Washington Blade, Volume 53, Issue 24, June 17, 2022

J U N E 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • V O LU M E 5 3 • I S S U E 2 4 • W A S H I N GTO N B L A D E . C O M

READY TO LIVE AT NATIONAL HARBOR? The Potomac Overlook Monument Series Luxury Townhomes starting from the $800’s

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

TOM GAFFNEY

SENIOR LOAN OFFICER NMLS ID #182206

703.307.5877 tgaffney@fhmtg.com www.GaffneyLoans.com

CURRENT INCENTIVES **

$20K in Closing Costs* *with use of preferred Lender and Title **not valid on previous contracts and must settle on or before 6/30/22.

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

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

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

0 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

8463

POTOMAC OVERLOOK MONUMENT SERIES FROM THE $800’S 500 TRIGGERFISH DRIVE, NATIONAL HARBOR, MD 20745 SALES@INTEGRITYHMW.COM | (703) 223-6286

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 3

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

FULL LOGO (Preferred)

Text Only Stack

Style Guide v.1 | February 2018

Text Only Inline

Community Partners

ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE READING THIS WILL BE A MEMBER. SUPPORT LGBTQ MEDIA TODAY! WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/MEMBERSHIP 0 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

VOLUME 53 ISSUE 24 ADDRESS PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 PHONE 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF knaff@washblade.com ext. 8088 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 REPORTER & INTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com POP CULTURE REPORTER JOHN PAUL KING PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS TINASHE CHINGARANDE, DUNIA ORELLANA, REPORTAR SIN MIEDO, PARKER PURIFOY, PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE, ERNESTO VALLE, YARIEL VALDÉS GONZÁLEZ, LYNARE ROBBINS, PHILIP VAN SLOOTEN, KATLEGO K. KOLANYANE-KESUPILE, KAELA ROEDER, TREMENDA NOTA, ALBERTO J. VALENTÍN, MAYKEL GONZÁLEZ VIVERO, ORGULLO LGBT. CO, ESTEBAN GUZMAN CREATIVE DESIGN/PRODUCTION AZERCREATIVE.COM SALES & ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING STEPHEN RUTGERS srutgers@washblade.com ext. 8077 SR. ACCT. EXECUTIVE BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com ext. 8089 ACCT. EXECUTIVE JOE HICKLING jhickling@washblade.com ext. 8094 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION PHILLIP G. ROCKSTROH prockstroh@washblade.com ext. 8092 NATIONAL ADVERTISING RIVENDELL MEDIA 212-242-6863; sales@rivendellmedia.com For distribution, contact Lynne Brown ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC

at

202-747-2077,

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

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

©2022 BROWN NAFF PITTS OMNIMEDIA, INC.

Summer Maintenance and Cleaning As the weather heats up, it’s important to ensure your home is equipped to handle the heat. I’ve provided some tips and tricks on maintaining your home.

1

Remove and clean window treatments. Shake off dust or put them in the dryer for a couple of minutes. This will help freshen up your curtains and drapes and remove any allergens such as dust or pollen.

3 Keep your kitchen free of bad odors. With excess heat and humidity comes stronger odors. Be sure to rinse your garbage and recycling bins with cleaning solutions and water to prevent any lingering and unwanted smells.

2

Check your A/C system. Before cranking the A/C on a hot summer day, ensure your A/C is working properly. Vacuuming and dusting vents will help keep your air fresh. If your A/C is still not blowing cold, consult a licensed technician.

4 Sweep and clean outdoor areas. Sweep off dirt, pollen, and leaves from your outdoor living space. Power washing can be a great way to deep clean your deck or patio. Pro Tip: Apply vinegar to cracks and crevices to prevent mold or mildew growth.

Michael Moore Realtor® Over 29 Years of Experience Licensed in DC, MD, VA

M: 202.262.7762 O: 202.386.6330 sV /soOOs !9 Washington, DC 20005

Compass is a licensed real estate brokerage that abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. Compass is licensed as Compass Real Estate in DC and as Compass in Virginia and Maryland. sV /soOOs !9 9BpVWbUsdbÛ Ś à à

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 5

Kamala Harris speaks at D.C. Pride festival

In a surprise appearance, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke from the main stage of D.C.’s Capital Pride Festival late Sunday afternoon before a crowd of as many as a thousand people who had been watching the Capital Pride concert that had been taking place prior to Harris’ unannounced appearance.

To the delight of the crowd, Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C. Pride events, introduced Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, on the stage, drawing thunderous applause.

“Happy Pride everyone!” Harris told the crowd. “Oh, what a glorious day. Listen, we have so much to celebrate, and we celebrate each other every day,” she said.

“We celebrate the progress we have made,” she continued. “And we celebrate the fact that we are in this to stand for what we stand for and fight for what we stand for,” she said.

Also making an unannounced appearance on the festival stage about an hour before Harris’ appearance was D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who expressed her strong support for LGBTQ Pride.

Harris’ appearance at the Capital Pride Festival on Sunday came exactly one year after she and Emhoff joined hundreds of LGBTQ participants in D.C.’s Capital Pride Walk as it reached 13th Street, N.W., near Freedom Plaza, becoming the first U.S. vice president to participate in an LGBTQ Pride event.

Her unannounced appearance in last year’s Pride Walk came as a surprise to the Capital Pride organizers as well as to the delighted onlookers who saw Harris and her husband join the walk, which was an abridged version of the Capital Pride Parade that had been cancelled in 2021 as it had in 2020 due to the pandemic.

In her short speech on Sunday, Harris referred to the Pulse nightclub shooting exactly six years ago in Orlando, Fla., which took the lives of 49 mostly LGBTQ people, saying, “no one should fear going to a nightclub for

attracted one of the largest turnouts ever, with several hundred thousand people in attendance throughout the day. Like past years, the festival took place on a four-block section of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., between Third and Seventh Streets.

More than 270 organizations or businesses registered to set up a booth at the festival, according to a list released by Capital Pride Alliance. Many of the organizations and businesses participating in the festival had also marched or road Vice President KAMALA HARRIS speaks at the 2022 Capital Pride Festival.

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key) in vehicles or on floats in the Capital Pride Pafear that a terrorist might try to take them down.” rade one day earlier.

She also referred to the nearly 300 anti-LGBTQ laws Bos said there were about 245 contingents in the paunder consideration or that have passed in states rade on Saturday, about the same number that particiaround the country. pated in the 2019 Capital Pride Parade, the last one held “We will always be fueled by knowing we have so since this year. But those familiar with the 2019 parade much more in common than what separates us,” she and those held in earlier years said they believed this told the cheering crowd. “We will be fueled by saying year’s parade attracted more spectators than in past no one will be made to fight alone. We will be fueled by years, most likely because LGBTQ people, like so many knowing we are all in this together,” she said. “And we others, wanted to join the celebration after the two-year will fight with pride. Happy Pride everyone!” hiatus brought about by COVID. Observers familiar with D.C.’s Capital Pride Festival, Visit washingtonblade.com to watch the video of Harwhich was held this year for the first time since 2019 ris’s remarks. due to pandemic restrictions, said it appeared to have LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Thousands attend March for Our Lives rally

On the night of June 12, 2016, 49 people were killed and 53 were injured in a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The shooting has since remained one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.

Six years later, efforts to curb gun violence in America and halt the country’s epidemic of mass shootings have reignited in the wake of more recent mass shootings.

Just before noon on Saturday thousands of people carrying signs and clad in anti-gun-violence clothing flooded the north lawn of the Washington Monument.

One of those in the crowd was Jessica Mahoney, a young activist with ties to a national past littered with gun violence.

“My close family is from Sandy Hook and, as the sign references, I used this sign four years ago,” Mahoney said. “This has been a very personal issue for me since 2012 when I had to spend over an hour wondering if my cousins were alive or not. I just feel like it’s so important that people are out here that haven’t been personally touched by the issue because I just think that shows that there’s a real movement behind what’s going on.”

Mahoney and her fellow protesters in the crowd were some of the hundreds of thousands more protestors who

Thousands attended the March for Our Lives rally in D.C. on June 11. (Blade photo by Josh Alburtus)

marched in different cities across the country on that day calling on state and federal lawmakers to pass legislation reforming the nation’s gun laws.

The marches, organized in large part by the youthled gun violence prevention organization March for Our Lives, were triggered by a sustained national outcry for

0 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • LO CA L NE WS

action following the latest mass shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and a Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, N.Y, both in late May. The organization held similar nationwide rallies in 2018 following the Parkland school shooting that led to the group’s inception.

Mahoney described her feelings about having to return to another rally four years later in an effort to address the same issue.

“It’s frustrating and a bit maddening at times to be honest that we still have to do this,” Mahoney said. “But it just seems like there’s more energy every time and so I think that I’m also hopeful about it.”

David Hogg, a survivor of the mass shooting on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and a founder and board member of March for Our Lives, spoke to the crowd.

“We need to stop these shooters before they get on campus and stop endangering the lives of our first responders, our students, our teachers because people on Capitol Hill don’t want to do their job and protect us,” Hogg said.

Continues at washingtonblade.com.

JOSH ALBURTUS

This is the time to celebrate the Unafraid, the Unwavering, the Unfiltered… the Unstoppable. We Unequivocally and Unabashedly honor all those who believe Pride is Universal. With Xfinity, it’s Pride all year long!

Visit xfinity.com/LGBTQ to learn more.

NPA241601-0002 NED-PRIDE-V1

143352_NPA241601-0002 Pride ad 9.5x10.5 V1.indd 1

5/23/22 4:56 PM

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

Thousands turn out for D.C. Pride parade

Contingents reflect full diversity of LGBTQ community and allies

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

At the intersection of 17th and P streets, N.W., the sidewalks were jam-packed with people – adults and many children – on Saturday waving small rainbow flags and cheering as a large contingent of LGBTQ parents and their children walked past the crowd.

They were members of the group Rainbow Families who were among the more than 200 contingents that joined D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade on June 11. Some of the children in the contingent jumped up and down waving small, hand-held rainbow flags under the watchful eyes of their moms and dads.

The Rainbow Families contingent and the PFLAG DC LGBTQ parents contingent marched past the bustling 17th and P intersection, turning onto P Street en route to Dupont Circle about an hour after about a dozen women on motorcycles rode by as part of the LGBTQ Outriders Women’s Motorcycle Club contingent.

The Outriders were the first of the parade contingents to arrive at the 17th and P location. Historically, lesbian motorcyclists, including the famous Dykes on Bikes in past years, have been given the honor of being the very first contingent in D.C.’s Capital Pride Parade as well as in Pride parades in other cities.

Immediately after the Outriders group came a contingent of gay leather clad men riding on their own motorcycles, drawing cheers from the crowd of onlookers.

In the more than three hours that followed, a wide range of other contingents marched, rode in small vehicles, or rode on large floats along the parade route that began at 14th and T Streets, N.W., traveled south along 14th Street to Road Island and Massachusetts Avenues to the 17th and P location before traveling around Dupont Circle to the parade’s end point at 22nd and P Street, N.W. Among the varied contingents were employees and directors of several D.C. government agencies and departments, including the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and the D.C. Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, one of whose employees drove by in a large, bright red fire truck.

Many of the contingents represented some of the nation’s most prominent corporations providing both business and customer services. Among them was Marriott International, Inc., the mega hotel chain that acted as the Capital Pride Parade’s lead sponsor.

Others included Amazon, Macy’s, MGM National Harbor, Mastercard and VISA, McDonald’s Restaurants, GEICO auto insurance, Verizon, Walmart, PNC Bank, Dollar Tree & Family Dollar Stores, and United Airlines among many others.

Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s Pride events, including the parade, has come under criticism from some activists, who say Pride parades and festivals in D.C. and other cities have become dominated by corporations and other businesses.

Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance executive director, has said corporate sponsors, which have been longtime supporters of LGBTQ equality, have made it possible for nonprofit groups like Capital Pride to pay for large events like parades and street festivals.

