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SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • VOLUME 53 • ISSUE 36 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 03 Summer Maintenance and Cleaning

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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. 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. 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.

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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. 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. M: 202.262.7762 O: Washington,202.386.6330DC

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SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 05

Sarah McBride, who currently represents Delaware’s 1st State Senate District, is seeking reelection this fall as her frst term comes to a close. McBride made headlines in 2020 when she became the frst openly transgender state senator in the nation’s history, and for the past two years has worked to reform social services and on health care legislation in the Delaware Senate. When seeking election for the frst time in 2020, Mc Bride campaigned on a platform of paid family and med ical leave for working Delawareans. Two years later, Mc Bride told the Blade that developing these policies – and, more specifcally, passing the Healthy Delaware Families Act earlier this year – has been the highlight of her time in the General Assembly. As a sponsor of the bill, McBride wanted to “help lead the effort to pass paid family and medical leave” in Dela ware, and spearheaded the creation of a statewide program that enabled employees to receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave for various personal, medical, and family events.“Alot of observers laughed at the possibility of Dela ware passing paid leave,” McBride recalled, “but we were able to work together to build a coalition … [and pass] the largest expansion of the social safety net in modern DelawareMcBridehistory.”alsopointed to the General Assembly’s pas sage of a $15 minimum wage, protection over statewide reproductive healthcare, and creation of “the most signif icant gun safety package in state history” as successes of her frst term. “There’s still so much more that we need to do,” she emphasized. More recently, The Digital Citizenship Education Act – a youth media literacy campaign McBride sponsored – was signed into law by Gov. John Carney on Aug. 29. McBride noted that her work on the bill was linked to her experiences being sworn into the Delaware Senate on the heels of the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. “In the days and weeks after the insurrection, some of my colleagues and I began having conversations about what more Delaware needed to do to heal our nation,” McBride said. “One of the ideas that my colleagues and I had was to introduce The Digital Citizenship Act to pro vide young people with the tools necessary to identify fact from fction, hard reporting from opinion, and news from advertisements online.” The bill will require the Department of Education to up hold standards of evidence-based media literacy in pub lic and charter school classrooms across the state.

Refecting on her time serving Delaware and her plans yet to come, McBride emphasized her responsibility to work against efforts from “far right-wing politicians and judges to roll back the clock on our progress and rescind critical rights for many, many people in this country.”

JOE DUFFEY SARAH MCBRIDE is the frst openly transgender state senator in the nation’s history. (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

Joe Duffey on the opening of his District Irish Dance Academy’s new studio in Tenleytown, a block from the Metro, at 4435 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. Duf fey said, “Emphasis is placed on fun and self-expression, but those interested in pursuing Irish dance competitive ly thrive as well. This year, the District adult team placed second at North Americans.” District Irish Dance Academy enters its ffth year this fall, helmed by founder Duffey. Since its opening in 2018, the school has become an integral part of the larger D.C. community, dancing often at the Irish Embassy and open house days at multiple European Union embassies, per forming at the Adams Morgan festival, 4th of July Parade in the Palisades, Capital Pride Parade, Kids Euro Festival, and more. Adult students have discovered new hob bies and reconnected with childhood passions, young dancers have found confdence and strength in building their skills, and champion-level dancers have achieved success in regional championships, competed at North American and World Irish Dance Championships, and gone on to tour with prominent Irish Dance companies. This year, the District adult team placed second at North Americans. Students at District range in age from just three years old to 76. The Tenleytown studio will also serve as a home for District’s ftness classes, including Pi lates with Duffey and Celtic Fit. Duffey is a native Washingtonian and always dreamed of opening an Irish dance school and putting his mark on the D.C. dance scene. He is an alumnus of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda. His love for the D.C. area is re fected in the school’s brand, vision, and community part nerships. He has impressive professional credits, includ ing touring with iconic Grammy Award-winning show “Riverdance,” in addition to working directly with and perform ing theFlatley in “Lordwith MichaelofDance” on Lon don’s West End and on Broad way. Duffey earned his bachelor’s degree in geography from versity.WashingtonGeorgeUni

06 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • LOCAL NEWS

Duffey opens District Irish Dance Academy studio in Tenleytown

Further, McBride noted that, through reelection, she hopes to continue developing and expanding protec tions that promote the wellbeing of residents throughout the First State.

“I think more than anything else, seeing what people deem to be impossible not just become possible, but a reality here in Delaware has only motivated me to seek reelection and fght even harder for the remaining is sues that Delaware needs to address,” McBride said. “I am ending my frst term even more hopeful than when I began it.

“We think of young people as digital natives who are able to seamlessly navigate the internet with an effort lessness that eludes many adults, but the reality is that young people, like all people, struggle with this increasingly complicated world and identifying what is true,” she added.McBride is seated in a frmly blue district, but this year’s election still comes with intrigue: the state has recently redrawn its legislative districts, meaning this year Mc Bride will be campaigning to roughly a third of her voters for the very frst time.

By JACK WALKER

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com.Congratulationsto

“I’m talking and reaching those new-to-the-frst-Sen ate-district voters to make sure that they understand that this change is occurring, and that to ensure that they have information,” she noted. “Making sure that we’re reaching those newer voters in this district is going to be critical over the next few months.”

Voter registration for the general election is open now through Election Day. To fnd out how to register, visit the state’s Department of Elections website at https://elec tions.delaware.gov/voter/votereg.shtml.

Comings & Goings

On Aug. 23, LGBTQ Victory Fund, an organization that advocates for the election of LGBTQ leaders in public of fces across the country, endorsed McBride for the 2022 election. The District 1 general election is slated to be held Nov. 8, and McBride currently does not face opposi tion from a Republican nominee.

Sarah McBride seeks reelection to Delaware Senate Incumbent renews commitment to reforming healthcare, education

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“I want to get in and get the bench flled — to get these people ready and give them the tools to be successful can didates,” they said. A third nonbinary candidate, Jo Riedel, was unsuccessful in their race to represent Harford County on the committee. Before running for the central committee, Riedel was active in Harford County Democratic politics as a treasurer and ad viser to the House of Delegates candidate. However, despite their familiarity with Harford County politics, Riedel faced signifcant pushback as a nonbinary candidate.“Icould have very easily run as a male candidate. I really didn’t ever entertain that thought,” Riedel said. “There were transphobic comments made by other party members, to the point where one of the party offcers had to make the point that we’re not going to use Republican talking points on our fellow members.” Riedel even described an incident at a candidate forum where another Democrat accused them of having multiple personality disorder, because they were wearing a “they/ them”Althoughbutton.Riedel’s own election bid was unsuccessful, Rie del said they were proud to be one of the frst three Mary land candidates openly designated as nonbinary, and excit ed for the two other candidates who were elected.

Around the year 2000, shortly after the passing of his mother, Frances Camp, John Camp created the Frances Camp Foundation in honor of his mother’s life to provide fnancial support for elementary schools in Latin America to help children in need, according to his longtime friend David Rohr. A write-up on John Camp’s life prepared by longtime friends Clyde Wildes and Jennifer Fajman says Camp was born in Jonesboro, Ga., and raised by his parents John Thomas Camp Sr. and Frances Reeves Camp. Prior to graduating from Jonesboro High School in 1962, Camp was a member of the Boy Scouts and became an Ea gle Scout, the write-up says. He graduated from the Univer sity of Georgia in 1967 with a major in mathematics. “Throughout his life, John loved football and would travel all over to go to college and pro games,” Wildes’s and Fa jman’s write-up says.

It was in New York City around the mid-1990s that Camp met Andy Silva “and fell in love with him,” the write-up says. It says Camp a short time later moved to Norfolk, Va., in 1996 to be with Silva. D.C. gay activist Rick Rosendall, who said he had been friends with Camp since 1980, called Camp a generous supporter of LGBTQ rights causes, among other things, through fundraising events he hosted at his homes. “He was a kind and generous person,” said Rosendall.

08 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • LOCAL NEWS Two nonbinary candidates elected to Md. Democratic Central Committee Tia Hopkins, Antonio Bowens won respective races in August

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

JOHN CAMP died on July 12. (Photo courtesy Rick Rosendall)

By CARIS WHITE

ANTONIO BOWENS is one of two openly nonbinary candidates elected to the Maryland Democratic Central Committee. (Photo courtesy of Bowens)

While raised as a Southern Baptist, the write-up says Camp became an Episcopalian and a “very active member” of an Episcopal church in Norfolk. It says Camp moved to Arlington, Va. in March of 2020 following the passing of his partner Silva and became an active member of the Wash ington National Cathedral in May 2020.

Rohr said sometime around the mid-1990s, after his part ner Romero died of complications associated with AIDS in 1991, Camp set up a residence in New York City, where he established an art dealership. Rohr and others who knew Camp said Camp struggled with depression following Romero’s passing.

