Washington Blade, Volume 54, Issue 10, March 10, 2023

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Judge denies bail for gay former College Park mayor Court documents include graphic description of images in child porn allegations

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A Prince George’s County District Court Judge on Monday, March 6, ordered gay former College Park, Md., Mayor Patrick Wojahn held in jail without bond following his arrest last week on 56 counts of possession and distribution of child pornography.

“His husband and mother were both in the courtroom and were crying and hugging after the decision was made,” Channel 9 reporter Evan Koslof reported in an online post.

The denial of bond means Wojahn, 47, must remain in custody until at least March 31, when he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing related to the charges against him, a clerk of the court told the Washington Blade

In a development that shocked College Park offcials and LGBTQ activists who knew and worked with Wojahn on LGBTQ rights issues for many years, Wojahn resigned as mayor on March 2, hours before his arrest and two days after Prince George’s County Police Department investigators executed a search warrant at his College Park house.

In a statement released on the day of his arrest, police said they confscated during the search multiple cell phones, a storage device, a tablet and a computer, which contained evidence that Wojahn allegedly had downloaded at least 56 videos or still images of child pornography. The statement said police charged him with 40 counts of possession of “child exploitative material” and 16 counts of distribution of “child exploitative material.”

The statement said the investigation into the allegations remains open and active. Later on the day of his March 2 arrest, Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz said at a press conference that authorities anticipate fling additional charges, but he declined to say what those charges might be.

In his letter of resignation, which College Park offcials publicly released, Wojahn said he fully cooperated with police at the time they searched his home and he

planned to cooperate further.

“While this investigation does not involve any offcial city business of any kind, it is in the best interests of our community that I step aside and not serve as a distraction,” he stated in his resignation letter. “I am stepping away to deal with my own mental health,” he wrote. “I ask that you continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.”

In one of two detailed charging documents fled in court, Prince George’s County Police Det. J. Spicer, the lead investigator in the case, states that at the time police executed their search of the Wojahn residence police read to him his Miranda Rights to remain silent, which Wojahn waived and provided police with a statement.

In his statement, according to Spicer, he confrmed what investigators found in their earlier search of online records that Wojahn allegedly downloaded fles containing child porn videos and child porn mages on the app known as KiK under the disguised username of “skippy_md.”

“He also indicated that when viewing these fles, he ‘may have passed it on,’ indicating he has distributed fles depicting child pornography to other persons,” Det. Spicer states in the charging document.

In the same charging document, Spicer provides a one or two sentence description of what each of the 56 video or still image fles that Wojahn allegedly downloaded, possessed, or distributed. Most of the detective’s descriptions say the video or image show a “prepubescent male” engaging in sex with another “prepubescent male” or with an adult male. Other descriptions say the prepubescent male was engaging in masturbation.

In a separate statement of charges prepared by Spicer fled in the District Court of Maryland for Prince George’s County, which is in Upper Marlboro, Wojahn is charged with 16 individual felony counts of knowingly possessing with the intent to distribute an image or a video that “depicts a minor engaged as a subject of sexual conduct.”

Written next to each of the 16 charges, which bear a coded number for the specifc video or image Wojahn allegedly distributed, is the potential penalty of 10 years in jail and/or a $25,000 fne.

The same document charges him with 40 individual misdemeanor counts of possession of videos or images “showing an individual under 16 years of age engaged in sexual conduct.” The document shows that each of those charges carries a possible maximum sentence of fve years in prison and/or a $2,500 fne.

If convicted on all 16 counts of possession with intent to distribute, Wojahn could theoretically be sentenced to 160 years in jail and/or a fne of $400,000. However, legal observers have said prosecutors in cases like this often extend a plea bargain offer with a reduced number of charges in exchange for a guilty plea.

Wojahn’s attorney, David H. Moyse, has said it was too soon for him to comment on the case other than to reiterate that Wojahn “has been cooperating fully with law enforcement throughout this process and will continue to do so.”

Gallaudet student honored with National AIDS Memorial award

Bobbi-Angelica Morris recognized for poetry lifting ‘marginalized voices’

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

The National AIDS Memorial, the San Francisco-based organization that displays the internationally acclaimed AIDS Memorial Quilt, announced last month that it has named Gallaudet University student Bobbi-Angelica Morris one of two most recent recipients of its Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award.

In an announcement, the organization said it has also named Joseph Taylor of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore for the Bowman award.

“Now in its fourth year, the award honors the life of Mary Bowman, the poet, author and singer who passed away from AIDS in early 2019 at the age of 30,” the statement says.

“Funded through a generous multi-year grant from ViiV Healthcare, the only pharmaceutical company solely focused on HIV, the award offers support to artists-activists who through their creative work inspire individuals and communities, and make a positive impact in the fght against HIV/AIDS while advancing social justice,” accord-

ing to the statement. “The awardees receive $5,000 each,” it says.

“Bobbi-Angelica’s poetry and commitment is creating space for marginalized voices and intersectional identities to express themselves freely and creatively,” the statement continues. “Joseph Taylor uses his artistic talent to uplift the voices within the Black community by visually amplifying their challenges and struggles while simultaneously illustrating their grace, heroism and power,” says the statement.

“Both outstanding art activists honor the life, and the creative and change-making spirit of Mary Bowman,” it says.

“Through the National AIDS Memorial Grove, AIDS Memorial Quilt, and other programs that beneft the community, the National AIDS Memorial ensures that the story of AIDS and the AIDS movement is never forgotten, and connects four decades of healing, hope, remembrance and survival to issues faced by society today,” the statement concludes.

BOBBI-ANGELICA MORRIS

PATRICK WOJAHN will remain in jail on child porn charges after a judge declined bail. (Photo courtesy of the Prince George’s County Police Department)

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D.C. Council considers G Q Pride license plates

Similar bill died in committee in 2022

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large) reintroduced a bill this week calling for the creation of “LGBTQ Pride” license plates for motor vehicles licensed in the city for a small annual fee that will help fund the city’s ffce of LGBTQ Affairs.

Eight other Council members joined White as co-introducers of the bill, indicating it has at least nine members of the 13-member Council as supporters of the bill.

The legislation, called the Pride Plates Amendment Act of 2023, states that, “The Mayor shall design and make available for issue one or more LGBTQ Pride motor vehicle tags demonstrating support for the LGBTQ community.”

the bill states.

“A resident ordering an LGBTQ Pride tag shall pay a one-time application fee and a display fee each year thereafter,” the bill declares. “The application fee shall be $25, and the display fee shall be $20, or such other amount that may be established by the Mayor by rule,” the bill says.

he G Q ffairs ffce, among other things, awards grants to community based organizations that provide services to the LGBTQ community, including groups that provide support for homeless LGBTQ youth. Japer Bowles, a longtime local LGBTQ rights advocate, is the current director of the offce.

lthough the offce is funded through the city’s annual budget, the revenue generated by the fees for the proposed Pride license plates is expected to strengthen its ability to support local LGBTQ related programs and services.

In a development that most LGBTQ activists were unaware of, White introduced a similar bill last year, but it appears to have died in the Council’s Committee on Transportation & The Environment, which never took a vote to release the bill to the full Council.

other views at odds with the city’s progressive positions.

“The committee does not share this concern,” the committee report says. “Under longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent, governments are allowed to decide the content of their own speech,” the report states.

Cheh, who is a professor at George Washington University Law School, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Committee on Transportation & The Environment, where the newly introduced bill was sent this week, is currently chaired by Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who is one of the co-introducers of White’s bill. statement released by White’s offce on Wednesday points out that the city’s Department of Motor Vehicles currently offers a wide variety of other specialty license plates expressing support for causes such as veterans with disabilities, breast cancer awareness, bicycle safety, protection for the Anacostia River, and opposition to taxation of D.C. residents without congressional representation.

The bill calls for amending the existing law that created the Mayor’s ffce of esbian, Gay, isexual, ransgender and Questioning ffairs to create an ffce of G Q ffairs Fund. The revenue received by the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles from a fee to be charged for the LGBTQ Pride tags will be deposited into the newly created ffce of LGBTQ Affairs Fund, according to the bill.

Money in the und shall be used by the ffce to support programs that promote the welfare of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community,”

The committee at the time was chaired by Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) who chose not to run for re-election last year and is no longer on the Council. At a public hearing on the bill last July, Cheh expressed concern that an LGBTQ Pride license plate could be interpreted by a court to be a political message that would require the city to approve other political messages on license plates such as opposition to abortion.

Council records show that the bill last year had also been sent to the Council’s Committee on Government Operations and Facilities, which was chaired by Robert White. In a Sept. 22, 2022 report announcing its approval of the bill, the committee disputed Cheh’s suggestion that the political nature of a license plate supportive of the LGBTQ community could result in the city being forced to release license plates with political views opposing abortion or

“The District’s LGBTQ community is incredibly vibrant and active across our city,” White says in the statement released by his offce. nfortunately, G Q people around the country are being persecuted,” he says in the statement. his bill reaffrms the District’s dedication to our LGBTQ residents and visitors, and also gives drivers an opportunity to make a difference with small but meaningful recurring contributions to G Q ” the ffce of LGBTQ Affairs].

White added in the statement that he is excited that D.C. could have its Pride plates when the city hosts World Pride 2025, the international LGBTQ Pride event.

The other Council members who signed on as co-introducers of the bill include Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only openly gay member; Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), Vincent Gray (D-Ward 7), Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2), Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) Christina Henderson I t arge , enyan McDuffe I t arge , and Matthew Frumin (D-Ward 3).

Hogan says he won’t run for president

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Sunday that he will not seek the presidential nomination for the Republican Party in 2024, arguing that his bid would overcrowd the already-crowded primary and allow former President Donald Trump an opportunity to win the GOP candidacy.

“We must move on from Donald Trump. There are several competent Republican leaders who have the potential to step up and lead,” he said in a witter statement. “But the stakes are too high for me to risk being part of another multi-car pileup that could potentially help Trump recapture the nomination.”

Hogan said he had intentions of running for president after leaving offce in anuary.

Having served two terms as governor since 2015, Hogan was a moderate epublican while in offce. He allowed several G Q rights bills to become law albeit, without his signature.)

Before his election in 2014, Hogan said that he would not seek to repeal Maryland’s same-sex marriage law that voters upheld two years earlier.

The Maryland politician, a fervent Trump critic, has never agreed with the in uence that the former president

held on the GOP. He did not vote for him in 2016 or 2020.

rump is starting out his candidacy for the epublican nomination in an ever evolving, yet slow, political landscape.

ormer .S. mbassador to the . . ikki Haley and

entrepreneur ivek amaswamy entered the race last month. Other potential contenders for the GOP nomination include lorida Gov. on DeSantis, former ice President Mike Pence, ew Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and former rkansas Gov. sa Hutchinson.

Even though he won’t run for the presidency, Hogan said he had only begun to fght.”

“I will stand with anyone who shares a common-sense conservative vision for the Republican Party and can get us back to winning elections again,” he said. “Though I will not be a candidate for my party’s nomination for president, I’ve only just begun to fght.”

Moreover, the former governor has said that if he had been in the U.S. Senate at the time of Trump’s impeachment trial, he would have voted in favor of it.

“Right now, you have Trump and DeSantis at the top of the feld, soaking up all the oxygen, getting all the attention, and then a whole lot of the rest of us in single digits,” Hogan told CBS News in an interview that aired Sunday. “And the more of them you have, the less chance you have for somebody rising up.”

Former Maryland Gov. LARRY HOGAN said he won’t run for president in 2024. (Public domain photo)

D.C. Councilmember ROBERT WHITE (D-AtLarge) reintroduced a bill this week calling for the creation of LGBTQ Pride license plates. (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

House Ethics Committee opens Santos probe

The U.S. House Ethics Committee last week announced it had voted unanimously to open an investigation of U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) over allegations of fnancial and sexual misconduct.

The 10-member body, divided evenly between Republicans and Democrats, will now put Santos’ fate into the hands of an evenly divided subcommittee of four members led by U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio).

The subcommittee’s inquiry will evaluate whether the embattled congressman’s re uired fnancial disclosures as a candidate contained illegal omissions or con icts of interest, as well as an allegation by an applicant to his congressional offce that Santos made unwanted sexual advances toward him.

Santos did not comment beyond a statement shared on Twitter that was written in the third person: “The

House Committee on Ethics has opened an investigation, and Congressman George Santos is fully cooperating. There will be no further comment made at this time.”

Democratic New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, who, with .S. ep. Dan Goldman D . . , fled the initial Ethics Committee complaint against Santos, tweeted:

“BREAKING: House Ethics has opened an investigation into George Santos. ep. Dan Goldman and I fled an ethics complaint against the self-described terrible liar for violating House rules. Now Congress is one step closer to holding its most corrupt member accountable.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) previously said action might be taken with Santos pursuant to the results of an Ethics Committee investigation.

Iowans stage protest against anti-LGBTQ legislation

Frustrated by the onslaught of legislative efforts by Republican lawmakers targeting the state’s LGBTQ community and especially students, a huge protest crowd estimated to be more than 1,000 parents, students, educators, faith leaders, community organi ers and elected offcials attended the Sunday “Rally to Resist” on the West steps of the Iowa State Capitol.

“Iowans have had enough. We understand that our friends, neighbors and family members are under attack and their rights are being stripped away. And Iowans are unifed against anti G Q bills,” a Progress Iowa spokesperson told the Des Moines egister.