The crowds lining the streets along the Capital Pride Parade route cheered loudly as many of the corporate contingents walked and rode on floats past them. According to Bos, the corporate parade contingents consist almost entirely of LGBTQ employees and managers at the various corporations. Many of them waved rainbow flags and blew kisses at the crowd as they marched in the parade.

This year’s D.C. Pride parade had a large number of international contingents, including staff and supporters of the embassies of Canada, Great Brittan, Ireland, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian nations. Also joining the parade was a large contingent of the European Union Delegation to the United States.

Bet Mishpachah, the local D.C.-area LGBTQ synagogue, and the LGBTQ Catholic group Dignity Washington were among the faith-based groups and churches that joined the parade. Others providing parade contingents included the Washington National Cathedral, Church of the Holy Comforter, Church of the Pilgrims, United Method-

0 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • LO CA L NE WS

A scene from Saturday’s D.C. Pride parade.

(Blade photo by Michael Key)

ist Churches of the National Capital Area, and the group Churches United in Pride.

With the parade taking place less than two weeks before D.C.’s June 21 primary election, several of the candidates running for mayor, D.C. Council, and D.C. Attorney General marched in the parade with contingents of various sizes.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), who is running for re-election to a third term, appeared to have the largest of the candidate contingents, with about 100 mostly LGBTQ supporters marching behind her wearing bright green ‘Bowser’ T-shirts behind the banner of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At-Large), who is among three candidates challenging Bowser in the June 21 Democratic primary, marched in the parade with a contingent of about 50 or more supporters. Also joining the parade with smaller contingents were the other two mayoral candidates, D.C. Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and community activist James Butler.

Among the other candidates joining the parade with sizable contingents were Salah Czapary, the gay former D.C. police officer running for the Ward 1 D.C. Council seat, and gay D.C. school board president Zachary Parker, who is one of seven candidates running for the Ward 5 D.C. Council seat.

Other candidates who had contingents in the parade were D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D-At-Large) and challenger Erin Palmer, D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), At-Large Council member Anita Bonds and her primary challengers Lisa Gore and Nate Fleming, At-Large Council member Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large), and D.C. Democratic Attorney General candidate Bruce Spiva.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, who is not running for re-election, was among the D.C. public officials who marched in the parade.

Two Republican candidates, Giuseppe Niosi, who’s running for an At-Large Council seat, and David Krucoff, who’s running for the Ward 3 Council seat, marched in the parade. Both are running unopposed in the primary.

There’s more than one big, progressive New York city, and we’ve got the LGBTQ+ community to prove it.

In fact, they call Buffalo “The City of Good Neighbors,” because love and inclusivity are a big part of who we are. Check out LGBTQBuffalo.com, or, better still, come visit. You’ll see what we mean.

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 0 9

LGBTQ voters to choose among friends in D.C. elections Out gay candidates considered viable in Ward 1, 5 Council races

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

In what LGBTQ activists consider a highly positive development, all serious candidates running for mayor, D.C. Council, Attorney General, and the city’s congressional delegate seat and “shadow” U.S. House seat in the city’s June 21 Democratic primary have either expressed strong support for LGBTQ issues or have long records of support on those issues.

Activists following the election say they expect LGBTQ voters — like all D.C. voters — to decide who to vote for based on a number of other issues, including public safety, affordable housing, and whether the city’s public schools should remain under mayoral control or return to the previous system of an independent school board, among other issues.

“We are fortunate to live in a city where all candidates support the LGBTQ community, so it is other issues our community is focused on,” said gay Democratic activist Peter Rosenstein, who is supporting Mayor Muriel Bowser’s re-election bid for a third term in office.

Other LGBTQ activists, including former Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance President Rick Rosendall, are backing D.C. Council member Robert White (D-At-Large) for mayor.

Like Bowser, Robert White has a long record of support on LGBTQ issues.

Ward 8 Council member Trayon White (D-Ward 8) and community activist and former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner James Butler are also running for mayor in the Democratic primary. Trayon White has supported LGBTQ issues on the Council and Butler has expressed support for those issues.

The other races on the primary ballot on June 21 include D.C. Council Chair; At-Large D.C. Council member, Council members for Wards 1, 3, 5, and 6; D.C. Attorney General; D.C. Congressional Delegate; and U.S. Representative, also known as the city’s “shadow” House member with no voting powers in Congress.

In an action that surprised some in the LGBTQ community, the Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest LGBTQ political group, has endorsed Robert White over Bowser in the mayor’s race and Democratic challenger Erin Palmer over incumbent longtime LGBTQ rights supporter Phil Mendelson for the D.C. Council Chair position.

Capital Stonewall Democrats has also endorsed incumbent Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau over her out gay challenger, former D.C. police officer Salah Czapary, who has been endorsed by the Washington Post and by former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams.

The LGBTQ Democratic group has endorsed the second out gay D.C. Council candidate running this year, D.C. Board of Education President Zachary Parker, who is among seven candidates competing for the open Ward 5 D.C. Council seat. Incumbent Ward 5 Council member Kenyan McDuffie is not running for re-election.

Parker has been endorsed by D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, the Washington Teacher’s Union, and the Sierra Club among other local political groups. Both Czapary and Parker were endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, the national group that raises money to help elect LGBTQ candidates for public office.

The other candidates competing with Parker for the Ward 5 Council seat include former At-Large and Ward 5 Council member Vincent Orange and community activists Faith Gibson Hubbard, Gary Johnson, Art Lloyd, Gordon Fletcher, and Kathy Henderson.

In other races, Capital Stonewall Democrats voted to endorse D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who is running unopposed in the primary; D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is favored to win re-election

against two lesser-known challengers; and D.C. shadow U.S. Rep. Oye Owolewa, who’s also favored to win over a lesser-known opponent.

The LGBTQ group did not make an endorsement in the Ward 3 and At-Large D.C. Council races and in the D.C. Attorney General’s race because no candidate received a required 60 percent of the vote from group’s members under its longstanding rules for endorsements.

Eight candidates are running for the Ward 3 Council seat for which incumbent Council member Mary Cheh is not seeking re-election. A ninth candidate, Tricia Duncan, dropped out of the race earlier this week and endorsed candidate Matthew Frumin. Some political observers say Frumin and former city budget director Eric Goulet are the two frontrunners in the race. The other candidates include Henry Cohen, Ben Bergman, Beau Finley, Monte Monash, Deirdre Brown, and Phil Thomas. All have expressed strong support for LGBTQ equality.

Also expressing support for the LGBTQ community are the three candidates running for Attorney General — Brian Schwalb, Ryan Jones, and Bruce Spiva. Each is a practicing attorney at separate D.C. law firms.

In the At-Large Council race, three candidates are challenging incumbent and longtime LGBTQ rights supporter Anita Bonds – Lisa Gore, Nate Fleming, and Dexter Williams, each of whom also expressed support for the LGBTQ community.

In the D.C. Congressional Delegate race challenger Rev. Wendy Hamilton served as minister for the LGBTQ supportive Metropolitan Community Church in suburban Maryland and describes herself as a strong LGBTQ ally. The second challenger to incumbent Eleanor Holmes Norton is community activist Kelly Mikel Williams, who also expressed support for the LGBTQ community.

Jatarious Frazier, the Capital Stonewall Democrats president, said Norton’s years of acting as a champion for LGBTQ rights on Capitol Hill made her an easy choice for the group’s endorsement for re-election.

Political observers have said the current “dividing line” between the city’s Democratic candidates who run against each other in the primaries historically has been whether they position themselves as moderates or left-leaning progressives.

Democratic voters, including LGBTQ voters, also fall into those two ideological camps, according to observers.

But some political observers say the Ward 1 and Ward 5 D.C. Council races, where openly gay candidates are running, have raised the question of whether LGBTQ voters should vote “gay” rather than follow their ideological leanings, to bring back LGBTQ representation on the Council for the first time in eight years.

The late gay D.C. Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) left the Council in January 2015 after losing his 2014 re-election bid to incumbent Ward 1 Council member Nadeau. Gay former D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At-Large) left office in 2015 after an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2014.

Supporters of Czapary and Parker have said a member of the LGBTQ community on the D.C. Council would offer important representation for the LGBTQ community that a straight ally cannot necessarily provide on issues such as homeless LGBTQ youth and persistent hate violence to which the LGBTQ community, especially transgender women, are faced with.

In addition to being endorsed by AG Racine, the Teacher’s Union, and the Sierra Club, Parker received the endorsement of Ward 4 D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George, who’s considered one of the Council’s left-leaning progressives, as well as the endorsement of the left-leaning groups

1 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • LO CA L NE WS

Incumbent Council member BRIANNE NADEAU faces a challenge from gay candidate SALAH CZAPARY in the June 21 primary. (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party.

Parker told the Washington Post he doesn’t view his race for the Ward 5 Council seat as being one of moderate versus liberal left.

“You will see a range of people that span ideology [supporting me],” the Post quoted him as saying. “And that is what we need more of in our political system,” he told the Post.

Czapary, who states on his campaign website that he supports progressive values, says he holds positions on key issues as a moderate Democrat, including issues related to public safety. He has supported Bowser’s call for the Council to increase the police budget to restore funds the Council cut from the police budget two years ago. He points out that Nadeau was among the Council members that voted to cut the police budget.

Nadeau has said she has taken strong action in support of public safety policies, including violence interruption programs that Czapary also supports.

Czapary’s supporters, including the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which endorsed him, say he too would transcend ideology to work for solutions to the problems facing Ward 1 and the city. As the son of a Palestinian refugee and a Hungarian immigrant, he would become the first Arab American to serve on the D.C. Council, his supporters point out.

“D.C. boasts the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ individuals per capita of any large U.S. city,” Czapary told the Blade.

“Our city’s policies must respond to the needs of these communities and support the most vulnerable within them,” he said.

Less than a week before the June 21 primary, it couldn’t be determined whether “progressive” LGBTQ voters in Ward 1 would back Czapary or whether “moderate” LGBTQ voters in Ward 5 would back Parker.

With many political observers saying both Parker and Czapary have a shot at winning, supporters of their opponents have stepped up their opposition campaigns against the two, with Czapary being singled out as a “closet” Republican, an allegation he strongly denies.

Nadeau has pointed out that he did not become a registered Democrat until he filed for his candidacy for the Ward 1 Council seat earlier this year. Czapary says he has been a Democratic leaning independent based on his and his parents’ adherence to the Bahai faith, which shuns political parties.

He told the Blade his parents were far more accepting of him when he came out as gay than when he came out to them as a Democrat. But he said they understood his political beliefs were fully aligned with the Democratic Party.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

PRIVATE, WEEKEND WATERFRONT WEDDINGS.

410-886-2452 blackwalnutpointinn.com

FOR THE PRICE OF 6 HOURS, HAVE A DESTINATION WEEKEND, JUST 2 HOURS FROM D.C. J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 1

Capital Pride Festival wows with surprise appearances Harris speaks, Symone struts as celebrations return

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

In her season, she celebrated Black culture and Black beauty by Amid a roster of weekend Pride festivities in the nation’s capdraping her head with sculptural braided Black hairstyles and givital that ended with a much-anticipated performance from pop ing nods to streetstyle, including through an outfit that included a band DNCE, Vice President Kamala Harris marched onto the Capmeters-long durag. ital Pride Festival stage Sunday afternoon — as the crowd roared In one of her season’s runway categories, she strutted in a white in surprise — to stress the importance of queer rights and rebuke gown and fascinator with the phrase, “Say their names” emblawhite supremacy. zoned on the back. This was in protest of police brutality.

“No one should fear going to a nightclub for fear that a terrorist When looking to the future of her profession, Symone is gleeful might try to take them down,” she said in reference to the Pulse because she says that more people will become comfortable with nightclub shooting of 2016 in Orlando, Fla. “No one should fear drag because it exists to “give joy, laughter, and love.” going to a Pride celebration because of the white supremacists,” “I think what people have left out is that [drag] is art at the end she added. of the day,” she said. “It has always been this art form to play with.”