It says he became active with an IBM User Group known as SHARE and continued his association with the group for 24 years from 1969 to 1993. Rohr said he believes Camp left the NIH sometime in the 1970s to work for a short time at IBM before joining the staff of MCI, which, at the time, was the nation’s second largest telecommunications company after AT&T.

“I am very, very happy and excited for both of them, that they were elected, because they’re good candidates, you know, and not just because they’re nonbinary,” they said.

John Thomas Camp, a computer programmer for the U.S. National Institutes of Health and later for the MCI telecommunications compa ny in the late 1960s and 1970s and whose love for abstract art led to a sideline occupa tion as an art dealer, died July 12, 2022, at an Arlington, Va., hospital from complications associated with prostate can cer. He was 77.

“In 1973, John met the love of his life, Reuben Romero,” according to the write-up by Wildes and Fajman. “John and Reuben purchased a home on Youngs Cliff Road in Sterling, Va. on the Potomac River, together with their friend Gary Henry,” the write-up continues. “John, Reuben, and Henry loved to entertain their friends at Broad Run Farms, as the neighborhood was called.”

The write-up says donations in John Camp’s name can be made to the Washington National Cathedral “or to a charity of your choice.”

It says he began work in 1967 at the NIH in Bethesda, Md., where he provided support for NIH’s computer sys tems, including an IBM product known as CPS, a version of programming language known as PL/1, the write-up says.

In late 2020, the write-up says, Camp was diagnosed with mild prostate cancer and elected to undergo radiation treatment in March of 2021. It says that by June 2021, “he experienced symptoms associated with radiation leakage from his March treatments which left him with signifcant damage to his internal organs.”

The write-up adds, “The last 9 months of his life were met with signifcant physical challenges with frequent hospital izations followed by stays in an assisted living facility.”

Camp passed away on July 12 of this year at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington. His ashes were interred at the Washington National Ca thedral’s Garth Memorial Gardens at the time of a memorial service for him on Aug. 23, 2022, which was the day of his 78th birthday.Heissurvived by his cousins Carolyn Sirkin of Ashville, N.C.; Tim Reeves of South Royalton, Vt.; and Sara Donna of Lyndonville, Vt.; and many friends, including Clyde Wildes of Palm Springs, Calif; Jennifer Fajman of Silver Spring, Md., David Rohr of Cathedral City, Calif.; and Rick Rosendall of Washington, D.C.

As Maryland’s Democratic Party moves forward from this historic frst, Riedel stressed there is still more internal work to be done, even as party members celebrate a victory for the nonbinary candidates.

| lchibbaro@washblade.com

The write-up says Camp loved collecting what is some times known as optical illusion or op art, which others de scribe as abstract art, especially the works of internationally acclaimed French artist Victor Vasarely and Dutch artist Piet Mondrian.“Hehad several Vasarely works on the walls of the Broad Run Farms home,” the write-up says.

“As a party, we still have work to do, and we’re going to have to address that if we expect to continue to reach out to the queer community,” they said.

Tia Hopkins and Antonio Bowens last month became the frst openly nonbinary candidates elected to the Maryland Democratic Central Committee. Hopkins was elected to represent District 40 in Baltimore City, and in an interview with the Baltimore Banner they said that the community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive. “Everyone has welcomed me with open arms,” Hopkins said. “All the remarks were positive. One person wanted a better explanation of what gender neutral is. It’s people wanting to educate themselves. Obviously, I look female, and I changed my gender to nonbinary. It’s about them un derstanding that change.” Bowens was re-elected to represent Frederick County. After winning election in 2018 on the male ticket, they de cided to run under the newly created nonbinary option in 2022.“Itried to be truthful to myself and register as nonbinary,” Bowens told the Blade. “The best way to advocate for mi nority voices is to be active in Frederick politics.” Bowens said that one of their goals as a committee mem ber is to prepare potential candidates — especially LGBTQ and nonbinary candidates — for success in future elections.

Computer programmer, art collector John Camp dies at 77 D.C.-area resident created foundation to support schools in Latin America

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The statement says the D.C. Center and Capital Pride Alliance are working with the Wanda Alston Foundation, which a D.C. Superior Court judge selected as the Casa Ruby receiver, to disseminate the funds to the former employees “fairly and equitably through a transparent process.”The judge that named the Alston Foundation as the Casa Ruby receiver on Aug. 12 directed the foundation to submit to the court by Sept. 13 a written report on the status of Casa Ruby’s assets and liabilities and a recommendation on whether it could resume its services and operations or be shut down permanently.

The decision by the court to place Casa Ruby in receivership came after the Offce of the D.C. Attorney Gener al determined following an investigation that Casa Ruby and its founder and former executive director, Ruby Corado, had violated the D.C. Nonproft Corporations Act. Judge Danya Dayson stated in her decision to approve the receivership that the Attorney General’s offce es tablished in its fndings that Casa Ruby under Corado’s leadership violated the Act by failing to maintain a lawfully constituted board of directors and failing to maintain control and oversight of the organization.

Dayson said Casa Ruby also violated the statute by permitting Corado “to have exclusive access to bank and PayPal accounts held in the name of, or created to beneft, Casa Ruby, and permitted Corado to expend hun dreds of thousands of dollars of nonproft funds without board oversight for unknown reason.”

“To create a future where no Virginian is left behind, we need a progressive fghter in Richmond with a record of results we can count on,” added Frisch. “We need some one who will stand up to Gov. Youngkin and the far-right — someone who will work every day to protect our worldclass public schools, defend reproductive freedom, build an economy that works for everyone, prevent gun vio lence, heal our planet, and preserve our democracy.”

“The recent shuttering of Casa Ruby has traumatized its employees and clients,” a joint statement released by the D.C. Center and Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, says. “Before the shutdown, employees went unpaid for six to eight weeks, with some continuing to work without pay to help transition and support the youth and clients,” the statement says.

The statement says donations can be made at: Capital Pride.org/casa-ruby-employee-support.

The statement was referring to one of Casa Ruby’s main programs that provided housing and other assistance to homeless LGBTQ youth, with a special outreach to the transgender community. “It is imperative that the integral and glorious humans of Casa Ruby feel a sense of reciprocity from our community, meaning the immense care and support that they have provided to our community members in need — selfessly and without compensation — should be recipro cated ten-fold during this extremely dire chapter of their lives,” Kimberly Bush, the D.C. Center’s executive director, said in the statement.

Some of the former employees have said Corado has been spending most of her time in El Salvador over the past year and could not be reached in recent months.

CHRISTOPHER KANE 10 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • LOCAL NEWS

Karl

It is not yet clear when a special election to fll Keam’s seat will take place. Frisch would represent the 35th Dis trict in the House of Delegates if he were to win. State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and state Del. Mark Sickles are gay, while state Del. Dawn Adams (D-Rich mond) and Danica Roem (D-Manassas) are lesbian and transgender respectively. State Del. Kelly Convirs-Fowler (D-Virginia Beach) in June came out as bisexual.

The D.C. Center for the LGBT Community and D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance announced late last week that they have launched a campaign to raise funds to assist former employees of Casa Ruby, the local LGBTQ community services center that closed its operations last month following the loss of most of its D.C. government funding.

The document tells students their schools should act to prevent harassment and bullying, facilitate their access to their preferred restrooms and facilities, and protect their privacy “by not revealing that you are transgender to others unless you have given them permission to do so,” adding, “your school should not be outing you to anyone.”

LOU CHIBBARO JR. Fairfax County School Board mem ber Karl Frisch on Tuesday announced he is running for the Virginia House of Del egates.Frisch made the announcement after state Del. Mark Keam (D-Fairfax County) announced he would resign to accept a post within the Biden administration. Frisch has represented the Providence District on the Fairfax County School Board since 2019. He is the frst openly LGBTQ person elected to public offce in the coun ty. “Mark Keam has represented us well for more than a decade,” said Frisch in his campaign announcement. “We have much to be grateful for in his legacy of leadership and service to our community.”

GLSEN Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers condemned the governor’s comments in an exclusive statement to the Washington Blade, writing: “It’s devastating to see politically motivated attempts to break trust between students and educators and to force educators to violate students’ privacy by outing them to guardians.” Youngkin’s comments on the subject addressed Fairfax County Public Schools’ Regulation 2603, which stipulates that students may choose to use pronouns and restrooms/facilities that correspond with their gender identity and transition their gender without parental permission. “They think that parents have no right to know what your child is discussing with their teacher or their counselor, particularly when some of the most important topics, most important topics that a child may want to discuss are being determined,” the governor said during the back-to-school event Wednesday.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS During a “Parents Matter” rally last week, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for schools to out transgender and gender nonconforming students to their parents and guardians, prompting a rebuke from GLSEN.

“What’s their name? What pronoun will they use? How are they going to express their gender? This is a decision that bureaucrats in Fairfax County believe that they should be able to make without telling parents,” Youngkin said.

Protecting students’ privacy is a core element of “A Guide for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students,” published by GLSEN and the ACLU.

