Washington Blade, Volume 53, Issue 11, March 18, 2022

(Photo courtesy Jack Petocz)

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • V O LU M E 5 3 • I S S U E 1 1 • W A S H I N GTO N B L A D E . C O M

READY TO LIVE AT NATIONAL HARBOR? The Potomac Overlook Monument Series Luxury Townhomes starting from the $700’s

VA LOANS WITH $0 DOWN AND ALL CLOSING COSTS PAID*

TOM GAFFNEY

SENIOR LOAN OFFICER NMLS ID #182206

703.307.5877 tgaffney@fhmtg.com www.GaffneyLoans.com

CURRENT INCENTIVES **

$30K in Closing Costs* *with use of preferred Lender and Title **not valid on previous contracts and must settle on or before 3/31/22.

FIRST HERITAGE MORTGAGE, LLC 3201 JERMANTOWN ROAD, SUITE 800 FAIRFAX, VA 22030 First Heritage Mortgage, LLC | Company NMLS ID #86548 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) This is an advertisement and not a guarantee of lending. Terms and conditions apply.

All approvals subject to underwriting guidelines. Prepared: 09/05/2018. *Closing costs paid when using First Heritage Mortgage and does not include pre-paids.

Pricing and terms may change, please speak with Loan Officer.

0 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

8463

POTOMAC OVERLOOK MONUMENT SERIES FROM THE $700’S 500 TRIGGERFISH DRIVE, NATIONAL HARBOR, MD 20745 SALES@INTEGRITYHMW.COM | (703) 223-6286

Concentrates Topicals 6925 Blair Road, NW Washington, D.C. 20012 takomawellness.com 202.465.4260 @takomawellness M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 3

Thank you to our sponsors and partners of the Washington Blade.

FULL LOGO (Preferred)

Text Only Stack

Style Guide v.1 | February 2018

Text Only Inline

Community Partners

ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE READING THIS WILL BE A MEMBER. SUPPORT LGBTQ MEDIA TODAY! WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/MEMBERSHIP 0 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

VOLUME 53 ISSUE 11 ADDRESS PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER JOHN PAUL KING PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS TINASHE CHINGARANDE, DUNIA ORELLANA, REPORTAR SIN MIEDO, PARKER PURIFOY, PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ, LYNARE ROBBINS, PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN, KATLEGO K. KOLANYANE-KESUPILE, KAELA ROEDER, TREMENDA NOTA, ALBERTO J. VALENTÍN, MAYKEL GONZÁLEZ VIVERO, ORGULLO LGBT. CO, ESTEBAN GUZMAN CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC

at

202-747-2077,

All material in the Washington Blade is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Washington Blade. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The appearance of names or pictorial representation does not necessarily indicate the sexual orientation of that person or persons. Although the Washington Blade is supported by many fine advertisers, we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Unsolicited editorial material is accepted by the Washington Blade, but the paper cannot take responsibility for its return. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit any submission. A single copy of the Washington Blade is available from authorized distribution points, to any individual within a 50-mile radius of Washington, D.C. Multiple copies are available from the Washington Blade office only. Call for rates. If you are unable to get to a convenient free distribution point, you may receive a 52-week mailed subscription for $195 per year or $5.00 per single issue.

Checks or credit card orders can be sent to Phil Rockstroh at prockstroh@ washblade.com. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Washington Blade, PO BOX 53352 Washington, DC 20009. The Washington Blade is published weekly, on Friday, by Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. Individual Subscriptions are $195 per year for 52 issues (only $3.75 per issue mailed to you USPS). Rates for businesses/institutions are $450 per year. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C., and additional mailing offices. Editorial positions of the Washington Blade are expressed in editorials and in editors’ notes as determined by the paper’s editors. Other opinions are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Washington Blade or its staff. To submit a letter or commentary: Letters should be fewer than 400 words; commentaries should be fewer than 750 words. Submissions may be edited for content and length, and must include a name, address and phone number for verification. Send submissions by e-mail to knaff@washblade.com.

©2022 BROWN NAFF PITTS OMNIMEDIA, INC.

Locally owned and operated for over 20 years!

Dog Daycare Boarding Grooming and Pet Supplies 202-234-9247

City-dogs.com

301 H Street NE • 1832 18th Street NW

GRAND REOPENING All Classes Free April 4-8

Daily Open House 12pm-6pm Meet the Staff Reception-April 8th @ 5:00pm

1 ON 1 PERSONAL TRAINING • FAMILY TRAINING YOGA • OPEN GYM • GROUP FITNESS CLASSES

1310 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. SE • 202.629.4455 • JADEFITNESSDC.COM M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 5

Comings & Goings

Wojahn takes leadership role at National League of Cities

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 Will Ed Green who announced as of July 1 he will serve with the people of Silver Spring United Methodist Church as their lead pastor. Green came to Foundry United Methodist Church in Dupont as an Associate Pastor and Director for Connecting Ministries in 2016. Since 2018, he has served as Associate Pastor & Director of Discipleship. He has been responsible for the United Methodist Annual DC Pride Witness, as well as Foundry’s Christian Education, Spiritual Formation, Small Group, Fellowship Group ministries, and worship ministries and creative worship design.

Green’s last Sunday at Foundry will be on June 12 when Foundry will celebrate Pride as a part of its worship celebration. He said, “I’m grateful for the last six years of partnership and co-ministry with the people of Foundry and the Dupont Circle neighborhood, and I look forward to carrying the strong legacy of LGBTQIA justice and inclusion with me into my new context. I’m excited to join the people of Silver Spring United Methodist Church whose commitments to justice, equity and inclusion is a beacon of hope for the Silver Spring community and beyond.”

Prior to coming to Foundry, Green was associate pas-

tor of First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights, Ill.; and pastor of Granville Avenue United Methodist Church.

Green earned his bachelor’s degree in Religion from Hendrix College in Conway, Ark.; and his master’s of divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, in Evanston, Ill. Congratulations also to Patrick Wojahn, mayor of College Park, for being selected for the 2022 Mayor’s Institute of City Design (MICD), Just City Fellowship. He has also been appointed vice chair of the National League of Cities (NLC) Race, Equity, and Leadership (REAL) program. The Just City Mayoral Fellowship is a joint program of the MICD and the Just City Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

“I am looking forward to working with my fellow mayors to explore how we can address injustices in our communities and pursue policies and practices that achieve greater racial equity,” Wojahn said. “College Park has recognized in order to ensure we serve all of our diverse residents well, we need to aggressively pursue racial equity and do what we can to make up for the failures in our past. These programs will help ensure we will continue to grow stronger through our diversity and ensure all of our residents are welcome and find a home in College Park.”

The National League of Cities (NLC) REAL program was established in the wake of the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. NLC President, Mayor Vince Williams of Union

0 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • LO CA L NE WS

WILL ED GREEN

PATRICK WOJAHN

City, Georgia said, “I am proud to have Mayor Wojahn help lead NLC’s REAL Council. Together with a team of local leaders from around the country, we will work to solve the most pressing challenges facing our communities and help fulfill the promise of our America’s cities, towns and villages.”

Wojahn has been mayor of College Park since 2015.

He is also director of government relations with the Railsto-Trails Conservancy. Prior to that he was a Public Policy Analyst with the National Disability Rights Network and worked as a staff attorney with University Legal Services in Washington, D.C. He has served as a Member At Large, Board of Directors, National League of Cities. He was a founder and board member of Equality Maryland and Equality Maryland Foundation.

Wojahn earned his bachelor’s degree in International Relations, German and Russian, University of Wisconsin, Madison; and his juris doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

COM�.

O! M G SIT. STAY l=OR�V�R. IN LOGAN CIRCLE. Weonce-in-a-lifetime took a historic carria in a A location deserves ge home Naylor Court and flat expwith anded it with once-in-a lifetime wide open living two bedrooms, openbedrooms; living spaces and in the space and two cozy located fabulous details inside and out.

Nucleus of DC nightlife.

Just steps to Blagden Court NW. Circle&at 1331Center.

NaylorThe Near Lo Alley, 14th City Obie by ganStreet Priced one at $1,450,000.

OPaL, home remains. Priced at $1,125,000.

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 7

Va. lawmakers leave LGBTQ students in precarious position ‘Politicizing and censoring our nation’s history’

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Legislation proposed during the Virginia General Assembly’s 60day session has angered LGBTQ activists in the state as they say it will bar self-expression in schools and uphold troublesome relics of past homophobic legislation.

A bill giving parents the power to review sexually explicit content before it is taught in the classroom was passed by both chambers of the General Assembly and is likely to be signed by Republican Gov. Gov. GLENN YOUNGKIN is expected to sign a Glenn Youngkin. bill giving parents the power to review sexually Officially listed as SB 656, it also explicit content before it is taught in the classroom. requires educators to provide alternatives to instructional material and related academic activities that include sexually explicit content.

The bill, spearheaded by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, is in line with Youngkin’s 2021 gubernatorial campaign during which he promised to give parents a more involved role in determining their children’s curriculum.

“This administration has made it a priority to enact classroom censorship, politicizing and censoring our nation’s history and the lived experience of marginalized communities,” said Breanna Diaz, policy and advocacy counsel at American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. ACLU of Virginia is a private non-profit organization that advocates for LGBTQ individuals in the commonwealth through public education, litigation, and advocacy. “[This bill], arguably, is going to erase LGBTQ history and LGBTQ figures and movement leaders from the classroom,” she said.

Although lawmakers proposed the bill with one of the goals being to facilitate cur-

0 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • LO CA L NE WS

ricula lucidity between schools and parents, various local school divisions already had systems in place that kept parents aware of any controversial content that would be discussed in classes.

“Parents always get copies of the reading lists that their children are expected to go through,” said Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, in a February interview with the Virginia Mercury.

The goal of the bill, activists say, is to remove literature from the classroom that explicitly discusses race and sexuality and thwarts students’ and teachers’ ability to express their identities.

“SB 656 is duplicative and redundant and adds an additional layer of labor on educators to avoid confusion and possibly getting in trouble for doing their job and teaching everything,” said Diaz. “They might have to develop multiple curricula, or just outright remove entire books, lessons, and studies.”

The General Assembly also struck down legislation that would have given voters a chance to decide on whether to overturn a now-defunct provision in the commonwealth that bans same-sex marriage.

The Marshall Newton Amendment — approved in 2006 — defines marriage as between a man and a woman, and anti-LGBTQ groups argued that repealing the bill would help legalize polygamy and child marriage in the state.

“It is defunct, discriminatory, bigoted, and it has no place in our constitution,” said Narissa Rahaman, executive director of Equality Virginia. “Marriage equality is the law of the land,” she said.

Gov. Youngkin has opposed marriage equality. He, however, has also stressed that it is “legally acceptable” in Virginia and he would “support that” as governor, the Washington Blade reported in January.

Activists in other states, such as Texas, are also pushing to amend parts of the constitutions that clutch onto homophobic relics of history in legislation.

