Washington Blade, Volume 54, Issue 27, July 07, 2023

‘A perilous precedent’

Supreme Court conservatives mark us for ‘second-class status,’ page 12

Our annual roundup of Summer in the City events, page 32

(Photo public domain)

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Montgomery County, Md., police announced they are investigating as many as 10 incidents of hate related vandalism of LGBTQ Pride ags as well as krainian ags on residential streets in Silver Spring that occurred over a two-day period this week.

“The preliminary investigation has revealed that during the overnight hours of Tuesday, June 27, 2023, to Wednesday, une , , several ride and krainian ags had been burned in the ansfield oad, Wayne lace, Ellsworth lace, reenbrier Drive, ershing Drive and Deerfield venue neighborhoods,” according to a police statement.

Investigators are asking for victims and or homeowners with surveillance videos of possible suspects to call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000,” the statement says.

D.C. s BC ews reports that two men it identified as a couple, ark eare and Chris iddleton, said their home security video shows someone covering his face while lighting the couple s ride ag on fire before running away laughing.”

BC ews reported that burn marks were visible on the door frame where the couple s ag was attached.

It also reported that at another home several blocks away one or more vandals attempted to burn a ride ag on a pole before taking it down and etching the letters SS on the ag.

The Montgomery County Council released a statement

on une denouncing the ag vandalism, which said a Black rans ives atter ag was among the ags vandali ed in Silver Spring during the past week.

“We are outraged by the numerous incidents of hate and anti-LGBTQ+ vandalism that occurred early this morning,” the statement says. In ontgomery County, we believe in inclusion, compassion and diversity,” the statement continues.

“We stand together in forcefully denouncing acts of hate and violence in all forms, and we remain committed to protecting our LGBTQ+ neighbors and all those impacted from these awful acts, the statement says, adding, We must ensure everyone – including our LGBTQ+ community is safe, seen and supported everywhere in ontgomery County.

D.C. bill would waive all city fees for ride parade, festival

D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) on June 29 introduced a bill that would waive all city fees for the annual D.C. Capital ride parade, festival, and block party that are organized by the Capital ride lliance.

The bill, the Support for the Capital ride arade mendment ct of 2023, calls for the D.C. mayor to waive all fees for the costs incurred by the city such as street closings and police support services related to the Pride parade, festival, and block party if the mayor s office does not on its own waive those fees.

yan Bos, e ecutive director of Capital ride lliance, said up until Capital ride lliance has had to pay as

much as 95 percent of the city fees related to the three events, which were well over , . Bos said D.C. ayor uriel Bowser beginning in arranged for the waiver of the fees in her effort to bring people back to the city following the C ID pandemic.

into spokesperson oe de told the Washington Blade that Pinto introduced the legislation to ensure that the fees pertaining to the Pride parade, festival, and block party, which draw hundreds of thousands of participants, are waived in coming years if a future mayor may not choose to waive the fees.

Si other Council members signed on as co-introducers for into s bill, indicating that the bill likely has at least sev-

Comings & Goings

Wheeler named S of ealth Services at Care irst

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recogni e those landing new obs, new clients for their business, oining boards of organi ations and other achievements. lease share your successes with us at comingsandgoings@washblade.com

Congratulations to Brian R. Wheeler on his appointment as Senior ice resident, ealth Services, Careirst BlueCross BlueShield Care irst , the id- tlantic region s largest not-for-profit healthcare company. In his role, he leads a division, dedicated to optimizing high-quality, highly integrated health service operations to drive affordable, accessible, and equitable healthcare for the people Care irst serves. e will oversee all aspects of provider networks, care management teams, clinical support services and quality & accreditation.

Prior to this Wheeler held several roles at CareFirst beginning as Special ssistant to the CE and then serving in roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, Brian served as Vice President of Provider Collaboration and etwork ransformation. Brian has worked in the healthcare sector for over 25 years, serving in various leadership roles in large and small provider organizations, start-up companies, and a multi-national Fortune 500 company.

rior to oining Care irst, he was ounder and CE , Derby Service; Director of Professional Services, Medtronic; and resident Chief perating fficer, ife ink D. e has served on several community boards including rince eorge s Chamber of Commerce of which he is Chair Emeritus. ast member of Care irst ssociates olitical ction Committee, Board of Directors Chesapeake egional ealth Information System for our atients

C IS , Board of Directors City Club of Washington ember, Board of Directors Chair, oung E ecutive Committee.

Congratulations also to Anthony Shop, Social Driver co-founder and ational Digital oundtable chair, who will now host he Chief In uencer podcast. It is part of an initiative announced by The Communications Board, which launched the Chief In uencer initiative in partnership with Social Driver. eaders spanning fields from diplomacy and public service to business and the arts will be honored as chief in uencers, their stories featured on the podcast. Each Chief In uencer will be featured for having discovered the secret sauce to connecting with others, motivating individuals both inside of their organizations and beyond, and creating a lasting impact. Shop said, he Communications Board is a well-re-

en votes in the 13-member D.C. Council.

“The Capital Pride Parade is one of our most cherished traditions and our ride celebrations are a wonderful demonstration of what makes D.C. so special our commitment to not only welcoming diversity, inclusivity, and equality, but also celebrating it,” Pinto said in a statement.

In a time when the rights and lives of B I mericans are under attack in so many corners of our country, we must, as the nation s Capital, counter those vile attacks by lifting up and celebrating our B I neighbors,” Pinto’s statement says.

The Council members that signed on as co-introducers of the bill include Council members achary arker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only openly gay member; Kenyan cDuffie I- t- arge obert White D- t- arge Charles llen D-Ward incent ray D-Ward and aneese ewis eorge D-Ward .

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

garded source for top communications e perts. We believe a key part of professional development is the e ploration of real success stories. We know that Chief In uencer s case studies complement the first-hand learning vision that is a hallmark of he Communications Board.”

Shop has led e ecutive-level training for ma on, epsiCo, S , he British Embassy, and the Bipartisan olicy Center. e has been recogni ed as an standing B ole odel by he inancial imes, nder 40” by The Washington Business Journal, and Business eader of the ear by the DC Chamber of Commerce. former newspaper reporter, he was the first new media professional elected to the National Press Club’s Board of overnors. e currently serves on the board of eadership Greater Washington.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

ags pulled down, burned in Silver Spring

BROOKE PINTO introduced the measure. (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

BRIAN R. WHEELER ANTHONY SHOP

Celebrating the life of illi incen .S. senator, activists re ect on legacy of pioneering B rights advocate

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

A dozen people familiar with the accomplishments of LGBTQ rights advocate Lilli Vincenz, who died on June 27 at the age of 85, have elegantly expressed and captured the pioneering work and legacy of Vincenz as an LGBTQ rights advocate, psychotherapist, and documentary filmmaker. Among the accomplishments of Vincenz considered most significant by those whose views are included here, including .S. Sen. ammy Baldwin D-Wisc. and two gay historians, is her role as a documentary filmmaker capturing s-era gay protests.

mong the incen films considered significant, which are now available for viewing through the incen papers and film collection at the ibrary of Congress, include her film he Second argest inority and her film ay and roud.

he film captures what activists say appears to be the first known documentary of a s-era pre-Stonewall gay and lesbian protest outside hiladelphia s Independence all organi ed by the attachine Society gay rights organi ation with ties to D.C., hilly, and ew ork City.

he second film in captured the first Christopher Street iberation Day arade in ew ork City to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots in ew ork s reenwich illage.

he activists contributing to this tribute to incen say these historic films were ust one part of the enormous contributions that incen has made to the B rights movement beginning in the s through the early s.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.)

Discussing s-era gay documentary films made by illi e cerpt from interview in attachine Society Documentary ay and roud illi s egacy

She recorded a history that without her work would remain untold in many respects. I pri e, and cherish, and respect not only those participants in activism but those who recorded it so people like me decades later could learn about them and learn about our history. illi incen is one of those prescient individuals, courageous individuals who made that possible.

