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Comings & Goings By PETER ROSENSTEIN The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com. Congratulations to André M. Coleman the position, Coleman said, “A commitment to equity, community, and sharing the transformative power of music guides every decision I make professionally. The work of director of development to help this already thriving organization take the next steps
ANDRÉ M. COLEMAN
LARS ANDERSON
the world.”
attract the attention of the largest national funders in the arts.”
designed and implemented communications, government relations, and thought
with Chorus America. He has worked for Washington Performing Arts, where he held
of government agencies including holding a number of positions at the Federal
Congratulations also to Lars Anderson on joining Finsbury Glover Hering (FGH) as sought challenges that help make a difference with a wide variety of people including
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com will never occur again,” he told WTOP. He was referring to concerns raised that the “gender When reports surfaced last October that the boy allegedly committed one of the two
county prosecutor, also mishandled the case involving the teenager. “
Two sexual assaults by the same teen in Loudoun County schools attracted widespread media attention.
funding,” WTOP quoted him as saying. other school facilities that conform to their gender identity. transgender non-discrimination policies was fueled by what they have said all along was without alerting the other school of the charges pending against him. The boy was charged
information about individuals involved in the sexual assault cases. The identity of the 15-yearold boy charged in the two cases and the two girls he allegedly assaulted have been withheld
“because it gave him attention he desperately needed and sought,” but he wore jeans and male clothes most of bathroom twice before the alleged assault.
represented the 15-year-old boy when his case came before a juvenile court judge last year registry designation should be limited to adults rather than a juvenile and would be harmful to “ 0 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 04 , 2 0 2 2 • LO CA L NE WS
probation in a locked juvenile rehabilitation center until his 18th birthday, WTOP News reported.
, 2022
, 5-7, 2022
15, 2022.
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D.C. Black Pride to resume in May
the past, hundreds of people from the D.C. metro area and from other parts of the country have participated in the conference. Fowlkes said more details, including a full schedule and program for the D.C. Black Pride events would be released within the next two weeks. According to Fowlkes, leaders of Black Pride organizations from throughout the country will also be gathering for their annual meeting in D.C. this year, which is scheduled to take place at the Renaissance Hotel May 25-26. Black Pride events will be held indoors at the Renaissance “We will be discussing the state of Black Prides around Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel. Fowlkes said the country and then our communities around the country, so it should be very interesting,” Fowlkes said. “And most organizations, some of which will take place outdoors, of them will be staying over for the weekend.” were also expected to be held between Friday, May 27 The announcement of the resumption of D.C.’s Black through Monday, May 30. A scene from 2019’s Black Pride. Pride events this year came a little over two weeks after Project Briggs, a D.C.-based group that provides services D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes the city’s annual Pride Parade and Pride Festival in June, Tuesday that it will be hosting the return of Pride In The announced that its large outdoor events would also be returning this year. Park, an outdoor event associated with D.C. Black Pride. Among the two largest events will be the Capital Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday, “Come join us in celebrating the return of the ‘Pride in the Park’ event during D.C. June 11, and the Capital Pride Festival scheduled for Sunday, June 12, which will be held Black Pride on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 12-7 p.m.,” the announcement says. on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., near the U.S. Capitol. Like the Black Pride events, the two “Bring your grills, blankets, umbrellas, chairs, and good vibes…let the music take you.” large Capital Pride events were cancelled during the past two years because of COVID The announcement says Pride in the Park will take place in D.C.’s Anacostia Park next restrictions limiting large gatherings. to the park’s skating pavilion at 1500 Anacostia Drive, S.E. “Be prepared to experience one of the largest Pride Parades to ever take place in the Fowlkes said most of the indoor events at the Renaissance Hotel will consist of Black United States Capital,” a statement on the Capital Pride Alliance website says. Pride’s annual conference consisting of workshops and panel discussions covering LOU CHIBBARO JR. topics of interest to the Black LGBTQ community and other LGBTQ-related issues. In D.C.’s LGBTQ Black Pride celebration and related events, which were cancelled during the past two years due to the COVID pandemic, will resume in full force this year during their traditional dates over the Memorial Day weekend, according to longtime D.C. Black Pride organizer Earl Fowlkes. “It’s going to be a celebration of being back after two years of dealing with the coronavirus,” Fowlkes said.
Funeral planned for Hyattsville mayor The city of Hyattsville released a statement last Wednesday announcing that their city’s gay Mayor Kevin Ward had died one day earlier by an apparent suicide. “The city of Hyattsville reports with great sadness that our beloved Mayor Kevin Ward passed away yesterday, the statement says. “Mayor Ward was a valued and trusted leader and a statement continues. “We are heartbroken at this loss and extend our deepest sympathy to the mayor’s family,” it says. Services to celebrate Ward’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 4, at First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville. The Washington Post reported that U.S. Park Police disclosed that Ward was found deceased in Fort Marcy Ward, 44, became acting mayor of Hyattsville on Jan. 1, 2021, following the resignation of former Mayor Candace Hollingsworth. He was next in line to become mayor under the city’s political system in his then-position as president of the Hyattsville City Council. He won election to complete the remainder of Hollingsworth’s term through 2023 in a May 11, 2021, special election, receiving 57.8 percent of the vote in a three candidate race, according to the Hyattsville election board. His closest opponent, Joseph Solomon, received 31.7 percent of the vote. Nearby fellow gay mayors — Patrick Wojahn of College Park and Jeffrey Slavin of Somerset — said they got to know Ward through Maryland political circles and thought very highly of him. “He was insightful, smart and dedicated,” Wojahn said.
person. And he had a great sense of humor.” Slavin said he shared that remembrance of Ward, adding that he found Ward to be a “very nice person” dedicated to the people he served both as mayor and during his two terms on the Hyattsville City Council. “There was noting in his public life that would have predicted this,” said Slavin in referring to Ward’s sudden passing. Ward in 2012 in a feature story on Ward and his then-domestic partner Chad Copeland when the two attended a ceremony at the D.C. Superior Court to complete the process of adopting their then-5-year-old son Norman. Ward and Copeland were among several gay couples who had their adoption papers signed by a judge at the ceremony. On the website for his mayoral election campaign last year Ward said he and his family made Hyattsville their home in 2014 after he and his husband adopted their two sons. “I am a pretty straightforward person,” he said in message to voters on his campaign website. “I believe in listening more than talking. But when I talk, I am not one to mince words or tell people what they want to hear,” he said. “I believe in doing the work. I believe that if I can help someone, then I can change her or his life,” he continued. “This is why I dedicated my career to providing the best technology to education and to human services, to help as many people as I can,” he said. educational and human services technology. LOU CHIBBARO JR.
