Washington Blade, Volume 54, Issue 28, July 14, 2023

Banned?

GOP uses poison pills to attack LGBTQ rights in gov’t funding bills, page 10

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

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Lesbian poet, LGBTQ advocate Minnie Bruce Pratt dies at 76 Acclaimed writer, educator emerged as feminist leader in 1980s

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

Minnie Bruce Pratt, the highly acclaimed lesbian feminist, poet, essayist, university educator, and LGBTQ rights advocate, died July 2 at her home in Syracuse, N.Y., at the age of 76.

Her two sons, Ben and Ransom Weaver, posted on her website that her passing came after a diagnosis of brain cancer.

“She was cared for until the end by a circle of friends and family that made her feel the utmost care and comfort,” the two sons wrote. “We are incredibly grateful for their support and deep love for Minnie Bruce.”

Pratt is credited with playing an important role over a period of nearly 50 years in helping to advance the rights of LGBTQ people and poignantly address the issues of economic and racial injustice through her writings of more than 10 books, including eight books of poetry.

Among her notable and widely recognized writings was her 1989 book of poems called “Crime Against Nature,” which was an autobiographical account of her relationship with her two sons as a lesbian mother.

A write-up about Pratt released by her family at the time of her passing says she lost custody of her two young sons in the 1970s after coming out as a lesbian.

“[T]hey were raised by their father and Minnie Bruce’s visitation was supervised simply because she was a lesbian and she would not renounce or hide her lesbianism,” the family write-up says. “She turned this traumatic experience into a poetry collection, ‘Crime Against Nature,’ which won the Academy of American Poets’ Lamont Prize in 1989 – just one of many literary awards Minnie Bruce received during her long career,” it says.

“Minnie Bruce Pratt was part of the vibrant lesbian-feminist movement that emerged in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s,” the family write-up continues. “She was one of the many lesbians and gay men who experi-

Comings & Goings

enced the profound legal homophobia of laws that made homosexuality illegal,” it says.

Others familiar with Pratt’s writings point out that, combined with her upbringing and early life experience in Alabama during the era of racial segregation, she recognized and was able to address through her writings an intersectionality among different forms of discrimination and injustice faced by African Americans, women, and LGBTQ people.

in English Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Washington Post reports that Pratt became active in feminist and lesbian and gay rights endeavors in the 1980s and early 1990s in D.C. In 1984, she co-founded a lesbian-led activist group in D.C. called LIPS, and joined other organizations, including the National Women’s Fightback Network, the Post reports.

In some of her published poems and essays Pratt wrote about transgender activist and writer Leslie Feinberg, her longtime partner and spouse. Write-ups on Pratt say she and Feinberg were partners for 22 years until Feinberg’s passing in 2014.

Pratt taught at several colleges and universities during her career, mostly as an adjunct professor. Her friend Reginald Harris said her most recent teaching position before her retirement was that of Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Writing and Rhetoric at Syracuse University in New York.

Pratt was born Sept. 12, 1946, in Selma, Ala., and raised in the nearby small city of Centreville located in the state’s Bibb County. She graduated from Bibb County High School when it was racially segregated and began as a student at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa a year after then-Gov. George Wallace “stood in the schoolhouse door” to oppose racial integration, according to an obituary on Pratt by the Syracuse Post Standard.

Her friend Reginald Harris said she received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Alabama and her Ph.D.

“My adult life has been an exhilarating struggle to resist, militantly, the oppressive categories that the ruling status quo places on us – and to live, triumphantly, the identities and complexities that we feel to be true for ourselves,” the Washington Post quoted Pratt as saying in an essay. s my life and eslie s owed together, I gained immeasurably in my understanding of that struggle – in my understanding of how we live all our sexualities, sex identities and gender expressions,” Pratt wrote.

The Syracuse Post Standard reports that Pratt is survived by her two sons, their partners, five grandchildren, and a chosen family of friends and loved ones.

According to the website posting by her sons, a public celebration of Pratt’s life is being planned for the near future and will be announced on the website, minniebrucepratt.net.

Micone appointed to new senior role at Department of Labor

By PETER ROSENSTEIN

The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements.

Please share your successes with us at: comingsandgoings@washblade.com

The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ+ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.

Congratulations to Vince Micone on his appointment as Deputy ssistant Secretary for perations in the ffice of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, U.S. Department of Labor. On his appointment Micone said,

“I’m honored to serve with my new colleagues as we strive to empower workers, improve working conditions, advance opportunities for employment, and assure work-related benefits and rights. his is a dream ob with a dream team.

Micone is a 30-year veteran of the federal civil service and a long-time activist in Washington’s philanthropic community. In this role, he provides day-to-day management to more than employees in the national office and si regional offices. e has overall leadership responsibility for policy and operations encompassing business operations, procurement, human resources management, civil rights, emergency management, security, administrative services, and employee safety and health.

Micone most recently served as Executive Director for Enterprise Services at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, he led a comprehensive shared services program providing customers with world-class IT, acquisition, HR, and financial management solutions.

Micone previously served as Principal Deputy Special Inspector General and COO for a federal law enforcement and independent audit agency at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He served in several executive leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security including Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs,

Senior Counselor, and Chief of Staff for Management. He also served as the residential ransition fficer. ince also served as the artnership for ublic Service s ice resident for Development. He began his federal service at the U.S. Department of Justice through the Presidential Management Fellows program and was honored by Attorney General Janet Reno for outstanding contributions as a new employee.

Micone is co-chair of the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area, the federal government’s workplace giving campaign. Under his leadership, the campaign has raised more than $767 million in charitable contributions for tens of thousands of non-profit organi ations. e was appointed to the District of Columbia Commission on National and Community Service, and served as the commission’s chairperson. ince has served as an elected official and eserve fficer in the District.

Micone is on the board of the Capital Pride Alliance, hosts of WorldPride 2025. He was co-founder of DOJ Pride, volunteered at, and served on Whitman-Walker’s board, and been engaged in LGBTQIA+ advocacy since he came to D.C. for an internship in the early 1990s.

He is a graduate of Arizona State University and the University of Southern California. He was elected a fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration in 2016.

Minnie Bruce Pratt (Screen capture via YouTube)

VINCE MICONE

Experts weigh in on what’s next after 303 Creative ruling

Sources find reasons to be apprehensive but also hopeful

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis, three experts connected with the Washington Blade to share their analysis of the case and expectations for what may come after the fallout.

James Dale was the named plaintiff in Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, a case challenging the organization’s policy of excluding homosexuals from its membership that was decided by the Supreme Court in 2000. The majority opinion in 303 Creative, authored by Justice Neil orsuch and oined by the Court s five other conservative justices, cited Dale’s case dozens of times.

Beth Littrell is the Southern Poverty Law Center’s senior attorney, having previously worked on litigation teams at Lambda Legal and the ACLU, including on a case that Justice Sonia Sotomayor highlighted in her widely read dissenting opinion in the 303 Creative case.

Christopher Cooper is a civil rights attorney who serves as director of legal affairs and legislative initiatives at the Rainbow Youth Project, having previously worked at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

All objected to Friday’s ruling that plaintiff Lori Smith may on First Amendment grounds refuse to provide services requested in connection with same-sex weddings, notwithstanding Colorado’s law prohibiting businesses from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The sources fear future cases will seek to widen the aperture for the types of businesses that may claim similar exemptions on the basis of their proprietors’ faith beliefs.

While unsurprising given the Court’s conservative supermajority, Littrell said the decision was nevertheless “a kick in the teeth.”

where there are anti-discrimination laws, you have to abide by them,” Littrell said.

