Metro Weekly - 12-12-13 - COTY

2 DECEMBER 12, 2013 METROWEEKLY.
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3 METROWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 12, 2013
4 DECEMBER 12, 2013 METROWEEKLY.COM
Transgender Youth
Protections Targeted
Coalition forms to put landmark law to voters in co-ed bathroom law campaign
California State Assembly
by Justin Snow
T
RANSGENDER STUDENTS
in California are facing what
could be their nal obstacle
before being granted basic
protections in the states public schools.
Late last month, opponents of a law
that would make California the rst state
to mandate public schools provide equal
access to all school activities, sports teams,
programs and facilities for students who
identity as transgender slated to take ef-
fect Jan. 1, 2014 turned in 614,317 peti-
tion signatures in hopes of putting the law
before voters, roughly 100,000 more than
the required minimum. With county reg-
istrars required to verify at least 95 per-
cent of those signatures for a referendum
to be conducted in November 2014, sup-
porters of the landmark LGBT-rights law
are expressing condence the law will not
have to face voters.
Because often times many signatures
are invalidated for various reasons, it is
unknown whether the referendum will
qualify, the Support All Students Coali-
tion, a group of LGBT-rights organizations
backing the law, said in a statement. We
are not surprised that the opposition was
not able to acquire a comfortable margin
to repeal a law that simply makes sure all
students know they can have a fair chance
to succeed at school.
In August, California Gov. Jerry
Brown signed the School Success and
Opportunity Act into law after it was
approved by California lawmakers. The
legislation requires a pupil be permitted
to participate in sex-segregated school
programs and activities, including ath-
letic teams and competitions, and use fa-
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cilities consistent with his or her gender
identity, irrespective of the gender listed
on the pupils records.
The new law is similar to statewide
policies in Massachusetts and Colorado
that require schools to respect students
gender identity. A broad coalition backed
the legislation, including the National
Center for Lesbian Rights, ACLU of Cali-
fornia, Gay-Straight Alliance Network,
Equality California, Gender Spectrum
and the Transgender Law Center.
According to the Gay, Lesbian &
Straight Education Network, existing
California law already prohibits discrimi-
nation against transgender students, but
Assembly Bill 1266 specically calls upon
public schools to respect the identity of
transgender students in terms of school
activities such as sports. With physical
education credits a requirement for grad-
uation, the National Center for Lesbian
Rights notes that transgender students
have been left without a support network
in the past, which has negatively impact-
ed their ability to graduate.
But while advocates have hailed the
California law as a first of its kind in the
nation, it has also galvanized a number
of opponents who have voiced outrage
at what they have dubbed the co-ed
bathroom law.
Among those backing a referendum
of the law is the National Organization
for Marriage, which has its roots in the
ght against same-sex marriage in Cali-
fornia. Although NOM by name restricts
itself to the debate over same-sex mar-
riage, the group has injected itself into
the attempt to repeal the law. NOMs na-
tional political director, Frank Schubert,
penned a column for the website Red-
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News
Now online at MetroWeekly.com
Soundwaves: The 30 Best Albums of 2013
Stage: A fabulously Funny Thing at STC
Transgender Youth
Protections Targeted
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LGBTNews
years in prison for his work against apart-
heid before his release in 1990.
Nelson Mandela tore down oppres-
sion, united a rainbow nation, and always
walked arm-in-arm with his LGBT broth-
ers and sistersand with all people
toward freedom, said Human Rights
Campaign President Chad Grifn in a
statement. Though every man, woman
and child who seeks justice around the
world mourns this loss, his vision of an
equal future lives on undimmed.
In 1994 while Mandela was president,
by Justin Snow
L
GBT LEADERS IN THE
United States praised Nel-
son Mandelas contributions
toward advancing equality fol-
lowing the death of the former South
African president Thursday, Dec. 5.
Mandela, who died at the age of 95,
was South Africas rst democratically
elected and rst black president, serv-
ing from 1994 to 1999. Mandela spent 27
Anti-Apartheid Icon
Mandela Dies
LGBT leaders remember South Africas Nelson Mandela
for advancement of equality
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State in August blasting the latest craze
from the left concerning something they
call gender identity.
This is an example of what happens
when politicians and activists push agen-
da politics, and where political correct-
ness trumps objective reality, Schubert
continued. No matter what any politician
or activist says, there are only two gen-
ders: male and female. Nature and chro-
mosomes determine gender, not educa-
tion bureaucrats, activists or politicians.
A month after Schuberts column was
published, NOM came out against the law
and voiced its backing of the coalition op-
posing the law Privacy for all Students
which Schubert is now leading.
AB1266, the co-ed bathroom law, is a
horrible attempt by activists to strip soci-
ety of all gender roles and uses children
as a weapon in their culture war, NOM
President Brian Brown said in a state-
ment. [Legislators] are forcing our school
children to be exposed in showers and
bathrooms to members of the opposite
sex who claim a gender identity with that
sex. This new law doesnt prevent bully-
ing it is bullying. It is not about protect-
ing kids; it damages kids.
NOMs involvement in the campaign
against transgender students has raised
questions as to whether the organization
is attempting to maintain relevance after
suffering repeated defeats on the issue for
which it was founded. Schubert himself
was involved in all four defeats for NOM
at ballot boxes in Maine, Maryland, Wash-
ington and Minnesota in November 2012.
Since then, the marriage-equality move-
ment has racked up major victories. In
2013, same-sex marriage has been legal-
ized in Rhode Island, Delaware, Minneso-
ta, New Jersey, Hawaii and Illinois (though
marriages will not begin in Illinois until
June 2014). Same-sex nuptials have re-
sumed in California for the rst time since
2008, after the Supreme Court refused to
hear arguments in the Proposition 8 case,
and the federal governments denition of
marriage as between a man and a woman
has been struck down as unconstitutional.
Tax documents show NOM ended the
year almost $2 million in debt. Accord-
ing to advocates, the organization may be
looking for a new boogeyman.
This is an attempt to take away
nondiscrimination rights from perhaps
the most vulnerable in our community,
transgender youth, John OConnor, ex-
ecutive director of Equality California,
told Metro Weekly.
Even though we may come through
this without a referendum, this is still a
very real and despicable attack on our
community by people who have existed
and organized for years and years to attack
our community, OConnor continued, la-
beling groups like the Pacic Justice In-
stitute, which has vowed to challenge the
law in court if the referendum effort is un-
successful, as fringe anti-LGBT groups.
Politics has also found its way into the
debate over protections for transgender
youth. The California Republican Party
voted in October at its convention to back
repeal of the law.
Speaking to the Values Voter Summit
earlier this fall, former Republican presi-
dential candidate Mike Huckabee said
the bill would allow 6-year-olds who are
biologically boys think that they are really
girls, that they should be able to go to the
girls restroom. And if theyre 16 and they
really maybe youre biologically all male
but they identify as female, they should
be able to go to the locker room with,
shower with, and play on the sports team
of the girls. And to those of us who believe
that there is a difference between male
and female, we would say we have been
told: Youre on your own.
And by the way, Huckabee contin-
ued, it is a good thing that that didnt
come up when I was in high school, be-
cause Im pretty sure that every boy in
my high school would have suddenly felt
like that he was just a little more com-
fortable showering with the girls no mat-
ter how uncomfortable the girls might
have been with it.
California counties have until Jan. 8,
2014 to nish validating random samplings
of the petition signatures submitted by the
laws opponents. If that sampling indicates
there are enough valid signatures in the 95
to 110 percent range, the secretary of state
will order every signature to be veried
a process that could go into mid-March.
But with the initial number of signatures
turned in last month lower than expected,
supporters of the law believe transgender
youth wont have to endure a campaign or
wait until after Election Day for protec-
tions to be codied.
My heart goes out to the transgender
youth whose rights are under discussion
here, OConnor said. While this might be
ugly right now, their right to fully partici-
pate in the public school system like any
other student will ultimately prevail. l
marketplace
LGBTNews
8
Mandela appointed an HIV-postive gay man, Edwin Cameron, to
the nations highest court. That same year, South Africa became
the rst nation in the world to constitutionally prohibit discrimi-
nation on the basis of sexual orientation.
As noted by Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda
Legal, the protections afforded to gay South Africans in their
constitution are a degree of legal protection that LGBT Ameri-
cans still do not have.
Every one of us who continues the ght for equality and
civil rights in our own communities labors in the shadows of
this man who withstood imprisonment as a consequence of his
courageous leadership and grew only stronger, more resolute
and more dignied, Cathcart said in a statement.
Mandela was also a supporter of marriage equality, and, in
2006, South Africa became the rst country in Africa and fth
in the world to legalize same-sex marriage.
Nelson Mandela was an inspiration to the millions of people
who yearn for freedom across the world, said Rea Carey, exec-
utive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, in a
statement. With great personal sacrice, he fought Apartheid
and state-sanctioned racism. His principled approach, his will-
ingness to reach out to former enemies, led to the introduction
of multi-party democracy and real change in South Africa.
According to Carey, Mandelas legacy is one of hope hope
that people can achieve peace and freedom in a world with more
than its fair share of conict. l
DECEMBER 12, 2013 METROWEEKLY.COM
Human Rights Act
for Hyattsville
City Council unanimously approves
antidiscrimination measure
by John Riley
T
HE HYATTSVILLE CITY, MD., Council voted 9-0
last week, Dec. 2, to approve the Hyattsville Human
Rights Act, a bill that prohibits discrimination in
employment, housing and public accommodations
based upon a persons age, race, color, creed, religion, national
origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sex, sexual orienta-
tion, gender identity or physical characteristics.
Mayor Marc Tartaro and Ward Four Councilmember
Edouard Haba, were absent, but both supported the Human
Rights Act as written, according to Ward 3 Councilmember Pat-
rick Paschall, the chief sponsor of the measure.
In passing the Human Rights Act, the city of less than 18,000
joins Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Howard County and
Montgomery County in passing LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimina-
tion legislation, which is seen as a rst step in the ght to gain
statewide protections. Currently, a little under half of the states
population lives in jurisdictions with such protections.
Bills granting statewide protections to transgender indi-
viduals have passed the Maryland House of Delegates, but have
failed to gain the necessary votes in the Maryland Senate.
Paschall, also a senior policy counsel at the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force, says that passing a law reecting Hyatts-
villes diversity has been his priority since being elected in May.
The very rst thing I wanted to do, the signature initiative
I wanted to put my name on, was the Human Rights Act, says
Paschall. We have the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of
civil rights in Maryland, and we can send a message to Annapo-
lis that residents overwhelmingly support gender-identity-
inclusive laws.
Passage of the Human Rights Act also makes Hyattsville the
rst small city in Maryland and the rst jurisdiction in Prince
Georges County to provide nondiscrimination protections to
transgender individuals. Transgender activists and allies have
been trying to get Prince Georges County as the last remain-
ing county in the state that can pass legislation independently
to approve protections similar to those included in Hyattsvilles
Human Rights Act, but Prince Georges County Council leader-
ship, particularly Council Chair Andrea C. Harrison, has been
blocking a vote on such action. l
Holiday Gift Guide
FIND LINKS TO MANY OF THESE ADVERTISERS AT www.metroweekly.com/giftguide
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by members of the
LGBT community, holds Saturday morning Shabbat
services, 10 a.m., followed by kiddush luncheon.
Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St.
NW. betmish.org.
BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others
interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/
time, email braziliangaygroup@yahoo.com.
DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at
Marie Reed Aquatic Center, 2200 Champlain St.
NW. 8-9:30 a.m. swimdcac.org.
DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social
club welcomes all levels for exercise in a fun and
supportive environment, socializing afterward.
Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for a walk; or
10 a.m. for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org.
DIGNITY NORTHERN VIRGINIA sponsors Mass
for LGBT community, family and friends. 6:30 p.m.,
Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary
Road, Alexandria. All welcome. dignitynova.org.
DC SENTINELS basketball team meets at Turkey
Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE,
2-4 p.m. For players of all levels, gay or straight.
teamdcbasketball.org.
GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses critical
languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellies,
900 U St. NW. RVSP preferred. brendandarcy@
gmail.com.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group tours sites of
winter camps for Union & Confederate armies
near Culpeper, Va. Carpool 9 a.m. from East Falls
Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot. Craig, 202-462-0535,
craighowell1@verizon.net.
HERE WE COME A CAROLING benet for Wanda
Alston House. 7-10 p.m. Green Lantern, 1335 Green
Court NW. wandaalstonhouse.org.
BLACK MENS XCHANGE (BMX) holds Holiday
Fundraising Brunch. $40. Archstone First and M,
1160 First St. NE. bmxdc.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
BETHEL CHURCH-DC progressive and radically
inclusive church holds services at 11:30 a.m. 2217
Minnesota Ave. SE. 202-248-1895, betheldc.org.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF
CHRIST welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G
St. NW. rstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317.
HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes
GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old
Telegraph Road, Alexandria. hopeucc.org.
LUTHERAN CHURCH OF REFORMATION invites
all to Sunday worship at 8:30 or 11 a.m. Childcare is
available at both services. Welcoming LGBT people for
25 years. 212 East Capitol St. NE. reformationdc.org
METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF
WASHINGTON, D.C. services at 9 a.m. (ASL
interpreted) and 11 a.m. Childrens Sunday School at
11 a.m. 474 Ridge St. NW. 202-638-7373, mccdc.com.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV
services (by appointment). 202-291-4707,
andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
BET MISHPACHAH, founded by members of the
GLBT community, holds Friday night Shabbat
services followed by oneg social hour. 8-9:30 p.m.
Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St.
NW. betmish.org.
GAY DISTRICT holds facilitated discussion for
GBTQ men, 18-35, rst and third Fridays. 8:30 p.m.
The DC Center, 1318 U St. NW. 202-682-2245,
gaydistrict.org.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health,
Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW,
9 a.m.-5 p.m. 202-745-7000, whitman-walker.org.
PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT-afrming social
group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road
NW. Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org.
SMYALS REC NIGHT provides a social
atmosphere for GLBT and questioning youth,
featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and
games. catherine.chu@smyal.org.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14
ADVENTURING outdoors group hikes 10 strenuous
miles, 2,400 feet elevation gain, to Signal Knob
near Strasburg, Va. Bring beverages, lunch, sturdy
boots, about $22/fees. Dinner follows. Carpool 8:30
a.m. from East Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride lot.
Devon, 202-368-3379. adventuring.org.
LATINO QUEER BILINGUAL WRITING GROUP
host monthly workshop. Open to writers of all
genres/experience who wish to write creative work
in Spanish or English. 12:30-2:30 p.m. The DC
Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. Free. 202-682-
2245. washeg@gmail.com.
WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV
services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or
andromedatransculturalhealth.org.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
BURGUNDY CRESCENT gay volunteer
organization helps at Food & Friends. To
participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.
LATINO LGBT TASK FORCE and others hold
Community Health Fair. 5:30-8 p.m. Casa Ruby,
2822 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-682-2245, brant@
thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV
testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW,
Suite 700. 202-638-0750.
DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-
dancing group features mainstream through
advanced square dancing at the National City
Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m.
Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org.
The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social
group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston,
11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-oor bar, 7-9
p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. The
9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301
MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Call 202-745-
7000. Visit whitman-walker.org.
IDENTITY offers free and condential HIV testing
in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in
Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411.
Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours,
call Gaithersburg, 301-300-9978, or Takoma Park,
301-422-2398.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by
appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger.
202-567-3155 or testing@smyal.org.
WOMENS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE for young
LBTQ women, 13-21, interested in leadership
development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410
7th St. SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous
Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.
The group is independent of UHU. 202-446-1100.
Metro Weeklys Community Calendar highlights important events in
the D.C.-area LGBT community, from alternative social events to
volunteer opportunities. Event information should be sent by email to
calendar@MetroWeekly.com. Deadline for inclusion is noon
of the Friday before Thursdays publication. Questions about
the calendar may be directed to the Metro Weekly ofce at
202-638-6830 or the calendar email address.
LGBTCommunityCalendar
marketplace
RIVERSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH, a Christ-centered,
interracial, welcoming-and-afrming church, offers
service at 10 a.m. 680 I St. SW. 202-554-4330,
riverside-dc.org.
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF ARLINGTON, an
LGBTQ welcoming-and-afrming congregation,
offers services at 10 a.m. Virginia Rainbow UU
Ministry. 4444 Arlington Blvd. uucava.org.
UNIVERSALIST NATIONAL MEMORIAL
CHURCH, a welcoming and inclusive church. GLBT
Interweave social/service group meets monthly.
Services at 11 a.m., Romanesque sanctuary. 1810 16th
St. NW. 202-387-3411, universalist.org.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16
WANDA ALSTON FOUNDATION HOLIDAY
PARTY & SILENT AUCTION runs 6-9:30
p.m. Tsunami Sushi and Lounge, 1326 14th St.
NW, 2nd Floor. For tickets, $30, or info, visit
wandaalstonhouse.org/Purchase.html.
The DC Center and Mayors Ofce of LGBT Affairs
hold community conversation: AN AGE-FRIENDLY
CITY FOR LGBT ADULTS. 10 a.m.-noon. The DC
Center, 2000 14th St. NW, suite 105. 202-682-2245,
thedccenter.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
The DC Center hosts COFFEE DROP-IN FOR THE
SENIOR LGBT COMMUNITY. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000
14th St. NW. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
Michael Brazell teaches BEARS DO YOGA, a
program of The DC Center. 6:30 p.m., Green
Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. No cost, newcomers
welcome. 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at Quaker House,
2111 Florida Ave. NW. getequal.wdc@gmail.com.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES,
3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV
testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.
SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by
appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger.
Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or
testing@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a black gay mens evening
afnity group. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW.
202-446-1100.
WASHINGTON WETSKINS Water Polo Team
practices 7-9 p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300
Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at least basic
swimming ability always welcome. Tom, 703-299-
0504, secretary@wetskins.org, wetskins.org.
Whitman-Walker Health HIV/AIDS SUPPORT
GROUP for newly diagnosed individuals, meets
7 p.m. Registration required. 202-939-7671,
hivsupport@whitman-walker.org.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17
WEEKLY EVENTS
ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinner in Dupont/
Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m. afwash@aol.com,
afwashington.net.
Whitman-Walker Healths GAY MENS HEALTH
AND WELLNESS/STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m.,
1701 14th St. NW. Patients are seen on walk-in basis.
No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and
chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available
for fee. whitman-walker.org.
THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE DC CENTER
hosts Packing Party, where volunteers assemble
safe-sex kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m., Green
Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. thedccenter.org.
SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21
meets at SMYAL, 410 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy
Chu, 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@smyal.org.
US HELPING US hosts a support group for black
gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave.
NW. 202-446-1100.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18
BOOKMEN DC informal mens gay-literature
group, discusses stories by Carson McCullers:
Wunderkind, The Jockey and Madame Zilensky and
the King of Finland. 7:30 p.m. AFSA, 2101 E St. NW.
All welcome. bookmendc.blogspot.com.
THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB
meets for Social Bridge. No reservations needed,
no partner needed, newcomers welcome. 7:30 pm,
Dignity Center, 721 8th St. SE. 301-345-1571.
WEEKLY EVENTS
AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets
about 7:45 p.m., covered-patio area of Cosi, 1647
20th St. NW. All welcome. Jamie, 703-892-8567.
HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. D.C.:
9 a.m.-6 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301
MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. 202-745-7000,
whitman-walker.org.
PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gay
men, hosts weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m.,
Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637
17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316; or Bill,
703-671-2454. l
FOR MORE CALENDAR LISTINGS
PLEASE VISIT
WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM
DECEMBER 12, 2013
VOLUME 20 / ISSUE 33
PUBLISHER
Randy Shulman
EDITORIAL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Randy Shulman
ART DIRECTOR
Todd Franson
MANAGING EDITOR
Will OBryan
POLITICAL EDITOR
Justin Snow
STAFF WRITER
John Riley
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Rhuaridh Marr, Doug Rule
SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
Ward Morrison
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Christopher Cunetto, Julian Vankim
CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS
Scott G. Brooks, Christopher Cunetto
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Daniel Burnett, Christian Gerard,
Chris Heller, Troy Petenbrink, Richard Rosendall,
Kate Wingeld
EDITOR EMERITUS
Sean Bugg
WEBMASTER
David Uy
MULTIMEDIA
Aram Vartian
ADMINISTRATIVE / PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Julian Vankim
ADVERTISING & SALES
DIRECTOR OF SALES
Randy Shulman
NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE
Rivendell Media Co.
212-242-6863
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Dennis Havrilla
PATRON SAINT
Nelson Mandela
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY
Julian Vankim
METRO WEEKLY
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Washington, DC 20005
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such person or organization.
2013 Jansi LLC.
17
CURRENTLY, I
have 19 books on
my nightstand,
which makes it less
of a nightstand and
more of a bookshelf.
If I were answering
Coverboy ques-
tions, I would have
the worlds least-
sexy nightstand. This is not only because
of the sheer weight of the books, but
because my nightstand has no drawers
I have to get out of bed if I need to grab
anything fun (and non-literary).
While the number of books I tend to
keep by my bed has increased over the
years, Ive always kept at least a couple
within reach of my pillow. Its a part of
my oldest habit: the compulsive buy-
ing and reading of books. Some people
watch TV to bring on sleep, or pray to
end their day. I read.
Of the 19 currently resting next to
my bed, a handful are books I plan to
begin reading soon. One, Terry Pratch-
etts The Wit & Wisdom of Discworld, is
a quotation collection for when Im too
tired to delve back into a novel but still
in need of some text. Some, like my bat-
tered paperback copies of Stranger in a
Strange Land and Flannery OConnors
short stories, are books I pulled off the
shelf or out of storage on the sudden
whim to read them again.
And honestly, everyone should re-
read a couple of OConnor stories every
year (says the gay, agnostic Protestant
about the Southern, Catholic author).
The rest are the books Im actually,
currently reading. Because Im gener-
ally reading anywhere from ve to 10
books at any one time, I have a exible
denition of currently reading. Some
books can sit there for a year and in my
mind theyre still on the current list;
others are just waiting for the rare day
I decide to return some of them to my
overloaded shelves, closets and storage
bins where I keep nearly every book
Ive ever bought, all the way back to my
pre-teen purchases at the Paducah, Ky.,
Readmore.
The downside to my book addic-
tion is sheer storage capacity, or lack
thereof. I have separation anxiety when
it comes my books if I read something
I think youll enjoy, Ill probably buy you
a copy before I loan you mine (even if
you promise youre not the sort of per-
son who folds the corners down rather
than use a bookmark). It sounds weird
and irrational, but I have gone back to
dig out books I havent seen in 20 years
because I remember theyre relevant to
something Im writing which gener-
ally leads to a few unplanned and unpro-
ductive hours looking at all the other
books I havent seen lately and adding
a couple more titles to the nightstand.
Then theres my Kindle, which tech-
nically adds an entire bookcase to my
nightstand. Id thought that as I bought
and read more e-books, the tide of old-
fashioned hardcovers and paperbacks
in my house would ebb. And it has, a
bit. But its actually reinforced my rst
love for bound and printed books, the
kind that rest heavily on your chest
when you decide to take an afternoon
nap on the couch. So I still buy those
four or ve at a time when I get to the
bookstore.
E-books have not put a dent in my
overall purchases, though, because a
Kindle is crack for compulsive read-
ers. When I see something interesting
online or elsewhere, I dont have to wait
three days for the UPS man or drive
myself to mall the text is in my hands
in 60 seconds. Its almost sinful.
Im comfortable with the technolo-
gies of both the past and future. And
while Im now addicted to having an
entire library at my ngertips wherever
I go, as long as paper gets printed and
bound between two covers, my book-
laden nightstand will remain the most
old-fashioned thing about me.