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Hyattsville Mayor KEVIN WARD (Photo courtesy of the city of Hyattsville)
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Opposite-gender couples in second place By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com
An analysis released on Jan. 20 by the Hamilton Project of the D.C.-based Brookings Census data showing that same-gender male couples have the nation’s highest median family income among three types of couples. data showing that same-gender female couples had the lowest median family incomes, even though they were more likely than opposite-gender couples to have two income earners, have higher education, and live in a densely populated area, which the study says are characteristics associated with higher incomes.
representative estimates of the number of same-gender relationship households in a post-
But it says its own analysis shows that the median incomes of male and female same-gender couples “are “Adult men in same-gender couples have the highest family incomes regardless of marriage the family income for married men in same-gender relationships is 31 percent higher than married women in same-gender relationships, and 27 percent higher than opposite-
Same-gender male couples have the nation’s
highest median family income among three types It adds, “The income gap for men of couples, according to a new study. in unmarried partnerships is 36 percent higher than unmarried women in same-gender partnerships, and 38 percent higher than opposite-gender
throughout the country.
couples have higher median household incomes and higher rates of dual employment than “We extend the Census Bureau’s analysis with the following differences. We separate same-gender families into those with two male and two female partners, as we would expect their labor market experiences and incomes to differ from each other and that of It says that when same-sex male and same-sex female couples are lumped together, the census data show they have a higher median income than opposite-gender couples. “In the Census Bureau’s report, they found that, on average, the median household income of same-gender households is $107,200 compared to $97,000 for opposite-gender
The report doesn’t provide a direct reason why same-sex male couples have a higher income than same-sex female couples. questions about sexual orientation. “We are not able to address other factors that impact income which we do not observe, It adds “those who identify as LGBTQ+ report experience of workplace discrimination which
By BRODY LEVESQUE
which would restrict trans students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender restrict trans women and girls from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity. HB 1005 is now headed to the Gov. KRISTI NOEM has pushed legislation attacking trans student athletes. (Blade screenshot via Forbes YouTube)
Noem’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law and become the
a state. of this bill comes after a historically bad 2021 session that saw a record number of anti-trans six concurrent rallies across the state in protest of this legislation and other anti-transgender bills introduced this year. In 2021, after issuing a style-and-form veto of an anti-trans sports ban bill, Noem issued two executive orders that effectively implemented the policy articulated in the vetoed legislation.
1 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 04 , 2 0 2 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS
ways that compromise their health, social and emotional development, and safety, but also harmful myths about transgender people and reduces trans students to political pawns. On House Bill 1005: “Transgender people, whether people know it or not, are already using the bathrooms and communal facilities they have a right to – and doing so without the impossible decision of breaking the law or revealing their private medical information – not to mention the obvious risk of harassment and violence that comes with forcing transgender people into the facilitates that do not match their gender identity. It is quite clear whose privacy and very lives are really at risk if our legislators continue to succumb to “This early on in 2022, a year when we as a nation are facing unprecedented obstacles, attacking transgender youth. Bills like these are unnecessary and cruel, and we know the ugly rhetoric surrounding them is having a real impact on the mental health and wellbeing Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project. reported experiencing discrimination based on their gender identity over something as basic as using the bathroom had nearly double the odds of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not. Lawmakers should be focusing on the real issues facing these young people and fostering spaces where everyone can be safe, not making
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What to expect on LGBTQ issues if one of these Black women is named to Supreme Court Top three picks have had engagements — not all positive By CHRIS JOHNSON | cjohnson@washblade.com
With another battle over the U.S. Supreme Court underway after the announced retirement of U.S. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, progressives have a chance to make
a request to make the lawsuit more broad and serve as vehicle for same-sex
President Biden — and their past actions and statements on LGBTQ issues may factor into The three Black women most talked about as potential choices — D.C. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs of South Carolina and California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger — have each made statements or undertaken past work related to issues facing the LGBTQ community, and they’re not all positive, despite the reliable reputation they’ve all built in the progressive legal community. Ketanji Brown Jackson, who’s considered to be closely aligned with Breyer after having clerked for him between 1999 and 2000, is seen as a hero in the progressive community for her previous work as a public defender. But she once worked as an adviser for a Baptist
found South Carolina was required to From left, Judge of the United States District J. honor the same-sex marriages of two MICHELLE CHILDS, Judge of the United lesbian couples performed in other States Court of Appeals for the District states. Childs based on her decision on a KETANJI BROWN JACKSON then-recent decision from the U.S. Fourth LEONDRA KRUGER Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck (Photos public domain) down the marriage ban in Virginia and guided her as precedent in her state. “Because marriage is a fundamental right, South Carolina’s marriage laws are subject to strict scrutiny and survive only if they are narrowly tailored to a compelling government
abortion. The now-defunct school, known as Montrose Christian School, had a statement on its
Carolina’s marriage laws are not narrowly tailored to serve a compelling state interest as they impermissibly infringe on plaintiffs’ fundamental right to marry. Therefore, after
process for her current seat on the D.C. Court of Appeals. The mission statement urged students to uphold a “Christian character,” which among other things in the views of the school, meant they should oppose “all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography.” Abortion is also implicitly condemned in the mission statement: “We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.” If nominated, conservatives smarting from attacks on now U.S. Associate Justice Amy
have established the violation of their rights protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and, as a result, they are entitled to summary judgment on their due process claims.” Leondra Kruger, as a member of the California legal community, has also directly LGBTQ lawyers. The Blade this week reached a member of leadership of the association for comment on Kruger’s participation at the dinner. Department during the Obama administration and her name was under U.S. Solicitor General Donald Veriilli among the signed briefs in litigation in California against the anti-