Harris also referenced recent legislation in southern states like Her statement echoed one that Harris made earlier: “No one Texas and Florida that inhibits children’s self-expression.

Sunday’s Capital Pride Festival brought tens of should fear who they love.”

“Our children in Texas and Florida shouldn’t fear who they are,” thousands to Pennsylvania Avenue and it wasn’t 100 After the interview, Symone returned to Capital Pride’s stage in she said. degrees for a change. (Blade photo by Michael Key) a waist-length curly black wig to dance to Diana Ross’s “I’m ComHarris was joined on stage by second gentleman Douglas Eming Out” and Beyonce’s “Apeshit,” all while exposing her slender, hoff and RuPaul’s Drag Race season 13 winner Symone. toned, and glossed legs that brought gasps from some audience members.

The Washington Blade scored an exclusive interview with Symone after the vice presiSymone’s performance and Harris’s speech were part of the last leg of events that ended dent’s remarks. a festival that saw hundreds of LGBTQ-friendly organizations, bars and clubs, and food venSymone, who stood about six feet tall in a pair of beige-colored stilettos and a bejeweled dors staff booths on Pennsylvania Avenue. turquoise leotard that she would later exchange for a blood orange-and-fuschia layered frill The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was in attendance for mini-dress, mentioned that Capital Pride was her first Pride event of the season. the first time and gave out T-shirts that read “Black Pride” and encouraged passersby to con“It feels great to be back amongst family,” she said. “It feels good to see all the love and tact their senators to pass the Equality Act — legislation that prohibits discrimination based on excitement.” gender and sexual orientation. The Equality Act was passed in the U.S. House of RepresentaDrawing on about a year since her win on “Drag Race,” the drag queen — affectionately tives in 2021 and has been stalled in the U.S. Senate since. known by her fans as the “Ebony Enchantress” — said that her drag has evolved into the spe“We want to make sure that our [leaders] are doing what we need them to do,” said Ancial moments outside of her performances where she can “take care of people [around her].” nalise Setorie, director of partnerships at the NAACP. Setorie is also chair of the LGBTQ task“I can finally give back to my mom,” she said. force.

With regards to her artistic approach to the art form, Symone emphasized that drag is a “[The NAACP] fights for all the rights of Black people so we are here to support and uplift form of self-expression that allows her to be the most authentic part of herself and to say the Black queer community,” she added. what she wants to say.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

D.C. primary features unanimous LGBTQ support

Nadeau has also cited a Washington City Paper report in May that Czapary earlier this year named as his honorary campaign chairperson the son of a Trump supporter who was associated with a right-wing group that supported Trump’s claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, and that Trump was the true winner.

Czapary told the Blade he immediately dismissed Will Pack as his campaign chair after learning that Pack played a brief role with the ultra-conservative Claremont Institute. He said he met Pack when Pack was a volunteer firefighter and volunteer police officer at the time Czapary worked as a special assistant to D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee.

“My team is very much rooted in the Democratic Party,” said Czapary. “My campaign manager is Steve Schwab who Speaker Pelosi has called an ‘incredible leader,’ who has run a dozen Democratic campaigns,” Czapary told the Blade. “My field director worked for Bernie Sanders and my committee leader worked on both the Obama and Clinton campaigns.”

Observers of the Ward 1 race say Czapary has a shot at winning but his campaign is facing the dilemma that a third candidate running for the Ward 1 seat, ANC Commissioner Sabel Harris, could take away just enough votes from Czapary to enable Nadeau to win with less than 50 percent of the vote, which is what happened when she won her re-election race in 2018.

Nadeau has said LGBTQ issues have been among her highest priorities since taking office in 2015. She told members of Capital Stonewall Democrats at an event for the group’s endorsed candidates last week that she would continue her role as a committed LGBTQ ally.

The D.C. Board of Elections’ candidates list shows there are

just six Republican candidates running in the city’s Republican primary, each of whom is running unopposed. There are no candidates running under the city’s two other political parties – the Statehood Green and Libertarian Party.

Following are the Republican Party candidates: • DC Congressional Delegate – NELSON RIMENSNYDER • DC Mayor – STACIA HALL • DC Council Chair – NATE DERENGE • DC Council At-Large – GIUSEPPE NIOSI • DC Council Ward 3 – DAVID KRUCOFF • DC Council Ward 5 – CLARENCE LEE, JR.

Rimensnyder, who has run for the congressional delegate seat in the past, has expressed support for LGBTQ rights.

A spokesperson for Hall noted that Hall appeared as guest speaker at a recent meeting of D.C.’s LGBTQ Log Cabin Republicans group but did not provide information about Hall’s positions on specific LGBTQ issues.

Niosi and Krucoff and a small contingent of their supporters marched in the D.C. Capital Pride Parade on June 11. Lee couldn’t immediately be reached to determine his position on LGBTQ issues. Derenge, who ran as a GOP candidate for the Ward 8 D.C. Council seat in 2020, received a GLAA rating of -2 at that time.

Adam Savit, the D.C. Log Cabin Republicans president, said the group decided not to endorse any of the unopposed Republican candidates at this time. He said Log Cabin plans to hold a GOP candidate forum in the fall ahead of the November general election.

Longtime D.C. gay Democratic activist Earl Fowlkes, who

1 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • LO CA L NE WS

serves as chair of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBTQ Caucus, predicts there will be a low voter turnout and far fewer votes cast in the June 21 primary because this year is an “off year,” non-presidential election.

“With all the other things going on – the high gasoline prices and people trying to survive with the inflation, I don’t know if there is a lot of interest in this election,” he said. “And the people I talk to are not really focusing on the election very much because there are other issues they’re dealing with.”

If the voter turnout is low, Fowlkes said, it nearly always gives an advantage to the incumbents, prompting him to predict Mayor Bower, Council Chair Mendelson, and At-Large Council member Bonds will win their respective races.

Mark Lee, coordinator of the D.C. Nightlife Council, a nonprofit trade association representing the city’s restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, including gay bars, said the operators of those establishments have not officially endorsed any candidates running in the June 21 primary. But Lee said many of them are individually backing candidates they feel understand the needs and concerns of their mostly small, neighborhood-based businesses.

“That’s why there is broad small business support across the District for the re-election of Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and At-Large Council member Anita Bonds,” Lee said. He said many nightlife business operators are also supporting Eric Goulet for the Ward 3 Council seat, Faith Gibson Hubbard for Ward 5 Council, and Salah Czapary for the Ward 1 Council seat.

Visit washingtonblade.com to see GLAA’s ratings of all candidates.

MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY/VACATION RESERVATION TODAY BOARDING • DAYCARE GROOMING

city-dogs.com 202-234-9247 info@city-dogs.com 301 H Street NE

1832 18thh SStreet NW

JOIN OUR NEW DAILY NOON FITNESS CLASS (IN PERSON OR ONLINE) GROUP FITNESS • 1 ON 1 PERSONAL TRAINING YOGA • OPEN GYM • COUPLES TRAINING 1310 PENNSYLVANIA AVE. SE • 202.629.4455 • JADEFITNESSDC.COM J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 3

Former CAMP Rehoboth director launches Sussex Pride

Non-profit to focus on ‘the folks who really need help the most’

By JACK WALKER

Sussex Pride, a new LGBTQ organization based in southern Delaware, announced its official launch last Friday in a press release from its founding board of directors. The nonprofit looks to serve Sussex County and the state as a whole through yearlong LGBTQ programming and advocacy.

David Mariner, Sussex Pride founder and director, began to conceptualize the organization after noticing disparities in access to LGBTQ resources among different communities in Sussex County.

While Rehoboth Beach already has resources for LGBTQ community members, that is not the case for the entire county, he said. Many areas surrounding the beachside hub experience the “greatest need” for advocacy and resources, yet face the largest accessibility barriers.

“What I wanted to do is connect with some amazing activists from across the county, and really see: Is there a way we could create a new organization that centers the needs of those folks,” he said.

The organization’s board of directors includes members from different backgrounds who can help contextualize the diverse experiences of LGBTQ community members across the county, he added.

For Sussex Pride, recognizing and addressing the needs of underrepresented communities also means speaking with individuals from those communities directly. The organization will conduct a county-wide assessment to determine areas of community need, paying particular focus to the needs of “LGBTQ youth, transgender and nonbinary individuals, LGBTQ People of Color, LGBTQ seniors, and those living in more rural areas of our state,” the press release read.

Mariner launched Sussex Pride shortly after stepping down from his role as executive director of nearby LGBTQ nonprofit CAMP Rehoboth on May 31 — a position he began in 2019. According to Mariner, Sussex Pride is interested in working with CAMP Rehoboth in the future.

“I enjoyed my time at CAMP Rehoboth,” he noted. “I certainly hope there’s opportunities for us to collaborate.”

Wesley Combs, president of CAMP Rehoboth, echoed Mariner’s sentiments, noting that he hopes the two organizations will have a collaborative relationship.

“We welcome more support for the LGBTQ community in Delaware and look forward to learning more about what Sussex Pride will be doing,” he said. “We are always interested in partnering with other organizations who share our values and are committed to creating a more positive Rehoboth as well as a more positive Sussex County and beyond.”

Jamie McKenna, a Sussex Pride board member, noted that bringing a new LGBTQ organization to Sussex County is not an indictment against those already in place, but instead a way to expand resources and make them more accessible.

“I don’t think any one organization can adequately represent our entire community,” she said.

Kathy Carpenter Brown, another Sussex Pride board member, noted that there is currently a lack of trans-specific resources among local LGBTQ organizations, which the new nonprofit hopes to remedy.

In 2017, Carpenter Brown founded Rehoboth TransLiance, a social group for transgender and gender diverse individuals in the Rehoboth Beach area. Through social events and educational resources, the organization has worked to create space for gender diverse Delawareans in areas where, previously, it might not have existed.

Carpenter Brown noted that her involvement with the organization led Mariner to invite her to get involved with Sussex Pride. When asked to join the organization, “I brought a few friends along with me,” she added, referring to other trans women on the board of directors.

Rehoboth TransLiance will now find a home as a subgroup of Sussex Pride, working on the forefront of its trans-specific programming, Carpenter Brown said. The organization will continue to create events and resources for the Sussex County trans community, and has secured an office and meeting space in a local church, she added.

When it comes to Sussex Pride’s motivations for creating trans-specific resources, “I don’t think it’s useful to look at it as [doing] what CAMP Rehoboth doesn’t do,” McKenna added. “Almost nobody does it anywhere, and we’re trying to bring something new or, at least, something relatively rare.”

For Carpenter Brown, the top priority in supporting local trans community members is clear: creating a local trans-inclusive and gender-affirming healthcare facility. She pointed to the attention TransLiance’s table at Delaware Pride received as evidence of a deep community need for trans-specific education and healthcare resources.

“There are so many people out there with questions, so many people looking for support, and they just don’t know where to find it,” she explained. “I know this area is known as a liberal area … but we really have no resources.”

“We don’t have the healthcare that we need. We don’t have the education that we need,” she added. “We don’t have the doctors, therapists and psychologists and all the things that the state and federal government requires us to have in order to get the healthcare we need.”

McKenna echoed Carpenter Brown’s sentiments, noting that the barriers she experiences accessing healthcare might outright prevent other trans individuals from accessing important medical services.

“I go up to Philadelphia to get my hormones, my basic medical care. There’s really nowhere around here that people can go,” she explained. “I’m lucky enough to have the re-

DAVID MARINER launched Sussex Pride last week after leaving his position with CAMP Rehoboth. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)

sources where I can get up there, but a lot of people around here don’t. If you’re some 19-year-old trans kid just coming out, you might as well be on the moon trying to get care out here.”