Iowa Senate Democrats welcomed the protesters tweeting: “Today, Iowa students and families showed up to protest all of the anti-LGBTQ bills sponsored by Republican politicians. Senate Democrats were proud to welcome them to the Iowa State Capitol.

“No politician has the right to tell us which bathroom to use, deny us medical care, dictate which pronouns to call ourselves, ban books and curriculum, roll back civil rights, deny adoption and foster care, do away with marriage

equality, or call queer people obscene,” a Progress Iowa press release stated.

he Des Moines egister additionally reported that the

State Department spokesperson to step down

State Department spokesperson Ned Price will step down at the end of this month.

Price has been at the State Department since the frst day of the iden Harris administration, and is the frst openly gay person named to the role. Price was previously a senior communications offcial for the ational Security Council and worked at the Central Intelligence Agency.

“Ned began as spokesperson on January 20, 2021,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday in a press release that announced Price’s resignation. “Within days of taking on the role, he restored the department’s daily press briefngs, giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of our policy. Throughout the more than 200 briefngs he has since held, he’s treated journalists — as well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts with — with respect.”

“Ned has helped the U.S. government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modeled the transparency and openness we advocate for in other countries,” added linken. His contributions will beneft the department long after his service.”

linken said Price’s frm grasp of the policies underlying our messaging made him that much more effective in

his role.”

n a personal level, I have constantly benefted from his counsel, as have so many members of the department,” said Blinken. “Fortunately, I’ll be able to continue to do that, as Ned will continue to serve at State, working directly for me.”

“For people in America and around the world, Ned Price has often been a face and voice of U.S. foreign policy,” added linken. He’s performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity. On behalf of the department, I thank Ned for his remarkable service.”

Price during a May 2021 interview with the Washington lade said the decriminali ation of consensual same sex sexual relations is one of the fve priorities for the Biden-Harris administration in its efforts to promote G Q and intersex rights abroad.

linken last une spoke to this reporter and fve other G Q and intersex journalists during a roundtable at the State Department. Price and essica Stern, the special .S. envoy for G Q and intersex rights, are among those who also participated.

Russia’s continued crackdown on LGBTQ and intersex rights are among the issues about which Price spoke

rally comes after hundreds of students across Iowa walked out of class last Wednesday to protest the G Q legislation.

rgani ers estimated students at 4 schools across Iowa walked out as Republican lawmakers pushed forward with legislation aimed at tightening school policies and state law regarding gender identity, sexual orientation, gender affrming care and e uity, diversity and inclusion.

In an interview with the Register during the rally, Courtney eyes, the executive director of ne Iowa and ne Iowa ction, said that in her years as executive director she has seen a “constant attack” on the LGBTQ community, specifcally targeting transgender people.

“People in that building are making laws about us, and they don’t know about gender healthcare, they don’t know what it means to the families that need that service,” Reyes said. “When you threaten to take that away, you’re putting people’s lives in danger.”

“When folks are having their rights taken away, we need our allies to get uncomfortable,” Reyes told the paper.

BRODY LEVESQUE

during his briefngs. Price’s tenure also coincided with WNBA star Brittney Griner’s arrest in Moscow, and her eventual release from a Russian penal colony where she had been serving a 9-year sentence after a court convicted her of smuggling drugs into the country.

The State Department has not announced who will succeed Price.

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

CHRISTOPHER KANE

tate epa t ent spo espe son NED PRICE (center) speaks at the LGBTQ Victory Institute’s International LGBTQ Leaders Conference in D.C. on Dec. 3, 2022. Price, who is gay, will step down at the end of the month. (Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Frustrated by the onslaught of legislative efforts by Republican lawmakers targeting the state’s LGBTQ community more than 1,000 people attended the Sunday ‘Rally to Resist.’ (Photo courtesy Iowa Senate Democrats/Twitter)

Rep. GEORGE SANTOS (Screen shot via YouTube)

Sohn withdraws nomination for CC commissioner

President Joe Biden’s nominee for commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission withdraw her candidacy on Tuesday following a long and contentious battle for her confrmation in the .S. Senate.

“When I accepted his nomination over 16 months ago, I could not have imagined that legions of cable and media industry lobbyists, their bought-and-paid-for surrogates, and dark money political groups with bottomless pockets would distort my over 30-year history as a consumer advocate into an absurd caricature of blatant lies,” Gigi Sohn said in a statement.

“The unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks on my character and my career as an advocate for the public interest have taken an enormous toll on me and my family,” she said.

he campaign against Sohn, who would have been the CC’s frst gay commissioner, included allegations last month by media outlets like ox ews, the Daily Mail, reitbart, that she opposed measures to fght sex traffcking, accusations that were widely condemned as

homophobic smears.

Sohn withdrew her nomination for the post hours after .S. Sen. oe Manchin D W. a. announced he would

not support her, citing “her years of partisan activism, in ammatory statements online and work with far left groups.”

During a Q with reporters following uesday’s press briefng, White House Press Secretary arine ean Pierre said, We appreciate Gigi Sohn’s candidacy for this important role. She would have brought tremendous talent, intellect, and experience, which is why the president nominated her in the frst place.”

Jean-Pierre continued, “We also appreciate her dedication to public service, her talents, and her years of work as one of the nation’s leading public advocates on behalf of all mericans.”

he G Q ictory Institute addressed Sohn’s decision on Twitter, writing: “Thank you, @gigibsohn, for your leadership and deep commitment to our country. We know public service is not simply a job but who you are at your core — and we are here to support whatever your next chapter brings.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

uality Caucus slams proposed federal ban on trans athletes

he .S. Congressional uality Caucus has come out against a proposal from House epublicans to ban transgender student athletes.

“This is not about girls’ and women’s sports; it’s about attacking trans kids,” Caucus Chair ep. Mark Pocan D Wis. said in a press release Monday. his sports ban is just the opening salvo in their larger efforts to limit the rights of and demoni e the G QI community, and the uality Caucus will do everything it can to defeat it,” he said.

The caucus’ issuance of the press release comes ahead of the bill’s scheduled mark up on Wednesday by the .S. House ducation and the Workforce Committee.

The legislation would bar any participation in school sports by trans athletes, stipulating that “sex shall be recogni ed based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth” for purposes of compliance with Title I .

Introduced by epublican ep. Gregory Steube la. on eb. 1, the bill’s 4 G P co sponsors include .S. eps. en uck hio , Matt Gaet la. , ancy Mace S.C. , ndy iggs ri . , auren oebert Colo. , im anks Ind. and George Santos . . , the scandal beleaguered gay congressman who faces multiple investigations over alleged fnancial crimes.

he Democratic Women’s Caucus joined the uality Caucus in registering their opposition Monday ahead of the mark up

We will not let anti G QI epublicans who have refused to work with us on addressing real gender e uity issues — use ‘protecting women’ as an excuse to attack trans youth,” said .S. ep. ois rankel D la. , chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus.

Groups like the Women’s Sports oundation and ational Women’s aw Center support full and e ual access and participation for trans student athletes.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

CP C speaker ransgenderism must be eradicated’

The Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at ational Harbor saw the annual gathering of the Conservative Political ction Conference known as CP C wrapping up Saturday with twice impeached former President Donald rump as its closing speaker.

Gov. on DeSantis an undeclared potential candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, and who is considered rump’s biggest threat in a primary, took aim at merica’s transgender community in his speech.

Trump defended his administration’s ban on trans enlistment in the .S. rmed Services.

“We banned transgender insanity from our military,” he said, among other policies that President Joe Biden revoked upon taking offce.

We will keep men out of women’s sports,” rump said. How ridiculous. hat will take place on day one.”

.S. Sen. ick Scott la. made similar comments during his remarks on hursday. Democrats, Scott said, have sought to “allow public schools to ignore parents and talk to very young children about sexuality.”

he senator also claimed the .S. military has been made to care more about “pronouns” than intimidating our enemies.

rump was among numerous CP C speakers taking aim at the culture war over G Q e uality and rights, specifcally trans rights.

be eradicated from public life entirely.” Michael nowles of the Daily Wire said.

nowles’ assertion was echoed by his fellow Daily Wire host Matt Walsh who tweeted He is of course completely right about this. rangenderism as a concept and an ideology is false, poisonous, and destructive to both the individual and society. It needs to be destroyed entirely. he fght to save children from this lunacy is but one phase in the overall war.”

s outrage built online after nowles’ assertion, Walsh on Sunday tweeted rans activists have worked for years to fundamentally restructure human society to affrm their deluded self perceptions. hey have censored, silenced, indoctrinated and manipulated. hey have harmed children. ow the pushback is fnally here in and they cry victim.”

rump, who overwhelmingly won CP C’s conference straw poll for presidential contenders, garnering 62 percent support from attendees compared to 20 percent for Florida

“The problem with transgenderism is not that it’s inappropriate for children under the age of nine. he problem with transgenderism is that it isn’t true. If transgenderism is false, then for the good of society … transgenderism must

Walsh also asserted on Twitter: “Of course all of the hysterical idiots calling this language ‘genocidal’ would certainly not be saying that if he has called for the eradication of capitalism or conservatism or some other -ism they don’t like. In that case they’d easily recogni e that working to defeat an ideology is not the same as eradicating individuals. his is a distinction any intelligent person can understand. Gender ideology i.e. transgenderism is just that n ideology. nd that is what we are fghting.”

CHRISTOPHER KANE

MICHAEL KNOWLES speaks at CPAC on March 4. (Screen capture via Twitter)

GIGI SOHN withdrew from consideration this week. (Screen capture via C-SPAN)

COME PLAY WITH US

Pickleball

Soccer

Bocce

Cornhole

Softball

Tennis

Ultimate frisbee

Members of Congress meet with transgender activist in Japan

Takano, Ocasio-Cortez among participants

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS | mlavers@washblade.com

A group of U.S. lawmakers last month met with a prominent transgender activist in Japan while they were in the country.

U.S. Reps. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and French Hill (R-Ark.) met with Fumino Sugiyama, a former member of Japan’s female fencing team who is now fghting for legal recognition of trans people in Japan. The D.C.-based Maureen and Mike Mansfeld oundation, which organi ed the congressio nal delegation that also included a trip to South Korea, arranged the meeting.

“Members of the delegation were very, very impressed with Fumino,” Takano told the Washington Blade last week during a telephone interview.

rost, who is the frst Gen ’er elected to Congress, on Feb. 24 in a series of tweets praised Fumino and his advocacy efforts.

“One of my favorite meetings in Tokyo was meeting with trans organizer and activist, Fumino Sugiyama,” tweeted Frost. “Japan is still working through passing real anti discrimination laws to protect G Q folks and I felt incredibly inspired by umino and his fght.”

“He laid out the struggle and how the community is battling both legal and cultural roadblocks to even be recogni ed,” said rost. I spoke with him about the cur rent fght in lorida and how Gov. DeSantis is targeting G Q kids.”

Frost also said he is “working on setting up a virtual meeting between Fumino and a student activists in Florida.”

I think his story can provide some inspiration for the struggle here,” he said.

The trip began on Feb. 20 and ended on Feb. 26.

Takano arrived in Japan before the trip began.

The openly gay man of Japanese descent visited Pride House okyo, the country’s frst permanent G Q and intersex community center that opened ahead of the 2021 Summer lympics that took place in okyo. akano participated in a freside chat” with G Q and intersex Japanese people and expatriots, and met

with a Goldman Sachs executive who he said is one of the few prominent people in the country who is out. apan is still, pretty much I would say a Don’t sk, Don’t Tell’ society, but unlike the United States, Japan as a whole does not have violent homophobia where people are beat up or gay bashed or that kind of thing,” said Takano. “There is harassment and bullying in the schools. People face discomfort in the workplace and … until now it’s not like a coming out kind of society, but it’s not a place where (homosexuality is) criminalized and people suffer violence.”

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel also invited Takano to attend a reception with members of the Japanese Diet legislature ’s G Caucus. akano noted to the lade that none of them are openly G Q or inter sex.)

I got a great sense of where things were, the state of play of this question of nondiscrimination language,” said Takano.

The trip began less than a month after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s top aide, Masayoshi Arai, told reporters that he would “not want to live next door” to a same-sex couple and he does “not even want to look at them.” Arai also said marriage equality in Japan would “change the way society is” and “quite a few people would abandon this country.” ishida fred rai.

The prime minister on Feb. 17 apologized for Arai’s comments during a meeting with Pride House Tokyo President Gon Matsunaka and other G Q and intersex activists. Kishida on Feb. 28 nevertheless said he does not feel the lack of marriage rights for same-sex couples in Japan is discriminatory.

Members of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party this week introduced a marriage equality bill in the Diet lower house.

Takano noted 20 members of the “hardline” Abe faction of Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led before his 2022 assassination remain the main stumbling block to marriage equality and efforts to ban discrimination based on sexu-

al orientation and gender identity. Takano stressed, however, the activists with whom he spoke in Japan welcome the increased attention around these issues.

“The fact that he’s having to comment on marriage equality is indicative of the Japanese media focusing attention on G issues,” he said, referring to ishida. “The sense among Japanese queer activists is that keeping the G issue, or G issues on the front page is very much something that works to their advantage.”

Takano further acknowledged Arai’s comments and reaction to them has sparked a renewed debate about G Q and intersex rights in the country.

“He (Arai) really hasn’t suffered a huge consequence for those remarks,” said Takano, noting Arai remains in his post with the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. he uestion in apan right now is will they just enact a law that is symbolic and checks the box, or will they advance substantive G nondiscrimination pro tections.”

