Metro Weekly - 01-16-14 - Pre-MAL

2 JANUARY 16, 2014 METROWEEKLY.
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3 METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 16, 2014
4 JANUARY 16, 2014 METROWEEKLY.COM
New Virginia governors Executive Order 1 protects LGBT state employees
from discrimination
McAuliffe
by John Riley
G
OV. TERRY MCAULIFFE
(D) was sworn into ofce in
Richmond Saturday, Jan. 11,
sparking hope among equal-
rights advocates that his position as an
LGBT ally may foster incremental chang-
es to Virginias discriminatory laws.
In his inaugural address, McAuliffe
specically referenced some of the ongo-
ing ghts in the commonwealth that per-
tain to LGBT rights, promising that his
administration would ensure economic,
educational and social opportunities for
all of Virginias children no matter
if youre a girl or a boy, no matter what
part of the commonwealth you live in, no
matter your race or religion, and no mat-
ter whom you love. McAuliffe also said
there is still work to be done to ensure
that someone cant lose a job simply
because they are gay.
In keeping with that spirit of his
address, McAuliffe signed into effect
on Saturday Executive Order 1, which
supersedes and rescinds an executive
order by former Gov. Bob McDonnell (R)
that did not specically protect LGBT
people from discrimination. Under
McAuliffes executive order, discrimina-
tion in state employment is prohibited on
the basis of race, sex, color, national ori-
gin, religion, sexual orientation, gender
identity, age, political afliation, status as
a veteran or disability.
The order directs state appointing
authorities and managers to take afrma-
tive measures to emphasize the recruit-
ment of qualied minorities, women,
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disabled people and older Virginians to
serve at all levels of state government.
The executive order also states that
allegations of violations of this poli-
cy shall be brought to the attention of
the Ofce of Equal Employment Ser-
vices and prohibits retaliatory actions by
supervisors against those who complain
of discrimination.
LGBT advocates are optimistic about
the potential for greater equality under
a McAuliffe administration. The LGBT-
rights organization Equality Virgin-
ia which endorsed McAuliffe in his
campaign against Ken Cuccinelli, Vir-
ginias famously anti-gay former attorney
general organzied a contingent that
marched in McAuliffes inaugural parade
and was present for his signing of the
executive order.
On Monday morning, Jan. 13, Equality
Virginia hosted a press conference with
Robin Gorsoline, head of People of Faith
for Equality in Virginia, an organization
of interfaith clergy and laypeople who
advocate on behalf of LGBT rights; and
state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria
City, Arlington, Fairfax counties), who
is the only out member of the Gener-
al Assembly, Sen. A. Donald McEachin
(D-Richmond, Henrico, Hanover,
Charles City counties) and Del. Patrick
Hope (D-Arlington Co.) to discuss some
legislative priorities that Democrats
and a handful of House Republicans are
trying to get passed.
Among the topics discussed was a bill
sponsored by Ebbin to repeal Virginias
constitutional amendment that bans any
recognition whatsoever of same-sex rela-
tionships. The conference also addressed
two bills put forth by McEachin: one,
SB248, to codify the executive order
signed by McAuliffe into law, and anoth-
er, SB252, to expand the state health plan
to give some state employees the option
of covering a same-sex spouse, among
other benets.
Another bill discussed at the press
conference is to be introduced by Hope.
It would ban gay conversion therapy
for minors.
Enthusiasm aside, the General Assem-
bly particularly the GOP-held House
poses myriad obstacles for LGBT-friendly
legislation.
Even though the commonwealth is
taking steps toward equality, the truth
is we have a long way to go, James Par-
rish, executive director of Equality Vir-
ginia, said Monday. An overwhelming
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News
Now online at MetroWeekly.com
Poliglot: New Sochi warning from State
Foodwise: Winging it on The Paleo Diet
McAuliffe Fullls
LGBT Campaign Promise
LGBTNews
6
and proving increasingly archaic, Surov-
ell said in a statement.Surovell noted that
he believes it is important to hold votes on
possible repeals of the Marshall-Newman
Amendment, even if they might not pass.
Virginians are ready to repeal the
Marshall-Newman Amendment, Ebbin
said in a statement in response to Coles
actions. This unfair and discriminatory
law denies loving couples the chance to
build a life together, throwing up bur-
dens that straight couples never have to
face. People deserve to be judged by their
actions, and laws that deny people funda-
mental rights because of their sexual ori-
entation should have no place in Virginia.
We have lost and will continue to lose
hard-working citizens to other states.
Besides Coles efforts to thwart pro-
LGBT legislation, Del. Bob Marshall
(R-Manassas Park, Prince William Co.),
with a reputation as possibly the Leg-
islatures most consistently anti-LGBT
member, has introduced a bill to codify
into law a discriminatory November rul-
ing by the Department of Taxation that
same-sex couples legally married else-
where must le their Virginia taxes as
individuals and will not be able to qualify
for certain state credits or exemptions,
even as the IRS has announced it will
recognize all legally married same-sex
couples, regardless of where they live.
In one of his last actions as attorney
general, failed gubernatorial candidate
Cuccinelli issued a non-binding opinion
in response to an inquiry by Marshall
as to whether a governor could require
any agency of state government to allow
same-sex couples to receive joint marital
status for Virginia income-tax returns. In
majority of Virginians believe that gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender indi-
viduals should have the right to work for
the government without facing discrimi-
nation, and when it comes to marriage,
they believe that gay and lesbian couples
should be able to marry the person they
love and have that relationship recog-
nized where they live.
Sens. Ebbin and McEachin are lis-
tening to their constituents and to the
majority of Virginians, Parrish contin-
ued. The time for equality is now! I hope
that legislators are listening to their con-
stituents when it comes to LGBT rights.
The decisions being made at the General
Assembly must start reecting where
Virginians stand when it comes to issues
of fairness and equality.
Anti-gay animus among some mem-
bers of the General Assembly was on
display as recently as Dec. 9 when Del.
Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg, Stafford,
Fauquier, Spotsylvania counties), who
chairs the committee through which a
proposed voter referendum to repeal the
Marshall-Newman Amendment would
have to pass, announced that the commit-
tee would not be considering any consti-
tutional amendments this session.
While Coles move would not com-
pletely eliminate the possibility of a
repeal of Marshall-Newman by 2016
though such a move would require two
separate votes to approve a repeal ballot
initiative, in 2015 and again in 2016 Del.
Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax Co.), the chief
patron of one of the repeal bills this ses-
sion, blasted Coles decision.
Virginia Republicans refusal to even
consider same-sex marriage is backwards
that opinion, which conicts with federal
law, Cuccinelli ruled that an executive
order directing an agency to allow same-
sex couples to le jointly would be uncon-
stitutional and would violate the separa-
tion of powers, as taxation is a power that
can only be exercised by the Legislature
and the Marshall-Newman Amendment
currently forbids the state from recogniz-
ing any same-sex relationships.
A Governor may not use an execu-
tive order (or any other means) to exer-
cise legislative power, which is vested
solely in the General Assembly, Cuc-
cinelli wrote. Furthermore, a governor
may not issue executive orders or take
other action that is contrary to express
provisions of the Virginia Constitution.
Thus, if an executive order amounts to an
exercise of legislative power or violates
a provision of the Virginia Constitution,
the Governor is without the power to
issue it and the order necessarily is void.
Parrish previously told Metro Weekly
that Equality Virginia was examining its
legal options as to how to allow same-sex
couples to le jointly. Incoming Attorney
General Mark Herring has not yet issued
his own opinion regarding the taxation
issue. A spokesman for the attorney gen-
erals ofce was not immediately avail-
able for comment.
In the meantime, Equality Virginia
remains opposed to passage of the Mar-
shall bill, which McAuliffe would be
likely to veto even if it were to pass the
General Assembly.
Equality will make its way to Virgin-
ia, Parrish insisted Monday, and we are
working to ensure that it happens sooner
rather than later. l
JANUARY 16, 2014 METROWEEKLY.COM
Maryland To Recognize Utah Marriages
AG Doug Gansler conrms the Free State will recognize Utahs same-sex marriages
by John Riley
M
ARYLAND ATTORNEY
General Doug Gansler (D)
announced Friday, Jan.