Nicholas Lee, another Sussex Pride board member, noted that living in Lewes, Del., has made accessing LGBTQ resources in Rehoboth Beach more challenging, even though the two towns are in the same county. “We don’t have the best transportation system,” and “we don’t have a particular central location,” he explained.

Carpenter Brown said that she would like to create the healthcare facility as well as a trans community center in Georgetown, Del. — a location central to the county and more accessible to those from rural areas than coastal towns.

“When the opportunity came to set up a nonprofit that can help all Sussex County, I got excited,” Lee said. He noted that the name ‘Sussex Pride’ demonstrates the organization’s underlying goal to help “the whole entire community,” which requires “broadening” current LGBTQ resources to more directly consider the needs of local rural communities.

“I think in the big picture, it’s important to have an organization that people feel welcome in, in terms of the whole community,” he added.

While the nonprofit is still in the early stages of development, it has a “wonderful group of people who are now donating monthly to sustain its work,” Mariner said. The organization will also be “looking at a wide variety of funding sources in the near future.”

Mariner pointed to the experiences of a young woman he met last year as further evidence of a deep need for LGBTQ resources in rural communities across Sussex County.

“Her family discovered that she was a lesbian and kicked her out of their home. For a couple months, they didn’t talk to her,” he explained. “I’m not familiar with that happening in Rehoboth Beach, but I know it happens in other parts of the county on a regular basis.”

For Mariner, it is stories like those that affirm the importance of Sussex Pride — an organization that will focus on “the folks who really need help the most.”

Sussex Pride will host its first in-person event, a bus trip to the New York City Pride Parade, on June 26. For more information, visit sussexpride.org.

Delaware guv signs Pride proclamation

Gov. John Carney and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long signed a proclamation officially recognizing June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month at the State Capitol last Thursday.

“June is recognized as Pride Month, an opportunity to celebrate and remember the history of the LGBTQ+ community and show support and appreciation,” said Carney at the public signing, reading the proclamation aloud.

“Advocates and allies have worked towards equality for LGBTQ+ members of our community for decades and continue their efforts,” he added. “LGBTQ+ Delawareans

deserve respect, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.”

In years past, the proclamation has invited citizens to partake in “celebrating Pride Month at appropriate events and ceremonies across the state,” the Washington Blade previously reported.

First signed by Carney in 2017, the proclamation was introduced by the state Senate to promote Pride on a state level after then-President Trump made no official proclamation declaring Pride Month that year — a trend that re-

1 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • LO CA L NE WS

peated throughout his presidency, breaking from an eightyear tradition established by President Obama.

Carney is not alone in declaring Pride month this year.

On May 31, President Biden issued a national Pride proclamation, marking a second consecutive year the month was officially recognized at the national level.

On June 4, Delaware Pride celebrated its 25th anniversary with a festival at the state capitol, rounding out the Delaware capital’s annual Pride events.

JACK WALKER

Testing for HIV and COVID-19 are easy and free ways to protect yourself and others.

fightcovidfighthiv.org

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 5

Trans activist declines White House invitation

The co-executive director of an organization that advocates on behalf of transgender and gender non-conforming immigrants declined an invitation to attend the White House’s Pride Month celebration on Wednesday.

Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement Co-Executive Director Jennicet Gutiérrez on Tuesday told the Blade during an interview that she “very consciously” decided “not to attend” the event “because the community is under attack.”

“There are people that are coming after us, both politicians and white supremacists, and it just doesn’t feel right to me coming and celebrating and listening to a speech when there are all these attacks happening,” said Gutiérrez. “I don’t see how that can be a solution to what we are dealing with in our daily lives.”

Gutiérrez is a trans woman who was born in Mexico’s Jalisco state.

Gutiérrez noted she and her Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement colleagues over the last eight years have organized around a variety of immigration-related issues that include ending the detention of trans people in immigrant detention centers and stopping the deportation of trans people who ask for asylum in the U.S. “Those things are still happening,” said Gutiérrez. “So, that’s why I made the conscious decision to decline the invitation.”

Gutiérrez noted three trans women — Victoria Orellano, Roxsana Hernández and Johana “Joa” Medina León — died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody or immediately after their release in 2007, 2018 and 2019 respectively. (Neither President Obama, nor President Biden were in the White House when Orellano, Hernández or Medina passed away.)

JENNICET GUTIÉRREZ

(Photo courtesy of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement)

Pablo Sánchez Gotopo, a Venezuelan man with AIDS died in ICE custody in Mississippi on Oct. 1, 2021.

Title 42, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rule that closed the southern border to most asylum seekers and migrants because of the pandemic, remains in place.

The White House in April announced it would terminate the rule the previous administration implemented in March 2020. Title 42 was to have ended on May 23, but a federal judge blocked the Biden administration’s plans.

“Title 42 is still in place and people are stuck, and that’s not OK,” said Gutiérrez. “Communities here are willing to welcome them, to support them, to get them back on track so they can find their way and fight for dreams overall.”

Gutiérrez in 2015 heckled Obama during a White House Pride month reception.

She pointed out that Biden was standing next to him.

Gutiérrez also noted many attendees booed her.

“I was really surprised by the reaction,” said Gutiérrez. “I thought I was surrounded by people that truly care about change, that were fighting for the most vulnerable among us and when they were just bullying and silencing.”

Gutiérrez further described the treatment she received at the reception as “very humiliating.”

“It was really heartbreaking and that’s also part of the problem,” she said. “If we can’t get behind people who are facing so many injustices, then how are we going to fight for all of us … it’s been shown that time after time trans folks and non-binary individuals are often left behind.”

The 2015 reception took place two days before the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark Obergefell ruling that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples throughout the country. Growing concerns over whether the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down Roe v. Wade will loom over this year’s event.

Gutiérrez described marriage equality to the Blade as an issue that is “very digestible, very pleasing to the mainstream.”

“Rarely did you see trans folks in campaigns and people of color in general being part of it,” she said, once again referring to the reaction she received when she challenged Obama in 2015. “So that to me was very disappointing to see that reaction and to live it and to feel the hypocrisy and how some people are seeking their own benefit and don’t really care about the rest of us.”

The White House has yet to respond to the Blade’s request for comment on Gutiérrez’s decision.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

LGBTQ groups protest DeSantis appearance in NYC

An appearance by anti-LGBTQ Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaking to the Jewish Leadership Conference at Chelsea Piers sparked protests Sunday by LGBTQ advocacy groups and several elected officials including U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.).

The appearance by the Florida governor, who signed the state’s infamous ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law and during a press conference last week where he also suggested he might urge the state’s child protective services to investigate parents who take their children to drag shows, was decried as insensitive and offensive during Pride month held

every June to commemorate the 1969 LGBTQ uprising at the Stonewall Inn which is located about 2 miles away.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman who represents Chelsea has joined other Democratic politicians and New York City leaders and urged Chelsea Piers to say no to hate and demagoguery.

“The bottom line is Chelsea Piers is providing a venue to propagate hate toward the LGBTQ community and that is unacceptable on many levels, including that it is Pride and that it is in Chelsea, the heart of the community,” Hoylman said.

The venue told the New York Times that it would donate money to groups that support LGBTQ rights to mitigate the fallout. The Times reported the decision by Chelsea Piers to donate money has not mollified critics.

Other groups are canceling upcoming events at Chelsea Piers. Rich Ferraro, a spokesman for GLAAD, said his organization would “refrain from future events” at the complex, “given the platform that Chelsea Piers is giving to one of the most anti-LGBTQ and dangerous politicians today.”

BRODY LEVESQUE

Idaho police arrest armed extremists protesting Pride

A self-described ‘street preacher’ who protested Pride is arrested by police in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

(Screenshot of Twitter video)

1 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • NAT I O NA L NE WS

Heavily armed Coeur d’Alene police officers and Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies in riot gear arrested 31 armed protesters and self-labeled “street preachers” who were attempting to disrupt the “Pride in the Park” last week in Coeur d’Alene City Park, which returned after a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.

Creating concern for law enforcement and the Pride Alliance, which sponsored the event, was the counter-Pride rally held by the North Idaho motorcycle club, Panhandle Patriots Riding Club, which had announced the rally last month on the group’s Facebook page.

Elenee Dao, a reporter from KXLY in Spokane, Wash., retweeted images of those detained by law enforcement.

BRODY LEVESQUE

TO SAVE A LIFE

Text LiveLongDC to 888-811 to find naloxone near you.

Naloxone (aka NARCAN®) is a medication that reverses an opioid overdose and can save the life of your friend, your loved one, even yourself.

NO COST. NO PRESCRIPTION. NO IDENTIFICATION.

LIVE

LONG

DC

Saving lives from the opioid epidemic

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

YUVAL DAVID

is an Emmy-nominated actor, director, and filmmaker who has won more than 100 international film festival awards. He is an active leader in the LGBTQ and Jewish communities, working with several prestigious organizations to save people in life-threatening situations.

Activism takes action

Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough when lives are at stake The LGBTQ community is the most diverse community in the world because we are part of every other community. That means that the LGBTQ movement must aid LGBTQ people around the world, not only those who are close to home.

Dozens of countries have laws criminalizing same-sex relations and LGBTQ gender expression. Legal sanctions against LGBTQ people vary in scope and application. These range from fines to life imprisonment and the death penalty. In many nations, the laws might not be enforced, but severe consequences for LGBTQ people include not having protection under the law, facing bullying, harassment, violence, discrimination, a lack of equal access to employment, education, health services, and police protection.

When I took an active role in fighting for the rights of LGBTQ people throughout the world, my goal was to help people in desperate need. I wanted to utilize my reach and my network, pushing my contacts to help me help others.

This mentality led me to meet recently with officials at the White House, the State Department, and Foreign Service. We discussed specific cases of individuals overseas, who are desperately seeking to escape their life-threatening situations because of their LGBTQ identity.

I asked these government officials what they could do to help people in desperate need of being rescued. My approach was to connect government agencies, nonprofit organizations and the victims in need. This manner of advocacy made me a liaison between those who can help and those who need help.

Since my teenage years, I have been active as a Jewish and LGBTQ activist. As my connections grew, I have pursued more ways to make a difference. With my public profile, due to my work in entertainment and media, I’ve been speaking out about the needs of marginalized and victimized groups, and people in need started reaching out directly to me.

Throughout my life, I’ve been sensitive to those reaching out for help. I recognized their desperation, openly pleading for help.

I know I can help, and I also know I must help. Maybe it is because I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and a child of immigrants who are children of immigrants, and maybe it is because people in my family struggled to survive, which is the only reason I am here. Within my own life experiences, I know what it is to be a victim and a survivor.

While it is everyone’s moral duty to help others, maybe those who have experienced hardship understand this the most.

When I met with these officials, I made it clear that there are specific cases of people who are in desperate need of immediate help. These are urgent matters that can save people’s lives.

As a Jewish leader and activist, it is my duty to help these people. This is what Judaism is about: “Love thy neighbor as thyself, whoever saves one life saves the world entire,” and the ultimate concept of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.

These days, people call themselves activists when they post content supporting those in need on social media. But that is not advocacy, it does not go beyond “thoughts and prayers.” Activism takes action, and that means stepping out of your comfort zone and away from your phone to help others.

Rainbow Railroad, Dignity LGBTQI, Freedom House, The National LGBTQ Task Force, Israel Gay Youth, and The Agudah among others, are each amazing organizations that I have partnered with to advocate to help those in desperate need.

When I meet with government officials, I remind them that I represent them as much as they represent me. We are in this together. This is how you defend democracy.

We need help. Everyone who can assist those in need must do so, especially during Pride month, as so many LGBTQ people’s lives are in danger throughout the globe.

As a supporter of democratic countries, I support any nation that supports and accepts women and LGBTQ people. It makes it clear which countries do not do so, and I do not support countries that do not support these two groups. Yet, even within the democratic countries, I saw gaps and jumped to help.