With this majority opinion, the conservatives have “basically said that you have a constitutional right to discriminate if you’re doing anything” that constitutes “artistic or other expression,” Cooper said.

The ruling will be followed by “a lot of litigation,” he added.

Littrell said she has “some realistic fears that it’s opening the door — that [businesses] that offer pure speech will be the first shoe to fall and that there will be cases to follow as well as instances in which firms discriminate against or otherwise turn away customers “under the justification that there s either some e pressive elements to the services that are being requested or other individual liberties that are protected by the Constitution.”

“I have no doubt that conservatives and people who want to be able to discriminate against those they disagree with, or people they don’t want to associate with, will attempt to push the boundaries” of the ruling, Littrell said.

“If we crack the door on allowing discrimination of any type against any protected class of people,” Cooper warned, “someone will open the door wide open.”

“Many religious groups do not believe in inter-racial, inter-faith, or even divorcee marriages,” he said, “And keep in mind that any moral or ethical belief about what is ‘right and wrong’ that are sincerely held with the strength of traditional religious views may meet the definition of a sincerely held religious belief.

The three sources also noted unresolved questions around whether the plaintiff suffered legally cognizable injury or received even one request to render services that would constitute speech about same-sex marriage with which she disagrees.

Smith was represented by the right-wing impact litigation group Alliance Defending Freedom, which is deemed an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

“I always thought the Supreme Court took cases based on real facts and real people, not ones that a right wing group like the Alliance Defending Freedom creates out of thin air to justify future discrimination,” said Dale.

Anti-LGBTQ forces on the right, whether they endeavor to pass hateful bills in the legislatures or create them with the courts, have been known to rely on “myths and misconceptions” and have demonstrated they will “stoop to ginning up a case,” Littrell said.

Sotomayor’s powerful dissent notes that with 303 Creative, “a business open to the public” has been granted “a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class for the first time in the Court s history.

She detailed some of the ways in which LGBTQ people have been harmed by the sting of discrimination over the years, including with an anecdote from a real case filed in .

“Imagine a funeral home in rural Mississippi agrees to transport and cremate the body of an elderly man who has passed away, and to host a memorial lunch,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, but “Upon learning that the man’s surviving spouse is also a man, however, the funeral home refuses to deal with the family.”

“Grief stricken, and now isolated and humiliated, the family desperately searches for another funeral home that will take the body, she wrote. hey eventually find one more than miles away. his ostracism, this otherness, is among the most distressing feelings that can be felt by our social species.”

Littrell, who brought that case against the funeral home when practicing at Lambda Legal, said it was remarkable to see the Supreme Court, with a “strong and powerful, big picture” dissenting opinion, “identify a case that was a fight worth fighting.

Sotomayor had signaled “That was a story worth telling,” Littrell said, “Even though in the end, you know, we didn’t get a precedent out of the case,” which was settled.

Referring to 303 Creative, she said, “As we lose cases that feel so devastating,” it is important to remember “sometimes you lose forward” because they can usher in a change in the tide of public opinion.

Dale said his case followed a similar trajectory. As a young Scoutmaster, he had spoken at a conference about the importance of educators mentoring LGBTQ teens, which, when it appeared in the newspaper, prompted leadership to instruct Dale to cut all ties with the Scouts.

By five-four decision, the conservative ma ority on the court gave the Boy Scouts a First Amendment shield, protecting them from New Jersey’s gay rights law, which is kind of what we see going on here,” Dale told the Blade.

While the Scouts won, Dale said it was a “Pyrrhic victory.”

“Public accommodation laws play such a critical role in ensuring that vulnerable populations have access to the marketplace,” she said, adding that they are “only a small part way of getting the country to some modicum of equal justice, equality, for vulnerable populations.”

The majority opinion in 303 Creative takes pains to distinguish some services provided by Smith’s business as constituting original works of artistic expression, but when it comes to the applicability of its ruling, Littrell said the Court did not make “that distinction very clear.”

“And more than that,” she said, “I don’t know that there is a distinction here.”

“The way public accommodation laws generally work is there is no distinction — that you open your doors, and

“You know,” Cooper said, Gorsuch tells Justice Sotomayor “‘You’re imagining things and creating scenarios that this does not cover,’” but at the same time, his majority opinion is “basically base[d]” on “a scenario that may or may not have happened.”

Reporting in the New Republic has cast doubt on the veracity of a document filed by Smith and her counsel, ADF CEO Kristen Waggoner, that purports to show a reuest filed by a prospective client for services from Creative in connection with a same-sex wedding.

“I’m hopeful that we’re marching in the right direction, that there’s some swings in the pendulum — and we’re certainly experiencing some backsliding — but that in the end this decision will be cabined in some way,” Littrell said.

ltimately, over the course of, you know, , years, the Boy Scouts lost a colossal amount of membership,” he said. “They lost money, they lost funders, they lost the public support and goodwill that essentially made them the Boy Scouts of America.”

“As a result of their victory in the Supreme Court, they had that devastating backlash,” Dale said.

“The takeaway I have now, as we had this kind of narrow defeat in the Supreme Court with this [303] Creative decision the Supreme Court isn t the final say, Dale said.

“That’s not where it ends. It ends with the people and ends with the American public and convincing our families our neighbors our bosses, the people that surround us about why this is wrong.”

“The loss that I experienced was a catalyst for something wonderful,” Dale said. “It was a catalyst for making people speak out and stand up for what they believe in” — putting everyone on the record about where they stand when it comes to anti-LGBTQ discrimination.”

United States Supreme Court (Blade photo by Michael Key)

House Republicans attach anti-LGBTQ provisions to appropriations bills

Four Dems speak out against these efforts to the Blade

By CHRISTOPHER KANE | ckane@washblade.com

A contingent of some of the most conservative Republican members of the U.S. House have held up federal appropriations bills this week by demanding concessions including increasingly extreme anti-LGBTQ provisions.

“Every single one of the bills, in order to appeal to the fringes of their caucus, they put all kinds of anti LGBTQI riders,” U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan told the Washington Blade by phone just before joining an Appropriations Committee markup on Wednesday.

It is “the extreme elements of the Republican Party,” or “the fringes” who “care about this stuff,” said the congressman, who chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus.

The riders have been proposed for must-pass spending bills as they move through the appropriations process – in areas from homeland security and defense to agriculture and foreign operations.

“They started out with really the attacks this session on the trans community, specifically gender affirming care, trans girls playing sports, but then, literally, we’ve seen it progress through the appropriations process to suddenly ride ags are made into an issue, ocan said.

The GOP’s targeting of the LGBTQ community in the appropriations process also comes by way of the First Amendment Defense Act, proposed legislation that seeks to effectively prohibit the government from responding to anti-LGBTQ discrimination based on one’s belief that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman.

Pocan said that during a markup of a legislative branch appropriations bill, he told his Republican colleagues that if he were to “God forbid, pass, and my husband wanted to get his benefits that are due to any spouse, there would be no recourse if those benefits were denied because of one’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

The congressman said he asked whether that would be fair, and “I watched people on the dais mouth ‘no’ and shake their head,” including those members who supported the rider that would enable people to deny those benefits in accordance with their position on marriage equality.

“They understand the real effects, but they don’t care because they need to try to get the certain elements or their caucus to vote for this stuff,” Pocan said. “And, bluntly, I don’t think those elements are gonna vote for this anyway, because they don’t understand how government actually works.”

