Washington Blade, Volume 53, Issue 16, April 22, 2022 by Washington Blade

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Paying tribute to NBC4’s Wendy Rieger, PAGES 10 & 20

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VOLUME 53 ISSUE 16 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

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Proudly LGBTQ-Owned and -Operated

Blade Foundation announces 2022 fellowship recipients

many years as well as executive director of the The Blade Foundation this week announced center before his death in March of 2018. the hiring of two spring/summer fellows, who Walker is a junior at Brown University and will spend 12 weeks reporting on LGBTQ issues senior editor of multimedia at The Brown Daily while being mentored by Blade editors. Herald. He grew up in rural Maryland and also Caris White, a junior at Dartmouth College serves as president of Brown’s Queer Alliance. studying religion and art history, will start a fel“I am thankful and excited for the opportunilowship in May focused on covering issues of ty to work with the Washington Blade and the interest to D.C.’s LGBTQ community. White has Blade Foundation through the Steve Elkins Meworked as a reporter and editor for The Dartmorial Fellowship,” Walker said. “I have so much mouth, the school’s student news publication. to learn from Delaware’s queer community, and “I became involved in journalism and LGBTQ+ I feel very fortunate to be getting to know it betspaces during my freshman year, and now I am ter this summer.” editor of Mirror at The Dartmouth, in addition to The Delaware fellowship is funded by the being a contributing writer for the Blade,” White Foundation’s annual Rehoboth Beach summer said. “I am so excited to continue working with party, being held May 20 at The Pines and feathe Blade this summer, and I can’t wait to grow turing remarks from U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochas a journalist while focusing on LGBTQ+ stories ester. both locally and around the world.” “Congratulations to Caris and Jack, who were The D.C. reporting fellowship is funded in CARIS WHITE and JACK WALKER will spend 12 weeks with the selected from a competitive group of applicants part by a grant from the DC Front Runners Pride Blade Foundation this summer. to join us this summer to tell the important stoRun 5K event. ries of our community,” said Blade Foundation The second fellowship goes to Jack WalkExecutive Director Kevin Naff. “Thank you to all of our donors and supporters, especially er, who is the recipient of the fourth Blade Foundation Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowthe DC Front Runners and the LGBTQ community in Rehoboth Beach. Without their ship. He will cover issues of interest to Delaware’s LGBTQ community. The fellowship support, these fellowships would not be possible.” is named in honor of Steve Elkins, a journalist and co-founder of the CAMP Rehoboth FROM STAFF REPORTS LGBT community center. Elkins served as editor of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth for

Blade’s Pride on the Pier and fireworks show returning June 11

The Washington Blade, in partnership with LURe DC and The Wharf, is excited to announce the 3rd annual Pride on the Pier and Fireworks show during D.C. Pride weekend on Saturday, June 11, 2022, from 2-9 p.m. The event will include the annual Pride on the Pier Fireworks Show presented by the Leonard-Litz Foundation at 9 p.m. Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Southwest waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment.

The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older. Local DJ’s Eletrox, Jai Syncere and Sean Morris will perform throughout the event. The Dockmasters Building will be home to a VIP experience. To learn more and to purchase tickets go to prideonthepierdc.com/vip. “After having to cancel Pride the past two years we couldn’t be more excited to bring back Pride on the Pier with a real bang,” says the Washington Blade’s Director of Marketing Stephen Rutgers. “No matter the age we are creating a welcoming event for all.” The Transit Pier will house the Family Zone that will include the new Wharf Roller Rink. “The Wharf is a place for everyone to enjoy D.C.’s greatest resource — the waterfront,” said Monty Hoffman, Founder and CEO of Hoffman & Associates. “District Pier, the largest public pier at The Wharf, serves as a lively space for events and for the community to gather and is the perfect backdrop for this celebration.” Event sponsors include Absolut, Bud Light, DC Brau, DC Fray, Burney Wealth Management, Cherry Fund, Leonard-Litz Foundation, PEPCO, and The Wharf. More information regarding activities will be released at PrideOnThePierDC.com. FROM STAFF REPORTS

Blade’s 15th annual Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 20

After two years of COVID-related postponements, the Blade announced last week the return of its popular Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del. The 15th annual event was moved to September due to pandemic restrictions the past two years but this year marks its return to May. The Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party will be held Friday, May 20 at The Pines with a special appearance by U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.). More speakers expected to be announced soon. Tickets are $20 and include drink tickets and light appetizers. A portion is a tax-deductible donation to the Blade Foundation, 501(c)(3). Visit the Blade’s Facebook page to purchase tickets. Money raised supports the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship, named in honor of Steve Elkins, a journalist and co-founder of the CAMP Rehoboth LGBT community center. Elkins served as

Rep. LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER is scheduled to speak at the Blade’s 15th annual Summer Kickoff Party on May 20. (Blade file photo by Michael K. Lavers)

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editor of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth for many years as well as executive director of the center before his death in March of 2018. The fellow covers issues of interest to the LGBTQ community of Delaware for 12 weeks during the summer months. Stories include coverage of legislative and political issues out of Dover; LGBTQ business issues in Wilmington; the summer beach season in Rehoboth and more. Stories are published in the Washington Blade. This year’s Blade-Elkins fellow is Jack Walker, a a junior at Brown University and senior editor of multimedia at The Brown Daily Herald. He begins his fellowship in early May. If you are unable to attend you can make a donation to the Blade Foundation at BladeFoundation.org Sponsors of this year’s event include Delmarva Power and the The Pines. FROM STAFF REPORTS

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LGBTQ students join protests over new Fairfax County school superintendent Critics say incoming official lacks experience leading large, diverse district By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The Fairfax County, Va., School Board voted 9 to 3 on April 14 to approve the appointment of a new school superintendent for the county school system after more than 200 students, including members of an LGBTQ student group, held demonstrations against the appointment at several high schools earlier in the day. After a months-long search process, the School Board selected Michelle Reid, the current superintendent of the Northshore School District in Bothell, Wash., a small city located within the Seattle metropolitan area, to replace current Fairfax School Superintendent Scott Brabrand, who is stepping down effective June 30. The student protesters have joined other community and advocacy groups, including the Fairfax chapter of the NAACP, in expressing concern that Reid’s experience in leading a relatively small school district with about 22,000 students is insufficient to head the Fairfax school system, which enrolls about 180,000 students who come from more diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. School officials and members of the School Board who voted for Reid’s appointment said they were impressed with the knowledge, understanding, and staunch support Reid expressed for policies embracing and supporting a racially diverse school system such as Fairfax County Public Schools. Reid, a former school principal who holds a doctorate degree in educational leadership, expressed strong support for the needs of LGBTQ and other minority students during her interview process, according to gay Fairfax School Board member Karl Frisch, who voted in favor of Reid’s appointment. “Throughout all of our interviews with her, Dr. Reid routinely spoke – unprompted – of the ways she addressed the equity needs of her study body – LGBTQIA students, Muslim students, students of color, English language learners, students with special needs, and more,” Frisch said during the April 14 School Board meeting. “Her commitment to equity and inclusion was a thread woven through her answers, her accomplishments as a superintendent, and her commitments to this Board,” Frisch said. Information on the Northshore School District website

shows that the district adopted a strongly worded nondiscrimination policy protecting transgender and gender nonconforming students in 2017 during Reid’s tenure as superintendent. Fairfax County Public Schools adopted a similar policy on gender identity nondiscrimination in 2021. The school system in previous years adopted polices banning discrimination against students, teachers, and other employees based on sexual orientation, which Reid strongly upheld, according to her supporters. Although the Northshore School District adopted a strongly worded policy banning bullying and harassment of all students, including LGBTQ students, in 2011, new guidelines for updating and enforcing the anti-bullying policies were updated in 2020 under Reid, who began her tenure as Northshore superintendent in 2016. Aaryan Rawal, a spokesperson for Pride Liberation Project, the LGBTQ student group that helped organize the student protests over the Reid appointment, told the Washington Blade one day before the protests that the Pride group was not aware of any actions taken by Reid against the LGBTQ students, but the group was unaware at that time of any actions she may have taken in support of LGBTQ equality. Rawal pointed to a letter signed by 375 students sent last week to School Board members and a consulting firm that Fairfax school officials retained to organize a search for the new superintendent explaining the students’ objections to the approval of Reid as superintendent. “Unfortunately, the voices of the student body were not heard during this search process,” the letter says. It says that while school officials held a 15-day community outreach period that included an 11-member student “stakeholder group,” the group was not representative of the full student body. In a separate statement, the NAACP said it favored the hiring of another finalist candidate for the Fairfax school superintendent’s job, a Black woman educator and Omaha, Neb., Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Logan, who withdrew from contention for the job on April 9 without giving a reason, according to reports by the Washington Post.

Comings & Goings

Imse to lead LGBTQ Victory Institute 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: comingsandELLIOT IMSE goings@washblade.com. Congratulations to Elliot Imse on being named executive director of the LGBTQ Victory Institute. Annise Parker, president and CEO of the Victory Fund said, “Elliot is a natural leader

and for years has been a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community. In his new role, his vision and leadership will be instrumental as Victory Institute continues to expand its impact and programming within the United States and across the globe. As we see more and more LGBTQ people interested in running for office, Elliot’s experience, passion and drive will be an asset to our organization as we continue investing in diverse candidate pathways.” Imse will oversee all of Victory Institute’s U.S. and global programs. U.S. programs include campaign and leadership trainings for LGBTQ candidates, internship and fellowship programs designed to mentor young LGBTQ leaders as well as the Presidential Appointments Initiative, which recommends and advocates for qualified LGBTQ leaders ready to serve in the administration. “Victory Institute is the heart and soul of our movement to build LGBTQ power in governments and to be trusted

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Some Fairfax students and advocacy groups object to the new superintendent.