10, that Maryland will rec-
ognize same-sex marriages performed
legally in Utah between the time the
U.S. District Court for Utah found the
states marriage-equality ban unconstitu-
tional and when the U.S. Supreme Court
ordered a halt to such marriages as the
state appeals the ruling.
In a letter responding to a Jan. 9
request from the Human Rights Cam-
paign (HRC), the nations largest LGBT
civil rights organization, Gansler said that
Maryland would treat as valid those same-
sex marriages performed in Utah between
Dec. 20, 2013, and Jan. 6, prior to the
stay. Gansler based his conrmation on an
opinion he issued in 2010 that Maryland
would recognize legal same-sex marriages
from other jurisdictions, though Maryland
did not give same-sex couples access to
marriage licenses until 2013. Gansler also
noted in his letter to HRC that the Mary-
land Court of Appeals reached the same
conclusion in a 2012 ruling.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court, on
January 6, 2014, stayed the effect of the dis-
trict court order pending resolution of the
litigation it did not invalidate the mar-
riages that were entered into in Utah dur-
ing the period of time in which the district
courts order was in place, Gansler wrote
to HRC President Chad Grifn. Those
marriages were validly entered into, as is
reected in statements that Gov. Herbert
and Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes
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were performed and recommended that
the clerks issue marriage licenses to
same-sex couples as an administrative
function and not a legal function that
would allow those couples to have their
marriages recognized in states with
marriage equality. Thus, Gansler ruled,
since the marriages are still valid, Mary-
land will recognize them.
It is an affront to the idea of basic
human rights that the battle for full mar-
riage equality in this country remains
in headlines and courtrooms, Gansler
said in his letter to HRC. Nevertheless,
as courts and legislatures accord same-
sex couples the dignity and humanity
have made since the district courts order
and recently conrmed.
Gansler continued, saying that
although same-sex marriages may not
be solemnized in Utah for the time
being, and existing same-sex marriages
are not eligible for state benets, there
has been no court ruling or opinion
issued by Reyes in his capacity as Utah
attorney general that the marriages
that previously occurred are no longer
valid. Gansler cited a letter, authored
by Reyes, that was sent to county attor-
neys and county clerks throughout
Utah advising that such marriages were
recognized at the time the ceremonies
they deserve, we as a nation move closer
to fullling the Constitutions promise
of equal protection of the law. Maryland
will continue to recognize valid out-of-
state same-sex marriages as we con-
tinue to advance that effort wherever
and whenever we can.
Ganslers pronouncement of how
Maryland will treat Utah marriages
comes just hours after U.S. Attorney
General Eric Holder released a video
statement saying that the federal govern-
ment will recognize and make eligible for
federal benets the nearly 1,300 same-
sex marriages performed in Utah prior to
the Supreme Court-issued stay. l
Christie Veto Labeled Vindictive
Legislation aimed to ease requirements for gender-related birth certicate amendments
by Justin Snow
N
EW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS
Christie vetoed legislation
Monday, Jan. 13, that would
have lessened the require-
ments for transgender individuals seek-
ing to obtain an amended birth certicate
in what one advocate calls a vindictive
move to punish the LGBT community.
Passed by New Jersey lawmakers
last year, the bill would have lifted the
requirement that a person must undergo
sex-reassignment surgery to obtain an
amended birth certicate from the state
registrar of vital statistics. Moreover,
under the legislation transgender peo-
ple seeking an amended birth certicate
could apply by having their health care
provider complete a form indicating that
they have undergone clinically appropri-
ate treatment for the purpose of gender
transition, based on contemporary med-
ical standards or demonstrating they
have an intersex condition.
According to the bill itself, its purpose
is to acknowledge that individuals do
not necessarily undergo sex reassignment
surgery when changing sex, and to revise
the process for obtaining an amended
certicate of birth due to a change in sex
to reect current practices.
For Christie, however, who has walked
a ne line in his support for LGBT rights,
further consideration is needed before
he is comfortable signing the bill into law.
Noting that a birth certicate is often
the prerequisite for other forms of iden-
tication, the Republican governor and
likely 2016 presidential candidate stated
that proposed measures that revise the
standards for the issuance of amended
birth certicates may result in signicant
legal uncertainties and create opportuni-
ties for fraud, deception, and abuse, and
should therefore be closely scrutinized
and sparingly approved.
Unlike many other states, New Jer-
sey already has an administrative pro-
cess in place to streamline applications
to amend birth certicates for gender
purposes without court order, Christie
said in a statement announcing his veto.
Under the proposal before me, however,
the sponsors seek to alter the amended
birth certicate application process with-
out maintaining appropriate safeguards.
Consequently, further consideration is
necessary to determine whether to make
such signicant changes to State law con-
cerning the issuance of vital records.
Christies veto of the legislation was
a defeat for LGBT advocates who have
enjoyed a wave of recent victories in the
Garden State, leading the states largest
LGBT organization to respond with anger.
According to Garden State Equal-
ity Executive Director Troy Stevenson,
Governor Christies veto of this legisla-
tion was a vindictive move to punish the
LGBT community after a year of tremen-
dous progress.
Indeed, same-sex marriage became
legal in New Jersey in October after
the Christie administration dropped its
legal battle against a state courts ruling
in favor of marriage equality (Christie
vetoed same-sex marriage legislation in
February 2012) and two months prior
Christie signed legislation making New
Jersey the second state in the nation to
outlaw ex-gay therapy for minors.
This was a simple bureaucratic
change, which would have offered tre-
mendous support to the transgender com-
munity, and have zero effect on anyone
else, Stevenson continued. The gover-
nors security argument is disingenuous at
best, as there is already a process for one
to change their gender marker; this legis-
lation would simply end an unnecessary
surgical requirement. This malicious use
of the veto pen is shameful and beneath
the ofce of governor.
Barbra Casbar Siperstein, political
director of the Gender Rights Advocacy
Association of New Jersey, went further,
accusing Christie of having not read the
bill and conating it with legislation from
another state.
Endorsed by the NJ Bar and com-
pliant with contemporary medical stan-
dards, new Federal standards, revenue
positive, it appears that this veto is arbi-
trary, capricious and designed to harm
transgender people who are the most vul-
nerable among LGBT New Jerseyans,
Siperstein said in a statement.
The bill was approved by the New Jer-
sey General Assembly in June, 43-27 with
seven abstentions, and by the state Senate
in December with a 21-11 vote. With 54
votes needed in the state Assembly and
27 needed in the state Senate, it is unlike-
ly lawmakers will be able to overcome
Christies veto. l
marketplace
Fashion Forward
Maybe Miranda Priestly and The Chamber do have a little in common
Santalla seated
by Ernesto Santalla
I
N THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA,
Miranda Priestly is quick to cor-
rect Emily No. 2 when she dared to
say she did not care about fashion.
She traced the color of her frumpy ceru-
lean sweater from catwalk to clearance
rack to explain why Emily No. 2 was
wearing it. Once and for all, she set the
record straight on the cultural signi-
cance of fashion from the point of view
of the trickle-down theory.
My goal is to explain in less than 600
words, why this Devil believes the Capital
Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Com-
merce, aka The Chamber, is relevant to
everyone in the LGBTA community.
THE POWER OF CHOICE
There are businesses and there are con-
sumers. One group exists by virtue of the
other. It is extremely rare there would
be only one source for a product or a ser-
vice, so we have choices. That means we
decide where to spend our money. The
Chambers mission is to advocate, pro-
mote and facilitate the success of LGBTA
businesses in the metro D.C. region.
THE INDIVIDUAL IS THE FOCUS
To facilitate commerce, The Chamber
connects businesses to businesses, and
businesses to individuals. Every month,
The Chamber hosts networking events
members and non-members may attend.
These events are attended by business
owners and individuals representing
their companies, as well as those looking
for new opportunities. In fact, people
who attend Chamber events range from
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college students to people with estab-
lished careers and businesses.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
To learn how to ride a bike, you have to
get on the seat. To network, you have to
attend events regularly. In business, you
need to be an expert in your industry, but
you also have to understand insurance,
taxation, hiring practices, and much
more. As an employee, its all about what
you bring to your company, and acquir-
ing new skills improves an individuals
chances for advancement. Every week,
The Chamber offers opportunities for
personal and business growth.