her current job in response to questions from Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) on her past work, maintaining her role on the advisory board for Montrose Baptist Church was limited and she was unaware of its position statement. Jackson said. “I was not aware that the school had a public website or that any statement of beliefs was posted on the school’s website at the time of my service. My service on the advisory school board primarily involved planning for school fundraising activities for the Trying to predict the bent of potential justices on LGBTQ issues, or any issue, through of the president who’s making a selection for the U.S. Supreme Court. As an example, U.S. Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch upon nomination by former President Trump was hailed by conservative groups and vehemently opposed by LGBTQ groups, but ended up writing the majority opinion last year in Bostock v. Clayton County against anti-LGBTQ discrimination. previous role as solicitor general said in written responses to questions that no right for same-sex couples to marry has been found in the U.S. Constitution, but ended up joining rulings for same-sex marriage in Windsor v. United States and Obergefell v. Hodges. Nan Hunter, an emeritus law professor at Georgetown University who has written about Christian School as evidence she would be hostile to LGBTQ people as a Supreme Court justice. “Judge Jackson apparently volunteered for a year to help raise money for student services at a Christian school in the D.C. suburbs,” Hunter said. “There is no indication anywhere in her professional record or personal experience that she shares anti-gay views. In my opinion, her lifelong commitment to equality more than outweighs any concern that she might be biased against LGBT rights.” J. Michelle Childs, the South Carolina judge with the potential for bipartisan support after being recommended by both Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.), has had a more direct on impact on issues facing LGBTQ people. As a trial judge, Childs was presented in 2014 with litigation seeking marriage rights for same-sex couples in South Carolina. Although Childs as part of the litigation process rejected 1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 04 , 2 0 2 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS
Kruger’s contribution to the work in the Obama administration against DOMA, which the review of litigation challenging the law for prohibiting federal recognition of same-sex marriages. “Section 3 of DOMA denies to same-sex couples legally married under state law state law. Because such differential treatment bears no substantial relationship to any important governmental objective, Section 3 violates the guarantee of equal protection secured by the Fifth Amendment.” A queer Black woman for the bench? Although not named in the media as among the Black women who are the major potential choices, the idea of Biden naming a pick who’s both a Black woman and queer has emerged in the advocacy community. The LGBTQ Victory Institute, which trains and seeks the appointment of LGBTQ people in federal government, has openly to serve as Breyer’s replacement. If Biden sought to name a queer Black woman who sits on the federal judiciary, another of Illinois, an Obama-appointed One LGBTQ strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity for greater candor, said communications with the White House have taken place on naming a queer Black woman to the Supreme Court and “there’s not been a commitment, but there hasn’t been a notcommitment.” The White House has received the names, the strategist said, and “acknowledged that Supreme Court, the strategist said, took place last week in the wake of the announcement of Breyer’s retirement. “I think the last year shows a really strong commitment to the LGBTQ community and having representation from our community across the administration, and so they were The White House didn’t respond to the Washington Blade’s request for comment Wednesday on how LGBTQ issues may be factoring into Biden’s selection process for the Supreme Court.
Talk of a potential queer Black woman pick for the Supreme Court comes at a time when on the judiciary. According to the report, compared to estimates 5.6 percent of Americans
improve the credibility of the federal judiciary as a whole,” McGowan added. LGBTQ legal groups, for their part, appear at this stage to be taking a wait-and-see approach to Biden’s potential choice and not weighing in with conclusions on any
January 2022, that includes 11 openly lesbian or gay federal district court judges and three openly lesbian or gay judges in the federal circuit courts. There has never been an openly
the organization is “doing our analysis now, but don’t have any comments to make on the subject as of yet.” Christopher Vasquez, spokesperson for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said via email to the Blade the organization has yet to begin its evaluation, but has faith in the Biden administration on its eventual choice. “NCLR has not yet evaluated any potential Supreme Court nominees to replace Justice
Sharon McGowan, legal director of Lambda Legal, said in a statement based on the report
strong commitment to appointing judicial nominees who are pro-equality and represent the full diversity of the United States. We look forward to evaluating the president’s nominee
a reality that has devastating, real-life consequences for those on the margins of society,” for the Biden administration in order to enhance the quality of judicial adjudication and
equality as well as racial, gender, and economic justice, and has an unwavering commitment to democracy and the rule of law.”
Olympic athletes greeted by hazmat-suited inspectors in Beijing China accuses U.S. of sabotaging games in protest of its human rights record By DAWN ENNIS
Never before in the history of the modern Olympics have there been this many out LGBTQ athletes competing in the Winter Games, which started Thursday in Beijing. But that important headline is being overshadowed by the risk all athletes face of contracting COVID-19 in the very nation where its global spread began. That was never more evident than upon the Olympians’ arrival, when they were greeted by inspection teams decked out head to toe in hazmat suits. Olympic organizers require that every athlete arriving in Beijing provide proof of two negative tests taken within 96 hours of boarding their plane. Also, they must test negative again when they arrive in China, and then test negative every day throughout their stay, regardless of previous infections. arrived in Beijing on Friday, and 19 of them tested positive at the airport. Three more tested positive earlier in the week. All athletes who test positive are being sent either directly to a hospital or to a quarantine center, depending on their symptoms. Team USA bobsledder Josh Williamson revealed last week he wasn’t alone. Multiple coaches, support staff and at least one other athlete have tested positive, sources told Yahoo! “multiple positive COVID-19 tests,” according to the report. To get on a plane to Beijing, those who tested positive must record four consecutive days of negative tests, plus a Olympic protocols. Olympic games held since the International Olympic Committee abandoned testosterone as the determinant of eligibility for transgender athletes, as announced last November. However, the games will conclude before the new rules take effect in March. It’s not known if any Olympians identify as trans; the Summer Games in Tokyo marked the Quinn. In addition, out athletes must be cognizant of the Chinese government’s recent ban on effeminate men appearing on television, as the Blade reported in September. China’s use of according to the Daily Mail; and Reuters reports China is accusing the U.S. of paying athletes to sabotage the Olympic
games in protest of its record on human rights.
