Washington Blade, Volume 54, Issue 02, January 06, 2023

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key) Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend

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Casa Ruby receiver files complaint against Corado, board members

Wanda Alston Foundation seeks restitution, punitive damages

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The Wanda Alston Foundation, which assumed control over the operations of the LGBTQ community services group Casa Ruby in August under a court appointed receivership role, filed its own civil complaint on Dec. 23 in D.C. Superior Court against former Casa Ruby Executive Director Ruby Corado and eight former members of the Casa Ruby board of directors.

News of the Wanda Alston Foundation complaint surfaced at a Jan. 6 D.C. Superior Court status hearing for the pending civil complaint against Casa Ruby and Corado filed by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General this past July and as amended by the office with additional allegations in November.

The attorney general’s complaint, among other things, alleges that Casa Ruby, under Corado’s leadership, violated the city’s Nonprofit Corporations Act in connection with its financial dealings. The amended complaint charges that Corado withdrew more than $400,000 of Casa Ruby funds for unauthorized use in El Salvador.

For unexplained reasons, the Superior Court’s online court records, including the court docket, did not show that the Wanda Alston Foundation had filed its separate complaint against Corado and the board members as of Friday, the day of the court status hearing.

The court docket as of Jan. 6 also did not show that the Wanda Alston Foundation on Dec. 16 filed its Receiver’s Third Interim Report, which is highly critical of Corado and the Casa Ruby board. The Washington Blade obtained copies of the interim report and the Wanda Alston Foundation complaint from the court’s media and public affairs director.

The Wanda Alston Foundation complaint identifies each of the eight former board members as defendants and “respectfully request[s] restitution, compensatory damages, punitive damages, receivership fees and expenses, court costs, attorneys’ fees and expenses, and any other relief the court deems necessary and proper.”

The board of directors “failed to hold regular meetings and/or maintain official records — thereby exercising no oversight or governance over the organization,” the complaint states.

“Ever Alfaro, Carlos Gonzales, Consuella Lopez, Jackie Martinez, Hassan Naveed, Jack Quintana-Harrison (sic), Miguel Rivera and Meredith Zotlick were directors of Casa Ruby, Inc.,” the complaint says. “By neglecting their duty to provide any oversight and governance, they engaged in a persistent course of conduct that caused tortious injury to the organization,” the complaint states.

Harrison-Quintana on Saturday declined to comment to the Blade. Lopez and Naveed did not return requests for comment.

In its allegations against Corado, which it says are based on its own investigation since assuming the role as Casa Ruby receiver, the Wanda Alston Foundation complaint uses stronger language than that used in the D.C. attorney general’s complaint.

“Ms. Corado drained the organization’s accounts and unjustly enriched herself through multiple cash withdrawals, checks and money orders, wire transactions, online payment services and electronic funds transfers to herself and to other companies that she set up — embezzling over $800,000 from the organization,” the complaint states.

Superior Court Judge Danya A. Dayson, who is presid-

ing over the Casa Ruby case, pointed out at the Jan. 6 court hearing that the Wanda Alston Foundation submitted a required court filing called a Motion for Leave asking for permission to file its own complaint against Corado, the Casa Ruby board members and the three individual companies that Corado created that are defendants in the attorney general’s complaint.

Dayson said the parties named in the Wanda Alston Foundation complaints have a right to file an objection to the Motion for Leave, and she set a deadline of Friday, Jan. 13, for filing such an objection. The judge then said if she approves the Motion for Leave by the Wanda Alston Foundation, the deadline for the parties, including Corado and the board members, to file a response to the Wanda Alston Foundation’s complaint against them will be March 6.

Dayson said the parties named in the attorney general’s complaint, which include Corado and companies she created, must also file their response to that complaint by March 6.

Corado has denied engaging in any improper financial actions and has insisted the Casa Ruby board approved her actions, including her decision to open a Casa Ruby operation in El Salvador.

In an interview last month in El Salvador, where she now lives, Corado told the Blade the allegations that D.C. officials have made against her amount to “persecution.”

At the Jan. 6 status hearing, which was held virtually through the court’s online Webex system, Corado reiterated what she has said in previous court hearings — that the D.C. government was responsible for Casa Ruby’s closing in July 2022 by withholding hundreds of thousands of dollars that Corado says the city owes Casa Ruby for services it provided under city grants.

City officials have disputed those claims, saying the funds were withheld or discontinued because Casa Ruby did not provide the required documentation or reports showing that it performed the work associated with city grants.

Similar to an earlier court hearing in September, Corado at the Jan. 6 hearing told Dayson that she had yet to retain an attorney to represent her. Dayson told Corado that because she is named as a defendant in the attorney general’s complaint and in the complaint filed by the Wanda Alston Foundation, which is listed as a “cross complaint,” Corado or an attorney representing her must file a response to the complaints.

The judge also pointed out that Corado is listed as the registered agent for three limited liability companies that Corado created to reportedly help Casa Ruby provide services to its clients, including a Casa Ruby pharmacy. Both the attorney general’s complaint and the Wanda Alston Foundation complaint name the three LLC companies as defendants. The judge said Corado would be responsible for arranging for the three LLCs to file a response to the two complaints against them.

In its 12-page Receiver’s Third Interim Report filed in court on Dec. 16, the Wanda Alston Foundation said it conducted its own investigation into Casa Ruby’s operations using, among other things, detailed financial records it obtained from Ayala, Vado and Associates, an accounting firm that provided accounting services for Casa Ruby for over five years from at least 2016 to 2020. The documents it obtained, the report says, include multiple Casa Ruby

bank records and records of cash withdrawals by Corado.

“Based on our review of the accounting firm’s records, Casa Ruby, Inc. did not collapse due to the loss of an $800,000 grant from the District of Columbia,” the report says. “In 2021, financial records show deposits from multiple revenue streams totaling $5,169,098 to M&T Tailored Business Checking Account,” the Wanda Alston Foundation report says, noting that a significant stream of income came from private donors.

“The organization failed because of multiple cash withdrawals and overseas transfers that Ms. Corado made to set herself up for a lavish retirement in El Salvador,” the report states. “She made no secret of her intentions — openly broadcasting them on social media,” it says. “When it was evident that there was no meaningful oversight by the board of directors, she finally dropped all pretenses and started openly looting the organization.”

Nick Harrison, an attorney representing the Wanda Alston Foundation in its role as the Casa Ruby receiver, told the Blade the Wanda Alston Foundation decided to file its own complaint as an extension of its mission of serving the needs of the LGBTQ community.

“In our capacity as receiver, the Wanda Alston Foundation has taken legal action in the form of a cross-party complaint and a third-party complaint to attempt to recover some of the financial losses of Casa Ruby,” Harrison said. He said the Wanda Alston Foundation complaint names Casa Ruby board members as defendants because the board “had a legal and ethical responsibility to protect the organization’s finances, the vulnerable clients they served, and the community members they employed.”

In her interview with the Blade from El Salvador in December, Corado said she believes she is being targeted because she always tells the truth and people are being distracted from the truth because of a system that benefits from “lies and defamation.”

During the Jan. 6 court hearing, Corado said she has received threats against her life since the D.C. attorney general first filed its complaint against her and the Wanda Alston Foundation released derogatory statements against her in the receiver’s reports.

“It really puts my life in danger,” she said.

Dayson scheduled the next court hearing for the Casa Ruby case on March 17.

Casa Ruby founder RUBY CORADO in El Salvador (Blade photo by Ernesto Valle)

Trans woman found murdered on secluded D.C. street Police seek help from public in identifying suspect

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

D.C. police are seeking help from the public in identifying a suspect or suspects responsible for the stabbing death of a transgender woman whose body was found along the street on the 2000 block of Gallaudet Street, N.E. around 3 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7.

A D.C. police incident report says Jasmine “Star” Mack, 36, was found lying in the street unconscious in front of 2005 Gallaudet St., N.E. by a citizen who flagged down a nearby police officer for help.

The officer “located the decedent in an unconscious and unresponsive state with an apparent stab wound to their right leg,” the police report says. The report says the officer called for an ambulance and someone with the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, in consultation with a physician, pronounced Mack deceased at the scene at 3:10 a.m.

It says her remains were taken to the office of the city’s Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy to determine the official cause and manner of death.

Andrew McArdle, a spokesperson for the medical examiner’s office, told the Washington Blade on Monday that the cause of death was a “stab wound of the right lower extremity” and the death has been classified as a homicide. McArdle said he didn’t have access to specific findings of an autopsy, but he said the medical examiner’s office has found that a severe stab wound to a person’s leg can lead to fatal bleeding.

A spokesperson said police have no further details to re-

lease at this time other than the incident was not listed as a suspected hate crime. The spokesperson, Alaina Gertz, told the Blade the case is under active investigation by the homicide unit and a decision on whether to classify the murder as a hate crime could change if new information is obtained.

Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact police at 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may also be submitted to the police TEXT TIP LINE by sending a text message to 50411, police said in a statement announcing the Mack homicide.

“The Metropolitan Police Department currently officers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides informa-

tion which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for each homicide committed in the District of Columbia,” the statement says.

Longtime D.C. transgender activist Earline Budd said she knew Mack, who Budd said preferred to go by the name Star. Budd said Mack was a client at the D.C. community services and sex worker advocacy group HIPS, where Budd works.

The narrow, one-block-long 2000 block of Gallaudet Street, N.E., where Mack’s body was found, is in a mixed warehouse and residential area that is two blocks from the section of Okie Street, N.E. where the popular nightclubs Ivy City Smoke House and City Winery are located. Both clubs have hosted LGBTQ events.

City Winery became the subject of recent news media stories when it announced plans to move to another location because of what it says have been serious crime problems in the Okie Street area impacting its customers. Ivy City Smokehouse responded by saying it disputes claims that the street where the two clubs are located has been riddled with crime.

It couldn’t immediately be determined why Mack was at the location on Gallaudet Street at the time she was attacked and fatally stabbed. The D.C. police statement announcing her murder says she had no fixed address at the time of her death. But the police incident report says her last known address was 828 Evarts St., N.E., which is located about a mile north of Gallaudet Street where she was found deceased.