“The issue we all agree on is that Fairfax County Public Schools needs a superintendent who has commensurate experience in leading organizations of this size, diversity, complexity, and that the Superintendent of Northshore School District isn’t the right fit,” a joint statement released by the NAACP and other groups opposing Reid’s appointment, including Pride Liberation Project, says. School Board members who supported Reid said she stood out from the pool of 72 applicants, among other things, because of her approach to equity and inclusion, according to FFX Now, the online Fairfax local news site. “Among this large, strong group, Dr. Reid was consistently at the top,” FFX Now quoted School Board Vice Chair Rachna Sizemore-Heizer as saying. “We asked all of our applicants about how they would heal a divided community,” Frisch told fellow board members. “It says a lot about her character that she told us she would listen and that she would not presume to speak for others whose lived experience is different from her own,” Frisch said. with its legacy is an incredible honor,” he said. “We have an enormous task in front of us – to build governments in the U.S. and around the world that are reflective of the people they serve. Victory Institute is the accelerator to achieving that bold goal, with its programs and trainings building a new pipeline of LGBTQ public leadership. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue working with the incredible Victory Institute team and the elected and appointed leaders who are making change.” Imse has been with the Victory Fund and Institute since 2016 most recently as Vice President of Communications. Prior to that was Director of Policy & Communications, District of Columbia, Office of Human Rights; and a web producer with GLAAD in New York. He worked as a volunteer with Harvard as a board member of the Gender and Sexuality Caucus; on the LGBTQ alumni board of directors; and editor-in-chief of the LGBTQ policy journal at the Kennedy School. Imse earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and his master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.

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Paying tribute to longtime LGBTQ ally Wendy Rieger D.C.’s gay community ‘gave me a kind of family to belong to’ By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com

Recently retired NBC4 anchor Wendy Rieger died on April 16 after a fight with brain cancer. She was 65. “We lost our smart, vibrant, wonderful Wendy Rieger today,” said NBC4 in a statement it posted to its website. “Wendy loved life as much as it loved her. She had so many passions and lived life sharing them with everyone she could. For more than 30 years, NBC4 Washington viewers benefitted from her unique style that blended humor, intelligence and compassion, and we are all better for knowing her.” Rieger was born in Norfolk, Va., on April 18, 1956. She was an actress before she graduated from American University in 1980 with a degree in broadcast journalism. Rieger worked for WAMU, WTOP and CNN before she joined NBC4 in 1988 as a general assignment reporter. Rieger began to anchor NBC4’s weekend evening newscasts in 1996 and the 5 p.m. broadcasts in 2001. She retired last December. Rieger throughout her career championed the LGBTQ community. She participated in a number of D.C. AIDS Rides and emceed several SMYAL Fall Brunches. The Washington Blade in 2015 named Rieger “Best Local TV Personality” for that year’s “Best of Gay D.C.” issue, which featured a cover photo of Rieger straddling a drag queen as she applied lipstick. Rieger in 2017 made a cameo in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s adaptation of the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Rieger during an interview with the Blade after she announced her retirement from NBC4 credited Patrick Bruyere, a longtime volunteer for LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS service organizations who passed away from cancer in 2017, with introducing her to the LGBTQ community in D.C. She said that Bruyere in 1999 asked her to host a fundraiser for One in Ten, a group that once ran the Reel Affirmations LGBTQ film festival, at the Lincoln Theater. “I said, ‘I’d be glad to do that,’” said Rieger, recalling the conversation she had with Bruyere. “But you know, I’m just Wendy Rieger, I just anchor the news, you know. Don’t you have someone bigger? And he said, he actually said this, ‘I need a straight person because no one’s going to listen to us.’ And I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’” “I saw so many people in the gay community moving into neighborhoods and using this vast creative spirit to renovate. And this renaissance that was happening all throughout our city, it was because of gay creativity,” Rieger told the Blade, referring to her reaction to the lack of support that the One in Ten fundraiser had received. “I was stunned that this was still going on. This bullshit was still going on. This crap is still going on.” Rieger throughout that interview stressed discrimination cannot “occur anywhere.” “Enough with this shit,” she said. “I’m so tired of bigotry and ignorance. It is exhausting. It is just exhausting. I’m just sick of it.” Rieger also expressed her gratitude to her LGBTQ viewers who “let me into your family.” “That meant so much to me because now I had a tribe,” she said. “My ancestors, when they came over from various parts of Europe, we just didn’t do anything, but become sort of, you know, WASPs in suburbia, What the fuck is that? I’m sorry. What the fuck is that? It’s just like something my mother would say; we were just colorless, odorless and sexless.” “You guys really gave me something to attach to and a kind of family to belong to,” added Rieger. “I still feel like I have a community simply because my gay friends are just so warm. And I’m sorry, y’all are still the most fun people around ever, ever, ever.”

‘I have lived my life big and loud’

Rieger had open heart surgery in October 2020. She announced last May that doctors had diagnosed her with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. “As you know, I have lived my life big and loud. It is my nature. And I’ve had a blast. But a stillness has come over me that is profound and potent,” said Rieger in a letter she sent to her former NBC4 colleagues last May. “I didn’t know I could be this quiet. Life is not always a test. It is a teaching. I must learn this lesson with grace. And I will.” Rieger discussed her diagnosis with the Blade. She said a friend referred Rieger to the Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her doctor, Pascal Zinn, removed the tumor within 10 days of having the MRI that found it.

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NBC4’s WENDY RIEGER was an outspoken LGBTQ ally who emceed a decade’s worth of SMYAL fundraisers. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Rieger underwent radiation for six weeks and was participating in a cancer vaccine trial at Duke University when she spoke with the Blade. “It says on my ﬁle, life expectancy 14 months,” she said. “Odds are meant to be deﬁed and she said the people who survive this the most are the ones that say fuck you to this cancer and they go live their lives and there’s nothing wrong with them.” Rieger died a day after NBC4 announced she had begun hospice care. She was holding the hand of her husband, Dan Buckley, a retired NBC4 cameraman, when she passed away.

Rieger was beloved LGBTQ ally

NBC4 reporter Pat Collins after Rieger passed away described her as the station’s “poet laureate” who “would grab a story by the collar, and she wouldn’t stop until she had every little detail.” The Blade joined LGBTQ organizations across D.C. who also mourned Rieger. “Wendy was one of a kind and a ﬁerce ally to the LGBTQ+ community,” said the Blade after NBC4 announced Rieger’s death. “Thank you, Wendy, for all you did. You will never be forgotten.” The Capital Pride Alliance in a statement to the Blade said Rieger “touched so many lives, and she will be terribly missed by all who knew and loved her.” “I’ve known Wendy for many years, and she lit up every room that she entered,” said former Capital Pride Alliance President Bernie Delia. “She had a way of connecting with everyone she encountered. It was always a joy to meet up with her and she will be missed by the countless friends she had across the DMV.” Capital Pride Alliance President Ashley Smith echoed Delia. “I will miss seeing her radiant face lighting up the spaces in which she served as MC or guest speaker and more,” Smith told the Blade. “[She was] an amazing spirit we all got to share and [we] will miss her, but know she is always with us.” The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington described Rieger as “incomparable.” “She was our beloved Spring Affair emcee, and, in 2019, a recipient of the GMCW Harmony Award, which recognized her contributions to the LGBTQ community,” it said in a statement. “Rest in peace, dear Wendy.” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also mourned Rieger. “Wendy delivered the news honestly — with humor, heart and expertise and she will be missed dearly,” said Bowser. “Our hearts are with Dan, her @nbcwashington family and the many, many people who loved Wendy.” Plans for a memorial service have not been announced.

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Two LGBTQ candidates competing for state house seat in Philadelphia’s ‘gayborhood’ Victory Fund criticized for failing to stay neutral in race By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

Transgender community activist Deja Alvarez and LGBTQ rights and economic development advocate Jonathan Lovitz, both of whom have been involved in LGBTQ rights issues for many years, are running against each other and against two LGBTQ supportive straight men for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in Philadelphia’s center city area. Alvarez, Lovitz, public affairs consultant Ben Waxman, and café owner and community activist Will Gross are running in the May 17 Democratic primary in the 182nd District, which includes Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood” and is believed to have more LGBTQ residents than any other legislative district in the state. The seat has been held since 2013 by out gay Rep. Brian Sims, who is giving up the seat this year to run for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor. Sims, a close friend and current housemate of Alvarez, has endorsed her to succeed him as representative of the 182nd District. Lovitz supporters have expressed concern that Sims may have orchestrated a lobbying campaign that persuaded and possibly pressured the LGBTQ Victory Fund, the national group that raises money to help elect out LGBTQ candidates for public office, to endorse Alvarez. Lovitz backers have argued that the Victory Fund should have endorsed him, remained neutral, or made a dual endorsement of Alvarez and Lovitz as it has in other races where LGBTQ candidates have run against each other. Lovitz backers also point out that Lovitz has raised far more campaign funds than Alvarez and the other two candidates, making him a more viable candidate than Alvarez and the one with the best chance of being elected as another LGBTQ person to the 182nd District seat. Elliot Imse, the Victory Fund’s vice president for communications who was just named executive director of the sister organization Victory Institute, told the Washington Blade about 11 LGBTQ elected officials from across the country sent the Victory Fund a letter encouraging the group to endorse Alvarez. He said it was a “polite and respectful” letter.” He said the Victory Fund welcomes input from the community and from supporters of all LGBTQ candidates on which candidates to endorse. According to Imse, it was the group’s 150-member Campaign Board, which consists of politically engaged activists from throughout the country, that voted to endorse Alvarez after analyzing a wide range of factors in the race. But some critics familiar with the Victory Fund, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the lobbying by Sims’s supporters of board members was irregular and drew the ire of Victory Fund leadership. Although it decided to endorse Alvarez, the Victory Fund considers Lovitz to be a highly qualified candidate who would be an excellent state legislator representing the interests of LGBTQ people in Pennsylvania, Imse said. But he said the group determined that Alvarez’s background and status as a Latina trans candidate make her the right candidate for the job at this time. “Deja is a candidate with extremely strong name recognition in her district,” Imse said. “She’s worked in the district for decades,” he said, “from founding organizations to help LGBTQ people who are homeless to help trans people through recovery programs, to providing COVID relief to immigrants and undocumented people,” he said. “Deja is a Latinx trans woman and would be the first in the entire nation elected to a state legislature,” he said, as well as the first trans person elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature. Alvarez currently serves as director of community engagement for World Healthcare Infrastructures, a Philadelphia-based group that provides HIV/AIDS related services and other community healthcare and social services. She also serves as the LGBTQ Care Coordinator for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and, among other posts, was appointed to a task force to create an LGBTQ Advisory Board for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Lovitz supporters point to what they call his long, highly distinguished record as an advocate for LGBTQ rights and public policy and economic development related issues that have resulted in endorsements from both organized labor and groups representing small community-based businesses. Lovitz has served as senior vice president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce from 2016 until he announced his candidacy for the state house seat last year. He joined the LGBT Chamber in 2015 as vice president for external affairs and as director of the group’s New York subsidiary. He has been credited with helping to write and pass more than 25 state and local laws, including in Pennsylvania, extending economic opportunity to LGBTQ-owned 1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 22, 202 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