a record 186 out LGBTQ athletes competed in Tokyo, it’s Beijing. That’s more than double the number that competed in 2018, according to Outsports, which has been tracking out Olympians since 2000. Their list was compiled in conjunction with LGBTQ historian Tony Scupham-Bilton. The athletes include at least 11 men, 22 women and one
minority, which led to a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 games by the U.S., U.K. and Canadian delegations. Chinese media circulated a report over the weekend that the boycott isn’t the only action the U.S. is taking. Reuters reported that an Englishlanguage newspaper run by the ruling Chinese Communist sources as saying the U.S. has a plan to “incite athletes from
Winter Olympian. Team USA’s Andrew Blaser will be the the Winter Olympics. Two other skeleton competitors, Kim Meylemans of Belgium and Nicole Silveira of Brazil, are dating, Outsports reported. Canada has the most out LGBTQ athletes, with 10, including freestyle skiing Olympic medalist Gus Kenworthy France, Sweden and the Czech Republic each have two; the Netherlands has 11-time medalist speedskater Ireen Wüst decorated Olympic speedskater in history. skaters Jason Brown and Amber Glenn, ice hockey players ago, Bowe won the bronze in her second Olympics in Eric Radford, who will go for gold again this year in Beijing. 2018 was also the Olympics where Kenworthy kissed his boyfriend on TV, a kiss seen all around the world. That kind of public display of affection in Beijing could run afoul of China’s law enacted in September, ordering broadcasters to “resolutely put an end to sissy men and other abnormal esthetics” on TV. As The New York Times reported in December, this campaign is aimed at ensuring that China stays on a path to so-called national rejuvenation,
Critics say the new law should be considered a human rights violation, along with China’s mistreatment of its Uighur
play passively in competition and even refuse to take part.” According to the report, Washington is offering to pay athletes who choose to compete “passively” and even to “mobilize global resources” to protect their reputations. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing responded to the report by reiterating the Biden administration’s prior statements that it was not coordinating any global campaign regarding participation at the Olympics. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, however, told Reuters the report has “ some Americans to politicize sports and to sabotage and interfere with the Beijing Winter Olympics,” beyond the diplomatic boycott. correct, athletes may want to consider a boycott of their own. history to rely almost entirely on fake snow, something these Snow is a combination of 10 percent ice and 90 percent 30 percent ice and 70 percent air. The National Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing is creating its snow using 49 million gallons of water and 300 snow guns for the events of skiing, luge, bobsleigh and skeleton, according to the report. “ take-offs directly contribute to bad landings,” retired UK freestyle skier Laura Donaldson told the Daily Mail. “It is dangerous if take-offs and landings are formed from sheets of ice.” Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympic Games beginning Fri., Feb. 4 through Sunday, Feb. 20, and they will be televised on the networks of NBC. 13
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Two charged in lesbian couple’s murder in Mexico Two people have been arrested in connection with the murder and dismemberment of a lesbian couple in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez. announced authorities arrested a 25-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man and charged them with aggravated femicide. Authorities on Jan. 16 found the dismembered body parts of Julissa Ramírez and Nohemí Medina Martínez in plastic bags that had been placed along the JuárezEl Porvenir Highway. The Chihuahua Attorney General’s Ramírez and Medina in a house in Ciudad Juárez’s San Isidro neighborhood on Jan. 15.
JAQUELINE ISELA C.R. (left) & DAVID R. are accused in the murders of a lesbian couple Jan. 16.
Uganda ‘Kill the Gays’ bill champion dies A former Uganda government minister who championed a bill that would have imposed the death penalty upon anyone found guilty of homosexuality has died. Former Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo passed away at a Geneva hospital on Friday. The Uganda Human Rights Commission, of which Lokodo had been a member, announced his death. “The commission will miss Hon. Fr. Simon Lokodo’s vast experience and exposure gained from working with both the legislative and the executive arms of government as well as his extensive social networks and lobbying skills,” it said in a press release. Lokodo, 64, was previously a Catholic priest until then-Pope Benedict XVI excommunicated him in 2006. President Yoweri Museveni in 2014 signed Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which imposed a life sentence upon anyone found guilty of repeated same-sex sexual act. The law was known as the “Kill the Gays” bill because it once contained a death penalty provision. Lokodo in 2019 said the Ugandan government would reintroduce the “Kill the Gays” bill. A Museveni spokesperson later denied the claim.