On an almost daily basis, people contact me on social media, often using private or anonymous accounts, asking to help save their lives. I take action in the steps to rescue them and connect them to organizations that can help guide them to safety, a fresh start in a world that needs healing.

1 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • V I E WP O I NT

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 1 9

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

We can be tough on crime and reform the system Support police departments while holding each officer accountable

OUR OUTSIDE BIERGARTEN IS OPEN! *S AFETY

PROTOCOLS ARE IN PLACE *

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

REQUIRED *

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

2 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • V I E WP O I NT

The nation is at a crossroads and it’s not the first time. We have seen it before and I believe we are strong enough to survive it again and continue to move forward. We are seeing a crime spree across the nation and we can agree on some underlying causes — lack of education, housing, employment opportunity, mental health issues, and too many guns. But none of those things can be the get out of jail card for those who commit crimes.

We can fight to reform the criminal justice system and yet be tough on crime.

We can convict and jail or punish those who commit crimes while working to ensure race is not the reason someone who commits a crime is punished, or receives harsher punishment than someone who is not Black or brown. In our country we say all are born equal. We know that is not the case and there is white privilege. There is systemic racism. So, while we are tough on crime trying to make our neighborhoods safer let us make sure our criminal justice system is color blind.

If you commit murder, you should get the same sentence whether you are Black or white at the same time we ensure each defendant has equal representation.

We must strive to ensure everyone has a good education and the opportunity for an equal shot at success. We must work to bring people out of poverty and into the middle class. But we also know just giving someone a job doesn’t necessarily lower the crime rate. Mayor Marion Barry tried to give everyone in D.C. a job, in the process bankrupting city government. Yet even with his initiatives, D.C. was considered the ‘murder capital’ of the nation.

Education should include job training. We need to end homelessness, getting people off the streets and into housing. But we have seen that alone won’t help if we don’t give them access, and in some cases insist, they use the whole panoply of social services available to them at the same time. I grew up in NYC and we built huge public housing projects, which often became hotbeds of crime. Many of the good people placed in those projects were afraid for themselves and their children while living there. In an effort to make it easier for poor parents in NYC we began to make some schools full-service schools. They became a place where a parent could bring their child and also access every other public service available. This was done because we knew how hard it was for a parent to go from office to office in the city to look for the services they needed. These services included everything from food stamps to job training, mental health services and the myriad of other social services the city provided. The expense of staffing offices for those services in every school was prohibitive so even though it was a successful idea it never went beyond a few experimental schools. We can and must do better.

I taught 4th and 6th grades in Harlem after graduating from college. It both amazed and saddened me that the majority of my 6th graders had never been outside of their own neighborhood. So even growing up in New York with its vast cultural opportunities — museums, theaters, parks, zoos and so much more — they had never experienced them. I made it a policy to take my class on as many trips around the city as possible. We traveled by subway to the planetarium, the Bronx Zoo and botanical gardens, the Statue of Liberty and numerous museums.

My goal was to open their eyes to what was there because if a child doesn’t see what is available to them in the world how can they aspire to it or know what to work for?

So yes, we can do all these things for our children and yet can teach them if they commit a crime, they will suffer the consequences. We must work to make our communities safer and take the criminals off the streets. We must support our police departments at the same time we hold each officer accountable. We can do both at the same time.

We must fight to take guns off the streets and hold anyone who uses a gun in a crime fully accountable. One doesn’t take away from the other; we can do both.

We can be tough on crime and reform the criminal justice system.

Celebrating diversity, supporting the community, and sharing our pride.

At Kaiser Permanente, the region’s leading health system,1 we’ve always supported the LGBTQ+ community. From inclusive, compassionate care provided by physicians knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ health issues to a welcoming and safe environment, you’ll always get care that makes you feel like you belong.

kp.org/pridemedical/mas In the survey Best Health Insurance Companies for 2021 by Insure.com, Kaiser Permanente as a national enterprise is rated #1 overall among 15 companies.

In the NCQA Commercial Health Plan Ratings 2021, our commercial plan is rated 5 out of 5, the highest rating in MD, VA, and DC. The 2019 Commission on Cancer, a program of the American College of Surgeons, granted Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation to the Kaiser Permanente cancer care program (extended through 2022). The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group is the largest multispecialty medical group in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore areas and exclusively treats Kaiser Permanente members. Permanente doctors are recognized as Top Doctors in Northern Virginia Magazine (2022), Washingtonian magazine (2021), and Baltimore magazine (2021). According to NCQA’s Quality Compass® 2021, we’re rated 5 out of 5 in 29 measures, including: controlling blood pressure (heart disease), blood pressure control (140/90) (diabetes), glucose control, colorectal screening, breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, childhood immunizations, prenatal check-ups, and postpartum care. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of the NCQA.

1

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. 2101 E. Jefferson St. Rockville, MD 20852 2022BD0702 MAS 6/3/22-12/31/23

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

JUSTIN DREWER

COLUMBIA

is a lifelong Maryland resident and a 2022 graduate of Georgetown University, where he majored in government, focusing on constitutional law.

Carroll County’s flag policy: What counts as political?

HEIGHTENED Elevated DC Living

Some statements are mandated while others are quashed

Discover next-level living at Highland Park, decked out studio, one and two bedroom apartments directly above the Metro on 14th Street NW with an array of inspired amenities.

LEASE TODAY. COLUMBIA HEIGHTS METRO

1400 IRVING ST NW | HIGHLANDPARKDC.COM | 888.399.8498

2 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • V I E WP O I NT

The Carroll County Board of Education earlier this month voted 4-1 to ban the display of most flags on public school grounds. The United States, Maryland, and Carroll County flags are still allowed, as are the flags of foreign nations and banners representing school achievements, school athletics, colleges, and professional sports teams. The main cause of controversy surrounding the policy is that it bans the display of Pride flags on public school grounds.

The concerns about how this policy will impact the inclusiveness of Carroll County Public Schools, and its students’ mental health, have been well-documented. The all-too-coincidental vote during Pride month has also been highlighted repeatedly. But I would like to point out some curious contradictions in the logic of the policy’s text itself. I question the sincerity of its objects. And to be clear, while I hope there are legal challenges to the policy on First Amendment grounds, I do not set out to refute the policy’s legality — I am not a lawyer.

Board member Donna Sivigny remarked how the flag policy was a “natural extension” of the school system’s political neutrality policy, which prohibits faculty and students from voicing their opinions on “political issues, parties, and candidates.” Along this line of neutrality, board member Tara Battaglia said, “And it’s true, where does it end? If we allow one [flag], we’re going to have to allow another, and we’re going to have to allow another.”

Edmund O’Meally, the board’s legal counsel, clarified that “We also have state law that requires the display of the official United States flag [...] which requires the display of the flag in every classroom in every school in every school system in the state of Maryland.”

He noted that the board’s flag policy is among the “time, place, and manner restrictions” that the board has the legal authority to impose on flags displayed on school grounds.

The flag policy begins, “The Board of Education of Carroll County agrees with Section 7-105(a) of the Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland that ‘the love of freedom and democracy, shown in the devotion of all true and patriotic Americans to their flag and country, shall be instilled in the hearts and minds’ of the students attending the Carroll County Public Schools.”

So it appears that state law does not require the display of the United States flag simply for aesthetic reasons. The code requires the display of the Stars and Stripes for political reasons. Simply put, democracy is a system of government, and love of democracy is a political viewpoint. To draw a distinction between anyone merely possessing American citizenship, and “true and patriotic” Americans, is a political statement. For better or worse, to instill this love of democracy is a political mission with which the State of Maryland tasks each school board. One must ask why certain political statements are not only permitted, but mandated by the state, and others are able to be quashed.

Beyond the national flag, whose display is required, scrutiny must be paid to the Maryland flag. Yes, its design is iconic and widely beloved by Marylanders. We reign supreme when it comes to how many items of clothing, bumper stickers, and other merchandise we brand with the state flag. However, its design is intentionally political. During the Civil War, Maryland was a border state; Union sympathizers would display the yellow and black Calvert arms, and Confederate partisans would display the red and white Crossland arms. A few decades after the Civil War ended, the Maryland flag as we know it today was adopted as a symbol of reconciliation and unity between North and South — certainly a political statement.

In addition, if international flags are allowed, attention must be paid to their symbolism as well. For instance, the designer of the flag of the People’s Republic of China described the largest yellow star on the banner as symbolizing the Chinese Communist Party. Even more broadly, the peoples of any colonized country generally view the flag of their colonizer as a political symbol.

So why would the Carroll County Board of Education welcome all these partisan discussions and displays, but prohibit symbols like the Pride flag? Yes, debates about LGBTQ rights are ongoing, but so are conversations about the Confederacy, communism, colonialism, and any number of other political organizations and viewpoints. It appears the board wants to limit what topics are worthy of consideration by erasing some from view.

We must work to resist all such hypocrisy and censorship when it arises.

DISTRICT OF PRIDE TOWNHALL Navigating Your Health Insurance

June 4 – August 27 featuring The Concert Band, Singing Sergeants, Airmen of Note, and Max Impact

Saturdays at 7 p.m.

National Harbor

Free!

No tickets needed.

Outdoor concerts subject to weather cancellation.

ISIT OUR W EBS TO V AN IT E SC

TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR HEALTH Get Smart About Health Insurance for You and Your Family Join us for a Virtual Townhall Conversation Thursday, June 23 @ 11am • Learn how to get the most from your health insurance coverage and how to manage health care expenses

Scan for more information!

HO

NOR

N , IN S PIRE, C O

• Get tips and tools on choosing the best plans for you and your family • Enroll in quality, affordable health plans at DCHealthLink.com

NE

CT

REGISTER NOW bit.ly/2022_LGBTQ_Townhall

www.usafband. eventbrite.com J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 3

Summer of 2022: a queer screen roundup Kevin Bacon stars in horror flick ‘They/Them’

By JOHN PAUL KING by town community by two Since the summer young men – and it doesn’t season starts with Pride help matters when one of month, we can always them turns up dead. Starcount on June bringing ring Daisy Edgar-Jones, plenty of great LGBTQ Taylor John Smith, Harris entertainment options to Dickinson, Michael Hyatt, our screens. This year has Sterling Macer, Jr., and Dabeen particularly bountivid Strathairn, this screen ful – we’ve already highadaptation was written by lighted several standout “Beasts of the Southern titles for our readers, like Wild” scribe Lucy Alibar the smart, sophisticated, and directed by Olivia and stingingly funny romNewman. com “Fire Island” (now Anything’s Possible streaming on Hulu) and (July 22, Prime Video) the dazzlingly diverse We may have thought re-imagination of the iconwe had seen all multi-hyic series “Queer as Folk” phenate performer Billy (available to watch on PeaPorter’s many talents, but cock), as well as the return we were wrong. The Tonyof “Love, Victor,” Hulu/ and Emmy-winning PorDisney’s popular coming ter makes his debut as a out/coming of age series feature film director with (beginning its third and KEVIN BACON stars in queer horror film ‘They/Them.’

(Photo courtesy Peacock) this “delightfully modern” final season on June 15) Gen Z coming-of-age story – so it’s understandable if about a confident trans high school girl named Kelsa who is busily navigating her viewers are still making their way through these and some of the other movies and way through senior year when she discovers that a shy classmate has developed shows on our must-see list. a crush on her. Written by Ximena García Lecuona, the story is described as “a roIf you’re one of those who are still catching up, however, you’d be well advised mance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love,” and it stars Eva to do it quickly. June is not quite done rolling out its offerings, and that’s just the Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry. And in case you’re wondering, Porbeginning. The rest of summer has more in store for queer viewers – and once again, ter does not appear, himself – though he is credited as Executive Music Producer the Blade is here to offer some suggested titles that we think are worth looking out alongside Justin Tranter, which is yet another reason to look forward to this one. for in the weeks to come.