Takano referenced a Kyodo News poll that indicates 65 percent of people in Japan support legal protections for G Q and intersex people. his fgure increases to 0 percent among young people.

It’s no wonder the activists are saying keep this in the news,” he said.

Takano was with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when she led a congressional delegation to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore last summer. Takano led a congressional delegation to Japan in November 2021.

apan plays such a key role in the Indo Pacifc as mer ica’s most vital ally,” he said. “Japan moving forward in this area of G rights and e uality, I believe, will be highly consequential to progress in Asia as a whole.”

FUMINO SUGIYAMA

(Photo courtesy of Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost’s Twitter page)

Machine Dazzle costumes Opera Lafayette’s historic premiere of Rameau’s Io

Perhaps known best for his collaborative work with theater artist Taylor Mac (A 24-Decade History of Popular Music), and his recent exhibition, “Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle” at the NY Museum for Art and Design (MAD), Machine Dazzle will make his Opera Lafayette costume designdebut this May at The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts

Dazzle will create more than a dozen new costumes for Opera Lafayette’s production of the never-before-seen Jean-Philippe Rameau comedic opéra-ballet, Io. In roles ranging from gods to mortals, singers and dancers alike will don Dazzle’s works of art.

Hailed as a “theatrical genius” (The New Yorker), and a “renowned, multifaceted artist” (Vogue), Machine Dazzle joins Opera Lafayette at an exciting moment in his career. In addition to his frst solo exhibition at MAD this past Fall/Winter, Machine designed and performed in Bassline Fabulous, a modern take on Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” at The Metropolitan Museum in collaboration with the Catalyst Quartet. He describes himself as a “radical queer, emotionally driven, instinct-based concept artist and thinker.”

“Nothing quite prepared me for the sheer joy of seeing Machine’s work in person; it’s imaginative, extravagant, and thoroughly American in the way he uses ordinary objects to extraordinary effect.”

- Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette Artistic Director

Io is a perfect ft to let Da le’s creativity run wild. In the comedy, two gods compete for the enchanting nymph Io, and love and folly ensue. he unfnished op ra ballet by 1 th century rench composer Rameau was only recently completed by renowned musicologist Sylvie Bouissou Bouissou used music from another Rameau opera, Platée, to complete the work.Billed alongside Io is another modern premiere. Pierre de La Garde’s Léandre et Héro is a lyric drama which recently came to light through efforts of Opera Lafayette and the Bibliotheque Nationale. Both will premiere at The Kennedy Center May 2 and May 3 before going on to New York City as part of Opera Lafayette’s second annual New York City Baroque Music estival, May through 11.

In addition to Dazzle’s costumes in Io, the productions will feature dance from Seán Curran Company and New York Baroque Dance Company. Soprano Emmanuelle de Negri soprano and tenor Maxime Melnik (U.S. debut) will star in the title roles and be joined by Doug Williams, Gwendoline Blondeel, and Patrick Kilbride Avi Stein will conduct and Nick Olcott will direct, with scenic design by Sara Caples, Everardo Jefferson, and Adam Thompson Tickets and more information are on sale now at www.operalafayette.org

(Photo Credit: Little Fang)

(Photo Credit: Gregory Kramer)

(Photo Credit: Gregory Kramer)

Examples of Machine Dazzle’s work from previous projects.

(Photo Credit: Little Fang)

(Photo Credit: Geoff Winningham)

Sydney WorldPride comes to a buoyantly successful close D.C.

to host next biennial event in 2025

By DAN ALLEN

he frst WorldPride in the Southern Hemisphere wrapped up in Sydney on Sunday evening with an open air closing concert and dance party headlined by singers im Petras and va Max.

he packed extravagan a rounded out a 1 day cele bration of more than 00 events encompassing parties, parades, exhibitions, workshops, sports, a flm festival, competitive voguing and much more that in all were projected to be attended by some half a million people.

arlier on Sunday, 50,000 marchers, including ustra lian Prime Minister nthony lbanese, took part in an ear ly morning march across the city’s cherished Sydney Har bor ridge, which was closed to traffc for the frst time since 2000 to make way for the walk.

“It was important for me to come to the march because I’m a lack trans woman, so I felt like I should march in solidarity with the community,” said aj ian, an merican expat who recently relocated from okyo to Sydney.

“

We came to WorldPride because it was important to deliver our message from orea to the world,” said Seun guk So, who carried a banner with his husband, ong Min im, in support of marriage e uality in South orea.

imed to coincide with ustralia’s summer and Syd ney’s iconic Mardi Gras celebration, the WorldPride cal endar began on eb. 1 with a series of ueer parties and performances, then kicked into overdrive with a eb. 24 offcial opening concert headlined by ussie pop darling ylie Minogue. 202 marks the 45th anniversary of the frst Sydney Mardi Gras, as well as the 50th anniversary of ustralia’s frst Gay Pride Week.

he political highlight of Sydney WorldPride was the largest G Q and intersex human rights conference ever held in the sia Pacifc region.

bout 1, 00 people attended the three day confer ence, which served as the WorldPride centerpiece and featured some more than 60 presenters and panelists, including Steve oth, executive director of the rgani ation for efuge, sylum and Migration, an G Q and intersex refugee organi ation. essica Stern, the special .S. envoy for the promotion of G Q and intersex rights abroad, mbassador Chantale Wong, the .S. di

rector of the sian Development ank who is the frst openly lesbian merican ambassador, and ictor Madrigal orlo , the independent . . expert on G Q and intersex issues, are among those who also participated.

“ his human rights conference was one of the largest gatherings ever of global G Q activists, so it was important to be a part of it both to represent M and to bring attention to the challenges facing displaced G Q people around the world,” said oth. “I was inspired to hear more about all the great activism happening globally and to share about the important work that M is doing, such as bringing economic empowerment programs to ueer refugees in places like enya.”

In the handover of the conference reins to D.C. for WorldPride 2025, .S. mb. to ustralia Caroline enne dy congratulated Sydney organi ers, especially for giving irst ations people a central role.

“We will all leave here with a deeper understanding of the work that needs to be done,” said ennedy. “ ou’ve shown the world how an empowered diverse community is central to a more peaceful and prosperous world. I’m looking forward to the sharing that will happen with irst ations people in the nited States.”

irst ations representation was a recurring theme throughout Sydney WorldPride’s main events, which were all opened with acknowledgments of the original Gadigal owners of the lands upon which Sydney now sits.

Popular boriginal Sydney drag ueen ana Miss oori helped kick off several key happenings, including the opening concert, the Mardi Gras parade, and the glamorous lak and Deadly irst ations gala concert, which took place on March 2 at the famed Sydney pera House. Performers there included boriginal ustralian

electronic music duo lectric ields and Canadian Indig enous musician eremy Dutcher.

Sydney’s top museums hopped also onto the World Pride bandwagon, including the rt Gallery of ew South Wales, which presented a new “Queering the collection” tour of its permanent holdings, and the Powerhouse Mu seum, which mounted its “ bsolutely Queer” exhibition honoring ustralia’s contemporary ueer creativity.

n hand throughout the WorldPride festivities were a cavalcade of ustralia’s top G Q celebrities, including singer roye Sivan, actor Magda S ubanski and multital ented drag entertainer Courtney ct. Many merican ueer celebs, including personalities Carson ressley and ndy Cohen, were also spotted at WorldPride events. he eighth ever WorldPride, Sydney’s edition was pro jected by organi ers to inject approximately $ 5 million into the ustralian economy, a much needed tourism boost following the country’s strict C ID 1 lockdowns of the previous few years.

he next WorldPride is slated to take place in D.C. from May 2 to une , 2025.

krainian MP introduces bill to recogni e same sex couples

krainian MP has introduced a bill that would extend legal recognition to same sex couples.

Inna Sovsun in a series of tweets notes 56 percent of krainians support same sex partnerships” and she hopes the majority of the Parliament, including Presi dent olodymyr elenskyy ’s party will take the lead from the people.”

krainians can no longer wait for e uality,” said Sovsun. We must do it immediately. G krainians de serve to have a family. very day can be their last. ust like for any other krainian. here is no time for hesitation. et’s legali e same sex partnerships in kraine already this year.”

ussia on eb. 24, 2022, launched its war against kraine.

very day, krainian G military personnel put them selves in danger protecting us,” said Sovsun. et if they are in relationships, the state does not recogni e those.

his means that their partners do not have the same ben efts as partner sic in heterosexual relationships.”

his includes some very unsettling sitaution sic ,” she added. If an G military person is wounded, his/her partner would not be able to make decisions about his/ her medical treatment.”

elenskyy last summer said he supports a civil partner ships law for same sex couples.

krainian lawmakers late last year unanimously ap proved a media regulation bill that bans hate speech and incitement based on sexual orientation and gender iden tity.

krainian mbassador to the .S. ksana Markarova during a an. 26 event in D.C. that highlighted G Q and intersex servicemembers in her country applauded yiv Pride and other advocacy groups. Markarova acknowl edged not everything is perfect,” but added kraine is moving in the right direction.”

We together will not only fght the external enemy, but also will see e uality,” she said.

uslana Hnatchenko, funding manager of the Sphere Women’s ssociation, a harkiv based group that pro motes G Q and intersex rights in kraine, last month told the Washington lade during a oom interview from the Hungarian capital of udapest that conservative pol iticians, prominent fgures within the krainian and us sian rthodox Churches and many krainians themselves remain opposed to G Q and intersex rights. Hnatchen ko said she believes elenskyy believes in human rights,” but the landscape to advance G Q and intersex rights in her country remains complex.

elenskyy is kind of between a rock and a hard place in that sense, but I believe that human rights in kraine will overcome, especially after our victory,” said Hnatch enko. We will make progress.”

MICHAEL K. LAVERS

he ydney pe a o se lit p in the og ess ide ag o ydney a di as and WorldPride. ( hoto o tesy o ydney Wo ld ide itte

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

Congress should butt out of D.C.’s business! But I understand why some Democrats will not. I also understand why President Biden will not veto a bill overriding D.C.’s Criminal Code legislation. We should never expect a politician to fall on their sword and that is what the president and some Democrats in Congress up for election in 2024, would be doing if they support D.C.’s crime bill. Explaining to their constituents they only supported what is in that bill, because they wanted to support home rule for D.C., would be nearly impossible.

Crime is the issue today. You need only look at the Chicago primary election and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s loss. It was all about crime, or fear. People are afraid. Any bill that looks like it is weak on crime is not something Democrats up for election, in districts or states where Democrats will be in close elections, can support. While it is important to look at the facts when reading legislation, reality is it is also important to understand what the public will perceive when reading, or hearing about it.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser knew what the problems were with the legislation the Council passed. She understood the potential for what Congress could do with this bill. So she vetoed it, and suggested to the Council what changes should be made. Had the Council listened, instead of overriding the veto, this attack on home rule could have been avoided. To make matters worse, the past and current chairs of the Judiciary and Public Safety committee of the Council, agreed they would accept amendments to the bill but still voted to override the veto and send the bill as passed to Congress.

I communicated to the White House and to Democratic members of Congress, asking them not to join Republicans on this; asking them to respect D.C.’s home rule. But I fully understand they are doing what they feel they must. If Democrats lose the White House, and Congress, in 2024 home rule won’t be the only thing in jeopardy.

I have written before it is beyond time the D.C. Council takes a step back and rethinks some of what they are doing and how the bills they are passing are spending taxpayer money. They are now upset with the city’s CFO for saying there will be budget shortfalls in the coming years. Instead of being upset, they should seriously look at what the priorities of D.C. residents are. Maybe it’s funding education, public safety, and real help for those in need instead of free bus fare for tourists, Maryland, and Virginia commuters, and people who don’t need free fare, at a cost of $42 million a year. The excuse ‘it gets cars off the road’ has not been shown to be the case in numerous studies

There are two other issues where it is now unclear where the Council stands. According to WUSA9, “Nine months ago long-time stadium opponent, Councilmember Charles Allen, released a letter signed by seven D.C. Councilmembers opposing the use of the RFK site for a football stadium. Enough votes to block any stadium plan. But two of those stadium opponents, Mary Cheh and Elissa Silverman, aren’t on Council anymore. And a third, Janeese Lewis George, declined to take a position when asked in WUSA9 poll of Councilmembers: “Are you open to a discussing a new Washington Commanders stadium on the RFK site if Daniel Snyder no longer owns, or is associated with, the franchise?” What may be at stake in this debate is D.C. getting control of 191 acres on the RFK site for housing, parks and other recreation opportunities for the people of the District something the mayor is fghting for.

Another issue before the Council is whether there will be police as security protecting our children in schools. There is a legitimate debate on this but most of the people in the District support this and feel it will make our children and teachers safer. Recently the Washington Post reported, “Four D.C. lawmakers are backing a proposal that would keep police offcers in schools, reversing a measure that sought to remove law enforcement from campuses by 2025.” The four are the Council Chair, and Council members from Wards two, seven and eight.

There is much to be done for the people of the District. We need to focus on housing, our children and families needing extra support. I hope members of the Council do that but not in the way some have, which has been tone-deaf to reality.

Biden shouldn’t be expected to fall on his sword for D.C. Congress should butt out of city’s business

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Fox News tries to smear

Buttigieg as a pedophile

Fake news outlet links Transportation

Sec’y

Anyone with more than three brain cells knows that Fox News is a right-wing propaganda arm of the Republican Party that is losing viewers in droves to even more unhinged outlets spouting anti-American conspiracy theories.