I remember coming out when I was in college. I tried to read up on the history of the B movement. I remember at the time seeing some documentaries. It gave me a deep appreciation of some of the pioneers who did courageous things when few others were, and also the fact that some of those things were documented allowed somebody like me many years later to find a family that I didn t know I had as a member of a larger community.

ot only did she have the foresight to come with a camera in order to record this immensely historic event, but she knew the importance of distributing it to people in other areas of the country who could perhaps gain some confidence and courage out of seeing what was happening in ew ork City and other cities. She made copies and sent it to gay bars and other groups who would then show the film, giving people a greater understanding of a movement that they were a part of and perhaps the courage to speak out and be more visible.

here was an understanding, particularly by illi, that when we were visible and vocal, we could make change. nd through their courage, that began to happen.

The fact that we have a copy today and that institutions like the ibrary of Congress have found this to be a remarkable piece of history and is preserving it for generations to come is a real statement of their understanding and all of our understanding of how movements for change work and

how much a part of our country s history this struggle is and was.

Daniel L. Hays, president, Equality NoVa

he B community lost another trailbla er, an icon with the passing of illi incen . rom her work multi-decades work beginning in the early s, to her preservation of the movement s history in documentaries, her work was critical to us getting to where we are in the fight for e uality. The heavens received an angel that surely is looking down on us all with rainbow wings.

Charles Francis, president, Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C.

he last time I saw illi was a special moment of personal triumph for her, an honoree invited by resident bama during IDE at the White ouse. here she stood in the East oom beside a velvet rope with one of the original, hand-lettered picket signs held high outside on the sidewalk years before.

It read End fficial ersecution of omose uals. She was the first lesbian to oin the original attachine Society of Washington, D.C., and picketed at the front gate along with the attachine led by rank ameny and the Daughters of Bilitis. ll were scorned by the ohnson administration that viciously enforced the federal ban and investigation of homose uals in the .S. Civil Service Commission and the military. he ohnson folks claimed it was about the revulsion of fellow employees forced to work alongside self-avowed homose uals.

She had already been kicked out of the Women s rmy Corp because of her homose uality in and had nothing to lose and everything to gain for her own dignity and B generations to come. illi was so beautiful, graceful and dignified both in the day and in that moment with the old picket in the East oom. he picket sign was donated by the ameny apers ro ect in to the Smithsonian ational useum of merican istory that loaned it to the White ouse in .

Lillian Faderman, historian, former California State University professor and acclaimed author of many books, including o Believe In Women What esbians ave Done or merica istory. rom the documentary film ay and roud illi s egacy

illi s story is one of such bravery. She was so ahead of her time She was very bright, very gifted, and very beautiful too. She got kicked out of the army because she was a lesbian She was remarkable in her willingness to step forward

to be out there. It was, after all, still dangerous in the early s to be known as a homose ual. nd illi didn t seem to give a damn.

nyone who saw incen s film ay and roud reali ed that these huge marches were possible. It really got the ball rolling. nd slowly other groups began to have marches in their cities. ntil now, when millions of people march around the country.

Loraine Hutchins, longtime D.C. area Bi+ rights advocate

I m grateful for illi s work in the world and went to her early groups at her house and then later to the events at Ethical Culture Society. Will miss her a lot. lways felt support as a young and aging bi woman by illi.

Kris McLaughlin, former president, Equality Northern Virginia

esbian activist Cheryl Spector introduced me to illi and ancy in the early s, when I was president of the rlington ay esbian lliance now called E uality orthern irginia . I was impressed by illi s disciplined approach to B e uality and understood that better after watching the film ay ioneers by E uality orum.

She was fierce, courageous, and determined. I believe that she knew how grateful we are for her groundbreaking efforts and think it s fitting that she left us during ride month.

Kevin Naff, editor, Washington Blade

s one of the founders of the Washington Blade back in , illi incen s passion and legacy live on in the work of today s Blade ournalists. We are proud to honor her memory through our mission of telling the B community s stories and history through our lens years later.

Malcolm Lazin, founder and executive director, Equality Forum and LGBT History Month

fter Barbara ittings, the mother of the B civil rights movement, and Del artin and hyllis yons, founders of the Daughter of Bilitis, illi incen is arguably the most important lesbian in the founding of our civil rights movement. I had the honor of knowing her and her life partner ancy uth Davis.

fter receiving a master of English from Columbia niversity in , illi served in the Women s rmy Corp at Walter eed ational ilitary edical Center. She was outed and thereafter discharged pursuant to federal policy. ot one to give in or give up, in illi oined the D.C. chapter of the attachine Society, an early gay organi ation. s a attachine member, illi attended the first meeting with the Civil Service Commission to challenge its discrimination policy against gays and lesbians.

In , she was the only lesbian to participate in the rally in front of the White ouse against idel Castro rounding up and incarcerating Cuban gays. his was the first gay demonstration at the White ouse.

In , illi was one of about participants at the st nnual eminder in front of Independence all on uly th and thereafter at each of the five nnual eminders. hese nnual eminders included activists from D.C., hiladelphia, and ew ork. Spearheaded by rank ameny and Barbara ittings, they were the first time gays were out and called for overall e uality. heir non-violent demands for democratic change laid the basis for the B civil rights movement.

LILLI VINCENZ passed away on June 27 at age 85. She was a co-founder of the Washington Blade. (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

SCOTUS marks ‘gays and lesbians for second-class status’

303 Creative ruling decried by advocates as legalizing discrimination

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority last week ruled in favor of Lori Smith, the graphic artist who did not want to make wedding websites for same-sex couples despite Colorado’s nondiscrimination law barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

“The First Amendment envisions the United States as a rich and complex place where all persons are free to think and speak as they wish, not as the government demands,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority 6-3 decision along ideological lines in 303 Creative v. Elenis.

he liberal ustices, however, called the ma ority s finding of a free speech e emption to nondiscrimination rules “unprecedented,” warning it would blow a hole through these laws and pave the way for anti-LGBTQ discrimination by businesses.

of designing websites for weddings, which provided a basis, however imsy, for the majority to rule as it did, including Colorado’s stipulation that the designer picks and chooses which clients she will serve based on whether she agrees with their viewpoints, that each site she designs is customized and original, and that the sites are ‘art’ and express her own personal views, not those of the clients.

inter said ery few other businesses meet these criteria, so this ruling will have little if any application to ordinary businesses, including those that involve some element of creativity or expression. Under the majority ruling, it is not enough that a service is creative or expressive, the business must selectively choose clients, not open its doors to all, must create a highly customized product, and it must be clear that the product is e pressing the views of the business owner, not the customer. here are very few such businesses.

“Nonetheless, this is a sad day for our country and our Constitution. The majority has gone out of its way to gerrymander an exception to nondiscrimination laws that sends a terrible message—especially to LGBTQ people—at a terrible time, when there is a resurgence of anti- B bias and a backlash against e uality for women, people of color, and B people. I am confident our county will rise above this moment, as we have done in the past, but this is a painful day, inter said.

mong the first advocacy groups to condemn the decision was the ational Black Justice Coalition, a leading Black LGBTQ+ civil rights organization.

“The anti-democratic, segregationist, white nationalistic Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is party to this case, has a well-documented history of using legal strategies to erode LGBTQ+ rights, perpetuating discrimination and stigmatization,” said the Coalition’s Executive Director David Johns.

perilous precedent is set when the D is allowed to manufacture a case in search of a solution to a problem that doesn’t even exist for the plaintiff, undermining the principles of ustice, e uality, and nondiscrimination that are the bedrock of our nation, he said.

ADF, which represented the plaintiff Lori Smith, is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBTQ hate group.

inutes later, merica s largest B organi ation, the uman ights Campaign, issued a press release ake no mistake, this case was manufactured by the lliance for Defending Freedom to create a new license to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people,” said C resident elley obinson.

oday the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The liberal justices argued the Colorado law targets conduct, not speech.

“Today is a sad day in American constitutional law and in the lives of LGBT people,” Sotomayor wrote. “The immediate, symbolic effect of the decision is to mark gays and lesbians for second-class status.”