Corado spoke at an Aug. 11 virtual court hearing through a phone hookup when the receivership issue was discussed, but she did not say where she was calling from. June Crenshaw, the Alston Foundation’s executive director, couldn’t immediately be reached to determine whether she and others working on the receivership have determined whether Casa Ruby’s operations can be resumed and if some of the former employees can be rehired.“Iam thrilled that Capital Pride Alliance and the D.C. Center are using their platforms and resources to help the incredible former staff of Casa Ruby,” Crenshaw said in the statement released by the two groups.

The statement released by the groups says the fundraising campaign for the former Casa Ruby employees is being supported by Wegmans, Impulse Group DC, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and the Different Drummers’ Marching Band.

Youngkin

Campaign launched to support former Casa Ruby employees Frisch to run for Va. House of Delegates calls for schools to out trans students

KARL FRISCH (Photo courtesy of Frisch) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

“The funds will provide immediate support to help them pay for rent, groceries, and transportation,” the statement continues. “They will also be connected to resources such as case management, counseling, and workforce development programs,” it says. “Most importantly, the former Casa Ruby employees need new jobs, and quite critically, jobs that break down barriers that prevent LGBTQ+ youth, especially trans women of color, from becoming employed,” the statement says.

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In a lawsuit fled last year in the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Washington, a family therapist is claim ing that a law banning the practice of applying conversion therapy techniques on minors and signed by Democratic Governor Jay Inslee in 2018 is a violation of his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

FROM STAFF REPORTS 12 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • NATIONAL NEWS

Federal court upholds Washington ban on conversion therapy

Emhoff hosts roundtable with LGBTQ students

In the decision, the Ninth Circuit held that its prior rul ing in Pickup is correct and that laws barring conversion therapy regulate professional conduct, not speech. The court held that the Washington legislature “acted rational ly when it decided to protect the physical and psycholog ical well-being of its minors by preventing state-licensed health care providers from practicing conversion therapy on them.” The Ninth Circuit noted that Washington legisla tors also “relied on the fact that ‘[e]very major medical and mental health organization’ has uniformly rejected aver sive and non-aversive conversion therapy as unsafe and ineffcacious.”

Senate Democrats upon return from August recess are weighing whether to include a provision seeking to codify same-sex marriage into law as part of a mea sure that would temporarily continue funding the gov ernment as lawmakers hammer out the budget for the upcomingSomethingyear.senior Senate Democrats have been con sidering in recent days is possibly adding marriage equality to the continuing resolution, a Capitol Hill source with knowledge of the talks told the Washington Blade on Tuesday morning. The news was frst reported by Jake Sherman of PunchBowl News. Supporters of the Respect for Marriage Act, which seeks to codify same-sex marriage into law amid fears the U.S. Supreme Court may rescind it after its decision overturning Roe v. Wade, have said they’ve been work ing on securing 10 Republican votes needed to over come a flibuster in the Senate. The House approved the legislation in July. Four Republicans have signaled they would support the bill, at least in some capacity: Susan Collins (Maine), Rob Portman (Ohio), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Ron Johnson (Wis.). Johnson, however, has changed his tune recently and said an amendment for religious accommodations is necessary.Whetheror not the marriage bill is included in the continuing resolution, the measure would still require 60 votes. The approach in the stopgap budget, howev er, would enable speedier movement with limited time remaining on the legislative schedule. Some internal pushback has emerged on the idea to include same-sex marriage in the continuing resolution: A Senate Democratic aide familiar with the Respect for Marriage Act told the Blade supporters are still working on obtaining 60 votes for a standalone bill and a provi sion in the budget stopgap would be a “last resort.” “I think conventional wisdom would say if all things fall apart, maybe that’s our route for some must pass bill,” the aide said. “But as of now, the coalition that is sup porting the bill [is] still working with colleagues to fnd the 10 Republican votes, and we’re confdent we’ll be able to.”

The Biden administration’s work in supporting LGBTQ youth was among the efforts Emhoff highlighted during the virtual meeting, the White House readout says, as well as efforts intended to “encourage civic participation among young people and expressed his commitment for ensuring that every young person feels safe and loved for who they are.”

“We are thrilled by today’s decision, which ensures that Washington’s lifesaving law can continue to be enforced and that LGBTQ children in Washington will not be sub jected to these discredited practices, which have been rejected as unsafe by every major medical organization in this country,” said Shannon Minter, NCLR legal director.

Brian Tingley, who is represented by the Scottsdale, Arizona-based anti-LGBTQ Alliance Defending Freedom, (ADF), identifes himself as a “Christian licensed marriage and family therapist” and alleges in the court flings that the provided defnition of “conversion therapy” is “vague, content-biased, and biased against one perspective or point of view.”

CHRIS JOHNSON A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit unanimously af frmed that Washington state’s law protecting minors from conversion therapy is constitutional and may be enforced. In its ruling the ninth circuit wrote: “In relying on the body of evidence before it as well as the medical rec ommendations of expert organizations, the Washington Legislature rationally acted by amending its regulatory scheme for licensed health care providers to add ‘per forming conversion therapy on a patient under age eigh teen’ to the list of unprofessional conduct for the health professions.”Washington prohibited licensed mental health profes sionals from subjecting minors to conversion therapy in 2018, as more than 20 other states have also done.

CHRIS JOHNSON With school starting again at the end of summer, second gentleman Douglas Emhoff met virtually with LGBTQ high school students last week in a year marked by a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation in state legislatures, including the “Don’t Say Gay” measure signed into law by Florida Gov. RonEmhoffDeSantis.hosted the roundtable with the LGBTQ students to hear “about their back-to-school experience,” and measures advanced by state legislatures were a key component of the conversation, according to a readout of the talk the White House issued on “DuringFriday.themeeting, the students shared how legislation in states that targets and discriminates against the LGBTQI+ community has impacted them and their peers,” the readout says. “They referenced Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and the need to defend and protect LGBTQI+ rights.”

Second gentleman DOUGLAS EMHOFF met virtually with LGBTQ high school students after a wave of antiLGBTQ legislation. (Blade fle photo by Lou Chibarro)

relied on Pickup v. Brown, a 2014 decision in which the Ninth Circuit rejected a similar challenge to a virtually identical California law. The court rejected Tingley’s ar gument that the U.S. Supreme Court had implicitly over ruled Pickup in its 2018 decision in National Institute of Family & Life Advocates v. Becerra, which struck down Cal ifornia laws regulating pregnancy clinics.

Represented by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Equal Rights Washington intervened in the case to help the Washington Attorney General defend the law.

Minter argued on behalf of intervenor Equal Rights Wash ington before the federal district court in Tacoma last year.

In September 2021, a federal district court rejected Tin gley’s challenge and upheld Washington’s law. The court

Senate Dems weigh including same-sex marriage bill in budget stopgap

Senate Democrats are weighing the inclusion of a marriage bill in a budget stopgap. (Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

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“Zahra Sadighi and Elham Choobdar were sentenced to death without due process and in unfair legal proceedings based on forced confessions,” said Iran Human Rights Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. “Their convictions have no legal validity. Islamic Republic authorities have also cited promoting homosexuality as one of the reasons for their arrests. Their lives can be saved by immediate and strong reactions by the international community and civil society.” ILGA Asia on Tuesday described the death sentences as Iran“concerning.”isamong the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. K. 2 death for ‘promoting homosexuality’

LIZ TRUSS offcially took over as British prime minister this week. (Screenshot via YouTube)

However, the Stonewall chair also urged the incoming prime minster to “build bridges with the LGBTQ+ com munity” by delivering on her promises to ban conversion therapy in the U.K. Other groups including Gendered Intelligence were alarmed by Truss being elevated to the post. Pink News UK reported that Truss takes offce after a leadership race “marred by transphobia,” according to Cleo Madeleine, communications offcer for Gendered Intelligence. Madeleine told Pink News UK that Truss as minister for women and equalities oversaw an offce “that often worked to support trans people and she vocally commit ted to banning conversion therapy.” Pink News also noted that Truss was reportedly blind sided by Johnson’s decision to press ahead with a trans gender-exclusionary ban.

Additionally there has been a sharp uptick in violence against the U.K.’s LGBTQ community.

Iran Human Rights cited Iranian media reports that said Sedighi and Coobdar faced charges of “deceiving and smuggling women and young girls to a regional country.”

This past January, a report released by Galop found that that 1 in 4 LGBTQ respondents to a sexual violence survey experienced sexual assault intended to convert or punish them for their identity.

Truss will travel to the Queen Elizabeth’s summer res idence in Balmoral, Scotland, on Tuesday to be offcially appointed prime minster by Her Majesty and asked to form a government.

Trans Britons have been under siege for the past three years with transphobic attacks launched by various an ti-trans special interest groups as well as court actions that has made trans healthcare diffcult to receive in the U.K.This past June transphobic policies were endorsed by Johnson.