Uncoupled (July 29, Netflix) Being BeBe (Now streaming, Apple TV/Prime Video) Neil Patrick Harris returns to the sitcom milieu that has brought him fame in a Director Emily Branham brings us this intimate documentary charting 15 years in sitcom so perfect for him it’s shocking nobody ever thought to make it before – but the life of drag performer Marshall Ngwa (aka BeBe Zahara Benet), who immigrated perhaps we had to wait for him to be the right age to play Michael, a 40-something to America from the homophobic environment of his native Cameroon before begay man who thinks he has a picture perfect life until his husband blindsides him by coming the first champion on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and launching a career as one walking out the door and away from their marriage after 17 years together. He’s now the leading artists celebrating Black Queer Excellence today. It’s an up-close look at confronted with the nightmare scenario of being middle-aged, queer, and single in a performer whose emotional journey raises timely concerns at the intersection of New York City – but when he starts to recognize the possibilities of living a single life, LGBTQ, BIPOC, and immigrant lives today. he decides to make the most of it. From “Emily in Paris” creator Darren Star and longThe Umbrella Academy, Season 3 (June 22, Netflix) time “Modern Family” producer Jeffrey Richman, it looks to be a prime opportunity The popular comic-book-inspired fantasy drama series comes back for a much-anto enjoy Harris at his comedic best in a sharp, sexy, and very queer eight episodes ticipated third installment after leaving its titular collection of superhero siblings of television. stranded in a strange timeline at the end of the last one. Hip and irreverent, this vioThey/Them (August 5, Peacock) lent, decidedly adult superhero saga had a huge cult following even before Netflix From horror cinema heavy-hitters Blumhouse Productions comes this queer fright brought it to the screen, and show creator Steve Blackman’s slick, stylish adaptation flick (pronounced “they-slash-them”) described as a “queer empowerment story set of it has spawned a whole new army of fans – many of them queer, thanks to the at a gay conversion camp” and starring Kevin Bacon as a counselor hoping to help material’s inclusion of two queer characters among the leads and an “outsider” vibe his “guests” find “a new sense of freedom” by shedding their queerness. Unfortuthat gives it a generally queer sensibility. This season will surely be essential viewing nately, a mysterious killer starts claiming victims, and the campers must work tofor LGBTQ viewers, since it marks the return of Elliot Page to the character he origgether to protect themselves from more than just heteronormative programming. inated before transitioning, in a storyline carefully crafted by Blackman (who conOscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan (also responsible for the beloved horror sulted with GLAAD and brought in writer Thomas Page McBee to consult, alongside series “Penny Dreadful”) created, wrote, and directs, bringing his vision as an out Page himself) in which the character (formerly Vanya) transitions to become Viktor gay man to a classic genre with surprisingly few queer entries. Kevin Bacon, Anna and begins using he/him pronouns – a historic moment in television, whether you’re Chlumsky, Theo Germaine, Carrie Preston, Quei Tann, Austin Crute, Monique Kim, a fan of superhero shows or not. Besides Page, the series stars Tom Hopper, David Anna Lore, Cooper Koch, and Darwin del Fabro star.

Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Besides all these, don’t forget we also have new seasons of queer-inclusive sitColm Feore, Ritu Arya, and Justin Cornwell. coms “Rutherford Falls” (June 16, Peacock) and “What We Do in the Shadows” Where the Crawdads Sing (July 15, in theaters) (July 12, FX), so there will be more than enough strong LGBTQ content to hold us Though Delia Owens’ best-selling novel does not tell a specifically queer story, over until the release of Billy Eichner’s hotly anticipated gay rom-com “Bros” in Sepit has drawn many queer fans. That’s probably because its lead character Kya, an tember – but you’ll have to wait until our Fall Preview issue to find out more about abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of that.

North Carolina, is relegated to the status of “other” when she is drawn into the near2 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

Pride on the Pier is proud to acknowledge The Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation as a Platinum Fireworks Sponsor! The Leonard Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation helps LGBTQ+ people achieve their full potential by supporting organizations that advance the interests and well-being of our community. Now, more than ever, we need to celebrate our equality, our dignity, our humanity.

We need to celebrate our Pride. We look forward to celebrating with our entire community this June.

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 5

Lil’ Kim is ‘queen of Pride’ and she loves it

Superstar on importance of her LGBTQ fan base — and friendship with Lil Nas X

By JEREMY KINSER Don’t waste your time wondering how Lil’ Kim feels about her enormous LGBTQ following; she is happy to provide you with the answer. “I’m the queen of Pride and I love it,” the hip-hop superstar says with a laugh.

That might sound like a lofty self-appraisal, but she’s not wrong — at least not this month.

Lil’ Kim headlined the inaugural WeHo Pride festival on June 3 in Los Angeles and next up, she’s slated to headline New York’s Pride Island music festival on June 25.

This isn’t the superstar’s first engagement as a Pride headliner. She has fond memories of performing at the Los Angeles festival in 2012 and being presented with the keys to the city.

Kim would release a track titled “Keys to The City” later the same year.

“I just feel like family when I’m performing for a mainly LGBTQ crowd,” the rap superstar, whose songs like “Crush on You,” and “Lady Marmalade” have become anthemic songs to the community, says. “It just feels like I’m so at home and with family and they’re with me all the time, you know what I mean?”

It hasn’t always been a family-friendly life for the entertainer, which might explain her empathy for the often-marginalized LGBTQ communities. Born Kimberly Denise Jones in Brooklyn, the future recording artist was kicked out of her home at an early age so spent part of her youth on the mean streets. While still a teenager, Kim was discovered by the late rap mogul Notorious B.I.G., who invited her to join his group Junior M.A.F.I.A. The band’s debut album launched two hit singles and set Lil’ Kim on a solo career path. In 1996, she released her own album Hard Core, which contained three hit singles and became the highest-charting U.S. debut record for a female rap artist. Soon came a string of other albums and hit singles that became club bangers such as the undeniably racy “How Many Licks?”

“When I did ‘How Many Licks?’ my LGBTQ fans came to mind, and I was so excited. I thought ‘They’re gonna love this record,’ she recalls. “And that’s what happened. I wasn’t wrong. So, I was really excited about that. ‘How Many Licks? was honestly, I can say this loud and proud, it was made with an LGBTQ mind.”

She seems genuinely happy to give back to her devoted LGBTQ fans whom she credits with changing her life. “They made me be unafraid of my sexuality,” she admits. “They made me not care. They say, ‘You made me come out.’ You know, I hear that a lot, believe it or not. A lot of my LGBTQ fans say, ‘You helped me come out. You helped me with my sexuality. I was going through a dark and tough time, or I was going through a moment where I was really trying to figure myself out and because of you…” Her voice trails off, obviously moved by the feedback she’s received from queer fans. “That made me cry at some of my shows backstage, seriously, because I know how tough it can be for some of my LGBTQ fans and for me to be a big part of who they are. It makes me cry.”

Producing such sexually provocative material, Kim must realize that she’s inspiring the next generation, which includes newly minted superstar Lil Nas X. Last year, his debut album “Montero” was a monster hit and the videos for his singles were as visually explicit as Kim’s songs were lyrically. She acknowledges their affectionate communication.

2 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

LIL’ KIM

(courtesy JJLA)

“I love him,” she says. “He and I are actually friends. We are really cool. He gave me a video for my daughter for one of her birthdays and we’d been kind of cool ever since. I DM him, he DMs me and, you know, we always comment on each other’s work.”

Kim admits that there were iconic figures that were instrumental in her own career.

The first name that comes to mind is Diana Ross, who filmed a video during the L.A. Pride parade and famously tweaked Kim’s breast in a very revealing outfit at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

“I love Diana Ross, she reveals. “One thing I loved about Diana was, and my mom used to say, I was just like, struck by her as I love how she was so supportive of LGBTQ communities.”

About Miss Ross’ copping a feel, Kim has a sense of humor about it. “I never, ever knew that that was gonna happen,” she remembers. “Never set out for that to happen.

We never tried to be outrageous adventurous. We never tried to be over the top. I was just being myself. Anyone who knows me, even when I went to the club with my girls, I would always have one of the most different outfits. And my girls would be like, what is that?”

And what’s next for the entertainer after Pride? Perhaps she’ll follow other performers and play a residency in Las Vegas. She admits there have been lucrative offers to perform there, and Kim would love for her fans to see her on a nightly basis.

“We’re actually trying to work something out now,” she shares. “I would love to do that and we’re just trying to find the right residency for me. Vegas is one my second homes.

So, I’m like, you know, dying to do like I would love to do Vegas residency, but just trying to pick up the perfect place for me.”

Regardless of where she decides to perform, it’s certain that her LGBTQ family will follow.

MOZART'S

A STORY OF LUST, BETRAYAL, & FORGIVENESS

A NEW FULLY STAGED PRODUCTION

Hunter Enoch

JUNE

29

Nayoung Ban

7:00 PM

JULY

1

Javier Arrey 7:00 PM

Kenneth Kellogg

JULY

3

2:00 PM

LOUIS SALEMNO, CONDUCTOR KAY THEATRE @ THE CLARICE

TICKETS | WWW . M D L O. OR G J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 7

2 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 2 9

Queer rom-com ‘In His Hands’ combines sexuality, laughs A world premiere at Mosaic Theater Company

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Sexuality, spirituality, and laughs – all three coincide in rising playwright Benjamin Benne’s “In His Hands,” a queer rom-com making its world premiere this week at Mosaic Theater Company.

Here’s the plot: Daniel (Michael J. Mainwaring), a video game wizard and aspiring Lutheran pastor, is falling for Christian (Josh Adams), but as the pair explore the potential of their new relationship, voices from Christian’s past threaten to derail what’s developing.

Benne, 34, says, “The story I’m exploring is about two men who form a relationship that starts to feel really deep and rich and begins to tread into romantic territory. Because it’s accessible as a rom com li e to tal about it that wa ut also it as s more difficult uestions about the often-fraught territory between Christianity and being gay. That was true for me growing up in Southern California.”

With the play’s themes and team involved (José Carrasquillo directs), the production is ideally suited for Pride month. And it’s been great for Benne timing wise too: Just hours after his recent graduation ceremony from grad school at Yale in Connecticut, he hopped a train to D.C. and started rehearsals the following morning. “It’s been an exhausting but wonderful couple of weeks,” he says.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Are you covering familiar terrain with “In His Hands”?

BENJAMIN BENNE new from a ver oun a e that was ueer in man definitions of the word attracted to men feelin at odds in terms of how fit into culture bein a lot more feminine than I think a lot of people were comfortable with, and that most of my interests could label feminine culturally.

relationships to spirituality — not sure why. Maybe because we’re on the verge of climate collapse or mass extinction? Is humanity about to face the fate of the dinosaurs? Whatever, people are asking, Why am I here? Am I connected to something bigger than myself?

BLADE: When did you become a playwright?

BENNE: I got very serious about it two to three years after undergrad at Cal State Fullerton. My father had passed away, and I felt that if I wanted to pursue writing I needed to take it seriously. I grinded real hard in Seattle for three years taking playwrighting classes, joining writers’ groups, writing every second outside of my day jobs. Something about my father passing made me feel freer to write, and no longer beholden to expectations.

BLADE: When did you know it could work?

BENNE: I prayed if I’m supposed to keep writing I need a bone thrown my way and that’s when I got the fellowship at Many Voices in Minneapolis. I took it as a sign. I was able to work on writing and professional development – how to turn playwrighting into a living, which pushed me into grad school at Yale.

BLADE: Do you mind pitching the show?

BENNE: Oh, not at all. It’s a lot of fun. And if you’re into humor and a really sensual story that’s helpful in terms of this elusive connection between spirituality and sexuality, it’s worth your time for sure.

BLADE: And with Christianity?

BENNE: Very much, I was raised in a fundamentalist conservative Christian household and still identify as Christian but my understanding of God and sexuality has become more expansive since leaving those institutions at 20.

BLADE: Are you quite involved with the premiere?