Sean Bugg is the editor emeritus of
Metro Weekly. He can be reached at
seanbugg@gmail.com. Follow him on
Twitter at @seanbugg. l
Book Em
Whats on my nightstand isnt very exciting or sexy
unless its written between the covers
LGBTOpinion
by Sean Bugg
METROWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 12, 2013
MY, ITS BEEN A
big year. Particular-
ly so for gay Ameri-
cans, thanks to the
Supreme Court gut-
ting the Defense of
Marriage Act. Then
again, for African-
Americans and
others dispropor-
tionately hit by voting restrictions, the
SCOTUS ruling on the Voting Rights Act
seemed rather premature. Weve also
seen indications that social conservatives
are turning more attention against trans-
gender equality, seeming to have lost the
marriage-equality ght.
So, two steps forward, one step back
in 2013? However you slice it, its not
BuzzFeeds Chris Geidner making the
rounds and reecting a mocking non-
chalance of the disease and those it was
killing, my wish is that people think less
of the glorious invasion of Grenada and
more of a president who was so very late
in taking HIV seriously.
If not, Nelson Mandelas death is
reminding us of South Africa during
apartheid, and Reagans veto of the Com-
prehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. I had to
raise a Vulcan-like eyebrow reading the
New York Daily News Dec. 8 piece titled
Ronald Reagan regretted vetoing sanc-
tions against pro-apartheid South Afri-
ca. This interview with Reagans chief
of staff, James Baker III, quotes Baker as
saying: Im sure he did regret it, in fact,
Im certain that he did. It was after all,
I think, the only time a veto of his of his
had been overridden in two terms. Cer-
tainly, he regretted it.
That doesnt read to me like a regret
for not sufciently countering racism,
but simply regret that his veto couldnt
withstand bipartisan pushback. Of course,
this was during the Cold War and some
might argue that Reagan had to stand rm
against the evil Soviet bloc by this point,
1986, essentially headed by the tyranni-
cal Communist boogeyman Mikhail Gor-
bachev having any inuence over South
Africa. (Sarcasm alert to youngsters: Gor-
bachev was a beloved teddy bear, at least
pretty much everywhere except for inside
the Soviet Union.)
So, thats the rst Xmas wish: a little
less adoration of Ronnie. Phyllis Schlay
has enough for all of us.
My second wish is for the good health
of all those fasting, or who have fasted,
as part of the Fast for Families action for
immigration reform. Particularly, I have
Mara Keisling, executive director of the
National Center for Transgender Equal-
ity, in mind, as well as Ben de Guzman,
co-director of programs at the National
Queer Asian Pacic Islander Alliance. I
wish them and all those taking part endur-
ance and a feast of their choosing when
the time comes. Here, Ronnie and I might
even be simpatico. After all, I believe in
the idea of amnesty for those who have put
down roots and lived here, even though
sometime back they may have entered
illegally, might be one of his better quotes.
With that, until 2014, I am over and
out. Please stay safe and warm.
Will OBryan is Metro Weeklys
managing editor. Email him at
wobryan@MetroWeekly.com. Follow him
on Twitter @wobryan. l
quite over yet. And, with this being my
last column of the year, Id better set
my attention to making my Christmas
wishes. Im no Christian, granted at
least not since junior high, or thereabouts
but Ive got up the Solstice tree and the
stockings are hung, so Im entitled, right?
First up: the Ronald Reagan legacy. My
wish is that it lose a bit of its sheen. Hav-
ing grown up in the 1980s, I remember
him well. When I was coming out, AIDS
was hitting hard and Reagan was in the
White House. When I talk to a straight
person who points to Top Gun as his all-
time favorite movie and who gets wistful
for the Reagan era, I simply smile politely.
But Ive heard as much from gay people,
and that makes me grind my teeth.
But with White House transcripts
from the Reagan era as published in
Jon Cohens 2001 Shots in the Dark:
The Wayward Search for an AIDS Vac-
cine, and cataloged earlier this month by
18
LGBTOpinion
Holiday Wish List
Closing out 2013 with some social-justice sentiments
by Will OBryan
marketplace
Christian Lezzil
2013 COVERBOY OF THE YEAR
by Doug Rule
Photography by Julian Vankim
YOU CAN ALWAYS JOIN THE CIRCUS.
Christian Lezzil is in many respects your typical 23-year-old,
still plotting exactly what he wants to do with his life. But when
people joke he could always fall back on Ringling Bros., Lezzil
ripostes, Ive done that already. I was a balloon artist [in high
school] and I worked in the great circus of a strip club.
Chances are, you remember if you ever caught Lezzil at
Secrets, where he performed over the past year. When I started
stripping, he says, I thought, well, Im not really happy standing
here just accepting money. Its an opportunity for me to enact all
of these bizarre [performance] fantasies Ive ever had. His chief
inspiration was hair-metal bands, such as Kiss, the ones who
make a spectacle of themselves. Lezzils performances werent
sexual, short of me being naked. And they sometimes ended in
the splits a la David Lee Roth from Van Halens Jump video. In
fact, the multi-tattooed Lezzils rst piece of body ink, seared on
his ankle at age 17, is that exact image. I always identied with
David Lee Roth, Lezzil says. Hes been kind of my guardian
angel for a while.
Lezzil wasnt a natural stripper. For one thing the man born
Eddie Generazio in Yorktown, Va., near Williamsburg, calls
himself an intense introvert. I didnt like all the attention some-
times, he says about dancing naked. I dont see myself as too
attractive, so I couldnt revel in it.
Lezzils biggest claim to fame while growing up was being
part of an experimental rock band, one that truly experiment-
ed with genre and performance. We were the weirdest guys
in high school, Lezzil says of his bandmates in Black Clover. A
singer and drummer, Lezzil was every bit as focused on making
a spectacle of himself then as now. In addition to playing instru-
ments, We would put on puppet shows, with Care Bears and
whatnot. The whatnot including balloons. It was just a real
mess. We got a big kick out of it. The band recently regrouped
and will release a new album on Amazon this month with the
winking title We Used to Have a Band. Lezzil says hes unsure if
theyll tour in support with or without puppets and balloons.
Lezzils parents long ago made peace with the fact that both
their children, including a daughter whos a photographer, are
really sentimental children who enjoy nding beauty in life.
He reasons his parents tell themselves, Well, hes not a physi-
cist. And he wants to be a poet. And well, hes stripping now.
Hes just a weirdo. Well just let him be a weirdo.
Yes, his parents know about his stripping. I wear everything
on my sleeve, he says. Hes also embraced the weirdo term.
Hes currently in the editing phase of a book recounting his days
as a stripper with the working title, Im A Weird Guy Now: Chris-
tian Lezzils Guide to Stripping. Lezzil considers writing his true
calling. Ive always wanted to be a writer, he says. Ive always
written in my journal to publish it. Its no wonder, then, that
hes working toward his masters degree in literature at George
Mason University.
Lezzils book on stripping is very much informed by his class-
es in feminist theory and gender studies at Mason. The focus is
more sober than erotic more on the logistical and sociological
sides of stripping than the sexual. I do touch on my sexual mis-
adventures, he explains, but not in a way that titillates. I kind
of place it in a light thats repulsive. Its like dragging a club rat
out into the pale, hungover morning.
In any case, Lezzils so-called sexual misadventures include
both male and female participants. [Secrets] is a gay club, so
were all engaging in some sort of gay act, he laughs. More
specically, when asked how he identies, Lezzil says, I used
to tell people I was bi. I found it a really exhausting title because
it leaves opportunity for every schmo to come into your life and
move you. But honestly, when it comes down to it, I dont really
see gender at all. I wouldnt feel comfortable identifying one
way or the other. I think pansexual is the term, but I dont know
if I agree with that either.
For now, Lezzil isnt really ready to be moved romanti-
cally, much less domestically. Ive always been running from a
domestic life, he says, because Ive always been traveling and
Ive always been doing weird things, like picking up stripper
jobs. Lezzil, who has a pug named Gilbert back home, has also
raised a drag daughter, Rumor Millz Lezzil, whom he began
fostering after catching her at an amateur drag contest. I dont
know anything about drag, he says. I just give her advice about
performances and stuff like that. Im just really proud of the way
that shes taken that little bit of support that I gave her from the
onset and turned it into her own career.
I think eventually my mind will be calmed, Lezzil says, and
Ill be okay with having a normal domestic life and a real job that
gives constant income. And I could have a dog that isnt at my
parents house.
To see Christian Lezzils Coverboy of the Year Prize Package,
visit MetroWeekly.com. l
CHRISTIAN LEZZIL / 2013 COVERBOY OF THE YEAR
Brian Embly
2013 COVERBOY OF THE YEAR: 1ST RUNNER-UP
by Will OBryan
T
HE SHY GUY IS NOT THE ONE YOU EXPECT
to be baring it all, but thats exactly who Brian
Embly is. The Hagerstown native who now calls
Alexandria home may manage a clothing outlet by
day, but the only clothes youll nd him in a few
nights a week are his socks as he dances for patrons at Secrets
in Southeast D.C.
Growing up I used to be really self-conscious, the 22-year-
old explains. That was the biggest thing about working at
Secrets. Oh, my God. Im going to be naked. Im actually pretty
shy. When it comes to social situations, especially meeting new
people, Im usually the one to stand back.
While letting it all hang out is denitely helping him become
more outgoing, Brian says there is one bit that he tries to hide:
the occasional puff he needs from his inhaler to treat his asthma.
Did the other kids make fun of him for it when he was growing
up? Does he fear others will pity his minor malady? No and no.
Brian has no idea why hes inhaling on the down-low.
I never got teased for having asthma, he shares, laughing
at the memory. A lot of kids thought the inhaler was cool. Like,
Can I try it? No, you cant! I need this. Every pump counts. Still
to this day, when I need to use my inhaler, Im very secretive
about it. I turn away from people to take a quick puff. Ive always
been that way. I dont know why that is. No clue.
Having asthma, though, seems to have been a psychologi-
cal burden as much as physical one. At least, it used to be. Its
a lesson he learned in Texas, the backstory behind his October
answer to something he never wants to do again: swim a mile.
At 14, Brian started working at a camp resort, leading craft
lessons for the kiddie campers. At 16, however, he was eligible to
be a camp lifeguard. He took to the new job so well that manage-
ment asked him to be a lifeguard supervisor. Hed just need to
get certied, which meant heading out to Austin, Texas.
We did all our training courses in the University of Texas
swimming pool, big Olympic-size pool, Brian recalls. One of
the tests we had to pass in order to get our certication was to
swim a mile. It didnt matter how long it took us, we just had to
swim it. It was like 9 oclock in the morning, rst thing. Every-
body started at the same time. I wasnt last, surprisingly. But I
got about halfway through, and I got really sick to my stomach. I
couldnt breathe. I had to stop and I actually got sick. They were
like, Well, you have to nish. Youre kidding me. Im sick. Im
exhausted. I cant breathe. They were like, Well, take a quick
5-to-10 minute break. Drink some water. But you still have to
nish. So I had to jump back in the pool at the spot I got out. It
took me about 35 minutes to actually nish, but it was awful.
Awful as it mightve been, it helped Brian turn a corner.
That did teach me something, says Brian. When I turned 7,
I had a really bad breathing spell, had to be rushed to
the emergency room. Come to nd out that I had an
extreme case of asthma. Ive had asthma my entire
life. As a kid I played soccer and I played baseball.
After a couple years, my asthma got worse and
worse, so I had to stop playing. Every ve minutes
Id have to stop and use my inhaler. That was one
of my biggest things nishing this whole mile of
swimming. With my asthma, I couldnt breathe. That
kind of scared me. But I took away that even though
I have asthma, I may have a spell, it doesnt prevent
me from doing what I want to do or what I need
to do. I just need to ght through it. Give myself a
break, calm down, and just get back into it.