GET INVOLVED
The Chamber provides a platform for
community service. Our events and pro-
grams rely heavily on the hard work of
volunteers. To produce more than 100
events a year, thousands of hours are
given by individuals like you and me
to bring them to fruition. Involvement
occurs at many levels ranging from help-
ing for a couple hours at an event, to join-
ing a committee, to being on the board of
directors where someday you could be
president.
Contrary to Runway, The Chamber is
not a place where you have to conform
to a stereotype to t in, even though we
have clothiers, hair stylists, plastic sur-
geons, nutritionists and tness experts to
help you craft your perfect look. We also
have IT experts, physicians, architects,
bankers, printers, accountants, attor-
neys, Realtors, event planners, nancial
planners, travel agents, photographers,
graphic designers, interior designers,
marketing and public-relations experts,
writers, caterers and a lm producer. In
other words, individuals and companies
involved in The Chamber are a cross-
section of the LGBTA community in the
Washington metro region.
What Miranda Priestly lacks in
tact, she makes up with in style. She
is emblematic of the need to reinvent
oneself constantly to stay ahead of the
curve. She claims to have made many a
career, which is another thing she and
The Chamber have in common, helping
others get ahead in business.
The Chamber Means Business. For
more information visit caglcc.org or
facebook.com/CAGLCC. On Twitter,
follow @DCLGBTBIZ
Ernesto Santalla, CAGLCC president,
is an architect/interior designer at
Studio Santalla Inc. and an unintentional
fashionista. l
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 19
ADVENTURING outdoors group hikes 6 moderate
miles on Appalachian Trail to see original
Washington Monument. Bring beverages, lunch,
sturdy boots, about $10. Carpool 8:30 a.m. from
Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro. Devon, 202-368-
3379. adventuring.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.
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, JANUARY 20
HRC, Casa Ruby, Sasha Bruce, and The DC Center
mark the MLK DAY OF SERVICE by partnering for
service projects beneting LGBT homeless youth in
D.C. To participate, 202-682-2245, thedccenter.org.
ADVENTURING outdoors group hikes 5.5 easy
miles in Greenbelt Park. Bring beverages, lunch,
fees. Carpool 10 a.m. from College Park Metro.
David, 240-938-0375. adventuring.org.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer
organization, helps Capitol Hill Arts Workshop
and Atlas Performing Arts Centers Remembrance
of Martin Luther King Jr. To participate, visit
burgundycrescent.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, JANUARY 18
CHRYSALIS arts & culture group visits
Philadelphias University Museum of Archaeology
and Anthropology, other attractions. Leave Union
Station via Amtrak at 8 a.m., return 10:30 p.m. Craig,
202-462-0535, craighowell1@verizon.net.
BURGUNDY CRESCENT, a gay volunteer
organization, helps Lost Dog & Cat Rescue
Foundation at Falls Church PetSmart. To
participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.
WEEKLY EVENTS
ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH
offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV
services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or
andromedatransculturalhealth.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.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
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.
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.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17
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.
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
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.
KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES,
at 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free rapid HIV
testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401.
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, JANUARY 22

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
17
METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 16, 2014
FOR MORE CALENDAR LISTINGS
PLEASE VISIT
WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM
JANUARY 16, 2014
VOLUME 20 / ISSUE 38
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,
Brandon Harrison, Chris Heller, Troy Petenbrink,
Richard Rosendall, Kate Wingeld
EDITOR EMERITUS
Sean Bugg
WEBMASTER
David Uy
MULTIMEDIA
Aram Vartian
ADMINISTRATIVE / PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
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ADVERTISING & SALES
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19
THIS WEEK IN
Richmond saw the
inauguration of
Terry McAuliffe
as Virginias gov-
ernor and the start
of a new Virginia
political era: At
Least Its Not the
Other Guy.
Yes, that seems like low praise but
we are talking about Virginia, a state
gone schizophrenic when it comes to
both LGBT people and vaginas of any
orientation. On the one hand, the state is
now represented by a Democratic gov-
ernor, lieutenant governor and attorney
general, and has sent two Democratic
senators across the river to the Capitol.
On the other hand, Virginias dis-
tricting has created a state Legislature
packed with the furthest of the far right,
the folks who come up with ideas like
transvaginal probes and barring pri-
vate employers from offering partner
benets to their gay employees. In just
the past few days one of their number
introduced legislation banning all forms
of sexual activity between teenagers
(who are otherwise at the age of con-
sent) other than penis-in-vagina.
Obviously, nothing says sound fam-
ily policy like undermining birth con-
trol while banning oral sex, because its
worth a few unintentional teen preg-
nancies to keep an anti-gay, unconstitu-
tional sodomy law on the books.
On his way out the door, the Other
Guy, now-former Attorney General
Ken Cuccinelli, once again ipped off
Virginias gays by issuing a non-binding
opinion that the new governor cannot
direct or require any agency of state
government to allow same-sex couples
to receive joint marital status for Vir-
ginia income tax returns, because tyr-
anny, one supposes.
Its worth remembering he lost by
two points, a fact that greatly tempers
my unease about McAuliffe, who has
already issued a nondiscrimination
order for LGBT employees and made
clear he considers our community to
be a part of Virginia. McAuliffe has also
engaged in the time-honored Demo-
cratic rite of extending a hand of bipar-
tisanship to a Republican Legislature, a
hand that will be bitten off by the end
of the month.
So the question is, why the hell do
I live here again? Especially given how
much I love D.C.?
I still stick by my story that I moved
here for love moving to an inside-
the-Beltway suburb is a small price to
pay for a decade-long relationship. But
theres a little more to it. Once you get
outside the urban coast, Virginia is basi-
cally just a snottier version of my home
state of Kentucky (theyre even the
same basic shape) so I feel comfortable
here. Plus living in NoVa is hardly suf-
fering in the boondocks; my equality-
symbol-bearing, mostly Obama-voting,
ethnically varied neighbors are a lot
more diverse than some of my former
D.C. neighborhoods.
There are also a lot of homosexuals
out here, which makes things pleasant.
Given my own snooty attitude
toward gay Virginians while in my 20s,
theres a certain karmic tint to my liv-
ing here now. Its one of the reasons I
dont get worked up when some people
mount the You shouldnt live in homo-
phobic states! argument on Facebook
or at parties. Another reason: Were
Americans, we should be able to live
where we want to.
Virginia is a much better place for
LGBT people than it was when I rst
crossed the state line to go to college in
1985. Thats because LGBT people have
chosen to live here or, in many cases,
stay here and ght to make it better.
While we lag behind our friends and
family in D.C. and Maryland, well be
catching up soon because change starts
at home.
Sean Bugg is editor emeritus of
Metro Weekly. He can be reached at
seanbugg@gmail.com. Follow him on
Twitter @seanbugg. l
My Old Virginia Home
Cuccinelli ips a nal bird to gays as McAuliffe takes the rst
steps at stemming the anti-gay front in Richmond
LGBTOpinion
by Sean Bugg
THE POPULAR
inability to distin-
guish fantasy from
reality is not a
new phenomenon.
Snake-oil salesmen
have long relied
upon their marks
eagerness to believe
in magical elixirs. But even peoples skep-
ticism is used to gull them, as when
Fox News pundits exploit confusion of
weather with climate to dismiss global
climate change. Look! Theres still win-
ter! Thus ignorant mockery trumps a vast
body of evidence.
Phrenology was a popular pseudosci-
ence in the 19th century, based on the
notion that different mental faculties were
Granny, and Gov. Chris Christie sum-
moning the ghost of Richard Nixon with
I am not a bully.
The problem is that we willingly fool
ourselves. We believe what we wish to
believe, ltering out evidence that fails
to conrm our own preferences. Thus, in
comments below a Facebook item about
Gov. Christies staff causing a trafc jam
on the George Washington Bridge for
political retribution, a right-wing troll
brings up alleged cover-ups of the Beng-
hazi consulate attack and IRS scrutiny of
tea party groups, both pseudo scandals
hyped by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).
Never mind that a nonpartisan panel
investigated Benghazi and found no
withdrawal of American military assets
during the attack; or that the IRS agent
was a conservative Republican who
examined both liberal and conservative
groups without White House knowledge.