Ciudad Juárez, which is located in Mexico’s Chihuahua state, is across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. Members of Comité de la Diversidad Sexual de Chihuahua, a local LGBTQ rights group, and Chihuahua Gov. María Eugenia Campos Galván are among those who have expressed outrage over the women’s murders. Activists have also urged local and state authorities to investigate whether the murder was a hate crime based on Ramírez and Medina’s sexual orientation. Local media reports said nine women — including Ramírez and Medina — were killed in Ciudad Juárez from Jan. 1-15. MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Iran reportedly executes two gay men for sodomy
SIMON LOKODO
(Screen capture via NTVUganda YouTube page)
Consensual same-sex sexual relations are already criminalized in Uganda. “I do not have any ill words for Lokodo,” Frank Mugisha, executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a Ugandan LGBTQ rights group, told the Blade on Monday in an email. “However, I can say that it’s unfortunate that he spent his time as hate against marginalized communities, being extremely conservative and homophobic.” “What is ironic is at the time of his passing he was a commissioner in our national human rights institution,” added Mugisha. MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Iran has reportedly executed two gay men who were convicted of sodomy. The Associated Press cites a report the Human Rights Activists News Agency released on Sunday that says Mehrdad Karimpour and Farid Mohammadi were sentenced to death six years ago for “forced sexual intercourse between two men.” The Human Rights Activists News Agency notes Karimpour and Mohammadi were hanged at a prison in Maragheh, a city that is 310 miles northwest of the Iranian capital of Tehran. Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. The AP notes two men in Maragheh who were convicted of sodomy were executed last July. The State Department last May condemned the murder of Ali Fazeli Monfared, whose relatives reportedly kidnapped and beheaded him after they learned he was gay. Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a few months later arrested a lesbian woman as she tried to enter Turkey. MICHAEL K. LAVERS
Conversion therapy ban loophole worries UK activists measures on a forthcoming proposed UK-wide ban on anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, human rights and LGBTQ+ campaigners are working to ensure the legislation does not contain a loophole allowing those who received “informed consent” from their victims to evade justice the Guardian UK reported. A report just released by the UK’s LGBTQ+ anti-abuse charity Galop found that that 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ respondents to a sexual violence survey experienced sexual assault intended to convert or punish them for their identity. Galop asked 935 LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual assault: “At any age, have you experienced sexual violence that you believed was intended to convert you to heterosexuality or your assigned gender at birth, or to punish you for your gender or sexual identity?”, and almost 1 in 4 (24%) reported back that they had. It is currently unclear whether ace, non-binary and intersex people will be protected under the UK Government’s proposed conversion therapy ban. The charity is calling for people to respond to the government’s consultation on the conversion therapy ban to ensure it
protects every member of the community from this abuse in all its forms. “This is the largest study of LGBTQ+ victims of sexual violence in the UK to date, and the ongoing issue.” said Leni Morris, Galop’s CEO. “There are assumptions and stereotypes about victims of so-called conversion therapy, but our report shows this is happening to LGBTQ+ people of all cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. It also shows clearly that there is a long history of this kind of abuse against our community – and that it is still happening right now in the UK today,” she added. Morris told the Guardian: “Our survey shows very starkly that the reality of conversion of Cameron Post, where American high school kids get sent to a Christian camp.” Addressing the proposed consent loophole, Morris said: “It is fundamental that UK legislation does not carve out a form of abuse that is OK if you agree to it – consider domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence – you cannot consent to abuse.” BRODY LEVESQUE
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Gotcha, nastiness become go-to method for many reporters Two problematic ‘Today’ show interviews with VP Harris
I continue to be appalled and disgusted at what some politicians say and do; yet how it is reported isn’t always helpful to the public. Reporters doing in-person interviews, or asking questions at press conferences, seemingly lost the goal of eliciting information and rather decided it’s better to try to get a headline. Newspapers, especially online, look for the best clickbait headline even if it has little to do with the story. Recent examples of such interviews include two with Vice President Kamala Harris. One by someone I greatly admire, Craig Melvin, the other by Savannah Guthrie. Watching Melvin’s interview just look at his facial expressions as he presses her to gauge his reactions to what she is saying and not being able to get her to say something he can use later. He appeared disappointed he couldn’t get her to make a misstatement. Then the smile on his face when he asked her about whether she will be on the ticket in 2024, which clearly even appeared to give his own views when he apparently said it’s time to give up on people who aren’t vaccinated; a position Harris pushed back on. Then came the Savannah Guthrie interview with the vice president on the “Today” show. She continuously interrupted Harris, and seemed to be attacking her trying to get her to say something they could use later on air as a ‘gotcha’ moment. The vice president did a great job explaining what the administration is doing. Guthrie seemed clearly disappointed she couldn’t get Harris to publicly disagree with what the president said in his news conference the night before. She talked over Harris and then ended the interview abruptly saying ‘sorry we are out of time.’ Anyone watching the president’s press conference the day before can point to lots of stupid questions. And yes, the president misspoke on Ukraine but that didn’t come from a ‘gotcha’ question. I only use Melvin and Guthrie as easy examples. I know them as I watch the “Today” show regularly. I met Hoda Kotb in Rehoboth Beach, at a favorite place we share, The Coffee Mill. I know Craig Melvin from his days in D.C. and admire him, a nice guy and good reporter. I never met Guthrie but when she doesn’t do attack interviews, I like her. Clearly there are different pressures on TV reporters today than years ago. Being a reporter often seems second to being a likeable personality attracting viewers, except when doing political interviews. Guthrie interrupted the interview with Harris to go to a commercial; yes, they need to make money. I want to think her attack method with Harris could come from her producer saying “get tough with her, we need to keep our audience from switching channels.” After all there are other morning shows. Being older I remember interviews reporters have done with presidents, vice presidents, members of Congress, and candidates over the years. From Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley, to Brokaw. There’s the great interview Roger Mudd did with Teddy Kennedy where Kennedy couldn’t answer why he wanted to be president. It didn’t seem adversarial but Mudd got an answer, or no answer, to a simple and politely asked question that about destroyed Kennedy’s quest for the presidency. Even when asking a tough question about Chappaquiddick it wasn’t in a nasty way — simply a direct question he let Kennedy answer. Today, political interviews seem more like interrogations. Reporters are not interested in gathering information for the public to use and judge what is going on; rather it seems like they are trying to uncover a crime. Reporters seem to believe they have to sound nasty and look tough to get a good answer. There are hundreds of places for people to get news. More and more aren’t really news but opinion. Where once a New York Times or Washington Post reporter was happy to get a story on page one today it seems the goal is to get on TV. There they often voice opinions paper reporters were not on TV and didn’t have Twitter accounts. But reality is the public will continue to have to wade through what is news and what is someone’s opinion of what is happening. Reporters no longer seem to believe if they just report the news or have politicians respond to a series of more polite but tough wide-rang-
Enter our drawing to win a private candlelit dinner on the date in February of your choice. Enjoy a 3-course meal from Le Diplomate restaurant to be served by Mixx Pixie herself in the window of Miss Pixie’s under the cherry blossoms. BYOB Gift cards from Logan Hardware, Salt and Sundry and Miss Pixie’s are included with dinner!