So we have become accustomed to Fox’s lies, but last week’s attack on Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was so grotesque that the normal response of ignoring their nonsense must be set aside.

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The Fox News headline read, “Maryland mayor facing child porn charges previously said Pete Buttigieg was his mentor.”

The story refers to gay College Park, Md. Mayor Patrick Wojahn, who resigned last week and was arrested on 56 charges related to child pornography. A judge earlier this week denied bail for Wojahn. It’s a shocking and sad story and plays into the worst slurs about the LGBTQ community. And Fox News is leading the homophobic charge, using a 2019 Washington Blade interview with Wojahn in which he cites Buttigieg as a mentor as ammunition. Fox News, in its crude headline, insinuates that because Wojahn viewed Buttigieg as a mentor, Buttigieg must somehow be implicated in child porn.

Yes, the two were acquainted, which shouldn’t be surprising given they were both gay mayors. Indeed, as an elected public offcial, Wojahn has met many people, including presidents, House Speakers, and me. Are we all to blame for Wojahn’s alleged crimes?

Linking Buttigieg to Wojahn in a prominent headline along with the words “child porn” is a blatant attempt at smearing Buttigieg as a pedophile — the absolute worst attack on a senior gay public offcial. It’s disgusting and reckless. Given ox’s problems with libel lawsuits these days, you’d think they would be more careful. Karma’s a bitch as they say; let’s hope Fox’s comeuppance arrives with a multi-billion dollar judgement in the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit. They deserve worse for what they’ve done to Buttigieg.

If there’s anyone left at Fox News with an ounce of integrity or decency, they should remove this story and apologize to Buttigieg. Of course, I won’t hold my breath, but surely we can engage and debate with our political rivals without stooping to these baseless, soulless attacks. Buttigieg is a veteran and a father and deserves better from a so-called news outlet with a national platform like Fox.

You can email the author of the beneath-contempt hit piece, Cameron Cawthorne, at cameron.cawthorne@fox.com.

A judge on Monday denied bail to former College Park Mayor PATRICK WOJAHN, who faces 56 counts of child porn. (Photo courtesy of the Prince George’s County Police Department)

lesbian thriller, Scream’ returns, and more flm, options for spring

host of ueer programming on tap for upcoming season

By JOHN PAUL KING

Spring is always an exciting time for ueer fans of flm and , as the entertainment industry shifts its eye to the future and begins to roll out the eagerly awaited movies and shows it has in store for us in the upcoming year. his year is no exception but while there are several exciting titles announced for 202 ’s cinematic lineup like the nne Hathaway starring lesbian thriller ileen” and Dan evy’s directorial flm debut Good Grief” , many of their release dates are slated for later in the year or still to be determined.

hat doesn’t mean there aren’t a few good options for ueer movie buffs looking for some spring fresh” cinema, and the lade has compiled a few suggestions.

MOVIES

The First Fallen Digital/D D, available now ra ilian release from 2021 making its debut on S screens, this 1 set historical drama from writer/director odrigo de liveira follows a group of small town G Q men and women as they face the frst wave of the IDS epidemic. We haven’t seen it ourselves yet, but it comes with a fve star otten omatoes rating and the subject matter strikes a deep communal chord. ohnny Massaro, enata Carvalho, and ictor Camilio lead the cast.

Lonesome Digital/D D, available now

nother import making its way to .S. screens, this ustralian utback meets big city romance from director Craig oreham explores sexuality, loneliness and isolation in a world that has never been more connected” through the story of a country boy osh avery who, eeing from small town scandal, arrives in Sydney and meets a city lad Daniel Gabery with secrets and struggles of his own. In their new ac uaintance, the two young men fnd something they have been missing, but neither of them knows uite how to negotiate it.” We don’t want to spoil anything, but since this festival circuit favorite was praised by reviewers for its masterful use of erotic storytelling, it’s safe to assume they fgure it out.

Scream VI In theaters March 10

he rebooted horror franchise originally created by ueer screenwriter evin Wil liamson, who in an interview around 2021’s Scream ” said the movies were coded in gay survival” picks up where it left off, as the four survivors the latest Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind to start a fresh chapter. Melissa arrera, asmin Savoy rown, Mason Gooding, enna rtega, Hayden Panettiere, and Courteney Cox return to their roles, joined by ack Champion, Henry C erny, iana iberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn ekoda, ony evolori, osh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.

The Tutor In theaters, March 24

ecently out Stranger hings” star oah Schnapp hits the big screen in this eerie thriller from writer yan ing and director ordan oss, in which an in demand tutor Garrett Hedlund accepts a lucrative offer to take on the son of a wealthy elite family Schnapp as his pupil and fnds himself becoming the object of an unsettling obsession a situation that uickly escalates toward the sinister as his creepy new student threat ens to tear apart the life he is building with his newly pregnant wife ictoria ustice be fore it even begins. katerina aker, onny Weston, Michael aron Milligan, xie ooker, and shritha ancharla also star.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves In theaters March 1

es, the venerable PG that’s role playing game,” for the uninitiated played on the tabletops of countless Gen nerds is coming to the screen once again, this time as a big budget sword and sorcery adventure starring Chris Pine, ridgerton” hunk eg ean Page, bi ast urious” star Michelle odrigue , ueer actor ustice Smith, and Hugh Grant. Planned as the ambitious launch point for a multi pronged” franchise that includes a graphic novel tie in, an upcoming television spin off, and a slate of future

installments across these and other forms of media, it’s an eagerly awaited roll of the 12 sided dice in an unpredictable market already saturated with tent pole style enter tainment options. fter years in development and multiple C ID related delays, mov iegoers doubtless including millions of ueer fantasy fans will fnally get to decide whether or not it was worth the gamble.

Renfield In theaters pril 14

he renaissance of icolas Cage continues with another franchise ish new action fan tasy, this one more in the in the horror vein a vein injected with a healthy dose of humor by director Chris Mc ay he ego Movie” and screenwriter yan idley. icholas Hoult Single Man,” he Great” stars as the title character, the long suffering lackey of Count Dracula Cage, in a role it was inevitable he would eventually play , who discovers an unexpected new outlook on life when he falls in love with a traffc cop wkwafna in modern day ew rleans. en Schwart and drian Martine round out the cast of what looks to be a highly entertaining tall tale blend of gothic vampire camp and uirky comedic reinvention. s for the G Q connection, well, Dracula” author ram Stoker was reputedly ueer, and that’s a good enough excuse to give this promising romp a chance.

Little Richard: I Am Everything In theaters and D pril 21

must see for fans of both documentaries and classic rock ’n roll, not to mention anyone interested in the story of a uni ue individual charting his own course of self ex pression in a world that wasn’t ready for what he wanted to be, this richly illuminated flm profle from director isa Cort s was the opening night documentary selection at this year’s Sundance estival. ramed as a story of the lack ueer origins of rock ’n roll,” it aims to dismantle the whitewashed canon of merican pop music” by positioning its titular subject whose real” name was ichard Penniman as an innovator who forever shaped the genre with his irresistibly amboyant style and persona. ffering a wealth of archive and performance footage alongside interviews with family, musicians, and cutting edge lack and ueer scholars, the flm brings us into an icon’s complicated inner world, unspooling” his life story with a comprehensive sense of scope and a keen eye for important detail.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret In theaters pril 2

ifty three years after its publication, udy lume’s iconic piece of fction comes to the screen for the frst time in this adaptation from writer/director elly remon Craig starring achel Mc dams and featuring bby yder ortson as the title character a sixth grader who moves to a ew ersey suburb from ew ork City with her mixed faith parents one Christian, one ewish , prompting her to go on a coming of age uest for her religious identity. touchstone for generations of young readers, the original novel has been a perennial source of controversy not only does it depict a child allowed the freedom to choose their own religious beliefs, it contains frank discussions of taboo” issues relatable to young teen girls, like menstruation, bras, and boys. aturally, that means it has been included, along with other classic titles from among lume’s work, on countless lists of banned books” across the fve decades since it frst saw print. hat is more than enough reason to go out and support this female led screen adaptation with your box offce dollars, as far as we’re concerned.

Another chapter in the ‘Scream’ saga is coming this spring. (Image courtesy Paramount Pictures)

THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER 50TH ANNIVERSARY & FINAL WORLD TOUR with Special Guest

The DIVA Jazz Orchestra

Fri, March 24

AROOJ AFTAB, VIJAY IYER, SHAHZAD ISMAILY LOVE IN EXILE

Fri, April 14

Lush, haunting soundscapes of meditation and yearning.

STRATHMORE & WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS PRESENT MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL ON TOUR FEATURING

Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Lakecia Benjamin, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura & Clarence Penn

Thu, April 20

DJAVAN

THE D TOUR USA 2023

CO-PRESENTED BY EDUCARTE

Fri, April 21

GRAVITY & OTHER MYTHS

A SIMPLE SPACE

Wed & Thu, April 26 & 27

RAIN

A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES

Sat, April 29

GEORGE HINCHLIFFE’S UKULELE ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN

Tue, May 2

Dynamic ensemble of strummers & singers.

ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO

Thu, June 15

Visionary world music performer.

STRATHMORE & STEP AFRIKA! PRESENT STEP XPLOSION

Mon, June 19

A celebration of the art form of stepping.

OCTAVIA E. BUTLER’S PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Music & Lyrics by Toshi Reagon & Bernice Johnson Reagon

Co-Directed by Signe V. Harriday & Eric Ting

Wed–Sat, June 28–July 1

With power and beauty, this triumphant opera illuminates deep insights on gender, race, and the future of human civilization.

Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily by Ebru Yildiz, Monterey Jazz Festival by RR Jones, Djavan by Gabriela Schmidt, Step Afrika!, RAIN by Matt Christine Photography, Gravity & Other Myths by Chris Herzfeld, Angélique Kidjo by Fabrice Mabillot, Parable of the Sower by Ehud Lazin

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

TV options for spring

TELEVISION

When it comes to the small screen, spring 2023 brings not as many new shows of queer interest as it does the return of queer favorites we’re already hooked on, like the second seasons of both Showtime’s grim-but-gripping girl scout survival series Yellowjackets (March 24) and HBO’s sweet-and-gentle Somebody Somewhere (April 23). As with the movies, there are numerous upcoming titles that pique our interest, but many of them have yet to announce a premiere date. We’ll include the most enticing of those in our list of new TV series below, so you’ll know to watch for them, but keep in mind some or all of them may not come until later in the year.

Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video, now streaming)

Prime Video just dropped is this 10-episode limited series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel about the rise and fall of a fctional rock group in the os n geles music scene of the 1 0s, which frames its profle of the Fleetwood Mac-inspired titular band in a pseudo-documentary style and tracks the reasons behind their break-up at the height of their worldwide fame. Offering an attractive cast led by iley eogh, Sam Cla n, Camila Morrone, Suki Waterhouse, Will Harrison, Josh Whitehouse, and Timothy Olyphant, and an iconic period setting and subject matter guaranteed to inspire some fabulous costumes, if nothing else, this one has suffcient queer appeal to make our list.

Swarm (Prime Video, March 17)

Speaking of fctional re imaginings of real life music icons, multi-hyphenate “Atlanta” creator Donald Glover and playwright/screenwriter Janine Nabers offer up this darkly satirical horror series about fan obsession, centered on a young woman named Dre (Dominique Fishback) who goes to deadly extremes in her “stan-dom” of a certain pop star. No, the star in question isn’t Beyoncé, but her fanbase calls itself “the Swarm,” so you can draw your own conclusions from that. It’s a provocative premise that’s bound to ruf e some feathers, but that’s precise ly what gives co-creator Glover his well-deserved reputation for delivering edgy, genre-defying content. All we can say is that if it’s half as unnervingly delightful as the frst two seasons of tlanta,” we’re on board. Chloe ai ley, Damson Idris, Rickey Thompson, Paris Jackson, Rory Culkin, Kiersey Clemons, and Byron Bowers also star.

Marriage of Inconvenience (Dekkoo, April 6)

Subscribers to gay male-targeted streaming service Dekkoo can look forward to a romantic comedy described as “a 21st century gay version of ‘The Odd Couple’” centered on two mismatched strangers who enter a witness protection program and must pretend to be happily married to each other to keep their identities hidden from the people who want them dead. Series writer/creator Jason T. Gaffney stars as a messy, street-smart dropout with anger issues opposite David Allen Singletary as an even-tempered English professor conditioned

to living an orderly, carefully structured life. They have nothing in common and they can’t stand each other, but at least they’re both gay – which, as we all know, is still no guarantee they’ll be able to fnd common ground. With a clearly campy premise like this, it should still be fun to watch them try.

Dead Ringers (Prime Video, April 21)

Rachel Weisz does double duty in this reimagined expansion of director David Cronenberg’s classic 1988 thriller about identical twin gynecologists who dupe unsuspecting patients into participating in their perverse sexual fantasies. he twist While Cronenberg’s flm fea tured a pair of male siblings, this one ips the gender of its creepy twins – and in so doing, opens up a whole plethora of queer possibilities to be explored. As anyone familiar with the original already knows, it’s a story full of twisted psychology and grotesque body horror, not for the faint of heart. We can’t wait.