Ezra Klein writes in The Washington
Post about the alacrity with which parti-
sans change their supposedly principled
positions based on whose ox is being
gored, as when Republicans denounced
the health insurance mandate originally
devised by the Heritage Foundation after
President Obama embraced it. Often-
times when we think were engaged in
reasoned policy discussion were actually
engaged in complex efforts to rationalize
the direction in which our tribal aflia-
tions are pushing us. Psychologists call
this motivated reasoning. And theyve
shown its power in laboratory settings
again and again and again.
When stuck, a resourceful operative
improvises, like the chief engineer on Star
Trek, reversing the polarity. But dress-
ing up bullshit in technobabble no more
makes you an engineer than a superhero
costume enables you to y. I love the
campiness of commercial spokespersons
in white lab coats listing the awful side
effects of medications in soothing voices.
When fast talk and sleight of hand
are combined with poor science edu-
cation, the real effects of public policy
are missed. This trickery does not feed
hungry children, nor create jobs, nor
establish justice, nor clean up toxic spills,
nor strengthen Americas global competi-
tiveness.
Imagination can be used to illuminate
or obscure. When it takes us in ight
from the challenges we face, we are in for
a rough landing.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and
activist. He can be reached at
rrosendall@starpower.net. l
housed in different parts of the brain. Skull
measurements were used to justify doc-
trines of racial superiority. Science lectures
became entertainment, hypotheses were
tested by applause, and argument was sup-
plemented by showmanship.
Misdirection and make-believe have
long been used to sway crowds. The
new media merely act as an accelerant.
For example, The Lightly Braised Turnip
website reported last week that a 160-
foot squid had washed ashore in Santa
Monica, Calif. Scientists reportedly said
that the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
had caused genetic mutations that trig-
gered radioactive gigantism, just like in
old sci- movies.
How often do we have to be fooled by,
say, The Daily Currant before we learn
that it specializes in satire? Granted, its
hard to tell the difference these days,
with Rep. Michele Bachmann weeping
over the prospect of Obamacare killing
20
LGBTOpinion
Misdirection
Trickery may color truth, but facts are facts
by Richard J. Rosendall
marketplace
A
S DEPENDABLE AS CHERRY BLOSSOMS
in spring, Washington is once again ready to
welcome the Centaur Motorcycle Clubs Mid-
Atlantic Leather Weekend, Jan. 17 to 20. And
2014 is a big year, with the Centaurs marking
the 40th anniversary of the rst Leather Cock-
tails, held at New Yorks Waldorf Astoria hotel, and the 30th
anniversary of the Centaurs serving as hosts.
While thats certainly worth celebrating, the leather com-
munity particularly the Centaur MC also has sad news this
season. Frank Nowicki, Mr. MAL 1993 as well as the contests
longtime emcee, lost his mother, Mary, in late 2013. That loss
will resonate at the weekend, in that Mary Nowicki was no
stranger to MAL, seated in the audience when her son won his
title, and at many MAL Weekends thereafter.
She was actually one of the rst mothers that came around,
Nowicki said of his mother accepting his full identity in a Janu-
ary 2013 interview. My moms always been real, real cool.
Another loss that will be felt this year is Jim Raymond, who
also died in late 2013. Raymond, a member of the Centaurs, was
regarded by many leatherfolk as a mentor and friend, and his
death has prompted an outpouring of sadness.
Still, this is a resilient community, and the MAL Weekend
will surely offer countless ways to celebrate that resilience. One
of those opportunities comes Friday night, Jan. 17, as the High-
waymen TNT mark an anniversary of the clubs own, its 35th,
with the no-cost Gear Up party.
This is the biggest thing weve taken on in quite some-
time, says R. Derrick Thomas, president of the Highway-
men, who recalls events from the clubs history such as its
now-defunct Bearfest event. Weve got a great DJ. Were
really pleased to be working with the Centaurs, whove col-
laborated with us, given us the space during MAL Weekend.
Im thinking its going to be a big deal. I love the fact that its
free. To me, that falls in line with what we do as a club. Were
not about raising a bunch of money or growing our bank
account. Were about having a good time with people who
want to have a good time and laugh. Having a great dance that
is free will, hopefully, bring in a lot of fun people and well all
have a good time together.
WHO ARE THE HIGHWAYMEN?
I
NDEED, THE HIGHWAYMEN TNT TAKE HAVING A
good time seriously, and often on the road, even if their
runs have nothing to do with motorcycles. That TNT,
after all, stands for Trash n Travel, hallmarks of the Highway-
men. The club is also dedicated to diversity and playfulness in
ways that have helped to set them apart. Thinking of leather
clubs as ctional characters, its easy to spot Sgt. York, or Her-
cules, or Tom of Finlands Kake in the mix. In the case of the
Highwaymen, however, its more a case of Shakespeares Puck
or the Romans lusty Bacchus.
I think one of the reasons they established the Highway-
Where Leather Meets Levity
For 35 years, the Highwaymen TNT have forged their own trail of
Trash n Travel, of diversity and playfulness
by Will OBryan / photographs courtesy of Highwaymen TNT
men, says Herb Kaylor, a past club president and one of its
longtime members, having joined in 1992, was they were almost
making fun of some of these other clubs.
Kaylor is referring to the original eight Highwaymen, who,
according to member Kevin Jordan, are: Marvin Andy, John
DeBogory, Jim Erkman, Bob Mattingly, Jerry Meis, George Pav-
lick, Allan Peterson and Don Vance, with Peterson serving as the
clubs rst president.
The group didnt really t in anywhere else, so they formed
their own club, Kaylor continues. The Highwaymen continued
to almost buck the trend. We are so diverse. When I joined, there
were a lot of deaf people in the club, actually. There were more
active military in the club than there are now. I dont think we
have any deaf members anymore. We were the rst club to have
women join, which has been great. Since the Highwaymen broke
down that barrier, I think youll nd women in most of the other
clubs. The reason the Highwaymen have been so successful
over the years and it looks like were going through a renais-
sance right now is because we are very welcoming.
H. Alexander Satorie-Robinson, another past president, says
that while hed been a member of Onyx, dedicated to leather
men of color, his friend Neil Alexander, since deceased but
whose time as president predates Satorie-Robinsons, helped to
bring him fully into the Highwaymen fold.
With Neil being there, myself being there, and not feeling
any sense of sort of racial tension or any difference, I think that
had been the history of the club, Satorie-Robinson says of that
dedication to diversity. People felt comfortable. We also had
deaf members in our club. During my period we had our rst
three women join the club. We were about inclusion and always
have been. It was something that was relayed to me from my
earliest interactions with members.
Jackie Thompson, the clubs de facto run captain who iden-
ties as an equal opportunity top, today celebrates the commit-
ment to diversity that has helped give the club its unique avor.
I wanted to see other faces like mine, Thompson says of
joining the Highwaymen. I was looking for other women and
diversity, color-wise. I wanted everyone to be comfortable with
me not only being a woman, but a black woman, and not having
an issue with it.
Obviously, the Highwaymen take their diversity as seriously
as their trash and their travel.
The most important thing is we are the diverse club that is
welcoming of all sorts of folks, from all walks of life, Thomas
pledges. We have members who have never owned a piece
of leather going through our pledge process right now. Were
welcoming them with open arms. The reason I focus on those is
because when people wonder, Whats this leather stuff about?
Ive seen a video, Ive seen leather people. For me, Id want
to go with a group thats going to make it easy to explore, easy
to ask questions, easy to cross that threshold if there is one, and
to me thats the Highwaymen. Youre not going to get attitude.
Youre not going to get rules and hard stipulations. Youre going
to get an easygoing approach. You dont know a whole lot?
Great! Let me answer some questions for you. Youve never been
to a leather bar? Come to our jock night. Come to our cookout.
Youll meet a lot of really great people and have some good con-
versations. Thats the beauty of what the Highwaymen are and
why it has cross-appeal to all different types of people.
While the dedication to diversity is certainly a noble qual-
ity of the Highwaymen, this is about that time when members
would start to get itchy for some fun. Because, as Satorie-Rob-
inson explains with an impish laugh, All the clubs like to enjoy
themselves and party, but when I was part of the Highwaymen,
we threw the after-hours party. Lets put it that way.