Gay GenZer wants to be youngest Va. state delegate

Zach Coltrain running in 98th House district

By ZACHARY JARRELL

Zach Coltrain lives in two worlds. In one, he traverses the serene landscapes of Appalachian State University in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains — studying the use of music as a therapeutic intervention. In the other, he navigates the thorny world of politics in the neighboring state of Virginia, which saw a conservative shift after the election of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021.

Coltrain, a 20-year-old gay Democrat, said those two worlds have coexisted for him since high school — where he split time between the debate team and musicals, campaigning and band practice, politics and music.

“It’s really important to me, solidifying my education with mental health, especially when I let it exist with government, where it appears most people don’t have a strong grasp on how mental health works,” he told the Washington Blade.

The balance will certainly be harder to steer as Coltrain announced his campaign for Virginia’s 98th House of Delegates district in August 2021 — becoming the youngest candidate to run for a seat in Virginia’s lower body. In fact, Coltrain, who grew up in the district, won’t meet the minimum age requirement of 21 until his birthday in September, two months before the election.

Coltrain is joining an ever-growing list of political candidates from Generation Z — defined as those born between 1997 and 2012 — whose older members are just reaching the age where they can legally run for office, 2022 being the first year Gen Z could run in federal elections. And it didn’t take long for Gen Z to get on the board.

On Saturday, Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost, 25, was officially sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Gen Z congressperson in history.

“The people of Orlando sent me to Washington, D.C., to fight for them and enact the kind of change they want to see in our communities. Gun reform, universal healthcare, hous-

ing affordability, tackling the climate crisis and more,” Frost said in a statement. “We have so much work to do, but I’m honored to represent my people.”

In addition, according to campaign finance tracker Open Secrets, Gen Z candidates for federal offices raised millions of dollars during the 2022 campaign season. The nonprofit identified at least seven Gen Z candidates — four Democrats and three Republicans — vying for congressional seats in 2022.

Gen Z is also partially responsible for thwarting the socalled “red wave” that many political analysts predicted for last year’s midterms. In 2022, Democrats overperformed, gaining one seat in the Senate and not losing nearly as many seats in the House as predicted.

Ashley Aylward, a senior researcher at the Washington-based public opinion research firm HIT Strategies, wrote in Time that an “earthquake of young voters shook up the political world” in 2022.

“When young people’s rights are on the ballot and championed by the candidate, they show up,” she wrote.

The numbers seemed to back up her claims. About 1 in 8 voters overall were under 30, according to early exit polling and AP VoteCast, and more than half supported Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. It came during the same year that the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, stripping pregnant people of the Constitutional right to an abortion; 74 percent of 18-29-year-olds believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to recent data from the Pew Research Center.

In an interview with the Blade, Aylward couldn’t say definitively whether we could expect a similar turnout of young voters in statewide and local races. Coltrain’s race will be decided later this year — Nov. 7, 2023 — with no headline-grabbing national or gubernatorial elections to help boost turnout.

But Aylward — speaking broadly and making clear she didn’t have enough data to make any clear conclusions — speculated that Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that gave the state’s the power to decide abortion rights, could lead to increased turnout in often overlooked statewide elections.

“I have noticed a shift in attention being turned towards state and local politics, because we know that is where the most impact happens on our day-to-day lives,” she said. “But a lot of it was sparked from the Dobbs v. Jackson case, because people now realize that these decisions about our bodies are going to be made in our state legislatures.”

Aylward added that she hopes to do more research on the topic in the future.

Furthermore, Aylward said she has found that Gen Z voters are “way more motivated to vote when they see young people like them run for office.”

“Most often of what we hear in focus groups is that young people are usually feeling more jaded, because they don’t see people like them in elections, particularly young,” she said.

This begs the question: Can a man not yet able to legally consume alcohol convince the people of Virginia’s 98th House district to vote for him?

In general, Aylward said, she has found that age does matter to some folks. “But most of the time, it boils down to the issues. [Voters] go on and on about the issues that people are championing,” she said.

Coltrain is the only Democrat in the race, clearing his path to the general election. However, his journey to the Virginia House becomes murkier after the primaries. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Coltrain’s Republican opponent will either be Glenn Davis or Barry Knight — both of whom are current Virginia delegates.

Continues at washingtonblade.com

Jasmine ‘Star’ Mack was found stabbed to death on the 2000 block of Gallaudet Street, N.E. (Washington Blade photo by Lou Chibbaro, Jr.)

Virginia lawmakers target trans youth as session begins

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Virginia lawmakers have introduced several anti-LGBTQ bills ahead of the 2023 legislative session that began on Wednesday.

State Del. Tara Durant (R-Fredericksburg) has introduced a bill that would require school personnel to notify a student’s parents if they are transgender.

House Bill 1387, which state Del. Karen Greenhalgh (R-Virginia Beach) has introduced, would ban trans athletes from school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. State Del. Marie March (R-Floyd County) has introduced a similar measure, House Bill 1399, which would require “each interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic team or sport that is sponsored by a public elementary or secondary school or a public institution of higher education to be expressly designated as one of the following based on each team member’s biological sex at birth: (i) for ‘males,’ ‘men’ or ‘boys;’ (ii) for ‘females,’ ‘women,’ or ‘girls;’ or (iii) as ‘coed’ or ‘mixed,’ including both (a) males, men or boys and (b) females, women or girls.”

State Del. Jason Ballard (R-Giles County)’s House Bill 1434 would ban “any school board member or school board employee from changing the name of a student enrolled in the local school division on any education record relating to such student unless the member or employee receives a change of name order for such student that was issued in accordance with relevant law.”

State Sens. John Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake) and Mark Peake (R-Lynchburg) have introduced bills in the Virginia Senate that would ban trans athletes from school sports teams that correspond with their gender identity.

Senate Bill 960 that Peake introduced would make it illegal for “any individual to provide gender transition procedures for minors and prohibits the use of public funds for gender transition procedures” and would allow “parents, guardians or custodians to withhold consent for any treatment, activity or mental health care services that are designed and intended to form their child’s conceptions of sex and gender or to treat gender dysphoria or gender nonconformity.” State Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Colonial Heights) has introduced a similar measure, Senate Bill 791. “Instead of focusing on real issues impacting Virginians, some lawmakers in our Commonwealth choose to target transgender and nonbinary youth in hopes of gaining cheap political points ahead of the November election,” said Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman on Tuesday in a press release. “The attacks on the right to receive gender-affirming care and attempting to ban transgender athletes from participating in sports, lawmakers are nothing more than solutions in search of a problem. There is no question about it — trans youth belong in Virginia and deserve the safety to thrive, no matter

what corner of the commonwealth they call home.”

“Equality Virginia is prepared to defeat these bills and send a message that Virginia is a welcoming and inclusive place for all,” added Rahaman.

State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) has reintroduced a resolution to begin the process of repealing a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The Alexandria Democrat who is Virginia’s only openly gay state senator has also introduced Senate Bill 1096, which would clarify “that a marriage between two parties is lawful regardless of the sex or gender of such parties, provided that such marriage is not otherwise prohibited by the laws of the commonwealth.”

The Virginia General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session begins against the backdrop of a delayed implementation of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed revisions of guidelines for trans and nonbinary students that his predecessor, Democrat Ralph Northam, signed.

Republicans currently control the House of Delegates by a 51-47 margin.

Holly Seibold will succeed former state Del. Mark Keam (D-Fairfax County) after she won a special election for his seat on Tuesday.

Former Virginia Beach City Councilman Aaron Rouse on Tuesday won the special election for now Congresswoman Jen Kiggans’ seat in the state Senate. Democrats now have a 22-18 majority in the chamber.

“I am excited to see Senator-Elect Aaron Rouse’s outstanding victory in the 7th Senatorial District tonight,” said Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Susan Swecker in a statement.” The people of Norfolk and Virginia Beach have delivered a powerful mandate: Glenn Youngkin’s hateful and extreme attempts to ban access to safe, legal abortion have no place in the commonwealth.”

State Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas), who in 2017 became the first openly trans woman elected to a state legislature in the U.S., on Tuesday told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview that she expects the state Senate will thwart any anti-LGBTQ bill.

“Our Democratic majority in the state Senate will absolutely kill these anti-trans, bigoted bills,” said Roem.

(D-Montgomery County) and Bonnie Cullison (D-Montgomery County) also returned to Annapolis.

State Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Baltimore and Howard Counties) has reintroduced a bill that would repeal Maryland’s Unnatural or Perverted Sexual Practices Act.

The General Assembly in 2020 repealed the law’s “sodomy” provision, but Lam’s bill died in committee last year. FreeState Justice Policy Coordinator Jamie Grace Alexander in an email to the Blade said the organization is optimistic that lawmakers this year will repeal the statute.

“We are feeling hopeful that this is the year we can change that outdated and discriminatory law,” said Alexander. “We’ll be supporting Senator Lam’s office as he continues his advocacy on this issue.”

Alexander noted FreeState Justice’s other legislative priorities include bills that would allow Medicaid to cover “all trans-affirming procedures,” expand protections for trans Marylanders who are incarcerated and decriminalize HIV transmission. Acevero, who is the first openly gay man of Afro-Latino descent elected to the General Assembly, on Wednesday said he is “optimistic about LGBTQ+ equality in Maryland over the next four years.”

The Maryland General Assembly also began on Wednesday.

State Dels. Joseph Vogel (D-Montgomery County) and Kris Fair (D-Frederick County), who are both openly gay, took office. State Sen. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore County) and state Dels. Gabriel Acevero (D-Montgomery County), Luke Clippinger (D-Baltimore City), Anne Kaiser

Governor-elect Wes Moore, Lieutenant Gov.-elect Aruna Miller and Comptroller-elect Brooke Lierman — Democrats who support LGBTQ rights — will take office on Jan. 18. Democratic Attorney General Anthony Brown, who also advocates for equality based on sexual orientation and gender identity, took office on Jan. 3.

“With a Democratic governor and a Democratic legislature I hope we’ll finally provide gender affirming care to trans and nonbinary Marylanders, fund the ending youth homelessness act, and ensure LGBTQ+ seniors are able to age with dignity,” Acevero told the Blade.

