Distance”] has gotten really inspires us to keep going.
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Religious teaching begat lifelong identity struggle for Little Richard Gay author/actor Michael Kearns (who’s been on “Cheers,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “The Waltons,” “Knots Landing” et. al. and has said in interviews and books he had sex with Rock Hudson and Barry Manilow) says Richard deserves a more compassionate assessment. “I don’t know how much gay sex he was having, but for me it was all about him having such a gay persona,” Kearns says. “I think what young men like me found so stirring and exciting is that it gave us something to grasp onto. Here was this sissy, this exciting, flamboyant, theatrical, wild persona and yeah, he later had the doubts and went back into the closet as a religious fanatic, well, of course he did. He was a black man from the South dealing with all that church stuff. I mean that’s a big struggle and I think people just don’t give him enough human credit for battling that publicly.” RELIGIOUS HANGUPS Gospel music producer/historian Anthony Heilbut has written at length about how black Christian denominations have shamed or welcomed queer musicians to varying degrees in the ‘50s, ‘60s and prior. He knew Little Richard — not well, but they’d met on several occasions — and says one must consider the era when deciding how much blame to assign him. He wanders into another room of his New York apartment during a phone interview last week and puts on a recording of gospel singer Marion Williams (1927-1994), who for a time was in The Famous Ward Singers, helmed by Clara Ward (one of Aretha Franklin’s major influences) and who also had a significant solo career. He holds the phone up to a recording of her whooping and hollering and it’s easy to see where Little Richard got some of his inspiration. Richard appeared at the Kennedy Center Honors when Williams was inducted. “His phrasings and his timbre and even his ballad singing, and he was a great ballad singer although we typically think of him as this sort of rock and roll clown, all that came from Marion Williams,” Heilbut, who’s gay, says. “You can’t copyright phrasings. That’s what singers could take from each other.” Heilbut also says Richard, whom he first met in 1961 and says he’s “one of the very few people who ever saw him sing on a gospel program,” says Richard’s gospel singing career was never terribly convincing or memorable partially because he came from a staid denomination (Seventh Day Adventist, not nearly as musically rowdy as black Baptists and those in the Sanctified Church) and the fact that it was performed more dutifully than his rock and roll material. “He was singing, ‘I quit show business and I wanna go straight/I wanna serve the Lord before it’s too late,’” Heilbut says. “His singing was very bland. There was more of the real gospel drama in his R&B and rock music.” Heilbut also says Richard admired Williams in the traditional way gay men have worshiped show-stopping divas. He remembers seeing Richard at a Nashville studio when Heilbut was producing one of Williams’ later recordings. He mimics Richard’s speech patterns, recalling the conversation: “‘Is she still fabulous? Do she still make notes? I makes notes. I heard she preaching. I preaching too. … She always war my heart, she know, she know. I’ve been singing like her down through the years. Mahalia good, but Marion always were my singer.’” Heilbut also says Richard’s various stints in gospel music robbed his career of momentum in rock. As respected as he was among rock pioneers, he’s almost wholly associated with his ‘50s heyday. Attempts at secular music comebacks in the ‘60s and ‘70s could not come close to matching his peak period. “He made some very lovely records later and he could be a wonderful singer, but by then the audience had changed,” Heilbut says. “The train had passed.” Later in life, Heilbut says, Richard was seen socializing in gay bars. He never personally saw him but says friends reported him being “the belle of the ball” at St. Louis gay bars on various occasions. Richard, whom Heilbut says “always struck me as very goofy,” was ultimately “just incredibly confused.” ROY, RICHARD ‘LACKED COURAGE’ Gay activist/entrepreneur Mitchell Gold, who like Siegfried & Roy, knows something about being linked for life to a former partner — he and business partner/former domestic partner Bob Williams formed their eponymous furniture company Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams in 1989, which they continue to run jointly. He says celebrities holding onto or returning to the closet are a reminder of “how horrible these religious teachings are, how toxic.” “I don’t even know what it’s like to live like that,” Gold says. “I was tortured about it until
SIEGFRIED & ROY at their home, The Jungle Palace. (Photo illustration from 1998 program book; courtesy Mirage)