JONATHAN LOVITZ and DEJA ALVAREZ are among four candidates seeking to replace Brian Sims in the Pennsylvania House. (Blade file photo of Lovitz by Michael Key; photo of Alvarez courtesy of the Alvarez campaign)

businesses around the country, including millions of dollars in small business grants to local and minority-owned businesses. In 2020, Lovitz co-founded PhillyVoting.org, an initiative to register and turn out the vote in the Black and LGBTQ communities, which, among other things, resulted in the registration of more than 300 new voters in the program’s first month. The most recent campaign finance reports filed with the state’s campaign finance office show that as of January of this year the Lovitz campaign had raised $252,355. The reports show that Waxman had raised $45,276, Alvarez raised $35,941, and Gross raised $22,134 as of the January filing period. The next round of finance reports was scheduled to be released on May 6. Some critics of Alvarez have pointed out that she had not been living in the 182nd District for a number of years and only recently moved back to run for the state house seat. Imse called such claims unfair and misleading, saying Alvarez at some point in the recent past was forced to find an apartment in another area outside the district because of the excessively high cost of living in the Center City area due to gentrification. Imse said Alvarez continued to work in the district and retained her “decades long” ties to the district before she moved back to the district and became housemates with Sims to enable her and Sims to share the living costs in a high-priced neighborhood. Alvarez told the Blade she and her supporters believe rumors circulating that she was unqualified for the state house seat because she had not been living in the district and just moved back were being orchestrated by Lovitz and his campaign to discredit her. She said she has been living in Philadelphia since the late 1990s and has been living and working in the district most of the time for more than 20 years. “The fact of the matter is my opponent has been in Philadelphia for like three years,” she said. “As a woman of color, as a trans person and, yes, like many Philadelphians, there was a time I had to move out of this district because I could not afford to live here any longer,” Alvarez said. “But there’s not a single person out there and in this race that has both worked in this district, socialized in this district and then come back and done all the work that I’ve done in this district, which I have been part of for more than half of my life,” she said. When asked to respond to Alvarez’s remarks, Lovitz said in an email that he has had a “lifelong connection to Philadelphia that no one can dispute” and that he moved to the 182nd District in 2017. “What matters to me, and to voters, isn’t how long you live somewhere, but how much you’ve done to make their lives better in the time you’ve been there,” he said. “Since the day I returned home to Philly I’ve helped register over 1,000 voters through the PhillyVoting project; protected women’s rights by volunteering as a Planned Parenthood escort in my neighborhood; raised millions for charity through the boards I serve on and the events I’ve had the honor of emceeing; and so much more because I love my city.” Additional information about each of the four candidates running in the Democratic primary can be accessed on their campaign websites, which show that each received endorsements from various advocacy or political organizations, with Alvarez, Lovitz, and Waxman receiving endorsements by local and state elected officials: www.lovitzforpa. com, www.dejaforpa.com, www.votewaxman.com, www.WillforPA.com.

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Psaki gets emotional over state anti-LGBTQ bills

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki became emotional in an interview released Tuesday over legislation targeting the LGBTQ community, maintaining the measures were purely for the purpose of scoring political points. Psaki made the comments in an interview with the News Not Noise podcast when host Jessica Yellin asked her about the motivations behind the bills. “How do you make sense of what’s happening?” Yellin asked. “Is this sort of a predictable backlash to change? Or is this an organized political attempt to create a wedge issue ahead of the midterms in the 2024 campaign? Sort of like the way gay marriage was weaponized in 2004?” The initial response from Psaki: “Ding, Ding, Ding.” Psaki added she had to be careful about what to say because of the Hatch Act, which limits the political speech of U.S. government ofﬁcials. Psaki went on to condemn the bills by saying, “the political games and harsh and cruel attempts at laws, or laws that we’re seeing in some states like Florida, that is not a reﬂection of the country moving to oppose LGBTQ+

White House Press Secretary JEN PSAKI got emotional when asked about antiLGBTQ bills in state legislatures.

communities. “That is not what we see in data, that is not factual, and that is not where things stand,” Psaki added. “This is a political wedge issue, and an attempt to win a culture war.” When they talked about the impact of the measures on LGBTQ families and children, Psaki grew emotional.

“They’re doing that in a way that is harsh and cruel to a community of kids, especially,” Psaki said, through tears. “I’m going to get emotional about this issue because it’s horrible! But it’s kids who are bullied, and all these leaders are taking steps to hurt them, and hurt their lives and hurt their families! And you look at some of these laws in these states and who’s going after parents who are in loving relationships, who have kids. It’s completely outrageous! Sorry, this is an issue that makes me completely crazy.” The ﬂurry of anti-LGBTQ bills includes measures aimed at restricting access by transgender youth to transition-related care, in some cases penalizing medical providers for providing such services to minors with time in prison; legislation against transgender kids competing in girls’ sports consistent with their gender identity and measures known as “Don’t Say Gay” bills — one prominently signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Florida — essentially placing a gag order on teachers in grade schools from even acknowledging LGBTQ people exist. CHRIS JOHNSON

Harris addresses LGBTQ donors at fundraiser

Vice President Kamala Harris headlined a D.Cbased fundraiser for high-dollar LGBTQ Democratic donors last week, promoting the conﬁrmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court as a key victory. “I was proud for a number of reasons,” Harris said. “Probably the obvious reason, in terms of what this means in terms of the history that continues to be made — one could say, parenthetically, ‘Sadly, we’re still making ﬁrsts,’ but we are doing it. And I was proud to be there for that reason.”

As Harris pointed out at the event, she presided last week over the vote on Jackson in the Senate, making the first Black woman to serve as vice president a key player in the confirmation of the first Black woman justice to the Supreme Court. Among the prominent LGBTQ donors present at the private home for the fundraiser was Claire Lucas, a lesbian and deputy finance chair for the Democratic National Committee. The DNC counted 86 people present at the event and Lucas told the crowd the DNC “blew past” its fundraising goal by

50 percent, according to a White House pool report. Harris didn’t explicitly mention any LGBTQ issues in her remarks, despite concerns over the advancement in state legislatures over measures targeting the LGBTQ community, including bills prohibiting transgender girls from participating in sports and the Florida “Don’t Say Gay” law. Topics Harris touched on included her lead role in the Cabinet meeting at the White House earlier that day as well as climate change, infrastructure, and workers’ rights. CHRIS JOHNSON

Buck gets 30 years for overdose deaths of Black gay men

U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder last week sentenced former West Hollywood resident and LGBTQ activist Ed Buck, 67, to 30 years in a federal prison for supplying the methamphetamine that killed two gay Black men at his Laurel Avenue ﬂat. “Buck used his money and privilege to exploit the wealth and power imbalances between himself and his victims, who were unhoused, destitute, and/or struggling with addiction,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Chelsea Norell said in court documents ﬁled in the case. “He spent thousands of dollars on drugs and party and play sessions that destroyed lives and bred insidious addictions.” Buck — who had donated more than $500,000 to most-

ly Democratic causes and served in 2016 as one of California’s Electoral College members, along with activism on LGBTQ+ issues, had seemingly escaped justice until local activists including journalist Jasmyne Cannick, a longtime community activist, were able to get the federal case initiated, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI. The investigation was also conducted with the support of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Then L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey had declined to prosecute Buck at ﬁrst citing a lack of evidence.