THE TEMPTATIONS OF TRASH N TRAVEL
T
HINK OF THE HIGHWAYMEN AND YOU MIGHT
imagine that table in the high school cafeteria where the
kids with an outsider reputation sit. A few tables are
dedicated to the jocks of various sports. Perhaps the cheerleader
table is the metaphor for the drag community. And while the
Highwaymen seem proud of being a little fringe, of being that
table that welcomes the new kid to sit with them, its not neces-
sarily that openness they most celebrate. What they seem most
proud of in this high school analogy is cutting class, smoking
in the boys room and throwing the wildest parties.
On Jock Night, Thomas says, pointing to the clubs monthly
offering at The DC Eagle, wearing nothing but a jock and your
club vest, or during one of our dinners, were there to have a
good time. And when we go on the road, we denitely have a
good time. We let our hair down.
Many members point to LUEY, the Houston event that
stands for Let Us Entertain You, as one of its best repeated
trips, where the Highwaymen have made a name for themselves
and even have the distinction of being the out-of-towners to host
their own party during the annual weekend. The Highwaymens
particular brand of trashy travel, however, can begin before
theyve even left town.
Airport security, for example, might not be anyones idea of
a good time. But the Highwaymen refuse to let the TSA dampen
their spirits.
They wont pick up a P.A., usually, Kaylor shares, referring
to the metal ring of jewelry worn through a piercing at the head
of a penis, P.A. standing for the piercings namesake Prince
Albert, though any actual historical connection is dubious. If
you wear a metal cockring, thatll go off, though. Ive been trav-
eling with people whove done that and they just reach in their
pants and take it off and put it in the basket and it goes through
the X-ray. Thats some of my favorite memories, when wed
travel together.
Were here to have fun, Kaylor emphasizes. We have seri-
ous lives, most of us. We do our 9-to-5 thing. But we all need
someplace to blow off steam. And thats where the Highwaymen
come in.
In her capacity as road captain, one might bet that Thompson
exemplies the intersection of trash and travel more so than any
other Highwayman. Its likely a winning bet. Her initiation run
was up to Philadelphia to party at The Bike Stop with another
club, the Philadelphians MC.
Traveling with the Highwaymen is an adventure, she
insists. Theyre fun and catty and we sat there going up the
highway saying, Oh, girl, hes a bear. Hes yummy. Oh, no, I
want him.
On that trip, one of the Highwaymen earned the trash of
the year honor, she says, for following through on some of that
stated desire.
Thats what happened in one of the rest stops going up
to Philly, says Thompson. I was like, Wow. How come this
doesnt happen to women?
Its the trash part that helps you into the Highwaymen.
Weve had [male] members make out with a girl. We had a
member get Texas pinned by a man with one leg. You have to
try different things. You have to have the trashy part. The other
side of trash is we throw sex parties. Grind Downs. That sort
of thing. If you have no trashiness, it might work out better for
you at another club. I think thats the reason Im road captain: I
make trouble, somehow. I put all the ingredients together and
just watch it happen. They dont know the kind of devious mind
I have. I want to nd a bus company thats willing to take out a
couple seats so that I can put a sling in it. My ultimate bus crawl.
As Thompsons fantasies turn to impressive feats of fetish
she may be able to orchestrate for the road, Thomas with his
presidential demeanor politely explains the particulars of
being Texas-pinned.
When you travel, you may visit another club, and they have
their club pins, their friendship pins, says Thomas. Theres
a way to do it so that its somewhat of a sexual ceremony. You
stimulate the persons penis and where their penis comes down
in their pants, thats where you stick the pin. You get them
aroused, their penis snakes down their leg, and at the end of that
is where you put the pin. Thats the fun part youve got to get
in their pants to get the backing on there.
Names wont be named to protect the innocent, but those
are the sorts of things that happen on the road when youre hav-
ing a good time. Its a lot of fun to go out with these guys.
On the road or in town, thats the Highwaymen reputation.
Its one theyve earned, and undoubtedly one of which theyre
immensely proud.
THE HIGHWAYMENS BONDS
A
SIDE FROM THE DIVERSITY AND OPENNESS, THE
trash and the travel, the most powerful quality of the
Highwaymen is likely a characteristic where, rather than
standing apart from other leather clubs, members have found
that sense of family that so many of the clubs have mastered.
There is family in fetish, and the Highwaymen take that just as
seriously and as strongly as the rest.
Says Kaylor, The Highwaymen have played a very big part
in my life over the years. The group has changed a lot over the
years and there are only two members left of the group I joined.
But you could call the Highwaymen family, in a way. I still have
my other family and my relationship, but the Highwaymen have
been the constant of the last 20 years. Theyre part of the bricks
and mortar thats my life.
That sense of brotherhood passes easily to women, par-
ticularly in the case of Thompson, who insists on being called a
brother, whatever her identity as a woman.
Maybe its me and my gender neutrality, but I like being
called a brother, she says. All the other guys are like, You do
know she has a bigger set of balls than all of us put together?
Any person coming into the Highwaymen, your gender makes
no difference. Its whether or not you feel comfortable and you
see a space in the group for yourself, that you can see everybody
as brothers, that you can envision yourself part of the family,
because thats what it ends up being. Were not always coming
over for dinner, but when theres a Highwayman in need, you
can pick up the phone and you know theres a brother thats
going to be there. It very much feels like a family.
Those considering joining the Highwaymen TNT family can
certainly get a glimpse of the club in action during the MAL
Weekend, but Thomas emphasizes there may be just too much
going on to get a good representation. Still, he hopes old friends
and newbies alike will come out to Gear Up and make a party to
remember and possibly repeat.
Weve worked really hard to make it a successful dance,
and I think it will be, Thomas says. But people really wanting
to know who we are, some of our smaller events Jock Night
or a cookout are better chances for people to get to know us
individually and as a club. You can walk up to me or one of my
club brothers as were eating dinner or as were standing around
in our jocks drinking beer more easily that at a 400-person dance
at MAL Weekend.
As for Thompson, she just wants to make sure you Gear Up
and get your sexy on.
There are all kinds of fetishes of the leather community that
a lot of people dont see, which is why we ended up with Gear
Up, she says. Gear up in whatever makes you feel good and
sexy and hot. Bring it and aunt it and enjoy yourself.
The Highwaymen TNT Gear Up party with DJ Nathan Patrick
is Friday, Jan. 17, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the host hotel. Admis-
sion is free. For more information about the party or the club, visit
trashandtravel.com. l
A
S THE CENTAUR MCS MID-ATLANTIC LEATH-
ER Weekend unfolds, many taking part will have
Jim Raymond in their thoughts. A Centaur and a
longtime xture in the community well regarded
as a mentor to those exploring the leather lifestyle, Raymond
passed away in December.
According to J.P. Halford, who knew Raymomd for more
than 20 years, Raymond had been staying with his brother in
Norfolk, Va., during his nal days, spending the better part of
the last year in and out of the hospital.
He was a big lad, and he had lost a great deal of weight, says
Halford. The last time I saw, him I believe he was in a wheel-
chair.
But Halford focuses instead on memories of Raymond as
very outgoing and with a jolly personality.
David Merrill, a local DJ and party promoter, says he met
Raymond soon after moving to Washington 14 years ago.
Jim was the most generous, giving person with his time
that I knew, says Merrill. He was always there, at every event,
every club meeting.
Raymond would come to CODE parties, where Merrill
serves as DJ, and use the occasion to introduce willing partici-
pants to electroplay. Raymond was also known and admired
by many leather peers for his expertise in other areas of kink
and fetish play, including ogging, rope work and spanking.
Jim was the rst person in the leather community who
made me feel welcome, says longtime friend Larry Barat.
He was a mentor to me and to many others, very nurturing,
friendly, gentle and respectful. He had this real teddy-bear
personality.
Barat adds that it was Raymond who sponsored him into
the Centaurs, and who was a trusted friend and mentor during
the time Barat served as chair of MAL. Raymond also served as
chief organizer and chair of Olympia, a leather/fetish weekend
retreat in rural Pennsylvania.
The news hit us really hard, Todd White, president of
Centaur MC, says of Raymonds death. Everybodys still deal-
ing with it.