These efforts have been in vain as the Texas Legislature failed to repeal a homophobic law that has been unenforceable since 2003, The Guardian reported in 2019.

“That bad example in Texas is what we’re seeing play out in Virginia,” said Diaz.

AHF opens first Virginia clinic in Falls Church

are the things that drive the epAbout 50 people attended a idemic that have allowed HIV ribbon-cutting ceremony for a to persist for decades despite new AIDS Healthcare Foundathe fact that we have science tion (AHF) clinic in Falls Church, and medicine and resources to Va., on Thursday, March 10. The bring it to an end.” health center offers “state-of“In 1987, the AIDS Healthcare the-art HIV/AIDS medical care Foundation founders made a and services to patients regardcommitment to provide quality less of their insurance status or From left: CLOVER BARNS, HAHSTA compassionate care to anyone ability to pay,” according to an director; DONNA TEMPESTA, affected by the HIV virus,” the AHF statement. vice president of AHF; Dr. DANBI center’s medical director Dr. Speakers at the ceremony MARTINEZ, AHF medical director of the Falls Church Healthcare Martinez said. “I am here today included AHF Regional DirecCenter; HUGO DELGADO, executive to announce that we want to tor Michel McVicker, AHF Vice director and co-founder of NOVA continue that commitment here President Donna Tempesta, Salud; and MICHEL MCVICKER, AHF regional director for D.C., Maryland in the state of Virginia. I believe Virginia Department of Health and Virginia prepare to cut a red that we can make a positive imDeputy Director Elaine Martin, ribbon at the opening ceremony pact in people’s lives and that D.C. Department of HIV/AIDS, for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation we will fulfill a need here.” center in Falls Church, Va. on Thursday.

Hepatitis, STD, Tuberculosis Ad(Blade photo by Michael Key) The Falls Church facility locatministration (HAHSTA) Senior ed at 2946 Sleepy Hollow Rd., Director Clover Barnes, NOVA Suite 4B is the first AHF clinic in Virginia, though is Salud Executive Director Hugo Delgado and Falls now the fifth center open to clients in the DMV. OthChurch Healthcare Center AHF Medical Director er AHF centers in the area include two centers in Dr. Danbi Martinez.

Washington, D.C.: the Blair Underwood Healthcare “Today is an important day in HIV,” McVicker told Center and Pharmacy at 2141 K St., N.W., Suite 707 the crowd. “It is National Women and Girls HIV and and the Capitol Hill Healthcare Center at 650 PennAIDS Awareness Day. There are over 30 million sylvania Ave., Suite 310; as well as two centers in people worldwide that are living with HIV and more Maryland: the Temple Hills Healthcare Center, 4302 than half of those are women and girls. We chose St. Barnabas Rd., Suite D and the Wellness Center, this day deliberately because we wanted to draw 11 E. Lexington St., Suite 100 in Baltimore. attention to the disparities that exist because of inMICHAEL KEY stitutional sexism, racism and homophobia. These

Open call for D.C. artists: ‘The Gender Within’ Calling all local artists in the Washington, D.C. region. The Washington Blade and Dupont Underground will bring back a new exhibition during Pride month.

This exhibition will celebrate artwork exploring the nuances in how people identify their gender and the fluidity within labeled identities and orientations. Gender identity is a personal conception of oneself as man, woman, both, neither, or something new. Art has been a way for creative individuals to investigate, challenge, and express their thoughts and ideas.

In Dupont Underground & the Washington Blade’s next show, the hope is to exhibit artworks collected from this open call, reflecting, exploring, or celebrating gender identity through art. A blind jury will review the submissions.

The exhibition will be held at Dupont Underground (19 Dupont Circle, N.W., Washington, D.C.) from June 4-26. We are looking for works that: • Are emotional and creative • Challenge gender norms and roles • Reflect & explore the complexities in self identification. We welcome contemporary art of the mediums mentioned above that synchronize with this vision and statement.

This exhibition is for artists specializing in LGBTQIA+ issues and who work in both traditional and contemporary art forms. All artwork must be original in concept, design, and execution. Mediums accepted: Photography, Fashion, Poetry, Media Art/Video Art, Painting/Drawing, small-scale installation art.

Artists may submit up to three works. Artworks must be installation ready.

We will only accept artists from the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) area.

For more information, visit dupontunderground.org.

For any questions email dupontcompetitions@gmail.com.

STAFF REPORTS

LO CA L NE WS • M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 9

A political future for gay student suspended over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ protest?

At 17, Jack Petocz is already an experienced strategist

By KATHI WOLFE

Even as a child, Jack Petocz, 17, knew he was different from other boys. “I didn’t like sports. Most of my friendships were with girls,” he said in a phone interview with the Blade, “I already knew I didn’t ‘like’ girls.”

His experience at school helped Petocz, who is gay, to understand his sexuality. The school staff and teachers didn’t try to influence his sexual orientation. “The staff and teachers weren’t trying to push an agenda,” he said, “but I felt supported.”

It takes a lot of courage to come out in rural and suburban Florida, Petocz who lives in Flagler Beach, said, “schools are a safe space to come out.”

“School gave me the courage to come out at home when I was a freshman,” he added.

Politics and advocating on behalf of the LGBTQ and other marginalized communities are Petocz’s passions.

Earlier this month, Petocz, a Flagler Palm Coast High School junior, organized a state-wide student protest against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The bill, HR 1557, titled “Parental Rights in Education,” and known as “Don’t Say Gay,” has been approved by Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature. Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign it.

The legislation would forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The bill would prohibit instruction on these subjects for older students that is “not ageappropriate or developmentally appropriate.” If they feel the bill’s provisions are violated, parents would be able to sue school districts.

Supporters of the legislation believe the bill would give parents the right to have more input into what their children are taught in schools. They argue that it’s not “age appropriate” to offer instruction on LGBTQ issues to elementary school students.

Opponents of the bill, from many in the LGBTQ community to celebrities to President Joe Biden, don’t buy this.

Petocz worries about what will happen to LGBTQ students if the “Don’t Say Gay” bill becomes law. If that happens, “LGBTQ students wouldn’t have a safe space in schools,” he said, “bullying and suicide could increase.”

Supporters of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill are “trying to erase us,” Petocz said.

On March 3, Petocz organized a statewide student walkout in Florida against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Hundreds of students walked out of their classes in more than 20 schools across the state to protest the measure. In Petocz’s school, more than 500 students protested – chanting “Say Gay! Say Gay! Say Gay!” and waving Pride flags.

Following the protest, Petocz was suspended.

“They said I was suspended. That they would have to investigate,” Petocz said.

“They told me it was wrong to hand out the Pride flags,” he said, “they said it was menacing.”

“Student leaders were told ‘no flags’ prior to and at the beginning of the event so as to avoid undue safety concerns and campus disruptions,” the Flagler County school district said in a statement.

The protesters were fighting for inclusiveness at a rally against anti-gay politics, Petocz said. “The Pride flag is a

JACK PETOCZ was suspended after leading a walk-out protest at Florida schools.

(Photo courtesy Petocz)

symbol of peace, not violence,” he said. “I wouldn’t let them take away our flags and silence us.”

Petocz received an outpouring of support after his suspension. A Change.org petition opposing Petocz’s suspension was signed by 7,559 people.

“As the Supreme Court has ruled, students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of expression at the schoolhouse gates,” Pen America, the free speech group, said in a statement. “This is especially so considering this was a pre-approved and reportedly peaceful rally. This wrongful suspension must be reversed.”

On March 7, Petocz was permitted to return to school.

The suspension will not affect his school record.

“The district has no comment,” Jason Wheeler, a spokesperson for the Flagler County School District emailed the Blade. “Because it is a school-based decision. I can say outside ‘pushback’ had no bearing on the school administration’s decisions.”

The March 3 protest wasn’t Petocz’s first battle with his school. He has fought against books being banned.

“All Boys Are Not Blue: A Memoir - Manifesto,” a teen and young adult novel by George M. Johnson, was removed from the school’s library.

The book is described on Amazon as a “young-adult memoir” that “weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.”

Someone on the school board lodged a criminal complaint against a media specialist who put “All Boys Are Not Blue” in the school’s library. The complaint was

1 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

dismissed, but the book is still not back in the library, Petocz said.

“There is a process for challenging classroom materials, but we never had a challenge of media center materials,” Wheeler emailed the Blade when asked why the book was still missing from the school’s library, “that is what we are working through right now.”

Three other books were banned, then reinstated, Petocz said. “I set up a link on my Amazon wish list where people could donate banned books,” he said. “Over 400 books appeared on my doorstep! So I could bring them to students who wanted to read them!”

“I got inspiring messages of support from everywhere – Seattle, Massachusetts, California – Florida!” he added.

The “Don’t Say Gay” protest is far from Petocz’s only political organizing effort. He organized Recall FCSB (@RecallFCSB on Twitter), a local, student-led group.

“We’re working to recall the bigoted members of the school board,” Petocz said, “so it will be more inclusive and stop hurting people in marginalized communities.”

On the national level, Petocz is a political strategy associate with Gen-Z for Change (@genzforchange on Instagram). The group works for civil discourse and progressive change among Gen Z. The organization will push for the election of progressives in the midterms, Petocz said.

Politics will likely always be embedded in Petocz’s DNA. “I plan to study political science and minor in international affairs,” Petocz said, “after that law school.

Then, maybe I’ll run for office.”

Smollett gets 150 days for lying about hate crime

Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced actor Jussie Smollett to 30 months of probation and 150 days in jail for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he staged. Linn also ordered Smollett to pay $120,106 restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.

The out actor and former ‘Empire’ star’s request for new trial was denied ahead of Actor JUSSIE SMOLLETT reacting to his sentencing. sentence in a Chicago courtroom.

(Screenshot/WGN) Smollett first sought to have the jury’s verdict overturned on legal grounds.

Chicago’s ABC7 reported that Judge Linn told Smollett and his defenders: “I do believe at the end of the day that Mr. Smollett received a fair trial, that he was proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury based on the evidence that was presented.” The judge added, “You committed hour upon hour upon hour of perjury.”

Linn also took the actor to task telling him, “I’m going to tell you Mr. Smollett, I know that there is nothing that I will do here today that will come close to the damage you’ve already done to your own life.”

Special prosecutor Dan Webb asked that Smollett be ordered to pay $130,000 in restitution to the city of Chicago.

The actor was offered the opportunity to speak, but declined, saying he agreed with his attorney’s advice to remain quiet. However as he was taken into custody by court deputies, Smollett insisted that he was not suicidal, suggesting that “if anything happens” in jail, he did not take his own life.

“If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community,” Smollett said.

BRODY LEVESQUE

Caitlyn Jenner again attacks trans athletes

The NCAA Women’s Division I Swimming and Diving Championships began on March 16.