BENNE: I sure am. I’m really fussy when it comes to word choice and dialogue. For instance, I’d been working on my last project “Alma” [a recently produced riposte to Trump’s anti-Mexican rhetoric] for seven years. And while there was value to what the 27-year-old playwright was trying to accomplish, as a 34-year-old, I had to elevate the writing.

This time, it’s been a little easier. I started writing “In His Hands in 2016,” so it feels more in line with where I’m at as a writer now.

BLADE: Is the work political?

BENNE: “In His Hands” is a political play and a story about lives. I try to make sure the characters’ ideas about God and sex are part of the fabric of their stories and not just ideas.

BLADE: What inspired you?

BENNE: I wrote from a place of someone turning 30 and how do I return to my relationship with faith. It felt broken. Today, I’m not actively seeking a relationship with a religious institution, but I am with seeking that with God. ncreasin l find those around me in pro ressive circles are as in uestions about Playwright BENJAMIN BENNE (center) with actors MICHAEL J. MAINWARING (left) and JOSH ADAMS (right).

(Photo by Chris Banks)

‘In His Hands’

June 22 through July 17 Mosaic Theater Company | Atlas Performing Arts Center 1333 H St., N.E. | $50-$68 | Mosaictheater.org

WWW.GAYDESERTHOTSPRINGS.COM 3 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 1

Relish Market offers a space for wellness

Lesbian entrepreneur a supporter of mission-driven brands

By EVAN CAPLAN From urban farmer to wellness provider, Stephanie Freeman has been a caregiver to the earth and to her customers for more than a decade.

Freeman, who identifies as lesbian, owns Relish Market with her daughter, Alexia Yates. Located in Brentwood, Md., Relish offers housemade drinks, herb and spice mixes, condiments, wellness products, and a host of proudly D.C.-made products.

Freeman founded Relish Market in 2018 and opened a storefront inside of miXt Food Hall in October 2019 upon the inauguration of the hall. (miXt co-hosted the Arts, Beats, and Eats festival in May, which featured several LGBTQ artists.)

Freeman began in the food industry in earnest in 2013 as an urban farmer and food entrepreneur selling her hot sauce and condiment brand, Pepperly Love, at farmer’s markets and events throughout the area. Her daughter Yates focuses on the catering and custom beverage aspects of Relish. With a background as a chef, she brings experience and creativity to the goods at Relish.

Although Freeman came from the corporate world, she grew up in a home with a big, productive garden. She has cherished memories of canning produce with her grandfather.

Among its offerings, Relish may be best known for its beverages. It serves a rainbow’s worth of smoothies: everything from strawberry-banana to peanut butter, kale, and whey. The shop offers more than 20 add-ons to boost the drinks, including new superfoods like sea moss gel and black seed oil. There’s also a range of juices and proprietary tea mixes like elderberry echinacea chai. All the options are made in house, just like her own spice and herb blends: she’s packed everything from butterfly pea flowers to valerian root to adobo lime spice mix.

When the opportunity came up to open the marketplace within MiXt, Freeman jumped at the occasion. The food hall allowed her to further express her creativity and provided her with a platform to showcase her talents – and put her in front of a bigger, broader audience, but also one that seeks to make close connections.

“I’m proud,” she says,” because there aren’t so many places for healthy choices where customers can ask questions while also supporting local.”

Having opened at the end of 2019, Relish soon had to confront pandemic restrictions. While customers couldn’t stay to eat at MiXt and many vendors were closed, Relish was able to stay open. It was during this challenging period that Freeman leaned in to her wellness background.

The gray of the pandemic cloud therefore offered something of a silver lining.

(Photo by Kea Dupree)

Relish became a community space when so many other vendors and food establishments were shuttered. It was through these in-person interactions that Freeman has found her calling.

Freeman has embraced her role as caregiver and supporter of mission-driven brands. She stocks products from more than 20 local vendors in addition to her own in-house-crafted products. Being in front of so many customers, she’s proud to show that people like her can create wholesome, welcoming spaces.

“People see the shop as more than just selling food, but create a space for wellness,” she says.

Referring to other LGBTQ people in the food space, she says that the community is “often underrepresented and underreported on.” She also notes her ability to “pass” as a straight Black woman unless she specifically speaks about her identity.

She therefore ensures to recognize others who need that recognition. When sourcing her products, she always looks to organizations that are supportive. She has also participated in Black Pride events in the past.

“I’m excited to show to other would-be entrepreneurs to know that it’s possible here, as an example. I want to emphasize that I certainly had to overcome obstacles, whether its Black, or female, or otherwise, but it is possible, even with the odds stacked against you.”

The Ring

The Symbol

Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Open Thurs 10am-8pm Closed Sundays

STEPHANIE FREEMAN and daughter ALEXIA YATES own Relish Market.

Family owned and operated for over 65 years.

3 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

The Love

THE POWER OF POSITIVE ENERGY

Cancer-defeating precision at Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center Positive energy is a powerful force. Especially when it’s harnessed by world leaders in cancer care. Here physicians and scientists join forces to give you a broader range of perspectives and options, while providing the greatest possible precision. We harness the positive energy, channeling it to move cancer care forward — for you and for all of us.

Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington, D.C. hopkinsproton.org

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 3

New book explores history of Fire Island Scholarly memoir recounts 1938 hurricane and its aftermath

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Ugh, it’s been a week.

Two hours into Monday and your brain was already screaming for something fun, something far removed from work, a getaway that lets you play. You need to dance this weekend. You need to feel the sun on your face and sand between your toes. And you may need to bring “Fire Island” by Jack Parlett with you, too.

Geographically speaking, Manhattan and Fire Island are a mere 60 miles apart.

Sixty miles – and half a world. Stretched out and narrow but walkable, the island is home to several vacation communities. Two of them, Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines, both located in about the middle of the island, feature prominently in LGBTQ history.

Parlett says that Native Americans sold Fire Island to white Europeans for a pittance, after which activities there were shifty and possibly illegal. By the 1820s, conversely, it was a hot vacation spot for the elite; in certain places, it was the place for finding romance, too, which

By Jack Parlett Parlett says was a sign of the fuc.2022, Hanover Square Press ture. Famous men like poet Walt $27.99 | 272 pages Whitman were big fans of Fire Island and over the next century, a then-quiet queer subculture began to grow.

Sometimes, it grew with families and children in the picture, the latter raised by nonconformists and theater people.

Even so, despite these many changes, Parlett says that Fire Island wouldn’t be what it is today, were it not for a hurricane that hit the island on the afternoon of Sept.

21, 1938. It devastated Fire Island and resulted in a real-estate bust. Cottage prices fell significantly, and vacationing there suddenly became affordable for gay New Yorkers.

Throughout the 20th century, Fire Island became a playground for performers, thinkers, and writers such as James Baldwin and W. H. Auden. It was a source of controversy for locals who objected to nude bathing. It was a source of embarrassment for Noel Coward. It allowed everyday gay men and women to dance, drink, and party freely.

And later on, it was a place to mourn.

Considering that this is a book about a getaway destination, “Fire Island” isn’t much of a vacation-y read. It’s actually pretty dry, in fact, and filled with people that were once very famous but aren’t exactly household names anymore. Their drama and the love triangles they struggled with are mildly interesting, in the way that you might perceive great-grandma’s old Confidential magazines in the attic.

And yet – the history. Author Jack Parlett offers a lot of solid information beyond those tired scandals to further show how Fire Island came to be a gay hot-spot and why that was important. These tales envelope the rest of the island, as well as current events in America, as a whole, and the impact those outside influences had on LGBTQ life, even today.

More scholarly than not, this book also includes a fair bit of memoir for readers who are looking for something less frivolous. If you want a book for fun, though, “Fire Island” is weak.

‘Fire Island: A Century in the Life of an American Paradise’

3 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

DC's family-Run Dispencary

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 5

A week of Pride

The LGBTQ community comes together for events across the city (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The Washington Blade and the Ladies of LURe held the Pride on the Pier Party and Fireworks Show on Saturday, June 11 at The Wharf.

(Photo by District Wharf)

Entertainer PEPPERMINT and Blade Editor KEVIN NAFF at the Smithsonian's panel discussion, 'Futures Cypher: Pride 2050' on June 10.

The 2022 annual Dyke March brought activists together on Friday, June 10 to call for body liberation.

Capital Pride kicked off Pride weekend with a Rooftop Pool Party at VIDA Fitness at The Yards on Thursday, June 9.

The 16th annual DC Latinx Pride Fiesta was held at the historic Howard Theatre on Friday, June 9.

3 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

The D.C. Front Runners held the Pride Run 5K at Congressional Cemetery on Friday, June 10.

The Capital Pride Alliance held an opening party for Capital Pride at Echostage on Friday, June 10.

OPEN CALL

THE GENDER WITHIN

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

DUPONTUNDERGROUND.ORG

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 7

2022 Capital Pride Parade Annual LGBTQ celebration march returns to the streets of D.C. (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The 2022 Capital Pride Parade drew tens of thousands of spectators and participants to D.C. The parade began on 14th Street, N.W. near T Street and wound through the Logan Circle and Dupont Circle neighborhoods.

3 8 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

Flowering Shrubs Hydrangeas Vibirnum Azaleas

americanplant.store Garden Center | Lifestyle Boutique | Landscape Services

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 3 9

2022 Capital Pride Festival and Concert

Guest appearance by Vice President Harris at annual LGBTQ celebration (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The 2022 Capital Pride Festival and Concert was held on Saturday, June 12. Speakers at the event included Vice President Kamala Harris and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Performers included Symone and Willow Pill from RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as the band DNCE.

4 0 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 1

Local scientific non-profit U.S. Pharmacopeia kicks off Pride month Council member Glass helps raise Progress Pride flag

By MICHAEL SCHMITZ & LAUREL FAUST

Montgomery County Council Member Evan Glass, joined almost 100 staff members and their families at U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) to raise the “Progress Flag” and kick off a monthlong celebration of Pride at the scientific non-profit in Rockville and in their offices around the world.

USP leadership and Council Member Glass each shared personal stories of their own journeys in addition to recalling the evolution of Pride from a day of protest to a month of celebration. Laurel Faust, USP Principal Scientific Editor – Publications recalled how in the 1980s a task many in D.C. now take for granted, getting a security clearance for a job, involved pointed questions that could lead to termination, investigation, or both.

Pride is much more than gay rights – it is an intersectional issue that speaks to the importance of human rights, said both Council Member Glass and Brandon Bickerstaff, head of the USP Black Employee Resource Group. They each reminded the audience that Black trans women were the original targets of police brutality during the Stonewall Uprising that served as the catalyst to the Pride movement.

“USP recognizes that Pride month has evolved to become much more than a march, a celebration, or the commemoration of an anniversary,” said Anthony Lakavage, Senior Vice President, Global External Affairs & Secretary, USP Convention & Board of Trustees and eQuality Alliance Executive Sponsor. “It is a time that brings the LGBTQ+ and straight community together in the shared mission of advancing human rights and dignity.”

The day’s events were sponsored by the eQuality Alliance, USP’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group, and the USP Office of Organizational Culture, Equity and Inclusion (Equity Office). USP’s Equity Office focuses on driving a more inclusive culture at the organization. The Equity Office encourages staff to participate in Affinity Groups, which comprise of employees who drive dialogue and educate staff about challenges faced by and the history these marginalized communities often share. USP’s Affinity Groups include those around race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, Veterans’ status, disability and diverse minds & bodies. The groups enable staff to support one another, connect frequently, and contribute to each other and the organization at a high level, thereby instilling a more inclusive work environment.

USP leadership join Montgomery County Council Member Evan Glass in raising the Progress Flag at USP’s Rockville offices as part of a celebration to kick off Pride month. Pictured from left to right: DENVER WEIL, scientist; ANTHONY LAKAVAGE, SVP Global Communications; Council member EVAN GLASS; MICHAEL SCHMITZ, Director of International Advocacy; LAUREL FAUST, Principal Scientific Editor; BRANDON BICKERSTAFF, Internal Communications Manager; and MEDARDO PEREZ representing the USP Equity Office.