Barely four and a half hours after being handed his case for deliberations, a federal grand jury last July convicted Buck on the nine-count indictment of charges he supplied the methamphetamine that killed Gemmel Moore in 2017 and Timothy Dean in 2019 during ‘partyand-play’ encounters at his ﬂat. The verdict concluded a two-week trial that featured harrowing testimony of Buck’s accusers and victims which was shocking. Prosecutor’s use of Buck’s seized videos offered jurors a disturbingly graphic look at the chilling indifference displayed by Buck as he victimized those unfortunate to enter his apartment. BRODY LEVESQUE

DeSantis moves to eliminate Disney’s special status

Florida Gov. RON DESANTIS is taking on Disney. (Screenshot/Florida Channel)

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis announced this week that he has expanded the special session of the state legislature, which was meeting next week to rework and approve congressional re-districting maps, to include eliminating the 1967 law that allows the Walt Disney World Resort property to operate as a self-governing body. “I am announcing today that we are expanding the call of what they are going to be considering this week,’’ DeSantis said at a news conference. The Reedy Creek Improvement District is the governing jurisdiction and special taxing district for the land of the Walt Disney World Resort. It includes 39.06 square

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miles within the outer limits of Orange and Osceola counties and acts with the same authority and responsibility as a county government. DeSantis and the media conglomerate locked horns over the Disney Company’s public denouncement of H.B. 1557, titled “Parental Rights in Education,” colloquially known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, that DeSantis signed into law last month. A spokesperson for the Disney Company had issued a statement condemning the legislation angering DeSantis and prompting protests led by QAnon conspiracy theorists in Florida and California. BRODY LEVESQUE

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Murder of two men rattles Irish LGBTQ community

in Cartron Heights at around 8:30 p.m. on Monday. He had also sustained “significant The LGBTQ community in the city of Sligo, in the north of Ireland, is reeling from the physical injuries,” Glacken added. brutal murders of two gay men and the vicious assault of another man, crimes that were According to the Examiner police stated that use of a mobile phone dating app was so horrific that Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin denounced the crime on Twitter. a critical component in the investigation. Thousands of people have attended Glacken told reporters that the Gardaí vigils across Ireland in memory of the two “will endeavor to seek out all the available men killed, both were found dead in their evidence, and ultimately it will be for a own homes in the city by the Sligo Gardaí court to decide on the motivation behind (Police) this past week. these appalling crimes.” According to the Irish Examiner, the “I am appealing to any person who Gardaí in Sligo are examining whether may have been subject of any unwanted there is a homophobic motive for the grisapproaches or who was assaulted or othly killings of two men in the town over the erwise attacked to contact the incident past two days. room at Sligo Garda Station. Michael Snee, 58, was found dead in “I have a dedicated diversity team here, his home in Sligo Town Wednesday night, we need to hear from you, we are here to while Aidan Moffitt, 42, was found dead listen to you and we are here to support in his home in the town on Monday night. you. Yousef Palani, 22, has been charged “I continue to appeal to anyone with any over the murders of the two men — police information on these crimes to contact us are investigating if the murders were hate at Sligo Garda station,” he said adding, crimes. “No matter how insignificant you think it He will also be questioned about an atmay be, we need to hear from you.” tack on a man at the start of the weekend MICHAEL SNEE and AIDAN MOFFITT (Family photos/BBC) in which the victim lost an eye. Sligo Pride, which organized one of the Sligo Gardaí superintendent Aidan Glanationwide vigils for the two victims wrote cken told reporters in a press conference on Twitter, “If you are meeting someone online in person for the first time, give a trusted that Palani was arrested on Wednesday afternoon after the discovery of Snee’s body in friend as much information on this other person as you can and let your friend know his apartment at around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday. where you are. We understand the worries and concerns at this time.” Snee had been subjected to “serious physical assault and had suffered significant BRODY LEVESQUE injuries,” superintendent Aidan Glacken said. Moffitt’s body was discovered in his house

South African musician compares LGBTQ relationships to bestiality

A popular Afrikaans musician and actor in South Africa has disputed claims that he is homophobic after he compared same-sex relationships to bestiality. Steve Hofmeyr in recent days has received backlash from various civic organizations after he posted a video on Facebook. “Where my generation learned to talk to mice, ducks and dogs, our children will be taught how to have sex with mice ducks and dogs. Those relationships with animals are part of that + at the end of the LGBTQI+,” he said in a part of the video that was translated into English. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and OUT, the second-oldest LGBTQ rights organization in South Africa, have called on Hofmeyr to retract his comments or face legal action. “From the commission’s assessment of the statements made, it has determined that he appears to liken the LGBTIQ+ community to be inclusive of bestiality, which constitutes a sexual offense, S13 of the Criminal Law of the Sexual Offenses and Related Matters Amendment Act of 2007, as well as the Animal Protection Act of 1962,” said the SAHRC STEVE HOFMEYR (Photo by Snap2Art via Bigstockphoto) in a statement. “The commission has further determined that the comments, in equating a vulnerable section of society to criminals having sex with ‘mice, ducks and dogs’ may seriously demean and humiliate members ascribing to the LGBTIQ+ community, thereby affecting their rights to equality and dignity as determined in Section 9 and 10 of the Constitution,” it adds. “More so,

the commission has therefore issued a letter of demand to Mr. Hofmeyr expressing its concerns relating to the utterances made and shared to his hundreds of thousands of followers and friends accordingly. Should the commissions’ demands not be met, the commission reserves the right to proceed to the Equality Court to provide it with the appropriate relief herein. This may include a prayer for damages, as well as an order seeking the respondent to undergo community service at a center in support of the promotion of the rights of vulnerable groups.” Lerato Phalakatshela, the human rights manager at OUT, which is also one of the complainants in the matter, said Hofmeyr’s sentiments are degrading and dehumanizing. “Through these false and harmful statements, Hofmeyr is perpetuating the narrative that LGBTIQ+ people are deviants and are inherently dangerous to children,” said Phalakatshela. “Spreading these blatant lies not only dehumanizes and other LGBTIQ+ people but also provides fuel to justify stigmatization, discrimination and even violence against LGBTIQ+ individuals in South Africa where more than 24 LGBTQ+ individuals were murdered last year. Words have consequences!” “LGBTQ+ people want no extra rights or privileges but we are entitled, just like everyone else, to be appropriately represented in media for people of all ages,” added Phalakatshela. “However, we are pleased that the SAHRC has taken the first steps in dealing with this issue and we urge it to pursue the matter until, at the very least, Hofmeyr unreservedly and publicly apologizes and retracts his comments in writing.” At the same time, OUT has launched an online petition that, among other things, demands, Hofmeyr acknowledges the LGBTQ acronym does not and is not intended to include bestiality, pedophilia and other illegal and/or non-consensual behavior and he apologizes to the LGBTQ community in writing via a public statement within seven days. OUT urged the SAHRC to investigate and take appropriate action against him, including taking the matter to the Equality Court, if he fails to meet these demands. According to OUT, the petition also serves to express the anger and frustration felt by the LGBTQ community and its allies over the continued spreading of harmful speech. Hofmeyr has nevertheless maintained he has nothing more to say about the issue. “I have nothing to add to the LGBTQ+ debate that I already say (sic) in the previous post,” he said. “Feel free to watch the video again. If you think I said gays sleep with animals you are too dumb for this conversation. The other gays are on my side.” DANIEL ITAI

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e m o c 2021/22 SEASONWelBack! The Natural World & A Global Perspective Eden

JOYCE DIDONATO, mezzo-soprano IL POMO D’ORO, chamber orchestra SUN, APR 24, 7pm • STRATHMORE

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Celebrate International Jazz Day with the “effortlessly hip” (Guardian) GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, composer, and educator Danilo Pérez,, uniting music and humanitarianism in his ensemble of rising stars, the Global Messengers. Messengers. They arrive hot on the heels of their debut album, Crisálida. Don’t miss your first chance to hear this new project! Special thanks: Gary and Silvia Yacoubian and SVS Home Audio; Barbara Myers and Tom Gallagher; Pepco, An Exelon Company; Galena-Yorktown Foundation

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MORE INFO & TICKETS: WashingtonPerformingArts.org • (202) 785-9727 1 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 22, 202 2

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2 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 22, 202 2 • V I E WP O I NT

Remembering Wendy Rieger

She helped put SMYAL’s brunch fundraiser on the map When Wendy was on stage, every eye was on her. Wendy Rieger emceed 11 SMYAL Fall Brunches, and for more than a decade, she brought joy, humor, and light to the room. What began as a favor for her friend, former SMYAL Board Chair Mike Schwartz, became a personal passion. Her first year as emcee, in 2008, there were only 80 or so people in attendance in (Photo by David Claypool of Kalorama Photography) a small room at the Omni Shoreham. By the time Wendy took her final bow on the SMYAL stage in 2018, more than 600 supporters of LGBTQ youth packed the room. Wendy made SMYAL’s annual brunch something people wanted to come to, and she helped put our event, and organization, on the map. People loved Wendy. Her wit was unmatched and her passion for and loyalty to our community radiated every time she took command of the microphone. Mike Schwartz recalled a story of one brunch when a technical glitch caused a delay in the speaking program. Someone pulled Wendy aside and asked her to stretch her remarks and stall until a video was ready to play. She turned back to the audience and declared, “I’ve just been told to stretch if anyone wants to join me.” Immediately, Wendy began stretching in every direction on stage. The room broke out in laughter, and soon enough, everyone was on their feet stretching with her. That’s how much she commanded a room. Working with SMYAL wasn’t just a job or another speaking engagement for Wendy; it was something she was genuinely passionate about. SMYAL’s brunches were typically hosted on Sundays, a day Wendy would set aside for herself to rest after a long week onair. But she always made time for SMYAL. She brought an emotional authenticity to her role as brunch emcee. Just as much as she knew how to make a room laugh, she would choke up when talking with a youth about their experiences in SMYAL’s programs. She put her own time, energy, and money into supporting LGBTQ youth – whether it was purchasing a table at the brunch or donating a home-cooked dinner and an evening at her apartment with her and Tom Sherwood to the auction. When Wendy finally made the decision to take a step back from hosting the brunch after more than a decade, she left big shoes to fill. She had been with SMYAL from a time when our future looked uncertain, and her involvement with the brunch helped make it one of the premier LGBTQ events in the region. Wendy used her platform to bring people in, to elevate the issues of the LGBTQ community, to help SMYAL provide critical services to LGBTQ youth by raising needed resources – and she did it all with sincerity. Wendy’s passing is not only a huge loss for the D.C. community she loved so much, but for the LGBTQ community, which lost a true ally. She was a force of nature. We are grateful to have been in her orbit and to have worked closely with her for so many years. We talk a lot about pride in the LGBTQ community, and we are truly proud that we not only got to call the incomparable Wendy Rieger a friend, but a true part of the SMYAL family.