One of the top-seeded competitors is Lia Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania Women’s Team. The 22-year-old senior is no ordinary athlete as she is a trans female at the center of a rancorous national debate over trans athletes in sports.

Earlier this month, Thomas was profiled in a cover story for Sports Illustrated in an exclusive interview explaining why she has to compete when many—including some teammates—say she shouldn’t be able to compete against other women. “The very simple answer is that I am not a man,’ Thomas told SI. “I’m a woman — so I belong on the women’s team.”

Her answer rankled opponents of trans girls and females participating in sports including reality television star, a pre-transition Olympian, and conservative Trump Republican Caitlyn Jenner. In a March 4 interview with British tabloid The Daily Mail, Jenner said, “I don’t think biological boys should compete in women’s sports — we have to protect women’s sports. That’s the bottom line.”

“I respect her right to transition and I hope she has a wonderful, wonderful life. But she grew up as a biological boy and I don’t think it’s fair that she’s competing in women’s sports,” Jenner told The Daily Mail. “Her cardiovascular system is bigger, her heart is bigger, she’s got longer arms and legs.”

“Three years earlier, she was on the men’s team ranked 462; now she’s No. 1 in the same event for women? Obviously, it’s not fair,” Jenner comments.

Thomas is adhering to the standards and regulations set out by the NCAA, which requires trans female athletes to be on hormone therapy for at least 12 months before they can compete.

The NCAA adopted new policies in January covering the competition of transgender athletes, creating a “sport-by-sport” approach that also requires documentation of testosterone levels across the board amid a fervor of recently transitioned swimmers breaking records in women’s athletics.

Although critics charge that the NCAA policies don’t go far enough in protecting women’s sport and essentially make an exception for Thomas, Jenner agreed that the collegiate swimmer is following the rules. “But the rules have to change,” Jenner claims.

BRODY LEVESQUE

NAT I O NA L NE WS • M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 1

‘Don’t Say Gay’ vulnerable to legal challenges on many fronts First Amendment brought up as possible claim for lawsuit: experts

By CHRIS JOHNSON | cjohnson@washblade.com

Although the question of standing might be With Ron DeSantis expected to sign the an issue if no action has been brought against “Don’t Say Gay” bill any day now, legal experts a particular teacher, Flugman said he could are already seeing myriad ways to challenge imaging other entities, including a teacher’s the measure in court from multiple angles ununion, to represent teachers on their behalf. der federal law and the U.S. Constitution — and But not all experts agree a First Amendment a lawsuit may emerge shortly after the Florida challenge is the way to go for a lawsuit against governor pens his name to the measure. the “Don’t Say Gay” measure in court given the Legal challenges could emerge given the expected state role in managing the curricumeasure’s impact on LGBTQ students and lum and standards of its schools. families as well as LGBTQ teachers under the Dale Carpenter, a conservative law profederal civil rights law on employment and edfessor at the Southern Methodist University ucation, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act Dedman School of Law who’s written in favor of 1964 or Title IX of the Education Amendof LGBTQ rights, said the language in the bill ments of 1972. Cases could be made under on “instruction” is guiding curriculum, which the U.S. Constitution, experts say, given arguis “ordinarily within the authority of the state” able threats to freedom of speech under the and therefore not grounds for a First AmendFirst Amendment as well as the singling out ment challenge. of LGBTQ families under the Equal Protection “It should not be applied to offhand discusClause in the Fourteenth Amendment.

A legal challenge to the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill may emerge shortly after sion or conversation or acknowledgement of Christopher Stoll, senior staff attorney with Gov. RON DESANTIS signs the measure. students’ same-sex parents or something like the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said he that,” Carpenter said. “So to the extent that is thinks “it’s almost certain that the bill will be what the bill is doing, there’s not a really good basis for challenging that part of the bill challenged if it becomes law” and in terms of timing, pro-LGBTQ legal groups “are under the First Amendment.” certainly prepared to do that if the bill is signed.”

Carpenter, however, conceded a First Amendment challenge may be possible under “I think it raises a number of issues, but the primary ones are Equal Protection and the bill’s provision that more generally prohibits schools from engaging in LGBTQ isFirst Amendment,” Stoll said. “This bill singles out LGBTQ families as being so shameful sues in ways that are “not age-appropriate.” that they need to be excluded from the classroom in a way that other families are not, “That part of the bill might be challenged on vagueness grounds under the First and that has an obvious discriminatory effect on children, same-sex couples, and other Amendment because the fear would be, since nothing is spelled out about this age apLGBTQ families.” propriate or development appropriate language, your expression might be chilled in Other pro-LGBTQ groups that have brought legal challenges to anti-LGBTQ meathe classroom, might deter people from even speaking in a way that would be protectsures in the courts are holding their cards close to their vest on potential lawsuits ed,” Carpenter said. “So that’s a possible challenge. I don’t know that it’s very strong, against the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The American Civil Liberties Union and Lambda Legal but it’s a possible challenge.” didn’t respond to a request to comment.

Carpenter added another possible First Amendment challenge to the bill may be Key portions of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, titled HB 1557, reveal the potential penalty possible if a particular Florida school were to interpret the language to include not for the slightest hint of talk about LGBTQ kids and families in schools, therefore the just instruction, but offhand conversation. A disciplined teacher, Carpenter said, could potential for challenging the measure in court as a discriminatory law. The possibilities bring a lawsuit against the measure on First Amendment grounds because the law for legal challenges could be seen as a warning to DeSantis signing the “Don’t Say Gay” would have been “applied in a way that was overly broad.” bill into law would come at great expense to the state if it were to defend the law in Legal experts also point to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in 2020 in Bostock v. court, not to mention the provision of the bill that allows families to sue if they feel the Clayton County, which determined anti-LGBTQ discrimination is a form of sex discrimschool their children attends engaged in instruction of LGBTQ issues in contravention ination, thus illegal under federal civli rights law, as fertile ground to challenge the of the measure.

“Don’t Say Gay” measure.

Under the legislation, schools for children in kindergarten through grade 3 may Flugman said he could “definitely see” a clear-cut case based on Title VII against the not engage in “instruction” about sexual orientation and gender identity, or generally “Don’t Say Gay” measure from LGBTQ teachers in Florida who feel the need to keep throughout the education system “in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developquiet about their sexual orientation or gender identity. mentally appropriate for students.” Although the legislation allows for internal review “Title VII is pretty broad in that; it’s not just hiring or firing, but it’s the terms of emand resolution if a parent brings a complaint against the school for violating the meaployment and how someone is treated at work and the benefits and all of that,” Flugsure, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill also empowers a parent of a student who feels the law was man said. “And so, you know, if someone is basically being forced to hide their identity violated to “bring an action against a school district” in court to seek damages. in a school in Florida as a result of this bill, I think that you absolutely could see a claim Proponents of the bill downplay it as a parental rights measure aimed at preventing under Title VII against the school district for that.”

K-3 students from being taught sex education or teachers engaging in critical general The Biden administration already weighed in on the legality of the bill via the Departtheory writ-large in the Florida school system, but the measure contains no limiting ment of Education by suggesting the “Don’t Say Gay” would contravene Title IX, which principle restricting its impact to those concepts. In fact, Republican lawmakers at an bars discrimination on the basis of sex in education, thus could jeopardize the state’s earlier stage in the legislative process rejected an amendment proposed by a Demofederal funding for its schools. crat that would redefine the prohibition under the measure to “sexual activity.”

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona issued the warning to Florida in a statement David Flugman, a lawyer at the New York-based Selendy & Gay PLLC whose practice after the Florida Legislature gave its final approval to the measure, which he called includes LGBTQ rights, said restrictions of the measure on speech in schools make the “hateful” and a distraction from issues such as recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. protections under the First Amendment a possible choice for “a serious challenge” to “The Department of Education has made clear that all schools receiving federal the “Don’t Say Gay” measure. funding must follow federal civil rights law, including Title IX’s protections against dis“I do think that there are First Amendment grounds to challenge this on from the crimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Cardona said. “We stand perspective of teachers,” Flugman said. “The state has a pretty strong interest in what’s with our LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the country, and urge Florida leaders taught in schools and what ages. Now, usually that goes through the Department of to make sure all their students are protected and supported.”

Education or something like that as opposed to the legislature doing it this way. But the Stoll said he has “not spoken with anyone at the government” regarding potential fact that you’re basically barring an entire topic of conversations, that on its face seems penalties from the Biden administration for Florida under the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, but like it’s content-based speech regulations, which is usually subject to strict scrutiny unsupports efforts from the standpoint of civil rights laws in the wake of the Bostock rulder First Amendment law.”

1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

Ukrainian LGBTQ activist flees Kyiv

Insight Chair Olena Shevchenko is now in Lviv

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com

The head of an LGBTQ rights group in Ukraine has fled the country’s capital.

Insight Chair Olena Shevchenko on March 10 left her home in Kyiv and evacuated to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine that is close to the country’s border with Poland.

Shevchenko on Tuesday told the Washington Blade that she fled Kyiv because of the “bombings, the absence of working possibilities, medicines and some food as well.” Shevchenko said she continues to work to help LGBTQ Ukrainians who remain trapped in Kyiv and in other cities that Russian forces continue to attack. “[It’s] pretty hard,” Shevchenko told the Blade. “I think I’m almost at my limits.”

Shevchenko wrote an op-ed that the Blade published on Feb. 24, the same day that Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

“Our activists from the LGBTQI+ communities are staying and keep working, providing support to the most marginalized ones,” wrote Shevchenko. “Honestly, I don’t know how long we will be able to resist, but we will do our best for sure.”

Shevchenko in her op-ed acknowledged concerns that Russia may target LGBTQ Ukrainians and other groups if it were to gain control of the country.

Magomed Tushayev, a Chechen warlord who played

a role in the anti-LGBTQ crackdown in his homeland, died on Feb. 26 during a battle with the Ukrainian military’s elite Alpha Group outside of Kyiv. A White House official a day earlier told the Blade that the Biden administration has “engaged directly” with LGBTQ Ukrainians and other vulnerable populations.

Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrewski and Oleksandra Kuvshynova, his Ukrainian colleague, died on Monday outside of Kyiv when their vehicle was attacked.

The same incident left Fox News reporter Benjamin Hall injured.

Brent Renaud, an American journalist and filmmaker, died in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin on Sunday after Russian forces attacked his car and shot him in the head.

The New York Times reported the same attack left Juan Arredondo, a photographer and professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, injured.

Shevchenko on Tuesday told the Blade that Insight has raised $51,000 since the invasion began.

OutRight Action International on its website says the fund it launched to support LGBTQ rights groups in Ukraine has raised more than $525,000.

Pride organizations across Europe have donated $54,862.45 (€50,000) to Ukrainian advocacy organi-

OLENA SHEVCHENKO (Photo via Facebook)

zations. Prague Pride has worked with Alturi, a group that promotes global engagement on LGBTQ issues, to raise more than $12,000 to support groups inside Ukraine and to provide assistance to LGBTQ Ukrainians who reach the Czech Republic.