President Biden reacted saying in a statement released by the White House:

“In America, no person should face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love. he Supreme Court s disappointing decision in Creative C v. Elenis undermines that basic truth, and painfully it comes during ride month when millions of Americans across the country join together to celebrate the contributions, resilience, and strength of the LGBTQI+ community. While the Court’s decision only addresses e pressive original designs, I m deeply concerned that the decision could invite more discrimination against B I mericans. ore broadly, today s decision weakens long-standing laws that protect all Americans against discrimination in public accommodations – including people of color, people with disabilities, people of faith, and women.

When one group s dignity and e uality are threatened, the promise of our democracy is threatened and we all suffer. ur work to advance e ual rights for everyone will continue. hat is why we must pass the E uality ct, which will enshrine civil rights protections for LGBTQI+ Americans in federal law and strengthen public accommodations protections for all Americans. I urge Congress to swiftly send this legislation to my desk.”

Shannon inter, legal director of the ational Center for esbian ights, shared an emailed statement with the Blade:

“As the dissenting justices rightly stress, this is a deeply disappointing decision that, for the first time in our nation s history, holds that the Constitution permits discrimination in the commercial sphere,” adding, “There is no principled basis for this egregious departure from more than a hundred years of precedent.”

n the other hand, inter said, the scope of the ruling is incredibly narrow and will not apply to the overwhelming majority of businesses,” but “Unfortunately, the State of Colorado stipulated to a number of ‘facts’ about the designer’s hypothetical service

“Despite our opponents claiming this is a major victory, this ruling does not give unfettered power to discriminate, obinson wrote. his decision does not mean that any LGBTQ+ person can be discriminated against in housing, employment or banking— those protections remain enshrined with federal law.

.S. Sen. ammy Baldwin D-Wis. , merica s first openly gay senator, was among the first members of Congress to address the ruling, writing in a statement

“This is about fairness and freedom – about whether LGBTQ+ Americans deserve fairness and freedom to be treated just like everyone else. It is simply wrong to discriminate against any American based on who they are or who they love, and Americans agree. his decision is a step backward in our fight to live up to our nation s ideal of e uality, but we cannot let this activist Supreme Court have the last word. I am more committed than ever to fighting to ensure every merican can live freely and without discrimination.

he .S. Congressional E uality Caucus, through its chair, .S. ep. ark ocan (D-Wis.), issued a statement arguing that Friday’s “abhorrent” decision “provides a constitutional basis for businesses that provide customized expressive services to discriminate against all marginalized people currently protected by public accommodations nondiscrimination laws.”

.S. ep. ark akano D-Calif. , a co-chair of the E uality Caucus, called riday s ruling “horrifying and stunning” in a statement, writing, “Today’s harmful decision opens the door for unimaginable legal discrimination against marginalized people.”

Takano added, “We must expand the Supreme Court immediately.”

illions of mericans, wrote the Democratic ttorneys eneral ssociation, have been rightly concerned that the oodgates would open to a raft of legal challenges to vital LGBTQ+ protections.”

The group added, “Between rulings like this, waves of extreme and hateful legislation, and an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ threats and violence, the fact is that this is indeed a frightening time for the LGBTQ+ community.”

GLAAD’s statement noted that “Not one LGBTQ couple sought the business’ services so this case is a massive abuse of the judicial system and part of a coordinated effort from groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom to leverage corrupt extremist justices to roll back rights of marginalized Americans.”

(Photo Credit: Fred Schilling, The Supreme Court of the U.S.)

Markey, Pappas seek to ban LGBTQ panic defense

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) introduced legislation on Monday that would prohibit all U.S. federal courts from allowing use of the LGBTQ panic defense, a legal tactic that has been banned in 16 states and D.C.

In criminal trials involving violent crimes against LGBTQ people, the so-called “gay panic,” “trans-panic,” or more broadly, “LGBTQ panic” defense is raised to argue for more lenient sentencing or otherwise in an attempt to lessen the defendant’s culpability in the eyes of a judge or jury.

These types of arguments, which are widely considered outdated and offensive, both exploit and work to perpetuate homophobia and transphobia in the criminal justice system, the lawmakers said in a press release Monday announcing their bill.

Markey and Pappas noted LGBTQ panic defenses have been used in criminal law for decades, perhaps most famously after the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. During trial, counsel for the defense argued their client was triggered by an unwanted sexual advance by Shepard.

The case would galvanize calls to take action against bias-motivated violence, eventually leading to Congress’s passage in 2009 of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Nevertheless, use of LGBTQ panic defenses has persisted. The lawmakers noted a prominent recent exam-

ple with the 2019 prosecution of the man who murdered 17-year-old Washington teen Nikki Kuhnhausenthe. Law enforcement noted during trial that the defendant was “shocked,” “uncomfortable” and “disturbed” upon learning Kuhnhausenthe was transgender.

The LGBTQ panic defense “is not only antiquated, but actively legitimizes violence against the LGBTQ+ community and encourages homophobic and transphobic bigotry within our legal system,” Markey said.

“No one’s sexual orientation or gender identity is a defense for assault or murder,” Pappas said, “and it is time Congress follows the lead of states that have already banned this defense in their courts.”

The lawmakers also highlighted the pervasive problem of violent crimes targeting LGBTQ people, highlighting statistics compiled by the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign.

HRC has recorded more than 256 cases of fatal violence against trans Americans, more than 80 percent of whom were people of color. Last year, according to the organization, at least 38 trans people were killed in the U.S., the majority of whom were trans women of color.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Supreme Court rules against ffirmative ction

In a historic decision, the Supreme Court severely limited, if not effectively ended, the use of affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday.

By a vote of 6-3, the justices ruled that the admissions programs used by the University of North Carolina and Harvard College violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which bars racial discrimination by government entities.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts explained that college admissions programs can consider race merely to allow an applicant to explain how their race in uenced their character in a way that would have a concrete effect on the university. But a student “must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual — not on the basis of race,” Roberts wrote. The majority effectively, though not explicitly, overruled its decision in rutter v. Bollinger, in which the court upheld the University of Michigan Law School’s consideration of race “as one factor among many, in an effort to assemble a student body that is diverse in ways broader than race.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, in an opinion that was joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Sotomayor emphasized that the majority’s decision had rolled “back decades of precedent and momentous progress and cement ed a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society.”

Thursday’s ruling was the latest in a series of challenges to the role of race in university admissions. In both the North Carolina and Harvard cases, the plaintiffs had asked the ustices to overrule rutter. In her opinion for the majority in that case, Justice Sandra Day Connor reaffirmed that student body diversity is a compelling state interest that can justify the use of race in university admissions,” but she warned that race-conscious admissions policies should not last forever. In 25 years, she suggested, “the use of racial preferences will

no longer be necessary to further the interest” in diversity.

Eleven years after the court s decision in rutter, a group called Students for air dmissions filed the North Carolina and Harvard cases in federal court. The group was founded by Edward Blum, a conservative activist who had also spearheaded a challenge to the admissions policy at the University of Texas at Austin as well as to Shelby County v. older, the case that narrowed the Voting Rights Act.

After the lower courts upheld both North Carolina’s and Harvard’s admissions policies, Blum’s group came to the Supreme Court, where it asked the justices to overrule their decision in rutter and bar the consideration of race in university admissions altogether. The court that agreed to take up both cases last year was a very different, and much more conservative, court than the one that had upheld the - ustin policy seven years before. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of the UT-Austin decision, retired in 2018 and was replaced by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, while Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was succeeded by Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

In a 40-page opinion that addressed both the Harvard and UNC cases, Roberts emphasized that the Supreme Court had only allowed universities to use race-based admissions programs within the confines of narrow restrictions.” But the Harvard and UNC programs, “however well intentioned and implemented in good faith,” Roberts explained, do not comply with those restrictions.

Both programs, Roberts began, consider race as part of their admissions program for commendable goals, such as “training future leaders in the public and private sector” and “promoting the robust exchange of ideas.” But those goals are too vague for courts to measure, Roberts reasoned.

The programs also use race in a “negative” manner,

Roberts next explained, despite the Supreme Court’s admonition that “an individual’s race may never be used against him in the admissions process.”