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PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

Wanted: Democrats with a new idea on how to win

White House messaging isn’t working as Biden sinks in polls When I read Presidential polls I often wonder if the people who respond to them actually understand how government works. Do they understand what actual power a president has on his/her own to make change? Do they understand when Joe Biden ran, committing to work for climate change, voting rights, and equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, in nearly every instance to turn his commitment into reality he needs Congress to pass legislation? So while I understand some being unhappy with these things not happening, and laying some blame on the president, I wonder what their next actions will be. According to an average of recent polling by Five Thirty-Eight Joe Biden now has an approval rating of only 41.6%. By way of comparison, former President Trump’s polling average shows as of April 13 his favorable rating is 43.7%. Clearly this is a problem not only for the president but for the Democratic Party. Those answering the pollster’s questions are blaming the president for all the ills they are facing. He is being viewed negatively on how he is dealing with the war in Ukraine, handling COVID and for inflation. More people blame him for rising gas prices than they do Putin. I think inflation overrides all their other considerations. They blame Biden for prices at the gas pump, grocery store, their rent going up, and nothing else matters. I know my view is skewed. As a single retired man with a decent nest-egg, I am not overly impacted by inflation. Yet a quick trip to the grocery store shows why a family would be. Three weeks ago, at my Safeway, a dozen jumbo eggs were $2.49, yesterday they were $3.99; a container of sliced strawberries and blueberries was $7.99 two months ago and is now $9.99. Everything has gone up and quite drastically. Gas and rent are up dramatically as well. So it is difficult to convince a mom/dad who is shopping they should really be looking at the unemployment rate, the lowest it’s been in years, the creation of millions of jobs, and bringing the national debt down by $1.5 trillion, is what they should be judging the president on. In one recent CBS News/YouGov poll “just 42% of Americans approve of Biden’s performance while 58 percent disapprove.” This poll looked at his numbers across different demographic and age groups. Some of my younger friends complain about what Biden has not done. They talk about not getting free college, not eliminating all student debt, not keeping his commitment on voting rights and climate change. According to the poll people under age 30 gave Biden a resounding thumbs-down, with 57 percent saying they disapprove and just 43 percent saying they approve of the president’s performance. So once again my question to them would be: “What will you do in the upcoming elections?” Will you stay home, or will you vote against Democrats to indicate your disappointment with the president? If either of those scenarios happens they will be as the saying goes, ‘cutting off their nose to spite their face.’ To win, Democrats must convince their voters to vote in larger numbers. Democratic candidates must explain if additional Democrats are elected to the Senate, the president will no longer be held hostage by one or two who don’t like his programs. The power of those like Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) who have held up some of the president’s major initiatives will be diluted. Unfortunately, history doesn’t bode well for Democrats. The same poll shows “A 54 percent majority of Hispanics and 33 percent of African Americans said they disapprove of Biden — and 22 percent of people who voted for Biden in 2020 also disapprove.” Those numbers alone are really scary for Democrats heading into the midterm elections. It is clear the messaging Democrats are using isn’t working. So one must question who is doing the messaging at the White House these days? What changes are they looking to make and will it make a difference? The results of these early April polls reflect a sour national mood. Republicans who have zero answers to any problem are making inflation, illegal immigration and parental control of schools the issues, and are winning. So with higher inflation forecast, COVID restrictions dragging on, and high crime rates, can Democrats turn this around? I don’t know. Clearly the media and 24-hour news cycles don’t help. Good things get reported once while the bad things seem to be on a continuous loop. So please, if you are a Democrat and have a good answer or idea, speak up. Our country needs you. 2 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 22, 202 2 • V I E WP O I NT

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Melissa’s ‘Way Out’

Rock pioneer ﬁnds inspiration in the past — from revisiting old demos to reconnecting with celeb pals like Ellen

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO again for her final season? We caught up with rock legend Melissa Etheridge on April ETHERIDGE: Oh, I love her. She’s such an old friend. You 8 by phone from Snoqualmie, Wash. — it’s about 26 miles east know, I say that about myself, too. (chuckles) But, you know, of Seattle —where she was playing the Snoqualmie Casino on she’s just a relationship in my life that I have treasured. We’ve her “One Way Out Tour,” which plays our region on Tuesday, watched each other grow and the changes we’ve made and April 26. the successes and what we’ve gone through and I love that It’s named after her latest album, released last fall, which she had me on and just it was just a really — she’s a dear friend. found Etheridge, who’s been out since ’93, revisiting demos And she showed an old photo there, and we both said, “Oh, from early in her career. that was before we were so busy.” Her comments have been slightly edited for length. WASHINGTON BLADE: “One Way Out” sounds like such a cool project. Was it all re-recorded stuff of old songs or were some of those vintage takes on the record as well? MELISSA ETHERIDGE: The last two songs, the live songs, were from where? From 2002? OK, but the other songs were newly recorded. BLADE: And how many of them did you remember? ETHERIDGE: You know, when I found them again, they all came back very clearly. And I was like, “Oh, this is — why did I throw that away? That’s weird.” And I really enjoyed, you know, hearing them, they were just old demos. I’d never done full-blown recordings. So I thought, “This is great, I want to do these songs.” BLADE: We have a relatively new venue you’re going to be playing, Capital One Hall. I’ve only been there once. You excited? ETHERIDGE: Yeah, it’s always fun. I love the D.C.-area crowd. It’s just really, really nice. BLADE: And how do you decide where you’ll be? Or do you have any say in it? ETHERIDGE: Well, it’s not necessarily me. I do have a say in it, in what I want the whole tour to look like. But it is really up to William Morris, my agent, to find the right venue that understands what we need and the kind of atmosphere we’re looking for that and the amount of people and, you know, that sort of thing. BLADE: Tell me about Etheridge TV. I just wonder, when we were in that acute phase of the pandemic, wasn’t it even remotely tempting to you to just take a break? ETHERIDGE: No, because since I was 12 years old, I sang all the time for people, like five days a week and it’s just been what I do. And so when it was like, I was looking at a massive, cavernous amount of time that I was going to be home, I still needed a way to pay the bills, so we put our heads together — I’ve got one of the greatest television minds with me, you know, my wife (TV producer Linda Wallem), so I had the space and I had the equipment, and I was like, “Let’s do it.” And it was really fun to learn new things. It was fun to learn about computers and sound and streaming and lights and cameras and all these things that I didn’t know. … I feel a little smarter. BLADE: When did you start back on the road? ETHERIDGE: We went out last fall. We went out September, October, right around there. And you know, it was a little different, Now things are things are loosening up … but some places still require masks. But people are starting to get back out and it feels good. It’s not the overwhelming thing that it was a few months ago. BLADE: And what was it like being on ‘Ellen’

BLADE: Do you talk to her often? ETHERIDGE: I would say we see each other socially once or twice a year. It just seemed like once we started having children, all my friends from my 20s and 30s when we were not as busy — it just gets harder to stay in touch and life got crazy. BLADE: So when you were hanging out back in the day with Ellen and Rosie and everybody, how was it that Brad Pitt was in that group too? ETHERIDGE: Well, my girlfriend (Julie Cypher) had been married to Lou Diamond Phillips and we were all very good friends with Dermot Mulroney and Catherine Keener and Catherine Keener did a movie with Brad, like a movie nobody saw, like Johnny Dangerously or something (1991’s “Johnny Suede”), some really weird movie. So I met Brad before he was terribly famous. He was a part of that group. There was a whole group of all of us that just hung out, and we were all totally different. We were just like young, hungry Hollywood and we’d talk about, “Oh, I had this audition,” or “I went and did this,” and we were just all trying to make it in that town. So we’d get together and have fun. BLADE: I was so terribly sorry to hear about Beckett (Etheridge’s son, who died in 2020 at age 21 after struggling with opioid addiction). How are you and the rest of the family, especially (Beckett’s twin) Bailey, dealing with it now? ETHERIDGE: There are many, many families like us that deal with a loss like that. It just blows a family sideways. But we have a deep love and connection, all of us. We all knew he had a problem and it’s a problem that starts way before he actually passes, so it was not a surprise. So now we’re just living with the missing aspect. You try not to think about what could have been and you try to think about him in a happier place and that he’s out of pain, so that helps us. BLADE: Had he and Bailey been as close in recent years? ETHERIDGE: They were very close, but in the last couple of years as he made worse and worse choices, we couldn’t support that, so they were less close, but of course in her heart, it was her brother, he was very dear to her. BLADE: Did you watch the Grammys? Was there anybody you were particularly rooting for? ETHERIDGE: I watched bits and pieces of it. I had a show that night, so I didn’t get to see the main thing, but I have seen pieces and I just love the crazy diversity and you know, the TikTok people winning stuff, it’s like, “Wow, this is so not the Grammys I remember from the ’80s,” but that was what, 30 years ago? So it’s all good. BLADE: You were such a perennial favorite back in the day in the best rock female category. Were you pissed when they eliminated it? ETHERIDGE: It’s sad because I felt like the criteria they were using to judge what is female rock, they just really

MELISSA ETHERIDGE says slowing down wasn’t an option for her when the pandemic hit. She’s glad to be back on the road now, she says. (Photo by Elizabeth Miranda; courtesy Primary Wave)

dropped the ball. I still think there are some amazing musicians that could be considered, you know, rock, but it feels like we’re having a hard time even defining what rock and roll is now anyway. There’s a whole bunch of strong women out there playing, rocking, you know, playing guitar, being excellent musicians and songwriters. If you can’t call it best rock female, OK, call it something else. BLADE: I remember so vividly when you were on the Grammys in 2005, in the midst of chemo, when you sang “Piece of My Heart.” I remember you saying you were wondering how people would react to seeing you bald. Having been through that, any thoughts on the Will/Jada Oscars situation since her baldness, too, was due to a medical condition? ETHERIDGE: You know, it’s funny, I did feel a little remembrance of (thinking), “I just hope people don’t make fun of me.” That was kind of the first thing because to go out there bald, that was so different for me as an artist whose hair had kind of defined her. I was thinking, “How am I gonna rock without my hair?” I thought people might make fun of me, but I got over that. I just thought, “Well, if somebody makes fun of me, that just makes them look bad.” So I just walked through it. And you know, it’s hard to draw the line between what’s funny and what’s painful and how to look at something. I feel for all parties involved. BLADE: When you go on these cruises, do fans give you some space or do they swarm around the minute you walk out? Is it even enjoyable for you? ETHERIDGE: Yeah, it is. You know, we did our last one, now we’re doing Etheridge Island, we now have a destination in Mexico, outside of Cancun, it’s just this island that we’re going to that is really fantastic. But I do I make myself available, I don’t run away. When I have to be somewhere, I have a great company we work with called Sixthman that knows how to get me from point A to point B without being bogged down. But I do my make myself available. Everyone gets a picture with me. It’s my work, but I love it. I try to make myself available but also have some time just for myself too.