“They’re not actually doing any policy and appropriations,” Pocan said. “They’re acting like accountants; they re ust cutting funding down to levels, which makes much of what they’re doing largely irrelevant compared to what the Senate will do.”

Some members, including those in the ultraconservative ouse reedom Caucus, are dissatisfied with maintaining spending levels, the congressman noted, “so in the end it may just be abject failure.”

“There’s a very strong possibility that we don’t get these done and we have some kind of a CR,” Pocan said, referring to a temporary spending bill called a continuing resolution that Congress can pass to avoid a government shutdown that would otherwise be triggered by lapses in funding.

Another issue within the Republican conference, Pocan said, are intra-party divisions between, for instance, GOP members who are hawkish on foreign policy and eager to fund U.S. defense initiatives versus “those who just believe that government should be smaller.”

Add the “elements of the caucus that believe in the culture war issues,” the congressman said, “and, you know, it’s kind of like taking the Addams Family and saying, ‘what’s the average person?’”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), meanwhile, “hasn’t proven to be much of a leader during this time, either,” Pocan said.

Democrats who serve as the ranking members of three subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations also denounced efforts by their GOP colleagues to attach anti-LGBTQ riders to their must-pass spending bills in emailed statements to the Blade. All are vice chairs of the Equality Caucus.

“The legislation coming before us is jammed with extremist attacks that undermine our LGBTQI+ servicemembers, veterans, and their families,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), the top Democrat on the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee, which, she noted, “has a longstanding tradition of bipartisanship.”

“Republicans this year,” said the congresswoman, “bent to far-right ideologues, adding provisions to ban gender affirming care, ride ags, and other initiatives that impact the quality of life of our LGBTQI+ servicemembers.”

Despite the efforts by Republicans who “are dead set on wasting time marking up messaging bills with no

chance of becoming law,” Wasserman Schultz promised that “my House Democratic colleagues and I won’t stand idly by as Republicans undermine the service of LGBTQI+ individuals who so bravely defend our nation every day.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.) told the Blade, “During recent appropriations meetings, I’ve listened as my colleagues across the aisle insert cruel, dangerous anti-LGBTQI+ provisions into our funding bills on strictly partisan lines.”

“Republicans decided to strip Diversity and Inclusion funding, permit federal employees to discriminate against LGBTQI+ people, and ban medically necessary gender affirming care, said the congressman, who is ranking member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee.

“This is an outright assault on individuals who are simply asking for basic human rights and to be treated as equals in our country,” Quigley said, adding, “I have and will continue to fight back against these attacks because “allowing these provisions to become law would tell the LGBTQI+ community that their existence is wrong – we will never let that happen.”

B I people matter and our laws must re ect that truth,” said the congressman.

ouse epublicans are using the ppropriations process as an opportunity to attack the rights of women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community,” said U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (Calif.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

“Their Appropriations bills would eliminate funding from diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, attack the B community through banning ride ags at eterans Affairs facilities and military bases, undermine key programs to address the climate crisis, and much more,” said the congresswoman, who was a founding member of the Equality Caucus.

“Their efforts to disenfranchise our courageous servicemembers strictly based on how they identify or who they love is despicable,” she added.

7 GOP AGs declare LGBTQ merchandise obscene

Republican attorneys general from seven states have signed a letter to Target, insinuating that the retailer’s LGBTQ youth content and merchandise may be considered obscene and in violation of law.

The letter criticizes Target for offering youth-sized clothing featuring Pride themes and asserts that the states are obliged to “enforce state laws protecting children” from “content that sexualizes them,” including obscenity laws. The letter also suggests that Target may be breaching the law by making decisions that are al-

legedly unprofitable and not in the best interests of its shareholders, citing this as a violation of the company’s fiduciary duty.

The letter, which is six pages long, does not provide specific details regarding potential legal conse uences if Target continues to sell the merchandise in question. Notably, this follows a wave of bills introduced in various states that aim to ban LGBTQ content under obscenity laws, including measures to ban drag, ban books with LGBTQ characters, and restrict LGBTQ content in

schools and libraries.

The list of attorneys general who have signed onto this letter threatening Target with promoting “obscene” merchandise are: Todd Rokita — Indiana Attorney General; Tim Griffn — Arkansas Attorney General; Raul Labrador — Idaho Attorney General; Daniel Cameron — Kentucky Attorney General; Lynn Fitch – Mississippi Attorney General; Andrew Bailey — Missouri Attorney General; Alan Wilson — South Carolina Attorney General.

ERIN REED

Rep. MARK POCAN

(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Lawsuit against Affordable Care Act targets PrEP AIDS groups warn court ruling could lead to ‘explosion’ in new HIV cases

By LOU CHIBBARO JR. | lchibbaro@washblade.com

More than two dozen HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations and B supportive health centers have filed two separate friend-of-the-court or amicus legal briefs supporting the appeal of a Texas court decision earlier this year that the advocacy groups say would greatly reduce health insurance coverage of the HIV prevention medication known as PrEP.

he two amicus briefs filed by the advocacy organi ations in June express strong support for the Biden administration’s appeal of a March 30, 2023, ruling by Judge Reed O’Connor for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. O’Connor’s ruling struck down a provision of the U.S. Affordable Care Act that requires insurers to provide full coverage of preventive care services without co-pay or cost-sharing fees, including coverage for PrEP.

“As an organization representing thousands of physicians and other health care professionals working on the frontlines of the HIV epidemic in communities across the country, we are deeply concerned about the harmful and far-reaching impacts this decision will have if allowed to stand,” said Dr. Michelle Cespedes, chair of the HIV Medicine ssociation, one of the groups that filed the second of the two amicus briefs opposing the court ruling.

“Reinstating cost-sharing for PrEP would directly cause tens of thousands of preventable cases of HIV transmission and set back decades of progress toward curbing the epidemic,” she said in a statement.

In response to the appeal of the District court decision filed by the .S. Department of ustice on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, which administers the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued an administrative stay placing the lower court ruling on hold while the appeal process moves forward.

The case is called Braidwood Management Inc. et. al v. Becerra. Court records show that Braidwood, a management services company described as Christian owned, Kelley Orthodontics, also described as Christian owned, and si individuals in e as ointly filed the lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act in September 2022.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, whose name appears on the case, is among the federal officials in charge of administering the ffordable Care Act. The law is sometimes referred to as “Obama Care’’ after former President Barack Obama who initiated the expansive healthcare legislation that was passed by Congress.

The Braidwood company and the other plaintiffs that filed the lawsuit seeking to overturn the ffordable Care ct provision related to preventive care argue in court filings that forcing them to provide financial coverage to

PrEP, among other things, is unconstitutional and violates their religious rights under the U.S. Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

“Notably, the plaintiffs state the requirement to cover PrEP ‘imposes a substantial burden on the religious freedom of those who oppose homosexual behavior on religious grounds,’ claiming further that PrEP drugs ‘facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity, and intravenous drug use,’” according to KFF, on online independent news publication that covers health policy issues.

he publication, which analy ed the court filings in the case, says the plaintiffs also contend that the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services provision violates the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which they argue re uires government officials making important health care decisions under the Affordable Care Act be nominated to office by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

In their lawsuit challenging the preventive services provision, the plaintiffs note that under the Affordable Care ct, decisions on how to define preventive services that must be covered under the act are now made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose members are not confirmed by the Senate.

The U.S. government appeal of the Texas District court ruling, and the amicus briefs filed by the IDS advocacy organizations and other groups, including D.C. ‘s Whitman-Walker Health and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, strongly dispute the plaintiff’s assertions.