Galop asked 935 LGBTQ survivors of sexual as sault: “At any age, have you experienced sexual violence that you believed was intended to convert you to hetero sexuality or your assigned gender at birth, or to punish you for your gender or sexual identity?,” and almost 1 in 4 (24 percent) reported back that they had.

“This is while human rights sources and LGBTQI+ activists stress that Zahra and Elham were arrested and convicted for their activism,” said Iran Human Rights. “This claim was confrmed in reports aired on IRIB (Islamic Re public of Iran Broadcasting) and other offcial media that cited ‘promoting homosexuality’ as one of the reasons for the two activists’ arrests.” Iran Human Rights said Sedighi and Coobdar learned the court sentenced them to death on Sept. 1.

MICHAEL

While serving as the U.K. minister for women and equalities Truss did away with reforms to the Gender Recognition Act which critics charge has severely limited trans youth to be able to receive proper healthcare.

ZAHRA (SAREH) SEDIGHI (Photo courtesy of the Mizan News Agency via Iran Human Rights)

Other high priorities for the LGBTQ advocacy groups are ending new cases of HIV by the end of the decade and addressing the monkeypox outbreak of which there were as of Aug. 26, 3,389 confrmed and highly proba ble cases of monkeypox in the U.K. 3,239 of those are in England itself.

Conservative Party leadership announced Monday that Liz Truss was elected head of the party and will be come the U.K”s new prime minister, replacing her fellow Tory, Boris Johnson, who announced his resignation this past July following a slew of scandals and resignations from his government. In her acceptance speech the Tory leader pledged to “govern as a Conservative” by delivering a “bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy.” Truss will occupy 10 Downing St. as the U.K. grapples with looming cost-ofliving crisis, rising infation and soaring energy bills.

Madeleine said it’s time for Truss to “show that she can keep her promises by pressing ahead with the ban,” to put an end to “political point-scoring” and to address is sues that matter, including the cost-of-living crisis, fuel poverty and climate change.

Ceri Smith, the head of policy for the Terrence Higgins Trust, called on Truss to appoint a “monkeypox tsar” to oversee the “response and fnally show the leadership in tackling the outbreak that the government response to date has been desperately lacking.”

LAVERS 14 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • INTERNATIONAL NEWS New British PM urged to mend fences with LGBTQ community Iran sentences

“The government has an opportunity to stop the cam paign of discrimination and hatred towards trans people that has led to international condemnation and skyrock eting hate crime. Let’s not waste it,” she added.

During a break in-between sessions during the frst summit meeting of the Commonwealth nations since the coronavirus pandemic in the Rwandan capital in June, Johnson was asked by a reporter about the FINA ban on trans women athletes. The prime minster’s response was that there were “particular problems” around “issues of gender.” Johnson told reporters, “Look it’s very, very import ant that as a society we should be as understanding of everybody else as possible. I’ve always stood for that. When it comes to, when you start to move from issues of sexuality to issues of gender, you start to raise particular problems,” he said. In a follow-up question the prime minster was also asked whether women can be born with a penis, he re plied: “Not without being a man.”

“Trans people deserve the freedom to be ourselves as much as the next person,” the charity said.

A spokesperson for trans youth group Mermaids told Pink News that the Tory government must urgently “re frame trans healthcare as a public health issue,” with the system in “dire need of funding, specialist resources and expertise.” Itadded the government cannot “pick and choose” which members of the LGBTQ community are protected by legislation banning conversion practices.

Britain’s LGBTQ advocacy groups greeted the news with mixed reactions ranging from Nancy Kelley, the chair of Stonewall saying “this is a time for leadership, and we hope that our new prime minister will stand up for a world in which all LGBTQ+ people can live our lives to the full.”

BRODY LEVESQUE

A court in Iran has sentenced two LGBTQ and intersex activists to death after their arrest for “promoting homosexuality.”IranHuman Rights, a Norway-based NGO that champions human rights in Iran, on Tuesday noted the Urmia Revolutionary Court in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province sentenced Zahra (Sareh) Sedighi, 31, and Elham Coob dar, 24, to death after it convicted them of “corruption on earth”Memberscharges.ofthe Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on Oct. 27, 2021, arrested Sedighi while she was trying to enter Turkey. Police in Iraqi Kurdistan reportedly detained Sedighi for three weeks after she spoke with BBC Persian about the treatment of LGBTQ and intersex people in the region. Sedighi had reportedly entered Iran in order to cross the country’s border with Turkey and ask for asylum.

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THOMPSONBROCK 16 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • VIEWPOINT

As to who Larry is exactly, I’m not really sure. I’ve heard he lives in Florida now. Or is it Thailand? Maybe Larry passed away. Maybe there was no Larry. Maybe it’s like the Dread Pirate Roberts, Larry is a name that is passed on, handed down from person to person. Larry’s is a place that doesn’t take itself seriously. In fact, not all. Ever. It’s that reason essentially that puts you at ease. An underrated dive, and in that category, Larry’s ﬂ ourishes. Gays, protect our dive bars. Larry’s, don’t change a thing. Well, maybe the carpet.

During the pandemic, Larry’s added some shelters to the rather large patio to make it more year-around. These look not unlike mini manger scenes, something you’d see in December on the front lawn of a suburban Church of Christ. Nevertheless, it’s added to one of the best patios for people watching in Dupont and Adams Morgan.

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How would you defi ne a ‘dive bar’? For many, it almost has a negative connotation. Sticky fl oors, an odor of yesterday’s beer. That sort of thing. For the most part, I think that’s unfair. Realizing that not all dives are created equal, the general defi nition of a dive, according to Wikipedia, is “a small, unglamorous, eclectic bar.” Adding to that, dives usually have cheap drinks, dated or questionable, decor and a neighborhood clientele.

What’s in a dive bar?

Don’t change a thing, except maybe the carpet

Asking around, my friend Tyler likens Larry’s to a “gay Cheers” of sorts, coming for the “strong drinks and good people watching” in what is a central location in the District. When asked, my friend Evan noted how “unpretentious and very laid back” the bar is. Adding that “when I go there, I feel like I can go as I am. No judgment from others, just good drinks and good company that comes from all corners of the LGBTQ community.” That seems to be the common theme. Yelp reviews are peppered with comments like “I was in from out of town. . .” and “I’m so glad I stumbled on this place.” No wonder it’s the place the concierge at the round-the-corner Hinckley Hilton recommends the most for people unsure where to go.

This fi ts perfectly for some of my favorite dives in D.C. The Raven in Mount Pleasant, where a Yelp reviewer simply said, “a good try.” Or Bloomingdale’s Showtime Lounge, where another reviewer wrote that “neither the patrons nor the interior of the bar were as unattractive as I’d expected.” Then there’s Larry’s. Whatever your defi nition of a dive bar is, Larry’s can probably shimmy its way to fi t into it. The last time I sat at the bar, to harass bartenders Jason or Brett or Steve, I sat between a drag queen, two college kid twins, and on the other side of them, two gray-haired old ladies who despite their age, I would have stood behind if a bar fi ght had broken out. There’s your eclectic clientele, if you take eclectic as diverse or even just varied. I live around the corner, so, for me, it’s a neighborhood bar. The music, too, that night was rather remarkable. Songs could turn on a dime, starting with ‘80s head-boppers, to classic Motown, to, apropos of nothing, Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places.” On the television, come for the B-list horror fi lms that you never knew you wanted to see. (As an aside, “Troll 2” is an overlooked cinematic achievement.)

Some of the other reasons I love Larry’s are also some of the reasons the place is faintly ridiculous — the worn out carpet, the shrine to Buddha, maybe the stuffed animals behind the bar. Or is it the window my friend Matt cracked when performing a lap dance on someone when the chair slipped. Realizing what he’d done, Matt took off down T Street and I haven’t seen him since. That was eight years ago. But it’s also the head-scratching decor choices that make Larry’s, Larry’s. It’s that ridiculousness, or as you could easily say the unpretentiousness, that places you completely at ease as soon as you walk in.

is a D.C.-based writer. He contributes regularly to the Blade.

An ode to Larry’s Lounge

I can already hear the shouts of slut shaming. If you love gay men, your ﬁrst priority must be to keep them safe and healthy. It is not shaming to tell them the facts.

‘At this point it is irrefutable that the disease is an STD’

As the famous TV commercial went from the ‘70s – “it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Mother Nature has a way of exacting her revenge. The immediate task at hand is to educate gay and bisexual men how to avoid monkeypox and to get vaccinated. But it isn’t too early to assess what brought us to this point. In the last 10 years there has been a wholesale abandonment of safer sex promotion in favor of PrEP brought to you by Gilead. The result has been the destruction of the condom culture, which was so carefully built in the 1980s in the face of the raging AIDS epidemic; a tsunami of STDs; and sustained high HIV infection rates across the U.S. The battle lines in the gay male community over condoms and partner reduction is nothing new. It was well documented in Randy Shilts’s book “And the Band Played On” and in Larry Kramer’s play “The Normal Heart.” There has been a long-standing split between sexual freedom and prevention among gay men. There has always been a sex radical group that has deﬁned gay liberation as absolute sexual freedom. They have denied that condoms are the primary tool in prevention or that the more partners you have the greater the risk. This reminds me of people who believe that we can continue to foul the planet because we will magically invent technical solutions that will save us. How’s that working for us?