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BLADE: You Tweeted a few nights ago about having a tight curfew of just 90 minutes at a casino but then it worked out and you got to do a full set. Why are the curfews so tight at casinos? ETHERIDGE: Why do you think? They want people at the tables. Like for tonight, we we settled on 100 minutes. They’re giving me 10 extra minutes. I don’t like it, but in some areas, the only really good venue is a casino, so if you want to reach your folks there, you kind of have to meet them half way. LaPlacaCohen Publication: Insertion date: Size:

212-675-4106 WASHINGTONBLADE APRIL 2022 Half Page 4.625" x 10.5" 4C

Where Beauty Lives

Etheridge says next project likely autobiographical

BLADE: Yeah, but it seems like in conMELISSA ETHERIDGE brings her ‘One Way Out cert halls, the curfews can sometimes be Tour’ to the D.C. region next week with a show at the new Capital One Hall in Tysons. (Photo by Elizabeth really tight too. Even Madonna got her Miranda; courtesy Primary Wave) lights shut off a couple years ago. Of course, she’s notoriously late, but why are they so strict with these things nowadays? ETHERIDGE: There are all different situations — concert halls often have union crews that will absolutely shut you down if you go one second over. There are also sound curfews, noise curfews, mostly with outdoor venues, but sometimes indoor as well. They have an agreement with the neighborhood. So you have people in the neighborhood standing by with their phones ready to pounce the minute it goes over one minute, they’re gonna call the police. As a performer, you just realize, “OK, it’s not just about me.” When I don’t have a curfew, I usually land at about two hours and some change. That seems comfortable to everyone. Any longer and I think I’m wearing my audience out. When I’m at a place with a shorter show, I just do my best. BLADE: I know you’re a big Chiefs fan. Did you watch that game back in January all the way to the end? ETHERIDGE: Well, at the end of it, I was on the floor. My wife was like, “Honey, honey, there’s still 13 seconds,” and I was moaning and sort of getting my feet on the floor and, you know, laying down and throwing a fit. And she’s like, “No, there’s still 13 seconds.” I dragged myself back to the television. And I couldn’t believe it. I was like, “Wait a minute. Did we just win?” You know, just really crazy, really crazy stuff. … When you’re a fan like that, it’s a ride you can’t fully explain.

A legendary home. Spectacular gardens. Immersive experiences. And you’re invited.

BLADE: Are you in a cordial or good place with your exes? Does it get easier when the kids are starting to grow up? ETHERIDGE: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And you realize that it’s best for the kids if you can really get along and that any sort of conflict that can’t get resolved, that gets emotional, does no good for ‘One Way Out Tour’ anyone. And absolutely, I have, I’ve gotten better at that as the years have gone by.

Melissa Etheridge

Hours: Tues – Sun 10am – 5pm HillwoodMuseum.org 4155 Linnean Ave. NW, Washington DC Free parking

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Tuesday, April 26 Capital One Hall 7750 Capital One Tower Rd. Tysons, VA 7:30 p.m. | Tickets: $55 ticketmaster.com | capitalonehall.com | melissaetheridge.com

Photo: Erik Kvalsvik

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4/14/22 2:47 PM

BLADE: Do you have the slightest inkling yet what the next studio album might be like? ETHERIDGE: Well, I’ve got some interesting projects that I’m not ready to talk about just yet. But they have to do with my life story. There’s a lot of digging up of my past and really telling the story. So I imagine the next series of music you’ll get from me is going to be very focused on my journey.

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CALENDAR |

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Friday, April 22

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). Trans Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This support group is intended to provide emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from each other. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Saturday, April 23 Black Lesbian Support Group will be at 11 a.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-led support group devoted to the joys and challenges of being a Black Lesbian. You do not need to be a member of the Beta Kappa Chapter or the Beta Phi Omega Sorority in order to join, but they do ask that you either identify as a lesbian or are questioning that aspect of your identity. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org. Volunteer with Food and Friends will be at 9 a.m. at 219 Riggs Rd., N.E. Food and Friends prepares and delivers meals and groceries to people living with HIV, cancer, and other life challenging illnesses. If you need a ride from the Fort Totten Metro, call the Food and Friends shuttle at 202-669-6437.

Sunday, April 24

Baltimore Trans Pride is scheduled for June 4.

Yes Homo! A Queer Centric Comedy Show will be at 6 p.m. at St. Vincent Wine. This event is a special Eco Homo, Earth Day edition of queer-centric comedy. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Monday, April 25 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, April 26 Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary- whether bigender, agender, genderﬂuid, or not 100% cisgender. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Wednesday, April 27 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.” Asexual and Aromantic 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.

Thursday, April 28 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 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245. DC Anti-Violence Project Open Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. The primary mission of the DC Anti-Violence Project is to reduce violence against LGBT individuals (and those perceived as LGBT) through community outreach, education, and monitoring cases to ensure that the rights and dignity of LGBT victims are respected and protected. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org. 2 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 22, 202 2

OUT & ABOUT Dance festival to feature electronic music acts

Insomniac and Club Glow will host the inaugural edition of the Project GLOW music festival on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at the RFK Festival Grounds. This festival will feature internationally acclaimed top electronic music acts such as DJ Diplo, Martin Garrix, Alan Walker and Meduza among many others. There will also be three curated stages of music, food and beverage offerings. Project GLOW will platform its homegrown nonprofits GOODProjects and DC Vote. To Write Love On Her Arms, a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide, will also offer their resources to those in need during the festival. For more information, visit the festival’s website.

Baltimore Trans Pride set for June 4 Baltimore Safe Haven will host Baltimore Trans Pride on Saturday, June 4 at Charles Street between North Avenue and 23rd Street. The event will begin with a march from 33rd Street at 1 p.m. and end with a block party at 4 p.m. There will be entertainment from local artists, vending opportunities and sponsorship opportunities. For more details, email transpride@blatimoresafehaven.org.

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Playwright pays tribute to gay grandfather in new Round House show ‘Jennifer, Who Is Leaving’ marks Gould’s first return to D.C. since 2017 By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Morgan Gould is an enthusiastic LGBTQ ally and it’s reflected in her work. With “Jennifer, Who Is Leaving,” the New York-based playwright pays tribute to her gay grandfather. Billed as a developmental reading in Round House Theatre’s National Capital New Play Festival, the piece marks Gould’s first professional return D.C. since 2017 when Studio Theatre presented “I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart,” her daring dive into the often-complex relationships of plus-sized women and their gay male best friends. Gould says, “A woman who is fat and has five gay men in her favorites on her iPhone is an ally and that’s me.” She adds that a continuation of gay themes in her plays makes perfect sense — “That’s my thing. It’s what I know about.” Prior to the reading, Gould, who is also directing, will have a week to rehearse with an “embarrassingly good cast” comprised MORGAN GOULD of local talent Floyd King, Nancy Robinette, Kimberly Gilbert, and Annie Fang. The two readings (April 28 and 30) will be separated by an extra day of rehearsal when Gould will most likely make some changes to the script. In addition to five readings, the new play festival features two fully staged world premieres through May 8: Tim J. Lord’s “We declare you a terrorist…” and Charly Evon Simpson’s “it’s not a trip it’s a journey.” WASHINGTON BLADE: Hey, Morgan. What’s new? MORGAN GOULD: I still have many gay friends. Two guys call me about 14 times a day. That’s not new, but COVID has turned me into a Facetime gal versus a hang out with friends in the living room kind of gal. And since theater hasn’t been a thing, really, I’ve spent most of the pandemic working on TV stuff. I wrote on the adaptation of “A League of Their Own” starring Abby Jacobson who’s also head writer. It’s coming out in July on Amazon. I haven’t seen it yet, so hopefully it’s good. Like the film but with different characters, and retains the same feminist vibe. BLADE: So, when did you write “Jennifer, Who Is Leaving”? GOULD: I wrote the first draft before the pandemic. This was the last thing I brought

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into class as a playwrighting fellow at Juilliard before graduating in 2019. I’d written intense personal stuff, and a lot about being fat. Why not give myself a fun breath of fresh air? My gay grandfather was probably the funniest person I’ve ever known. Still, this play becomes intense. I can’t help it. BLADE: Tell us about your gay grandfather. GOULD: His name was Joey. He died at 90-something in 2008. He and his partner Bob were very over-the-top gay men who never said they were gay. He always introduced Bob as his nephew. Bob designed shoes and my grandfather designed wedding dresses. They had a little dog. They weren’t straight. My grandfather was performatively snobby. When dementia put him in a nursing home his catty sense of humor took a crazy turn. He could be off the wall inappropriate. As teenagers, my sister and I thought it was hilarious. My mother, of course, was mortified. BLADE: Is your new play about that? GOULD: It’s based on my grandfather’s relationship to a woman who was his nurse’s aide in the nursing home, as well as the ways women take care of men. There are three generations of women in the play who all in some fashion have a relation to caretaking for men. It takes place late night at a Dunkin’ Donuts. A crazy snowstorm forces the old man and the nurse’s aide to pull over and ride out the blizzard surrounded by donuts. The night manager is an older woman. I’m from Massachusetts and worked at Dunkin’ Donuts when I was young. It seems there was one on almost every corner. BLADE: Have you been to D.C. since your play at Studio? GOULD: It’s my first time back to work on one of my projects. I’ve been to see my boyfriend Mike Daisey’s shows. He’s a monologist who has performed at Woolly Mammoth and more recently Arena. D.C. is great. I like the restaurants, especially Le Diplomate and weirdly the little dim sum place near Studio. BLADE: What do you expect from Round House’s new play festival? GOULD: Ultimately, I hope to walk out with a script that says this is ready for production and hopefully some theater will do it. That’s the dream. There’s a lot out of my control. But yeah, I think people will like it. It’s a hopeful play with a dark night of the soul. BLADE: Anything else? GOULD: What is the runtime you ask? 75 minutes, babe. No intermission.