A memorial service for former U.S. Rep. James ‘Jim’ Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who became the first openly gay person to address the Republican National Convention, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 4, at D.C.’s Church of the Holy City at 3 p.m. to be followed by a reception.

Kolbe served in the U.S. House representing the city of Tucson from 1985 to 2007 when he retired. He passed away on Dec. 3, 2022, at the age of age of 80 from complications associated with a stroke, according to his husband, Hector Alfonso.

The D.C. memorial for Kolbe is being organized by the International Republican Institute (IRI), which identifies itself as a “nonprofit nonpartisan organization that en -

courages democracy in places where it is absent, helps democracy become more effective where it is in danger, and shares best practices where democracy is flourishing.”

“It is with great sadness we mourn the loss of former Arizona Congressman and IRI Board Member, James Thomas Kolbe,” the organization says in an announcement. “You are invited to a memorial service to celebrate the life of James Thomas Kolbe.”

The Church of the Holy City, where the service will be held, is located at 1611 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Md. senator reintroduces sodomy law repeal bill

Virginia State Sen. ADAM EBBIN started the process of repealing a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Attorney expects FEC to block investigation into Santos

An attorney with the group that filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Monday against U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) said the agency is unlikely to pursue an investigation or bring any enforcement action against the congressman or his campaign.

“There are at least three commissioners who are ideologically opposed to enforcing campaign finance law,” Campaign Legal Center Senior Vice President and Legal Director Adav Noti told the Washington Blade by phone on Tuesday.

With a four-vote majority of the FEC’s six sitting commissioners required to open an investigation, “the working assumption has to be — for every FEC complaint, no matter how egregious — that at least three commissioners will block an investigation,” Noti said.

Noti previously served in the FEC’s Office of General Counsel as associate general counsel for policy and in the Litigation Division, where he argued cases before federal district and appellate courts as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, including the landmark 2010 Citizens United v. FEC. case

Notwithstanding what may happen at the FEC, Noti told the Blade the Santos case is unlike anything he had ever seen, in multiple respects.

Per the Campaign Legal Center’s complaint, Santos and his 2022 campaign committee, Devolder-Santos for Congress, stand accused of engaging “in a straw donor scheme to knowingly and willfully conceal the true sources of $705,000 that Santos purported to loan to his campaign; deliberately reporting false disbursement figures on FEC disclosure reports, among many other reporting violations and illegally using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, including rent on a house that Santos lived in during the campaign.”

Some of these allegations, which sometimes result in prosecutions, happen, unfortunately, “with some regularity,” Noti said. “But I cannot think of another situation where a successful candidate turns out to have fabricated his entire campaign apparatus.”

Noti said candidates will sometimes falsify the source of the money they received to fund their campaigns, and other times they will conceal how they spent those funds, but “I can’t think of another instance where every dollar that went into a campaign and a significant portion of the dollars that were spent by that campaign appear to be fictitious, or just made up.”

Looking at the money that was funneled through the campaign, even if assuming that the dollar amounts that were reported were accurate, “we don’t know where it came from, and we know where almost none of it went,” Noti said.

Unfortunately, however, “Even in the highly unlikely event that the FEC does conduct an investigation or [pursue an enforcement action,] it would take years,” Noti said, adding that slow-rolling the process is another means by which the commissioners can prevent the agency from enforcing the law.

Nevertheless, Santos is in potential legal jeopardy.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office have opened investigations into the congressman.

On Tuesday, Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Daniel Goldman — both Democrats — filed a complaint against Santos to the House Ethics Committee.

Noti said the Justice Department’s case would be a criminal probe into Santos’ possible violations of campaign finance laws, but otherwise the FEC has sole jurisdiction over these matters, so other legal actors are likely looking into other types of financial malfeasance by the congressman.

The FEC will typically wait for the resolution of a criminal probe initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office before proceeding with a complaint, Noti said. “If the DOJ starts investigating, they’ll tell the FEC, and then the FEC will wait for the criminal investigation to conclude.”

Either way, “I would be shocked if [Santos] were not seeking legal counsel,” Noti said, adding that he might have a difficult time finding an attorney to represent him.

Santos has been under fire for weeks after media reports revealed the congressman had lied about virtually every aspect of his life, career and identity.

With respect to his treatment of campaign finance laws, “What he did was intentionally deprive the public of the information that voters are entitled to before they decide who to vote for,” Noti said.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Federal judge upholds W.Va. law that bans trans youth from sports

U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin for the Southern District of West Virginia ruled last Friday that the ban on transgender athletes competing in female school sports that Republican Gov. Jim Justice signed into law in 2021 is constitutional.

“I recognize that being transgender is natural and is not a choice,” Goodwin wrote in his decision. “But one’s sex is also natural, and it dictates physical characteristics that are relevant to athletics.”

The ruling came in the lawsuit challenging the ban filed by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of West Virginia and Cooley LLP on behalf of then 11-yearold Becky Pepper-Jackson, the plaintiff in the lawsuit.

When the suit was filed, Josh Block, senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBTQ and HIV Project said: “Becky — like all students — should have the opportunity to try out for a sports team and play with her peers. We hope this also sends a message to other states to stop demonizing trans kids to score political points and to let these kids live their lives in peace.”

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey applauded the decision.

“This is not only about simple biology, but fairness for women’s sports, plain and simple,” the attorney general said. “Opportunities for girls and women on the field are precious and we must safeguard that future.”

NPR and the Associated Press reported the plaintiff’s lawsuit did not challenge whether schools should be allowed to have separate sports teams for males and females, and Goodwin was tasked with determining whether the Legislature’s definition of the terms “girl” and “woman” is constitutionally permissible. The Save Women’s Sports Bill signed by Justice says they mean anyone assigned the female gender at birth.

“The Legislature’s definition of ‘girl’ as being based on ‘biological sex’ is substantially related to the important government interest of providing equal athletic opportunities for females,” Goodwin determined.

The judge also rejected the plaintiff’s claim that the state law violated Title IX, the landmark gender equity legislation enacted in 1972.

BRODY LEVESQUE

Gay Rep. GEORGE SANTOS is the subject of an FEC complaint. (Screen shot via YouTube)

McCarthy, fierce opponent of LGBTQ rights, finally wins gavel

In the final vote tally shortly after midnight on Saturday January 7, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California was elected Speaker with 216 votes followed by Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) with 211 and 6 lawmakers voting present, in the 15th and final ballot.

He was sworn in at 1:40 AM Eastern and in turn Speaker McCarthy then swore in the assembled members of the 118th Congress en masse. Afterwards the Democratic and Republican conferences appointed their leadership roles and House officers including the Clerk of the House and the House Sergeant-at-Arms who were also sworn in.

McCarthy’s victory required him and his allies to make extraordinary concessions to the bloc of far-right holdouts. These included changes to House rules that empowered the House Freedom Caucus, and a new rules package. CNN reported that package included:

• Any member can call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair – this is significant because it would make it much easier than it is currently to trigger what is effectively a no confidence vote in the speaker. Conservatives pushed hard for this, while moderates are worried it will weaken McCarthy’s hand.

• A McCarthy-aligned super PAC agreed to not play in open Republican primaries in safe seats.

• The House will hold votes on key conservative bills, including a balanced budget amendment, congressional term limits and border security.

• Efforts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling must be paired with spending cuts. This could become a major issue in the future when it is time to raise the debt limit to avoid a catastrophic default because Democrats in the Senate and the White House would like-

ly oppose demands for spending cuts.

• Move 12 appropriations bills individually. Instead of passing separate bills to fund government operations, Congress frequently passes a massive year-end spending package known as an “omnibus” that rolls everything into one bill. Conservatives rail against this, arguing that it evades oversight and allows lawmakers to stick in extraneous pet projects.

• More Freedom Caucus representation on committees, including the powerful House Rules Committee.

• Cap discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels, which would amount to lower levels for defense and domestic programs.

• 72 hours to review bills before they come to floor

• Give members the ability to offer more amendments on the House floor

• Create an investigative committee to probe the “weaponization” of the federal government

• Restore the Holman rule, which can be used to reduce the salary of government officials.

The White House released a statement from President Joe Biden: “Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as speaker of the House. … As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well.”

It was the first time in a century that the gavel was not passed with the first ballot, paralyzing the House as new lawmakers could not be seated and activity like committee assignments and legislation was ground to a halt.

McCarthy had faced an obstinate group of about 20 hardline GOP members, despite having won the endorsement of influential conservative media figures, former president Donald Trump, and ultraconservative members of the conference like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.).

Partly as a consequence of the conditions to which he agreed to earn their support, McCarthy’s autonomy over the gavel is expected to be compromised by the ultraconservative faction of the House GOP caucus whose power was just demonstrated during the speakership election.

McCarthy has long been an opponent of LGBTQ rights. The Republican Leader cosigned the House GOP’s legal defense of the Defense of Marriage Act during the Obama administration in 2011, later co-authoring an amicus brief supporting the legislation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

More recently, in 2022 McCarthy voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies key protections for LGBTQ people as a safeguard if the Supreme Court overturns or weakens the constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

The Human Rights Campaign awards McCarthy a score of “0” for his record in the legislature.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Rep. Pocan to chair LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus

The Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus announced Monday that gay Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) will serve as the new chair for the 118th Congress, replacing outgoing chair Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), who will continue to serve as a co-chair.

The chair position “rotates every Congress between the Caucus’ openly LGBTQI+ members based on seniority,” according to a press release from the Caucus announcing Pocan’s appointment.

“We are witnessing a dangerous increase in anti-LGBTQI+ hate, legislation, and violence that we must forcibly push back against and defeat,” said Pocan in a statement.

The Equality Caucus will do everything in our power to defeat anti-LGBTQI+ bills and amendments proposed by

extremist anti-LGBTQI+ politicians this Congress, especially those targeting our transgender and nonbinary community members.”

The Equality Caucus was founded in 2008 by then-Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), now the state’s junior senator, and former Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). As of the 117th Congress, there were 175 members – a 92 percent increase in membership from 2009.

The group is historically co-chaired by openly LGBTQ members of the House, with membership open to LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ members from either party.

In the last Congress, the Caucus’s Transgender Equality Task Force was chaired by Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Marie Newman (Ill.), and Jennifer Wexton (Va.).