Finally, Roberts observed, the Harvard and UNC programs lacked the “logical end point” suggested by rutter Both arvard and C acknowledged that their programs do not have a “sunset” date. Indeed, Roberts noted, “UNC suggests that it might soon use race to a greater e tent than it currently does.

Roberts stressed that the court’s decision did not bar universities from ever considering race on a case-bycase basis. Schools, he indicated, can consider “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” But programs like the ones used by Harvard and UNC, he complained, have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

The majority’s decision left the door open for service academies like the U.S. Naval Academy and West Point to continue to use, at least for now, race-conscious admissions programs.

Sotomayor’s 69-page dissent emphasized that the “limited use of race” by colleges and universities “has helped equalize educational opportunities for all students of every race and background and has improved racial diversity on college campuses.” “Although progress has been slow and imperfect,” she wrote, “race-conscious college admissions have advanced the Constitution s guarantee of e uality and have promoted Brown v. Board of Education’s “vision of a Nation with more inclusive schools.” “The devastating impact of” Thursday’s decision, she concluded, “cannot be overstated.”

(The preceding article by AMY HOWE was published by SCOTUSBlog and is republished with permission.)

U.S. Sen. EDWARD MARKEY (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael K a e s)

Rep. Balint condemns GOP’s ‘push to erase us’

Introduces LGBTQ, women’s history education bill

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) talked with the Washington Blade last month about the LGBTQ and women’s history education bill that she and U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) reintroduced recently.

The legislation, just like actions recently announced by the White House, responds to book bans and curriculum restrictions that have increasingly cropped up in conservative states and school districts, which disproportionately target educational materials inclusive of LGBTQ subjects and histories.

Balint and Torres’s LGBTQI+ and Women’s History EdSmithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History to develop and distribute resources for educators to “teach LGBTQI+ and women’s history education in a more inclusive and intersectional manner.”

to live our lives and not have our histories erased.”

“And I also come to this,” Balint said, “as a longtime social studies teacher in junior high” who also taught history as the community college level. “This push from the GOP to erase us from not just society but from history,” she said, is “so dangerous.”

“It’s important for us to make sure that our histories and our stories are preserved, not just for posterity sake, but also because students across this country need to be able to see themselves in their history that we’re taught,” Balint said.

Battles over the inclusion of Black, LGBTQ and women’s history have roiled school districts across the country, leading to legislative restrictions that were passed in conknown as liberal strongholds, like Southern California.

Last week saw protests over the inclusion of curricula that included the late gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk in Temecula in Riverside County.

“We can’t write off any area of the country,” Balint said. “There are movements from from the right coming in more traditionally blue states, as well, and they’re trying to make parents and community members feel afraid of their neighbors.”

As the right has sought to deliberately scapegoat queer and transgender kids, fear mongering to rile up the conservative base, the congresswoman said “it’s really important that those of us in a position to shore up those those teachers in those schools who are trying to do the right thing, [because] they need help, they’re under siege right now.”

Balint said that her wife is from Wyoming, a solidly conservative state where she also has experience teaching.

“I understand the struggles that teachers have in those schools, when they want to bring in a more inclusive history, a more true history, of the complexity of life in this country,” she said.

a GOP member railed against “how disgusting it was that there any kind of federal building or State Department leagues “that’s not the kind of thing that we in this country want to be known for.”

LGBTQ people.

“There are good people in the Republican conference,” Balint said. “But when it comes to these issues, we have not seen any of them. In this congressional session, they are all falling in line. I welcome any partners across the aisle. To stand up to this kind of scapegoating.”

For this reason, when it comes to her and Torres’ legislation, she said, “I am not hopeful in this Congress. But we have to lay the groundwork for what will come when we hopefully are able to recapture the majority and really make movement on these things.”

Balint told the Blade some of her Republican colleagues have assured her and other Democrats “well, you know I don’t believe this stuff that the extremists are pushing.”

GOP members will admit that they have to take extreme anti-LGBTQ positions that they do not actually believe in for fear of losing a primary race to someone further to the right, she said.

“And one of the things that I’ve been talking about with my friends within my caucus is if, in the end, you’re gonna vote just like your extremist colleagues, then frankly, you’re not better! If you’re not gonna use your position to stand up when you know [your colleagues in the GOP caucus] are shamelessly and cruelly scapegoating a group of people, then what will it take?”

to address attacks on the safety and rights of LGBTQ Americans. Among these were instructions to the U.S. Department of Education to appoint a coordinator who will “address the growing threat that book bans pose for trainings for schools nationwide on how book bans that environment may violate federal civil rights laws.”

Balint told the Blade the education bill and these moves by the White House “complement each other,” but her efforts with Torres were “not coordinated as much” with the Biden-Harris administration as they were a product of the lawmakers’ shared understanding of “this moment that we’re in — as we’re both queer Americans trying

“So, I think it’s a really important message for us to send, both from the White House and from Congress, and in this case, also, from the Smithsonian Institution, to say this is real history. It’s important that you expose your students to it. And I think that gives those teachers more courage to be able to teach a curriculum that is more inclusive and true.”

The LGBTQI+ and Women’s History Education Act of 2023, Balint said, can also help educators in a more direct sense. “Whether you’re trying to teach the history of people of color in this country, or of women, or of queer and trans people,” she said, it is a “huge undertaking to try to do that research on your own.”

Unfortunately, however, the congressman acknowledged the political roadblocks to its passage with Republicans controlling the U.S. House of Representatives.

Balint said she nevertheless remains optimistic that the tides will eventually turn, but in the meantime “we have to hold them accountable. And we have to stand with them when they are courageous, which is why I always try to point out that you’ve got a few bright spots — one being the [Republican] governor of Utah, Gov. [Spencer] Cox, who made a very powerful statement about these anti-trans bills.”

When legislation that would have prohibited trans students from playing on girls’ sports teams reached his desk in March, Cox vetoed it. “When in doubt,” he wrote, “I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion.”

“I can’t overstate what it has meant for young queer and trans kids in Vermont and across the country, to be able to come and talk with me,” Balint said, or any of her colleagues who are openly gay. “We also are working so hard right now to make sure that we will be able to elect committed to that — we have to have true representation.”

Rep. BECCA BALINT (Blade photo by Michael Key)

JULY 7–SEPTEMBER 3

HIGHLIGHTS

JULY 8 & 9 West Side Story In Concert

One-Name Cabaret Tributes:

JULY 15: Judy

JULY 22: Barbra

JULY 29: Donna

AUGUST 11: Whitney

Cabaret Celebrations:

JULY 14: Great Women of Jazz

JULY 21: Motown

JULY 28: 70s Country

JULY 29: Andrew Lloyd Weber

DANIELLE DUFOE

is a former Blade sales manager and longtime activist for trans rights.

ffirmative ction ruling will adversely affect

You might be surprised to learn that there are still students who do not have a computer in the home, or dedicated Internet access. In 1996, I had neither.

That was the year I finished high school, and I remember thinking about how much more I could have learned if only I d had those things. Even now, I am embarrassed to admit that I handwrote the last English paper of my high-school career. For three months, I worked diligently to produce a well-written research paper. It would surely get me an A. But imagine my heartache when my paper was returned to me with a D.

The teacher wrote, “This is a well-researched and thoroughly thoughtout paper. It’s a perfect “A”, only you’ve consistently spelled “which” without the first h .

Such a minor oversight, but it cost me big-time. Each time I misspelled the word, she deducted two points. I misspelled it 15 times. It was a mistake that spellcheck would’ve easily caught. Only, I didn’t have a computer; I did not have Internet in my home, and my paper was hand-written.

This is just one example of how being a first generation student from a disadvantaged background further disadvantaged me.

Last week’s ruling on Affirmative Action will adversely affect generations of children. It punches down on children who are the most disadvantaged.

As a queer woman of color who grew up in Camden, N.J., I had so many strikes against me. When evil works so hard, altruism isn’t enough. It’s the kind of evil that is aided by the ignorance of good, well-meaning Americans. This kind of evil works hard each and every day in our country. Those who believe in a just and equitable society, must work all the harder.