‘Jennifer, Who Is Leaving’ April 28 & 30 | Round House Theatre

4545 East-West Highway | Bethesda, Md. 20814 Roundhousetheatre.org

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Two W O R L D P R E M I E R E S • Developmental play readings • Panel discussions • and more!

L AY I N NOW P & HE

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AY 8 M H G U THRO

RMING A R T WA

A DV E N

TURE

June needs a journey. Like, now. So, she convinces her friends to ditch New York City for an impromptu road trip to the Grand Canyon. As the four wildly different friends travel through the wondrous and not-so-wondrous sights of the United States, they must come together to contend with being Black, femme, and American…all at the same time.

N SIMPSO E VO N Y L R A ON BY CH . WAT S OLE A C I N Y ED B DIRECT

NAIL

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Moscow, 2002: halfway through Putin’s first official term as president. After he brutally crushes a rebellion in the territory of Chechnya, a group of Chechen insurgents hijack a blockbuster musical and take the entire audience of nearly 800 people—including the playwright—hostage. Based on the real events of the Dubrovka Theater hostage crisis, “We declare you a terrorist…” follows the playwright as he comes to terms with that tragic night at the theatre.

R YA N

D J. LOR BY TIM ED BY CCHI DIRECT MEZZO D E R A E & J RILETT

TICKETS ON SALE NOW 240.644.1100 | RoundHouseTheatre.org

Photos: Cast of it’s not a trip it’s a journey (top) and Eva Eisenson (Kayira) and Cody Nickell (The Writer) in “We declare you a terrorist...” (bottom) by Margot Schulman

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'22

Don Carlo

FORBIDDEN PASSION. POLITICAL INTRIGUE. May 13, 2022 @ 7:30 pm | May 15, 2022 @ 2:00 pm

THE MUSIC CENTER AT STRATHMORE

ARTURO CHACÓN-CRUZ

ELAINE ALVAREZ

MARK DELAVAN

DON CARLO

ELISABETTA

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PRINCESS EBOLI

ANDREA SILVESTRELLI

KENNETH KELLOGG

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SEUNGHYEON BAEK

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INQUISITOR

TEBALDO

CATHERINE MARTIN

FRATE

LOUIS SALEMNO, CONDUCTOR

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Netflix scores queer triumph with ‘Heartstopper’

Series adapted from popular YA webcomic about teen boys who fall in love By JOHN PAUL KING

If we were only able to choose one word to describe “Heartstopper,” the new Netflix series adapted from Alice Oseman’s wildly popular 2017 YA webcomic about two teenage boys who fall in love, that word would have to be “adorable” — and it would be more than enough justification for an enthusiastic recommendation to start streaming it right now. Fortunately, we don’t have to choose, and just in case there are some curmudgeons among our readers who avoid “adorable” content as a matter of principle, we can add quite a few more words just to make it clear that this is a show to win the heart of even the most cynical viewer and have them ready to binge it straight to the end after watching only the first five minutes. For readers of Oseman’s original comic, no explanation is needed to convey the infectious blend of emotions that makes its simple love story so irresistible; with more than 52 million views to date and the bestselling print publication of four volumes so far, its quick and widespread popularity is proof enough of the story’s universal – and multi-intersectional – appeal. “Heartstoppers” is the story of Charlie and Nick, a pair of students at an English boys’ school with widely differing places in the school’s pecking order; Charlie, gentle and shy, has been bullied after being inadvertently outed as gay the previous year, and spends most of his time with a handful of other social misfits, while Nick, athletic and popular, is a rugby player who hangs out with his equally athletic and popular teammates. Yet when they end up sitting together in a class they share, the two become friends – much to the surprise of Charlie, who finds himself crushing on Nick despite assuming, along with everyone else, that he is straight. It’s not hard to see where things are going to go from there, even without spoilers, but that predictability does nothing to dampen the delight of following these two young and tender hearts as they negotiate the pangs and pressures of first love while navigating their school’s deeply ingrained social hierarchy. With Oseman herself writing the adaptation, the series had an advantage right out of the gate when it came to translating that into a live-action format, and her fans have been eagerly awaiting it ever since Netflix announced it was happening in January of 2021. The resulting series – an all-too-brief season of eight half-hour episodes directed by BAFTA-winning “Doctor Who” and “Sherlock” veteran Euros Lyn – will almost certainly lead millions of others to join their ranks. The most important factor in bringing the story’s appeal to the screen is undoubtedly the casting of its two leading characters, and with newcomer Joe Locke as Charlie joining Kit Connor (“Rocketman,” “His Dark Materials”) as Nick, it’s hard to imagine how the show’s creators could have done better. Locke, with his soulful eyes and curly mop of hair, perfectly captures the look of the character as drawn, as does the cherubic, handsome Connor – but they bring much more than an apt appearance to their roles. In a story that requires them to delicately tread through a potentially fraught emotional landscape, facing scenarios with consequences ranging from the socially awkward to the deeply traumatic, they not only fulfill that duty effortlessly, but do so while meeting every moment with enough intelligence, sensitivity, and authenticity to make the already-relatable nuances of their young relationship resonate even more tangibly. Most essential of all, the tender chemistry they share is strong enough – and believable enough – to ensure that the almost unbearable sweetness of their blossoming romance never once feels sappy or insincere. It’s a fragile and difficult balance to maintain, but these two young actors pull it off with such unforced buoyancy that we are too busy floating on their cloud with them to even notice. As right-on-target as the show’s portrayal of Nick and Charlie’s journey together may

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KIT CONNER and JOE LOCKE star in ‘Heartstopper.’

(Photo courtesy of Netflix)

be, they are not the only LGBTQ+ characters in the mix. There’s Elle (Yasmin Finney), a member of Charlie’s circle until being transferred to the neighboring girls’ school after coming out as transgender, who is nervous about being accepted in her new environment. Also at the girls’ school is Tara (Corinna Brown), who once shared a kiss with Nick but is now on the verge of coming out and going public about her relationship with girlfriend Darcy (Kizzy Edgell). Finally, there’s Tao (William Gao), a protective friend and ally to them all (though his protective nature leads him to mistrust Nick’s intentions), who is beginning to recognize the stirrings of more than friendship with Elle. Simply reading that roster might lead one to presume the show is trying to up the ante on inclusion by including as many colors in the rainbow as possible – and it’s worth mentioning that the cast of characters is made up of a diverse blend of ethnicities, too. Neither of these elements feel forced; those of us who know about life from more than just television surely recognize that seeing so many LGBTQ+ people and people of color mixed into one blended community together is not a stretch – it’s an accurate reflection of the real world. Even if that were not the case, the show asserts its sincerity by treating each of these characters and their stories with the same amount of kindness it affords Nick and Charlie; it even leaves room for us to pity characters like Ben (Sebastian Croft), a closeted boy who carries on a secret relationship with Charlie while refusing to acknowledge him in the halls, or Harry (Cormac Hyde-Corrin) a teammate of Nick’s who delights in tormenting anyone who doesn’t fit in, who are on hand to remind us that – increased acceptance notwithstanding – homophobia still exerts a toxic enough effect to make coming out a difficult path to undertake alone. In answer to that, the show takes ample opportunity to explore the theme of chosen family; the way these friends help each other along the way, even as they themselves are trying not to stumble, serves as both an inspiration and a reminder to the countless viewers, whether LGBTQ or not, who know first-hand the bonds that grow from such experience. As for “real” families, they’re not left out of the picture, either: both Nick and Charlie have supportive (if not always helpful) parents in their lives, and Charlie’s older sister Tori (Jenny Walser) emerges every so often from her room like a denizen of the underworld rising to taunt him – lovingly, of course – with a truth or two. By now, it feels like we’re gushing. After all, haven’t the last few years have seen any number of LGBTQ teen love stories coming to our screens? And hasn’t each of them been hailed as a milestone of representation? Haven’t queer elders remarked, each time, what a difference it would have made if they had seen such a film when they were growing up? The thing is, though, that it’s been true each time — and sometimes, as it does with “Heartstopper” — it feels a little more true than usual.