White says he has been in contact with Raymonds brother
and expects the club to hold a memorial service honoring Ray-
mond in D.C. sometime in the early spring, celebrating Ray-
monds life and paying tribute to his many contributions to the
local leather community.
At the opening of the annual Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Con-
test, White adds, Raymond will be remembered during a mo-
ment of silence.
Its not something we usually do, White says of the spe-
cial moment, noting that the club wants to keep the overall
event positive and lighthearted. But because Jim was such
a big name in the community, we want to honor his involve-
ment with the leather community, which was a major part of
his life. l
Remembering
Jim Raymond
Leather community shaken by death of longtime friend and mentor
by John Riley / photography by Todd Franson
F
OR A LONG TIME, RAMIEN
Pierre says, I would surrepti-
tiously look at leather images,
watch leather porn and follow
it on the Internet. In other words, he
enjoyed leather but only at what he
considered a safe remove. I think I had
the same misconceptions that a lot of
folks outside the community have: that
its full of people who are frightening,
scary, want to hurt you or be hurt, who
are into pain and sex.
In fact it was only ve years ago that
the very proud 43-year old shook off
those long-held misconceptions. That
was when, as he colorfully puts it, I
put on my big-boy pants and walked
in the door. It was the D.C. resi-
dents very rst leather anything, and it
happened to be Mid-Atlantic Leather
Weekend 2009. You know, that wild
and crazy time when the countrys
second-largest leather and fetish event
coincided with the rst Obama inaugu-
ration, leaving most of D.C. overjoyed
and over-stimulated.
It was an incredibly overwhelming
experience, Pierre recalls. It was won-
derful and frightening and sexy. Yes,
frightening, though not enough to scare
away Pierre, who has since become a
member of the leather club Onyx and is
now even a leather titleholder: Mr. DC
Eagle 2014. Maybe sometimes they are
scary, Pierre laughs about his leather
brothers and sisters. But most times
theyre just passionate, lovable people.
I have found that this is a community
A Helpers Heart
Meet Mr. DC Eagle 2014,
Ramien Pierre
by Doug Rule / photography by Julian Vankim
DC boys of Leather party / Glitterlust at MAL
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Congressional A
Host Hotel
dcboysoeather.org
Highwaymen TNT Party: Gear Up
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Regency Ballrooms B, C and D
Host Hotel
trashandtravel.com
SATURDAY, JANUARY 18
MAL Registration
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Capitol Room A and B
Host Hotel
Bootblacks on Duty
Benets OutServe-SLDN
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Lower Level
5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Lobby Level
Host Hotel
Exhibit Hall
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Lower Level
Host Hotel
BDSM Demonstrations by SigMa
Noon to 2 p.m.
Regency B and C
Host Hotel
sigmadc.org
International Mr. Leather 2014
Judges Announcement
Noon to 1 p.m.
Congressional A
imrl.com
Onyx Cocktail Party
Live Auction benets SMYAL
2 to 6 p.m.
Congressional A
Host Hotel
onyxmen.com
Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps Puppy Mosh
2:30 to 4 p.m.
Regency C and D
Host Hotel
makkorps.org
SigMa DC Party
6 p.m. to 2 a.m.
$20 SigMa DC members, $25 nonmembers
1014 H St. NE
sigmadc.org
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
Former MAL Titleholders Bar Night
9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
DC Eagle
639 New York Ave. NW
dceagle.com
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17
MAL Registration
3 to 10 p.m.
Host Hotel
Bootblacks on Duty
4 to 10 p.m.
Lower Level
7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Lobby Level
Host Hotel
Exhibit Hall
4 to 10 p.m.
Lower Level
Host Hotel
DC Bar Cre: Leather Bear Party
6 to 11 p.m.
No cover before 9:30 p.m.
Town Danceboutique
2009 8th St. NW
dcbearcrue.com
Contestant Number Drawing and Judges
Introduction
7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Congressional A
Host Hotel
SigMa Dungeon Party
8 p.m. to midnight
$20 SigMa members, $25 nonmembers
1014 H St. NE
sigmadc.org
Code: Domination
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
$40 (or $60 advance, including Saturday Code)
Crucible
16 M St. NE
codedc.com
Van transportation from Host Hotel,
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Luther X: MAL 2014
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Advance tickets $15
Green Lantern
1335 Green Court NW
thisisluther.com
Event Calendar
Mid-Atlantic Leather 2014
The host hotel for the 2014 Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend is the Hyatt Regency
Washington on Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave. NW. Events marked with an
asterisk are ofcial, MAL-ticketed events for weekend-pass holders only. A shuttle
bus for day ticket or pass holders runs Friday and Saturday nights, 10:30 p.m.
to 2:30 a.m., between the host hotel; the DC Eagle, 639 New York Ave. NW;
and the Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. Other transportation available as
noted. All listings subject to change.
of really warm, caring people who
are very civic-minded, really smart
and funny.
Certainly that description ts
Pierre. Raised as an only child in a
single-parent home in West Chester,
Pa., about 35 minutes west of Phila-
delphia, Pierre excelled in school.
He latched on early to the idea that
education was a tool he could use
to advance a cause or community,
not just for his own self-promotion.
I like learning stuff that I think I
can use to help other people. Im a
helper at heart, says Pierre, who
has three education-focused col-
lege degrees, all from prestigious
universities, and is currently work-
ing on a doctorate from the George
Washington University. A former
schoolteacher, Pierre now works to
organize training for a government
agency. Ive slowly transitioned
from working with young people
exclusively to working with adults.
In recent years, Pierre has real-
ized he has many kindred spirits
all around him. There are a lot of
helpers and a lot of huggers
in the leather community. As Mr.
DC Eagle 2014, Pierre has set as
one of his goals helping raise money
and awareness for two charities on
opposite ends of the age spectrum:
the LGBT youth-focused charity
SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring
Youth Advocates and Leaders) and
the LGBT elder-oriented SAGE. I
think the primary purpose of a com-
munity is to take care of its juniors
and its elders, he says.
Naturally, with the DC Eagle
about to lose its current location
and facing an uncertain future at
best, a six-month wait for a new
roost much of Pierres work as
Mr. DC Eagle 2014 will be help-
ing with outreach and visibility on
behalf of the bar. But Pierre also sees
his role a bit more broadly, as one
of an ambassador. So in addition to
just sort of getting and keeping the
DC Eagle name out there, Pierre
will also try to reach some of those
people who, like him, might have
otherwise found a community and
a calling sooner.
I really want to work to try and
make leather and the leather com-
munity, says Pierre, as accessible
to those outside the community as
possible. l
Leather Cocktails*
7 to 9 p.m.
Regency B, C and D
Host Hotel
Code: Domination
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
$40
Crucible
16 M St. NE
codedc.com
Van transportation from Host Hotel,
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Blackout Party
10 p.m to 3 a.m.
Regency B
Host Hotel
fuckevents.com
Manhunt Party
10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Host Hotel
manhunt.net
MAUL (Mid-Atlantic Uniform League) Party
10 p.m to Midnight
Congressional B
Host Hotel
uniformleague.org
Blowoff
11:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.
$12
9:30 Club
815 V St. NW
brotherhelpthyself.net
blowoff.us
SUNDAY, JANUARY 19
MAL Brunch*
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Capitol A and B
Host Hotel
MAL Registration
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Capitol Room
Host Hotel
Bootblacks on Duty
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lower Level
5 to 8 p.m.
Lobby Level
Host Hotel
Exhibit Hall
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lower Level
Host Hotel
Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2014 Contest*
1 to 3:30 p.m.
Non-pass-holder tickets available
Regency Ballroom
Host Hotel
Ofcial Closing Party:
Reaction: Darkness has Fallen
10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Tickets $35
9:30 Club
815 V St. NW
Shuttle bus runs 10:30 p.m. to 4 a.m.