Thats the sort of spirit that today has Brian work-
ing those two jobs, working toward a bachelors in
business administration, and generally diving into
life. It may have also given him the condence to be
a Coverboy, which he says was a great way to really
introduce himself to metro D.C. after moving to
Alexandria to live with his boyfriend, Matt. It also
pushed him to campaign hard when it came time for
the Coverboy of the Year contest.
Probably every day, two to three times a day,
Id post the contest link on my Facebook wall, ask
people to vote for me, he says. I had a ton of friends
sharing it every day. And I shared it on Twitter. I had
a good support system.
That support system likely comes from the sort of
friend Brian is. Asked how his friends might describe
him, the answer comes easily: Humble. A very car-
ing person. Genuine.
Everyone even after just ve minutes of talk-
ing to me sees me as just a down-to-earth guy,
says Brian. I get along with everybody.
See Brian Emblys Coverboy of the Year prize pack-
age at MetroWeekly.com. l
BRIAN EMBLY / 2013 COVERBOY OF THE YEAR: 1ST RUNNER-UP
Jared Lee
2013 COVERBOY OF THE YEAR: 2ND RUNNER-UP
by John Riley
I
N HIS PREVIOUS INTERVIEW WITH METRO WEEK-
ly, Jared Lee said his lifes philosophy was Dont be an
asshole. But thats not a hard task for the 27-year-old Bal-
timore resident, who comes across as eminently likable
the moment he shakes hands and introduces himself.
Born and raised as in a conservative Baptist family in Virgin-
ias Hampton Roads region, Jared excelled in sports, particularly
soccer he earned All-State honors his senior year and went to
play for Hampden-Sydney College, a small all-male institution in
Farmville, Va. During that time, he was very closeted.
Relating the story of his rst gay club experience, Jared says it
was both eye-opening and surprising, because he had only ever
seen stereotypical glimpses of gay life on TV, only to nd himself
smack-dab in the middle of a bunch of shirtless gay boys dancing to
Robin S.s Show Me Love at the Wave, a gay club in Norfolk, Va.
It was a very weird feeling, he says. It was a mix of Every-
thing is right with the world and kind of overwhelming but in
a good way.
Jared still plays soccer for recreational leagues in Baltimore
and D.C. to keep his competitive edge. But he has also gotten into
aerial silks, an athletic activity that fuses artistic expression with
physical exertion requiring tremendous amounts of upper body
strength, where performers hoist themselves into the air via two
long cables of silk before completing acrobatic moves.
Theres a proper way, once youve climbed to a certain height,
you can hold yourself up, he says. Theres a way you can wrap
your foot in the silk, and a basic technique is to fall into a split
once both your feet are wrapped independently.
It a lot like origami, because its a lot of remembering differ-
ent wrapping techniques for your hands and feet, he adds.
A graphic designer who one day hopes to become an art direc-
tor for a fashion house or magazine, Jared devours fashion maga-
zines and books on graphic design and typography. He recently
quit his full-time job to focus more on his art, and plans to soon
move to New York to break into the fashion and design world.
Getting back to my artwork was one of my biggest triumphs,
he says of his long-term plan to return to the Big Apple, where he
once did a four-month internship. I needed incentive to get back
to it, because I had become complacent. Id done well for myself
and didnt want for anything, but I wasnt challenging myself.
While he saves up money for his planned move, Jared can
be spotted bartending at Baltimores Grand Central nightclub
on weekends. A self-described foodie who
abandoned his microwave to stop it from nuk-
ing the nutritional value out of his food, Jareds
ideal rst date would be going out to eat and
enjoying an engaging conversation about music,
art or movies.
I love going to restaurants, he says. I think
that in a restaurant setting its easier to sit down
and talk to somebody and see them unplugged
from other distractions.
And, yes, that would include the dreaded
cellphone.
Thats my pet peeve, he says. If somebody
were to take their phone out while I was on a
date with them, Id be irritated.
With a weakness for bearded or scruffy men
with dark features and light eyes, Jareds dated
men of different ages, weights and races.
I think its very boring to date somebody
who looks like yourself, and does what you do,
and doesnt bring any kind of harmony or bal-
ance to the relationship or to your life, he says.
While Jared is not currently dating anyone,
a potential suitor could always try to tempt him
by ordering him a gin and tonic or bourbon on
the rocks. Im very purist when it comes to
spirits, because I have this obsession with the
old-school bartending era, he says. I appreci-
ate the old-school cocktails. I just dont like the
sugary sweet stuff. If its blue or green, Im not
going to drink it.
Jared is appreciative of the many friends and
acquaintances who supported him in his bid to
become Metro Weeklys Coverboy of the Year.
Ive had a lot of people come up to me and tell
me they voted for me, he says. Its been a really
great opportunity, and it was a good win for the
Charm City.
See Jared Lees Coverboy of the Year Prize Pack-
age at MetroWeekly.com. l
JARED LEE / 2013 COVERBOY OF THE YEAR: 2ND RUNNER-UP
DECEMBER 12 - 19, 2013
SPOTLIGHT
A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS
Legendary Baltimore lmmaker John Waters
returns to the Birchmere for his annual one-man
show motivated by a genuine love for Christmas.
In fact, the show explores the gay and sexual
possibilities of the holiday. As he told Metro Weekly
in 2009: Is Santa erotic? That is a question with
the bear movement. Is he a silver fox? Is he a
bear? Suppose you are attracted to Santa does
that make you a Santa hag? Can you have sex in a
chimney? Are you a ue queen? There are all sorts
of possibilities that I talk about. Wednesday, Dec.
18, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon
Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are $49.50. Call 703-549-
7500 or visit birchmere.com.
DEL RAY ARTISANS
18TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY MARKET
Derek Hall, Betsy Mead, Howard Stelzer, Joyce
Wagner, Tessa Barsic, Kimberley Bush, Marcel
Deolazo, Linda Goetz Mierke are just a handful of
the Alexandria artists whose handmade works, from
pottery to photography to paper crafts, will be for
sale at this annual event, which also includes a bake
sale beneting the nonprot Animal Welfare League
of Alexandria. Weekends to Dec. 22. The Nicholas
A. Colasanto Center, 2704 Mount Vernon Ave.,
Alexandria. Free. Visit thedelrayartisans.org.
GYPSY
Signature Theatre presents its debut production
of one of the greatest American musicals, a
collaboration between writer Arthur Laurents,
composer Jule Styne and Signatures signature
Stephen Sondheim. Joe Calarco directs the shebang
starring versatile Signature star Sherri L. Edelen
as Momma Rose. Opens in previews Tuesday, Dec.
17, at 7:30 p.m. To Jan. 26. Signature Theatre, 4200
Campbell Ave., Arlington. Call 703-820-9771 or visit
signature-theatre.org.
JEWMONGOUS HOLIDAY COMEDY SONGFEST
Another year, another iteration, at Virginias
IOTA Club and Caf of this comedy song concert
from ex-Rockapella star Sean Altman (creator of
the theme song to PBSs Where In The World Is
Carmen Sandiego?). The show features acoustic rock
songs about being Jewish, or what the Philadelphia
Daily News has billed as Jewish hipster comedy.
Thursday, Dec. 19, at 8 p.m. IOTA Club and Caf,
2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Tickets are $15. Call
703-522-8340 or visit iotaclubandcafe.com.
THE WASHINGTON BALLET
Septime Webres refashioned The Nutcracker for
the Washington Ballet is a tribute to the nations
capital, starring George Washington as the heroic
Nutcracker and Englands King George III as the
villainous Rat King, all against a backdrop of cherry
blossoms and other D.C. scenes. The companys
production includes more than 350 dancers. To Dec.
29. Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. Call 202-397-
7328 or visit washingtonballet.org.
30
Metal by Don Rea
Compiled by Doug Rule
C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y

S
U
G
A
R
F
L
O
A
F
I
F YOU GO TO THE MALL, THINGS ARE STARTING TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT
haggard, Deann Verdier says. People are shopping and picking over things.
Instead of the mall, Verdier thinks the best opportunity for fresh, unique
holiday gifts comes this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center in Virginia. Thats
when more than 300 artisans from around the country sell their wares at a holiday
edition of the juried Sugarloaf Crafts Festival. You get to meet the hands that have
made the items for sale, says Verdier, who started Sugarloaf in Maryland nearly
four decades ago with her husband.
Verdier says inspiration for starting Sugarloaf, now a national chain of festivals,
came from an evening ceramics class in Glen Echo, Md. There were so many peo-
ple like myself that loved working with their hands, more than their 9-to-5 jobs,
says the D.C. native, who at the time worked in education. But unless you set up a
card table in Georgetown on M Street, there was really no place to sell your work.
From the rst Sugarloaf, held in 1976 at the Montgomery County fairgrounds
in Gaithersburg, Md., two-dimensional art was intentionally mixed with three-
dimensional crafts. We felt people coming in to buy functional items for their
homes, she says, were the same people that were going to buy art for their walls.
The idea was a runaway success: One year in the mid-80s they put on 22 Sugar-
loaf festivals around the country. More recently the annual total is roughly a dozen
festivals, all organized from the Verdiers current home base in Georgia. Were
looking forward to growing our business again and adding more shows in other
areas as the economy continues to pick up.
This weekends holiday festival will feature food samples, crafts demonstrations,
live music and childrens entertainment in the fully enclosed, heated Dulles Expo
Center. But the real draw is the art and crafts for sale and the story that comes
with purchase. Every gift has a story, Verdier says. Who made it, what their
inspiration was, what materials they used. Doug Rule
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival is Friday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Dulles
Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center Drive, Chantilly, Va. Admission is $8,
or $10 for all three days of the show. Call 703-378-0910 or visit sugarloafcrafts.com.
GETTING CRAFTY
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival offers unique
holiday gifts this weekend
32
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED
ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
The Shakespeare Theatre Company often colors
outside the lines with its production during the
holidays, and this year is no exception. Stephen
Sondheims uproarious Tony-winning musical riffs
on life in Roman times and features a bawdy book
by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. STC associate
director Alan Paul makes his STC main stage
directing debut, and the cast includes Bruce Dow,
Danny Rutigliano, Tom Story, Steve Vinovich, Lora
Lee Gayer, Harry A. Winter and Matthew Bauman.
To Jan. 5. Sidney Harman Hall, Harman Center for
the Arts, 610 F St. NW. Tickets are $20 to $110. Call
202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
EDGAR AND ANNABEL
Holly Twyford directs an experimental 2nd Stage
production at Studio Theatre of this bracing thriller
in which a woman comes home to nd that the
government has replaced her husband with a new
man. Emily Kester, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh and Lisa
Hodsoll lead a seven-person cast of this play by Sam
Holcroft, whom British newspaper The Independent
has called one of Britains most promising young
playwrights. Now to Jan. 5. Studio Theatres 2nd
Stage, 1501 14th St. NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit
studiotheatre.org.
GUESS WHOS COMING TO DINNER
David Esbjornson directs Malcolm-Jamal Warner
(The Cosby Show) in a new stage adaptation by Todd
Kreidler of this classic American story. The focus is
on a white couple, whose progressive sensibilities
are put to the test when their daughter brings her
African-American anc home to meet them. To Jan.
5. Fichandler Stage at the Mead Center for American
Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $40 to $105.
Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.
MAN IN A CASE
Mikhail Baryshnikov stars in this Shakespeare
Theatre Company production featuring two anti-
love stories by Anton Chekhov and mounted by
Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazars Big Dance Theater.
Its a mix of live performance and mixed media. To
Dec. 22. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Call
202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org.
THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS
Serge Seiden directs the rst two plays in Richard
Nelsons quartet about the Apples family, set
at successive meals over a course of four years.
That Hopey Changey Thing and Sweet and Sad
run in repertory and star Rick Foucheux, Ted van
Griethuysen and Sarah Marshall. To Dec. 29. Studio
Theatre, 1501 14th St. NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit
studiotheatre.org.