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Advocacy groups criticize new Biden immigration policies

The Biden administration’s expansion of the the use of “expedited removal” of Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans who enter the U.S. from Mexico without legal authorization has sparked widespread criticism from advocacy groups that specifically work with LGBTQ and intersex asylum seekers and migrants.

The Department of Homeland Security will create a humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans that combines “safe, orderly and lawful pathways to the United States, including authorization to work, with significant consequences for those who fail to use those pathways.”

Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans through a U.S. Customs and Border Protection app “can seek advance authorization to travel to the United States and be considered, on a case-by-case basis, for a temporary grant of parole for up to two years, including employment authorization, provided that they: Pass biometric and biographic national security and public safety screening and vetting; have a supporter in the United States who commits to providing financial and other support and complete vaccinations and other public health requirements.”

President Joe Biden on Thursday said from the White House as Vice President Kamala Harris stood beside him

that Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians and Venezuelans “account for most of the people traveling into Mexico to start a new life by getting … to the American border and trying to cross.”

DHS said U.S. Border Patrol “saw” a 90 percent decrease in the number of Venezuelans “encountered at the border” after a similar humanitarian parole program began for them last October. Uniting for Ukraine, a humanitarian parole program for Ukrainians who fled after Russia launched its war against their country, started in April 2022.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

KEVIN MCCARTHY was sworn in Jan. 7 after an unprecedented 15 ballots. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Rep. MARK POCAN (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Kenyan activist brutally murdered

Kenyan police have arrested a freelance photojournalist believed to have been involved in the brutal murder of Edwin Chiloba, a prominent LGBTQ and intersex activist and fashion designer.

Zacchaeus Ngeno, a regional deputy police commander in Uasin Gishu County in western Kenya where Chiloba’s murder took place, confirmed to the press that investigators are pursuing two other suspects who are on the run.

The unnamed freelance photojournalist who has not been publicly named because the investigation continues was last seen with Chiloba on New Year’s Eve at a popular nightclub in the region where the victim lived.

The suspect in custody is expected to be arraigned early next week.

Chiloba arrived at Tamasha Place nightclub at around 10 p.m. on Dec. 31 and left after 1 a.m. after watching the New Year’s fireworks with friends, according to Melvin Faith, the deceased’s sister who works there and happily ushered in 2023 together.

Faith noted her family was later worried about Chiloba’s indefinite unavailability on his cell phone and in his rental house where he lived alone until the shocking discovery of his body on Wednesday inside a metal box that had been dumped on a rural street. A commuter on a motorbike first discovered it.

Chibola, in addition to being an LGBTQ and intersex

activist and a model, and was finishing his undergraduate studies at a local university. Chibola was widely covered in local newspaper for his outstanding fashion designs as one of the country’s young emerging entrepreneurs.

The arrest and heightened pursuit of the two suspects comes amid pressure from the LGBTQ and intersex community, and local and international rights groups on Kenyan authorities to swiftly investigate and prosecute those who killed Chiloba.

Kenya Human Rights Commission Executive Director Davis Malombe in a press statement described the murder a “disgusting act of homophobic violence.” He added it violates the Constitution; which grants the right to life, dignity, and freedom of expression for all regardless of gender, sex and any other status.

“The killing is reprehensible and unjust. We demand the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to take swift and due action in investigating this murder, booking and prosecuting the perpetrators,” Malombe said.

He raised concerns over the recent increase in cases of threats, assault and murders of LGBTQ and intersex people in Kenya with little effort from the police to address them.

“An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. LGBTQ rights are human rights. We demand justice for Edwin,” he said. Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard via Twitter condemned Chibola’s murder as “heart-breaking” while demanding a “full and independent” probe by the authorities.

Ned Price, the openly gay spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, echoed Callamard.

“Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of prominent Kenyan LGBTQI+ community member Edwin Chiloba,” tweeted Price. “We call for full accountability for his death.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazilian Congress, palace

Thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday stormed the country’s Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court.

Videos from Brasília, the Brazilian capital, show Bolsonaro supporters, many of whom were wearing yellow and green Brazilian soccer jerseys, entered the three buildings and ransacked them after overwhelming police officers.

Jan. 6.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in Brasília on Jan. 1.

Da Silva, a member of the leftist Worker’s Party, was Brazil’s president from 2003-2010. He defeated Bolsonaro, a member of the right-wing Liberal Party who represented Rio de Janeiro in the Congress for nearly three decades before he became president in 2018, in the second round of the country’s presidential election that took place on Oct. 30, 2022.

Bolsonaro ahead of the election sought to discredit Brazil’s electoral system.

“The Brazilian presidential election has fueled a misinformation emergency that has tipped the LGBT+ community into a boiling pot of fake news,” wrote Egerton Neto, a Brazilian LGBTQ and intersex activist who is also an Aspen New Voices Fellow and manager of Oxford University’s XX, in an op-ed the Washington Blade published on Oct. 28, 2022, two days before Da Silva defeated Bolsonaro. “This is part of a broader global problem and we need a global plan to stop it.”

Bolsonaro, who has yet to publicly acknowledge he lost the election, flew to Florida on Dec. 30, two days before Da Silva’s inauguration.

zil’s Justice and Public Security Minister from March 2021 until Bolsonaro’s term ended, and “other public agents responsible for acts and omissions.”

Bolsonaro in a series of tweets condemned Sunday’s events.

“Peaceful demonstrations, in a legal way, are part of democracy,” he tweeted. “However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those carried out by the left in 2013 and 2017, go against the rule.”

“Throughout my mandate; I have always been within the four lines of the Constitution: Respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our sacred freedom,” added Bolsonaro. “I also repudiate the accusations, without evidence, attributed to me by the current head of the Executive (Branch) of Brazil.”

President Joe Biden, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Organization of American States Secretary-General Luis Almagro, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Chilean President Gabriel Boric are among the world leaders who condemned Sunday’s assault. LGBTQ and intersex rights groups in Brazil echoed these condemnations.

Media reports indicate it took several hours for authorities to regain control of Three Powers Square in which Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court are located. CNN Brasil notes at least 400 people have been arrested, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has removed Federal District Gov. Ibaneis Rocha from his post. Additional reports also indicate several journalists were injured during what has been described as a “coup” and “terrorist acts” that took place two days after the U.S. commemorated the second anniversary of

Da Silva, who was visiting the flood-ravaged city of Araraquara in São Paulo state on Sunday, described those who stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court as “fascist fanatics” and ordered the federal government to take control of security in the Federal District in which Brasília is located. Da Silva in his nationally televised comments also accused Bolsonaro of inciting his supporters after the election.

Brazilian federal prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court to issue an arrest warrant for now former Federal District Security Secretary Anderson Torres, who was Bra-

“We express our most vehement disgust at this attempt and call on the competent authorities to enforce the law for all those criminals who attacked democracy on Jan. 8, 2023,” said Associaçao Nacional de Travestis e Transexuais (National Association of Travestis and Transsexuals), a Brazilian transgender rights group known by the acronym ANTRA, in a statement. “We cannot tolerate any type of attack and especially in this dimension. May the arm of the law also reach (the funders), creators and those who put it into practice. We remain on the right side of history, the side of democracy.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

A suspect has been arrested in the murder of EDWIN CHILOBA (Photo courtesy of Edwin Chiloba's Instagram page)

The Brazilian Congress on Oct. 1, 2022. (Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

KATHI WOLFE

a writer and a poet, is a regular contributor to the Blade.

Obituaries

On Jan.1, I wished my dear ones a happy New Year and enjoyed reading the obituaries. This person is a wackadoodle, you’re likely thinking. Who enjoys reading the obituaries — especially on New Year’s — you may wonder?

I get why this strikes many as morbid. Yet, strange as it probably seems, few things are more life affirming than obits. Particularly, for the LGBTQ community.

Obituaries are far from dole, death-obsessed dirges. They are (pun intended) lively stories of lives, according to composer Steven Sondheim whose lyrics and music enliven the imagination of everyone from middle-schoolers going “Into the Woods” to elders remembering “Gypsy.”

Jim Kolbe, the first Republican member of the House of Representatives. Isabel Torres, the actress who played Cristina Ortiz Rodriguez, the transgender singer, on “Veneno,” the HBO Max series.

“It’s counterintuitive, perhaps, but obituaries have next to nothing to do with death and absolutely everything to do with life,” Margalit Fox, then a New York Times obituary writer, says in “Obit,” the 2017 documentary about The New York Times obituary department.

It’s a fact of life that we’ll all die. But when we tell the stories of those who’ve died, we keep the memories of deceased people alive. As I wrote in the Blade in 2017, obituaries ensure that people, famous or not, have a place in history.

For centuries, queer people have been erased from history. Obituaries have been a telling, poignant reveal of this erasure.

Those of us queer folk who are over 40, or even 30, have seen this erasure again and again.

Until recently, our relationships with our lovers and spouses who have died have usually been omitted or distorted in obituaries. In 2001, when my partner Anne died, I appreciated that the Washington Post published an obituary about her. Yet, as was common just a little over 20 years ago, the obituary writer referred to me as my spouse’s “companion.”

I was far from alone. Historically, many grieving LGBTQ people have not had their connections to their deceased queer partners recognized in obits.

Untold millions of LGBTQ people have had their queerness omitted from obituaries. Every day Achy Obejas read the obituaries, Obejas wrote in the Chicago Reader in 1988 during the height of the AIDS crisis. “What I do is look for dead men who were gay...because neither daily [newspaper] ordinarily offers any hint of their real lives.”

Obejas scanned the obits for telling clues of queer erasure. “If he was between 22 and 50, if his only survivors are Mom and Pop,” Obejas wrote, “I know I’m onto something.”

When Marsha P. Johnson, the transgender activist who played a pivotal role in the Stonewall Uprising, died in 1992, her death wasn’t noted in most mainstream press obits. When queer writer and intellectual Susan Sontag died in 2004, most of the obituaries didn’t mention her relationship with Annie Leibovitz.

Thankfully, stories of the lives of LGBTQ people are told more frequently now in obits. Take Marsha P. Johnson. The New York Times has added Johnson’s story to “Overlooked” – its series on notable people from marginalized groups (queer people, disabled people, women, people of color, etc.) whose obituaries didn’t appear in the Times.