Now we have monkeypox. At this point it is irrefutable that monkeypox is an STD. If you want to protect your penis or your rectum from excruciating sores a condom will help. The good news is that gay men are taking their foot off the gas. Polls show that sexual hookups are down. But monkeypox will subside and chances are we will go right back to the freefor-all of the last 10 years. Prevention is not sexy or popular. You are stigmatized as a prude or a self-hating gay or an old fuddy duddy if you promote it. But someone has to name the elephant in the room. So many of these STD surges happen among gay men because we have more partners and we are not taking precautions. For me I would rather be the one sounding the alarm then apologizing for not having

There has been a widespread attitude that syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, etc. are no big deal – take a pill or get a shot. If we have learned anything in the last few years, it should be that diseases are not static. Rather they morph into more debilitating or deadly forms. Syphilis is serious. Gonorrhea is on its way to being completely drug resistant. And now we have monkeypox that jumped from animal to human and now human-to-human. It found its perfect petri dish in condomless sex parties and porn shoots.

The facts are really simple. PrEP doesn’t protect you from damaging STDs. STDs have health consequences that should not be ignored. The more sex partners you have, particularly if you don’t use condoms, the more likely you are to get an STD. The tighter the circle of partners you have – such as Grindr and other hook-up apps – the greater your odds of getting an infection.

Are condoms really such a sacriﬁce to protect your health? Is it possible to have great sex with a condom? Do you ever get sick of getting STDs? Gilead, the greediest of all drug companies, is pounding our community with ads promoting PrEP and is buying favor through millions in community grants. PrEP is needed for people who won’t use condoms. But the CDC and local government have abandoned safer sex promotion in favor of biomedical options. Shows such as the popular Netﬂix show “Uncoupled” tell us that condoms are so 1990s. U = U which means that Undetectable (virus) = Untransmitable (infection) is a great message if it is intended for sero-discordant couples but if it is another way of saying condoms are unnecessary then it is a problem.

VIEWPOINT • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 17 is president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. WEINSTEINMICHAEL

Monkeypoxwarned. reckoning

18 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 19

A recent op-ed like the one Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) wrote attacking Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), even if not mentioning his name, is a prime example. Scott wrote. “many of the very people responsible for losing the Senate last cycle are now trying to stop us from winning the majority this time by trash-talking our Republican candidates.” He went on, “It’s an amazing act of cowardice, and ultimately, it’s treasonous to the conservative cause.”

The plan “calls to raise taxes on millions of poor families and other right-wing priorities. Calls to sunset civil rights laws, eliminate the Education Department, declare that there are only two genders, and build former President Donald Trump’s border wall.” McConnell clearly doesn’t think raising taxes on the poor is the way to get Republicans elected, even if he agrees with some of the other points.

There is some chatter over whether President Biden should have called out Trump and his MAGA Republican ‘cult’ in his speech in Philadelphia. Some compared it to Hillary Clinton’s speech when she used the term ‘deplorables.’ I think President Biden made it clear where he stood when he said he was not referring to all Republicans, saying he liked working with many Republicans and has done so for some of the legislative victories he had. He was very speciﬁc when he called out Trump and his MAGA cult for being against the Constitution and a threat to our democracy. He is right, they are. It appears about 30 percent or so of the Republican Party is part of Trump’s cult. Not enough for Trump to win the presidency but without their support most ‘normal’ Republican candidates would lose, which is why they all cater to Trump and his followers.

Our democracy will die if Trump wins another term is a

Republicans are ﬁghting among themselves and if they keep doing it for another two months Democrats could actually win the mid-term elections.

This is the kind of public ﬁght Democrats usually have, though I hope not this time around. There is a clear indication Democrats can win additional Senate seats. They are up in Pennsylvania, an open seat, with the retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, where John Fetterman is leading Dr. Oz. In Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes is leading Sen. Ron Johnson (R). Then there is the open seat in Ohio, with Republican Sen. Ron Portman retiring, where Tim Ryan is slightly ahead of JD Vance. In Florida, Val Demings is within reach of Republican Marco Rubio. Now everything has to fall right for Democrats to win, but if women and young people come out as they did in Kansas to vote to keep the right to an abortion in their constitution, and as they have in the ﬁve special elections for a member of Congress since the Supreme Court knocked down Roe V. Wade, then Democrats can prevail.

Democrats must stand up and speak truth and Biden has done just that. If Trump and his MAGA followers ever control the government again our democracy will die.

20 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • VIEWPOINT

This isn’t the ﬁrst time Scott, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and McConnell have clashed. In February, Scott released his 11-point plan to rescue America. Scott said it is “what the party plans to do if it retakes control of the Senate.”

The MAGA cult blindly believes all the lies Trump spouts. They called for Hillary to be imprisoned for her mishandling of a few low-level classiﬁed emails, never proven, and now support Trump despite his outrageous handling of huge amounts of much more top-secret information. Their hypocrisy is mind-boggling.

are

Republicans ﬁghting among themselves — keep it going longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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Again, Democrats have a real chance to increase their numbers in the Senate and even a potential, with hard work, to keep the House of Representatives. Enough to dream about what could be in the next reconciliation bill if that happens. If we don’t need to be concerned with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) who “single-handedly thwarted her party’s longtime goal of raising taxes on wealthy investors, (having) received nearly $1 million over the past year from private equity professionals, hedge fund managers and venture capitalists whose taxes would have increased under the plan. Sinema forced a series of changes to her party’s $740 billion election-year spending package, eliminating a proposed ‘carried interest’ tax increase on private equity earnings while securing a $35 billion exemption that will spare much of the industry from a separate tax increase other huge corporations now have to pay.” There is so much more to do to ensure equality for all. Democrats can do it by working hard and sticking together for the next couple of months.

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As one of just two queer womxn’s magazines in the country, Tagg has established itself as one of the nation’s leading and forthright LGBTQ publications that focuses on lesbian and queer culture, news, and events. The magazine is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month.

“We know the majority of our readers are queer women,’ said Bell. “[So] we always ask ourselves, ‘How does this affect our community?’ We are intentional and deliberate about it.” Rebecca Damante, a contributing writer to the magazine echoed Bell’s sentiments.

Bell added that Tagg had to work “10 times harder” to survive, and although the magazine didn’t cut back on the people who worked for it, it ended free access to the magazine in the DMV especially as the places that housed the magazine were no longer in business. The publication also moved to a subscription-based model that allowed it to ameliorate printing costs. Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, Tagg remains steadfast in its service to the LGBTQ community. The magazine hired an assistant editor in 2021 and has maintained a team of graphic designers, photographers, writers and an ad sales team who work to ensure fresh content is delivered to readers on a regular basis.

Tagg was no exception. “We didn’t ﬂy unscathed,” said Bell. “[The pandemic] took a huge emotional toll on me because I thought we were going to close. I thought we were going to fail.”

22 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

In a 10-year-old YouTube video, owner and editor of Tagg magazine, Eboné Bell, — clad in a white cotton T-shirt, gray vest and matching gray fedora — smiled with all her pearly whites as a correspondent for the magazine interviewed her outside now-closed Cobalt, a gay club in downtown D.C. that hosted the magazine’s ofﬁcial launch in the fall of 2012. “I want to make sure that people know that this is a community publication,” Bell said in the video. “It’s about the women in this community and we wanted to make sure that they knew that ‘This is your magazine.’”

“The movement can sometimes err toward gay white men and it’s good that we get to represent other groups,” said Damante. “I feel really lucky that a magazine like Tagg exists because it’s given me the chance to polish my writing skills and talk about queer representation in media and politics.”

There was also a virtual “Queerantine Con” — an event that was the brainchild of Dana Piccoli, editor of News Is Out— where prominent LGBTQ celebrities such as Rosie O’Donnell, Lea DeLaria and Kate Burrell, gave appearances to help raise money that eventually sustained the publication.

Tagg’s coverage has attracted younger readers who visit the magazine’s website in search of community and belonging. Most readers range between the ages of 25 and 30, Bell said. “[The magazine] honestly just took on a life of its own,” said Bell. “It’s like they came to us [and] it makes perfect sense.” Prior to the magazine becoming subscription-based and completely online, it was a free publication that readers could pick up in coffee shops and distribution boxes around D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

D.C. magazine focuspost-pandemicthrivingwithonqueerwomen

Although the magazine was created to focus on lifestyle, pressing political issues that affect LGBTQ individuals pushed it to dive deeper into political coverage in efforts to bring visibility to LGBTQ issues that speciﬁcally affect queer femme individuals.

“To that young person coming up, I want you to see all the things that happened before them, all the people that came before them, all the stories that were being told” she said.