Tickets for the drawing are $5 each 100% of the proceeds will benefit N Street Village, the largest sevice provided for women experiencing homelessness in DC.
V I E WP O I NT • F E B R UA RY 0 4 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 9
BRIAN GAITHER
SARAH KATE ELLIS
is a gay writer and activist living in Houston. Reach him on Twitter, @briangaither.
is the president and
The Pyrrhic Victory Fund
A second Trump administration would be disastrous for LGBTQ people
To trust them to get it right, they need to admit when they get it wrong The LGBTQ Victory Fund, for those who don’t know, is an organization whose stated mission is to elect openly LGBTQ+ candidates to all levels of government, with the goal of achieving and sustaining equality. It’s a noble endeavor, and for the decades since its founding, the impact of the organization has come from its ability to pool our collective resources in support of these candidates. In 2018, the Victory Fund announced the endorsement of 274 candidates. Of that number, 174 won. It was, according to the organization, a “Rainbow Wave” that swept the polls in November. That year Kyrsten Sinema, a bisexual congresswoman running to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate, was among those endorsed (as she had been in every race since 2008). Today, Sen. Sinema is one of the Democrats whose devotion
House of Representatives has passed it. But in the Senate it’s effectively dead partly because of Sinema. (Sen. Joe Manchin is the other Democratic obstacle.) The Victory Fund, after years of encouraging us to support her political ascent, now tells us she’s “not currently endorsed.” Perhaps the Victory Fund chooses not to rebuke Sinema because it recognizes alienate her from the organization. And if incumbents like Sinema — people most likely to win an election — stop pretending the Victory Fund matters to their political success, then so too will candidates who don’t already know better. The Victory Fund’s brand has been elevated, and its reputation burnished, by association with marquee candidates in prominent races who tout its endorsement. Nurturing the perception that its endorsement will affect the outcome of critical races is essential to sustaining the illusion of the organization’s importance. For Sinema, the 2018 endorsement was undeniably political theater rather than political necessity. During that election cycle, the Victory Fund was reported to have raised just $100,000 of the $24 million she spent on her campaign. Organizations that make candidate endorsements have a duty to alert the public whenever the conditions of their endorsements are betrayed — either before an election by withholding it or afterwards by publicizing the breach of faith. The Victory Fund is no different. If it cannot, or will not, hold its endorsed candidates accountable on our behalf, then it’s foolish for us to give credence to the organization, its endorsement, or its candidates. For equality-minded voters and activists, this poses a dilemma. A trans woman in Houston deserves to know if the gay man running for City Council is empathetic to her needs for competent healthcare. And a lesbian donor in California who wants to see him make progress for LGBTQ people in Texas should have some modest assurance that he’ll be a dependable advocate in City Hall. For us to trust the Victory Fund to get it right, they need to admit when they get it wrong. lective effort in support of their campaigns. For every Victory Fund candidate who rises from the statehouse to the U.S. Capitol, 100 more will lose a primary simply for a lack of resources and the sort of attention a Victory Fund endorsement is meant to attract. During the Rainbow Wave, the organization rejected
We cannot afford to go backward
The morning after the 2016 presidential election, GLAAD’s leadership team gathered in my ofwould be America’s next president. Though emotions were running high, we quickly agreed that the LGBTQ community would be in grave danger for the next four years, and that GLAAD must pivot its priorities and its resources to react and respond to the new administration. Trump had spent the better part of his campaign having it both ways. He professed to be a while surrounding himself with some of the most virulent anti-LGBTQ activists and politicians of our era — led by the incoming Vice President Mike Pence. The message was clear — LGBTQ people and our hard won progress would be in the Trump administration crosshairs at every level and in every way possible. Our charge was not an easy one. The cable news cycle was well into its around-the-clock, obsessive, and incessant 24-hour coverage of Trump and his followers, so we couldn’t depend on them to research, dig up and bring to light the nefarious actions that were inevitable. On top of that, we would need to ensure that the LGBTQ community was on high alert and that we were So on that morning of Nov. 9, 2016, GLAAD’s Trump Accountability Project was conceived and launched. For the next four years, we tracked more than 200 attacks in policy and rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. Some of the most egregious include the complete removal of all LGBTQ references from the White House web site on the day of his inauguration; the shameful gally discriminate sanctioned by the Justice Department and argued before the U.S. Supreme transgender people in schools and in healthcare; and a slew of extreme judicial nominees to the federal bench whose anti-LGBTQ views will have a decades-long impact. The list is extensive, and it is sobering now, even in retrospect. Biden as he crosses the one-year mark of his presidency. Just as we did with Donald Trump, it was important for GLAAD to track the actions of President Biden in order to hold him and his administration accountable for delivering on the campaign promises he made to the LGBTQ community. The results are undeniable and unparalleled by any president in the history of this country. In item in a quickly growing list of appointments, policies, and statements that advance equality. These include:
female four-star admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Rachel Levine. passport applicants in early 2022. der vets’ healthcare.