In our current climate when anti-queer sentiment and violence against our community is rising, celebrating our dead has become more important than ever.

More than 306 anti-trans laws have been introduced in state legislatures in the past two years (with 86% focusing on transgender youth), NPR reported.

Henry Berg-Brousseau, 24, a transgender activist and a Human Rights Campaign deputy press secretary, died by suicide on Dec. 16. “Not long ago he said to me ‘Mom, they say it gets better, but it is not getting better, it is getting worse and I’m scared,’” Dr. Karen Berg, a Kentucky state senator and Berg-Brousseau’s mother, told The New York Times. (If you have thoughts of suicide, contact the trevorproject.org.)

Every year, I look forward to compiling the In Memoriam feature for the Blade. Over the years, we’ve noted the lives of everyone from an executive of Macy’s Thanksgiving parade to an expert on coral reefs to LGBTQ ally Valerie Harper.

Remembering LGBTQ folk who’ve died, keeps us from despair. It keeps our history alive. No one can take that away from us.

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

Republicans nearly come to blows as MAGA wins

Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is now Speaker of the House. Clearly, the big winners are Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans who control the chamber. I actually feel for the few rational Republicans still out there, and there are very few. They (and we) are faced with Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as chair of the Judiciary Committee and apparently Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) will get a subcommittee gavel.

McCarthy made so many promises, and gave away so much of his authority, it will be fun or scary, depending on your point of view, to see him try to actually control his caucus and get anything done for the people of the country. According to the New York Times among other concessions he made, “The hard right would get approval power over some plum committee assignments, including a third of the members on the influential Rules Committee, which controls what legislation reaches the floor and in what form. And spending bills would have to be considered under so-called open rules, allowing any member to put to a vote an unlimited number of changes that could gut or scuttle the legislation altogether.”

In reality, what Republicans will do is go from one hearing to another, trying to bring down Biden and Democrats. In all probability they will not even pretend they are doing real oversight. If they make any effort to pass legislation it will be to try to make abortion illegal across the country and limit the rights of the LGBTQ community and other minorities in any way they can. They will go against what true conservatives always claimed they wanted — to keep government out of people’s lives.

We will see Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — two dangerous nutcases — have inordinate influence over McCarthy. We will see election deniers rule the House bringing the fight against our democracy legally inside the Capitol. Those of us who believe in our country, and in democracy, hope Republicans will once again overreach, as they did when they previously controlled the House leading to second terms for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

As I have written in the Blade, Democrats must begin their 2024 congressional campaigns today. If Adam Frisch is willing to run against Boebert again, he came within 500 votes of beating her, he should start today and we should all support his campaign. We must find a strong moderate candidate to start campaigning today for retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) seat. We must work to help re-elect Sen. Sharrod Brown (D-Ohio). Democrats must be smart about this and look at the seats we can flip and train good candidates. Let’s not waste millions of dollars on seats out of reach and make sure we don’t allow another George Santos (R-N.Y.) to win because we haven’t done the needed opposition research. Let every Democrat understand and accept the vast majority of general election voters are moderate to moderate-right. Our candidates need to be able to speak to those voters. We must find candidates who can win a general election; winning a primary is not enough. Just look at South Texas to see that. We have a real chance in 2024 to keep the presidency, the Senate, and take back the House, if we do this right. It will not be easy and we need to be smart about it. We need to understand the term Democratic Socialist, except for a very few Districts, won’t win in a general election. Just the term will lose us votes if our national candidates are associated with it. Right or wrong, that is fact. We must do something about the border, and not pretend things are OK. We can and must still fight for our principles, including ensuring women have full control over their bodies and codify Roe v. Wade. We must fight to increase the federal minimum wage, and pass the Equality Act. We must stand for human rights, fight bigotry, and call out anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head. Let us continue to call out neo-Nazis and white supremacists and continue to make progress on climate change, making the United States less dependent on others for our energy, and strengthening our manufacturing ability. We can only do these things if we win. A majority of the people supports these things we just need to use the right words to explain them.

We will win in 2024 if Democrats are smart and communicate clearly what we have done and want to do for the American people.

Let’s hope for GOP overreach as we prepare for 2024

PETER ROSENSTEIN

CODY CHRISTIAN

is the Accreditation and Quality Improvement Manager for Ingleside, which operates three Life Plan Communities in the D.C. area.

Supporting LGBTQ culture in senior living communities

community

For seven years now, I’ve had the privilege of working at Ingleside, a not-for-profi t organization that provides management and leadership for three Life Plan Communities in the D.C. area. As the Accreditation and Quality Improvement Manager for Ingleside, one of my driving goals is to ensure that all of Ingleside’s life plan communities continue to be inclusive, welcoming environments that cultivate respect for all people, including those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

As a gay man working in the aging services industry myself, this is a worthwhile cause that’s near and dear to my heart. While recent years have certainly seen an incredible growth in mainstream acceptance of the gay community and the advancement of legal rights for all people, it’s worth noting that older adults identifying as LGBTQ+ are still often overlooked in contemporary popular culture and in the media we consume.

Well, I’m here to tell you that the LGBTQ+ community is strong, thriving, and is set to continue growing, both on Ingleside’s campuses and across the country.

According to Services & Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Elders (SAGE), the oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the lives of older LGBTQ+ adults, there will be approximately seven million LGBTQ+ older adults in the United States by 2030. This is just one reason why each Ingleside Life Plan Community is accredited by both SAGE and CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

One of the most interesting things I’ve observed at Ingleside is an increasing prevalence of LGBTQ+ identifying family members who come to us every day as they arrive to visit the loved ones who live in our communities. More than anything else, our older adult residents want to be near their families, and the DMV region continues to be incredibly LGBTQ+ -friendly. The infl uence and courage of younger family members who openly identify as LGBTQ+ is slowly but surely eroding the prejudices often endured by the gay community in older generations.

Over time, this infl uence from the younger generation is leading to a considerable amount of non-LGBTQ+ older adults identifying as gay allies, with some even becoming regular attendees who support our Pride programs.

Some of the interactions I’ve had in my career with LGBTQ+ elders have been truly remarkable. I’ll never forget one gay couple at Ingleside at King Farm in Rockville, Md., who had been together for about 50 years by the time I met them. They were one of the most adored couples on campus and it was a big moment when they decided to tie the knot.

They were far from alone in their endeavor to tie the knot. A ceremony was held where they were wed at a local church, facilitated by the community chaplain and several other residents who were certifi ed as reverends. Following their sacred exchanging of vows, they arrived back on the Ingleside campus and were greeted with a glorious reception with many of their fellow residents present and bombarding them with well wishes.

When I look outside of the Ingleside family to the rest of the senior living industry around me, I see that there is still a lot of work to be done as the emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has only come to the forefront in the last few years and has been slow to take hold in some parts of the country. In the years to come, organizations like SAGE and CARF will continue to grow in their importance of holding many institutions, including life plan communities, more accountable for fostering environments of acceptance and inclusivity.

My time working with older adults of the gay

Exploring fetishes, fantasies at Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend

Annual celebration brings thousands back to D.C.

By PARKER PURIFOY

Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend returns to D.C. for its 53rd year, bringing thousands of kink and fetish enthusiasts to the area this weekend.

The week’s festivities are organized by the Centaur Motorcycle Club and based out of the Hyatt Regency in Capitol Hill. Events run from Thursday to Sunday and include everything from cocktail hours and brunches to blockbuster parties featuring world-famous DJs and celebrity hosts.

MAL has been a fixture in the D.C. LGBTQ community for five decades, dating back to the 1970s. Nearly 30 exhibitors will be on site to sell bondage and fetish products to the thousands who attend.

While the full weekend package tickets have sold out, single day, two-day, and three-day passes can still be purchased for $15, $30, and $40 respectively.

“We’re definitely more organized this year and I think it’s just going to help bring everyone together. Last year, people were scattered around a bunch of different parties,” Q said. “But this year, you can tell it’s going to be different just by talking to the people. Everyone is so excited.”

Kinetic’s official MAL opening party on Thursday will take place at Soundcheck Nightclub with a “Bootcamp” theme. Diego Barros, one of Only Fans’ top performers, will be hosting with music by DJs Conner Curnick and J Warren.

On Friday, guests can mingle at the Hyatt until 10 p.m. for the “Mr. International Rubber Cocktail Party” before heading over to BLISS Nightclub for the Kinetic-produced “Uncut XL” party. The night will feature DJ Alex Acosta and DJ Onyx.

Saturday’s events include the “Puppy Park VX” and “Onyx Show” at the Hyatt followed by another cocktail party and the “Parade of Colors.” Kinetic is then hosting the weekend’s main event “Kinetic: Kink” at Echostage headlined by DJs GSP and Ben Bakson. Q said they also booked Alyssa Edwards from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to appear at the party.

The last day of MAL will kick off with brunch starting at 10 a.m. at the Hyatt before the Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest begins at 1p.m. Contestants will go before a panel of judges on Saturday and Sunday for interviews, and leather-wear events. The outfit categories include “Bar Wear,” “Jock Strap,” and “Formal Leather.” There will be seven judges on the panel with figures like Duke, Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2022 and Gael Leung Chong Wo, International Mr. Leather 2022.

Applications for the contest can still be submitted at the Hyatt on Friday, Jan. 13 from 2-6 p.m.

district. DJs Jacq Jill and Clamazon will be headlining the show.

DCDN founder and organizer Maria said they wanted to host their own leather-themed party for those who can’t or don’t choose to go to official MAL events.

MAL weekend “holds such a fun and special place in my weird little heart,” Maria said, adding that party-goers should expect “fun, dancing, and hot people in leather” at DC9.

“I love seeing the community come together over a certain love or bond,” they said. “I think the leather community is a raw experience filled with joy, exploration, learning and it feels safe.”

Jacq Jill, who goes by Lo offstage, described MAL as the city’s leather Christmas and highlighted the importance of dyke-run spaces in the queer community.