WITH CONGRESSWOMAN LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER

$20 FOR TICKETS GO TO BLADEFOUNDATION.ORG/REHOBOTH

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Randy Rainbow’s new book not as funny as his videos But ‘Playing with Myself’ offers insights into comedian’s upbringing By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

It takes two to tango. And foxtrot, and waltz, and polka, for that matter. You might dance in a circle with other couples but those are couples, remember, not lines of people boot-scootin’. No, it takes two to tango and spaghetti kiss and to sing a duet but, as in the new book “Playing with Myself” by Randy Rainbow, it just takes one to podcast. People ask Randy Rainbow all the time if his last name is real. Yes, it is, he writes with glee, and it’s one of the best things his father ever gave him. Because, seriously, could there be a more fitting name for a gay “topical comedian?” Being in the limelight has always been in Rainbow’s blood:

‘Playing With Myself’ By Randy Rainbow

c.2022, St. Martin’s Press $28.99 | 256 pages

3 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • APRIL 22, 202 2

he recalls staging a Disney play for neighborhood parents when he was very young. He was the lead actor, the director, the stage manager, and the costumer. His playmates were rather less-than-enthusiastic but the parents applauded, and Rainbow was hooked. It probably helped that his mother was a big Broadway fan and so Rainbow grew up with show tunes. As an adolescent, he collected soundtrack CDs and, after he was introduced to “a form of religion that was... Barbra Streisand,” he collected videos of certain performances he grew to love best. Also as an adolescent, he grew awkward. His other religion was crunchy snacks and he spent a lot of time in his room; his parents had moved the family from New York to Florida; their marriage was in shreds, and it took a while for Rainbow to get his confidence back. Still, it wasn’t until he was in high school that he found that old rhythm, his scathing sense of humor, and a cadre of like-minded theater-and-drama friends. After graduation, Rainbow returned to New York, where he ultimately found his community and sharpened his talent. Restaurants and clubs kept the lights on while he was learning to monetize the podcasts he was making, when an agent told him that he was “still a nobody!” “Enter,” says Rainbow, “the 2016 presidential candidates.” You didn’t really think “Playing with Myself” would be as hilarious as author Randy Rainbow’s videos, did you? Yes, this book’s funny but alas, not quite as LOL as his parodies. You probably won’t mind, though: Rainbow’s biography is still plenty entertaining, nonetheless. From his first pair of Ruby shoes to the shoo-off he jokingly gives readers at the end, we get a peek at how he gained what he admits is “an encyclopedic knowledge of Broadway musicals,” how his sense of humor was honed, and how that all led to a library of YouTube bits that roast those in the news. Politicians seem to be special targets for Rainbow – not surprisingly, as you’ll see here – but anyone’s fair game for the needling. “Playing with Myself” is slightly bruised by an overdose of name-dropping, the presence of which may surprise nobody. Still, if you don’t hate on that and you love a little faux-pearl-clutching, this book is two good to pass up.

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Jeremy Denk’s memoir proves he’s as gifted with words as with music Gay pianist’s coming-of-age story has broad appeal

By KATHI WOLFE Denk’s writing about music and his teachers will be catnip to musicians When I was nine, my parents decided I should learn to play a musical and classical music fans. But his stories of sweat, competition, enduring instrument. A teacher in our town tried to get me to take to the guitar. “Her criticism — nurturing one’s talent will resonate with everyone from athletes playing was remarkable,” he said, aiming for tact, but sounding as if he’d to artists to chefs to race car drivers. just bitten into a cat litter sandwich. Learning to be a concert pianist isn’t for the faint of heart. “‘Why are you You might think “Every Good Boy Does Fine,” the new memoir by Jerfucking waiting?’ he yelled in my face,” Denk writes about a lesson with an emy Denk, the gay, MacArthur-genius-award-winning concert pianist, acclaimed teacher, “coating me with a fine film of Scotch-scented saliva.” would have little appeal for musical philistines like me. Or that Denk’s Denk’s bio is proof that whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. coming-of-age story would only tickle the ivories of musicians and their He’s emerged from the grueling lessons as a rock star! Denk’s recordings aficionados. have reached #1 on the Billboard classical charts. But you would be wrong. Denk, a “New Yorker” writer, is a superb wordThankfully, “Every Good Boy Does Fine” isn’t only the story of Denk’s smith. He’s as gifted with words as he is with the piano. professional growth. The memoir has a parallel, by turns funny, sad, ironic The memoir is structured around a through-line of musical lessons (in –gut-wrenching, narrative of Denk’s personal life. harmony, melody and rhythm). In these chapters, Denk writes with intelliHis mother is an alcoholic. His Dad is demanding. His brother doesn’t gence, wit, and wonderful metaphors of music and the arduous discipline know what to make of his obsession with classical music. Denk has a hard and practice needed to learn to play the piano. time becoming comfortable with being gay. One day when he was 12, Denk, who was born in 1970, bought a casDenk knew early on that he was different from other kids. “I was eager sette of Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante with the Cleveland Orchestra.” “I to be brave,” he writes of the ecstatic moment at age 12 when he listened was the kind of kid who thought he’d already figured out Mozart,” Denk to the cassette of Mozart. “I wanted to share the moment with my parents.” writes, “but could barely tie his shoelaces.” “But I worried,” Denk writes, “my father would make a joke, or my brothDenk, winner of the Avery Fisher Prize, began piano lessons at age six. It er would think I was showing off, or my mother would ask why I hadn’t was soon clear that he was talented. ‘Every Good Boy Does Fine’ dusted the living room.” From childhood on, Denk endured the tedium of practicing the piano. By Jeremy Denk Denk emerges from the memoir as endearingly human. He’s delighted “Scales were the ultimate joyless task,” he writes, “an endless and recursive c.2020, Random House to be kissed by Princess Diana (when he’s awarded the third prize in a tedium.” $28.99 | 368 pages competition). Denk’s family moved from North Carolina to New Jersey when he was “Why do you play so loud?” a man asks him in the bathroom after he’s six and from New Jersey to New Mexico when he was 10. performed a concert in Munich. In New Mexico, Denk took lessons from William Leland, a New Mexico State University piaYou’re happy with Denk when he finds love. no professor. In Oberlin College (which he entered at 16), he decided to become a musician. “Every Good Boy Does Fine” is one of the best memoirs I’ve read this year. It’s never outIn graduate school, Denk studied under the acclaimed pianist Gyorgy Sebok, and he reof-tune. ceived a Ph.D. from Julliard in 2001.

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The Bonnet Ball

Easter tradition returns to JR.’s Bar (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key) The Bonnet Ball returned to JR.’s Bar for Easter Sunday with drink specials, drag performances and an Easter bonnet contest. Performers included Citrine and Yeti Davis.

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A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 3

How green was my garden?

Post-pandemic, it’s time to focus on the exteriors of our homes By VALERIE M. BLAKE

Many of us spent the pandemic lockdown making improvements to the interior of our homes. Now it’s time to address the exterior. Let me begin by saying I am not a gardener. I kill indoor plants just by looking at them. (That same withering look works on bullies and fools too.) Outdoor perennials and shrubs have more of a chance, but I still need guidance from landscape professionals and a friend who makes magic happen in his own garden. He has vowed to make my quarter acre yard look beautiful this year and, hopefully, for years to come. I have vowed to water what he plants. I began my exterior rejuvenation by having my house pressure washed, a seemingly innocuous process that turned into a whole day affair. My house was commissioned by D.C. pharmacist Martin Fealy and built by John Joseph Early in 1935. The exterior is made of architectural concrete, laced with beige, tan and multi-colored stones. Anyone who has been to Meridian Hill Park has seen this polychrome technique. I explained to the person I hired that too much water pressure could ruin the design and cause the little stones to fall out, so he knew that he had to work more slowly and delicately than he would normally. After six hours of constantly running water, DC Water emailed me a notice asking me to check for leaks. (Note: Do not forget to include water usage when you budget for pressure washing.) After my house received its bath, my green-thumbed friend and I made a pilgrimage to Ed’s Plant World in Brandywine, Md., to select trees, bushes, plants, and mulch for my new garden beds. We bought Sky Pencil Japanese Hollies (Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’, for those who fancy their horticultural names) for the back corners of the house. They will grow up to 8 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Nine Gulf Stream Nandinas (Nandina Heavenly Bamboo ‘Gulf tream an ever reen with fier red oran e tips will be planted between them There will be a large Schip Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus ‘Schipkaensis’) by the kitchen door and a Juniper Topiary in a spiral shape for the centerpiece of a Zen Garden in the back corner of the property, accented by assorted rocks and a resting Buddha with solar spotlight. The only things we took with us were some annuals described on my receipt and known only to me as “Premium Annual Assortment, 3 for $18.00” and “Hanging Basket Assortment” for the side yard. They were planted with the contents of the basket cascadin down the front of a five foot container that is built into m home s e terior The rest of the plants will be delivered with 16 bags of non-toxic cedar mulch, four ba s of topsoil and three ba s of sand for filler between the slates on m patio since supply chain issues have delayed delivery of the mulch to Ed’s. Before deciding on cedar, I did some research and learned that certain mulches can be toxic or even lethal to animals, so if you have pets, steer clear of Cocoa Bean mulch. So as not to lose momentum, my landscaping friend spread weed killer in certain areas of the yard while I kept the dogs in the house until the manufacturer’s instructions

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Update your home’s look with some new ﬂowers and landscaping this spring.

said it was safe to let them out. He then found some existing Daylilies a better home on the other side of the garden and transplanted them. Once the garden is done, I’ll attack the casement windows. Original to the house, made of wrought iron, and irreplaceable, they have been painted shut for years and need reglazing to keep out rain and wind. Reglazing is labor intensive but easy to do – for my handyman. My knees and my friends who use canes and walkers tell me it’s time to install a railing for ascending my 20 stairs to the front door. I hope to have it match the Art Deco gate in front of my garage, which needs to be scraped and repainted. I’m toying with installing an automatic gate opener and what exterior project would be complete without pointing up a stone retaining wall? fter si ears ﬁnall bit the bullet and purchased colorful chair cushions to replace the old ones on the front porch. A new outdoor rug is also in order, to complete the freshening of my home’s exterior. f can et all this done b the end of the summer then perhaps for the ﬁrst time since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ll see you on the Hillcrest Walking Tour in the fall.

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