-
to endorse, only races designated “Spotlight” or “Game Changer” were offered any level of tangible institutional assistance. Those who would argue that openly LGBTQ candidates need the Victory Fund’s endorsement in order to win their races must also concede that the Vic-
entation and gender identity in healthcare, adoption services, and employment. In a single year, with so many competing priorities, President Biden and his administration have opened doors for LGBTQ Americans and demonstrated unprecedented commitment to ending discrimination and pushing toward full equality in every area of society. There’s a good deal of speculation that Donald Trump may once again run for president, and one thing could not be clearer — a second Trump administration would be disastrous for LGBTQ people. We cannot afford to go backward.
extending its support to Kyrsten Sinema for more than a decade. We need the Victory Fund to work, but Sen. Sinema has shown it to be a Pyrrhic victory for us to promote openly LGBTQ candidates who won’t deliver for the community in the moment they’re best positioned to do so. What we allow, we approve.
We learned in 2016 and for four years afterward that the train of progress can be reversed, and there are anti-LGBTQ extremists working day and night to do it again. The power is in our hands to not let that happen again.
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Arrangements Gift Cards Sweets & Home Decor
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By MIKEY ROX Flowers and a box of chocolates from the grocery store? We can do better for Valentine’s Day. Check out our ideas below for a more memorable gift this holiday.
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Celebrate omicron’s decline this Valentine’s Day By EVAN CAPLAN As the city climbs out of Omicron, Valentine’s Day can
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Friday, February 04
Friday Tea Time and social hour for Older LGBTQ+ adults will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. Feel free to bring your beverage of choice. For the Zoom link or more information, contact Justin (justin@thedccenter.org). Montgomery County Recreation will host “REC Safe Zone” at 6 p.m. at Good Hope Community Center. This event is a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to gather. For more
OUT & ABOUT Pamala Stanley to play plays Rehoboth on Feb. 12.
Saturday, February 05 LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 10 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. This event is ideal for those who want a good brunch and conversation with other LGBTQ+ folk. For more event details, visit Eventbrite.
Sunday, February 06 “Sunday Funday Closeout Party” will be at 10 p.m. at Harlot DC. There will be margarita pitchers, hookah
Monday, February 07 Center Aging Coffee Drop-In will be at 10 a.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any
Tuesday, February 08 Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group and a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more information, visit Coming Out Discussion Trans Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression
Beloved singer Pamala Stanley plays a special show on Feb. 12 at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Rehoboth Beach, Del., from 8:30-11 p.m. Stanley scored several dance hits in the ‘80s and has enjoyed a long career as an entertainer, including residencies at Rehoboth’s Blue Moon and The Pines. The Feb. 12 show is billed as “one night only — The Pamala Stanley Experience.”
Team DC will host “Vaccine & Booster Happy Hour” on At this event, guests can receive a free COVID vaccination or booster shot and get a free Tito’s cocktail at Kiki or Dirty Goose after. This event is for D.C. residents only.
Wednesday, February 09 will be at 6 p.m. in-person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community and online on Zoom. The Job Club is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term
Food brand District Snacks will celebrate its launch with “District
networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers. LGBTQ Peer Support Group will be at 11 a.m. at On Our Own of Frederick County. This is a safe space for LGBTQ/queer peers to connect with one another and offer mutual support, encouragement, and
and house beats into the night. There will also be performances from drag queens Willam, from season four of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “A Star is Born”; Kennedy Davenport from “RuPaul’s
Thursday, February 10 The will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. The program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245. 2 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 04 , 2 0 2 2
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Cold War period piece ‘Change Agent’ an instant classic Actor Jeffrey Omura on COVID and importance of supporting the arts By PATRICK FOLLIARD
After two years off stage, out actor Jeffrey Omura admits to feeling a little rusty. But returning to the boards in playwright/director Craig Lucas’ new play “Change Agent,” now to be a part of a work that he says reads like an instant classic. “Not only is it a page turner,” he adds, “It’s written in verse - carefully constructed, each line has the same number of syllables. Lucas is a master of his craft.” Set against the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights Movement and the Cold War, the play focuses, in part, on JFK’s mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer, a Washington insider and Early on, the couple supported the United Nations as a means to world peace when idealist whereas Cord takes a different path. In the past, Omura’s ethnicity (he’s half Japanese and half white) has prevented him from playing white establishment types like Cord Meyer. But the play’s inclusive casting changed that for him. Besides acting, Omura is a founding member of Fair Wage Onstage and Be An #ArtsHero, an intersectional grassroots campaign comprised of arts and culture workers, unions, and institutions pushing the Senate to allocate proportionate relief to the arts and culture sector of the economy. He’s also an elected member of Actors’ Equity’s National Council. “When COVID hit and shut down the theater industry, actors instantly learned that the arts were getting left out of the conversation at every level of government,” says Omura. “It just so happened at the time, there was an open seat on New York City Council to represent my Upper West Side neighborhood in Manhattan, so I threw my hat in the ring.” tent the arts are why people live in New York City and why 65 million tourists visit every year, yet large swathes of Broadway – and consequently Midtown Manhattan - is still struggling or closed.” Though he didn’t win a seat on City Council, Omura, 36, learned a lot. He also knew he didn’t want to stop acting. Growing up in Michigan, he watched a lot of TV including “The Golden Girls,” a sitcom he credits with teaching him a lot: “The show really holds up – the integrity, the writing, the delivery and perfect comedic timing. I learned a lot watching those episodes.” At 12, he became active in community theater and knew then he wanted to act professionally. He was outed at 14, and what might have been a disaster turned out to be a blessing in disguise, he says. “People who come out later in life can be so bottled up for so long. I wasn’t.” During his freshman year at Carnegie Mellon University, Omura landed the lead in Tennessee Williams’s seldom produced one act “And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens,” the New Orleans-set tale of a 35-year-old queer man who does drag. He says, “the character’s drag queen persona is this grand, southern belle. What better archeAfter college, Omura embarked on a busy career. He’s known for his work onstage in New York with the Public Theater, Playwrights’ Realm, Ma-Yi Theater Company, and “The last two years have been very revealing,” says Omura. “There is nothing in place to make sure theater professionals are taken care of. We need to hold politicians to We need political action committees backing pro-arts candidates.” But things are changing, he adds. Be An #ArtsHero is morphing into a formal lobbying force called Arts Workers United. The plan is for artists to have daily conversations with representatives in Congress. “It’s promising. Still, there remains a lot of work to be done,” he says.