“We must not allow a couple of individuals who want to discriminate against people who use PrEP and don’t support insurance coverage of preventive services, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C testing, to destroy the public health of our country,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV-Hepatitis Policy Institute, one of 25 advocacy group that filed a oint amicus brief on une .

We filed this amicus brief to emphasi e the important role testing for HIV and hepatitis plays in linking people to life-saving medications and, in the case of hepatitis C, curative treatment, along with the importance of helping people know if they have an infectious disease,” Schmid said in a statement.

“We sought to emphasize that purchasing insurance that includes coverage of PrEP for HIV in no way burdens the ability of plaintiffs to exercise their religion,” said Richard ughes I , the lead attorney for the oint amicus filing

by the 25 advocacy groups. “In fact, we suggest to the court that granting exemptions for PrEP coverage would have far-reaching and absurd consequences for our society,” Hughes said.

The other amicus brief filed une by the I Medicine Association (HIVMA) and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), which represent thousands of physicians and other health care providers throughout the U.S., points out that if the Texas lower court ruling is allowed to stand, tens of thousands of people who rely on preventive care coverage from their health insurance policies will likely lose that coverage.

“Copays and deductibles deter people from accessing healthcare,” said Ben Klein, Senior Director of Litigation and HIV Law at the GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, known as GLAD, which is representing the two groups that filed the second amicus brief. rE is nearly percent effective at preventing transmission of HIV, but it is already underutilized, particularly among Black and Latino communities,” Klein said in a statement.

s the brief filed today by I and S D demonstrates, allowing the lower court’s ruling in Braidwood v. Bacerra to stand will exacerbate racial health disparities, increase new HIV diagnoses by the tens of thousands, and have devastating consequences on our efforts to end the epidemic,” Klein said.

Klein told the Washington Blade that the District court ruling, if not overturned on appeal, will adversely impact people at risk for other diseases, not just HIV. He points out that the higher copays and insurance deductible costs will impact cancer prevention screenings, including colonoscopies, by greatly raising the insurance related costs for people who may not be able to afford to pay those costs.

“So, we’re talking about a staggering impact that when you look at the range of harms and costs, it’s unfathomable,” he said. “And so that’s why a lot of the amicus briefs focused on that.”

Klein said a decision on the appeal by the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeal, which covers the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, was not expected to take place until sometime next year, with oral arguments by the attorneys likely to take place later this year.

Majority of voters oppose refusing service to LGBTQ people

Results of a new poll conducted by the D.C.-based Data for Progress released last week showed that 65 percent of voters believe businesses should not be allowed to turn away customers who are of a particular race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation because of the business owner’s personal beliefs.

The polling came after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority ruled in favor of Lori Smith, the Colorado-based 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. STAFF

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services XAVIER BECERRA is among the offcials in charge of administering the Affordable Care Act. (Photo public domain)

JAMES PATTERSON

is a life member of the American Foreign Service Association. Reach him at JEPDiplomat@gmail.com.

emembering founder of ederal BE, Dr. en irsch Smithsonian official fearlessly fought against discrimination

ne of the most dedicated public servants I ever knew was Dr. eonard . en irsch, a senior policy adviser with the Smithsonian Institution. en, who died in during B ride onth, was dedicated to his government career and to an organi ation he founded ederal BE. It was my interest in en s ederal ay, esbian, or Bise ual B Employees, a government-wide organi ation representing B federal employees with chapters at many agencies, that brought me to meet en at the Smithsonian in . ransgender employees were not initially included. I was an economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is located across Independence Avenue from the Smithsonian. I told en I wanted to oin the ederal BE. I related to en that I had seen federal managers insult and ridicule B colleagues in government meetings and in the hallways of government buildings. Colleagues with IDS were shunned as well as ridiculed. I shared my concerns with en about how this B abuse and harassment created an unhealthy workplace for all personnel. e shared studies and statistics to support my concerns. en grew up in the ew ork borough of ueens. I was raised in labama. y dad, a orean vet, served with labama s rmy ational uard from to . resident ohn . ennedy federali ed my dad s uard nit for the integration of the niversity of labama in . hen- ov. eorge C. Wallace defied ennedy by physically barring the doors to the university s registration office

to prevent frican- merican students from entering. e moved aside by order from the ational uard.

In arch , resident yndon ohnson federali ed labama s ational uard for as long as necessary for obel eace ri e-recipient Dr. artin uther ing, r., and hundreds of marchers to complete the third Selma to ontgomery march. hese two historic social ustice events had a ma or influence on my life.

During my youth, I saw Black mericans insulted and ridiculed when they were in white-owned stores and on city streets. I never saw Whites nly signs at stores. It seemed that white business owners wanted Black customers so they could insult and ridicule them while profiting from them. It was a demented form of entertainment.

In Washington, I saw federal managers insult and ridicule their B colleagues. I also witnessed management laugh whenever a gay colleague s name was mentioned. It seemed to me another demented form of entertainment, but this time in my federal workplace.

I told en, whom I always called Dr. irsch, that my SD workplace was sick with discrimination and harassment of B professionals. e nodded in agreement. e said many federal agencies were sick.

Dr. irsh told me that ederal BE worked to change the federal workplace and prevent employment discrimination against B workers. I oined BE to help in this much-needed work of ridding the federal workplace of discrimination based on se ual orientation. I eventually held a leadership role with BE. eeting and working with Dr. irsch was one of the great e periences of my federal career. e understood that discrimination against B workers created hostile and unproductive workplaces. e had strategies for improving all federal agencies by organi ing B federal employees to change discriminatory personnel policies. Dr. irsch was a brilliant man.

I spent many hours at en s office and at his residence working on BE. e had a big office in his Dupont Circle residence that he shared with his partner, ristian.

Dr. irsch s federal accomplishments were many. e also made huge strides in working to create a more diverse, e uitable, and inclusive federal workplace for B employees.

ederal BE had a tense situation in uly when then-Sen. esse elms attacked me in a Senate speech. I had given a speech at a Crystal City conference that enraged elms. elms s hate speech where he called me and my B federal colleagues perverts is captured on C-S and in the pages of he Congressional ecord for the Senate, uly , .

fter , my career and relationships took me on different paths. I left the Washington area. I corresponded with Dr. irsch on B issues.

he last time I saw Dr. irsch was at the ay White ouse ceremony for the unveiling of the arvey ilk orever Stamp issued by the .S. ostal Service. I noticed him as I walked past him seated in the audience. is appearance had changed over years.

When I greeted him, Dr. irsch grimaced as he rose from his seat. e e plained he had a back in ury. We talked about old times and old battles working to end discrimination against B federal workers.

t the time of our meeting, I was working in San rancisco. I told Dr. irsch I was scheduled to return to Washington. We looked forward to renewing our friendship.

I returned to Washington, D.C. in late . Dr. irsch died during ride month of that year. While we never got to renew our friendship, I have great memories of our work together. I would have never met Dr. irsch had it not been for our common interest in fighting discrimination against federal workers. I am forever grateful to have worked with Dr. en irsch. est in ride, Dr. irsch

PETER ROSENSTEIN

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

Is being LGBTQ enough to earn your vote?

We need to know in detail

what a candidate will do if elected

My answer to the question: “Is being LGBTQ enough to earn your vote?” is no. It’s the same answer I would give on whether just being Generation X, a millennial, a woman, or other minority, is enough to get my vote. We need to know in detail what a candidate stands for, what they have done prior to running for the office they are seeking, and what they will do better than their opponents. I often ask a candidate looking for my support, What are the first three bills you will introduce if you win Then I ask what they think they can accomplish better than their opponents. Voters should look at the entire field to decide who gets their vote.