930.com l
JANUARY 16 - 23, 2014
SPOTLIGHT
AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
HHHHH
I didnt see Tracy Lettss August: Osage County on
the stage, but from what Ive heard, Ive little doubt
it was an amazing play. But no, I saw it in a movie
theater. What a mistake. The playwrights own two-
hour screen adaptation never quite bores, but as
well-acted as it may be from a cast that includes
Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor and
(ever so briey) Sam Shepard, it fails to register
much more than a shrug and a meh. Its the kind
of movie where you encounter a big revelation and,
instead of gasping, think, That probably should
Compiled by Doug Rule
LEATHERS SUPERHEROES
Anthony Dortch celebrates several local leathermen
in new art project
W
HEN YOU GET ALL THESE MEN TOGETHER, AND
they stand in these power stances, Anthony Dortch Jr.
says, all I think of is, Wow, this is like the new X-Men.
And for his new portrait series Leather Nation, the mixed-media
artist Dortch makes it so. The comics acionado instructed several
leathermen including the three most recent Mr. DC Eagles, plus
2010s R. Derrick Thomas and 2002s Herb Kaylor to have fun and
strike poses as superheroes. A lot of them just t right into their
characters, Dortch says. I told one to be Panther. I told one to act
as The Hulk.
Dortch started this series at the request of a manager at the Green
Lantern bar, where several large pieces have been hung specically for
Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, Jan. 17 to 19. I was just going to do it
where I got some of the models that Ive used in the past, and throw
them in a leather outt, he explains. But then a friend suggested he
seek out the genuine articles instead: Why dont you get men that are
actually doing it, that actually own the gear, to pose for you? To create
his pieces, Dortch takes photographs, which he then embellishes and
manipulates with acrylic paint, washes and ink all put together to
create these images that kind of give you a very illustrated feel.
In addition to his leather series, Dortch is also developing two
graphic novels springing from his 2011 Touchstone Gallery exhibition
The Privileged Series. That series was notable for its lighthearted, com-
ics-style approach to portraying class discrepancies in modern society.
Describing himself as an outsider to the leather community, but one slowly getting into it, Dortch seems particularly
inspired by Leather Nation. Originally a one-off, MAL-related project, Dortch is considering expanding the series. Just get as
many people as I can to really showcase D.C.s leather community, he says, adding, Every guy that Ive met so far has been
hilarious, amazing and great to be around. Doug Rule
Pieces from Leather Nation are on display through March 31 at the Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW, and also at MALs
Onyx Cocktail Party on Saturday, Jan. 18, from 2 to 6 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Washington, 400 New Jersey Ave NW.
Visit facebook.com/DortchDesigns for more information.
have made me feel something. Its all Oklahoma
Gothic, as family members gathered to bury a family
patriarch viciously shred each other to veritable
ribbons, wreaking emotional havoc of the garden
variety. Directed by John Wells (The West Wing),
everything is kept at an arms distance. We are never
drawn into the action, but remain aloof to it. The
narrative contains two huge revelations, and both
play out with a whisper. August owes a massive
debt to Lillian Hellmans scathing and magnicent
The Little Foxes, but it never quite raises itself to
that level of utter, inescapable horror. Doped-up
matriarch Violet is brittle and caustic seemingly for
no other reason than to be hateful to her daughters,
but Streep plays her awlessly, as to be expected.
Roberts makes a strong foil as eldest daughter
Barbara, and Julianne Nicholson is wonderful as
the sister whod rather bury her head in the sand
than confront realities of life. McGregor, meanwhile,
might as well be in another galaxy far, far away. The
lm has one electrifying scene, in which a husband
(Chris Cooper) takes his brassy, critical wife (Margo
Martindale) to task. Its a bracing moment that, for
an instant, jolts us out of our lethargy. Had the entire
lm been on this level of engagement, August: Osage
County might have been one of the years best lms.
Sadly, however, its not even close. Rated R. Area
theaters. (Randy Shulman)
BATTI PARTY AT PATTY BOOM BOOM
DJs Jahsonic and DJ John Jazz spin the fourth
edition of this party meant to celebrate tropical music
genres while also advocating for gay rights in the
Caribbean, particularly homophobic Jamaica. Expect
Fly 26x36 in., model-Nigel Williams
a night of reggae, soca, dancehall, rock steady, roots
music as well as fundraising for organizations
including Jamaicas JFLAG and Center Global, a
program of The DC Center that helps LGBT people
around the world who are targets for violence and
who are seeking asylum. Sunday, Jan. 19, starting at
9 p.m. Patty Boom Boom, 1359 U St. NW. Free. Call
202-629-1712 or visit pattyboomboomdc.com.
CHELSEA HANDLER
The edgy, racy and ber-gay-friendly Handler tours
this spring in support of Uganda Be Kidding Me a
book that has very little direct connection to the
African country, other than to riff on its terrible
anti-gay atmosphere. Instead, the focus as always is
on Handlers crazy life and wild adventures, beyond
what she shares on a daily basis with her hilarious
hit E! network talk show Chelsea Lately. Tickets on
sale Friday, Jan. 17, at 10 a.m., for show Wednesday,
March 5. D.A.R. Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW.
Tickets are $63 to $73. Call 202-628-1776 or visit
dar.org/conthall.
DIONNE WARWICK IN LET FREEDOM RING!
Expect to get in line early if you want to hear the
legendary vocalist, who will perform as part of the
Kennedy Center and Georgetown Universitys annual
free musical celebration honoring Martin Luther
King Jr.s legacy. Also on the bill is the Let Freedom
Ring Choir with music director the Rev. Nolan
Williams Jr. In addition, Lecester Johnson of the
Daniel Savetta and Esmiana Jani
P
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FRENCH TOAST
The InSeries and Washington Ballet salute
French songs in a new show
O
N THE SURFACE YOU MIGHT NOT EXPECT A
collaboration between the InSeriess Carla Hubner
originally from Chile and the Washington Ballets
Septime Webre of Cuban descent to result in a show devoted
to French music. But La Vie En Rose, which Webre has co-directed
and co-choreographed with David Palmer, the ballets associate
artistic director, reects their professional histories.
About eight years ago, Webre says, notable New York-based
cabaret artist Karen Akers and I did a project using French caba-
ret songs Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel. Just wonderful French cabaret
music. So while brainstorming with Hubner and Palmer about the focus
for a new show, Webre was quick to add French cabaret to Hubners idea
of performing French art songs, or short classical compositions from the
romantic period. Webre describes these mostly 19th century pieces, known
as mlodies in French, as really, really touching and affecting, and delicate.
Says Hubner, In my former incarnation as a performing pianist, I played
a lot of Debussy that was one of my specialties and my masters thesis as
a musicologist was on Henri Duparc. Hubner still dabbles as a performing pia-
nist: Shell join Frank Conlon to accompany the ve singers and 12 young dancers
from The Washington Ballet Studio Company in La Vie En Rose. The show, in a
run this weekend at GALA Theatre, is the fth cross-genre collaboration between
the InSeries and The Washington Ballet.
Its not just a dance concert with singers onstage, Webre explains. The dancers
and singers perform both alone and together in a show with a loose narrative thread mais oui about love and relationships.
From a kind of youthful innocence in Act 1 to a more sober, even somber, Act 2. But at the end of the day having no regrets,
Webre says.
When asked to sum up the shows gay appeal, a laughing Webre zooms in to state the obvious: Well, it doesnt get gayer than
listening to Edith Piaf. Doug Rule
La Vie En Rose is Friday, Jan. 17, and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 19, at 3 p.m. at
GALA Theatre, 3333 14th St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 202-204-7763 or visit inseries.org.
Academy of Hope will be awarded the 11th annual
John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award. Monday,
Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Free
tickets will be given away two-per-person on a rst-
come, rst-served basis starting at 5 p.m. that day. Call
202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
FOLGER LIBRARYS
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. TRIBUTE
In a program billed Not Just Another Day Off,
the Folger Shakespeare Library celebrates Martin
Luther King Jr. Day with dramatic readings of
speeches and poetry. This free, family friendly event
is co-sponsored by the American Poetry Museum.
Monday, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. Folger Haskell Center, 301
East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are free. Call 202-544-
7077 or visit folger.edu.
GORDON BINDER: FIGURES AND VISTAS
Gallery Plan B features paintings and drawings from
Dupont Circle-based gay artist Gordon Binder, whose
urban-themed artwork reects his training as an
architect and planner. Often based on drawings done
onsite, with some shaped by imagination, Binders
paintings offer up a rich play of shapes and contours,
textures and colors, rhythms and contrasts. Through
Feb. 16. Gallery Plan B, 1530 14th St. NW. Call 202-
234-2711 or visit galleryplanb.com.