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JEFFREY OMURA returns to the boards in Craig Lucas’s new play ‘Change Agent.’
‘Change Agent’ Through March 6 | Arena Stage 1101 Sixth St., S.W. $92-$115 | arenastage.org
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Refreshing ‘Mitchells vs. the Machines’ an inclusive family treat Best Animated Feature the queerest category in Oscar race By JOHN PAUL KING
If for no other reason, 2021 will be remembered as a landmark year for LGBTQ inclusion at the movies because Best Animated Feature was the queerest category in the Oscar race. While the year’s nominations have yet to be announced, the Academy Award shortlist for the category includes Disney’s “Encanto” and Pixar’s “Luca,” both of which feature LGBTQ characters in leading roles – at least, they do if you believe the Internet. Fans online have pointed out that Mirabel, the 15-year-old heroine of “Encanto” voiced by bisexual actress Stephanie Beatriz, wears a small rainbow pin in bisexual colors on her dress throughout the movie, with many declaring it as proof that the character is bi herself. Similarly, queer viewers of “Luca” have seen in its tale of two adolescent sea monsters living incognito in an Italian seaside village a coming-of-age story about
Rendered in a style that evokes the fast-paced, acrobatic visuals of “Spider Man: Into kind of free-wheeling romp that parents might easily assume to be just another charming-but-silly piece of juvenile entertainment and leave to their kids to watch on their action are plenty of moments tailored for the grown-ups, too. Loaded with subtle (and laughing at least as often – and as loudly – as their children.
was NOT intended to be a gay romance, the millions who have “shipped” convinced, and have claimed them as queer characters, nevertheless. In both cases, a queer reading of the narratives is entirely reasonable,
After all, somebody had to sign off on that rainbow pin for Mirabel’s costume. There’s no ambiguity, however, about the queerness in “Flee,” which uses animation to tell the real-life story of Amin, a gay Afghan refugee who, on the eve of his wedding, opens up to his husband-to-be about his traumatic escape from his homeland. It won unanimous acclaim from critics around the world since its debut at last February’s Sundance Festival, and it’s a viable contender for Oscar gold not just as Best Animated Feature, but Best International Feature and Best Documentary Feature as well. Each of these, as well as the other titles in the likely running for the big would be deserving winners. But if we were to decide a win solely on the basis of “ideal” queer inclusion, the entry that stands far and above the rest of them is “The Mitchells vs. the Machines.” ‘Mitchells vs. the Machines’
may lead to disappointment has strained their once-close relationship; her mother Lin-
As funny as it is (and it is very funny, launching a seemingly effortless stream of jokes
her staunch ally. Rounding out the household is the family dog, a googly-eyed pug named Monchi. Hoping to shore up bonds with Katie, Dad decides to take the entire Mitchell clan on a cross country road trip to drop
for the most part are put off by the syrupy sweetness that often goes hand in hand with the happy ending. “Mitchells” avoids that trap, instead leaning into the strength of its character development to build layered and authentic relationships that require no such manipulative tactics to help them strike an emotional chord. The Mitchells are exaggerated, sure, but they’re also real enough that any viewer who’s ever been a member of a family can recognize themselves somewhere within their dynamic. That means LGBTQ viewers, too, and in a far more unequivocal way than the coded -
-
saved for near the end; but there are enough clues throughout the movie (perhaps even
resigns herself to putting up with them the nest. However, things are about to get much worse, thanks to an unforeseen glitch, a tech company’s newly unveiled AI system has just gone rogue and launched a “robot apocalypse” targeting the entire human race for capture and expulsion from the planet, and the Mitchells soon between humankind and its oblivion – but can they get it together long enough to save the world? 3 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 04 , 2 0 2 2
fact that the character’s sexuality has absolutely no impact on the plot at all. Here is a queerness – instead their queerness is just one color in the palette with which the story a stellar example of onscreen LGBTQ representation done right. Of course, that’s not the only reason to watch “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” or even the biggest one. The pitch-perfect voice cast – which also includes the likes of Fred Arand the clever, convention-bending animation is a colorful treat for the eyes throughout. It’s a refreshing triumph that may or may not win the Oscar – but it’s almost certain to win your heart.
By KATHI WOLFE If you’re jonesing for sex, polyamory, and gossipy confessions, don’t rush toward the bright young things.
die or go to prison for their queerness. In that homophobic time, White
spiced with fab gab, if you turn to Edmund White, the queer,
enough to come out in their
memoirist.
wannabe American writer.
affairs, was his romance with the deceased, perhaps passe, but historically important writer Edmund White. Before
autobiographical
trilogy:
‘A Previous Life: Another Posthumous Novel’ By Edmund White
White
is
the
main
c.2022, Bloomsbury Publishing $26 | 270 pages
from this situation by getting a scholarship to Princeton. husband robs her of all the money she’s earned. Another
romances to long-term liaisons. the norm for them. And for many others in their time (three
history to be erased. gay protagonists — let alone queer characters who didn’t
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Stonewall Kickball Recruitment Party
LGBTQ sports league holds event at Green Lantern (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Stonewall Kickball held a recruitment party at the Green Lantern on Sunday. Prospective recruits had an opportunity to meet with team captains and seasoned players before the start of the spring season. For more information on future Stonewall Kickball events, visit skdc.info.
3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • FEBRUARY 04 , 2 0 2 2
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