THE KING AND I
Mark Waldrop directs this classic musical about a
despotic king, played by Paolo Montalban, who learns
the meaning of love through his childrens tutor
Anna, played by Eileen Ward. And whats not to love
about this great Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
featuring classics including Shall We Dance? and
Getting to Know You? To Dec. 29. Olney Theatre
Center, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Md.
Call 301-924-3400 or visit olneytheatre.org.
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
The childrens theater company Adventure Theatre
MTC presents a world-premiere comedy based on
the traditional holiday song written by Helen Hayes
Awardee Renee Calarco. Michael Dove directs
Deidra LaWan Starnes in this show featuring French
hens, geese, a partridge in a pear tree and ve
golden rings, which someone has stolen. To Dec. 30.
Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.,
Glen Echo. Tickets are $19. Call 301-634-2270 or
visit adventuretheatre-mtc.org.
SKETCHY SEASON
Tis the season for improv with WITs Seasonal Disorder
D
.C.S SO WOUND-UP AND UPTIGHT, MARK CHALFANT SAYS.
Improv classes are really doing a world of good for the people who
nd us.
And people are indeed nding Chalfant and the Washington Improv Theater
he directs. Similar to New Yorks Upright Citizens Brigade or Chicagos Second
City, WIT has helped nurture what Chalfant calls an army of improvisers.
There are now more than 120 improv players afliated with WIT 55 of
them part of the company which just celebrated its 15th anniversary.
WIT offers improv classes, helping Washingtonians nd humor, in part, by
simply being more observant of each other. But the company is probably best
known for its shows allowing already established improv experts to shine. Right
now WIT is offering what Chalfant calls an annual rite of passage, the Sea-
sonal Disorder program, now in its seventh year.
Its a huge smorgasbord of different comedy shows, he explains, all of
which have some sort of angle or theme related to the holidays. No two pro-
grams or even two sketches are alike, as each pivots off of a suggestion or theme
from the audience for that particular show. From there, the WIT players con-
coct characters, story, theme, pattern all the things theyre trained to do as
improvisers. Seasonal Disorder is popular with performers as well as audiences.
Its just a great time to share this craft of improv with audiences out looking for
a fun holiday event, says Chalfant. And it doesnt require much on the part of
patrons, who only have to dress up if they really want to.
Says Chalfant, Anyone wearing an ugly holiday sweater is especially appre-
ciated. Doug Rule
WITs Seasonal Disorder runs weekends to Dec. 28. Source Theater, 1835 14th St.
NW. Tickets are $12 online in advance, or $15 at the door. Call 202-204-7770 or
visit washingtonimprovtheater.com.
A Christmas Story at 3 p.m., Scrooged at 5:15 p.m., and
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation at 7:20 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 15, Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse,
2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. Tickets are $8. Call
703-486-2345 or visit arlingtondrafthouse.com.
STAGE
A BROADWAY CHRISTMAS CAROL
Kathy Feiningers A Broadway Christmas Show tells
the famous Charles Dickens classic by altering the
lyrics to familiar Broadway tunes, 30 or so in all,
from The Music Man to Sweeney Todd to Annie.
The result is a pretty gay show, especially with gay
Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Michael Sharp
at the helm. In years past Sharp has played Scrooge,
but this year the shows director and choreographer
turns over the bah-humbugging to Peter Boyer,
while Tracey Stephens plays The Woman Who Isnt
Scrooge and Russell Sunday is The Man Who Isnt
Scrooge. (Howard Breitbart, who previously played
The Man Who Isnt Scrooge, is this years music
director aka The Man Behind The Piano.) I always
think of it like the Carol Burnett Show, Sharp told
Metro Weekly a season ago. [Three] people playing
a million different characters. Sometimes we crack
each other up. You never know whats going to
happen. Weekends to Dec. 22. MetroStage, 1201
North Royal St., Alexandria. Tickets are $35 to $50.
Call 800-494-8497 or visit metrostage.org.
WITS SEASONAL DISORDER
Washington Improv Theaters annual holiday
extravaganza features shows based on audience
suggestions, showing you the good, the bad and the
ugly of the season all laughs to get you through this
crazy month. Each and every show is different, but
all offer a grab bag of spontaneous ho-ho-ho-inducing
comedy and long-form improv. Weekends to Dec. 28.
Source Theater, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets are $12
online in advance, or $15 at the door. Call 202-204-
7770 or visit washingtonimprovtheater.com.
FILM
AMERICAN HUSTLE
A year after wowing audiences with Silver Linings
Playbook, David O. Russell returns with this 70s
period drama about the FBIs Abscam sting. Hes
pulling together all of his favorite actors for this
one, too: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer
Lawrence and Amy Adams star. Opens Wednesday,
Dec. 18. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com.
CHRISTMAS MOVIE FESTIVAL
AT ARLINGTON DRAFTHOUSE
Certainly one of the regions most entertaining places
to see a movie since theres table service with food
and alcohol the Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse
also throws an annual Christmas movie marathon
and all for just $8 for the entire day, whether you stay
the entire run, or come and go. How The Grinch Stole
Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas screen a
couple times during the day, along with Elf at 1 p.m.,
WOODY SEZ
Theater J reprises last years tribute to the man
alternately billed as the peoples troubadour and
the original folk hero. Woody Guthrie was also
the original folksy hero, based on evidence from
the show co-devised with director Nick Corley
and starring David M. Lutken as Guthrie. As Metro
Weeklys Doug Rule wrote in a review last year:
There are groan-inducing cracks and asides tossed
throughout the show, which paints a picture of a
liberal hillbilly, one who never forgot the people or
the music of his roots in dirt-poor Oklahoma. Lutken
is joined by a strong cast of three singing string
musicians who take on various roles, and strap on
15 instruments in total to play through 30 Guthrie
standards. These include This Land Is Your Land,
The Ballad of Tom Joad, Vigilante Man and the
great This Train Is Bound for Glory. Closes this
Saturday, Dec. 14. The Aaron & Cecile Goldman
Theater, Washington, D.C.s Jewish Community
Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $30 to $55. Call
202-518-9400 or visit washingtonddjcc.org.
MUSIC
A MATT CONNER CHRISTMAS
One of two holiday music cabarets this season
at Signature Theatre, A Matt Conner Christmas
features musical composer Conner (Crossing,
Nevermore) singing and playing piano, performing
some of his favorite Christmas standards as well as
a few of his own original holiday songs. Remaining
shows Thursday, Dec. 12, through Saturday, Dec.
14, at 8 p.m. Also Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday,
Dec. 15, at 2 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. ARK
Theatre at Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave.,
Arlington. Tickets are $48.60. Call 703-820-9771 or
visit signature-theatre.org.
BETTY WHO
No doubt you rst heard Betty Who a few months
ago, courtesy of Spencer Stouts elaborately
choreographed marriage proposal to his boyfriend,
Dustin. You know, the one set at a Utah Home
Depot? Whos song Somebody Loves You was the
soundtrack to the incredibly popular video, which,
to date, has registered nearly 11 million views on
YouTube. The U.S.-based singer-songwriter, born
Jessica Newham in Australia, couldnt have planned
that kind of publicity. But she loves that the gay
connection. I grew up in Sydney, and my moms
best friends were all gay men, Who laughs, in an
interview with Metro Weekly. So Im very familiar
with the gay community and I love being an ally.
Friday, Dec. 13. Doors at 8 p.m. Rock and Roll Hotel,
1353 H St. NE. Tickets are $15. Call 202-388-ROCK
or visit rockandrollhoteldc.com.
BEYONC
Taking another page from Madonna, Team Bey used
publicity from this years Super Bowl performance to
launch her latest world tour, dubbed the Mrs. Carter
Show World Tour. At least tickets for this, her third
Verizon Center date after two stops in July, arent
quite as astronomical the cheapest ticket is almost
half the price as was the one for the Material Girls
stop in 2012. So you can pay your telephone bills,
bills, bills and still go. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 8 p.m.
Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW. Tickets are $48 to
$253. Call 202-628-3200 or visit verizoncenter.com.
DJ DREDDS 1958 PARTY:
MADONNA, MICHAEL JACKSON, PRINCE
Three of the leading inuences on pop music as we
know it today and especially dance-pop were all
born in 1958. DJ Dredd offers another spin through
the hits from the one some call the Queen of Pop
and certainly the gay favorite here the late King of
Pop and the Funky One. Filmmaker Robin Bell adds
video footage. Friday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. Nightclub
9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-265-
0930 or visit 930.com. Also visit 930.com/friends to
sign up for the clubs Friends With Benets rewards
program offering exclusive deals and discounts on
tickets, drinks and merchandise.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
Handels monumental Messiah gets the annual full-
scale treatment with this orchestra and chorale,
this year featuring soloists including soprano Rosa
Lamoreaux, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wor, tenor
Roberto Petillo and bass Kevin Deas. Saturday, Dec.
14, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. Music
Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North
Bethesda. Tickets are $28 to $84. Call 301-581-5100
or visit strathmore.org.
OCEAN QUARTET
Winter Light: A Celtic Solstice Celebration is the
Irish-themed treat from this multiple Washington
Area Music Award-winning group. Friday, Dec. 20,
at 8 p.m. Corner Store Arts, 900 South Carolina
Ave. SE. Tickets are $20. Call 202-544-5807 or visit
cornerstorearts.org.
THE WASINGTON CHORUS
Julian Wachner directs the annual tradition A
Candlelight Christmas, featuring the 200-voice
chorus singing familiar carols and holiday songs, plus
audience sing-alongs and a candlelight processional.
Sunday, Dec. 15, at 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 21, at 1
p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 22, at 7 p.m. Kennedy Center
Concert Hall. Also Thursday, Dec. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,
North Bethesda. Tickets are $15 to $70. Call 202-
342-6221 or visit thewashingtonchorus.org.
34
COMEDY
ALONZO BODDEN
The winner of NBCs Last Comic Standing and a
regular on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Alonzo
Bodden can also be heard often on NPRs fun trivia
show Wait Wait Dont Tell Me. He returns for
another years run of holiday shows at the DC
Improv. Thursday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec.
16, at 8 p.m. Also Friday, Dec. 14, and Saturday, Dec.
15, at 10:30 p.m. DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave.
NW. Tickets are $17 to $20. Call 202-296-7008 or
visit dcimprov.com.
GALLERIES
CREATING THE IDEAL HOME, 1800-1939
Housed in the same building as Constitution Hall, the
D.A.R. Museum offers a new exhibit exploring the
evolution of household comfort and conveniences,
and how American inventors patented all sorts of
laborsaving and leisure-providing home devices,
from the vacuum and the washing machine to the
telephone and television. Through Aug. 30. D.A.R.
Museum, 1776 D St. NW. Admission is free. Call 202-
879-3241 or visit dar.org/museum.
GENOME: UNLOCKING LIFES CODE
Thanks to the work of the decade-long, $3 billion
Human Genome Project, human society has
gained much greater insight into our bodies and
our health. Scientists have identied genes that
contribute to disease, stoking hope for ways to treat
or eradicate cancer among many other ailments.
This new Smithsonian exhibition, which will travel
the country later next year, explores the work and
growth in sequencing technology that helped spark
this medical and scientic revolution. Through
September 2014. National Museum of Natural
History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.
Call 202-633-1000 or visit mnh.si.edu.
GRAND PROCESSION:
DOLLS FROM THE DIKER COLLECTION
Grand Procession: Dolls from the Charles and
Valerie Diker Collection features the work of ve
female artists from Plains and Plateau tribes. The
exhibition includes 23 colorful and meticulously
detailed dolls originally created as both toys and
teaching tools in their communities. Through
Jan. 5. National Museum of the American Indian,
Independence Avenue and 4th Street SW. Call 202-
633-1000 or visit nmai.si.edu.
JOHN F. SIMON JR.:
POINTS, LINES AND COLORS IN SUCCESSION
As part of its Intersections series, the Phillips
Collection presents in its house stairwell John
F. Simon Jr.s four-part installation, which
incorporates drawing, software and computer-
generated fabrication, all inspired by the progression
of movement in the natural world. Through Feb.