I was 24, 25 but then that was the end of it. These guys who live their whole lives having to be careful about that they said, it’s just horrible. I don’t know as much about Siegfried & Roy except that after awhile it just gets to be ridiculous, like the Barry Manilow thing was for so many years.” Gold understands Richard not being out in the ‘50s or Siegfried & Roy at the advent of their careers but later in life, once they were financially secure, he says they “lacked courage.” “I never cared if we lost money for being out,” Gold says. “I don’t have to be a gazillionnaire. If I make less, I make less and it’s the same for Siegfried & Roy. At some point they had plenty of money and so why wouldn’t they speak out for people who aren’t being sheltered the way they are and are forced to live a closeted, unhealthy life. The only thing I can say is I don’t think these folks even know what a healthy life looks like.” Gay journalist/author Michael Musto agrees. “It’s partly generational, though many of their generation ended up being belatedly but wonderfully out and proud — Richard Chamberlain, Joel Grey, etc.,” he wrote in an e-mail. “It’s more of a sort of self-loathing-tinged caution based on a lifelong fear of an image adjustment or career damage. Roy played to Middle American high rollers, but obviously didn’t want to gamble on his own career. One of his magic tricks was being cagey about his sexuality.” Musto says the music business has been especially troubling for non-straight black entertainers. “Little Richard renounced his queerness when he should have just been at peace with it and allowed himself to celebrate and be celebrated by our community,” Musto says. “Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston and many others were unwilling to step out of the shadows because the people around them (and sometimes their own inner voices) told them not to. Little Richard was so queer that it seems like a ‘duh’ that he should have just gone there. But with Adam Lambert, Sam Smith and many others (and Elton John, Melissa Etheridge and k.d. lang having led the way), things have inalterably changed.” Although Fischbacher and Horn never spoke of their religious influences — their decor reflected influences of Eastern religion and Horn would sound a large gong in his bedroom to let the tigers know he was awake — for Richard, Kearns says, it was tragic. “I’m not saying there aren’t some fabulously evolved people who are religious but we’ve seen time and time again how religion gets its hold on gay people at a very early age and just does not let go and the result can be horrific,” Kearns says. “Richard is a fascinating creature to me. In a way, it’s amazing he lived as long as he did with this struggle. He deserves a lot of credit. He didn’t have an easy time of it.”
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Tori Amos memoir ‘Resistance’ both profound and opaque Singer/songwriter writes movingly of LGBT issues, family death while keeping the curtain closed on some aspects of her life and passions By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com A somewhat common — but far from universal — observation in Tori Amos fan circles is that her newer albums just aren’t as good as her definitive ‘90s masterpieces. This isn’t unique to Amos. Some artists only have one or two good albums in them total (Alanis Morissette, Jewel) but keep issuing new albums that feel creatively spent. Some, like Lauryn Hill, don’t even bother to try. How many artists can keep a decade-long, white hot streak going indefinitely? And continue blowing the minds of fans who just get more jaded and less easy to impress as they, like the artist, age? But even Amos herself has seemed curiously uninvested in later albums like “Native Invader” (2017) and “Unrepentant Geraladines” (2014). Her last tour was dubbed the “Native Invader Tour,” yet at her last area appearance in 2017, she played only two songs from the “Native Invader” album (and one was a bonus track at that!). That was typical of her shows that year. This is drastically reduced from her earlier practices. There are always a few standout tracks on each, but the overall impact has felt curiously clinical, musically bloodless. What has become almost more interesting, though, is what she’s had to say, not sing. She’s always game to do a bounty of press — print and video/TV — with each new cycle (radio, of course, hasn’t played her for ages and never did much anyway) and the Amos we’ve gotten to know in these exchanges (a 2017 Vulture chat is especially good) is wise, illuminating, kooky and engaging. Thankfully, a lot of that translates into her new memoir “Resistance: a Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change and Courage,” out this month from Atria Books. It follows her 2005 memoir “Piece by Piece.” Its main thesis — that artists have a social responsibility to combat mercenary forces both political and systemic — is reasonably supported but far from what’s most interesting about it. Although Amos has always had queer sensibility (she’s straight), what’s pleasantly surprising about the book is how much queer content it contains. In Amos’ mind, sexism — she argues convincingly it’s rampant in the music industry — and homophobia are twin sins and that’s linked her cozily with gay men since her early days playing at Mr. Henry’s a gay bar in Georgetown where Amos got her start at age 13, an experience the daughter of a United Methodist pastor describes in religious terms. “Perhaps because it was gay men who took me under their wing when I was 13 and taught me how to survive — even at times through a large dose of reality, spelling out how a teenage girl in Washington could be manipulated — well, that’s its own song and those rivers run deep. Those fairy godfathers trying to teach me a drop of grace can go a long way, a lesson that my inner lioness needs reminding of a lot, but they gave and gave and gave and did not give up on me. Praise Jesus. So they led me, baptized in the barroom, to strength, to visibly blossom.” She also writes of a 2014 concert she gave in Moscow on a stage at Crocus Arena where Putin was to appear