MICHAEL SCHMITZ, International Advocacy Director and LAUREL FAUST, Principal Scientific Editor – Publications, are co-leads of the U.S. Pharmacopeia Affinity Group.

WEALTH PLANNING

WEALTH MANAGEMENT IS FOR BUILDING PROSPERITY AND FOR PROTECTING WHAT YOU’VE BUILT.

From investments and wealth planning to retirement and trust services, our team is here to make managing your wealth a more relaxing experience.

We believe banking is a conversation. Let’s talk about your options.

Call us at 301.774.8420 or visit sandyspringbank.com/wealth.

Wealth and Insurance products are not FDIC insured, not guaranteed, and may lose value. Wealth products offered by Sandy Spring Private Client Group and Sandy Spring Trust, divisions of Sandy Spring Bank. Member FDIC. Sandy Spring Bank and the SSB logo are registered trademarks of Sandy Spring Bank. © 2022 Sandy Spring Bank. All rights reserved.

4 2 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • B US I NE S S SSB-124 Wealth_MaleCouple_4.625x5.125.indd 1

6/7/22 10:33 AM

Now More Than Ever!

From the back cover: This groundbreaking set of 10 weekly columns by Nicholas F. Benton published from April to June 2021 in the awardwinning inside-the-beltway general interest weekly, the Falls Church News-Press, makes the case that the mastermind behind the violent January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was none other than a sworn adversary of the U.S., Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Benton makes his compelling case by drawing from his personal experiences embedded in the U.S. counterculture in the 1970s, when then-Soviet active measures on the fringes of U.S. politics orchestrated a fundamental change in the nature of their covert interventions in the wake of the Nixon-Brezhnev “detente” to abandon the U.S. “Left” and begin fostering rightwing cults, including the 1987 decision that Donald Trump would be groomed as their preferred U.S. presidential candidate.

The cults evolved into the Tea Party, Proud Boys, QAnon and others, and now a powerful faction of the Republican Party and, of course, Trump became president in 2016. The unprecedented mobilization that defeated Trump in his bid for re-election led to the deployment of all these elements in the January 6 insurrection, which came much closer to succeeding as a coup against U.S. democracy than is commonly understood. The threat from these forces still exists.

Order Amazon! - Coming Coming Soon: Soon: ‘Benton’s Order from from Amazon “Benton’s Rainbow” Rainbow”video videopodcast! podcast

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 3

BMW speed demons

Two fun, flashy high-performance rides

By JOE PHILLIPS

Just in time for Pride month, two BMW sport sedans celebrate just how fun, fast and flashy a true high-performance ride can be.

BMW M3 COMPETITION xDRIVE $78,000 Mpg: 16 city/22 highway 0 to 60 mph: 3.2 seconds

BMW M440i GRAN COUPE xDRIVE $60,000 Mpg: 22 city/29 highway 0 to 60 mph: 4.5 seconds

BMW M3 COMPETITION xDRIVE

BMW M440i GRAN COUPE xDRIVE

Talk about a pocket rocket, it’s hard to beat the thrill of the BMW M3 Competition xDrive sport sedan. This 503-horsepower speed demon streaks from 0 to 60 mph as fast as many premium sportsters, including the glitzy new 621-horsepower Maserati MC20 super coupe — which costs a whopping $215,000. Along with the lower price tag, the M3 has room for twice as many passengers and boasts three times as much rear cargo space as that two-person Maserati.

While this high-test BMW may be classified as a compact car, there’s ample legroom, decent headroom and a sharply angled dashboard for improved driver visibility. My test car had optional carbon-fiber racing bucket seats, trimmed in snazzy aqua blue and lemon yellow and backlit with illuminated M logos. While the futuristic design is truly a piece of art, scooching in and out of those sci-fi seats — which sit lower than standard seats and have sharply angled side bolsters—was quite a challenge. And, hello, it didn’t help that a “thigh separator” (a raised, hard-padded object stuck in the middle of the bottom cushion) protruded oh-so-close to my scrotum. Let’s just say I got more than my fill of butt-clenching exercises during the week-long test drive.

But once situated comfortably behind the sculpted steering wheel, all was forgiven.

The M3 cabin is superbly sleek, with modish armrests and a duo of sweeping digital display screens. The eight-speed automatic transmission is wicked smooth, making it practically unnoticeable as the car shifts through gears. And the overall handling is rousing yet controlled, especially with the all-wheel drive. When not grooving to the guttural exhaust growl, I enjoyed jamming to a sparkling 16-speaker Harman Kardon stereo.

There are plenty of other creature comforts, such as smartphone integration, wireless charging pad and Wi-Fi hotspot. Driving aids include blind-spot monitor, head-up display, collision alert and pedestrian detection. There’s even a system to automatically pull the car over if the driver falls asleep at the wheel. As you could tell, I didn’t have to worry about that happening.

If the BMW M3 Competition xDrive is a badass sport sedan, then the M440i Gran Coupe xDrive is more buttoned-down — but only to a point. The M Sport trim level on both vehicles includes sturdier brakes, suspension, and stability control. And each car can be ordered with all-wheel drive, a big plus considering the number of downpours and icy road conditions in this part of the country.

But the M3 is extra taut, tight and tuned — a race car enthusiast’s dream — whereas the M440i feels as suave as an Aston Martin. Think of it as trading flash for finesse. Styling is just as sharp, though the body cladding, side air vents and rear spoiler are all less pronounced on the 4 Series. It’s also wider and sits higher off the ground. And instead of having a trunk lid, the M440i is a hatchback with a more swoopy profile and easier access to the cargo area. Despite smaller wheels and about two-thirds the horsepower of an M3, the M440i is still plucky and a delight to drive.

And safety features and optional amenities are comparable. Inside, the cabin exudes refined BMW luxury but loses the Jedi spaceship vibe so noticeable on the M3. Gauges and the infotainment layout are the same, with similar but fewer performance-oriented readouts on the digital screens. I still found the M440i cabin to be plenty sporty, with premium fit and finish. And there’s beaucoup insulation to block annoying road noise.

Perhaps most important, my tush welcomed the return to more traditional seats.

4 4 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2 • B US I NE S S

MASSAGE

KICK BACK & RELAX

with a refreshing massage.

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

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

CLEANING

FERNANDO’S CLEANING Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out

202-234-7050 / 202-486-6183

BULLETIN BOARD

HUGE ESTATE SALE, Comus,

MD 5 days, 1000’s of Items Huge sale, Whole Home, Garage,Too much to list. Bring cash, cards. NO checks.

Worth the drive, spend the day shopping & wining Sugarloaf Vineyard & lunch at The Comus Inn. ONLY A FEW MILES WEST OFF EXIT 22 I-70. https:// www.estatesales.net/MD/Dickerson/20842/3264453. 2 videos, DAYS & HOURS ON THE WEBSITE See extended description on facebook.com/estatemax page

COUNSELING

COUNSELING FOR LGBTQ

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

No fees, donation requested.

MOVERS

PROFESSIONAL

LEGAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY

legal services. Jennifer represents LGBTQ clients in DC, MD & VA interested in adoption or ART matters.

240-863- 2441,

JFairfax@Jenniferfairfax.com.

LIMOUSINES KASPER’S DELIVERY SERVICE

Since 1987.

Gay & Veteran Owner/Operator.

Lincoln Continental Sedan! Proper DC License & Livery Insured. www.KasperLivery.com.

Phone 202-554-2471.

SALE / MD

MOVING & STORAGE

YOUR BUSINESS or NAME HERE! EMAIL NOW TO PLACE YOUR AD

Let Our Movers Do The Heavy Lifting.

Mention the Blade for 5% OFF of our regular rates.

Call today 202.734.3080.

classifieds@washblade.com

www.aroundtownmovers.com

FOR RENT / DC

1 BED/1 BATH APARTMENT SE Rental Apartment SE. $1200/mth + electric. Full living room & kitchen.

Immediately available.

Email: Bellakeith06@gmail.com.

831 51st St, SE 20019

HANDYMAN

HANDYMAN SERVICES Interior/exterior, residential & commercial. DC Only.

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

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

Trevor 703-303-8699

STELLAR HOME IN 16TH ST Heights NW, Available Aug, but flexible. 4 bd 3.5/ba tastefully decorated home, featuring: new kitchen & appliances, furnished optional, huge landscaped backyard, garden, Vivint security system w/ cameras, one-car garage, unrestricted free street parking, walkable to numerous bus lines, 1.8 mi from Takoma metro (red line), across the street from Rock Creek Park, 0.3 mi from tennis center, 0.5 mi from golf course.

Utilities not included.

Kimfhassan@gmail.com.

619-890-4851

WATERFRONT TWO-LEVEL CONDO w/ Panoramic Views! $579,500. Located on Kent Island

(5 mins from Bay Bridge). 2,000 SQFT, 2 bed, 3 bath. Oversize waterfront deck. Private Beach.

CALL/TEXT 443-400-3447

NORTH BETHESDA MD

Updated 1 BR + den, 1.5 BA condo w/extensive terraces, parking & storage. 1 block to Metro, close to shops, restaurants, Whole Foods & Starbucks. https://www.longandfoster.com/ property-showcase/ 5809-nicholson-21-327202831 Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc. 301-424-0900

PLACE YOUR AD ONLINE AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM/ CLASSIFIEDS

& YOUR AD PRINTS in the PAPER & ONLINE.*

MEN FOR MEN

READING PARTNER:

The Physicist & the Philosopher: Einstein, Bergson, & the Debate That Changed Our Understanding of Time. Meet in my condo at 16th & U to analyze each chapter.

No Progressives. Contact: Stevenstvn9@aol.com.

HORNY GUY, 6’3’, 200 LBS, 9”, ISO short stocky, athletic, hung jock. Must be affectionate and into pleasure. Calls & texts after 9 pm only.

240-457-1292.

BODYWORK

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts. Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

202-486-6183

C LA S S I F I E D S • J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 5

4 6 • WA SHIN GTO N BLADE.COM • JUNE 17, 202 2

LEFT PAGE

31843 Carneros Avenue #142, Lewes, DE

10 Clubhouse Drive., Rehoboth Beach, DE

MLS #: Desu2020040

MLS# DESU2023536

Your wish list is covered in this beautifully kept Nassau Grove home! This home shows like a model and defines attention to detail. Enjoy a gourmet kitchen, inviting living room with gas fireplace, formal dining room, walk-in closets & en-suite bath, bright sunroom & screened porch. New roof installed in 2019. Outstanding community amenities make it feel like you’re living at a resort!

Enjoy tranquil water views of Arnell Creek and beautiful wetlands from almost every room of this 3 BR, 2 BA home! Enjoy quiet dinners on the screened porch, or grill and entertain friends on the adjacent decks which span the rear of this home. Step onto the upper level deck from the primary bedroom suite and feel like you’re in the middle of nature, yet you’re just 5 miles to downtown Rehoboth Beach. Plus your own dock! This is the one you don’t want to miss!

PICTURE PERFECT!

- open house is Saturday, June 18 from 12-2pm -

INSTANT RELAXATION!

- open house is Saturday, June 18 from 1-3pm -

38409 Prospect Park Ct. Lewes, DE MLS# DESU2022888

- open house Saturday, June 18 from 1-3pm BEACH LUXURY, SMART DESIGN

this 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home features slate finish stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, breakfast bar island, open to the dining room & great room with gas fireplace, 2nd level loft, private first floor owner’s suite with a huge walk-in closets, and luxe en-suite bath, plus new carpeting. Situated on a spacious, fully fenced-in lot with tasteful landscaping. Great community amenities!

RIGHT PAGE

J UNE 1 7 , 2 0 2 2 • WA S H I N GTO N B L A D E.CO M • 4 7