“We truly have made it our mission to bring our spaces back,” Lo said in an emailed statement. “There is a long history of dyke leather, imagery, and celebration. Although it’s no secret that leather culture can lean heavy on cis male participation. . .Maria and I are here to help the cause we love so much, and that is to diversify leather and make room for a history that has somewhat been forgotten.”

Centaur organized some of the weekend’s biggest parties with Kinetic Presents, a D.C.-based event production company founded by three of the city’s powerhouse LGBTQ party creators. One of the founders, Jesus Quispe, who goes by “Q”, said he has been hosting parties on his own since 2017 through his company La Fantasy Productions.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Q said he and other event producers had to take a step back and reevaluate their businesses. He ultimately agreed to join forces with Zach Renovátes of Takeover Presents and Dougie Meyer of Dougie Meyer Presents to form Kinetic.

The trio had planned to host MAL events last year but canceled them due to a surge in COVID cases from the Omicron variant. This is their first year as an official MAL partner.

The festivities will conclude with Kinetic’s “discoVERS XL” dance party at UltraBar which will be hosted by Grammy-nominated DJ Abel and disco diva Alexis Tucci. Kinetic’s statement promises “a night of jubilant disco and house music with performances seamlessly integrated into their sets.”

Tickets for the individual Kinetic events can be purchased on the company’s website.

For those who can’t get tickets to official MAL events, various LGBTQ and queer-friendly venues are hosting their own events throughout the weekend. Leather-centric nights can be found at Flash Nightclub, Trade, DC9 Nightclub, Zebbie’s Garden, and Songbyrd Music House.

DC9’s Saturday event, titled “Mid-Atlantic Leather Dykes” was created in part by DC Dyke Night, an organization designed to establish more queer spaces in the

Q said that attendees he has spoken to seem excited to be celebrating MAL weekend without strict COVID-19 restrictions although organizers will still remain cautious about the virus.

“Everyone in the community has to be responsible for their own health,” he said. “The venues are all more than equipped to do the cleaning and sanitation. For us, the main thing now is providing information to party-goers.”

Ultimately, Q said MAL is about bringing the LGBTQ community together for several days of freedom to explore fetishes and fantasies.

“Everybody has an alter ego, some are more open with theirs than others,” he said. “I feel that we provide the community a way to express themselves and be themselves. It’s almost like Halloween where you get to put on your alter ego for a couple of days and just explore. It’s beautiful.”

A scene from the 2018 MAL. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

CALENDAR |

Friday, January 13

Center Aging: Friday Tea Time will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests can bring their beverage of choice. For more information, email adamheller@thedccenter.org.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will meet at 8 p.m. on Zoom. This event is a social discussion group for queer women in the D.C. area and a great way to make new friends and meet other queer women in a fun and friendly setting. For meeting updates join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.

Saturday, January 14

Virtual Yoga Class with Charles M. will be at 12 p.m. online. This is a weekly class focusing on yoga, breath work, and meditation. Guests are encouraged to RSVP on the DC Center’s website, providing your name, email address, and zip code, along with any questions you may have. A link to the event will be sent at 6 pm the day before.

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. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or the group’s facilitator andyarias09@gmail.com.

Sunday, January 15

GoGay 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 trying to meet some new faces after two years of the pandemic. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

GoGay DC will host “Drag Show for Charity” at 8 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. Guests are encouraged to come and enjoy a drag show with LGBTQ people from the community. Tips to the drag performers will benefit worthy charities that have been vetted by the Imperial Court of Washington, D.C. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, January 16

Center Aging Monday Coffee and Conversation will be at 10:00a.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.

Genderqueer DC will be at 7:00p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just not 100% cis. For more details, visit Genderqueer DC’s Facebook.

OUT & ABOUT

‘Talking Trans History’ set for Jan. 24

The Rainbow History Project will host “Talking Trans History” on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the Southwest Library branch of the DC Public Library.

This panel event is part of the Trans History Initiative, a program funded by the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs. Panelists will include Earline Budd, Rayceen Pendarvis, and SaVanna Wanzer.

For more information on the event and to submit a question in advance, email info@rainbowhistory.org.

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Tuesday, January 17

BiRoundtable Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This event is an opportunity for people to gather in order to discuss issues related to bisexuality or as bi individuals in a private setting. For more information, visit Facebook or Meetup.

DC Area Transmasculine Society will host “Transmasculine & Nonbinary Social Hour” at 6 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co. DCATS will be accepting binder donations and will be able to give out needles to those who are in need. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Wednesday, January 18

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 thedccenter. org/careers.

Thursday, January 19

The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. 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.

Poly Group Discussion will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is designed to be a forum for people at all different stages to discuss polyamory and other consensual non-monogamous relationships. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

All lesbians in the DMV, gather!

“DC Lesbian Happy Hour Meetup” will be on Friday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at The Ven at Embassy Row Hotel in Dupont Circle.

This event is for singles, couples and those who simply want to meet other like-minded people. Guests will have exclusive use of the hotel’s art gallery space, including a bar and happy hour specials, karaoke and games. Food is included and there will be a mix of vegetarian and meat appetizers and desserts.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

RAYCEEN PENDARVIS will join a panel discussion, ‘Talking Trans History.’ (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

‘A Room in the Castle’ highlights the women of ‘Hamlet’

Trans director DeHais joins Folger Theatre’s Reading Room festival

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

Franco-American trans director Eddie DeHais is a triple citizen who speaks four languages and works all over the world. This week, they’re landing in Washington to direct a reading of Lauren Gunderson’s new play “A Room in the Castle,” part of Folger Theatre’s upcoming festival, The Reading Room.

so they took up the ukulele and made a weekly drive to sing songs, admittedly rather badly, to their 90-something grandmother. The experience brought the two much closer together in a deeper, less predicated on structure relationship that continues now.

Similarly, the women in “A Room in the Castle” make discoveries: Their room is a safe but dynamic place filled with wonderfully awkward moments of people trying to connect despite barriers of class and expectation. For instance, we find the Queen of Denmark getting drunk with a servant whom she never noticed before things went awry in the castle, adds DeHais.

“I love ‘Hamlet,’ but this is a play that tells the other half of the story. And because ‘Hamlet’ is a rich text which means there’s a rich story happening behind closed doors.”

The director began making attempts at coming out starting in their teens; a final public proclamation in their twenties stuck. They say it’s the best thing they ever did: “If I have to read another play about how painful it is to be a trans person I will kick the wall. And I’m asked to direct those. My life is amazing. Being me is the best thing that ever happened to me. There are very difficult parts of that story but that’s not my life.”

Based between New York and Berlin, they recently worked on a production of Salome in Paris. Next season, they’re slated to direct a lot in Seattle. “When offers come in, I ask my agent to tell whoever it is that I’m local – then I’ll get to wherever they want me.”

EDDIE DEHAIS

“A Room in the Castle,” focuses on the stories of the women of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Queen Gertrude, Ophelia, and Tatiana, a middle-aged servant. The traditionally doomed and/or unheard women are seeking a level of safety and freedom in Ophelia’s bedroom, a place away from an increasingly dangerous court and mad prince where they can be themselves – something that’s forbidden in the greater world. Together they sing, laugh, and argue, trying to create hope in a hopeless situation.

DeHais, who specializes in staging new works and reimagining classics, brings a lot to the collaboration: In addition to boatloads of energy and curiosity, they have a sharp ear and keen sense of humor.

Recently recovered from a gnarly case of laryngitis, DeHais takes time to talk about the project. “Lauren [Gunderson] has written a beautiful piece that’s very funny, but also achingly painful. People will see themselves and see their mothers in the play’s gently blocked reading.”

When we spoke, DeHais (who is nonbinary, trans, and bisexual) had just finished writing a greeting to the three-woman cast. In it, they spoke about the possibilities of living in a room. During the pandemic, DeHais as a grad student at Brown University in Providence spent a lot of time in a tiny apartment. Classes, community, and projects were cancelled,

DeHais closes with a nod to Folger Theatre’s director of programming/artistic director Karen Ann Daniels: “Few people know how to create community better than Karen Ann. We met when she was running the Public’s Mobile Unit in New York, and we stayed in touch. I don’t know D.C. well, so it was doubly flattering that she reached out. And where better than D.C. to talk about political structures that are silencing us?”

Other new plays featured in The Reading Room are Al Letson’s “Julius X,” a re-visioning of “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” set during the life and times of Malcolm X; “Hamlet,” a radical bilingual New York City-set reimagining of the original created by Reynaldo Piniella and Emily Lyon; “Our Verse in Time to Come,” a Shakespeare inspired piece about legacy and storytelling by Malik Work and Karen Ann Daniels.

Meet the non-binary star of Dan Levy’s ‘The Big Brunch’ Catie Randazzo inspiring others to speak out, be themselves

By EVAN CAPLAN

Just as a meal is more than a sum of its ingredients, restaurants are more than just furniture, fire, and food.

For Catie Randazzo, working in restaurants was “the first place that I felt I could be my true authentic queer self. Randazzo, who uses they/them pronouns, went from staffing the local Dairy Queen in Columbus, Ohio at 16 to starring in HBO’s recent “The Big Brunch,” hosted by Dan Levy (it aired in November). Randazzo, who now calls Los Angeles home, has taken the spotlight in stride: a chef, leader, and role model in equal parts.

Randazzo, who began in the service industry in several chain restaurants, says that “growing up in a Pentecostal household, it’s where I finally felt free. The chains provided consistency, efficiency, and the meaning of a restaurant family.” After graduating from culinary school, they worked in Portland and New York City before returning home to Columbus to open their own food truck.

“I moved home in 2013 to open my first solo venture, a food truck called Challah! that did riffs on classic Jewish street food. I fell in love with Jewish food and culture while living in New York,” they say. “I wanted to celebrate it. It is still an influence in my cooking today, and it always will be. It’s kind of funny though, former Pentecostal, a queer kid, does Jewish food, but it works.”

Randazzo then opened and gained acclaim for their first brick and mortar restaurant, Ambrose and Eve, a modern American restaurant. It closed in 2020 due to complications from the pandemic. Yet it was there at Ambrose and Eve that Randazzo earned the titles Best Chef 2019 and 2020 from The Columbus Underground, Best New Restaurant 2019 from Columbus Monthly, and recognition from the New York Times and Chicago Tribune. Randazzo was being seen for cooking prowess, and leadership outside the kitchen.