“While the situation is grim we can offer hope to our LGBTI family in Ukraine,” says Alturi on its website.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy delivered a virtual address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday calling for more support for his country. Meanwhile, there was a glimmer of hope this week as Zelenskyy said Russia’s demands in negotiations were becoming “more realistic.” Negotiators from both countries were scheduled to meet again Wednesday. Visit our website for updates.

NEED LEGAL HELP?

Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) champions the dignity and rights of D.C. elders, by providing free legal services to D.C. seniors most in need.* Find information about our services at aarp.org/LCE or call the LCE Legal Hotline at 202-434-2120. @LCEinDC

@LCEinDC

*Income eligibility applies.

LCE is an affiliate of AARP.

I NT E R NAT I O NA L NE WS • M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 3

KELLY JENKINS-PULTZ

is Region 9 Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, which develops policies and standards and conducts inquiries to safeguard the interests of working women.

Equal pay is achievable Combating persistent gender and racial wage gap

OUR OUTSIDE BIERGARTEN IS OPEN! *S AFETY

PROTOCOLS ARE IN PLACE *

OPEN AT 3PM WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY FOR CARRY-OUT, LIMITED INDOOR & OUTDOOR DINING. *R ESERVATIONS

REQUIRED *

DINNER: WED-SUN 3PM-10PM LUNCH: FRI 12-3P

Equal Pay Day is the date on the calendar each year through which a woman who works full-time, all year-round must work in order to get paid the same amount a man did the previous year. For 2022, Equal Pay Day is today, March 15, 74 days after New Year’s Eve. The Department of Labor and Women’s Bureau have been working to close the wage gap, as well as to address the disparate and lasting impacts the pandemic has had on women and especially women of color.

Looking through the lens of Equal Pay Day helps drive home the fundamental unfairness of the persistent gender and racial wage gap in our country. The gaps are sadly even higher for Black women (64 percent) and Hispanic Women (57 percent) compared to white non-Hispanic men.

To understand how the gender wage gap expresses in our current economy, especially in the wake of COVID-19, the Department of Labor released a new report: “Bearing the Cost: How Overrepresentation in Undervalued Jobs Disadvantaged Women During the Pandemic.” The report examines the varied experiences of working women during the pandemic. Some lost jobs, others left work to care for children or family, and still others did essential work putting their health and safety at-risk. Amid all this – for the first time in a modern recession – women saw worse employment impacts than men. Women lost 11.9 million jobs compared to 10.1 million for men between February and April of 2020.

The report unpacks a concept known as “occupational segregation,” or the division of men and women into different types of jobs. For example, that 93 percent of childcare workers are women, but women are only 2 percent of electricians. The impact of occupational segregation is that the types of jobs where women are concentrated are valued less and pay lower wages than those where men are concentrated.

Occupational segregation has significant consequences. It preserves racial and gender wage gaps while reducing economic growth overall. Segregation by industry and occupation cost Black women an estimated $39.3 billion, and Hispanic women an estimated $46.7 billion in lower wages compared to white men nationally in 2019.

The good news is there are ways we can chip away at these disparities. For example, if you’re a woman in a union, you made up men’s 2021 earnings by Valentine’s Day, a.k.a. Union Women’s Equal Pay Day. That’s why Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh has made supporting worker organizing and collective bargaining a key feature of the department’s Good Jobs Initiative, an effort to harness unprecedented worker power to make inroads toward fairer and more sustainable working conditions for all.

Solutions to close the gender wage gap must involve disruption of occupational segregation and the gendered division of women into the lowest paying job categories.

The Women’s Bureau leads efforts in the region to work with state and local organizations who are providing pre-apprenticeship training, orientation services to help women learn about apprenticeship, and programming to address the workplace culture and need for supportive services that are key to success.

We can also take other actions, including the following: • Supporting women as they enter male-dominated fields.

• Fighting to raise wages and ensure job quality in women-dominated jobs.

• Making high-quality, affordable and accessible childcare.

• Increasing funding for home- and community-based care.

• Supporting paid family and medical leave.

• Strengthening overtime protections.

• Demanding predictable scheduling.

• Ensuring racial and gender equity in all jobs, especially those newly created climate and infrastructure job on projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill.

Most importantly, we can recognize that the status quo – 74 extra days of work before we are compensated equally with men – are not conditions we have to accept, that we must not resign ourselves to unfairness simply because it’s so typical. Instead, we can imagine a post-pandemic recovery that is truly equitable, and where Equal Pay Day is Dec. 31.

1 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • V I E WP O I NT

PRIVATE, WEEKEND WATERFRONT WEDDINGS.

410-886-2452 blackwalnutpointinn.com

FOR THE PRICE OF 6 HOURS, HAVE A DESTINATION WEEKEND, JUST 2 HOURS FROM D.C. M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 5

Proud to Partner with Community Changemakers At Pepco, we have been privileged to serve our communities for more than 125 years. When we say “serve,” we’re not just talking about providing our customers with energy – we are also honored to partner with service organizations that make a positive difference in the lives of our customers every day.

As a company with deep roots in the region, we are committed to investing our energy in the well-being of the people who live here. We have relationships with more than 340 local nonprofits in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, and that number continues to grow each year. Our partners serve different functions for the community, but what unites us is our common goal of making this region, that has so many resources, a place where people of all backgrounds can thrive. It’s what we call the power of community.

Each partner we are privileged to work with is devoted to helping underresourced populations in a different way – some work with schools to provide opportunities for the leaders of tomorrow, some make clean energy options more accessible, some provide grants for budding entrepreneurs, and some provide direct assistance for residents who are struggling to keep the lights on at home.

All of the work that our partners are leading contributes to a healthy region, and we’re grateful to be part of it. We want to play a meaningful role in the process, so we let our partner organizations tell us what they need. It’s about more than just providing funding – we are invested in their success.

We were humbled when CEO of Urban Ingenuity (UI) Bracken Hendricks said, “Pepco is the wires that hold together the regional grid. They are not

only the physical network that powers our community’s needs, but they also provide powerful connections between people.”

UI works together with the National Housing Trust (NHT) to build energy efficient housing in historically under-resourced areas of our region, and we’ve been involved since the very beginning. One of our recent projects with NHT and UI brought more solar capacity to wards east of the Anacostia River than anywhere else in the District. This supports the charge toward achieving more solar and climate change goals in the nation’s capital – including Mayor Bowser’s carbon neutrality goal by 2050.

Another one of our long-term partners, Interfaith Works, helps clients pay outstanding utility bills. Through the Interfaith Works Connections program, residents in Montgomery County are connected to the emergency resources they need for their families, including emergency rent and utility assistance, food, behavioral health, and other offerings.

In partnership with The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, we help teachers and librarians bring energy-related tools and resources into their schools to help advance brighter futures across our service area. Mary Spruill, Executive Director of NEED says, “Getting local students excited about STEM fields energizes us – and we’re delighted to partner with Pepco who shares the same passion for keeping our youth interested in exploring, innovating, and thinking outside of the box.”

We look forward to continuing our relationships with our partners in the District of Columbia and Maryland and expanding our network even further to help us power a cleaner and brighter future for our customers and communities. Learn more at pepco.com/PowerOfCommunity.

OPEN CALL

THE GENDER WITHIN

T H E A R T O F I D E N T I T Y SUBMISSIONS DUE APRIL 15

DUPONTUNDERGROUND.ORG XX • WA S H I N GTO NB LAD E. COM • M AR CH 18, 2 0 2 2 1 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 7

ISAAC AMEND

(he/him/his) is a transgender man and young professional in the D.C. area. He was featured on National Geographic’s ‘Gender Revolution’ in 2017 as a student at Yale University. Isaac is also on the board of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia. Find him on Instagram @isaacamend.

Griner a pawn in Putin’s Ukraine war crimes

Out basketball star’s plight a reminder that travelers must use caution Russian officials detained WNBA star and out lesbian Brittney Griner last month in Moscow, where they allegedly found hashish oil in a cartridge in her bag. Hashish oil is basically a synonym for cannabis oil, which comes from marijuana.

Griner has been out for quite some time, as she publicly came out as a lesbian on Feb. 11, 2013, to SI.com. Griner has played for the Phoenix Mercury since 2013, but has also supplemented her WNBA salary by playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Yekaterinburg, Russia since 2014.

As the Washington Blade has previously reported, Griner plays for a Yekaterinburg team because her WNBA salary is capped at $227,000 per year, which is low compared to the men’s league salaries, which can go as high as $39 million per year.

Griner’s arrest in Russia follows a longtime pattern of foreign countries jailing American entertainers, musicians, and sports players over minor drug related offenses. Moreover, Russia can certainly use Griner’s arrest as leverage in their battle with NATO countries and the United States over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Putin has committed war crimes in Ukraine, with the documented use of cluster munitions and missile shelling of hospitals and civilian areas. Putin will surely want to leverage Griner in an attempt to soften U.S. economic sanctions on Russia. Right now, Putin faces war crime charges at the Hague. The leader of Russia has turned into an international pariah – one that has kept the national stock market closed since Feb. 25 and caused the ruble, the national currency, to now be worth less than one cent.

The United States Embassy in Moscow right now is most likely making an effort to get Griner out of detention, but the embassy is also extremely preoccupied with the Ukraine crisis, in addition to making sure that all non-diplomatic American civilians evacuate Russia immediately.

There are two lessons we need to take away from Griner’s detention in Moscow.

The first is that any American celebrity, musician, or sports player traveling overseas should discard all entitlement and privilege that they receive in America, and instead operate extremely cautiously in foreign airports and border crossings.

In 1980, Paul McCartney was arrested for carrying marijuana into Japan. In 1977, Keith Richards was arrested for bringing heroin into Canada. In 2015, Snoop Dogg was arrested on drug charges in Sweden. These are just three examples in a long list of other celebrity-related drug charges overseas.

Foreign authorities don’t care about the prestige and power of American celebrities. In fact, American celebrities sometimes don’t hold any power at all in foreign countries, and authorities want to especially punish them to make an example out of.

But what’s most concerning about the case of Griner is that she is an out, queer, Black woman in a country that has repressed both Black and queer people for decades. As someone who lived in Russia for three years, gossip from Russian acquaintances saying they would never “date a Black person” was all too common. Not to mention the fact that neo-Nazi parades would keep people of color in shelter on certain days of the year.

Russia also is hateful toward queer people. A 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 86% of Russians said homosexuality “should not be accepted by society.” Same-sex unions in Russia are also illegal. In Chechnya, a territory controlled by Putin, anti-gay purges are all too common, and forced disappearances and kidnappings of gay people, in addition to imprisonment, are common as well.

This is all to say, that queer people traveling anywhere — be you a celebrity or not —should be very careful about bringing drugs in baggage. Next time you travel, do not bring your weed pen or cannabis oil. Don’t bring the marijuana gummies that you bought at a boutique shop. And even make sure that all prescription pills — legal pills — have doctor and pharmacy information attached to the bottle.