Love & Death (HBO Max, April 27)

Queer fan favorite Elizabeth Olsen (“WandaVision”) stars in this true crime miniseries about real-life “good Christian” Texas housewife Candy Montgomery, who claimed self-defense at her murder trial after taking an axe to the wife of a man with whom she was having an extramarital affair. The lurid story has already been told (in last year’s “Candy,” with Jessica Biel as Montgomery), but with writer/producer David E. Kelley – whose back catalogue includes a host of successful shows from Doogie Howser, MD” to ig ittle ies” behind it, we can be sure that this version will have a unique quality of its own. Jesse Plemons (“Breaking Bad,” “The Power of the Dog”) co-stars as the other half of Candy’s illicit and ill fated romance, with ily abe as his unfortunate wife; Parick Fugit, Elizabeth Marvel, Tom Pelphrey, Krysten Ritter, and Beth Broderick also star.

In this case, perhaps, the queer appeal comes from the irony of watching supposed “good Christian” types engage in the kind of depraved and detrimental behavior they regularly condemn everyone else for – and that’s good enough for us.

As for the shows with launch dates still TBD, the standouts include:

The Idol H a bu y series starring ily ose Depp as an aspiring pop star and Abel “the Weeknd” Tesfaye as the self-help guru with whom she becomes involved. Supporting players include Dan evy, Da’ ine oy an dolph, Hank Azaria, and musicians Troye Sivan and Moses Sumney.

Ripley (Showtime) – a limited series adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic 1955 novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” with out Irish actor Andrew Scott as its charming-but-sociopathic anti-hero; likely to bring the original story’s gay subtext to the screen much more directly than the 1 flm adaptation starring Matt Damon, it also stars Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning.

Fellow Travelers (Showtime) – Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey star in this adaptation of Thomas Mallon’s book about two men who begin a volatile clandestine romance while working for the government during the 1950s McCarthy era. Allison Williams also stars.

Glamorous et ix Created by ordon ardino Star Trek: Discovery”) and Damon Wayans Jr., this Brooklyn-set drama centers on a gender-non-conforming youth (Miss Benny) who falls under the wing of a high-fashion makeup mogul (Kim Catrall), and features guest stars like Matt Rogers, Joel Kim Booster, and Monét X Change Sounds fabulous.

Happy viewing!

RACHEL WEISZ in ‘Dead Ringers.’ (Image courtesy Amazon Studios)

BR EAK OU T

CALENDAR

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Friday, March 10

Center Friday Tea Time will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults and guests can bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact dam at 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 Washington, 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,

March 11

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 p.m. 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. The group facilitator will be actor and disability advocate Andy Arias. For more information, email andyarias0 gmail.com.

Sunday,

March 12

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Coffee & Conversation” at 12 p.m. at As You Are. This event is for those looking to meet new faces in the LGBTQ community. This event is free and more details are available on ventbrite.

“Brewed Up Drag Brunch” will be at 11 a.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co. The event will be hosted by Desiree Tik and will feature performances by Thea Trickality, Venetian, Mota and a host of other drag queens. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Monday, March 13

Center Aging Monday Coffee and Conversation will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center ging’s acebook or witter. Not Another Drag Show will be at 8 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. The event will be hosted by Logan Stone and will feature a rotating cast of local DMV performers. This event is free and more details are available on ventbrite.

OUT & ABOUT

Queer artists team up with health researcher for exhibition

A new group exhibition called “VIVID” will conclude with a reception on Friday, March 31 at 6 p.m. at Gallery CA.

The exhibition, co-created by a team of trans and queer artists and a public health researcher and aspiring artist, is a response to a rivalry between the arts and quantitative data that investigates histories of distrust between transgender communities and researchers born from legacies of research that reduced transgender people to their hardships or failed to see them at all.

For more details, visit Gallery CA’s Instagram page @ GalleryCA or VIVID’s Facebook event.

Tuesday, March 14

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

Wednesday, March 15

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-confdence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effec tive job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email centercareers@thedccenter.org or visit www.thedccenter.org/ careers.

Comedy & Cocktails - Open Mic Wednesdays will be at 7:30 p.m. at Pure Lounge. This event is an open mic featuring comedians from the DMV. There will be drinking games, free prizes and music by DJ K-OZ. Admission is free and more details are available on ventbrite.

Thursday, March 16

The DC Center’s Fresh ProduceProgram will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. To be fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org or call 202 6 2 2245.

Poly Discussion Group 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. or more details, email supportdesk@thedccenter.org.

Eckington to open new wee ly ea mar e

“Eckington Flea” will take place Saturdays at 10 a.m. at Woonerf on Quincy Lane.

This event is a marketplace featuring an eclectic roster of vendors selling vintage clothing, household products soaps, candles , books, art, collectibles, and more. It will also feature artisanal foods like honey and baked items along with fresh produce.

Vendors present will represent makers from Washington, D.C., along with the entirety of Maryland and Virginia. For more details, visit Eckington hall’s website.

‘Brewed Up Drag Brunch’ will be at 11 a.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co. hosted by DESIREE DIK

(Photo by Katherine Gaines of AmbientEye Photography)

2023 SPRING SEASON

Illuminating, Affirming & Hilarious

By Alfredo Sanzol (Spain)

Directed by José Zayas

As two sisters battle over selling their Summer home, visitors mysteriously appear and cause hilarious twists and turns. Family feuds and supernatural forces collide in this explosive comedy.

APR 20 - MAY 14

In Spanish with English surtitles

Script

Directed

This original musical revue celebrates the legacy of the Santa Cruz siblings who led the resurgence of the Afro-Peruvian arts and shined a spotlight on Afro-Peruvian artistry.

JUN 7 - 25

In Spanish with English surtitles 202-234-7174

Original songs, dance & poetry by Nicomedes and Victoria Santa Cruz (Peru)

by Anita González

by Hugo Medrano & Luis Sandoval

Spring theater in D.C. offers something old and new Celebrate Gloria Steinem, revisit ngels in merica’

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

hough recent blooms might suggest otherwise, spring doesn’t off cially begin until late March. nd with the upcoming season comes a showering of exciting the ater, both new and some more familiar.

t lney heatre Center, out South sian merican director, i likhan is stag ing Madhuri Shekar’s “A Nice Indian Boy” through pril . In the touching, sur prise f lled, intercultural comedy, aveen, a gay South sian merican meets eshav, the Hindu boy of his dreams. ut what might seem almost acceptable to aveen’s traditional parents is further complicated when they learn eshav is a white boy adopted by Indian parents. lneytheatre.org

lated island to trade. Signature’s associate artistic director than Heard directs a largely sian cast including ason Ma, ohnny ee r., and ymard Menenes Cabling. Sigtheatre.org

t Shakespeare heatre Company, it’s artistic director Simon Godwin’s hot ticket production of “King Lear” through pril 16 starring Patrick Page as the once re vered head of arguably the ard’s most dysfunctional royal family and that’s saying a lot . Shakespearetheatre.org

t ord’s heatre, Cheryl . West stars in “SHOUT SISTER SHOUT!” March 15 May 1 . It’s the musical bio of trailbla er Sister osetta harpe 1 15 1 , the guitar playing, ueer black woman who pioneered rock and roll in the 1 40s. efore lvis and ittle ichard, there was osetta. ords.org.

Written and directed by wa gawa, “The Nosebleed” March 1 pril 2 is poised to make its regional premiere at Woolly Mammoth. hrough a series of ab surd autobiographical vignettes, gawa delves into the sh t show of parenthood, as both a parent and a child and what it takes to forgive.” Woollymammoth.net. ver by the Wharf, rena Stage presents ony ushner’s truly awesome “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches” March 21 pril 2 . alented out actor ick Westrate plays prophetic protagonist Prior Walter, a smart gay ew orker who contracts IDS in the 1 0s, before there was effective treatment. ther members of an exciting cast include ustin Weaks, Michael evin Darnall, and Susan ome. dward Gero plays the loathsome oy Cohn. nos S s directs. renastage. org

ater this month, ound House heatre brings back the National Capital New Play Festival , an annual event celebrating new work by some of the country’s lead ing playwrights and newer voices. ne of its two fully staged premiere productions is Morgan Gould’s ennifer Who Is eaving” March 0 May , a dark comedy inspired by both the playwright’s sassy gay grandfather and a world of women care takers. oundhousetheatre.org

nd at G Hispanic heatre, out director os ayas is staging Spanish play wright lfredo San ol’s “La “Valentía/ Valor” pril 20 May 14 . Performed in Spanish with nglish surtitles, this f nely constructed comedy tells the story rini and Guada, two sisters battling over whether to sell their beloved family summer home that sits next to a bustling highway. Galatheatre.org

unning through pril 2 in rlington is Synetic heater’s movement based fantasy “Beauty and the Beast.” heir version draws on the darkness and sensuality of the original rench novel, a elle et la te,” and the 1 46 Cocteau f lm of the same name. Co directed by en Cunis ato sikurishvili and choreographed by the in sanely imaginative Irina sikurishvili. Synetictheater.org

t heater , Susan ynskey is Gloria Steinem in mily Mann’s “Gloria: A Life” through pril 2 , an exploration of the iconic feminist’s brilliant legacy and the wom en who inspired her. In the f rst act, she tells her story, and the second invites the audience to share their own. ut director/actor Holly wyford directs. heatrej.org

Studio heatre is moving into spring with ynn ottage’s poignantly entertaining “Clyde’s” through pril . It’s the story of a small group of parolees working as line cooks who f nd redemption making sandwiches in a truck stop diner despite diff cult circumstances and an abusive boss played by Dee Dee atteast. he appealing workers are played by Quinn M. ohnson, randon casio, ashayna ohnson, and amont hompson. Candis C. ones directs. Studiotheatre.org

Signature heatre in rlington presents Stephen Sondheim’s gorgeous and rarely produced “Pacific Overtures” through pril . Set in mid 1 th century apan, it’s the compelling tale of an merican expedition determined to open the then iso

or roadway at the ational heatre, spring means more music. irst up is “Jagged Little Pill” March 14 26 , a ony ward winning play with music by lanis Morissette and book by Diablo Cody. hen it’s incoln Center’s glorious production of erner oewe’s beloved classic “My Fair Lady” pril 6 , an instructive tale centering on Cockney ower girl li a Doolittle who’s transformed into a proper posh lady by unfeeling linguistics professor Henry Higgins. he score includes stan dards like I Could Have Danced ll ight,” he ain in Spain,” Wouldn’t it be ov erly,” and n the Street Where ou ive.” roadwayatthenational.com

t tlas Performing rts Center on H Street, . ., Mosaic heater is premiering Mona Mansour’s “Unseen” March 0 pril 2 , the story of an merican con ict photographer who wakes up in her ex girlfriend’s Istanbul apartment with no idea of how she got there. ate leiger, Dina Soltan, and mily ownley comprise the three woman cast. ohanna Gruenhut directs. Mosaictheater.org

or two nights only, the Strathmore in orth ethesda presents “A Simple Space” pril 26 and 2 . Here’s the promo Witness seven acrobats pushed to their phys ical limits without reserve in a disarmingly intimate setting. Propelled by the driving sound of live percussion, this performance is simultaneously raw, frantic, and deli cate.” Strathmore.org

his spring at incoln heatre, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington D.C. pays tribute to two divas. irst with “Whitney” March 11 and12 , a concert celebrating the best of Miss Houston’s music. Songs include I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” How Will I now,” I Will lways ove ou,” and he Greatest ove of ll.” nd then it’s “Dolly” une and 4 , a salute to the music of living legend Dolly Parton, fea turing an exciting selection of hits including Here ou Come gain,” Islands in the Stream,” olene,” and My ennessee Mountain Home.” Gmcw.org

NOAH ISRAEL (left) and and CAROL MAZHUVANCHERIL play boyfriends in ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ at Olney Theatre Center. (Photo by Sarah Straub)

UPCOMING SHOWS

WHITE FORD BRONCO

FRIDAY, MARCH 17

LEZ ZEPPELIN

SATURDAY, MARCH 18

THE SOUL REBELS

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

TALISK

THURSDAY, MARCH 23

DUSTBOWL REVIVAL

FRIDAY, MARCH 24

ADAM DOLEAC

SATURDAY, MARCH 25

KAT WRIGHT

FRIDAY MARCH 31

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

BLOOD BROTHERS

TUESDAY, APRIL 4

Delectable debuts on the D.C. dining scene ose ndres

triumphs, Mi ida expands,

By EVAN CAPLAN

This year is already turning out to be a dynamic one for dining and nightlife. The effects of the pandemic, in ation, and the supply chain are still being felt, but there is a sense of optimism with a host of new openings for the f rst half of the year. nd this season, of course, is often def ned by cherry blossoms. Peak bloom is predicted for March 22-25, and festival activities begin on March 18. Enjoy all the pink, and read on for some dining highlights for the f rst few months of 202 .

Bazaar

ose ndres triumphantly returned to the ld Post ff ce building in a coup for the ce lebrity restaurateur. The building, which is now a Waldorf storia hotel, most recently housed a hotel run by the organization of a disgraced former president. ndres had his eyes on the space for two decades and was set to open a restaurant there, but refused because of the new owner. Bazaar, which opened in February, serves sophisticated Spanish cuisine. It has locations in os ngeles and Miami, plating spe cialty dishes like Iberico ham with caviar.

Uncaged Mimosas

It’s all owers and bubbles at ncaged Mimosas in Truxton Circle, which opened in February. Here, brunch is served every day of the week. Chef Damian rown pours 20 plus kinds of mimosas, with ights available, plus fro en dai uiris. eon signs, fake owers and vines, and lots of color gives it a permanent party vibe. Brunch dishes include chicken and waf es, salmon and grits, and red velvet pan cakes.