I am talking about a Democratic primary. In the general election, any Democrat is better than today’s Republicans. Ranked choice voting, which I oppose, can also complicate your choices.

Once I know a candidate’s record of accomplishments, and thoughts on issues of importance to me, I then compare that to their opponent’s record and thoughts. Too often today candidates run without telling us what they will do once elected. As a policy wonk I want to know this prior to endorsing someone. I do recognize for many voters, it doesn’t matter.

I remember when Barney Frank once used this quote speaking to the LGBTQ community, “If we aren’t at the table we will be on the menu.” In some ways, and in some situations, that is still true. In others, we have moved beyond that. In the United States Congress today, there are 13 members of the LGBTQ community, 11 in the House and two in the Senate. There are approximately 200 members of the Equality Caucus representing members who support the LGBTQ community. On June , , they reintroduced the E uality ct, first introduced by Congresswoman Bella S. Abzug (D-N.Y.), who I worked for, in 1974. She was one of the leading allies fighting for then B rights. I am not convinced one more member of the B community in Congress would make a difference.

In the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries we had a very smart openly gay candidate, Pete Buttigieg. While I didn’t think he was ready to be president, I cochaired fundraisers for him fervently believing he represented the community well, and needed to be heard. I differentiated wanting him to be heard, and voting for him. Thankfully, we have some great organizations, like Victory Fund, whose mission is to both endorse, and raise funds, for LGBTQ candidates. While I strongly support their work, I don’t necessarily support each candidate they endorse. In today’s complex world I need to know more before I endorse a candidate.

Because we have in many ways moved the needle forward, despite some recent court decisions, there can be Democratic primaries today where an LGBTQ candidate is running against another LGBTQ candidate, or an African American, a Latino, an Asian, a person with a disability, or a woman. We know each community may have a stake in electing their person. So as informed voters, we need to move beyond ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or sexual identity, to determine whom we will support.

We need to look at records and platforms. For me, a gay man, if all candidates support the Equality Act, full inclusion, and the full panoply of the LGBTQ community’s rights, along with having a record of speaking out on these issues, I will look at all of them equally. I want to know where they are on climate change, education, public safety, immigration, and a host of other issues that will make a difference in our world. If they are running for national office today, what do they think about support for Ukraine, and their views on our military readiness? At all levels of government what are their positions on voting rights, and a woman’s right to choose? Do they believe in, and will they stand up for, the separation of church and state? Others may make their decisions on a different set of issues.

So, deciding whom to vote for today is complicated. I will endorse and vote for the person I think can make the most progress on the issues I care about.

CHARTER SPONSOR

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Rehoboth Beach to celebrate Pride July 13-16

Dance parties, drag shows, yoga and more on tap

By JOEL LEV-TOV

Is Pride month over? Not if you ask Tony Zacchei. He and his partner have organized a four-day Pride extravaganza in Rehoboth Beach, Del., complete with happy hours, dancing, and yoga.

“I’ve been coming to Rehoboth since 1996 and I absolutely adore this town,” Zacchei said. “And what we realized last year is that, even though Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day are all great festive holidays, we didn’t have our own Pride.”

So Zacchei and his husband took matters into their own hands: The two started planning the long weekend back in January, working with Sussex Pride, CAMP Rehoboth, and Rehoboth’s queer bars to create what they hope will be the first of many ride events in the beach town.

The long weekend starts with a 9 p.m. kickoff party at Freddie’s Beach Bar on Thursday, July 13. The rest of the long weekend includes yoga and a drag show on Saturday, a drag brunch on Sunday, and a dance party at Aqua Bar. The yoga and drag brunch are explicitly open to all – including those who don’t drink.

The duo started out with more ambitious ideas for a big Pride production, but realized they had to dial it down.

“We realized after talking to some folks at CAMP Rehoboth, at Sussex Pride that you really need a lot of infrastructure to throw a big Pride event,” Zacchei, a retired ophthalmologist, said. “So this year we kind of took a step back a little bit.”

Infrastructure wasn’t the only challenge – time was, too. Zacchei said he and his husband Jacob Anthony had to schedule around Pride events in Washington, Philadelphia, Rhode Island, Provincetown, Mass., and New York as well as Market Days in Chicago and Disney’s Gay Days – all while letting people enjoy Rehoboth’s summer. The two are also in Rehoboth only half the year – most planning took place from their Miami home, making things more difficult. he th through the th ended up being the sweet spot – not just because his husband’s birthday is on the 15th.

he days include a first the first dance party at Blue Moon in three years, since the pandemic struck. Zacchei said it wasn’t easy to convince the bar’s owners to host one.

“There was some hesitancy because they’re not used to, for the past three years throwing dance parties or really having much going on at the bar after 10,” Zacchei said. “We’re really glad that they’re going to do this, and I think there’s even the possibility that they may just continue to stay open for dancing on the weekends, which would thrill myself and a lot of folks.”

The Pride events have a charitable side as well – some event proceeds support Sussex Pride and CAMP Rehoboth. Zacchei and his husband have been big CAMP Rehoboth donors for some time – one pool party at the

couple’s house raised $2,600, he said.

The couple hopes to put on Pride events rivaling those of big cities in the coming years, closing down Baltimore Avenue and hosting block parties.

“There’s been a lot of excitement here and we’re hoping to stress that this is clearly not a Tony and Jacob show. We are just trying to be facilitators to bring everybody together to work together,” Zacchei said. “And I think that is coming along very nicely.”

This year’s Pride is meant to be a celebration of the entire community, the Philadelphia native said.

“The LGBTQ+ community has taken the rainbow and it has made it our symbol,” Zacchei said. And just like the rainbow has every color, we want every type of person to share, grow with each Pride and be part of it with us.”

Here’s the full list of events:

THURSDAY, JULY 13

9 p.m. - Kickoff party at Freddie’s Beach Bar, S. 1st St. in Rehoboth

FRIDAY, JULY 14

4 p.m. - Happy hour at Aqua Grill, 57 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth

9 p.m. - Pride show and dance party at Blue Moon Bar, 35 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth

SATURDAY, JULY 15

10 a.m. - Pride yoga at Poodle Beach, 1103 S. Boardwalk in Rehoboth.

12 p.m. - Beach fun at Poodle Beach

4-6 p.m. - Pride barbeque and games at Aqua Grill

8:30 p.m. - Pride drag show at The Pines, 56 Baltimore Ave. in Rehoboth

10 p.m. - Pride party at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, 37298 Rehoboth Ave. Extension in Rehoboth

SUNDAY, JULY 16

12 p.m. - Broadway drag brunch at Goolee’s Grille, 11 S. 1st St. in Rehoboth

12 p.m. - Pride drag brunch at The Pines

2-6 p.m. - Closing tea dance at Aqua Grill

A local gay couple has put together a weekend-long Pride celebration July 13-16. (Washington Blade fle photo by Michael Key)

WHY WAIT TO BUILD?

RARE OPPORTUNITY!

CALENDAR |

Friday, July 14

GoGay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Social” at 7 p.m. at As You Are. This event is ideal to make new friends in the LGBTQ community or just to unwind and enjoy extended happy hour. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

Women in Their Twenties and Thirties will be at 8 p.m. on Zoom and in person at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This 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 more details, join WiTT’s closed Facebook group.

Saturday, July 15

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 1 p.m. on Zoom. LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgment free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more details, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.