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the following day. Outraged by a 2013 “gay propaganda” law Putin had signed that made it illegal to tell LGBT Russian youth they were normal and give them reliable information on sexual orientation and gender identity, Amos tailored her set list to reflect her inner protest. “The persecution of the LGBTQ community was — and is — real and terrifying,” she writes. “My set list in Moscow would speak loud and clear.” Amos also writes briefly of a similar experience at at 2014 concert she gave in Istanbul. Throughout the book, Amos-penned songs are shared that dovetail the various topics she covers. “Ophelia” closes a section about the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and “Cornflake Girl” is placed with a painful essay on female genital mutilation (it’s way more common in parts of the world than you’d guess). Things lag a bit in a lengthy passage about the 19791981 Iran hostage crisis in which 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days during a diplomatic standoff. Amos, still a D.C. piano bar regular at the time, writes of the change in the air when Reagan took office. Then Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill even joined her once at the piano to sing “Bye Bye Blackbird,” which she writes of fondly. Although always interesting to hear about, it at times feels like Amos is trying to play up her insidethe-Beltway locale to be of more import than it likely was. She writes of observing Hill movers and shakers conducting business over cocktails but how much could she really have overheard belting away at the ivories? For me, the most gripping passages were the ones from Amos’ own life such as the initial rejection of her debut solo album “Little Earthquakes” by Atlantic Records in 1991, her experience being in New York City on 9-11 and her mom’s 2019 death following a debilitating stroke. Other standout passages include fresh perspectives on Amos’ fraught relationship with Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory (she was kicked out as a teen but invited back in 2019 to give a commencement address) and descriptions of her artistic process where she’s at times ethereal (she speaks often of the muses that bring her inspiration) and practical describing the often painstaking process of culling her musical noodlings and fragments into usable sonic wheat. Her observations are at times profound. She writes of what she believes is the fallowness of the notion of artistic barrenness: “People who are addicted to power … can weaponize the thought of being creatively barren in order to debilitate the artist. They target artists specifically because they know that artists have the ability to reach the public in ways no one else can.” Ever worked with a narcissist? Those words ring true. There are handfuls of “Gold Dust” (to use one of Amos’s songs) scattered piquantly throughout “Resistance.” Despite the sometimes heavy topics, the essays are fairly short and tight. It feels like a nice, long visit with a trusted ally but she’s sharing not just off the top of her
Singer/songwriter TORI AMOS is unusually open about some aspects of her life while glaringly evasive about others in her new memoir ‘Resistance.’ (photo by Des Willie; courtesy Simon & Schuster)
head, but on topics she’s in many cases spent a lifetime pondering — grief, honoring one’s instrument and inspiration, the price of selling out, how to stay in the game when the straight, white old boys’ club hold all the good cards and so on. My quibbles are that I was hoping her husband and musical partner Mark Hawley — an artistic enigma who seems to not just enjoy but practically demand staying in the background — had emerged as a more fully formed figure. So little is known about him, yet so heavy has his influence been on Amos’s career, that he looms like a specter over the Amos universe. It’s also highly odd that Amos mentions the death of her sole brother only in passing (were they simply not close? If so, why?) and that former boyfriend Eric Rosse is mentioned just once. He was the co-producer of her career-defining first two solo albums; their breakup, which Amos has never said much about, in part inspired her masterwork “Boys for Pele” (1996). They’ve been apart long enough now, surely she can assess his contributions to her formative works more unemotionally now, one presumes. So why does she barely acknowledge him?