Affirmative Action demanded that we see possibilities as opposed to insuperable challenges. Without it, all we will see is why others can’t achieve as much as those who are privileged.

generations of children We should see possibilities as opposed to challenges

Are

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is president of the American Psychiatric Association.

Warmth, Respect, Curiosity, Humanity: Keys to understanding LGBTQ communities

Anyone who is willing to learn is a potential ally

Over the years, I have seen Pride month evolve from tolerance, to acceptance, to a celebration of the accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ people and our place in history. What an empowering and joyous affirmation of our community his year is no different, and yet I cannot help but have mixed feelings in light of what I view as a palpable regression into the hate, bigotry, and ignorance of the past. This regression in our national discourse has been a driving force in a recent crop of discriminatory laws that are being passed across the country.

their pronouns as a declaration and affirmation of their identity to the world.

All of us have a responsibility to educate ourselves the best we can about gender and sexuality and about how to address people around us in a respectful way. We must do all we can to learn and grow in this area. At the same time, we cannot allow ourselves to become paralyzed by a fear of making a mistake. I have seen some of my medical students only minimally engaging with transgender patients to avoid the risk of addressing someone with a wrong pronoun. This in itself is isolating and the very worst way to treat someone who may be struggling. Making mistakes is okay if you come from a place of warmth, respect, curiosity, and humanity.

equality and understanding, let’s remem-

Discrimination is harmful to the health and mental health of our nation and people of all communities, whether they are members of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies, or not. As we continue to march down the long and winding road to true equality and understanding, let’s remember that despite our differences, we are all human beings deserving of respect, love, and belonging.

standing between groups connect with and

ter even for psychiatrists, who interact with patients from

Connection and understanding between groups does not come easily these days. As we strive to connect with and educate those who do not necessarily share our views, we are mindful that concepts we take for granted, such as sharing one’s preferred pronouns, may be confusing and even scary for some. Just making the effort to learn someone’s pronouns or list your own, even if you may think they are obvious, can make a transgender, non-binary, or intersex person feel validated and be a big boost to their mental health. As a cisgender person, the least I can do is use my pronouns (he, him, his) in solidarity with friends and colleagues who may use

Just

his can be a difficult concept to master even for psychiatrists, who interact with patients from many different genders and sexual identities daily. We constantly learn, we make mistakes, we learn some more, and, I hope, we make fewer mistakes next time. We cannot expect everyone we meet to immediately jump into a full- edged allyship with our community. Anyone who is willing to learn about the LGBTQ+ community in good faith is a potential ally, and we should welcome them with all the warmth and respect we expect from others.

learn, we make mistakes, we learn some more, and, I hope, we make fewer mistakes next time. We can-

diately jump into a full- edged allyship with our community. LGBTQ+ community in tial ally, and we should the warmth and respect let’s make a commitment to emphasize compaswe strive to celebrate our

As we come to the end of Pride Month this year, let’s make a commitment to emphasize compassion and education as we strive to celebrate and grow our community and our allies throughout the year.

that concepts we

making the effort to learn someone’s pronouns a big boost to their mental

STATE OF PRIDE

In LGBTQ+-Friendly New Jersey, love is love all year-round – not just during Pride Month. Discover dazzling destinations to visit and fabulous places to stay, eat and play. From neon-lit Atlantic City to art-muraled Asbury Park. Laid-back Lambertville to edgy Jersey City. Preppy Princeton to happening Hoboken (plus Montclair with its must-try food scene!) Everyone is welcome here, all of the time.

Plan your getaway at VisitNJ.org/LGBTQ.

Featured

Elliot Page

Douglas Brinkley

Amor Towles

Mary Louise Kelly

R.J. Palacio

Ada Limón

George Saunders

David Grann

Elizabeth Acevedo

Meg Medina

Jesmyn Ward

Rev. KARMEN MICHAEL SMITH

is the Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary.

Far-right Christians fueling anti-queer laws

The LGBTQ+ community is under siege, facing an onslaught of attacks across our nation. Underscoring the urgency of this crisis, the Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for B mericans for the first time in its history. Discriminatory policies and the looming threat of violence have forced many transgender individuals to ee their homes.

Behind this assault on LGBTQ+ rights lies a relentless wave of far-right Christian messaging. Despite claims that these policies aim to protect children or safeguard the integrity of women’s sports, the truth is that this surge of hate is rooted in the belief that being LGBTQ+ is somehow ungodly.

As a Black queer reverend who hails from a small town in Texas, I am intimately familiar with this messaging. It permeates every aspect of society, making it impossible to confront the anti-LGBTQ+ movement without addressing this fundamental belief head-on.

Years of rigorous religious study have led me to a profound realization: The Bible does not explicitly discuss homosexuality or transgender people. Rather, every discriminatory interpretation targeting the LGBTQ+ community is a product of cultural biases and historical conditions. In fact, the more I delved into scripture, the clearer it became to me that Jesus, in essence, was ueer.

Before exploring the texts, it is crucial to recognize that extremist Christianity lies at the core of nearly every anti-LGBTQ+ effort. For example, a prominent pastor in my home state of Texas, known for protesting B events, declared that those who practice such lifestyles are opposed to God and will face eternal damnation. Likewise, State Rep. Randy Fine of Florida, a key figure behind the banning of gender-affirming care for minors, asserted that od does not make mistakes with our children.

n investigation by the ssociated ress recently revealed that a significant number of anti-trans bills originate from far-right groups rooted in Christianity, such as the Family Research Council.

It is astounding that the actual Bible te t provides no solid support for the generally held anti- B viewpoint. It is only an e trapolation that in uential people have used to further their own agendas.

In my biblical exploration, I discovered that Jesus embodies queerness. Queerness extends beyond gender and sexuality; it is fundamentally about being at odds with the world around you. This resonates strongly with Jesus, who was consistently cast out and demonized by society.

Consider when Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth and preached in the synagogue. Those who initially embraced him turned against him and even attempted to cause him harm.

Jesus also frequently clashed with religious leaders who eerily resemble those who currently assert with unwavering certainty that being LGBTQ+ is a sin. On one occasion, the harisees sought to destroy him after he healed a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.

Furthermore, the Bible teaches us that Christ encompasses all things. If this holds true, then Christ is also trans, gay, straight, Black, white, and much more. In this light, queerness is not just something to be accepted—it is divine.

Ultimately, the Bible does not provide a clear and universal directive on matters of sexuality. However, it does unequivocally instruct us to love everyone, particularly the vulnerable and marginali ed.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon us, as people of faith, to challenge the prevailing narratives that seek to marginalize and harm the LGBTQ+ community. We must reclaim the true gospel—love, life, and the pursuit of justice.

In the face of adversity, we should stand as allies and advocates for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. It is time to dismantle the harmful interpretations and cultural biases that have been erroneously associated with our religious texts. We must reject the misguided notion that being LGBTQ+ is somehow incompatible with our faith. On the contrary, embracing diversity and celebrating the uni ueness of every individual is a re ection of the divine within us.

In this critical moment, we have an opportunity to reclaim and redefine the narrative. et us recognize the LGBTQ+ community as beloved children of God, deserving of dignity, respect, and e ual rights. ogether, we can create a society that affirms the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

It is in this pursuit that we honor the true essence of our faith and create a world where every individual can live authentically, free from fear and prejudice.

But Jesus was as queer as they come

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The Supreme Court ruling in 303 CREATIVE LLC ET AL. v. ELENIS ET AL. is a strong signal the LGBTQ community is not safe from serious discrimination. It is a warning we must watch our backs, and reminds us we must fight back.

While this case is a limited decision, it will open the door for more discrimination and litigation. There are potential ways around it, as we are reminded by Andrew Tang in a recent New York Times essay. He recounts how Kentucky handled the issue of ensuring same-sex couples could get a marriage license. But the takeaway for the community must be to accept the ma or way to fight back is with our vote. he temperament of the majority of this right-wing Supreme Court is such that it is not only the LGBTQ community that is at risk. It is the African-American community, women, and all minorities.