South Asian Support Group will be at 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for South Asian-identified LGBTQ individuals to come and talk about anything affecting them. It’s a secure, judgment-free environment to discuss relationships, sexuality, health, well-being, identity, culture, religion, or anything that is on your mind. For more details, email board.khushdc@gmail.com.

Sunday, July 16

GoGay DC will host “Drag Show for Charity” at 8 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. Tips to the drag performers this evening will benefit worthy charities that have been vetted by the Imperial Court of Washington DC. Admission is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

SADBrunch will host “The Ultimate 90s Drag Brunch with Jasmine Masters!” at 12 p.m. at THRoW Social. There will also be performances from five other drag queens while guests enjoy food and cocktails for purchase. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

By TINASHE CHINGARANDE

Monday, July 17

Center Aging Monday Coffee and Conversation will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. LGBT Older Adults — and friends — are invited to enjoy friendly conversations and to discuss any issues you might be dealing with. For more information, visit the Center Aging’s Facebook or Twitter.

Genderqueer DC will at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This support group is for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100% cis. For more details, visit www.genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.

Tuesday, July 18

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

Javier Moya will host “Gay Sip and Paint” at 7 p.m. at Green Lantern. This will be a night of painting with a live model, music, and drinks. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Wednesday, July 19

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.

Thursday, July 20

Virtual Yoga Class with Jesse Z. will be at 12 p.m. online. This is a weekly class focusing on yoga, breathwork, 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

Blade editor talks new book at Enoch Pratt in Baltimore

Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff will speak at “Writers LIVE!” on Thursday, July 20 at 7 p.m. at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore.

Naff will talk about his book, “How We Won the War for LGBTQ Equality — And How Our Enemies Could Take It All Away” and reflect on the past 20 years of the LGBTQ rights movement. He will offer his insights into the progress that has been made as well as the current threats to overturn the movement’s hard-fought gains.

This event is free and more details can be found on Enoch Pratt Free Library’s website.

Spotify teams up with queer artists for LGBTQ playlist

Music streaming service Spotify released “Last Call: Sounds of Queer NYC,” a music playlist that puts a spotlight on the vibrant sounds of queer NYC communities from the 80/90s to present day with thoughtfully selected tracks that amplify the show’s music selections and themes.

The playlist was curated by the director and music supervisor of Max’s latest docu-series Max’s “Last Call,” which chronicles the stories of the victims of a serial killer who targeted the NYC queer bar scene during the 1990s.

“Musical highlights of the show included showcasing music from original electronic pioneers like Patrick Cowley, who not only worked with [queer disco icon] Sylvester to create some of the biggest songs of the era like ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),’ but also created the score to many a gay porn film,” said Dawn Sutter Madel, music supervisor of “Last Call.”

To access the playlist, visit Spotify’s website.

‘Cambodian Rock Band’ melds horror with a rock concert

We don’t remember civilizations for their wars but for their culture

By PATRICK FOLLIARD

When out actor Francis Jue was tapped to play the heavy in Lauren Yee’s “Cambodian Rock Band,” he made one stipulation. His character couldn’t simply be a moustache twirling villain; he had to be human.

Jue explains, “I wanted to explore how under the right circumstances, all of us might be capable of almost anything. Until you’re there, you never know.”

His instincts paid off. Jue snagged rave reviews along with the 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his chilling work in the show’s off-Broadway run, and now that same Chay Yew-directed production is opening at Arena Stage on Wednesday.

Set in 2008, “Cambodian Rock Band” follows a father and daughter who travel to Phnom Penh — he’s returning to his homeland for the first time after 0 years and she’s prosecuting a notorious war criminal who played a role in the dictatorship of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, who from 1976 to 1979 killed about 2 million people.

The playwright melds horror with a rock concert made up of music by the Los Angeles area band Dengue Fever, and sounds from the early 1970s Cambodian psychedelic pop scene that disappeared during the genocide.

“I can safely say you’ll never see anything quite like this show; it’s a roller coaster,” says Jue, a native San Franciscan turned New Yorker. He’s appeared on Broadway in acific vertures,” Thoroughly Modern Millie” and M Butterfly ” is off-Broadway credits include “Good Enemy,” “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992,” and “Wild Goose Dreams” (Obie Award). He is also known for his recurring role of hinese oreign Minister Ming hen on T ’s Madam Secretary ”

WASHINGTON BLADE: Is “Cambodian Rock Band” a world you can relate to? What’s your way in?

FRANCIS JUE: Here and now LGBTQ people are being targeted with hundreds of laws — proposed and passed; and SCOTUS says we can be discriminated against and women can’t be trusted with autonomy. I have the privilege of working in a play that allows me, in my way, to respond to that. So, yes.

BLADE: When did you know theater could be gratifying in this way?

JUE: As a kid, I couldn’t put a sentence together in front of people. Through theater I saw people talking about things that mattered to me but couldn’t express. I knew from that moment on how I was going to live my life. I wasn’t sure how I’d get there, but I was determined.

Conjuring real emotion in a safe space was a revelation, and it rescued me during my time as an English major at Yale and when I began getting hired to do it professionally.

BLADE: Is the show’s music element important?

JUE: The first victims of an authoritarian regime are usually musicians, artists, actors and filmmakers As a

rock show, there is joy in expressing ourselves. That’s why the authoritarians are afraid of us. We invite people to imagine a better future. It’s important now in a lot of ways, especially when theaters are struggling.

The temporary closure of the prestigious Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and other announcements have rocked our industry hat if the M T pera in ew ork took a year off. It’s shocking and a wakeup call. Communities don’t just get entertained by these places. They define themselves with these institutions

We don’t remember civilizations for what wars they’ve won; we remember them for their culture.

BLADE: You’ve worked with some of the greats including Sondheim.

JUE: h yes, was terrified of him even though he was always very sweet to me. Twenty years after playing the boy in the tree in acific vertures,” was the crusty old whore who sings “Welcome to Kanagawa” in Roundabout’s 2004/2005 revival in New York. When we finished the first reading, he said you’re like one of those old film noir broads” and he wrote some new lyrics to amplify what I was doing.

I was going for Roz Russell but I thought, OK, I’ll take it.

BLADE: You’ve mentioned in other interviews that you like to play a “range of humanity.”

JUE: That’s true. Occasionally I talk to groups of young Asian actors graduating from drama school. It seems they only want to play leading men and women, heroes and not immigrants, servants, or people with accents. And that’s their choice.

or me, those seemingly less significant parts are important, those people are my family and they deserve to have their stories told too no matter how small. Bringing their stories to life is an important part in acknowledging their humanity.

‘Cambodian Rock Band’ July 19 - August 27

Arena Stage | 1101 Sixth St., S.W. $66 - $105 | Arenastage.org

FRANCIS JUE (Photo courtesy of Arena Stage)

Photo of Francis Jue in Cambodian Rock Band by Joan Marcus.

As You Are, Trade among Esquire’s Best Gay Bars 2023

Magazine picks 42 queer spaces to celebrate

By EVAN CAPLAN

The number of Washington, D.C., bars on Esquire magazine’s Best Gay Bars in America has doubled from 2022 to 2023. Trade, which made the list last year, has been joined by As You Are bar.

The national lifestyle magazine has chosen 42 bars, up from 32 last year, that embody places where patrons “can, like have fun.” Acknowledging that in public life, so much of the queer narrative is based on trauma and challenges, especially in the context of increased legal backsliding, these bars “celebrate being alive to face what’s ahead for building the dance floor off to the side of the cruel world.”