Ambar

mbar, one of the only all you can eat din ner restaurants in the region, is opening its second spot in D.C. proper and third in the area. The new two-story restaurant, which opened March 6, sits in Shaw across from Dacha. Owner Ivan Iricanin brings in dishes from across the Balkans, like hearty country slowcooked dishes from the interior, to seafood specialties from the Mediterranean. There are more than 60 bottles of wine from the alkans, plus fruit-infused rakia, the popular Balkan spirit. mbar offers unlimited prix f xe brunch, lunch, and dinner menus, with optional drink pairings at brunch and dinner.

Owl Room

he Street Corridor welcomes this new nightlife destination in the former Marvin space on March 10. un by Marvin owner ric Hilton and others, wl oom has transformed the spot into more of a music and concert venue, with a dance oor and stage that will feature live music and DJ sets. The upstairs has a more relaxed patio for cocktails.

Mi Vida

Gay owned D Hospitality Design continues to expand its Mexican hit restaurant, Mi Vida, with a new outpost set to open in pril in Penn Quarter. his will be the largest Mi Vida to date, boasting a huge 10,000 s uare foot space. Design ourishes include the iconic tree of life that has been showcased at all three locations, as well as a new custom rope art installation by Mexican artisans.

Alfresco

n the southern end of dams Morgan, lfresco is a new merican tap and grill” restaurant from the owners of Lauriol Plaza, located just down 1 th Street. he 00 plus seat restaurant is set to open in pril. Its menu is a distinct departure from Lauriol’s Mexican food; this one serves sandwiches, pizza, pasta, salads, and steaks. True to its name, there is a central courtyard with a retractable pergola roof, as well as two other outdoor patio seating spaces.

Van Leeuwen

New York import Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and its super premium brand of dessert is opening three shops in the next few months: nion Market 41 Morse St. , dams Mor gan 2421 1 th St. W , and Georgetown 245 Prospect St. W . ounded in 200 as a New York City ice cream truck, Van Leeuwen is known for both traditional and vegan ice creams. ni ue avors include mac ’n cheese and honeycomb. hese are its f rst shops in D.C., though there are more than 20 across the country.

The Square

he S uare 1 50 St. will be D.C.’s new est food market, opening later this year. The S uare is slated to open in 202 within Inter national Square, and will feature a collection of more than 15 artisanal food vendors, a full-service restaurant and bar, an expansive bar in the central atrium, and outdoor dining seating, plus retail. ichie randenburg and ub n Garc a co founded he S uare, both well-established chefs, bring globally inspired food to the expansive food hall.

Bunker

While not falling into the food sphere, the opening of Bunker has upended nightlife destinations for the G Q community in D.C. i netic Productions owners ach enovat s and esus Quispe debuted the subterranean spot in late February, bringing in local and national DJs, dancers, drag queens, and entertainment. The bar/club is open Thursday-Sunday, playing different music genres each night.

and more

RICHIE BRANDEDBURG and RUBÉN GARCÍA co-founded The Square.

Clear your calendar for these spring events in D.C.

Cherry Blossoms, beach fun, Pride reveal and more on tap

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Spring has sprung, and so have these events in the DMV.

Creative Suitland will host Creative Saturday: Arts on a Roll on Saturday, March 11 at 12 p.m. at Creative Suitland Arts Center. This event is an engaging, hands-on, visual arts workshop. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Inc. will host 2023 Pink Tie Party on Thursday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. There will be culinary creations by TCMA Executive Chef Houman Gohary and the best bites of the DC area restaurant scene, including Art and Soul of YOTEL DC, Cure Bar & Bistro, Dirty Habit DC, Hiatus Cheesecake, Robert’s at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, and Rosa Mexicano. Cocktails and mocktails including an XR activation will be by ARTECHOUSE DC at the House of Suntory Bar. DeeJay Shelly, dueling violinists, and Skyline Band will provide entertainment. Tickets cost $225 and can be purchased on Eventbrite. The annual Cherry Blossom Festival runs March 20-April 16 with peak blooms predicted early this year, March 22-25.

Capital Pride’s annual Pride Reveal party is set for Thursday, March 16, 7-10 p.m. at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco.

Dupont Circle BID will host ArtWalk DuPont on Thursday, March 16 at 5 p.m. This event will feature the Dupont Circle arts community, as well as art galleries, museums, embassies, and more. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

The National Gallery of Art and Art with Tosca will host a tour to explore highlights of the gallery’s masterpieces from the Renaissance to the French Impressionism eras. This curated visit costs $80 and tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Mode on Main by Mara will host Spring It On: A Small Business Market in Aid of Syria on Sunday, March 26 at 12 p.m. at 10417 Main St. in Fairfax. This is a charity driven spring market and artist alley to benef t White Helmets, an organi ation

responding to the earthquake that hit Syria. Tickets start at $12.51 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

OnePaper.art will host Capital Art Fair on Sunday, April 2 at 11 a.m. at University Club. the event will feature 15 exhibitors offering f ne works on paper representing old master, modern, and contemporary prints and drawings and Japanese prints. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Artjar will host GraFFiTi Art Workshop on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. at 1 H St., S. . his original graff ti art class will allow guest to explore their creative side while learning basic drawing techni ues, graff ti art letter formations and spray paint tech niques. Tickets are $159.97 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

he Washington D.C. Pancake and Booze Art Show will be on Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Hook Hall. There will be local artists exhibiting more than 750 pieces of work, free “All-U-Can Eat” pancakes, live audio performances from local DJs and music producers, live body painting and art, and more. Tickets start at $16.74 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

BloomBars will host Open Stage: Presented by Duke Ellington School of the Arts’ Cinematic Arts on Tuesday, April 18 at 4 p.m. This event is is a forum for teenage writers, artists, and f lmmakers to workshop new work and get feedback from peer and the public. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

The 22nd annual Women’s Fest in Rehoboth Beach is scheduled for April 27-30 featuring a full weekend of events and fundraisers. Visit camprehoboth.com for full details and tickets.

Allumé Entertainment Group Xclusive will host Deep Strokes Sip n Paint on Friday, May 5 at 9:30 p.m. at TBD-DC. Painting supplies and 11x14 stretched canvas are included. This event is for men over 21 years of age only. Tickets start at $41.54 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

The Alice Ferguson Foundation will host Spring Fest on Saturday, May 13 at 11 a.m. at Hard Bargain Farm Environmental Center. Guests will get to learn about the foundation’s environmental education programs, stop and smell the owers at the Native Plant sale, and much more, all while listening to sweet tunes from local musicians and enjoying a picnic with food from local food trucks. Tickets are $5 for children and $10 for adults. More details are available on Eventbrite.

he Washington lade’s 16th annual Summer Kickoff Party is slated for Friday, May 19, 5-7 p.m. in Rehoboth Beach at a venue to be determined. Check the Blade website for more details next month.

Blade Editor Kevin Naff jokes with Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester at the 2022 Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth. This year’s event is set for May 19. . (Blade photo by Daniel Truitt)

A sister hides her translator brother from the Taliban in this heart-racing Pulitzer Prize fnalist

Sondheim’s rarely produced musical epic of tradition and transformation

The Tony Award-winning rock musical bursting with passion, humor and heart

The deliciously dark musical masterpiece

JAKE

OH

Spring break books for every taste

From young adult to engaging histories, check out these reads

Spring break is coming, and who says young adults get all the fun? There’s plenty of enjoyment for readers this spring, so why not spend your pre-summer months enjoying a few great books?

Start your spring reading with Confidence: A Novel by Rafael Frumkin (Simon & Schuster, out now). It’s the tale of two friends-sometimes-lovers, Ezra and Orson, who meet at Last Chance Camp, which is where bad boys go before they’re placed in Juvenile Detention. But rehabilitation isn’t on Ezra and Orson’s minds; pulling off the con of the century is. This book is a clever tale, a suspense novel, and the perfect caper all rolled into one.

For something more tangled, catch “The Humble Lover” by Edmund White (Bloomsbury, May 2). Eighty-year-old artist Aldych West could afford to have exactly whatever he desires – and when he sees ballet star August Dupond, well, West wants him. But West is not the only one who falls for Dupond; a wealthy woman West knows becomes smitten with the dancer, too. Imagine the situation, and then read this book.

Coming of age novel fans will want to fnd “The Adult” by Bronwyn Fischer (Algonquin, May 23). When 18-year-old Natalie moves to Toronto to start college, she’s lonely and quite unsure of herself. Everyone else seems so at ease; why isn’t she? Natalie is relieved when Nora, an older woman, takes an interest in her and enfolds Natalie into her life – but Natalie can’t help but feel that Nora’s not telling her the truth about something. How’s that for a book you can’t stop reading?

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

If lighter fare is more to your liking, why not try a Young Adult book?

Getting stuck in a time-loop is nobody’s idea of a good time and that’s the case for a boy named Clark. But in “I I See ou A ain Tomorrow” by Robbie Couch (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, April 18), the loop ends on a surprising Monday and he meets a new boy named Beau. They’re able to spend the whole day together – is the time-loop broken? – but Clark must be careful. You can’t have a future with someone you might never see again. Meant for kids ages 12-and-up, a book like this can be fun for a grown-up who craves something easy-breezy.

If history is your thing, but uncovering a path to explore sounds good, too, then look for Lesbian Love Story: A Me moir in Archives by Amelia Possanza (Catapult, May 30). After Possanza moved to Brooklyn, she began noticing queer stories everywhere. She was alone in her new neighborhood; could the tales of lesbians in Brooklyn steer her to love, friendship, and happiness? Try this absorbing book; even if novels are your “thing,” you won’t be sorry.

nd fnally, for something totally fun, reach for ery Gay Book: An Inaccurate Resource for Gay Scholars” by Jenson Titus (Andrews McMeel Publishing). Who – and what – is gay? The answers will surprise and delight you.

For more must-have books to celebrate spring, check with your favorite bookseller or librarian. Then settle in; Spring Break Reading is for everybody.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

Virginia Opera

LA

TRAVIATA

Saturday, Mar. 11 at 8 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 12 at 2 p.m.

The spellbinding tour de force

KODO

One Earth Tour 2023: Tsuzumi

Saturday, Mar. 18 at 8 p.m.

Masters of the ancient art of Japanese taiko drumming

CIRQUE FLIP FABRIQUE

Muse

Friday, Mar. 31 at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Apr. 1 at 2 p.m.

Breathtaking artistry and athleticism

DANIEL HOPE AND THE ZURICH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

America

Sunday, Apr. 2 at 2 p.m. Featuring music by Copland, Ellington, Gershwin and more

TICKETS: cfa.gmu.edu 703-993-2787

Located on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. For information on health and safety protocols, visit cfa.gmu.edu/expect.

Illustrations by James Ransome.

“MAKIN’ CAKE” WITH DASHA KELLY HAMILTON

Dasha Kelly Hamilton cuts into a cake, revealing what its history and ingredients can teach us about race, class and equity in America. Experience the live performance by Dasha and her bakers, plus a delicious conversation and cake.

TRICK OF THE LIGHT THEATRE: “THE GRIEGOL”

“The Griegol” is a mythic, gorgeously rendered dark fantasy for lovers of theater that conjures magic and laughter out of silhouettes, puppetry, live music and animation.

DAVID DORFMAN DANCE “(A) WAY OUT OF MY BODY”

Dancers propel themselves through space and time, attempting to pass the barrier of reality and plight into the realm of resilience and joy.

Baltimore’s state-of-the-art arena highlights spring arts scene Lizzo, Janet, Bruce, Joan Jett and more to christen renovated space

By ED GUNTS

For years, Baltimore missed out on performances by bigname musicians, comedians and others because it didn’t have a 14,000-seat arena capable of attracting them, but not anymore.

Starting in April, more than a dozen acts will be coming to town when the CFG Bank Arena at 201 West Baltimore St. — formerly known as the Royal Farms Arena — reopens following a $200-$250 million renovation designed to turn it into a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue.

The arena’s reopening after more than a year of construction is one of the highlights of the spring arts season in Baltimore, along with new exhibits at the Baltimore Museum of Art; new shows at the Hippodrome and Lyric; a new book festival, a John Waters book signing and other events around town.

On April 7, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be the frst performers to appear at the C G ank rena, a concert that’s being billed as opening night for the refurbished and rebranded hall.

The Boss will be followed by: Eagles Hotel California Tour, April 8; Straight Jokes No Chaser, April 14; Jeff Dunham Still Not Canceled, April 15; Adam Sandler, April 21; New Edition: Legacy Tour with Keith Sweat, Guy and Special Guest Tank, April 22; Monster Jam, April 28 to 30; AEW Dynamite, May 3; Lizzo, May 9; Janet Jackson: Together Again with Special Guest Ludacris, May 13; Anita Baker: The Songstress with the Legendary Babyface, May 14; blink-182 Tour 2023, May 26; Stars on Ice, June 2; Bryan Adams: So Happy It Hurts 2023 with Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, June 6, and Dude Perfect PandaMonium, June 25.

Performances scheduled for later in 2023: Chris Stapleton’s All-American Road Show; Thomas Rhett, Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire, and Kiss – the End of the Road Tour.

The CFG Bank Arena website is cfgbankarena.com.

Owned by the City of Baltimore, the arena opened in 1962 as the Baltimore Civic Center and later was renamed the 1st Mariner Arena (2003 to 2013) and the Royal Farms Arena 2014 to 2022 . It was one of the frst places he eatles ap peared during their augural trip to America in 1964, and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke there in 1966. The Baltimore Bullets and Baltimore Clippers played there for many years.

s the arena grew older, city offcials contemplated con structing a replacement elsewhere but couldn’t decide on a location. They eventually opted to keep the existing venue and bring in a new management team to upgrade it to be competitive with other East Coast arenas. The decision was part of a larger effort to revitalize the west side of downtown Baltimore, where a new building for the city’s historic Lexington Market recently opened several blocks away.