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‘Resistance: a Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change and Courage’ By Tori Amos Atria Books Released May 5 272 pages $26
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A different summer at Delaware’s beaches Despite restrictions, you can still buy real estate By LEE ANN WILKINSON The unofficial start of summer will follow an unconventional set of rules this year at Delaware’s beaches. While our southern neighbors in Ocean City, Md., opened earlier this month, Delaware’s state and local leadership are applying a slower, phased-in approach to continue to stem the spread of coronavirus, assist our local healthcare facilities, and keep communities safe. What does this mean for “The Nation’s Summer Capital?” For real estate: We have been fortunate to continue much of our business online and with limited personal contact while following safety guidelines. Our physical offices continue to be closed to visitors and we have majorly scaled back staffing; most are working remotely. Technology has been essential, of course, enabling FaceTime showings and listings, and people continue to buy and sell houses. Speaking anecdotally for my office, November and December of 2019 and the first few months of 2020 fueled a still-busy March. April was certainly different from Aprils past; however, low interest rates sparked buyers, and sellers who were planning on listing — in one of our typically busiest listing months — have started to move forward and take advantage of the captive online audience of buyers. Overall, prices have been stable, over a dozen of our listings went under contract last week, and the number of new listings is almost on track. Will the trend continue? It is difficult to know, however, we feel it will be a busy summer for Delaware beach real estate, albeit still within a ‘new normal’ of social distancing. For the community as a whole: Our beach communities are working hard to balance an economic need to reopen businesses, restaurants, and recreational areas while being dedicated to keeping employees, customers, and the community safe. It is a difficult
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The Rehoboth boardwalk has reopened after two months of coronavirus-related shutdown.
balance, for sure, especially in an area that thrives on tourism, but we are dipping our toes in the water this weekend. Here’s what you need to know if you are traveling from out of state: First, as you likely experience in your own hometown, restrictions are subject to change by the day, depending on how well the public follows them, so if you are making a trip to the beach, please check the latest guidelines on the Governor’s website. As of May 20: Anyone traveling to Delaware from out
of state must self-quarantine for 14 days. Currently, this rule applies whether you are a homeowner or visitor. Additionally, a ban on short-term rentals is in effect now and throughout Phase 1, which begins officially on June 1. (We are not sure how long Phase 1 will last.) As of Friday, May 22 at 5 p.m.: Lewes and Rehoboth’s beaches and boardwalk are open. People must wear face masks on the boardwalk and in restrooms, maintain a sixfoot distance unless with immediate household members, and limit gatherings to fewer than 10 people. State parks/beaches will reopen, but capacity may be limited. All campgrounds are still closed. As of June 1: Delaware restaurants and retail shops are scheduled to open their indoor spaces at 30 percent of fire code capacity. Reservations will be required and no bar seating will be allowed. Many restaurants have already been offering take-out. They will be able to apply for expanded outdoor seating, which would open up more dining options throughout the summer. Understandably, some of these guidelines are limiting factors in making travel plans. In the meantime, if you are looking for beach real estate or even a glimpse of the ocean, our local Realtors will be happy to send you a link or FaceTime. Stay safe and we look forward to welcoming you back to the beach soon.
Lee Ann Wilkinson is a Realtor and COO of The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Gallo Realty in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Del.
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