Esquire celebrates Trade for several reasons, not least of which because “Trade is the rare, gloriously gay dive where absolutely everyone is welcome to just kick back.” They note the lengthy hours of operation (5 p.m. opening weekdays, 2 p.m. opening weekends), and “loud and loose” parties. The writers are especially excited about the lengthy XL Happy Hours, pop star and diva theme nights, drag events, talented DJs, and diverse crowds.

On its Instagram account, Trade posted that, “It might go without saying, but TRADE would not exist without the ongoing efforts of our amazing, hardworking staff and our crazy, extended family of performers and DJs. And, of course, a big thank you to all of you for continuing to make TRADE the best, weird, quirky and QAF little bar it could be.”

Ed Bailey, owner of Trade, notes that “as a small business, like a bar, you work really hard to try to make something that’s fun and interesting, and when someone recogni es you for that effort, it’s ust so reaffirming that maybe you are actually doing something right.”

He says that, “to be recognized by a highly regarded, national publication on such a short list is pretty mind-boggling. This amazing recognition came as a surprise to us too, which made it even more special. It’s really just a testament to the Trade staff and all the hard,

long hours that they put in to make Trade so weird and special.”

Trade opened in December 2015, and has maintained its L happy hour since that first day t also achieved notoriety during the pandemic, when it fulfilled its D government-mandated obligation to serve food with drinks by having a menu that consisted of stale popcorn and a slice of wrapped American cheese with white bread.

Esquire goes on to celebrate As You Are, which “had a lot to live up to when it first opened its doors Luckily, co-owners Jo McDaniel and Rachel Pike were up to the task and had the experience necessary to manage such an ambitious project.” As You Are, Esquire notes, is more than just a bar; it’s an event center, café, lounge, karaoke bar, and safe space.

McDaniel says that her bar is “absolutely thrilled to have been selected as one of Esquire’s 42 best in the country. We believe fervently in our community and what we’re all building at As You Are.”

She reinforced the community, convening aspect that Esquire wrote about is alive and well, and the most important part of As You Are. “This place was built by and for the community, and continues to evolve to our ever-changing needs. This mission requires a lot of work and a lot of fle ibility, so to be recogni ed by a national publication this way is incredibly affirming e’re honored.”

In a previous Blade article in April of this year celebrating the bar’s one-year anniversary, McDaniel noted that, “We’re looking to change bar culture — not just queer bars, but all social spaces,” said McDaniel. “We want to help people socialize safely, to empower those who have been taught to be pleasing ”

Esquire notes that these bars, while reaching across America, from West Hollywood to Washington, D.C., and places like St. Louis in between, are places where patrons can “swing open the doors and walk into the places where we can feel at home whether we know a soul or not.”

Trade made Esquire’s list of Best Gay Bars for the second year in a row.

(Photo courtesy Duhon Photography)

Doc captures taste of ‘Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of American Popular Music’

A stirring look at a signature work by a brilliant queer artist

By JOHN PAUL KING

If the name Taylor Mac is unknown to you, it might conjure images of some hard-edged pop diva, known for a tell-it-like-it-is fierceness and a willingness to dive into their personal life for material – and in truth, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

Mac, who conceived, wrote and performed the epic performance event at the center of HBO’s eponymous documentary “Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of American Popular Music,” is admittedly hard to classify precisely, though one could use any number of labels – actor, playwright, performance artist, director, producer, singer-songwriter – to describe what Mac does. Just as easily, one could invoke his numerous honors and accolades –winner of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Genius” Grant, ulit er ri e finalist, Tony nominee – to get across how well he does what he does. In actuality, none of those clunky, generalized designations convey who Mac is, and his milieu could more aptly be understood as a blend that comes together, as needed, to create something greater – or at least, more provocative – than the sum of its parts.

Challenging, razor sharp in its observations and commentary about American culture, and deliberately confrontational, Mac’s plays and performances are also rife with absurdity, centering themselves in a comedic, deceptively campy vein as they deconstruct the social attitudes that fuel so much of our contemporary “culture wars.” In no case (to date, at least) have Mac’s gifts been distilled so liberally into the fabric of a live performance as in the “24-Decade History” project.

Created in collaboration with musical director Matt Ray over roughly a decade, it was a magnum opus that was performed as intended – as a 24-hour immersive theatrical experience in front of a live audience – only once, at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2016. Part performance art, part theatrical extravaganza, part concert, it offered an alternative take on U.S. history, narrated through music that was popular in American culture since its founding in 1776 to 2016. Built on stunning, powerful musical performances and peppered with surprising and revelatory historical interpretation – as well as comedic banter and form-transcendent audience interaction – it wove a narrative compiled from “between the lines” of commonly-held history, exposing things like the casual bigotry at the heart of many of America’s earliest popular songs and the misogyny and homophobia that has continued to permeate its music until the present day; an hour was dedicated to each decade, with Mac decked out in an elaborate new decade-specific costume designed by

longtime collaborator Machine Dazzle and incorporating humorous references to American life in each of the 24 decades covered in the show – for each one; each hour, one of 24 onstage musicians would depart the stage, until Mac, alone and unaccompanied except for a ukulele, was left alone to perform original songs for the final hour It was an electrifying, “you had to be there” event, a true landmark in American theatre which garnered Mac both the afore-mentioned Tony and Pulitzer nods – but unless you were part of the crowd at St. Ann’s Warehouse for that 24 hour marathon performance, you could never “be there” yourself.

the show’s 24-piece orchestra and a host of shockingly cooperative audience members.

Of course, it cannot be considered a substitute for seeing the entire 24-hour production, which was recreated in six-hour segments (footage from some of these were used in the film alongside the material shot during the original production) for a subsequent national tour after the St. Ann’s performance. Even so, it succeeds better than most performance documentaries in capturing the electric energy of a live performance by someone touched with genius, as Mac surely is, which ultimately serves the film’s true purpose by documenting a queer’s-eye view of history that the heteronormative “mainstream” would prefer to keep buried.

Those who might object to the nuggets of well-researched insight and contemporary interpretation that Mac weaves into the fabric of his performance would likely be among those who find themselves confused by the star’s preferred pronoun – which is “judy” - and not altogether open to the kind of presentation judy uses to get judy’s point across. Nevertheless, the boldness with which Mac infuses judy’s stage persona quickly washes away notions of “inappropriate” or “lewd” to make it clear judy’s intention is simply to howl the truth of judy’s world as loudly as judy ever has, and if some of it makes a few midwestern conservatives clutch their pearls a little tighter, well, that feels like so much the better given Mac’s clearly stated agenda.

Now, thanks to HBO (and Max, where the documentary is currently streaming for subscribers), you can at least come close. As directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, who also produced, “Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of American Popular Music,” offers an opportunity to experience the show in all its subversive, strangely moving glory – or at least, a “Cliff’s Notes” overview of its highlights – with the kind of up-close-and-personal intimacy that even those who were watching it live did not experience. Intercut with interview footage of Mac, as well as collaborators Ray, Dazzle, stage co-director Niegel Smith, and others, it provides insight into the behind-the-scenes technical choices that were geared to enhance and amplify the show’s themes, but still finds plenty of time to document the magnificent musical performances by Mac and fellow musicians, such as singers Erin Hill, Steffanie Christi’an, Heather Christian, Thornetta Davis and Anais Mitchell, among others – not to mention

That agenda, as laid down by the gifted Mac early on, is to remind us that our history as Americans is in the history of our songs, and that it’s a history shaped by the underdogs and outsiders who saw a vision for a better world beyond the toxic mindsets and social hierarchies that keep many, if not most, human beings from achieving anything close to the true freedom touted by our nation’s forefathers in its gestational years. “I love the idea that a queer body could become the metaphor for America,” Mac tells the camera (and the live audience), and proceeds to remind us that it’s the sense of community, of shared need, that communicates to us through the musical landscape forged by our national chronology.