The CFG Bank Arena team is led by the Oak View Group of Los Angeles, in association with Thirty Five Ventures, the investment company of NBA player Kevin Durant and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, and recording artist Pharrell Williams. The Oak View Group team funded the improvements in return for rights to manage and lease the facility, and it’s offering seat leases as part of the ticketing options.

Renovation work began in early 2022 and included a revamped seating confguration new concourses, restrooms, and concessions areas; updated mechanical systems and a redesigned exterior. The refurbished arena had a test run last month, when Baltimore hosted the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, but there was still more work to fnish. Starting in pril, managers say, all the renovations will be complete and it will be ready for the entertainers.

Visual arts events

Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive (artb-

ma.org): From April 5 to July 16, the BMA will present “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century.” Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the emergence of hip hop in the 1970s, the exhibit will examine the global phenomenon of hip hop and its impact on music, fashion, technology and the visual and performing arts.

More than 90 works of art and fashion, including many by LGBTQ artists, will show the many ways hip hop has inuenced contemporary society. ccording to the M , queer artists with work in the exhibit include: Lauren Halsey; Rashaad Newsome; Mark Bradford; Julie Mehretu; Dapper Dan; Telfar Clemens; Tschabalala Self; Amani Lewis; John Edmonds; Nina Chanel Abney; Jonathan Lyndon Chase; Caitlin Cherry; Devan Shimoyama; Texas Isaiah; Shabez Jamal; Eric N. Mack and Rozeal. Non-cisgender artists include Isaiah, Chase, Lewis and Jamal.

The exhibit is co-organized by the BMA and the Saint Louis Art Museum. One of the curators is Asma Naeem, the BMA’s new Dorothy Wagner Wallis Director. Other curators include Gamynne Guillotte, the M ’s chief education offcer, and Hannah Klemm and Andrea Purnell, from the Saint Louis museum.

Also opening at the BMA this spring: “Histories Collide: Jackie Milad x Fred Wilson x Nekisha Durrett,” April 26, 2023 to March 17, 2024: New works by Milad and Durrent in dialogue with Wilson’s Artemis/Bast (1992); “Martha Jackson Jarvis: What the Trees Have Seen,” May 7 to October 1, 2023, featuring mixed media works by Jarvis that imaginatively trace a free Black militiaman’s journey from Virginia to South Carolina in the American Revolution; “Recasting Colonialism: Michelle Erickson Ceramics,” May 7 to October 1, 2023; “The Matter of Bark Cloth,” May 7 to October 1, 2023, and “Wild Forms: Fauve Woodcuts,” May 14 to October 15, 2023.

American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway: The main exhibit is “ABUNDANCE: Too Much, Too Little, Just Right” (Championing good, honest work from the hand and the heart), curated by Gage Branda. Also: AVAM’s Logan Visionary Conference 2023, March 19, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Kinetic Sculpture Race, May 6.

Walters Art Museum: 600 North Charles St. (thewalters.org): “Quiet Beauty: The Watercolors of Leon Bonvin,” opened in February; “Arts of the Medieval Mediterranean,” is ongoing, and “Across Asia: Arts of Asia and the Islamic World,” a new installation of the museum’s Asian and Islamic collections, opens April 23.

The Peale, 225 Holliday St. (thepeale.org): “Compensation for Loss” exhibition, March 19 to April 30, and Submersive Productions Performances: Katalepsis, March 24 to April 30.

Maryland Center for History and Culture, 610 Park Avenue (mdhistory.org): “Claire/McCardell,” an exhibit about Claire McCardell, an in uential designer of women’s clothing from the 1930s to the 1950s and beyond; “Discover Maryland ” he nfnished evolution Maryland in the Wars for Independence,” and “Passion and Purpose: Voices of Maryland’s Civil Rights Activists.”

Baltimore Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Highway (thebmi.org): “Fire & Shadow: The Rise and Fall of Bethlehem Steel,” documenting the 125-history of the Sparrows Point steel mill.

B&O Railroad Museum, 901 West Pratt Street (borail.org): New permanent exhibit: “Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad.”

Waverly Book Festival (waverlymainstreet.org): A new book festival organized to replace the Baltimore Book Festival, 32nd and Barclay streets and other locations, April 28 to 30.

John Waters at Atomic Books, 3620 Falls Road (atomicbooks.com): As part of a book tour for the release of the

paperback version of his novel, “Liarmouth: A Feel Bad Romance,” writer and flmmaker ohn Waters will sign books on May 12 starting at 7 p.m.

Performing arts events

Hippodrome Theatre, 12 South Eutaw St., (Baltimore. broadway.com): Spring shows include: To Kill A Mockingbird, March 14 to 19; Respect – Aretha Franklin Tribute, March 23; Aziza, March 25; Lewis Black, April 2; Hadestown, April 12 to 22; Rock From The Heart, April 22; Shen Yun Performing Arts, April 28-30; Dino Ranch Live, May 6; Six the Musical, May 9 to 14, and Frozen, June 7 to 18.

The Lyric Baltimore, 140 West Mount Royal Ave., (lyric.baltimore.com): Royal Comedy 2023: Sommore, Bruce Bruce, Lavell Crawford and Special K, March 18; Hits! The Musical, March 19; Killer Queen, March 25; Bored Teacher Comedy Hour, March 31; Good Friday: Carl Thomas, Lyfe Jennings and Christopher Williams, April 7; Brit Floyd, April 15; Soul Marathon: Bloodstone, April 22; Yes Epics & Classics featuring Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks, May 6; Fortune Feimster, May 19; Boz Scaggs, May 20; Puscifer, June 1; John Mellencamp, June 2; Kansas – The Band, June 3; Luis Angel, June 4; Bad Friends Podcast: Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee, June 16; Stephen Sharer, June 17, and Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade and W.I.T.C.H.

Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. (creativealliance. org): The High & Wides with Hannah Lee Thompson, March 31; 2023 Marquee Ball, April 22; Alison Crockett Presents Echoes of an Era: The Jazz Sides of Chaka Kahn, April 28, Ngaiire, May 5; Brandee Younger, June 22, and Madison McFerrin, June 23.

Baltimore Center Stage, 700 North Calvert St., (centerstage.org): Tiny Beautiful Things, March 9 to April 2.

Everyman Theatre, 315 West Fayette St. (everymantheatre.org): The Sound Inside, March 7 to April 2; Harvey, April 25 to May 21, and The World Goes Round, June 6 to July 2.

Arena Players, 801 McCulloh Street (arenaplayersinc. com): Open Admissions and When Men Reduce as Women Do, March 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31 and April 1 and 3; Sizwe Banzi is Dead, April 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30, May 5, 6, and 7, and Nina, May 26, 27, 28, June 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18.

Live! Casino Hotel Maryland, 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, Hanover, Md., (maryland.livecasinohotel.com): Patti LaBelle, March 10; Air Supply, March 11; Hoops Fest Watch Parties, March 14; Lovers in the Night Spring Concert, March 19; Mixed Martial Arts: Shogun Fights, March 25; Jerry Seinfeld, May 19, and Kevin Hart, June 11.

Baltimore Soundstage, 124 Market Place, presents the Hell in the Harbor Festival over the Memorial Day weekend, May 27 and 28. Its complete spring lineup for March to June, with dozens of acts, is on its website, Baltimoresoundstage.com.

Monica Ikegwu. Open/Closed. 2021. (Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Myrtis)

Bruce & Janet & John Legend, oh my!

Slew of iconic acts hitting the road after pandemic cancellations

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Pop and rock icons are releasing their pent-up pandemic frustrations by mounting huge tours this spring and summer. After three years of canceled and postponed shows, everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Janet Jackson is hitting the road at long last. But save your coins because the TicketMaster algorithms are driving ticket prices to astronomical highs. Here are a few highlights from D.C.-area venues this spring. Although some of the iconic acts aren’t coming until summer — Beyonce, Madonna, Pink — several others are hitting the road this spring.

ANTHEM

Betty Who plays March 10; Keyshia Cole headlines the All Black Extravaganza 20 Year Anniversary tour on March 18; the Yeah Yeah Yeahs come to town on May 3; Seal brings his world tour to town on May 10; and the beloved Pixies are back on the road with a new North American tour stopping here on June 10.

9:30 CLUB

Don’t miss Gimme Gimme Disco, an Abba dance party on March 18; Inzo arrives on March 31, followed by Bent on April 1; Ruston Kelly brings his The Weakness

tour on April 17 along with Purr; The New Pornographers show on May 19 is sold out but there are tickets available for the May 20 show; The Walkmen have added a fourth show on May 23 because the other three shows are sold our;

CAPITAL ONE ARENA

Living legend Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are back with a vengeance, playing one of four area shows on March 27. (They’re in Baltimore the night before.) If you missed out this time, don’t worry, Bruce is playing Nats Park in September as well as at Baltimore’s Camden Yards. April 1 brings the R&B Music Experience, including Xscape, Monica, Tamar Braxton, and 112. Blink-182 comes to town on May 23. And this summer watch for Sam Smith to continue his hot streak, bringing his “Gloria” tour to town on Aug.4.

JIFFY LUBE LIVE

Janet Jackson makes her highly anticipated return to the stage this spring, arriving in our area on May 6 along with guest Ludacris. The LGBTQ ally and icon has promised new music on her upcoming “Together Again Tour,” which follows the pandemic-related cancellation of her

“Black Diamond Tour.” Jackson also plays Baltimore’s newly renovated CFG Bank Arena on May 13.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

John Legend plays two nights at Wolf Trap on June 2 and 3; Charlie Puth follows on June 4. Wolf Trap also hosts the Indigo Girls on June 7 just in time for Pride month. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Smithereens at the Birchmere on March 17. Fans of ‘80s alternative will be lined up for the Church also at the Birchmere at April 4, followed by Suzanne Vega on April 26. Amy Grant returns to the stage this spring and plays the Birchmere on May 2. Echostage plays host to a slew of buzz worthy shows this spring, including Ella Mai on April 8 and Fisher on May 12.

JANET JACKSON is among the iconic acts touring this spring.

oadwork re ects on its herstory to plan its future

Social justice coalition makes room for the next generation of artist activists

By WINTER HAWK

In 1978, amid the second wave of feminism in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade, Roadwork – a multiracial coalition – put women’s art, particularly that of women of color, on the road. Building the roads where they didn’t already exist, Roadwork created an intersection of opportunity and social change, wherein artists from diverse backgrounds shared their voices while advancing an array of social justice movements.

orty fve years later, the coalition remains frm in its vision to support artists while connecting them to women’s cultural contributions that are absent from white feminist history. However, today, the organi ation is re ecting on women’s history more than ever to gauge how Roadwork will best support women and queer artists in the future.

“The beautiful thing about movements over time is that we keep growing and learning,” Roadwork co-founder Amy Horowitz said. “[For] Roadwork, it’s like a dream come true that younger artists activists are envisioning a new way forward.”

Horowitz and Bernice Johnson Reagon founded Roadwork when the very word “woman” was radicalized, Horowitz said. As activists in their 20s and early 30s, Horowitz and Reagon developed the organization as they went along, producing shows while supporting civil rights, women’s rights and gay rights movements in Washington, D.C.

In addressing how racist or misogynistic ideologies exist not only systemically but also within individuals and women’s movements, Roadwork created events where activists could focus on building coalitions across differences to take a congregational approach to fght regressive social forces like racism, sexism, and homophobia.

ne manifestation of this vision was the Sisterfre estival. Started in 1 2 as a one day fundraising festival to amplify the work of grassroots artists in response to arts funding cuts, the event welcomed all genders, races, and sexualities to support women’s voices. The festival then evolved into an annual celebration that required year-round booking, production, and coalition building.

Sisterfre does not exist in a vacuum, it is in the voice of the song, it is in the pictures we draw, it is in the leap of the dance, and it is in the shout of the poem that we send forth, beyond the battle, our vision of the way the world should be,” a host of the frst Sisterfre estival said on stage.

he Sisterfre estival ran until 1 , two years after two white lesbian separatists re fused to let two gay lack Sisterfre volunteers into their booth during the festival.

“The festival went on for a few years after that, but we, at that point, couldn’t recover from that attack that we received from the radical lesbian separatist movement,” Horowitz said.

ut the end of the Sisterfre estival didn’t overshadow oadwork’s vision. Horowit founded the Jerusalem Project in 1991 with the help of the Smithsonian Institution for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, strengthening what is now a longstanding relationship

between Roadwork and the Smithsonian Institute.

Roadwork even collaborated with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in 2018 for the coalition’s 40th-anniversary celebration – a Sisterfre reunion festival.

After packing an audience into the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the Kennedy Center invited oadwork back for a Sisterfre showcase every year since the reunion. It just really seemed like an awesome thing to do, to locali e that, kind of, offcial space and grassrootsify it,” Horowitz said. “They support us doing what we want to do.” s oadwork prepared for this year’s annual Sisterfre showcase on March 4, the co alition takes time to re ect on where they’ve been to fnd direction in where to move forward, according to Roadwork Interim Director Lehuanani DeFranco. During Sisterfre’s hiatus, oad work prioritized gathering archival information. After a storage facility sold and emptied one of Roadwork’s storage units that held archives, the challenge to recover the past came with a time limit.

time limit.