9. The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW.
Tickets are $12. Call 202-387-2151, ext. 247, or visit
phillipscollection.org.
MAKE SOME NOISE: STUDENTS AND THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Pegged to the 50th anniversary of the March on
Washington and just one of several exhibitions at the
Newseum marking the occasion, Make Some Noise:
Students and the Civil Rights Movement explores
the new generation of student leaders that emerged
in the 1960s to ght segregation and ght for civil
rights. John Lewis, now a U.S. representative from
Georgia, and Julian Bond, a former chair of the
NAACP, are among the leaders highlighted here.
Through 2015. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW. Tickets are $21.95 for general admission. Call
888-NEWSEUM or visit newseum.org. l
WHATS OLD IS NEW
The Folger Consort offers Christmas chamber music
from New Spain
L
OOKING FOR A DIFFERENT SPIN ON HOLIDAY MUSIC? IT WONT
be your usual list of holiday songs and carols, Jennifer Bowman avers
about the Folger Consorts annual holiday program. Its really interesting
to take a look at how other cultures over time commemorate this time of year.
Over the next week the renowned early music ensemble presents Christmas
in New Spain: Early Music of Mexico and Peru featuring musicians and vocalists.
Bowman, the consorts manager, explains. Were basically doing music by com-
posers who were European, but really made their names once they came over to
the New World in the 16th through 18th centuries. The Western-rooted music
they created incorporates regional inuences from indigenous Americans
think Aztecs and Incas as well as enslaved Africans.
The annual holiday program is a good entry point into this style of chamber
music so old its new to many listeners. This is a genre of music that isnt the
most well-known, Bowman says, referring to the early classical music period
that stretches all the way from the medieval to the baroque, stopping at the
popular romantic era. A lot of the compositions from the period, which includes
the Renaissance music of Shakespeares time, are incomplete scores, offering
scholars and musicians more creative license to tamper with them than the later
eras fully notated classical music.
This early music period also features a few instruments, such as the viol, that
are exotic or at least unfamiliar to todays audiences. On Sunday, Dec. 21, prior
to the 2 p.m. performance, Bowman notes that the consort will offer an Explore
our Instruments session, what other organizations often call an Instrument
Petting Zoo.
Were just trying to dispel a little bit of the mystery and allow people to really
interact with the instruments and see how theyre performed, says Bowman. I
always get questions from audience members: Whats that thing on stage? How
does he play that? Doug Rule
The Folger Consort begins performances of Christmas in New Spain on Friday,
Dec. 13, at 8 p.m., ending Sunday, Dec. 22, at 2 p.m., at the Folger Theatre, 201
East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $50. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu.
special guest DJ. Now to Dec. 22. Atlas Performing
Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $35.50. Call
202-399-7993 or visit atlasarts.org.
THE MOSCOW BALLET
Dubbed the Great Russian Nutcracker, this version
of the holiday ballet staple pays tribute to Marius
Petipa, who developed the Nutcracker choreography
and for good measure, that of Swan Lake and is
credited as The Father of Russian Ballet. This great
Russian company celebrates 20 years of touring the
United States. Monday, Dec. 16, and Tuesday, Dec.
17, at 7:30 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301
Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $28 to
$88. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org.
VISION CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY
Katherine Smith leads this newly created dance
company in a Holiday Extravaganza, an action-
packed show offering expressions of holiday cheer.
Saturday, Dec. 14, at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Joes Movement
Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mount Rainier,
Md. Tickets are $20. Call 301-699-1819 or visit
joesmovement.org.
WILSON PHILLIPS
If you hold on for one more day. Yes indeed, the
80s hit-making female trio of sisters Carnie and
Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips stop through
the region for a show that some just might consider
an early Christmas present and the ladies are
sure to sing songs from their 2010 set Christmas
In Harmony. The rest of us are trying to forget all
about them, begging Release Me. Friday, Dec. 13,
at 8 p.m. Rams Head Center Stage at Maryland
Live! Casino, 7002 Arundel Mills Circle, No. 7777,
Hanover, Md. Tickets are $45. Call 800-522-4700 or
visit marylandlivecasino.com.
DANCE
STEP AFRIKA!
Local dance company Step Afrika!, dedicated to the
tradition of stepping, presents its third holiday step
show in what is becoming an annual tradition. The
focus is on getting North Pole animals polar bears,
penguins to step. And all to music by Frosty the
Snowman, putting the needle on the record as
marketplace
T
HE HOBBIT: THE
Desolation of Smaug is
about an egomaniacal
monster, hell-bent on
hoarding his treasures above all
else. He surrounds himself with
a mountain of riches, all the more
to remind the world of his irre-
futable supremacy. He boasts at
length about his own greatness.
Hes smitten by his own triumphs.
This monster is Peter Jack-
son, and he is worse than any
dragon that ever roamed Middle
Earth. The Desolation of Smaug is
an oppressive, never-ending sort
of punishment for anybody bold
enough to believe J.R.R. Tolkiens
The Hobbit could be split into
three movies. (I should know. I
once believed it, too.) How can
the director who made The Lord
of the Rings series be responsible
for such a terrible movie? It baf-
es the mind.
I dont even know where
to begin. The movie runs two-
and-a-half hours without pause
Jackson must ascribe to the
literal meaning of the phrase
running time and yet, few
moments of serious consequence
seem to occur in any one of its
156 minutes. The Desolation of
Smaug bombards conict on top
of conict, substituting sincerity
with spectacle. (An Unexpected
Journey presented the opposite
aw, with lesser consequences.)
Chases lead to battles, which spill
into other chases, then erupt into
more battles. Its an ouroboros
of action, a blockbuster that eats
itself one set piece at a time.
The Desolation of Smaug picks
up where An Unexpected Jour-
ney left off: Bilbo Baggins (Martin
Freeman) is on route to the Lonely
Mountain with Gandalf the Grey
(Ian McKellen), Thorin Oaken-
shield (Richard Armitage) and his
12 dwarf companions. Theyre on a
mission to reclaim Thorins moun-
tain kingdom from Smaug (Bene-
dict Cumberbatch), a dragon who
forced the dwarves into exile and
stole their treasures many years
earlier. Of course, if the objec-
tive were that simple, this movie
wouldnt exist. (Heaven forbid!)
So, instead, our heroes face a
breathless series of assaults before
CHRIS HELLER
they can even spot Lonely Moun-
tain. They ght off bloodthirsty
orcs, outrun a half-man/half-bear
shape shifter, and escape a pack
of giant spiders. Theyre captured
by elves, escape in wooden bar-
rels that tumble down a raging
river, then ght a few more orcs
again for good measure. Theres
even a forbidden love-storyline,
and Gandalf spends the better part
of the movie wandering around on
his own.
This? This is worth splitting
a single book into what I can
only assume will be nine hours
of screen time? Jackson can be
a dazzlingly imaginative director
when hes inspired, but he makes
little effort to restrain himself
here. Hes gorging himself for the
sake of gorging himself. His fasci-
nation with Tolkiens minutiae is
drowned out by a fanciful, unnec-
essary devotion to visual air.
The movie needs fewer gimmicks,
plain and simple.
After two long hours of side-
shows, however, The Desolation
of Smaug nally delivers on some
Smaug and his rst appearance
is almost worth the wait. Cumber-
batch embraces the dragons voice
with zeal, lowering his timbre to a
deliciously sinister growl. The drag-
on itself is rendered with stupen-
dous detail, thanks to the wizards at
Weta Workshop. Smaug is a stun-
ning creation, and if you can manage
to doze through the rst couple of
hours, his scenes are nearly worth
the price of admission.
Nearly.
Put simply, I dont understand
why The Desolation of Smaug
exists. It could easily be cut down
to a tolerable two hours, but even
then it would lack any of the hall-
marks of Jacksons Lord of the
Rings series. Before Smaug arrives,
the best thing about the lm is
that the subtitles appear in a crisp,
pleasant font. Of course, theres
always a small chance that Jackson
recognizes what hes done. You
are being used, hobbit, Smaug tells
Bilbo when they rst meet beneath
Lonely Mountain. You were only
ever a means to an end.
I know how it feels, buddy. I
know all too well. l
FILM
The Desolation of Smaug bombards conict on top of conict,
substituting sincerity with spectacle
Box-Ofce Bilbo: Freeman
THE HOBBIT:
THE
DESOLATION OF
SMAUG
HHHHH
Starring
Martin Freeman,
Ian McKellen,
Richard Armitage
Rated PG-13
156 minutes
Opens Friday
Area theaters
37
Overblown
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38
I
CANT QUITE DECIDE IF
Beyond: Two Souls is a mas-
terpiece or a train wreck.
One of the PS3s swan-
songs, it and a handful of other
exclusives represent the nale
of seven years of gaming on the
console. There is no doubt that,
at least technologically, Beyond is
an astonishing achievement but
its when considering it as a game,
not a piece of art or technical ac-
complishment, that it starts to trip
over itself. This is due to Beyonds
tendency to take the basic concept
of what a game is and stretch it to
wafer-thin proportions. It isnt so
much a game, as a lm you are an
active participant in. As a result, it
manages to simultaneously be one
of the most engrossing and one of
the most passive games Ive ever
played. Confused? Me too.
Beyond: Two Souls is the brain-
child of Quantic Dream, led by the
enigmatic and outspoken David
Cage. Founded in 1997, Quantic
Dream has made just four games
since its inception, including Be-
yond. Cage uses his games to tell
deep, engrossing stories. Heavy
Rain was a technological marvel
when it launched in 2008. Fea-
turing a unique control scheme,
advanced motion capture, nu-
anced voice acting and a story that
played from the viewpoint of four
player-controlled protagonists, it
remains one of my favorite games
of all time. Some critics lambasted
the gameplay, which offered less
control to the player in favor of
giving them deeper narrative, but
I loved it.
Beyond takes the core features
of Heavy Rain and further dilutes
the gaming aspects. It follows the
story of Jodie Holmes impec-
cably portrayed by Oscar-nomi-
nated Ellen Page over a 15-year
period. Its a nonlinear narrative,
jumping back and forth between
RHUARIDH MARR
different moments in Jodies life,
with each scenario its own self-
contained set piece that reveals
another aspect to her character.
Jodie has been connected to an
invisible entity, known as Aiden,
since birth able to communicate
with him and control him to vary-
ing degrees. Aiden can fully inter-
act with the world around him,
but only Jodie knows where he is
or what hes doing. As the game
is played, its revealed that, as a
child, when her connection with
Aiden became dangerous for her
parents, she was taken to the Unit-
ed States Department of Paranor-
mal Activity. Here, she was raised
and looked after by researcher
Nathan Dawkins (Oscar-nominee
Willem Dafoe), who tried to give
Jodie as normal an upbringing as
possible, while simultaneously
trying to understand her connec-
tion with Aiden.
Jodie is later recruited by the
CIA, which is interested in us-
ing her and Aidens connection in
international espionage. After a
botched mission, Jodie becomes
disillusioned with her life as an
agent and ees as a fugitive. The
remainder of the story follows her
attempts to avoid capture, piece
together her life, and better under-
stand her connection with Aiden.
Im deliberately trying to avoid
spoiling the plot, hence the vague
nature of this summary. I do so be-
cause the story that Beyond: Two
Souls tells is nothing short of in-
credible. The nonlinear narrative
can be confusing at times, relying
on the player to remember every
detail of the various locations and
stages of Jodies life as the story
plots its course. Forget leaving
the game and returning to it after
a while the narrative demands
that you give it your full, undivided
attention from start to nish.
The story blends so many
genres and concepts together, it
can be overwhelming one mo-
ment youre playing a bombastic
adventure game, the next youre
struggling to survive both physi-
cally and emotionally. The pace
constantly jumps between high-
octane and a slow crawl, but it
never gets tiring because the story
its telling is just so damn interest-
ing. Jodies life is one of pain, loss
and abandonment. She is alone,
save for Aiden, and the player
forms a deep bond with her over
GAMEFACE
Beyond isnt much of a game, but as an experience, it has few peers. Its
as close as weve gotten to an interactive lm.