Of course, the documentary, which delivers a powerful taste of Mac and company’s charismatic and talented performative skills with songs from “Yankee Doodle” and “My Old Kentucky Home” to “Gimme Shelter” and “Born to Run” – and that’s not a bad thing, either. In any case, it’s a stirring and memorable document of a signature work by one of America’s most brilliant queer artists, which makes it essential viewing as far as we’re concerned.

TAYLOR MAC (Photo courtesy HBO Max)

‘Leg’ recounts gay man’s experience with cerebral palsy

Author writes candidly about sex life and overcoming obstacles

By TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

Hop, hop.

You’ve known how to do that for so long, you probably don’t even remember when you learned it r was it instinctive f you were like most kids, your childhood was filled with jumps and hops, bouncing and skipping and climbing, but as in the new book “Leg” by Greg Marshall many kids have hurdles to leap.

From the moment he was born, Greg Marshall was endowed with two things: a right leg with “tight tendons,” that twisted his foot on that side; and certain oversized intimate body parts that his mother was just too eager to mention.

The latter was an eye-rolling embarrassment.

The former was never really a big deal to Marshall. Other than wearing out a lot of sneakers, he walked with a limp, so what?

He was never bullied much about it, though his siblings teased him in a way that siblings will. He never let it stop him from playing tennis or exploring his Salt Lake City neighborhood. He traveled, appeared in local theater, ran for president of his class, and had an otherwise normal childhood. Still, his leg was something people noticed.

He hoped that no one would notice he was gay, but they must’ve: nobody seemed surprised when he came out as a teen.

By then, Marshall’s mother had been fighting non- odgkin’s lymphoma for years with surgeries and various chemotherapies that left her wrung-out and scarred. She was in the midst of another battle when Marshall’s father was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that affected his muscles and that progressed quickly. As the elder Marshall slipped away – the timing of which he decided himself – the family rallied around him, teasing, deflecting, and grieving

Marshall was in his 20s when that happened, and it highlighted his shaky, barely controlled penchant for hypochondria that he’d had for some time. He worried about his “tight tendons” and cerebral palsy, a diagnosis he’d recently discovered. He fretted about getting A DS Most of all, he wondered if he’d ever find someone to love him Hoo boy, “Leg” is the kind of book that makes you hyperventilate. On many, very

many pages, there’s boisterous, Saturday-morning-cartoon-like, going-in-five-different-directions chaos that might be sibling-based, it might be parental, deeply personal, humorous, relational, or sexual – and on that note, hoo boy, there are some wildly messy and e plicit pages to find here Author Greg Marshall writes candidly about his sex life, doors wide open, sometimes literally.

Ah, but he also writes about the kind of love that’s wrapped in a scrap of fleece and handled carefully, the kind that feels like it might blow away if you’re not careful. That’s a delicate thing in the midst of a madcap tale of a limb and the gay man attached to it, and it’s sneaky, too: you’ll be looking every-which-way at Marshall’s life and boom! Tears.

Give yourself some time with this book, and breathe deep Most readers will find it chaotic but thoroughly enjoyable for beach read, airport, or a staycation. Don’t skip “Leg” or you’ll kick yourself.

‘Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew From It’

By Greg Marshall

c.2023, Abrams Press | $26 | 304 pages

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So, you want to be a landlord?

Real estate is still a wealth builder

By VALERIE M. BLAKE

Being a landlord is a multifaceted role. Not only do you own the property, but also you may decide to manage it yourself.

As part of that process, you must find suitable tenants who can show that they have good credit and can afford the rent, have paid rent on time at other properties, and have kept the places they lived in good repair

You must determine what the rent should be, handle routine and emergency maintenance, keep track of related finances, and ensure you have the appropriate licenses

t’s also important to have a thorough understanding of local rental and tenants’ rights laws and homeowner or condominium association rules. And let’s not forget compliance with fair housing laws.

Many people find this daunting and opt to hire a real estate agent to, at minimum, determine the rent, market the property, vet the tenants, and complete standardi ed leases. As with selling houses, leasing compensation is negotiable. Locally, you should expect to pay a minimum of one month’s rent.

n most areas in the DM you must have a license to rent a home ften, this requires a visit by a city inspector, correcting any niform Building ode violations, remediation of lead paint, and disclosure of potential ha ards in the home, along with associated costs.

hile some people are comfortable with overseeing a rental property themselves, the Property Management (PM) portion of the real estate industry is there for those who are not f you are leaving the area, it’s even more important to have someone local to take care of your home and your tenants on a day-to-day basis

PM fees generally run from 8 to 10% of the monthly rent. For that, you get a menu of services that will likely include collecting rent, paying mortgages, assessments, and other bills, vetting new tenants, ensuring the property is properly maintained, and dealing with any legal issues that might arise, such as tenant disputes and evictions

It’s critical to read your management contract to understand your responsibilities and those of your property manager. Also at issue is whether the company is owed a commission if the tenant they secure ultimately buys the property.

ou may be asked to begin with a repair escrow that can be supplemented as needed After monetary tasks are complete, you will receive any balance due you as the landlord or be asked to supplement your account should you have a deficit

A standard lease will outline a tenant’s maintenance responsibilities, who pays utilities, property access, pet restrictions, termination provisions, and additional paragraphs as may be required by each jurisdiction or agreed upon by the parties.

So now that you have the perfect tenant and management system in place, what happens if you want to sell your property?

In general, if the tenant has a lease, that lease continues upon the sale of the home and security deposits and copies of leases are transferred from you to the next owner at settlement.

n many urisdictions, even a month-to-month tenant can continue to reside in the property as if she were still under the terms of the original lease as long as she continues to pay rent and does not violate the initial terms

D ’s Tenant pportunity to urchase Act T A has been amended to specify that only residents who are age 2 or older, those who have a disability, and those who signed their lease and began occupancy prior to the spring of 20 are entitled to first right of refusal in the sale f course, a tenant is free to make an offer on the home he lives in along with any other buyers

f you want your tenants to vacate early or quickly so that you can make repairs, repaint, and stage the home prior to marketing, it may behoove you to offer financial incentives to assist with their move t’s often a cost of doing business

More people are looking for homes to live in rather than seeking investment property, so having tenants with a long-term lease who want to remain will likely decrease your buyer pool and, as a result, may affect your ultimate sales price nvestor buyers, however, will be more interested in the monetary return on their investment than glit and glam Make sure you have the property’s rental history available to review

So, do you want to be a landlord? Maybe. Real estate is still a wealth builder. Just be sure you have sufficient funds available to withstand a few months with no income while you change tenants and always keep a handyman and a landlord tenant attorney on speed dial.

VALERIE M. BLAKE

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

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

Alvin Forrest, whose address is 507 Quintana Pl, NW, Washington, DC 20011 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Ethel Hudgins-Forrest who died on March 16, 2021 without a Will and will service without Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. b ections to such appointment shall be filed with the egister of Wills, DC, Building A, 515 5th Street, NW 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on or before 12/30/23. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the egister of wills or filed with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before 12/30/23, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship.

Date of first publication: 6/30/23, Alvin M. Forrest, 202-726-5934

True Test Copy, Nicole Stevens, Register of Wills

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