1 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • V I E WP O I NT

PETER ROSENSTEIN

is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Will we support all LGBTQ candidates in 2022?

Voters may need to back allies who have a better chance of winning The LGBTQ community, like all minority communities, will have to make some serious choices in 2022. One question we have to ask ourselves is whether we support every LGBTQ Democratic primary candidate. Will we donate money, time, and give endorsements even to those with no chance at all of winning a general election? Or will we make the hard choices, supporting only those with a real chance of winning in the general.

To make those hard decisions we must first recognize and accept our very democracy is on the ballot this year. It is crucial to ensure we do all we can to see Democrats up and down the ballot win. Of course, we will reject any candidate who doesn’t actively support the LGBTQ community. Those who are not members of our community will have to make their positions on our issues clear in their campaign. We will look at their record of support. But if there are candidates who support us and are not LGBTQ but have a much better chance of winning in the general election than a candidate from our own community, it is a decision we will have to make. I have always ascribed to the position Barney Frank (D-Mass.) took, “If we are not at the table we are on the menu.” This year we just might have to trust some other Democrats to keep us off the menu in certain circumstances.

There are national groups like the Victory Fund and others whose mission is to support LGBTQ candidates. I expect and want them to continue to do so. They provide visibility to members of our community. But those groups don’t necessarily dictate to each of us what we must do and they don’t dictate to the LGBTQ community in a particular district or state what they should do. Recently, as we saw reported in the Blade, a number of LGBTQ activists in Pennsylvania endorsed a straight candidate over a gay candidate for lieutenant governor. “The LGBTQ leaders … said they were backing State Rep. Austin Davis in the lieutenant governor’s race on grounds that he is a strong and committed supporter of LGBTQ rights and has the best chance of winning in the general election in November.

The move is a stunning rebuke to (Brian) Sims, who has previously been endorsed by national LGBTQ groups.” I imagine this was not done without much thought as to how the community, both locally and nationally, would perceive it. It is a decision that might have to be made a number of times across the nation this year.

It is exciting to see so many LGBTQ individuals step up to the plate, throw their hat in the ring, and run for office. The reality is many of them have no chance of winning this time around but still have a good future. So when money is scarce, will we donate to candidates who can’t win, or give it to those who have a real shot now? Will we look closely at each race and make the choice on whom to support on an individual basis in 2022, deciding not only based on a candidate’s gender identity or sexual orientation, but on whether they can win a general election.

This is the same decision individuals in every community will have to make when members of their community are in a primary. In 2020, there were Democratic primary candidates with close to zero chance of winning a general election who raised millions of dollars.

In 2022, we must recognize most of the general electorate are moderate, even moderate leaning right. That is not to say there aren’t some very progressive districts and localities, but we must accept the Democratic primary voter is often not representative of the general electorate voter. Just look at Buffalo, N.Y., where the Democratic Socialist for Mayor won the primary and then got trounced in the general election by a moderate Democrat who was a write-in candidate.

This will be a very difficult decision for many. It will be for me if I choose to support a candidate against one who is a member of my own community. But facing the reality of where our country is today, how important it will be to see as many Democrats as possible win in the general election, it’s a decision I will make.

BROCK THOMPSON

is a D.C.-based writer.

He contributes regularly to the Blade.

‘Don’t Say Gay’ is dangerous and just downright mean

I’m really starting to loathe Republicans I’m really starting to loathe Republicans. Like really loathe them. And frankly, I would be more worried about third graders learning about Florida at this point than learning about anything remotely gay. More on that in a second.

But for now, know that I used to live in London. I studied there. While in school, I volunteered at Stonewall, the sort of English equivalent to our Human Rights Campaign.

Their crusade at the time was wiping off the books an old Thatcher-era holdover known as Section 28, a law banning the talking of all things gay in U.K. public schools. “Say no to hate, nail Section 28” was our rallying cry.

That was 20 years ago. And even then, when civil unions stood in for gay marriage, people were surprised it was still on the books. And why bother with it then, some would suggest. It was such a holdover relic of a politically spiteful time. Few knew it was on the books, nobody actually enforced it, much less monitored any classroom for any gay talk. But still, being on the books at all meant the state had codified anti-LGBTQ hate into law.

Again, that was a while ago. But here we go again. This time in Florida. The “Don’t Say Gay Bill” has made its way through the rightwing nut house of a state legislature and now heads to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis, who seems like Trump’s understudy, and the man I most fear walking on the presidential election stage.

But again with loathing of Republicans. These sorts of bills — I mean what is the Republican platform these days?

Spite? That really seems to be driving most of the party at present. They do little to convince me otherwise. That is, they don’t even try to mask it. Abortion bans, attacks on immigrants, trans kids. It’s the party that loves to hate.

But who will this really hurt? Clearly the kids. Back when I was a little gay kid in Arkansas, a long while ago, I didn’t have anything really to guide me through what the hell was happening and how to make your way through it. No books, very little on television. No role models in the parents of other kids. No role models in teachers, gay or otherwise. Gosh, what that last one would have meant to me and so many others. Beyond whatever support networks and safe spaces have been forged in schools since my time, this bill seeks to squash those. And make no mistake, this bill will result in an uptick in teen suicides.

There is no doubt about that.

And what about teachers? I find it so remarkable that teachers can go from heroes to zeros in the country in less than a semester. Loved for the whole dedication despite the crap pay thing one day, hated for the whole indoctrination of not wanting to see queer kids cry thing the next. Stifling their voices will only drive good teachers out of the business.

I’m sure DeSantis will sign this piece of shit bill. He’s already made his hostility to both kids and teachers clear numerous times. And, sadly, copycat bills will start popping in mean little red states all over the country. So how do you combat such crazy hate? Well, there’s not a lot the bill might not do for us. Meaning, Section 28 in its immediate effect shuttered many a school club and organization. But it became a rallying point for years to come and helped solidify movements and organizations. It was finally tossed out in 2003. And many of the Thatcherites who initially supported it called it at that time at best outdated and at worst a serious mistake.

I don’t think Ron DeSantis will ever be that honest or even that introspective. That seems like a distinct impossibility. But watching kids, actors, organizations now say gay, gay, gay at the top of their voices makes me feel as if this law will backfire eventually. And like Thatcher’s law, become old, dusty, seen as an embarrassing mistake and eventually thrown out.

Family Building through: • Adoption • Donor Agreements • Surrogacy

SERVING THE LGBT COMMUNITY FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS. NOW IN DC, MD & VA!

827 Woodside Parkway • Silver Spring, MD 20910 p: 240.863.2441 • f: 240.491.9551 jfairfax@jenniferfairfax.com • www.jenniferfairfax

V I E WP O I NT • M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 9

‘The End’ is the beginning: an interview with Wayne Hoffman Gay author’s new book features a family mystery and coping with Alzheimer’s

By GREGG SHAPIRO

Writer Wayne Hoffman’s name will be familiar to readers of gay fiction, including those who enjoy an erotic edge to what they’re reading. His novels include “Hard,” “Sweet Like Sugar,” and “An Older Man.” Hoffman’s journalism career has also earned him a following via publications such as The Nation, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Billboard, and The Forward, as Tablet Magazine, where he is presently editor. For his new book, the non-fiction work “The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimer’s to Solve a Murder” (Heliotrope Books, 2022), he called on his skills as a journalist and storyteller, to unravel a family mystery, all the while coming to terms with his mother Susan’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and subsequent decline. The result is a kind of PBS’ “Finding Your Roots” crossed with Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. Hoffman was kind enough to answer a few questions about his book in a recent interview.

BLADE: Wayne, you’re known as both a journalist and a novelist. When thinking about writing your new book, ‘The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimer’s to Solve a Murder,’ did you always know that you would tell the story in a non-fiction format, or had you considered writing it as a novel?

WAYNE HOFFMAN: I knew it’d be non-fiction because my goal was to find out the facts about what really happened to my great-grandmother—was she really murdered, and if so, by whom? I could have made up a story and turned it into a novel. But that’s what other relatives had basically already done, with the outlandish legends about her that they’d passed down as family lore. I wanted to focus instead on uncovering the truth, as much as possible.

Author WAYNE HOFFMAN’s new book is ‘The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimer’s to Solve a Murder.’

BLADE: After having written three novels, what impact did creating a work of nonfiction have on you as a journalist?

HOFFMAN: I’m used to daily and weekly journalism— reporting quickly, writing quickly, publishing quickly, and moving on quickly. And I’m used to writing novels—having years to write and revise. This was a new combination: I was reporting, but without any solid deadline. I could go back and rethink things, look for new sources, change conclusions, rewrite a thousand times. That’s a luxury journalists rarely get. If I hadn’t had that time—if I’d had to publish what I’d found after the first few weeks or months—I wouldn’t have understood what really happened.

BLADE: How much did your time as an editor at the Forward and Tablet come in handy in your research?

HOFFMAN: Being a newspaper and magazine editor allowed me to imagine what I’d say if a writer turned in what I’d written, and see what pieces were still missing. But working specifically in the Jewish press—the Forward and now Tablet—for the past 20 years also gave me a broader understanding of the larger context around my great-grandmother’s murder: the waves of Yiddish-speaking immigrants coming to North America from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s, how they did and didn’t assimilate, how they tried to build not just families but larger communities, how they found new ways to make a living.

BLADE: I’m glad you mentioned immigration because ‘The End of Her’ is many things including an immigrant story, both American and Canadian, with an emphasis on Jews in Manitoba, a subject that may be new to many readers. What was it like exploring that, both on a personal and professional level?

HOFFMAN: It was fascinating because so much of the story was both unknown to me and unexpected. I knew there were plenty of Jews who immigrated to Manitoba—Winnipeg in particular, which is where my family settled, and where my great-grandmother was murdered. But I couldn’t have imagined what their lives were like. My great-grandfather was basically a cowboy, riding horses and buying cattle on the prairies of Saskatch2 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

ewan; his brothers were almost certainly bootleggers.

Who knew? When I went to the tiny town of Canora, Saskatchewan, to dig into that slice of my family’s history, I had never imagined I’d end up there. But then I thought, I bet my great-grandfather, who grew up in Russia, thought the same thing when he arrived a hundred years ago!

BLADE: Religion and religious traditions also figure prominently. What makes it unique is that they are written about from a gay perspective. In what ways do you think religion has made you the person you are today?

HOFFMAN: I grew up in a traditional Jewish home—I kept kosher, went to synagogue every week, went to Jewish summer camps, attended Hebrew school, took classes at the Jewish Community Center. So, it certainly had a huge influence on who I am today. Coming out as a teenager—as gay and atheist—complicated all of that. Some things fell by the wayside: I don’t keep kosher or go to synagogue anymore. My brother is a rabbi, and he goes to synagogue enough for both of us [laughs]. But I’m still strongly culturally identified, and working in the Jewish press, I spend every day steeped in Jewish culture and the Jewish community—all of it as a very public, very open gay man. Yeesh! Look at my novels—there’s no way to pretend I’m not super-gay [laughs].