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020, newsrooms across the world were forced to function virtually. Additionally, economic strife forced many publications to downsize staffs and — in some cases — cancel entire beats as ad revenue decreased, forcing them to ﬁnd alternative ways to self-sustain ﬁnancially.

Battling the pandemic

However, the magazine was able to stand ﬁrm after a fundraiser titled “Save Tagg Magazine” yielded about $30,000 in donations from the community. The fundraiser involved a storefront on Tagg’s website where donations of LGBTQ merchandise were sold, including a book donated by soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe.

“There was a time where I was ready to be like ‘I have to be OK that [Tagg] might not happen anymore,” said Bell. “But because of love and support, I’m here.” While the outpouring of love from community members who donated to the magazine helped keep the magazine alive, it was also a stark reminder that smaller publications, led by women of color, have access to fewer resources than mainstream outlets.

“It’s statistically known that Black women-owned businesses get signiﬁcantly less support, venture capital investments, things like that,” said Bell. “I saw similar outlets such as Tagg with white people making $100,000 a month.”

Tagg turns 10

Among the many beats Tagg covers, it has recently produced work on wide-ranging political issues such as the introduction of the LGBTQ+ History Education Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Supreme Court’s assault on reproductive rights through a reversal of its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling; and also attracted the attention of international queer celebrities, including Emmy-nominated actress Dominique Jackson through fundraisers. “Tagg is a form of resistance,” Bell said in a Zoom interview with the Washington Blade. “I always say the best form of activism is visibility and we’re out there authentically us.”

‘Tagg is a form of resistance,’ says editor EBONÉ BELL (Blade photo by Michael Key)

For Bell, Tagg mirrors an important life experience — the moment she discovered Ladders, a lesbian magazine published throughout the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.

SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 23 NeverWeatherStops. Neither Do We. Weather any weather. Learn more at pepco.com/ElectricReliability

CALENDAR

XTRA: Washington DC’s International LGBTQ Monthly Film Series will host a screening of “Boy Culture: The Series” at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Landmark Theater E Street Cinema. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on the DC Center’s website.

Friday Tea Time will be at 2 p.m. in the DC Center in the atrium of the Reeves Center. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. For more information, contact adamheller@thedccenter. org. Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social discussion group for queer women in the Washington, D.C. area. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-conﬁdence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/careers.

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Sunday, September 11 Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee & Conversation” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends in the LGBTQ+ community and some new faces after two years of the pandemic. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite. Sunday Vibes! LGBTQ+ Inclusive Outdoor Event will be at 2 p.m. at Bad Habit. Dj Eletrox and Dj Jai Syncerewill be playing Top 40, afrobeats, reggaeton, house remixes, throwbacks and more. For more details, visit Eventbrite.

Acclaimed choreographer to host book signing in D.C. Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company will host a book signing event for Dana Tai Soon Burgess’ memoir, “Chino and the Dance of the Butterﬂy: A Memoir” on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Arts Club of Washington. Burgess will be interviewed about his memoir and answer audience questions. Dancers from the acclaimed company will also perform excerpts from their repertoire.Thisevent is free and more details are available on Arts Club’s website.

Reel Afﬁrmations

First Tuesday LGBTQ+ Social will be at 7 p.m. at Hi-Tide Lounge. This is an event to meet new people in the LGBTQ+ community. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Tuesday, September 13 Center Aging Women’s Social & Discussion Group will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. To register for this event, visit the following link.

Wednesday, September 14

Thursday, September 15

Saturday, September 10 Virtual Yoga Class with Jesse Z will be at 12 p.m. online. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. You can RSVP for this event on the DC Center’s website. Universal Pride Meeting will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. Please email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or the group’s facilitator andyarias09@gmail.com to receive the password to join the meeting.

Friday, September 09

Drag returns to Dupont Underground Dupont Underground and the Washington Blade are joining forces to host “Drag Underground Fall 2022” Friday at 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Performers include drag queens Cake Pop, Vagenesis, Shiqueeta-Lee and Citrine. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased on Eventbrite. Children under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian with them. SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Monday, September 12

The DC Center’s Food Pantry Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202-682-2245.

Center Aging Monday Coffee and Conversation will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center Aging’s Facebook or Twitter. Not Another Drag Show will be at 8 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. Logan Stone will host the event along with a rotating cast of other DMV performers. Tickets are free and can be accessed on Eventbrite.

OUT & ABOUT

24 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM •

SHIQUEETA-LEE and others return for the Blade-sponsored drag shows at Dupont Underground starting Friday, Sept. 9. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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Throughout his career, Jon Hudson Odom has played many queer parts, including Belize, the wise nurse in Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America”; the title character in Jordan Tannahill’s “Botticelli in the Fire”; and recurring same-sex love interests on two HBO series, “Somebody Somewhere” and “Lovecraft Country.” And now, the trend continues. Odom is playing a drag queen named Peaches in the regional premiere of Jordan E. Cooper’s comedy “Ain’t No Mo” at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Comprised of sketches, it tracks the hope-filled Obama administration through the Trump years when African Americans no longer necessarily feel welcome. In response, all of America’s Black population is offered free tickets on a one-way flight to Africa. Peaches is the flight attendant.

JON HUDSON ODOM: She’s a lot of fun, but she’s also ﬁerce and not to be fucked with. It’s been a challenge to create a drag queen from the inside out. You don’t meet a lot of drag queens who’ve done text work. It usually begins externally. But yeah, the corset and heels alone change the way you move and breathe.

As an acting student at North Carolina School of the Arts, Odom didn’t foresee a future speckled with queer roles. “The idea of remaining in the closet to move ahead in this profession was an idea that was very much present,” says the handsome 30-something actor.

BLADE: Jordan Cooper both wrote and created the part of Peaches on stage. Intimidating? ODOM: I’m the second actor to play Peaches. So yeah, it’s some big heels to ﬁll. To make Peaches my own is a wonderful challenge.BeforePeaches, Jordan [Cooper] hadn’t written a queer character. In a recent conversation, he told me that Peaches was inspired by Eunice Evers the nurse in David Feldshuh’s play “Miss Evers’ Boys’” about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. She’s the gatekeeper.Formostof his life Jordan felt more comfortable in Black rather than queer spaces. With “Ain’t No Mo” he wanted to bring the two together. It’s a hot button issue in the Black community because so much of the culture is rooted in the Baptist church. I remember growing up and that was the sin to not be spoken of.

WASHINGTON BLADE: Tell us about Peaches

26 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

BLADE: Is “Aint No More” more than a comedy? ODOM: It’s both a celebration and indictment. And a call to arms. When you’re having tough conversations about racism, colorism, and homophobia, a laugh followed by a gut punch is a good way in.

ODOM: When I played Belize, the nurse in “Angels in America” at Round House Theatre, we did a scene with Belize in drag. His drag is referred to in the script but never shown, so I really went to bat for it. The way we did the scene gave a glimpse into the otherwise unseen magical world he inhabits when not nursing.

‘Ain’t No More’ offers tough conversations about racism, homophobia ‘A laugh followed by a gut punch is a good way in’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

A staple of Washington theater for more than a decade before returning to his native Chicago about four years ago, he’s pleased to be back in town but doesn’t regret having left. In Chicago, Odom is closer to family and working from there, he’s found many opportunities on stage (including the prestigious Steppenwolf Theatre Company) andFortelevision.Odom,the most gratifying part about working in D.C. again is being in a room with incredibly talented Black artists at Woolly Mammoth: “Jordan is one of our best playwrights and ‘Ain’t No Mo’ is a brilliant vehicle to showcase some great talent. I’m really excited to see what we can bring to his work.”

BLADE: Is this your ﬁrst time doing drag on stage?

BLADE: Is Woolly still an artistic home for you? ODOM: Yes. It’s a hallowed place for me, and Woolly’s audiences are incredible. After doing regional theater all over the country I appreciate how Woolly has cultivated an audience diverse in race and age. I’m really looking forward to being around that community. The run includes a blackout night, which means an entirely Black audience for one of the shows, which I think will be really incredible. I feel sad for those who will miss it.

JON HUDSON ODOM as Peaches in ‘Ain’t No Mo.’ (Photo courtesy Brave Lux Photography) ‘Ain’t No Mo’ Sept. 11-Oct. 10 Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company 641 D St., NW $30 - $67 | Woollymammoth.net THEATER

“So, to have come this far where I can stand on stage proudly as a queer Black man is quite the revolutionary thing for the community. I’d bring some part to do in class but queer roles weren’t offered. It was the ‘Street Car Named Desire’ mold – either you’re a Stanley or a Mitch. Now being a Blanche is a choice for me too.”

SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 27

“Young people today really don’t understand,” he says. “I recall standing in the bal cony of Heaven, THE huge gay club in London at the time, with Paul Gambaccini [a UK broadcast celebrity and author who appears in the flm], and he pointed down at the enormous crowd of dancing people pressed together and said to me, ‘Do you realize that nearly half of these guys are going to be dead in fve years?’ It was such an outra geous thing to say, you wanted to think maybe four or fve of them might get it – but he was absolutely right.” With fear of the disease setting back gay acceptance on both sides of the Atlantic – “If you knew someone was gay in the 1990s you stayed away from them,” he recalls, “not just straight people but other gays as well” – Michael remained in the closet.

“People say stars are uncompromising, but it’s the very opposite – the music industry DEMANDS compromise. George had a dislike of having to compromise, and a lot of guilt for not coming out, which he knew he ought to do.”

“People say it was sad, but life doesn’t have a happy end,” Napier-Bell says. “If you’ve written one of the three biggest Christmas songs in history, it’s not a bad day to die. And his overall canon is pretty dang good. I think he would have been happy with that “Georgeoutcome.“Michael: Portrait of an Artist” is available on demand from Amazon Prime Video, Apple iTunes, and Google Play.

By JOHN PAULGEORGEKINGMICHAEL died at 53 after a long struggle with substance abuse.

Director sheds light on George Michael’s struggle with the closet

Still, for many in the public, his sexuality was no secret. Despite the heteronormative image he continued to project, millions of queer fans recognized his truth and related to him for it, and many of his straight female followers sensed it, too. Napier-Bell re calls talking to girls at George’s gigs and asking if they fancied him. “They would say ‘Oh, he’s fabulous! But that’s not really possible, is it?’” It was not until 15 years later that Michael’s closet door was fnally fung open by that Beverly Hills arrest. With his secret exposed, there was no reason to hide anymore. He tried to turn the moment to his favor, seizing the opportunity to come out proudly and advocate against homophobic law enforcement policies that targeted gay men for having consensual sex; the world, however, was not quite ready then to embrace his attempt at a sex-positive stance, and both his image and career sustained lingering damage. Though he can’t know for sure and has no information to confrm his suspicion, Napier-Bell believes Michael intended – “at a highly conscious subconscious level, just near the top of the subconscious, I should think” – to get caught. “When I was managing him with WHAM!, he was going to gay clubs – and it wasn’t because he wanted sex, because he was getting that anyway. He was doing it because he really wanted to be outed – you could see it – but didn’t know how to come out.”

Michael would continue to be in the public eye, but his star faded steadily – partly, Napier-Bell believes, because he encouraged it to do so – and he struggled with sub stance abuse. He died at 53 in 2016, offcially of heart disease.

“All his struggles – being trapped in the closet, his boyfriend dying of AIDS, his di sastrous ending – give us something we can identify with. We project our happy lives when we leave the building, when we’re social. He didn’t just come out about sex, he came out about being fucked up, about his life being diffcult. We need people to talk about these things, and to have all that angst projected through his life and his songs is very comforting, for everybody.

Napier-Bell,it.’”

Though his documentary doesn’t get granular about the timeline of Michael’s com ing out process, the flmmaker claims the singer toyed with the idea in his earliest days of success yet held back when it became clear his record label would not allow it. Instead, says Napier-Bell, he planned to build his career and then come out when he was already a star. But then, as the director remembers, AIDS happened.

Of all the great songs the late George Michael left as a legacy, “Careless Whisper” is certainly among the greatest – and yet, ironically, he never really liked it. “He said he was ashamed of it,” says Simon Napier-Bell, who was Michael’s manager during the WHAM! years. “It had come to him in a moment, and he liked to sit and think about everything he wrote, what he wanted to say. This one just popped out, and it was like, ‘Fuck me, I’ve given away my inner self and I didn’t even know I was doing now 80, is a music industry veteran with a long roster of legendary clients. In recent years, he’s turned to making documentaries – and his latest effort, “George Michael: Portrait of An Artist,” provides a comprehensive look at the life of his now-iconic former client. And yes, it deals with the proverbial elephant in the room –Michael’s 1998 “lewd conduct” entrapment arrest for cruising in a Beverly Hills men’s room. In the flm, which documents the musician’s public and private lives side-by-side and sheds insight on the diffcult balancing act he tried to maintain between his star image and his authentic self, the incident is just part of Michael’s larger story. It’s a key moment, however. For a younger generation, Michael’s “notorious” bathroom incident often overshadows his musical legacy, and some judge him harshly for remaining clos eted through so much of his career. As Napier-Bell – an out and proud gay man himself – told the Blade, they couldn’t view him any more harshly for it than he did himself –but in the 1980s, if he wanted the level of stardom he was capable of achieving, he had no choice but to keep his sexuality hidden. “Every artist has the problem of balancing their desire for artistic perfection with the needs of the industry and the struggle with their own demons,” says the director.

Later, Michael would often faunt his queerness in public. “He would be giving an interview, and Kenny [Goss, his longtime partner] would be off camera and say to him, ‘I’m going now, darling’ and he would say, ‘Oh, see you at home, put the kettle on,’ and blow him a kiss.’ He wanted to show that it was just like being straight, just like being married.”

FILM

‘Balancing desire for artistic perfection with the struggle with demons’

Refecting now, Napier-Bell believes that Michael’s star has “gotten bigger” since his death, something he says is “rare for any musical artist,” in large part because of the inner conficts that haunted his life and found expression in his songs.

28 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

The arrest, intentional or not, may have liberated him from the closet once and for all, but it also tarnished him in the eyes of many of his LGBTQ fans. “He did a huge amount of good by projecting a positive image,” says Napier-Bell, “but then he com plicated it with defending cruising and not being monogamous. He never got to a simple position on all that, did he?”

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‘Knocking Myself Up’ a hilarious, hopeful read Queer writer Michelle

But having a child is a hell of a lot more unsettling, Tea discovers, if you’re queer, single and have no health insurance — even if you live in San Francisco (the epicenter of queerness). Tea finds that fertility clinics are set up for straight people. During her quest to become pregnant, she finds love and marries Orson, who’s nonbinary. Yet clinic forms and personnel refer to Orson as her “husband.” Because they’re queer, Tea and Orson (unlike straight couples) are required to talk to a mental health professional. Tea worries that even though she’s married, she’ll have to legally adopt her baby. Despite Tea’s no-holds-barred stories of these difficulties, “Knocking Myself UP” is far from a downer. It features a glam drag queen sperm donor, a witch, Tea’s loving sister and tons of info on everything from ovulation to implantation.“Knocking Myself Up” is a hilarious, compelling, hopeful read at a time when hope is scarce as gold and fleeting as the wind. Tea reveals struggle to get pregnant in memoir

By Michelle Tea c.2022, Dey Street | $28.99 | 304 pages BOOKS

30 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Most books, no matter how fab, can be put down. For meals, naps, dancing, binge-watching – sex. This isn’t how it goes with queer writer Michelle Tea’s new book “Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)Fertility.” Once you start it, everything else will stop until you finish it. Then, you’ll still be inhaling Tea’s captivating memoir. Recently on YouTube, I came across the mid-century TV sitcom “Leave It to Beaver.” The show featured an archetypal 1950s family – the Cleavers: white, middle-class, straight –with a Dad (Ward) who worked at “the office,” Mom (June), a homemaker, and two sons – Wally and Theodore (a.k.a. Beaver). They lived in a house with an immaculate lawn and a white picket fence. This isn’t to dis the Cleavers, who were beloved by many Boomers (queer and non-queer). R.I.P., Tony Dow! (Dow, who played Wally, died last month.) But June Cleaver, the epitome of white, hetero, middle-class motherhood, would be thunderstruck by “Knocking Myself Up.” After being childless, Tea, 40, and living in San Francisco, single, with no health insurance, after much soul-searching, decided to have a child. From the first word – Tea sucks us into her story. “Hello,” Tea writes, “This is your narrator, Michelle Tea.” “I’m about to bring you into my inner world,” Tea continues, “during a period of time when that space was as wild, messy, hopeful, dizzy, tragic, terrifying and open-hearted as any era I’ve ever lived.” Tea has become iconic for her queer wit, intelligence and searing interrogation of herself, the people in her life and the culture.Tea,born in 1971 in Chelsea, Mass., grew up in a working-class background. She struggled with alcoholism, drug addiction, and mental illness (which ran in her family). Her family members aren’t monsters. Tea’s mother and sister love her. But growing up for her wasn’t a sitcom odyssey. Her stepfather copped to spying on her (in her bedroom –in the bathroom) through a hole in the wall. Tea became a scribe when she was in second grade and, since then, has never stopped writing. She’s the author of more than 12 books, including the cult classic “Valencia,” the brilliant essay collection “Against Memoir” and the speculative memoir “Black Wave.” Tea has received awards from the Guggenheim, Lambda Literary and Rona Jaffe foundations; Pen/America; and other distinguished institutions. Along with being a prolific writer, Tea has been an intrepid cultural interventionist. She started Drag Queen Story Hour, co-created the Sister Spit queer literary performance tours, and was the founding director of RADAR Productions, a Bay Area literary organization for more than a decade. This is just the tip of the iceberg of, what Tea’s bio calls, her “cultural interventions.” Tea has helmed the imprints Sister Spit Books at City Lights Publishers and Amethyst Editions at the Feminist Press. Tea produces and hosts the Your Magic podcast where she reads tarot cards for Roxanne Gay and other artists. But Tea’s dazzling literary status doesn’t prevent her from running into obstacles when she tries to become pregnant and give birth. Professional cred is no match against heteronormality.Optingto have a baby is a rollicking ride no matter who you are, Tea writes. “You’re setting out to conjure a life,” she adds, “and in the process, deeply unsettle your own.”