Juno who I am?: Beyond: Two Souls
BEYOND: TWO
SOULS
HHHHH
Sony Computer Enter-
tainment
Quantic Dream
$59.99
Gamestop.com
Amazon.com
Cinema Scope
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the course of the game. Other charac-
ters come and go between scenarios, but
Jodies struggles, both literal and inter-
nal, are the core of the game and the main
draw to play through its numerous scenes
as you try to reach the conclusion of her
tale. All of this is fully realized in the bril-
liant acting of Ellen Page, who displays a
nuance and subtlety in her portrayal of
Jodie so engrossing, so believable, that
one feels another actress would have been
simply overwhelmed by the demands of
the part. Transitioning effortlessly be-
tween hardened CIA agent, damaged
homeless youth, exhausted desert wan-
derer and fragile teen among many oth-
er personas Page gives us every reason
we need to empathize with Jodie, to care
for her, to try our hardest to ensure that
we see her story through to the very end.
All of this is enabled by Quantics ground-
breaking work in motion capture.
Quantic Dream utilized full body mo-
tion capture for every scene of Beyond,
giving its characters uid natural move-
ments as they navigate environments and
act through cutscenes. Facial animations
in particular, are astonishing. Eyes glint,
sweat shines, pores are visible and wrin-
kles crease as the characters move and
talk Quantics attention to detail pays
off, as Beyond offers some of the most re-
alistic acting Ive ever seen by characters
in a game. It helps that Jodie, Nathan, et
al resemble their real-life counterparts.
Knowing Page and Dafoe, and seeing
their characters look so much like them
adds greater depth and satisfaction to
cutscenes and gameplay. Watching Jodie
cry and knowing that what youre seeing
is Pages performance in the Quantic stu-
dio adds an extra dose of satisfaction to
every emotional scene and by God there
are a lot of them.
Environments, too, are beautifully pol-
ished. Quantic is wringing every last pixel
from the PS3 with Beyond, utilizing light-
ing, textures and wonderful set design to
ensure that each location feels lived-in,
looks realistic and pulls you further into
the story. From ofces to deserts, snow-
coated cityscapes to rain-soaked forests,
entity-lled basements to sun-soaked So-
malia, Beyonds environments are a sec-
ondary character. They help tie the nar-
rative together returning to a familiar
environment removes the worry of having
to learn and memorize yet another aspect
of Jodies story, but similarly, exploring a
new one is a constant delight as you mar-
vel at the detail in Quantics work. There
are graphical issues screen tearing and
the occasional stutter during dense scenes
but for the most part, Beyond is a com-
mendable example of the power of Sonys
seven-year-old console. It looks gorgeous.
The cream on Beyonds narrative cake
is the sound. From background details
computers humming and clicking in of-
ces, wind whipping up sand and sheep
bleating in the distance in the desert, su-
pernatural monsters crashing through
walls and knocking over furniture, chil-
dren laughing and shouting as they throw
snowballs outside Jodies childhood home
to the Oscar-worthy voice-acting by
every member of the cast, the sound lifts
the experience of playing Beyond to an-
other level. I cant compliment enough
the performances of the main cast. Forget
any notion that actors would be willing to
let their high standards drop for a video
game Beyond features better acting than
many of the movies that launched in 2013.
Really, I wish Page could be nominated
for another Oscar, so perfect is her perfor-
mance as Jodie.
Its beautiful, the story is complex but
engrossing, it sounds great and Page is
fantastic. So far so good until you actu-
ally pick up the controller to play. Beyond
is a game that feels almost indignant that
it needs a player to tell its story. Its not a
difcult game to play, utilizing just a few
buttons and the analogue sticks, but its
control scheme and implementation are
a continuous source of frustration. Jodie
interacts with the world through oating
prompts if you want to examine some-
thing, or pick up an item, the game will
oat the appropriate button icon over the
object when you are within its vicinity.
You navigate through this world with the
analogue sticks. If youre just wandering
around Beyonds set pieces, its a reward-
ing experience much like Heavy Rain
was, but with a simplied system for mov-
ing Jodie around the environment. This
all changes when it comes to fast-paced
situations, though. And dont even get me
started on controlling Aiden.
Every now and then, Jodie will be
forced to engage in combat. Why, I dont
know, so hideous is Quantics system. Ev-
ery time Jodie engages with an enemy
throwing a punch, blocking a kick, evad-
ing an attempt to grab her the game
enters a Matrix-style slow-motion mode.
Jodie will start to move in the appropri-
ate direction for whatever is occurring
shell lean away from a punch or move an
arm up to block a kick, and the player must
ick the right analogue stick to match
Jodies movements, essentially removing
them from directly inuencing the action.
Whatever Jodie wants to do, you have to
match the action. It sounds simple, but its
never fully effective. Often times Id see
an action occurring and ick in the way
I expected Jodie to react shes running
toward a sofa, surely shell want to jump
up over it, right? I ick up when the game
slows down and Jodie starts to leap. She
crashes into the sofa. I reset, try again,
wait a little longer for Jodie to start to leap.
Shes denitely moving up I ick up, she
crashes into the sofa again. Hair starts to
get pulled from my head. Its a hit-or-miss
system, with Jodies movement never ful-
ly corresponding to the direction youre
expected to move the thumbstick.
Aiden is another constant irk. Theres
nothing particularly wrong with his move-
ment controls, theyre just awkward. Navi-
gating him as you y through the environ-
ment is never quite how you wish it would
be you want to face a particular way, itll
take dgeting around to get it just right.
If proof is needed that Beyond: Two
Souls isnt a game that you should really
be approaching from a gameplay point of
view, consider this: Its possible to play the
entire game using a tablet as your only in-
put device. Quantic included this option to
allow non-gamers to experience the story
without having to worry about the barrier
of not understanding the layout of the PS3s
controller. That should tell you all you need
to know about the focus of Beyond.
Beyond is not a game. Rather, its as
close as weve yet gotten to having an in-
teractive lm. When the control scheme
got out of my way and just worked, fol-
lowing the narrative felt like watching an
engrossing, emotional movie albeit one I
directly inuenced with my actions. Char-
acters can live or die based on player input,
Q
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there are multiple choices available to the
player that will impact later scenes and at
every stage its possible to play through
the game in a different way. Thats what
Beyond is, thats what it was made to do. If
two people watch a lm, they can react to
it differently, but theyre having the same
basic experience. The same cant be said if
those two people play Beyond.
Two scenes in particular stand out
and there are so many standout moments
in Beyonds narrative its hard to choose.
One takes place in an unnamed desert.
We nd Jodie walking along a road until
she stumbles across a ranch run by a Na-
vajo family. Its a slow-burning scene that
quickly introduces a sinister plot point
before melting back into the mundane
Jodie helps the family with their ranch,
tending to animals, trying to befriend the
ranch owners sons, going for a horse ride.
During these slower scenes, I drank in the
stunning desert landscapes, the anima-
tions of the characters, the sand whipping
up around my feet as I walked. Then, as
the plot pace quickens, it transforms into
an action-packed race to save the fam-
ilys ranch from an other-worldly spirit.
It demonstrates Beyonds ability to blend
multiple genres in just one scene. One mo-
ment Im having an emotional discussion,
the next Im surrounded by a mile-high
sandstorm and trying to exorcise a demon.
The next scene, arguably my favorite,
follows a portion of Jodies life when she
nds herself homeless. She collapses on
a snow-covered street and Aiden helps a
homeless man rescue her. The scene fol-
lows Jodie as she wakes up in and inte-
grates into a small homeless community
that live under a bridge. Its here that Be-
yond offers its most simple, yet emotion-
ally devastating moment. (Stop here if you
dont want spoilers.) Jodie, realizing the
desperation of her situation homeless,
freezing cold, hunted by the CIA walks
out of the small camp, which overlooks a
nearby freeway. The camera pans around
her and we watch as Jodie studies the cars
below, snow falling, her breath visible in
the air. Two options slowly appear on-
screen: Jump and Dont jump. I was
oored. These options are time-sensitive,
you have only a number of seconds to
pick one. I sat, staring at Jodies broken
body, ready to leap out into trafc. It was
a desperate, lonely, heartbreaking thing to
witness. I cared for Jodie, I had followed
her tale, she was my protagonist, but
watching her empty gaze as she looked at
the cars my mind ickered. Maybe she
should jump. Let me remind you: This is
a character in a game. My actions have no
consequence in reality, but in-game, they
mean everything.
Thats what Beyond does best. Were
this a lm, watching a character stand on
that ledge and contemplate suicide would
mean much less. The action is scripted,
we know she will either jump or not. With
Jodie, we are in charge. We choose wheth-
er she jumps. Thats what Beyond is here
to do. Its a frustrating game that places
story above gameplay, forces the player to
actively disengage from trying to play it
and almost wishes we werent included so
that it could just be a lm and tell its tale
the way it wants to. But its a game, and that
control however limited or annoying
is what ultimately sways Beyonds needle
from train wreck to masterpiece.
I cannot in good conscience recom-
mend it as a game. As something to pick up
and play, its terrible. But as an experience,
as something you sit down and devote
hours of your life and all of your emotions
to, it has few peers. Beyond has affected
me in a way no other games have. Its a bi-
zarre, disjointed narrative, that sometimes
favors its supernatural elements a little too
much, but when it focuses on the emotion
and the powerful performance of Ellen
Page Beyond nds some kind of nirva-
na. Its a 10-hour interactive lm that will
leave you drained. Its an experiment in
narrative taking precedent over gameplay.
Its an occasionally frustrating, constantly
beautiful, intensely dramatic swansong for
a console that has given us so many incred-
ible experiences. As a piece of dramatic,
interactive art, I can think of no better way
to wave farewell to Sonys console. l
NIGHT
LIFE
43 METROWEEKLY.COM
M
THURSDAY, 12.12.13
9 1/2
Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm Multiple
TVs showing movies,
shows, games, football on
Sundays Expanded craft
beer selection No cover
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour,
4pm-7pm $4 Small
Plates, $4 Stella Artois,
$4 House Wines, $4
Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4
Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
DC EAGLE
Bring Your Buddies
when two friends buy
drinks, yours are free, rail
or domestic Club Bar:
Onyx
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Shirtless Men Drink Free,
10-11pm
JR.S
$3 Rail Vodka Highballs,
$2 JR.s drafts, 8pm to
close Top Pop Night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Beat The Clock Happy
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All male, nude dancers
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim E in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
LISTINGS
Destinations on page 50
DC EAGLE
DC Eagle Welcomes
Triskaidekaphobes New
Happy Hour Specials, $2
off regular prices, 4-9pm
Club Bar: Potomac MC
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1,
11pm-midnight Happy
Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm $5
Coronas, $8 Vodka Red
Bulls, 9pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat The Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
Open 5pm Happy Hour:
2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm
No Cover
FRIDAY, 12.13.13
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink,
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident
DJ Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer
selection No cover
ANNIES
4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm
$4 Small Plates, $4 Stella
Artois, $4 House Wines,
$4 Stolichnaya Cocktails,
$4 Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis Upstairs open
5-11pm
DC BEAR CRUE
@Town Bear Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm Hosted
by Charger Stone No
cover before 9:30pm 21+
PHASE 1
DJ Styalo Dancing
$5 cover
PHASE 1 OF DUPONT
1415 22nd St. NW
For the Ladies DJ Rosie
Doors at 9pm 21+
PWS SPORTS BAR
9855 Washington Blvd. N
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Drag Show in lounge
Half-price burgers and
fries
TOWN
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by
Lena Lett and featuring
Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-
Lee, Jessica Spaulding
Deverreoux and BaNaka
Doors open at 10pm For
those 21 and over, $5 from
10-11pm and $10 after
11pm For those 18-20,
$10 all night 18+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Ladies of Illusion with
host Kristina Kelly, 9pm
Cover 21+
SATURDAY, 12.14.13
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any
drink, 5-9pm VJ Dean
Expanded craft beer
selection No cover
DC EAGLE
$2 Off for Men with Club
Mugs, Leather Vests,
Harnesses or Chaps
Club Bar: DC Boys of
Leather
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Diner Brunch, 10am-3pm
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke and/or live
entertainment, 9pm
JR.S
$4 Coors, $5 Vodka
highballs, $7 Vodka Red
Bulls
NELLIES
Guest DJs Zing Zang
Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer,
House Rail Drinks and
Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm
Buckets of Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PHASE 1
Dancing, 9pm-close
PHASE 1 OF DUPONT
Doors at 9pm 21+

PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Karaoke in the lounge
Charity Bingo with Cash
Prizes 3rd Sat. of Every
Month
TOWN
DJ Tony Moran Wess
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by
For those 21 and over,
$10 from 10-11pm and $12
after 11pm 21+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
All nude male dancers,
9pm Ladies of Illusion
with host Ella Fitzgerald,
9pm DJ Steve
Henderson in Secrets DJ
Spyke in Ziegfelds Doors
8pm Cover 21+
SUNDAY, 12.15.13
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
45
For addresses, phone numbers and locations of individual clubs, bars, parties,
and special events, please refer to our Destinations on page 50.