BLADE: As you said earlier, ‘The End of Her’ is about family lore and learning as much as possible about it while your mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, can both provide details, and benefit from the solving of your great grandmother Sarah’s murder. Do you think with this book you may inspire others to clarify longstanding family myths?

HOFFMAN: I hope so. We have so many tools now to help us understand our personal histories in terms of genetics and DNA. Those are things you can discover from a drop of blood, or a swab. But what about the parts of our history that aren’t stored in our blood or our genes, but in our memories? You can find out a lot from documents— whether they’re official documents like birth certificates or personal documents like letters. But some things you can only find out from relatives and friends who remember things. The more of those people you can contact—before it’s too late—the richer picture you can create of your family’s history, and your own. That might clear up mysteries and scandals, or it might reveal mysteries and scandals you didn’t know existed, which might even be more interesting.

BLADE: In writing about your own, and your immediate family’s, experiences in dealing with your mother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, you share heartbreaking and devastating details. For example, the frustration with physicians unable to comprehend the intricacies of treating an Alzheimer’s patient as in chapter 29. Was it your intention for the book to be a tool for others going through a version of something similar?

HOFFMAN: Definitely. There are a lot of resources for people trying to understand what someone with Alzheimer’s is going through—or will go through. But there aren’t enough stories for those same people trying to understand how the disease will affect them, too, as family members or friends, or caregivers. We have our own journey, and I hope that people who read what I went through, and how my family dealt with things— the parts we got right and wrong, and the choices we made—will understand a bit more about what they’re really facing.

BLADE: Have you started thinking about or working on your next book project?

HOFFMAN: I have a few projects sketched out, and even begun. At some point, I’ll sit down and spread them out on my desk, and one of them will (I hope) call out to me, “Me, me! I’m next [laughs]!”

Outdoor Living Outdoor Containers Furniture Fountains & Statuary

americanplant.store Garden Center | Lifestyle Boutique | Landscape Services

FEATURING

Camille A. Brown & Dancers Saturday, Apr. 2 at 8 p.m.

Award-winning contemporary dance

Mason Artist-in-Residence

SW!NG OUT

Saturday, Mar. 19 at 8 p.m.

Watch the pros and then swing dance onstage after the show!

Edgar Meyer & the Scottish Ensemble

Your seats are waiting.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Virginia Opera:

The Marriage of Figaro Saturday, Apr. 9 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, Apr. 10 at 2 p.m.

Mozart’s beloved comic opera!

Sunday, Mar. 27 at 4 p.m.

A bass virtuoso performs Bach and more

Tickets for Kristin Chenoweth and more on sale now!

TICKETS | cfa.gmu.edu or 703-993-2787 Located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. For information on health and safety protocols, visit cfa.gmu.edu/vaccination.

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 1

CALENDAR |

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Friday, March 18

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).

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Speed Friending” at 7 p.m. at Moxy. This is a social event where attendees are paired-up with strangers for multiple rounds of platonic conversations. There will be approximately 10 structured rounds (five minutes each) where participants will be randomly paired up with each other.

For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Saturday, March 19 The DC Center for the LGBT Community will host “Big Fat Gay Yard Sale” at 10 a.m. on the sidewalk in front of The DC Center at 2000 14th St., N.W. Guests are encouraged to come check out the center’s racks of shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, suits, sneakers, shoes and all other kinds of apparel. There is also a suggested donation $1 per piece of clothing. For more information visit the DC Center’s website.

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. Email supportdesk@thedccenter.org to receive the Zoom information.

Sunday, March 20 “The 2022 Return: Litty in the City” Brunch and Day Party will be at 12 p.m. at Lost City. The day party offers bottle service on both floors, & hookah available on the rooftop. There is also a dress code: Guests are encouraged to dress to impress. No muscle tees, white tank tops, ripped garments or casual flip-flops are allowed. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

“MIC CHECK with Gray West: Stand-Up Comedy & Drag Show” will be at 7 p.m. at DC Comedy Loft and Bier Baron Tavern. This event features 60 minutes of nonstop comedy and drag from the best LGBTQ+ comics and drag queens in DC. Tickets cost $15 and are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, March 21 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 issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center Aging’s Facebook or Twitter.

Tuesday, March 22 Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group on Zoom for people who identify outside of the gender binary. Whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just not 100% cisgender.

For more information, visit Genderqueer DC’s website or Facebook page.

Wednesday, March 23 Asexual and Aromantic Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Job Club 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 unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants.”

Thursday, March 24 The DC Center’s Food Pantry Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community.

To be more fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm 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.

DC Anti-Violence Project Open Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Anyone who is interested in learning more and getting involved in lessening violence both within and directed towards the LGBT communities is encouraged to attend. For more information email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

2 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

BRENT MINOR and Team DC host Night of Champions Awards Dinner on April 9. (Washington Blade photo by Mickeal Key)

OUT & ABOUT Team DC to honor scholarship recipients Team DC will host the 2022 Night of Champions Awards Dinner on Saturday, April 9 at 6 p.m. at Hilton National Mall Hotel.

The event will honor the 2022 Team DC College Scholarship Award recipients and the 2022 MVP, Trailblazer, Community Service, and Clark Ray Horizon Awards.

Cocktails and a silent auction will begin at 6 p.m. and dinner and the awards program will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $125 each. For tables of 10 and sponsorship, contact Brent Minor at brent@teamdc.org.

For more information about the event and award winners, visit Team DC’s website.

D.C.-based composer to present world premiere Gay D.C.-based composer Daniel Pesca will premiere a composed piece on Saturday, March 19 at 4 p.m. as part of the RISE series hosted

by Constellations Chamber Concerts at 910 Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The work, titled “Walk with me, my joy” is a new work for flute, cello, mallet percussion, and piano. Following the performance, audience members are invited to stay for an intimate question-and-answer session with the composer and performers.

For more information, visit Constellations Chamber Concerts’ website.

Adventure Theatre MTC to celebrate 70th anniversary Adventure Theatre will host a spring gala fundraiser to celebrate 70 years on Thursday, March 31 at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda.

In addition to celebrating its anniversary, the Gala will honor the unsung heroes in healthcare who helped the community through the pandemic.

The event will feature Broadway star Lawrence Street, an original cast member of “Urinetown” who is currently part of the first national tour of “Mean Girls.” Street will accompany students from the ATMTC pre-professional program in an unforgettable performance.

For more information about tickets and sponsorships, visit Adventure Theatre’s website.

CLORIS LEACHMAN and THOMAS DUPLESSIE in ‘Jump, Darling.’

(Photo courtesy Breaking Glass Pictures)

In final leading role, Cloris Leachman steals one last movie

‘Jump, Darling’ a worthy swan song for a legendary talent

By JOHN PAUL KING

It’s no wonder the late Cloris Leachman was beloved by so many fans in the LGBTQ community.

The Oscar- and multiple Emmy-winning actress, who passed away at 94 in January of 2021, left a legacy of iconic film and television performances. She was perhaps most adored as Phyllis Lindstrom on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and her own subsequent spin-off series, “Phyllis” – but who can forget her work with Mel Brooks in his comedy film classics of the 1970s, when characters like Frau Blucher (“Young Frankenstein”) and Nurse Diesel (“High Anxiety”) stole the show whenever they appeared on the screen?

These contributions to our popular culture – only the most famous examples from a prolific performance career that spanned seven decades – are more than enough to cement a permanent place for her in anyone’s heart; but she was also an LGBTQ advocate and ally, a frequent participant in GLAAD’s Media Awards and a vocal supporter of LGBTQ equality, and it’s this lesser-known real-life role that lends her a special significance in the memory of her many queer fans, a personal connection that endears her to us all the more.

With this in mind, it seems fitting that the final major film role she completed before her death should be in “Jump, Darling,” a Canadian dramedy in which she portrays an elderly woman bonding with her gay grandson, and which opens for a limited theatrical run in the U.S. March 18 before dropping for home viewing via DVD and VOD March 29.

Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Phil Connell, who drew inspiration from the relationship he developed with his own grandmother near the end of her life, it centers on Russell (Thomas Duplessie), a struggling young actor in Toronto who is also an aspiring drag queen. After an attack of stage fright derails his would-be first performance at a popular gay nightclub, he abruptly breaks up with his longtime boyfriend (Andrew Bushell) and heads out to the wine country of Prince Edward County for a surprise visit to the home of his grandmother Margaret (Leachman). A formidable woman in her day, she’s now in declining health, but still clinging as stubbornly as she can both to her sharp wits and her independence; though Russell’s visit is motivated more by selfish intentions than familial love, his presence in her home allows her to stave off – at least for the moment – pressure from her well-meaning daughter (and Russell’s mother) Ene (Linda Kash), who wants her to move into a retirement home, and she convinces him to stay for a while.

The arrangement turns out to be mutually beneficial, and not just because grandma is willing to sweeten the pot with a little financial relief. Russell starts hanging out at a local queer-friendly college bar, and soon finds himself drawn back into his drag ambitions – and to a not-so-straight busboy named Zachary (Kwaku Adu-Poku). Meanwhile, Margaret gets to retain her freedom as she fights to keep control of her faltering mind and come to terms with her own mortality, haunted by memories of her husband’s long-ago suicide. Through the time they spend together, the bond between them grows, and as he becomes increasingly invested in helping his grandmother face the end of her life with dignity, Russell begins to find a sense of clarity and purpose that just might be enough to help him finally start down the right path of his own.

Connell, in the film’s production notes, says “Jump, Darling” was conceived as an homage to the classic “family drama” movies that he loved growing up, but seen through the lens of queer experience and queer culture. There wasn’t much of a budget, but he was convinced that, if his movie was going to work, he needed to have a star as Margaret. “Family dramas tend to be independent fare,” he observes. “What elevates them into the mainstream (or gives them the chance at it) is a powerful matriarchal performance, from someone you know, recognize, and cherish. Or maybe that’s just me.”

Luckily, after numerous unsuccessful bids to attract the interest of bigname Hollywood actresses of a certain age, the-indie-friendly Leachman eagerly came on board, and Connell’s determination proved to have been well justified. Just as the filmmaker predicted, her presence both lifts his movie and gives it weight, and her performance – as fearless, authentic, vulnerable, and layered as any she ever gave – provides the deep emotional core the story needs. It’s a star turn, make no mistake, and a worthy swan song for a legendary talent – and that’s a good thing, because without it, “Jump, Darling” would be a much more ordinary film.