‘Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)Fertility’

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SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 31AD #1

(Washington

David Mariner, president of Sussex Pride, noted that this year the organization was the beneﬁciary of an annual pool party fundraiser hosted by David Herchik and Richard Looman. Mariner emphasized the event was a success and a great way to celebrate the long weekend. “It was a glorious, sunny day. We have had our share of cloudy Labor Day weekends, but it was perfect,” he said. Mariner noted that the event included a “spectacular” musical performance from The Boy Band Project, a New York-based musical group that recreates hits from boy bands throughout the decades and in 2019 and 2020 received BroadwayWorld awards. Local favorite Pamala Stanley also performed at the event, which raised more than $7,000 according to a statement from will go toward new programming, including a support group for parents of transgender and non-binary adolescents in Delaware, as well as a needs assessment project for Sussex County “to really identify how we can best support the LGBTQ community in southern Delaware,” Mariner said.

32 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Moneyorganizers.raised

WALKER

Sussex Pride raises thousands at weekend pool party Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)

Rehoboth Beach’s Sussex Pride hosted a pool party over Labor Day weekend to raise funds for ongoing programming.

JACK

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34 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 LGBTQ organizations in Rehoboth Beach, Del. celebrated the end of the season with an array of events and fundraisers. Notably, CAMP Rehoboth welcomed the long-awaited return of its annual SunDance as part of SunFestival on

CAMP Rehoboth’s SunFestival ‘a huge success’ (Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)

This year’s SunFestival was “a huge success,” said Wesley Combs, CAMP Rehoboth board president. “It was a true community effort, which was so heartwarming to see as the new board president.” While offcial numbers from the weekend’s fundraising have yet to be determined, Combs noted that both of the weekend’s fagship events — SunDance, as well as a Saturday night performance by Emmy-winning comedian Judy Gold — were sold out, as were the sponsorships available for the event. The dance foor for SunDance, which had not been held since 2019 due to public health restrictions, “was packed from the minute the doors opened,” he added. “Everyone was coming back together and doing something that they love to do, which is dancing under the mirror ball, being together and celebrating a great organization,” he said. “It’s hard to do that when you can’t see each other.” CAMP Rehoboth is looking to kick off its search for a new executive director and will soon begin to implement its strategic planning process. The funds raised during SunFestival will help support the organization during this period of transition, Combs noted. In the meantime, “this is going to be a time where we’re going to refect,” he added. “We’re going to really assess, ‘What are the needs of our community?’ … and then understand what’s the most important thing for CAMP Rehoboth to be doing in the next fve years.”

Home inspections were routinely conducted and sellers actually fxed things. The bar was higher – systems and appliances needed to be in “normal working order” and true “as is” sales were rare. Everyone had an appraisal done as part of the loan approval process, except for cash buyers, of whom there were few. Settlement sheets were easier to read. There was no complex Closing Disclosure, which confuses more than informs clients about the costs involved in settling. Closings took place in person, with both sides present together, usually trading contact information and congratulating each other when fnished.

This month I am celebrating 25 years of selling real estate in the DMV. Prior to becoming a Realtor, I had bought and sold at least a dozen homes during the previous 20 years and had lots of experience with real estate agents. There were those who commanded my complete attention when they spoke and those who made me think, “I can do better than this.” When I returned to D.C. from Minnesota in 1997, unemployed, I enrolled in real estate school and quickly learned that helping others do what I had done for years involved a whole new set of skills. The process and the rules continue to evolve. With my D.C. license in hand, followed by Maryland and Virginia licenses by the end of the year, I set up shop in my unfnished basement and joined a Century 21 franchise. A year later I moved to Prudential (now Berkshire Hathaway), where I stayed for 15 years, then to Keller Williams, and in 2017, to RLAH @properties, which I consider my fnal resting place. In the beginning, only minimal computer skills were needed and showing property was terribly ineffcient. There were few agent websites and no consumer search en gines. Our multiple list system was based on Windows 3.1 and had proprietary software that only real estate agents could access. When it became an internet-based system, it opened search capabilities to the public. The only available photograph in the multiple listing service was a black and white of the front of each house. No home tours, no foor plans, no video – just an address and a description to tempt you to see the home.

A time when Realtors interacted more personally with clients

BUSINESS • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 35

Buying and selling real estate was a very different game 25 years ago.

There were no electronic lockboxes, only combination locks where many agents left the initial settings in place rather than change the code. If you didn’t know a combination, you could try one of two and be 80% assured of retrieving the key. Some brokerages didn’t use lockboxes at all and kept housekeys in their offces. An agent would have to sign out a key and then immediately return it for use by the next agent in line after the showing. Instead of making a convenient, circular route from house to house, agents would have to crisscross the city to wherever the keys were located. Our clients rode in our cars.

By VALERIE M. BLAKE

Buyer representation had only just become a thing. Many agents wanted nothing to do with it, but buyers had fnally learned that without a representation agreement, when they spent time telling “their” agent their life story and fnancial history, the agent was legally obligated to spill the tea to the seller, even if it was not their listing.

There were no cell phones. If you needed to contact your agent from the road, you’d have to fnd a landline and page her. Agents would return a page by stopping by their offce or searching for a (gasp!) pay phone.

Is buying and selling homes easier today with the internet, computers, cell phones and Zoom chats? Perhaps, but I sometimes long for the “olden days” when we interacted more personally with our clients. I still remember them all – more than 550 of them – and will as long as I have my wits and my memory.

VALERIE M. BLAKE is a licensed Associate Broker in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia with RLAH Real Estate / @properties. Call or text her at 202-246-8602, email her via DCHomeQuest.com, or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.

Offers had far fewer pages. They were written in person in brokers’ offces, in buyers’ homes, and on the hoods of cars. We carried an assortment of forms in our trunks. Hard signatures were required, so we did a lot of driving or faxing. With offers being countered numerous times, a faxed contract was often illegible by the time all the signatures were affxed and lenders would require that a clean copy be signed by buyers and sellers. Buyers’ agents presented offers to sellers in person at the listing agent’s offce or the sellers’ home. We practiced how to advocate for our buyers and often our clients’ offers were selected based not only on the quality of the offer, but also on our presentation and organizational skills. Buyers often waited outside in the car in case they were needed to react quickly to a counteroffer (remember: no cell phones).

Real estate in the ‘olden days’

36 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 LEFT PAGE

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Date of Death: June 28, 2012

Julie Chrisco whose address is 4401 Tournay Road, Bethesda, MD 20816 was appointed personal representative of the estate of Dorothy Chriscoe Ewbank, deceased, by the Register of Wills Court for Montgomery County, State of Maryland, on July 30, 2012. Service of process may be made upon Michael Andrews - 1829 California Street, NW, #101, Washington, DC 20008 whose designation as District of Columbia agent has been filed with the Register of Wills, D.C. The decedent owned the following District of Columbia real property: 500 N Street SW #N206, Washington, DC 20024. The decedent owned District of Columbia personal property. Claims against the decedent may be presented to the undersigned and filed with the Register of Wills for the District of Columbia, 515 5th Street, NW, #3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001 within 6 months from the date of first publication of this notice. Date of first Publication: 9/2/2022 Julie Chrisco, Personal Representative A True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills

Name of Decedent: Dorothy Chriscoe Ewbank

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2022 FEP 000095

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT, NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS KATHRYN C. RAY, whose address is 4441 Windom Place NW, Washington, DC 20016 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DENNIS L. BEAUFORT who died on June 29, 2022 with a Will and will serve without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment (or to the probate of decedent’s Will) shall be filed with the Register of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on or before March 2, 2023. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before March 2, 2023, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its first publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of ﬁrst Publication: 9/2/2022 Kathryn C. Ray, Personal Representative A True Test Copy Nicole Stevens Register of Wills studio near 240-863-

LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2022 ADM 000909

Name of Decedent: DENNIS L. BEAUFORT Name & Address of Attorney: Erica F. Gloger, GRIFFIN, MURPHY & WIGGINS, LLP, 1912 Sunderland Place, NW, Washington, DC 20036

PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

LEGAL NOTICES

SEPTEMBER 09, 2022 • WASHINGTONBLADE.COM • 39 BESTOFLGBTQDC.COM NOMINATIONSOPENTHROUGHSEPTEMBER11