“Ambrose was magical. I was able to create a safe space for my staff, where they could be themselves, and insert their ideas to grow as bartenders, cooks, and servers,” Randazzo notes.

As the pandemic shuttered restaurants everywhere in 2020, Catie became a trusted fixture in Columbus, lending support to local nonprofits including Star House, a drop-in center for displaced youth; and helped establish Service!, alongside other local chefs focused on feeding and supporting service industry staff. Randazzo also volunteered mentoring queer children who wanted to become chefs, and at youth drop-in shelters.

When a friend sent Randazzo a note about applying for “The Big Brunch,” “I was still mentally recovering from the loss of my restaurant. But the more I read about the premise of the show, the more I thought I should apply. I also had only been out as non-binary for a few months and was nervous to put myself out there like that. Also, it’s Dan Fucking Levy. Like, come on.”

On “The Big Brunch,” 10 chefs from diverse backgrounds fought to win $300,000 from the judges: Levy, chef Sohla El-Waylly and restaurateur Will Guidara. Through the show, Randazzo dug deep, and made major life changes – moving to Los Angeles and taking up the mantle as executive chef of Huckleberry Bakery & Café in Santa Monica.

“That show, my castmates, the whole experience changed my life. I feel confident again. I got sober. I found a new version of myself that I am in love with. I met a girl. I moved to LA. I got a fucking kick-ass job doing what I love. I had been lost for so long, and it feels like I am home. I hope that through the show, people can hear my story, and it may help and guide them to stand up, speak out, and be themselves.”

Today in LA, diners at Huckleberry can get a taste of how Randazzo sparkled in The Big Brunch – their signature approach to unique, seasonally inspired food, and their penchant for telling stories through nostalgia. A couple dish highlights: a veggie quiche from the farmer’s market, and cereal milk pancakes inspired by weekend breakfasts made by their father.

Randazzo promises to continue their trajectory. “I think my work supports the need for queer safe spaces just by being visible. Sometimes, just having someone see you can make all the difference.”

CATIE RANDAZZO starred in ‘The Big Brunch’ and now works in LA.

New opera chronicles beauty and power of trans liberation

Don’t miss ‘What the Spirits Show’ at Washington National Opera

By LAURA FARMER

The value of the support of family. The oppression of trans identity. The euphoria and spiritual power of trans liberation. These themes and more are woven into a poignant new opera, “What the Spirits Show,” by composer-librettist team Silen Wellington and Walken Schweigert.

Their collaboration is the product of the Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative (AOI). Now celebrating its 10th season, AOI pairs talented creatives to develop a short, one-act opera, performed by WNO’s Cafritz Young Artists. Along the way, the creative teams receive invaluable mentorship from some of the best in the business.

This year’s AOI performance takes place on January 21, 2023 at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center. Also on the program are Oshun, with music by B.E. Boykin, and libretto by Jarrod Lee—a journey of sacrifice, self-love and redemption displayed in the face of those who would deny it. And Bubbie and the Demon, with music by Jens Ibsen and libretto by Cecelia Raker—a mashup of opera and heavy metal, which finds that Bubbie has filled the void of Covid isolation by solving as many word searches and crosswords as possible, but accidentally summoned a demon.

The Washington Blade caught up with librettist Walken Schweigert and composer Silen Wellington, the co-creators of What the Spirits Show, to learn more about this short opera and its powerful themes.

In the third scene, when Calamus and Aurora are in the prison, the music is a little bit more restricted, but it still hearkens back to some of that fantastical and musical language from the opening scene. The fourth scene is really where it all comes together. Sylvan comes and helps Calamus break out of jail, so the music is more driving and rock-influenced, because in Walken’s words, Sylvan is Calamus’s “anarcho-punk friend.” And then finally, once Calamus returns to their power, we return to the fantastical music at the beginning.

BLADE: Can you share why you wanted to write this opera? Have its themes affected you personally?

WELLINGTON: I wouldn’t write this opera if it didn’t affect me personally. That could probably be my artist statement! It’s the subtext of why I make art. I write about things that personally affect me and I always have.

In my own journey to figuring out that I was trans and nonbinary, it took me a while to find self-acceptance and then find self-love. I wanted to write something that gave space for that love. I knew I was queer from a pretty young age, but I didn’t realize being transgender was an option. As a result, I had this unnamable sadness in me that made most things in my life feel wrong, and I spent most of my teenage years battling suicidality and depression because I couldn’t see a future for myself.

I was 19 when I first met nonbinary adults, and that really started to turn things around for me. It sparked a journey of self-discovery. I feel like now I’m in a place of self-love and acceptance, trying to find words to express how spiritual and divine I find the experience of being trans to be.

The first time I read Walken’s libretto, I remember feeling this swell of emotion and recognition thinking, “I’ve been trying to find words for this all my life. And wow, now I get to say it with the music!”

SCHWEIGERT: When I first started making art, a lot of it was trauma porn, because of how I was raised in a religiously restrictive mindset. But now, I try to explore what gifts being trans has bestowed and bring those to light. I’m also interested in exploring why are we such a threat? Why are people so afraid of us? And I think it’s because we actually have something really powerful. There’s actual spiritual value and knowledge that comes from being trans.

BLADE: Why is this opera important now?

SCHWEIGERT: This opera was very much directly inspired by a letter the governor of Texas wrote last year to the Texas’ Department of Family and Protective Services re-interpreting the law to include trans affirming care under the definition of child abuse. Governor Abbott was trying to separate trans kids from their supportive parents. It made me think of how much it would have meant to me to have supportive parents, and then to have that be taken away, stolen by the state, was heart wrenching to imagine. I think of the relationship that I have with my parents now and imagine the pain that would be caused to them if I were young and they were being forced to separate from me.

BLADE: Congratulations on creating the original work, “What the Spirits Show.” Can you share more about the opera’s plot and musical style?

WALKEN SCHWEIGERT: It’s an opera about trans liberation, but also about friendship and the support of family. There are four characters: the protagonist, named Calamus, is a shape-shifting youth who takes a magical elixir to be themselves. Their shape-shifting is an allegory for transness. When you first meet Calamus, they have already been taking this medicine, so you meet Calamus in the fullness of themself. But then this politician enters the scene and he outlaws the elixir, claiming that it’s immoral. But the beautiful thing is that Calamus’ mother stands up for them, and because of that they both get thrown in jail. Since Calamus has stopped taking the elixir, they basically begin detransitioning. But then their friend, Sylvan, is able to sneak in some elixir to Calamus. And the strength and the power of Calamus coming back to themself is so powerful that it destroys the jail and traps the politician under the rubble, and Calamus and their mother are able to escape. It’s a moment of joy, it’s a moment of euphoria, it’s a moment of self-reclamation.

SILEN WELLINGTON: The characters themselves each have their own musical language. And musically, each scene is its own world. The first scene is all about Calamus and their shape-shifting. The music is very whimsical, beautiful and romantic. The second scene is all about the politician. His music is much more circus-like; almost like a lopsided march.

In this opera, there is a scene of Calamus and their mother Aurora in the jail, and they’re singing this song together, but they’re in separate cells and they can’t hear each other. Especially in that scene, I really wanted Aurora, Calamus’s mother, to say all of the things that I wish my parents had said to me when I was a teenager and coming out: “...my dear Calamus, I have to trust you know yourself better than I ever could. I love you more than I could ever say. And as long as I hold breath, I will not let them tear you away from yourself.”

It’s a powerful moment for me. My parents are Catholic and that was at the root of a lot of their own internalized and externalized transphobia. But now my dad is part of a group at his church that is drafting a statement of trans-inclusion. He wanted to contribute, hey, God actually doesn’t think that trans people are abominations, and also that there’s spiritual knowledge and spiritual value that trans people bring by nature of being trans.

WELLINGTON: Beyond the gender and celebratory spiritual themes of the opera, this project has really given me space to process some of the hatred that’s been surrounding and sometimes feeling like it’s narrowing in on my world; the national uptick in LGBTQ+ hatred and anti-trans hatred specifically has gotten local and sometimes really personal over the last couple of years. Outside of music, I work in suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth. I’ve been I’ve been feeling the ripples of this hatred, both big and small on my community and especially on the trans teens that I that I work with. When advocating, I feel like I have to make sense of this hatred or try to bend and twist myself into something palatable to reach for the right words that will convince someone of our humanity. But in the artistic world, we take a different approach, one that leans into this divinity of our authenticity. Art helps us lean into the healing that I had been craving to reconnect with my own resilience.

KIMBERLY REED, CECELIA RAKER, JENS IBSEN, WALKEN SCHWEIGERT, CARLOS SIMON, SILEN WELLINGTON, B.E. BOYKIN, JARROD LEE, KELLEY ROURKE in ‘What the Spirits Show.’ (Photo by Caitlin Oldham)

Verdi’s final masterpiece, Falstaff is more than just the composer’s successful “comic” opera, but it is also a profound meditation on humanity from an artist reflecting back on his life and career. Shakespeare’s iconic characters come to vivid life as Verdi’s sublime music reminds us that “tutto nel mondo è burla”—all the world’s a joke!

MARY FEMINEAR, soprano Alice Ford “Breathtaking... standout performance” (Bachtrack)

Ruses rule in this bawdy comedy of seduction and sly revenge... but he who laughs last laughs best!

The Golden Globes make a shaky return Ryan

Murphy delivers emotional, queer-centric speech

By JOHN PAUL KING

When the Golden Globes returned to television this week, nobody was sure how things would play out.

The Globes were known as the “best party” of Hollywood’s awards season until they were plunged into scandal by a 2021 LA Times report that exposed a profound lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – the organization behind the Globes – and alleged a pattern of ethical violations around the expensive “perks” accepted by its voting members from PR reps campaigning for nominations. They were denounced and boycotted by most of the film and TV industry’s biggest power players, and NBC, the network that had televised the ceremony since the ‘90s, declined to broadcast the show again until the HFPA had cleaned up its act. In 2022, the Globes went on, but they happened behind closed doors, with no audience in attendance and the winners announced via YouTube, and Hollywood paid – or at least pretended to pay – little attention.