That’s not a bad thing, necessarily. Connell has a strong narrative sense and a knack for conveying his characters’ inner struggles without spelling them out for us, both of which keep us interested in the movie’s main storyline – Russell’s need to overcome self-doubt and fully embrace his queerness both in his career and in his life – despite its familiarity. His explorations of drag onscreen are infused with respect and knowledge of the drag milieu, and though he doesn’t try to sanitize the drag or tone it down, he never falls prey to the temptation to take things too far over the top, either – this is not “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” after all. His instinct toward restraint serves him well, and so does his leading man; newcomer Duplessie is an engaging, charismatic, and talented performer, both in and out of drag, and his Russell would be well capable of carrying the film even without such a legendary co-star.

Russell’s story is only half the picture, though; without the grounding force of his relationship with Margaret – and all the deeper, life-affirming, nurturing forces it represents – there would be little impetus for him to change or to grow, and perhaps even less for audiences to care. Without her, his passion for drag would likely feel to us like an untethered impulse, a reflexive and attention-seeking attempt to express something only half-understood.

Through the filter of their interactions, we are allowed to discover who he is and what he’s trying to do even as he makes those discoveries for himself, and it makes all the difference. That doesn’t mean a less famous actress would not have been able to give an equally towering performance in the role – but the hard truth of the movie business is that far fewer people would have cared, and “Jump, Darling” would almost surely have been overlooked by all but the most dedicated followers of the queer indie film festival circuit.

But if speculating about how a film might have been better if it were different is a pointless exercise, then so is speculating about how it might have been worse. With Leachman’s final starring performance as a centerpiece, this one is just fine as it is, and it’s well-worth seeking out for all her queer fans, if only to enjoy it as her parting gift to us all.

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 3

Bruni bio addresses stroke, vision loss, relationship woes

‘Beauty of Dusk’ from gay NYT writer a compelling read

By KATHI WOLFE

One night, Bruni had a stroke.

One day I was walking, white As a result of the stroke (and the cane in hand, with a friend to drop of blood pressure from it), get coffee in Dupont Circle in he became blind in his right D.C. “How do you handle being eye. Doctors told him there blind,” he asked me. was a 40 percent chance that “Practice! Practice! Practice!” he would lose the vision in his I said, riffing on the old joke left eye. Thankfully, this hasn’t about how you get to Carnegie happened.

Hall.

This experience for Bruni, “Old age ain’t no place for pun intended, was an eye sissies,” the inimitable Bette opener.

Davis said.

A self-confident Boomer The same can be said of who believed there was a fix blindness. Though, as is the for everything, he suddenly case with elders, many of us realized that not everything who are blind live fulfilling lives. could be managed.

Like our sighted peers, we likely “I went to bed believing that won’t get to Carnegie Hall. But I was more or less in control we’ll laugh and love as well as of my life,” Bruni writes, “that mourn and cry. the unfinished business, Frank Bruni, author of the unrealized dreams and insightful new memoir “The other disappointments were Beauty of Dusk: Vision Lost essentially failures of industry and Found,” probably won’t

By Frank Bruni and imagination and could perform at Carnegie Hall. But c.2022, Avid Reader Press probably be redeemed with a he is a show-stopper of a writer! fierce enough effort.”

Bruni’s still lighting up the $28 | 304 pages “I woke up,” he writes, “to the writing stage. Though in 2017 realization of how ludicrous that at age 52, he lost as, he writes in was.” the memoir, a “big chunk” of the vision in his right Though Bruni couldn’t repair his vision loss, eye. he still had his journalistic chops. His friend Nora If you’re sighted, this may amaze you – just as Ephron’s dictum “everything is copy” was his young people are often astonished that anyone mantra. over 50 still dances, let alone, has sex.

To learn about what it’s like to be blind or to have In “The Beauty of Dusk,” Bruni illuminates what another disability, Bruni interviews several people. many blind people know. Blindness comes with Those he profiles include a blind judge, a college hardships. But being blind needn’t keep you from friend with Parkinson’s and a blind lieutenant your passions. governor who decides to become a priest.

Bruni, who’s gay, has been a prominent journalist As is frequently the case with life, we aren’t faced for more than three decades. with just one painful event at a time.

He’s been a movie critic for the Detroit Free After his stroke, Bruni discovers that his longPress. In his 25 years with The New York Times, time romantic partner Tom has been unfaithful. he’s worked as the Times Rome bureau chief and During the pandemic, he cares for his father who the paper’s chief restaurant critic. He’s covered has dementia. the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, U.S. The memoir is poignant, witty and engrossing presidents and celebs. For fans of “The Golden when Bruni writes of his personal journey. About Girls,” his 2011 interview of Betty White is a mustwhat it was like for him to discover how to move read. forward after his loss.

Along the way, Bruni’s written several books on You root for him as he deals with doctors who everything from college admissions to meatloaf show little concern for his emotional well-being recipes. If Julia Child and Edward R. Murrow had a and fall in love with his dog Regan. love child, it would be Bruni.

The volume is not as strong when Bruni writes Looking in from the outside, you might think that about disability or other disabled people. Perhaps Bruni lives a charmed life. this is due to Bruni being more privileged than In many ways, your perception would be spot on. many disabled people. Maybe it’s because he has His position at the Times has enabled him to live only recently experienced vision loss. a privileged life, though it’s well deserved. Bruni is But there is nothing in the memoir about deaf or highly talented and works like a demon. Currently, disability culture and little about the discrimination along with being a contributing opinion writer for and prejudice that disabled people encounter. This the Times, Bruni teaches classes in media at Duke is disappointing from an author who’s written so University’s school of public policy. often about LGBTQ rights.

Yet as “The Beauty of Dusk” vividly shows, what Despite these caveats, “The Beauty of Dusk” we believe life is like for people, no matter how is one of the best memoirs I’ve read in ages. It’s a exciting their lives seem to be, is often wrong. beautiful read.

Privilege isn’t an antidote against loss.

‘The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found’

2 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

‘Ready When You Are’ conjures memories of first love YA novel speaks to older readers craving nostalgia

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Loud thunder. Spiders and snakes. The number 13, clowns, cemeteries, and heights. There are a lot of things that you can fear, just as there are a lot of ways you can overcome phobias, if you want. Vanquish those shivers by taking classes, being brave or, as in the new novel, “Ready When You Are” by Gary Lonesborough, you can let someone gently help you.

If he had to admit it, 17-year-old Jackson Barley had a love-hate relationship with Christmas.

He loved its traditions, and because it was something out of the ordinary. When hanging out with your mates on the Mish is all you normally do, it’s nice to have the holidays to break up the sameold. But over Christmas break,

By Gary Lonesborough his Aunty Pam always brought his c.2022, Scholastic PUSH cousins around and the house $18.99 | 245 pages was full of little kids. Jackson loved his younger brother and his cousins, but man, could they make a racket.

This year, another thing was unusual: Aunty Pam arrived Christmas Eve with a teenager she was caring for, a boy named Tomas who’d just gotten out of juvie. Of course, Jackson’s mother said that Tomas could bunk in Jackson’s room and that wasn’t cool, not at first. Jackson’s mind was elsewhere: his girlfriend broke up with him for reasons he couldn’t discuss.

For most of his life, he had known that he was “different.” He tried to be like other boys, but it just didn’t work that way and he was afraid to even think about his feelings. And now there was this outlaw kid, another Aboriginal boy like him lying on a mattress in Jackson’s bedroom and oh, Tomas was beautiful.

But Jackson wasn’t gay, or at least he wasn’t ready to be. He wanted a summer with his mates, and girls, but he wanted Tomas to kiss him, too. How could he be true to himself? And what would people think?

There are three main characters inside “Ready When You Are”: Jackson, Tomas, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol, and teenagers who are often excessively drunk, which almost totally mars the sweetness of this novel. Put aside endless Outback parties and repetitious beach forays, though, and you might be charmed by this familiar-not-familiar boy-meets-boy tale.

In placing his novel in an Aboriginal community, author Gary Lonesborough gives U.S. readers a unique setting and immersion in a culture where life feels more relaxed than perhaps they’re accustomed – but yet, coming-out struggles for gay teens still exist.

This leads to a story that, scene-for-scene, is predictable and common in YA romance novels –an aspect the genre’s most fervent readers passionately rely on. They’ll also love Jackson, a boy in a man’s skin who acts responsibly and genuinely, but who’s not yet too self-assured about it. Life through his eyes is the best part of this book.

Though you’ll likely find this novel in the Young Adult section, it’s absolutely appropriate for grown-ups with fond memories of first love. “Ready When You Are” has its lows, but it might also make your heart go boom.

‘Ready When You Are’

On Saturday March 19TH from 10AM-3PM, we are throwing open the doors to our community clothing closet! Come check out our racks of shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, suits, sneakers, shoes...all kinds of apparel...you name it we got it.

Suggested donation $1.00 per piece of clothing or give what you can...take what you need!

Location: Sidewalk in front of The DC Center at 2000 14th street NW. Date: Saturday March 19TH from 10AM-3PM

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 5

Gay Men’s Chorus performs ‘Brand New Day’ Concert celebrates chosen families (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performed its “Brand New Day” concert at Lincoln Theater on March 12 as a celebration of chosen families. The show included songs from popular musicals as well as pieces performed in English, Spanish, Korean and Lakota.

2 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

Finding the perfect family-friendly neighborhood Research schools, crime rates, and more before choosing

Anytime a decision is made to move, there are plenty of factors that often go into choosing the ideal home and neighborhood. This can be even more true if you have a family - and specifically if you are an LGBTQ family. While we are fortunate to live in a society that is increasingly open, accepting, and increasingly providing the legal protections that all people need and deserve, LGBTQ families often do have an extra layer of considerations when choosing a community where they know they will be celebrated and supported for who they are.

For all families and particularly LGBTQ families looking for a family-friendly neighborhood, here are a few factors to consider:

By JEFF HAMMERBERG

CHECK OUT THE SCHOOLS

CONSIDER PROXIMITY TO YOUR PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT If you have a family and you work outside of the home, considering how close the neighborhood that you’re interested in is to your place of employment might be important to you. This means not only investigating how far away the neighborhood is mileage-wise, but also what the commute is once traffic and any other potential delays are factored in. Many parents want to be able to spend quality time with their children after a long day of work, and it can be frustrating when much of that time in the evenings has been eaten away by a long commute. Taking this factor into account ahead of time can certainly be beneficial.

CONSIDERATIONS SPECIFICALLY FOR If your family has school-aged children, schools are LGBTQ FAMILIES Visit prospective neighborhoods and keep an eye out for certainly one thing you’ll want to investigate when Often, LGBTQ families searching for the perfect home playgrounds if you’re looking for a family-friendly place to live. choosing a neighborhood that you’ll love. Often, real and neighborhood understandably have concerns estate listings will include information about the public about whether the area has anti-discrimination laws schools including their Great Schools rating, locations, and distance from the property and protections, and on a more general note, simply how accepting and supportive that you’re interested in. You can also do further research to find websites that include a neighborhood’s culture is. After all, feeling supported and finding other families parent reviews and other helpful information. If you’re interested in private school, it can who understand you and share your interests is important. Some cities have specific also be helpful to investigate what is available in the area ahead of time. After you’ve neighborhoods where large portions of the LGBTQ community tend to live, often narrowed down your search, arranging in-person visits to the schools may be helpful as known informally as “gayborhoods,” and if you are interested in those areas, a gay/gay well. friendly Realtor who knows and loves the community can certainly help you to find them.