“In this day and age where people are getting older and the stories are sort of getting to

“In this day and age where people are getting older and the stories are sort of getting lost, it’s really important to be able to collect any of that information, whether from the different types of programs or letters that would come in, to videos and archival footage that we’d be taking from interviews with people,” DeFranco said. Collecting the oral and documented histories of Roadwork holds the coalition accountable as community builders reacting to change, DeFranco added. Aside from looking back to see how Roadwork previously dealt with challenges or considering how the coalition needs to evolve, collecting archives may also enable Roadwork to share these diverse historical perspectives with museums and universities for the next generation.

Beyond connecting the next generation of artists activists to this history, the coalition is entrusting the next generation of oadwork leaders with fnding the communities and organi ations that need support in their fght for social change.

“I’m really wanting to hand over the reins, in a way, of the type of artists that we are putting on stage and the type of artists that others think should be elevated in their community,” DeFranco said.

Supporting artists also means granting them the freedom and trust to share their art in the way they want. While Roadwork offers its resources and connections to advance other projects, its fscal sponsorship doesn’t change the vision of the project and in stead operates as more of a “big sister relationship,” DeFranco explained.

Roadwork currently is involved in nine projects, including three educational initiatives, three documentary projects and three sponsored projects supporting archival work, artist housing, and Indigenous music curation aimed at reimagining Western music genres.

As activists in their 20s and early 30s, across differences to take a congregational approach to fght regressive social

alition accountable as community builders reacting to change, DeFranco add-

scar Wars’ an exhilarating read for flm critics and fans alike wards a con ict one for issues of

By KATHI WOLFE

Get out the guacamole! The game, beloved by millions especially ueers is being played. his Sunday, the 95th Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los ngeles will be seen worldwide.

ew have written more compellingly about the ego, campiness, politics, and intrigue of the cademy wards than Michael Schulman in his new book scar Wars History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and ears.”

The Oscars are “the closest thing merica has to royalty,” writes Schulman, a staff writer at he ew orker. hey’re the only thing forcing Hollywood to factor art into commerce.”

Schulman likens the scars to a horse race and a relic. he cademy wards prop up Hollywood, a multibillion-dollar business, canonize movies and showcase fashion, he notes.

hey’re an orgy of self congratulation by rich and famous people who think too highly of themselves.” Schulman adds, hey’re the Gay Super owl.”

ou can bet that every year, something will throw the scars off their game. ast year, it was the Slap when Will Smith, upset by Chris ock’s joke about his wife ada Pinkett Smith, hit the comedian .

race, gender, representation

should, also, be taken seriously.

he scars are a battlefeld,” Schulman writes, where cultural forces collide and where the victors aren’t always as clear as the names drawn from the envelopes.”

In recent years,” he adds, the scars have become a con ict one for issues of race, gender, and representation, high profle signifers of whose stories get told and whose don’t.” hankfully, Schulman’s nearly 600 page book isn’t an scars encyclopedia. olumes of scar facts and trivia already exist. ven if you’re a movie buff, these books will make your eyes gla e over.

scar Wars” is flled with Schulman’s painstaking research and in depth reporting. It’s not surprising that he’s said in interviews that he worked on the book for four years.

Schulman, author of ”Her gain ecoming Meryl Streep,” is a powerhouse. While writing scar Wars,” Schulman produced numerous hard to put down profles at his ew orker day job. ongues are still wagging over his profle of actor eremy Strong endall oy in Succession” .

In 11 intriguing installments, Schulman illuminates how, from the frst cademy wards in 1 2 to our present scarsSoWhite and Me oo era, con ict has been embedded in the scars.

he cademy wards was started in an effort to s uelch labor unions in Hollywood. Spoiler alert the effort of ouis . Mayer and other Hollywood moguls to stop the unions opped as the awards caught on.

here’s much in scar Wars” to engage ld Hollywood afcionados. here’s the sad tale of Peg ntwistle, a 24 year old actress, who, in 1 2, played Ha el in hirteen Women, a movie about a group of former sorority sisters. Ha el stabs her husband. ntwistle’s 16 minutes in the movie were cut to four, Schulman writes, because the Hays offce felt that her scenes with another actress had unacceptable lesbian undertones.” fter a series of horrible events, the actress killed herself.

here is the story of how one of ette Davis’s husbands divorced her because she read too much.

‘Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears’

By Michael Schulman

c.2023, Harper | $40 | 589 pages

here are the insipid production numbers and lackluster hosts. More seriously, there is the continuing racism and sexism in Hollywood.

ou have to keep the cademy wards in perspective, Schulman wryly notes. he scars are always getting it wrong,” he writes, wenty four centuries after uripides came in third place at the thenian dramatic festival, Brokeback Mountain lost est Picture to Crash, and the outcry will probably last another twenty four centuries.”

It’s tempting to view the cademy wards annual bash as enjoyable froth. o lap up the glam, glit , and camp. ut in scar Wars,” Schulman persuasively argues that the scars

It’s well known among cinephiles that ette Davis for ll bout ve” and Gloria Swanson for Sunset oulevard” were up against each other in 1 51 for the scar and lost to udy Holliday for orn esterday” . ut Schulman brings new depth and insight into this saga.

he cademy wards are steeped in Hollywood and entertainment. ut Schulman makes it clear that the scars, from the lack ist of the 1 40s 1 50s to the racism of Gone with the Wind” to sexism to homophobia, are entwined with cultural attitudes and politics.

Citi en ane” was one of the greatest flms ever made. et, there was no way it could have won an scar because the newspaper tycoon William andolph Hearst was furious that ane’s” protagonist was based on him.

ne of the most campy, but poignant, accounts in the book is that of llan Carr, who produced the 1 scars. Carr, who was gay, dreamed up a tasteless, unintentionally campy production number. It featured ob owe and Snow White Google it. et, he created, Schulman reports, some innovations that are still part of the scars such as the red carpet . scar Wars” is an exhilarating read for everyone from flm critics to fans.

Slay Them Thea Trickality wins competition at Red Bear Brewing

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Desiree Dik hosted the 2023 Slay Them drag pageant at Red Bear Brewing Company on Friday, March 3 alongside the 2022 winner, Evry Pleasure. Contestants Thea Trickality, Venetian, MOTA, Kit Chinsink, D’Manda Martini and Bombshell Monroe vied for the title with an on-stage question, a talent competition and a seven deadly sins-themed presentation. Thea Trickality of Richmond, Va was crowned the winner.

Emily Townley

Dina Soltan Katie Kleiger

Ryan Jamaal Swain of FX’s Pose

Weaks

The art beneath your feet

Select rugs that re ect your personal style

By VALERIE M. BLAKE

Buying art for your new home can be both fun and an investment for the future. You can scour local galleries, visit antique stores, or buy paintings and posters online. Sometimes, you’ll even fnd local artisans displaying their work on the walls of real estate offces.

When it comes to a budget for art, the sky’s the limit. rom original oil or acrylic paintings to clay or marble sculpture, to lighting of Chihuly glass, there is much to choose from. Even street art and painted murals can bring joy to accent walls.

Personally, I have a fondness for contemporary lithographs in primary colors and lenko glass, but no matter what your taste, you may fnd art you love right beneath your feet in car pets and rugs that enhance your décor. Before you choose a rug to anchor your furnishings, determine what it’s made of and how it will work in your space.

ear the top of your budget, you’ll fnd pure wool rugs. hey stand up well to high traffc areas like living rooms and feel cozy beneath your feet. Good at repelling water and dirt, they can be hand knotted or loomed and may have fringed edges.

atural fber rugs made of jute, seagrass, and sisal work well on their own or as an underlayment for other rugs. While inexpensive, you may fnd that they shed fbers, so using a rug pad under them will keep those fbers from scratching your oor.

An animal hide rug often serves as a statement piece, with each being as uni ue as the animal from which it came. hank fully, you can now obtain the same look with synthetic hides with natural coloring or even dyed in bright hues.

Cotton rugs, braided or hooked, provide a more casual look for less. Many are machine washable, but they fade easily, especially if used in areas of direct sunlight or high traffc. hey

are also slippery when used on hard oors, so be sure to place a rug pad beneath them.

Most wall to wall carpet and bound area rugs today are made of synthetic fbers such as polyester and nylon. Since these machine-woven beauties often mimic real wool and there are plenty to choose from, they are generally the most affordable.

Silk rugs are best in low traffc areas where there is little chance of pet accidents or spills. You may also see them hung on walls in lieu of paintings. These rugs will require professional cleaning and are among the most expensive offerings. In addition to the Persian and riental styles, you can now fnd more modern designs made of silk.

Another thing to consider is whether you want an eco-friendly or non-toxic rug. Determining which is which can sometimes be confusing. While eco-friendly refers to a product that is healthy for the environment, a non-toxic rug made without potentially harmful chemicals focuses on the health of people.

Always read the label of a rug that you are considering purchasing. ugs made of olefn, polyester and nylon are created through chemical processes. lame retardant and water repel lant coatings can be toxic. Natural materials may have been sprayed with pesticides. ven dyes and rubber backings may contribute to an unhealthy home.

Several rug manufacturers advertise their products as non toxic, including , Safavieh, orena Canals, and Hook oom. If you can’t fnd a non toxic rug you like, you can min imize the effect of chemical treatments and odors by allowing your rug to off gas outside or by leaving a light coating of bak ing soda on it overnight before vacuuming.

ext, think about the si e and shape of your new rug. Will there be at least 3 inches of rug behind the front legs of your furniture as suggested by Martha Stewart Do you have an apartment or condominium that requires a certain percentage of hard ooring be covered Do you want to soften the edges of a room by using a round or oval rug or will you need a runner for hall or stairs

The style, pattern, and texture of your rug will determine whether it simply muf es noise or becomes a favorite piece of art. ry a modern shag or an anti ue dhurrie. ayer several silk rugs on top of each other. Select a bold chevron, an Ikat pattern, or a mid century Mondrian vibe.

mbrace color with an abstract ohemian or choose a o ral, stripe, or sculptured, tone-on-tone rug. You can also let your creative juices ow by designing a custom piece. Whatever you choose, let the art under your feet re ect your personality and style, and enjoy it for years to come.

MASSAGE REFRESH YOURSELF

Massage for active adults. Private studio near Rosslyn. Fri-Mon, 12-8. text 301-704-1158 or visit http://www.mymassagebygary.com

RELIEF & RECOVERY

Customized manual therapy directed by time and client’s needs/requests. Experienced in deep tissue, trigger/tender-point relief, myofascial release, assisted-stretching, and relevant postural/movement assessments. Available for in-call and at several DC locations. Starting at $120/ hr and varies per location. Contact for details and scheduling, 202.491.3441 – Ian

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ACADEMY OF HOPE

Adult Public Charter School REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS HVAC

The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC requests proposals for HVAC. Proposals are due March 31st, 2023. ou can find the detailed re uest for proposal and submission information at https://aohdc.org/jobs/

ACADEMY OF HOPE

Adult Public Charter School REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PLUMBING

The Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School located in Washington, DC requests proposals for plumbing. Proposals are due March 31st, 2023. ou can find the detailed re uest for proposal and submission information at https://aohdc.org/jobs/

ART / FRAMED

60+ ASSORTED OILS, ACRYLICS, COLOR PRINTS, ETCHINGS, WATERCOLORS, from private collection. And some household decorative items, mantle clocks. Sat. Mar 4, Sun. Mar 5, Sat. Mar 11 & Sun Mar 12 only. 11am-3pm. 1714 Q St, NW. to . ash Paypal, Credit Cards.

LGBTQ+ ADVERTISING WORKS !

Email: sales@washblade.com to see how we can help you get results!

BUY / SELL

Get this new book, DON’T SEND YOURSELF TO HELL by Betty Wooley. It explains there are two places to spend your eternity and how to get to each place either heaven or hell. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and EBay.

CLEANING

FERNANDO’S CLEANING

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

202-234-7050 / 202-486-6183

LEGAL SERVICES

ADOPTION, DONOR, SURROGACY

legal services. Jennifer represents clients in interested in adoption or ART matters.

240-863- 2441,  JFairfax@Jenniferfairfax.com.

LIMOUSINES

KASPER’S LIVERY SERVICE

Since 1987. Gay & Veteran Owner/Operator. Lincoln Continental Sedan! Proper DC License & Livery Insured. www.KasperLivery.com. 202-554-2471

MOVERS

PROFESSIONAL MOVING & STORAGE

Let Our Movers Do The Heavy Lifting. ention the lade for of our regular rates. Call today 202.734.3080

www.aroundtownmovers.com

COUNSELING

COUNSELING FOR LGBTQ People Individual/couple counseling with a volunteer peer counselor. servin our communit since 1973.

202-580-8661

gaymenscounseling.org.  No fees, donation requested.

EMPLOYMENT

SEEKING A LIVE-IN TO PROVIDE care to our elderly mom with early onset Alzeheimers in Kensington, MD. The position involves taking care of the house and two small, elderly, dogs as well. For more information, please call 202-997-9618.

HANDYMAN

BRITISH REMODELING

Local licensed company with over 25 years of experience. Specializing in bathrooms, kitchens & all interior/exterior repairs. Drywall, paint, electrical & wallpaper. Trevor 703-303-8699

MEN

LISTED ARTIST SEEKS MALE model; body type - bodybuilder or gymnast. Contact: brostonjon@aol.com

BODYWORK

THE MAGIC TOUCH

Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts. Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls. 202-486-6183