Now, a year later, the ceremony was back on the air, but despite the penitent HFPA’s massive retooling from within, widespread disapproval of the organization was still percolating in Hollywood, there was no guarantee anyone would show up to accept an award or even to sit in the audience.

In hindsight, of course, there shouldn’t have been any doubt. After two years of pandemic-mandated abstinence from its accustomed social whirl, Hollywood was ready for a party, and the stars – except for a few notable holdouts – just couldn’t say no.

No doubt in hope of getting home viewers to come to the party, too, the Globes kept with its tradition of enlisting edgy, irreverent comics to host the show – and shrewdly underscored its newly forged commitment to diversity – by handing those duties to openly gay Black comedian Jerrod Carmichael; eloquent, handsome, and dapper in pink, he wasted no time in stirring controversy, delivering an opening monologue that humorously acknowledged the Awards’ history of racism and stoked skepticism about their good intentions. While many in the crowd seemed to find him hilarious, some were visibly uncomfortable; the latter sentiment became increasingly palpable as he continued to troll the HFPA – and a few other plumb targets – throughout the show. Comments from viewers on social media, predictably, mirrored that divided response.

As for the awards themselves, the Globes seemed to make good on its promise of diversity. Several major prizes went to Black actors, including Angela Bassett (Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, “Wakanda Forever”), Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams (Best Actress and Supporting Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV Show, “Abbott Elementary”), and Eddie Murphy, who was given the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award.

Asian-American stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film and Best Supporting Actor in a Film, respectively) took home awards for their work in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” and Indian composer MM Keeravani took the Best Song prize for “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” – beating out the likes of Taylor Swift and Rihanna to become the first Indian to win a Golden Globe.

Though none of the few openly LGBTQ nominees won in their respective acting categories, the show still maintained a strong queer presence – partly thanks to Carmichael, who at one point even introduced presenter Niecy Nash by quipping, “We both gay now, so that’s good.” There was also Billy Porter’s show-stopping appearance in a fuchsia Siriano tuxedo gown to present gay entertainment mogul Ryan Murphy with the Carol Burnett Award, followed by an inspiring accep-

tance speech from Murphy in which he stressed the importance of telling queer stories and sang the praises of some of his frequent queer collaborators – even using some of his time to lead a belated ovation for MJ Rodriguez, whose historic win last year as Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama was the first for a trans actress at the Golden Globes, and to hold up Black queer actor Jeremy Pope (who lost his Best Actor in a Film Drama nomination to Austin Butler’s acclaimed performance in queer filmmaker Baz Luhrman’s “Elvis”) as “the future” for queer representation onscreen.

So, too, was queer-inclusive content celebrated – most prominently “Everything Everywhere,” which, though it ultimately lost its Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nod to Martin McDonagh’s much-lauded “The Banshees of Inisherin,” gave the evening two of its most crowd-pleasing moments through its wins for Yeoh and Quan. In particular, Quan – who made his screen debut at 12 as Harrison Ford’s sidekick in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” – drew exuberant cheers from the audience with an emotional acceptance speech in which he expressed his gratitude to director Steven Spielberg for giving him his start four decades ago. Later, Spielberg’s win as Best Director for his semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans” created a neat symmetry that surely resonated among viewers – especially Gen X-ers – and left them feeling warmly satisfied.

Standouts among the other queer-inclusive winners were “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” for which Evan Peters took Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film for his unnerving performance as the title character; queer creator Mike White’s “The White Lotus,” which won as Best Miniseries and created another highlight of the evening by allowing Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries winner Jennifer Coolidge to deliver a sublimely self-lampooning acceptance speech while basking in the delight of an audience clearly as in love with her as the rest of us, not to mention generating one of the show’s biggest laughs when Carmichael apologized to Coolidge on behalf of “all the gays” for what they “tried to do to her on that boat.”

Still, despite a painfully clear priority to make room at the Globes party for everyone, the ceremony’s winners largely still reflected a tendency toward the mainstream. HBO’s “House of Dragons” beat critically acclaimed shows like “Better Call Saul” and “Severance” for the Best TV Drama prize, and “Banshees” dominated the Movie Musical or Comedy categories with additional wins for awards darling McDonagh’s screenplay and its star, Colin Farrell. Finally, sentimental favorite “The Fabelmans” capped the evening by bookending Spielberg’s directing win with a victory in the Best Movie Drama competition. In other words, there were few surprises, and while there were encouraging signs of change on prominent display, the HFPA’s choices managed to remain predictably “safe.”

It’s too early to say if Tuesday’s ceremony will put the Globes back in Hollywood’s good graces. As awards shows go, there have been worse, and the general tone of the evening remained mostly positive – though there was a noticeable sense of rebellion in the room which manifested in an increasingly ugly war of wills between speech-giving winners and the musical playoffs employed to keep them within their time limit. So, too, the ceremony’s compliant display of diversity was not enough to allay suspicions that such concessions were, at their core, all for just show.

For us, the assessment remains the same as usual when it comes to Hollywood awards shows and their efforts toward inclusion: yes, things are better, but there’s still a long way to go.

The complete list of winners is below:

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA: “The Fabelmans”

BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: “The Banshees of Inisherin”

BEST ACTOR, MOTION PICTURE DRAMA: Austin Butler, “Elvis”

BEST ACTRESS, MOTION PICTURE DRAMA: Cate Blanchett, “Tár”

BEST ACTOR, MOTION PICTURE MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

BEST ACTRESS, MOTION PICTURE MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, MOTION PICTURE: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MOTION PICTURE: Angela Bassett, “Wakanda Forever”

BEST DIRECTOR, MOTION PICTURE: Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”

BEST SCREENPLAY, MOTION PICTURE: Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

BEST MOTION PICTURE SCORE: Justin Hurwitz, “Babylon”

BEST SONG: “Naatu Naatu” (from “RRR”)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio”

BEST TV SERIES, DRAMA: “House of the Dragon”

BEST TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: “Abbott Elementary”

BEST ACTOR, TV SERIES DRAMA: Kevin Costner, “Yellowstone”

BEST ACTRESS, TV SERIES DRAMA: Zendaya, “Euphoria”

BEST ACTOR, TV SERIES MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

BEST ACTRESS, TV SERIES MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, TV SERIES: Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, TV SERIES: Julia Garner, “Ozark”

BEST LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE: “The White Lotus”

BEST ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE: Evan Peters, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”

BEST ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE: Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE: Paul Walter Hauser, “Black Bird”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE: Jennifer Coolidge, “The White Lotus”

CECIL B. DEMILLE AWARD: Eddie Murphy

CAROL BURNETT AWARD: Ryan Murphy

Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries winner JENNIFER COOLIDGE

First Lady & the Tramp

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Condo rules for animals vary widely ADA covers the right to service and assistance

By VALERIE M. BLAKE

When my clients are considering the purchase of a condominium or cooperative, they initially have three association guidelines on their minds: the rental policy, the renovation policy, and the pet policy.

Historically, Northern Virginia and Maryland condominiums have been more pet-friendly than those in the District. In D.C., many condos restrict the number of pets you can have, some limit the size of the pet or type of animal, and a few will not allow certain breeds of dogs.

But what of the person who needs a service dog or an emotional support animal? First, it’s important to make a distinction between three types of animals that provide assistance to people.

A service animal (SA), usually a dog but in some cases, a miniature horse, is trained to work with people who have disabilities such as those outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA’s official definition of a disability is “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.”

Common major life activities include seeing, hearing, walking, caring for oneself, and communicating. In addition, many medical issues are covered under the ADA, such as diabetes, epilepsy, autism, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Service animals and Assistance animals (AA) are trained to perform tasks that relate to specific disabilities. Assistance Dogs International notes that it can take 180 to 260 hours of daily training over six months, depending on the medical or other special tasks needed, to obtain certification.

Most of us have seen a guide dog help someone who is blind to get where she is going safely. A dog might also be trained to wake a diabetic when his blood sugar drops

during the night, to let a deaf person know someone is at the door, or to alert a person with a seizure disorder to take his medicine.

An emotional support animal (ESA) is there to provide its owner with affection, comfort, and relief from anxiety or stress. ESAs can be dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, or any other type of animal with whom its owner can develop an emotional connection. Care should be taken, however, to match the type of animal with its intended environment.

There is no specific training required for an ESA. Standard dog training is normally enough to ensure that the animal has no behavioral problems in private or in public while still providing comfort to the owner.

The definitions wouldn’t be complete without mentioning therapy animals. They can be dogs, cats, rabbits, or other animals that are easily transported. Their job is primarily to visit people in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and similar accommodations to encourage healing or reduce stress, where they can provide comfort to long and short-term residents, help with improving fine motor skills, and assist with physical or occupational therapy.

So, who decides whether Fido, Fluffy, Bugs, or miniature Mr. Ed can move into your condo?

The laws and regulations outlined in the ADA cover the right to service and assistance animals in housing, restaurants, stores, and other public accommodations. The federal Fair Housing Act expands on the ADA to include emotional support animals, but only with respect to residences.

Housing providers should familiarize themselves with the provisions of these laws to avoid unnecessary confrontation and potential legal action. Here are the most salient points; they apply to leasing as well as purchasing

a home.

Neither an SA/AA nor an ESA is legally considered a pet, so pet policies, including weight limits or breed restrictions, do not apply.

You may be asked whether your animal is medically prescribed. For a service dog, only two questions are allowed: Is the dog a service dog that is required because of a disability, and what work or task has the dog been trained to perform? No other documentation is needed.

For an ESA, you should be prepared to submit a letter from your physician or therapist stating that you have a disability that benefits from such an animal.

You cannot be asked for specific information about your disability or diagnosis for either type of animal.

While not specifically covered in the law, landlords and housing boards can reasonably request a copy of current vaccinations and state, county, or city registrations

Supplemental rents and deposits are prohibited; however, you will likely be responsible for any damage caused by the animal, so housebreaking is an important part of training.

And with housebreaking in mind, it’s time for me to relieve some stress by putting a leather, studded collar on my dog and walking him on leash around the neighborhood. Does anyone know where I can get one?

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.

Condos often restrict the breed and size of dog allowed but rules for service animals are different.

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