M
scene
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
Inaya Day live with DJ Drew G
Friday, December 6
Cobalt
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON
DC EAGLE
Big Screen Sunday
Football, Atlanta Falcons
v Washington Redskins,
1pm New Happy Hours
Specials: $2 off rail and
domestic, 4-9pm DC
Eagle Buffet: Chicken &
Dessert.
FIREPLACE
Skyy Vodka, $3 $5 cover
with $1 off coupons
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Champagne Brunch
Buffet, 10am-3pm
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Drag Show hosted by
Destiny B. Childs featuring
performances by a rotating
cast, 9pm No cover
Karaoke follows show
JR.S
Sunday Funday Liquid
Brunch Doors open at
1pm $2 Coors Lights &
$3 Skyy (all favors), all
day and night
NELLIES
Drag Brunch, hosted by
Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am-3pm
$20 Brunch Buffet
House Rail Drinks, Zing
Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie
Beer and Mimosas, $4,
11am-close Buckets of
Beer, $15
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
8pm Cover 21+
MONDAY, 12.16.13
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
TVs showing movies,
ANNIES
Martinis
DC EAGLE
Big Screen Monday Night
Football Open 4pm $1
Drafts - Bud and Bud Light
FREDDIES
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm
Showtunes Songs &
Singalongs, 9pm-close
DJ Jamez $3 Drafts
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Poker Texas Holdem, 8pm
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Buzztime Trivia
competition 75 cents off
bottles and drafts
TUESDAY, 12.17.13
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
TVs showing movies,
ANNIES
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $4
Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
DC EAGLE
Open 4pm $2 Rail and
Domestic, All Day Free
Pool till 9pm
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Underground (Indie Pop/
Alt/Brit Rock), 9pm-close
DJ Wes Della Volla
2-for-1, all day and night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Karaoke
NUMBER NINE
Bee-rett hosts Safe
Word Gay Spelling Bee, 8
pm Open 5pm Happy
5-9pm No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
75 cents off bottles and
drafts Movie Night
WED., 12.18.13
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
TVs showing movies,
ANNIES
Happy Hour, 4-7pm $4
Stella Artois, $4 House
Wines, $4 Stolichnaya
Cocktails, $4 Manhattans
and Vodka Martinis
DC EAGLE
Break out those Nickels
- next-to-last Wooden
Nickel Night at 639
Wooden Nickels
Redeemable 2 Nickels
get Rail or Domestic
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm Drag
Bingo, 8pm Karaoke,
10pm
GREEN LANTERN
Happy Hour Prices,
4pm-Close
JR.S
Trivia with MC Jay
Ray, 8pm The Queen,
10-11pm $2 JRs Drafts
& $4 Vodka ($2 with
College I.D./JRs Team
Shirt)
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Half-Price Burger Night
Buckets of Beer $15
SmartAss Trivia, 8pm
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Free Pool 75 cents off
Bottles and Drafts
48 SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
New Meat Wednesday DJ
Don T 9pm Cover 21+
THURSDAY, 12.19.13
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
ANNIES/ANNIES
UPSTAIRS
4@4 Happy Hour,
4pm-7pm $4 Small
Plates, $4 Stella Artois,
$4 House Wines, $4
Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4
Manhattans and Vodka
Martinis
DC EAGLE
Bring Your Buddies
when two friends buy
drinks, yours are free, rail
or domestic Club Bar:
Beltway Bears
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
GREEN LANTERN
Shirtless Men Drink Free,
10-11pm
JR.S
$3 Rail Vodka Highballs,
$2 JR.s drafts, 8pm to
close Top Pop Night
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
Hour $2 (5-6pm), $3
(6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
Drag Bingo
NUMBER NINE
drink, 5-9pm No Cover
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim E in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
FRIDAY, 12.20.13
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm Friday Night
Videos with resident
DJ Shea Van Horn VJ
Expanded craft beer
selection No cover
ANNIES
Martinis Upstairs open
5-11pm
DC BEAR CRUE
@Town Bear Happy
Hour, 6-11pm $3 Rail,
$3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles
Free Pizza, 7pm Hosted
by Charger Stone No
cover before 9:30pm 21+
DC EAGLE
New Happy Hour Specials,
$2 off regular prices,
4-9pm Club Bar: Metro
Leather Pride
FREDDIES BEACH BAR
Crazy Hour, 4-8pm
Karaoke, 9pm
JR.S
Buy 1, Get 1,
11pm-midnight Happy
Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm $5
Coronas, $8 Vodka Red
Bulls, 9pm-close
NELLIES SPORTS BAR
DJ Matt Bailer Videos,
Dancing Beat The Clock
Happy Hour $2 (5-6pm),
$3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm)
Buckets of Beer $15
NUMBER NINE
No Cover
PHASE 1
DJ Styalo Dancing
$5 cover
PHASE 1 OF DUPONT
1415 22nd St. NW
Doors at 9pm 21+
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
Drag Show in lounge
Half-price burgers and
fries
TOWN
Drag Show starts at
10:30pm Hosted by
Doors open at 10pm For
those 21 and over, $5 from
10-11pm and $10 after
11pm For those 18-20,
$10 all night 18+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Ladies of Illusion with
host Kristina Kelly, 9pm
Cover 21+ l
49
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DESTINATIONS
m mostly men w mostly women m&w men and women r restaurant l leather/levi
d dancing v video t drag cw country western gg go-go dancers o open 24 hours s sauna
BARS & CLUBS
MARYLAND
CLUB HIPPO
1 West Eager Street
Baltimore, MD
(410) 547-0069
THE LODGE
21614 National Pike
Boonsboro, MD
(301) 591-4434
PWS SPORTS BAR
9855-N Washington, Blvd.
Laurel, MD
(301) 498-4840
VIRGINIA
FREDDIES
BEACH BAR
555 South 23rd Street
Crystal City, VA
(703) 685-0555
Crystal City Metro
m&w r
V3 LOUNGE
6763 Wilson Blvd.
Falls Church, Va.
301-802-8878

HRC
ACTION CENTER
& STORE
1633 Connecticut Ave. NW
(202) 232-8621
Dupont Circle Metro
THE FIREPLACE
22nd & P Streets NW
(202) 293-1293
Dupont Circle Metro
m v
FUEGO
Aqua
1818 New York Ave. NE
m&w d t
GLORIOUS
HEALTH CLUB
2120 W. VA Ave. NE 20002
(202) 269-0226
m o s
GREEN LANTERN
1335 Green Court NW
(behind 1335 L St.)
(202) 347-4534
McPherson Square Metro
m l
JR.S
1519 17th Street NW
(202) 328-0090
Dupont Circle Metro
m v
LACE
2214 Rhode Island Ave. NE
(202) 832-3888
w r d
MOVA
2204 14th Street NW
(202) 629-3958
U Street / Cardozo Metro
NELLIES
SPORTS BAR
900 U Street NW
(202) 332-6355
m&w r
D.C.
18th & U
DUPLEX DINER
2004 18th Street NW
(202) 265-7828
Dupont Circle Metro
r
9:30 CLUB
815 V Street NW
(202) 265-0930
BACHELORS MILL
1104 8th Street SE
(202) 546-5979
Eastern Market /
Navy Yard Metro
m d
COBALT/30 DEGREES
17th & R Street NW
(202) 462-6569
Dupont Circle Metro
m d t
CREW CLUB
1321 14th Street NW
(202) 319-1333
McPherson Square Metro
m o s
DC EAGLE
639 New York Ave. NW
(202) 347-6025
Convention Center /
Gallery Place /
Chinatown Metro
m l
DELTA ELITE
3734 10th Street NE
(202) 529-0626
Brookland Metro
m d
NUMBER NINE
1435 P Street NW
Dupont Circle Metro
PHASE 1
525 8th Street SE
(202) 544-6831
Eastern Market Metro
w d
PHASE 1 of DUPONT
1415 22nd Street NW
(Formerly Apex)
Dupont Circle Metro
w m d
REMINGTONS
639 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
(202) 543-3113
Eastern Market Metro
m cw d v
TOWN
2009 8th Street NW
(202) 234-TOWN
U Street/Cardozo Metro
m d v t
ZIEGFELDS /
SECRETS
1824 Half Street SW
(202) 863-0670
Navy Yard Metro
m d v t gg
RETAIL
m mostly men w mostly women m&w men and women r restaurant l leather/levi
d dancing v video t drag cw country western gg go-go dancers o open 24 hours s sauna
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Nelson Mandela tore down oppression, united a rainbow nation, and always
walked arm-in-arm with his LGBT brothers and sisters
and with all people toward freedom.
CHAD GRIFFIN, Human Rights Campaign president, in a statement regarding the death of Nelson Mandela, former president of
South Africa. Mandela, who was 95, was South Africas rst democratically elected and rst black president, and LGBT-rights
advocate, helping South Africa become the rst African nation to legalize same-sex marriage, in 2006.
(Metro Weekly)
I dont think Im even allowed in anymore because

I screamed Im gay, arrest me
on stage last time I was there.
LADY GAGA, in an interview with British chat-show host Alan Carr, responding when Carr asked if she would consider returning
to Russia to perform. Gaga lambasted the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the Russian governments anti-gay policies while on the show.
(The Independent)
The government does not need to recognize the rights of
same-sex couples in an ofcial way.
Gays chose what they want to be, and the government needs to respond but doesnt need to recognize them.
URI ARIEL, Israeli construction and housing minister, responding to a question on Meet the Press on Israels Channel 2 regarding
a bill that would grant male homosexual parents an equal tax break to heterosexual parents.
(The Jerusalem Post)
My preliminary research indicates that for every 20 percentage points of support for gay marriage about
one-and-a-half times as many men from that state will
identify openly as gay
on Facebook.
Economist and Google data analyst SETH STEPHENS-DAVIDOWITZ, in an opinion piece for The New York Times that asked, How
many American men are gay? Davidowitz concluded that 5 percent of American males are predominantly attracted to the same
sex and that as many as one-in-ve of those men are in the closet.
(The New York Times)
[Michael Grifn] was aware of this provision in his contract,

yet he said that he intended to go ahead with the ceremony. Regretfully, we informed Mr. Grifn that we have no choice but to
terminate his contract effective immediately.
Rev. JAMES MCCLOSKEY, president of Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, Pa., explaining in a Dec. 7 statement that the
school red Grifn from his teaching post at the Catholic school after he announced plans to marry his male partner.
(USA Today)

Metro Weekly - 12-12-13 - COTY

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Metro Weekly - 12-12-13 - COTY

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2 DECEMBER 12, 2013 METROWEEKLY.

I dont think Im even allowed in anymore because

[Michael Grifn] was aware of this provision in his contract,

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