In her dissent Justice Sotomayor wrote, “…it reminds LGBT people of a painful feeling that they know all too well: There are some public places where they can be themselves, and some where they cannot. Ask any LGBT person, and you will learn just how often they are forced to navigate life in this way. They must ask themselves: If I reveal my identity to this co-worker, or to this shopkeeper, will they treat me the same way? If I hold the hand of my partner in this setting, will someone stare at me, harass me, or even hurt me? It is an awful way to live. Freedom from this way of life is the very object of a law that declares: All members of the public are entitled to inhabit public spaces on equal terms.” What it must also remind us is African Americans, and women, have been forced to live every day with constant thoughts as to how they will be treated in different situations and they can’t ever hide who they are, like members of the LGBTQ+ community can. It reminds us we must fight everyday so we never have to hide who we are, or who we are born to be.

The responsibility for the heightened culture wars we face must be placed squarely where it belongs, at the feet of the Republican Party, now a Trump cult. It’s a party that supported children of immigrants being placed in cages, separated from their parents. It supports groups like Moms for Liberty, now designated an ‘extremist’ group by the SPLC, with one of their chapters quoting Nazis in their newsletter. This group now courted by Republican candidates for president; Trump, Haley, DeSantis, and others, already bending a knee before them.

It is clear at all levels of government, the Republican Party, the MAGA Party, is introducing and passing legislation to move our country backwards in every area of civil and human rights. They claim responsibility for hundreds of legislative initiatives in Congress, and state legislatures, taking away personal rights. Their candidates proudly claim credit for appointing the udges who ended ffirmative action, reversed oe v. Wade, and are allowing businesses to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. They tell all who listen, this is only the beginning, “Elect us and there is more to come.” They commit to doing more to erode any progress, made over decades, toward a more equal and just society.

For all the decent people in our country it is past time to band together and say ‘no more’; we will not allow you, the Republican Party, to destroy all that is good in our nation. We will not vote for the party whose platform is supported by neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

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To begin moving our country forward, instead of continuing to move it backwards; to eliminate structural racism, fight discrimination against women, the B community, and minorities, at all levels of government, we must all vote against every Republican. We will say to them: “We will never support you as long as you are a member of the MAGA Party.” We must commit to not voting for any candidate who runs with the Republican label. We will ask every family member, friend, and neighbor, to join us. We will get them all to VOTE! We will continue to speak out every day on the atrocities foisted on us by this Republican Party. We move ahead understanding, only massive numbers heading to the polls, will allow us to win. We understand, in our democracy, the only way to ensure our voices are heard, that decent people will prevail, is with our VOTE! We will use it and win; for ourselves and the generations who follow.

The sky is not falling; it’s just a little lower today

303 Creative decision ‘a painful feeling that we know all too well’

Summer in the City ot escaping D.C. for

the beach

Summer is here and if your calendar needs to be filled, we ve got you covered. rom the summer of Barbie to concerts to museums, there s no weekend without something happening in the District.

FOOD

Tirgan Market, uly . osted at the Brookland rts Walk from - p.m., the irgan arket will have local vendors, food and performances by Sarah and Ehsan hatami, amyar rsania and more. irgan is an ancient oroastrian summer festival dedicated to ishtrya.

The RAMMYS, uly . D.C. s favorite food awards will be hosted at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and will feature a red carpet, awards ceremony and a celebration lasting into the early morning. ickets are for non- W members and for members.

Don

t worry,

By ISABELLE KRAVIS

there s

plenty to keep you busy

CONCERTS

The Renaissance World Tour, ug. - . ueen Bey has landed in the .S. and is coming to the D s own edE ield this summer. ouring for her latest album enaissance, inspired by post- s Black, B dance music, this tour is already one for the ages. he time to start learning Blue Ivy s choreography was yesterday. esale tickets start at .

Summer Carnival, ug. . ationals ark will be home to pop royalty this summer as ink takes the stage in support of her newest album, rustfall. oined by at Benatar and eil iraldo, the show will be one to remember. ust don t forget to bring a wheel of brie. ickets start at .

Electric Cool-Aid Night Market, uly . oin Shaw s own Electric Cool- id with a night market including tarot readings, body painting, local vendors and more. Entry is free and dogs are welcome. Summer Restaurant Week, ug. -Sept. . he biannual D.C. restaurant week will offer diners specials at restaurants across the city. Sit down for a ichelin-star meal, sweet desserts or a casual family option. o-go meals will also be available at select participating restaurants.

ollof estival, ug. . he Jollof Festival travels across the country each summer to host vendors competing for the title of best ollof rice, a West frican classic. his summer, the festival will be held at alf St. SE. icket packages range from to .

FILM

Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars, uly . he E Street Cinema will host a screening of one of the most iconic musical performances of all time. n uly , , David Bowie forever retired his iggy Stardust alter ego in concert, which was captured on film. n the th anniversary of the concert, the original, uncut version of the film will be shown. ickets can be purchased online.

Rocky Horror Picture Show, uly - . lso at the E Street Cinema will be he ocky orror icture Show with a live shadow cast. Come dressed in your best Dr. rank . urter get up and be ready to do the ime Warp again ickets can be purchased online.

ARTS & CULTURE

Capital Fringe Festival, uly - . he Capital ringe estival is an annual event in eorgetown that brings together artists from across the D.C. area for plays and performance art. With more than performances this year, you won t want to miss it. ickets can be purchased online or at the bo office.

DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival, uly - . With more than films, from full-length to short, the DC has something for everyone. osted at five different venues across the city, moviegoers and film buffs have their choice of everything from heart-warming tales to an elderly getaway cab driver. eserved tickets are free with a suggested donation of .

he Culture- uly . he Baltimore useum of rt is currently hosting The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. he e hibit looks at the emergence of ip op, its connections to art and artists that have transformed the genre. aid tickets range from to from now until uly . he e hibit will be free to all visitors on uly .

Ibero-American Showcase, through uly . See the best in Ibero- merican film at this film festival hosted by the Ibero- merican Cultural ttaches ssociation. ilms like y Emptiness and I, inlandia and Skeleton In he Closet shine a spotlight on B Iberian stories. egistration is free.

DC a est- ug. -Sept. . eaturing the best in a , DC JazzFest is the summer s largest music festival. With live music, food and fun for all ages, this summer s festival is a can t miss. ickets start at for individual concerts and for all-access.

he Celebration our- Sept. . he dancing continues throughout the summer into adonna s Celebration Tour at Capital ne arena. E pected to be a set list of her greatest hits, lifelong fans won t want to miss the ueen of op s th tour no word yet on whether this date will be rescheduled after adonna s recent illness. esale tickets start at .

PARKS AND GARDENS

National Arboretum, a.m.- p.m. ave friends in town or ust need a good place to read a book Stop by the ational rboretum to see some truly stunning ora and fauna. s one of only two arboretums in D.C., the collections are a must-see. alcolm ark, closes at midnight. here s probably no more scenic place in D.C. than the fountains at Malcolm X Park. isten in on drum circles or picnic ne t to oan of rc in one of D.C. s most historic parks.

MISC.

Barbie Parties, uly - . eady for the Barbenheimer double feature Wundergarten will host five Barbie parties leading up to the movie s release. Come dressed in your best Barbie fashion, take a dip in the pool and bring along your best en. ickets are free.

FANCY: Queens of Country Party, ug. . ut on your cowboy hat and boots to dance at the club for the ueens of Country arty. laying the best hits from Dolly arton, he Chicks, Shania wain and more, this party is a country fan s dream. ickets are . .

The summer of Barbie is bringing related parties to D.C. (Photo courtesy Warner Bros.)

It’s unknown if Madonna’s D.C. tour stop will be rescheduled but fnge s c ossed she ll eco e soon and et n to the stage (Screenshot/YouTube)

CALENDAR |

Friday, July 07

Center Aging Friday Tea Time will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. For the Zoom link or more information, email adamheller@thedccenter. org.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social” at 7 p.m. at The Commentary. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea sharing, and community building. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Saturday,

July 08

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/disability advocate Andy Arias and can be reached at andyarias @gmail.com.

Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Games” at 7 p.m. at The Board Room VA. The event will be co-hosted by Equality NOVA and attendees are encouraged to come enjoy board and card games. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Sunday,

July 09

AfroCode DC will be at 4 p.m. at Decades DC. This event will be an experience of non-stop music, dancing, and good vibes and a crossover of genres and a fusion of cultures. Tickets cost $40 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Dinner & Conversation” at 6 p.m. at Federico Ristorante Italiano. Guests are invited to enjoy an evening of Italian-style dining and conversation with other LGBTQ+ folk on the enclosed front patio. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Monday, July 10

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.

“Reign:  A Variety Drag Show” will be at 8 p.m. at Dupont Italian Kitchen. Logan Stone will host the event which will feature Dabatha Christie, Hennessey, Sirene Noir Sidora Jackson, and Anamosity. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Tuesday, July 11

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group. It is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit the group s acebook page.

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,

July 12

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

“Xtreme Hip Hop” will be at 7 p.m. at The Fituation Room. This event is a step aerobics class done with popular music. ll fitness levels are welcome and the class is beginner-friendly. Tickets cost $12 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Thursday, July 13

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

OUT & ABOUT

Vanguard to host party at Safari DC

Vanguard will host “July Vanguard” on Saturday, July at p.m. at Safari DC.

DJs from vanguard’s resident crew will play extended sets, and there will also be performances from Ultra Violet Rah, Villainess, and Johnny Panic. There will also be jewelry and oil vendors and tarot readings from rasnaya ose.

Tickets are $7 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Queer art exhibition to open with dance party

rt oving will host ueer rt Salon pening & Dance Party” on Friday, July 7 at 8 p.m. at Selina nion arket Cowork.

This art exhibition will feature works from 16 D.C.-area artists, including Albert Ting, AnaMarie King, and Anthony Le, among others. The exhibition will be open all night long and the dance party will begin at p.m. with a set played by DJ John Kim.

Art Roving will partner with SMYAL for this event and donations of $10 per person are suggested, though donations of any amount will be accepted at the event via cash, credit card, PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Universal Pride Meeting will be held July 8.

‘Fun Home’ elicits laughs, sighs of recognition Alison Bechdel memoir comes to life on stage

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

With its nod to domestic turmoil and the pangs of youth, “Fun Home” is the kind of tragicomic show that elicits both laughs and sighs of recognition, especially if you’re queer.

Initially a 2006 bestselling graphic memoir by lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel, “Fun Home” was successfully adapted for stage by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Lisa Kron (book and lyrics) and went on to win the 2015 Tony Award for Best Adapted Musical and a place in theater history as lesbian main character. It’s now playing at Studio Theatre.

When we meet 43-year-old Alison (out actor Andrea Prestinario), she’s a together graphic artist poised to take a deep dive into the past. With the help of her girlhood diary and several decades worth of sketches, the lesbian protagonist looks back on her unorthodox childhood in small town Pennsylvania and some seminal years at Oberlin College in scenes acted by Alison’s younger selves, nineyear-old Small Alison and college age Medium Alison (Quinn Titcomb and Maya Jacobson, respectively).

Coming out and relationships are key, but Alison’s investigation centers on what made her closeted gay father Bruce tick and ultimately self-destruct.

out actor Bobby Smith, Bruce is a manic amalgam of charm, nerves, and asperity who eventually ends his tortured existence by stepping into the path of an oncoming truck.

But while alive, he never sits still. Whether restoring houses, teaching English, or running the family business, a funeral home affectionately called Fun Home by the family, er) and three young children in a never-ending rota of work. And when he’s not embalming deceased townsfolk, polishing antiques, or reading James Joyce, Bruce is hitting on young men, lots of them. Increasingly, his peccadillos are becoming the worst kept secret in town.

Studio’s artistic director David Muse helms this intimately staged production with

great aplomb. As the story unfolds in an order of its own, Alison remains onstage observing her parents, her selves, her agreeable brothers (Teddy Schechter, August Scott

pealing actor who assays two objects of young handyman, and guileless Mark, a high school junior.

Sometimes the stage gets a little crowded, but it works.

band secreted behind an upstage scrim, Tesori and Kron’s varied score, rife with revelation and zing, moves Bechdel’s story along while giving the players their moment to shine.

At a local diner with her father, dressaverse Small Alison stops dead in her Butch” pushing a cart of packages. In sings effectively with awe and approval: “Your swagger and your bearing/And the just right clothes you’re wearing/Your short hair and your dungarees.”

As a freshman at Oberlin, Jacobson’s Medium Alison is awkwardly gay curious and a little rudderless, but once she Brant), a progressive out coed, she gains a new laser like focus on identity and goals. She hilariously sings, “I’m changing my major to sex with Joan/With a minor in kissing Joan.”

With a gorgeous operatic soprano, Pitcher sings “Days and Days,” a revelation of family secrets and a warning from mother to daughter not to waste her life. Near show’s end, Smith and Prestinario as gay father and daughter explore similarities with “Telephone Wire,” and Bruce dramatically delivers his soul-baring solo “Edges of the World.”

On a lighter note, the score playfully includes songs reminiscent of music from Alison’s childhood — think Jackson 5 and those TV families Partridge and Brady.

Despite being the Bechdel’s own sad story, “Fun Home” rings universal and true. Studio’s lovingly done production delivers the message without hesitation.

‘Fun Home’ with ADANTE CARTER, ANDREA PRESTINARIO, REBECCA PITCHER, BOBBY SMITH

(Photo by Teresa Castracane)

LGBTQ critics announce winners of Dorian TV Awards

By JOHN PAUL KING

They don’t get as much fanfare as the Emmys, but the Dorian TV Awards – presented annually by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics – have been offering an important queer perspective on the best in the year’s television for a decade and a half, and they’ve just picked their latest round of champions.

On June 26, GALECA announced a slate of winners for the 15th Annual Dorian TV Awards that represented an the prize for Best Drama while series star Sarah Snook following a clique of idealistic Philadelphia school teachers, took Best Comedy Series.

Less in line with mainstream Hollywood priorities, perhaps, many other awards went to an assortment of under-seen standouts. Amazon Freevee’s audacious prank absurdly snarky showbiz satire (and sadly, now-cancelled)

glish Language Show, respectively. Director Andrew

GALECA voters seemed to favor dry-but-witty women in most of the performance categories; Bridget Everett Lead, Jennifer Coolidge for Best Supporting Drama per-

commentary, sketch and topical interviews, received the Dorian for Best Current Affairs Show – its third win in the

Horror was also a running theme, with Shudder’s doc(from TV mastermind Bryan Fuller) taking the Dorians for both Best TV Documentary and Best LGBTQ Documen-

Striking TV Show.

unique to the Dorians, though that might go without saying.

guez and Jerrod Carmichael.

performer, writer or commentator whose observations venerable comedian whose year has included memora-

for her well-intentioned but controversial rap tribute to Angela Bassett and other nominees at the BAFTA Film

Other noteworthy wins: Satirist Ziwe Fumudoh’s (also

Year, an award whose past recipients include Christine Baranski and Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a Elvira). Elliot Page, whose superhero character Viktor Hargreeves came out

on Hulu) and Shudder each grabbing two – a clear victory for streaming platforms over traditional network TV.

For those unfamiliar with the Dorians, in addition to its TV awards GALECA (originally founded in 2009) also and Off-Broadway Theatre. They bring recognition to exchosen from mainstream and queer + content alike by a ots and society’s currently beleaguered LGBTQ communities that the world has long appreciated the Q+ eye on The organization also advocates for better pay, access and respect for its members, especially those in its most underrepresented segments, and sponsors the Crimson Honors, a public college criticism contest for women or support the members and causes of GALECA by follow– and of course, by visiting GALECA.org.