MAKE A VISIT Beyond those specific neighborhoods, however, it will be important to ask your Realtor Depending upon how far away you intend to move from your current location, making what the legal protections are in your area, and what the general vibe and culture of a a trip out to the area with your entire family could be expensive – but if it’s possible to neighborhood is before deciding if it’s a good fit for you. A Realtor who knows and loves do so, it is usually always helpful. Take a walk around some of the neighborhoods that the community will be able to help guide you in the right direction. you’re interested in. Check out the playgrounds. Make note of whether the houses seem Finding the right neighborhood for your family will be a unique experience for to have play sets in the yards or bicycles in the driveways if it is important to you to move everyone. Each family is different, as is each neighborhood, and finding the one that’s to a neighborhood where other children live. Don’t be afraid to ask neighbors how they the perfect fit can be an exciting journey. At www.GayRealEstate.com, we’re here to walk like the area if you’re walking around. Getting first-hand reviews and experiences of a with you on that path. An essential part of doing so is helping you to find an LGBTQ/ place can always be helpful in your decision-making process. Even if you can’t take your LGBTQ-friendly real estate agent who knows and loves the community that you’re whole family out for a visit, consider taking a virtual walk. There are many helpful tools in interested in, and who can help guide you to neighborhoods and homes that you will today’s tech-savvy world, like Google Earth and others that allow you to virtually tour an truly love. Visit us at our website anytime and connect with a top rated LGBTQ Realtor area, and those can be very helpful as well. and get started. We look forward to helping you soon.

LOOK INTO CRIME STATISTICS

Most families want to choose a neighborhood where their children can feel safe and secure and where they can grow and thrive. Often, there are publications listing cities that are especially safe and welcoming to families, and often you can find other statistics regarding crime in certain areas that may be helpful in making a decision. Investigating this matter thoroughly is usually well worth the time and effort.

JEFF HAMMERBERG

is founding CEO of Hammerberg & Associates, Inc. Reach him at 303-378-5526 or jeffhammerberg@gmail.com.

B US I NE S S • M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 7

Chi-chi crossover SUVs

Say goodbye to barebones econoboxes LINCOLN CORSAIR

By JOE PHILLIPS

$37,000 Mpg: 22 city/29 highway 0 to 60 mph: 6.1 seconds

Back in the day, Oldsmobile tried to rebrand itself LINCOLN CORSAIR with corny commercials featuring celebrity icons. Trouble was, not even William Shatner, Ringo Starr or even the automaker’s catchy tagline—“Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile”—could overcome the lackluster vehicle lineup. But not so with Lincoln. Hunky Matthew McConaughey has boosted sales of the luxury brand for eight years now. His quirky rhapsodizing of all things Lincoln is bolstered by increasingly stylish and innovative people pleasers.

This includes the Corsair, a compact SUV introduced just two years ago. As if tempting fate, this is the same name as the full-sized sedan and coupe produced back in 1958 by Ford’s ill-fated Edsel division. But today, with chiseled features and space-age gizmos, this new Corsair is likely to be around for generations. Lincoln SUVs tend to emulate Lexus in styling and creature comforts. The Corsair looks sportier—think Audi Q5 or BMW X3— though without the grippy handling and tight cornering. But that’s OK, because the result is a smooth and pampered ride—a big plus on long-distance trips.

Three trim levels, including a top-of-the line Grand Touring plug-in hybrid. I test drove the mid-level Reserve, with all-wheel drive and oodles of standard features: panoramic sunroof, hands-free liftgate, LED fog lamps, auto-fold side mirrors, 14-speaker Revel stereo and more. Tons of options, and those 24-way, perfect-posture seats are particularly fine. To avoid feeling dazed and confused with so many drivers emerging from the pandemic, there’s also a head-up display and a Co-Pilot360 Plus package with surround-view camera and automated parking. Impressive crash-test scores are a bonus, as is the long powertrain warranty (six years or 70,000 miles). As for value, the Corsair is built on the same platform as the popular Ford Escape, which is priced just slightly less. Yet this Lincoln exudes all the flair and luxury of high-end vehicles costing so much more.

2 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2 • AUTO S

MERCEDES AMG GLB35 $51,000 Mpg: 21city/26 highway 0 to 60 mph: 4.9 seconds

Like Jon Hamm, the voice of Mercedes for over a decade, the renowned German automaker is well endowed with notable attributes. But while the actor’s calming voice is in sync with the rich aura of a genteel Benz, that’s not the case with the hellfire AMG GLB35 compact crossover. This sporty rabble-rouser—with plucky styling, screaming exhaust note and a fierce 302-horsepower turbo engine—is more in tune with, say, the grit and gumption of Megan Rapinoe.

Sure, the basic GLB is just fine, but this AMG high-performance model boasts brushed stainless-steel pedals, silver chrome paddle-shifters and a flat-bottom steering wheel.

What’s more, the crisp steering, lithe handling and taut braking tugged at my boy-racer heartstrings each time I slipped behind the wheel.

A tall cabin allows for plenty of headroom, and there’s a decent amount of cargo space for such a small vehicle. But while a third seat can be ordered, I’m not sure anyone would want to perform the contortions necessary to sit there. Along with the sassy attitude, the GLB35 is still plenty classy. LED headlights and taillights come standard, as do rain-sensing wipers, dual-zone automatic climate control and ambient lighting that can be customized with choice of 64 colors. There are two large, 10.25-inch digital displays: one for the instrument cluster and the other a touchscreen for the infotainment system. And some $10,000 in options include panoramic sunroof, 12-speaker Burmester stereo, logo puddle lamps, real-wood trim and other goodies. Overall, the GLB35 is a rebel with a cause: part tuner car, part pocket rocket and, above all, nonstop excitement.

MERCEDES AMG GLB35

MASSAGE

COUNSELING

LIMOUSINES

People Individual/couple counseling with a volunteer peer counselor. GMCC, serving our community since 1973. 202-580-8661. gaymenscounseling.org.

No fees, donation requested.

KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE

COUNSELING FOR LGBTQ

LEGAL SERVICES

KICK BACK AND RELAX with a refreshing massage.

Private studio near Courthouse in Arlington, Sun-Wed, 12-9.

Contact Gary @ 301-704-1158, mymassagebygary.com.

CLEANING

FERNANDO’S CLEANING

Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out 202-234-7050 / 202-486-6183

ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

Since 1987. Gay & Veteran Owner/Operator. Lincoln Continental Sedan! Proper DC License & Livery Insured. www.KasperLivery.com.

Phone 202-554-2471.

legal services. Jennifer represents LGBTQ clients in DC, MD & VA interested in adoption or ART matters. 240-863- 2441, JFairfax@Jenniferfairfax.com.

HANDYMAN

BRITISH REMODELING

HANDYMAN

Local licensed company with over 25 years of experience. Specializing in bathrooms, kitchens & all interior/exterior repairs. Drywall, paint, electrical & wallpaper.

Trevor 703-303-8699

HANDYMAN SERVICES

MEN FOR MEN HORNY GUY, 6’3’, 200 LBS,

9”. ISO tall white masculine, hung dude, ready to be submissive & obey me. Sincere replies only, calls after 9 pm. 240-457-1292.

BODYWORK

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue.

Appts 202-486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

Interior/exterior, residential & commercial. DC Only.

Call or text 202-368-2628, gcmanagers@aol.com.

MOVERS

PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/ CLASSIFIEDS

& YOUR AD PRINTS in the PAPER & ONLINE.*

PROFESSIONAL

SHARE & PERSONAL ADS ARE

Let Our Movers Do The Heavy Lifting. Mention the Blade for 5% OFF of our regular rates.

Call today 202.734.3080. www.aroundtownmovers.com

PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE AT

MOVING & STORAGE

FREE!

WASHINGTONBLADE. COM/CLASSIFIEDS & THE AD PRINTS FREE IN THE PAPER & ONLINE.* *25 words or less print free. Each additional word $1.00.

TELL ‘EM YOU SAW THEIR AD IN THE BLADE!

C L A S S I F I E D S • M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 9

3 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • MARCH 18, 2 0 2 2

LEFT PAGE

1 Swedes St., Unit 4, Rehoboth Beach, DE

116 W. 3rd Street, Lewes, DE

MLS #DESU2017736

MLS: DESU2014496

DIRECT OCEANFRONT, MILLION-DOLLAR VIEWS!

without the million-dollar price tag! Unobstructed views welcome you from the expansive 21’ deck in this fantastic oceanfront investment! 2 large bedrooms with 1.5 baths and a fully remodeled kitchen, new windows & HVAC. Walk to your favorite restaurants, shopping, and nightlife at the beach! Don’t let this investment opportunity slip away!

ICONIC LEWES LANDMARK WITH VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE! Original Lewes Firehouse & Lock Up is a rare opportunity to be part of history, complete w/ retail & living space. This resilient property extends a unique invitation for the visionary. Completely renovated from top to bottom in the mid 1980s, a 1st floor shop features 2 showrooms, storage (formerly town jail), bath & classic, multi-paned storefront windows. Upstairs living area offers 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, dining & living rooms w/wood & tile flooring.

30750 Edgewater Drive, Lewes, DE

31658 Topsail Dr., Lewes, DE

MLS #DESU2017326

MLS #: DESU2014118

PRICE REDUCTION, 3/18/22: 31658 Topsail Drive NEW List Price: $725,000

WATERVIEW IN EDGEWATER ESTATES!

Serene water views of Red Mill Pond are yours from this gorgeous and spacious, custom built 4 BR, 4BA home in established Edgewater Estates. Enjoy the outdoors from this spacious lot with an enclosed courtyard with fountain, multiple patios, second story deck, and community pond access. Just minutes from downtown Lewes and the beaches!

Why wait to build?

This barely lived in and well cared for 3 bedroom, 3 bath home is waiting for you in Marsh Farm Estates! Situated on a premium & private lot, this home has all the features you want in a home---a spacious, open floor plan, gourmet kitchen, finished walkout basement with wet bar and so much more. Within walking distance to the community’s clubhouse & pool; and only a short drive to Coastal Highway’s shopping & dining, along with Lewes & Rehoboth Beaches!

Have a like-new home without the wait!

RIGHT PAGE

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 1

Sick of STDs? freeSTDcheck.org AHF Wellness Centers (833) 243-7411

Baltimore

11 E Lexington St Ste 100

Capitol Hill

650 Pennsylvania Ave SE STE 310

Temple Hills

4302 Saint Barnabas Rd Ste B