JENNIFER COOLIDGE in ‘The White Lotus.’

rue crime fans will love new book What the Dead now Dead men do tell tales you ust have to listen

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Dead men don’t tell tales. Their voices are forever silenced, their fi ngers will never point to what happened to them or why. heir eyes will never widen in fear or anticipation, or glance in the direction of the guilty. Dead men don t tell tales but, as in the new book What the Dead now by Barbara Butcher, they leave clues that can speak volumes.

hroughout most of her teen years, Barbara Butcher says she was miserable.

She suffered from depression and an iety, the fact that she was a lesbian was dawning, and she felt awkward. When a high school friend introduced her to the fun of drugs, se , and alcohol, though, everything changed. Butcher s life was suddenly all about getting high.

fter a work supervisor saw potential and urged her to attend college, Butcher landed a great job as a hospital administrator.

By Brandon Taylor

Still, love eluded her, addictions nagged at her, depression hit, she thought about suicide, and everything fell apart. nce she hit bottom, she started attending , which led to a vocational and rehab course and an aptitude test that gave her two options veterinarian or coroner. She chose the latter.

Working as an I medicolegal investigator at ew ork City s C E ffi ce of the Chief edical E aminer was an e citing and interesting ob. Butcher was, at fi rst, the C E s only female I in a pool of several male Is who immediately tried to test her by showing her detailed, gruesome photographs of real accidents and murders. Scaring her off didn t happen and soon, she was working with people she admired, running her own shifts, going out to investigate the worst that ew orkers did to one another.

here were bodies in pic-

nic coolers. here was a suicide that wanted to take someone with him in death. here were car accidents, shootings, people dead on sidewalks and abandoned hovels, and umpers. Every one of them taught Butcher one thing.

Dead men do tell tales. ou ust have to listen. Weak-stomached readers, you can stop right here. ou re going to want to steer clear of this book because it s not for you. rue crime fans, though look, why are you waiting

What the Dead now starts out with an edge-ofyour-seat investigation that ends in up-the-spine chills. Even the setting is uber-creepy, described in minute, water-dripping, rats-on-the- oor detail. he opening pages give you a glimpse of what you re in for.

nd yet, author Barbara Butcher knows when to let her readers take a gasping breath, and her story uickly and immediately ips after the opening to become a biography with its own dark feel. Don t get too comfortable, though you ll have a chance to rela your shoulders but the elevator with your adrenaline inside will continue to glide to the top oor before dropping back down again and again.

his book can be somewhat grisly in places, but certainly nothing worse than any other true-crime story or ollywood movie. If you love that genre, then you ll want this. What the Dead now is a very good tale.

c.2023, Riverbed | $28 | 320 pages

Independence Day Weekend in Rehoboth

Lady Bunny entertains at the Blue Moon

Vacationers and local residents alike enjoyed a weekend of festivities in Rehoboth Beach, Del. in celebration of Independence Day. Famed drag performer Lady Bunny entertained at the Blue Moon.

(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)

Supreme Court’s role in importance of equality in housing

By JEFF HAMMERBERG

The issue of equality in housing has long been a critical topic of discussion, with a profound impact on individuals, communities, and society at large. Housing discrimination and inequity can perpetuate social and economic disparities, hinder upward mobility, and reinforce systemic injustices.

While progress has been made to address these challenges, recent Supreme Court decisions have raised concerns regarding the protection of housing rights and the promotion of equality.

The historical struggles for housing equality in the United States have been marked by systemic injustices, discriminatory practices, and policies that perpetuated segregation and inequality.

Let’s take a look back at some of the key issues that have shaped the fight for housing e uality, they include edlining In the early th century, the federal government, through agencies like the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), implemented redlining practices. Redlining involved assigning neighborhoods a grade based on racial and ethnic composition, which resulted in minority communities being labeled as “high-risk.” This discriminatory practice restricted access to loans, insurance, and investments in these neighborhoods, contributing to disinvestment, decay, and limited opportunities for residents.

acial Segregation he legacy of slavery and the im Crow era led to widespread racial segregation in housing. Discriminatory practices, such as racial covenants and restrictive housing agreements, prevented people of color from purchasing or renting homes in predominantly white neighborhoods. This segregation limited social and economic opportunities for minority communities and perpetuated systemic inequalities.

rban enewal and Displacement During the midth century, urban renewal programs were implemented in many cities, resulting in the destruction of predominantly minority neighborhoods. Displaced communities often faced inadequate compensation, inadequate alternative housing options, and the loss of their social and cultural fabric. This further exacerbated housing disparities and disempowered marginalized communities.

ousing Discrimination Discriminatory practices by landlords, real estate agents, and lending institutions denied housing opportunities based on race, religion, national origin, gender, familial status, and disability. These practices included steering individuals toward specific neighborhoods, charging higher rents or interest rates based on protected characteristics, and outright denial of housing opportunities.

Subprime ending and the ousing Crisis rior to the housing crisis, predatory lending practices targeted minority communities, offering high-interest loans with unfavorable terms. These subprime loans disproportionately affected people of color and contributed

to a wave of foreclosures and economic hardship, exacerbating existing inequalities.

These historical struggles have had long-lasting effects, contributing to wealth gaps, educational disparities, and limited access to opportunities for marginalized communities. Efforts to address housing equality have involved legislative reforms, grassroots activism, fair housing initiatives, and the ongoing fight against discriminatory practices.

Housing discrimination against the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and other non-heterosexual or non-cisgender) community is a significant issue that persists in many parts of the world, including the United States.

Here are some key points regarding housing discrimination faced by the B community

egal rotections While there have been advancements in legal protections for LGBTQ individuals, not all jurisdictions have comprehensive laws that explicitly prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In the .S., the air ousing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability, does not explicitly cover sexual orientation and gender identity. However, some states and localities have enacted their own laws protecting LGBTQ individuals from housing discrimination.

Denial of ousing pportunities B individuals often face discrimination when trying to secure housing. They may be denied rental applications or mortgage loans, subjected to higher rental rates, or face unequal treatment during the application process due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. This discrimination can limit access to safe and affordable housing options.

ransgender ousing Discrimination ransgender individuals, in particular, face significant challenges when seeking housing. They may encounter discrimination and prejudice due to their gender identity, facing eviction or denial of housing based on societal bias, lack of understanding, or discomfort with transgender identities. omelessness and ousing Instability B youth, who may experience rejection or lack of support from their families due to their sexual orientation or gender

identity, are disproportionately affected by homelessness. Many LGBTQ individuals face higher rates of housing instability, often resorting to unstable living situations or experiencing homelessness as a result of discrimination or limited housing options.

Intersectionality ousing discrimination against the LGBTQ community intersects with other forms of discrimination, such as racism, sexism, and ableism. LGBTQ individuals who are also members of other marginalized communities may face compounded discrimination, making it even more challenging to secure safe and stable housing.

While progress has been made through legislation like the air ousing ct, there is still work to be done to dismantle the systemic barriers that perpetuate housing inequality.

It is crucial to recogni e and learn from this history to create more equitable housing policies, foster inclusive communities, and ensure that everyone has access to safe, affordable, and dignified housing, free from discrimination.

romoting housing e uality re uires collective efforts from individuals, communities, policymakers, and advocacy groups.

Having a strong offense is crucial in defending against discrimination. or over years, ay ealEstate.com, with its e tensive network of over B real estate agents, has been tirelessly representing and supporting the LGBTQ community in all aspects of home buying, selling, and relocation. With their expertise and dedication, they provide a robust defense against discrimination and ensure that every member of the LGBTQ community receives fair and equal treatment in the real estate market.

Together, we can ensure communities that continue to remain inclusive, diverse, and provide fair housing opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background or protected characteristics.

JEFF HAMMERBERG is founding CEO of Hammerberg & Associates, Inc. Reach him at 303-378-5526 or jeffhammerberg@gmail.com.

Change requires efforts from individuals, communities, policymakers

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

LEGAL NOTICE

WASHINGTON LATIN PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Issued: July 7, 2023

The Washington Latin Public Charter School solicits expressions of interest in the form of proposals with references from ualified vendors to provide the following services:

ABA therapy / Advertising and marketing products and services

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

PROBATE DIVISION 2023 ADM 741

NAME OF DECEDENT: ETHEL HUDGINS-FORREST

Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs

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