KING: A FILMED RECORDMONTGOMERY
TO MEMPHIS
The American Film Institutes Silver Theatre
celebrates MLK Day by screening a free documentary
featuring footage of the civil rights legend. King: A
Filmed RecordMontgomery to Memphis includes
his stirring I Have A Dream speech at the
Lincoln Memorial, and also features narration and
commentary from Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones,
Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Harry Belafonte
and Ruby Dee, among others. Sidney Lumet and
Joseph L. Mankiewicz co-directed and produced this
1970 lm. Monday, Jan. 20, at 11:30 a.m. AFI Silver
Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets
are free. Call 301-495-6720 or visit a.com/Silver.
LATE: A COWBOY SONG
No Rules Theatre Company presents Sarah Ruhls
potent, slightly surreal early play about a married
new mother searching for a stronger sense of self
and the singing female urban cowboy who helps
her step outside of conventional life. Rex Daughterty
directs the production featuring Alyssa Wilmoth
Keegan, Chris Dinolfo and Sarah Olmsted Thomas.
Closes this Sunday, Jan. 19. Signature Theatre, 4200
Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $30. Call 703-
820-9771 or visit norulestheatre.org.
MORMON BOY TRILOGY
The LGBT-focused theater company Richmond
Triangle Players presents a pre-New York run of plays
marketplace
in repertory written and performed by Mormon-
reared gay playwright Steven Fales. The three plays
Confessions of a Mormon Boy, Missionary Position
and Prodigal Dad are presented as part of the
Richmond-wide The Acts of Faith Festival, putting
spirituality onstage. Fales also performs Mormon
American Princess: A Cabaret on Monday, Jan. 27, at
7:30 p.m., for $20. Opens Thursday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m.
To Feb. 9. Richmond Triangle Players, 1300 Altamont
Ave., Richmond. Tickets are $30 each, or $60 for all
three plays performed in a marathon every Saturday.
Call 804-346-8113 or visit rtriangle.org.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
After directing Oscar Wildes An Ideal Husband at
the Shakespeare Theatre Company a few seasons
ago, actor/director Keith Baxter returns to helm
Wildes extraordinarily witty satire, dubbed trivial
comedy for serious people. Patricia Conolly, Sian
Phillips, Anthony Roach and Gregory Wooddell lead
the cast. Opens in previews Thursday, Jan. 16, at 8
p.m. To March 2. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St.
NW. Tickets are $18 to $106. Call 202-547-1122 or
visit shakespearetheatre.org.

MARVINS ROOM
Marissa McGowan joins the BSO in tribute to late
composer and pops conductor Marvin Hamlisch
I
T WAS VERY HEARTBREAKING FOR OUR WHOLE
company. Marissa McGowan is recalling the 2012
death of storied American composer Marvin Hamlisch.
He meant so much to everyone.
At the time, McGowan was the lead actress in The Nutty
Professor, a musical adaptation of the original 1963 movie that
now registers as Hamlischs last musical. Hamlisch died a
mere week into the shows world premiere run in Nashville.
FILM
ROPE
Capitol Hills The Hill Center offers a month-long
series screening lms from the master of suspense
Alfred Hitchcock with post-show discussion from
Hitchcock expert Tom Zaniello. The focus is on his
pre-Psycho dark side repertoire, including Shadow
of a Doubt and Strangers on a Train. But rst up is
1948s Rope, Hitchcocks rst lm in color, rst to star
James Stewart and featuring a screenplay co-written
by Arthur Laurents (Gypsy, West Side Story). But Rope
is most notable for Hitchcocks lming technique:
He shot it as if it were one continuous, unbroken
shot, cleverly joining hidden edits to re-create the
sustained tension of the original stage version. Friday,
Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. Hill Center, Old Navy Hospital, 921
Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Free. Call 202-549-4172 or
visit HillCenterDC.org.

SAVING MR. BANKS
HHHHH
This is the tale of how the great Walt Disney (a
warm, buoyant Tom Hanks), after an arduous
20-year wooing process, nally wrested the rights
to Mary Poppins from the overprotective clutches
of its author, P.L. Travers. If that doesnt sound
utterly fascinating to you, you might want to give
Saving Mr. Banks a pass and instead revisit the 1964
classic, now out in a 50th Anniversary edition on
Blu-ray. The movie is an occasionally illuminating
microcosm of the struggle that went into overcoming
the protestations of the extremely inexible Travers.
Its a good thing Disney quietly disregarded much of
the authors wishes, or the resulting product might
have been a rather glum affair indeed. There are some
lovely performances throughout, but the lm belongs
to the wondrous Emma Thompson as Travers,
allowing the authors brittle exterior to eventually
crack, revealing deep sorrow and vulnerability. Much
like Travers dominated Walt Disney and his writers,
Thompson dominates every moment shes on screen.
Shes the reason to see it. Stay through the end credits
for a glimpse of the real Travers. Rated PG-13. Area
theaters. (Randy Shulman)
Next weekend McGowan will
perform as lead soloist in the Bal-
timore Symphony Orchestras trib-
ute to Hamlisch, the BSOs former
Pops conductor. Were doing a
lot of Marvins big hits and the
songs that people know and love
him for, she says. The composers
most notable Broadway hit is the
superb A Chorus Line. Ultimately
Hamlisch achieved wider fame as
a composer for lms, ranging from
The Sting to The Spy Who Loved
Me and The Way We Were. Yes,
a little pressure, McGowan con-
cedes after noting shell sing that
last lms hit title tune, a Barbra
Streisand classic. But McGowan
will be bolstered by 10 additional
vocalists and the BSO, all led by
the BSO SuperPops conductor Jack
Everly. I think the version and the
arrangement that Jack has for this concert is really unique
and special and very different from Barbras arrangement.
A native of Long Island, McGowan made her Broad-
way debut in last decades revival of Les Misrables. She
subsequently performed on that shows national tour and
more recently appeared on Broadway as part of the casts
of the 2009 revival of A Little Night Music and 2011s Bon-
nie and Clyde.
As to the future, Broadway or otherwise, of The Nutty Pro-
fessor, which to date has only been seen in Nashville, Tenn.,
McGowan expresses condence: Theres denitely going to
be a life because it really is one of Marvins best scores.
Doug Rule
McGowan C
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Marvin Hamlisch: One Singular Sensation is Thursday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m., at the Music Center at Strathmore,
5301 Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda, and also Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 26, at
3 p.m., at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. in Baltimore. Tickets are $29 to $109.
Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.
STAGE
BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY
The American Century Theater offers a stage
version, dating to 1992, of a baseball tale best known
from the screen either through the live TV version
starring a young Paul Newman in 1956 or the 1973
lm version that was Robert De Niros rst major
movie role. The story is about the terminal illness of
a star player and a strong bond that forms between
teammates. Ellen Dempsey directs the show
starring TACT regulars Evan Crump and Richie
Montgomery as part of a large ensemble cast. To
Feb. 1. Gunston Theater Two, 2700 South Lang St.,
Arlington. Tickets are $32 to $40. Call 703-998-4555
or visit americancentury.org.
ELLA FITZGERALD: FIRST LADY OF SONG
A couple years after the stirring Josephine Tonight,
Alexandrias MetroStage offers another musical
conceived, directed and choreographed by Maurice
Hines telling the tale of a music legend. With a
book by Lee Summers, this go-round the focus is
on probably the biggest, best and most popular jazz
singer of all time. Freda Payne takes on the role of
Ella Fitzgerald. Opens Thursday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m.
To March 16. MetroStage, 1201 North Royal St.,
Alexandria. Tickets are $55 to $60. Call 800-494-
8497 or visit metrostage.org.
GYPSY
HHHHH
The quintessential American musical, Arthur
Laurents-Jule Stynes Gypsy is chiey inspired by
the life of striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee, with a
special focus on her overbearing mother, Mama
Rose, who pushed her two daughters June and
Louise to be the stars she never was. For the role
of domineering Rose in Signature Theatres new
production of the classic, director Joe Calarco
tapped Sherri L. Edelen, who remains the companys
greatest performing arsenal. Edelen, really and truly,
puts her own stamp on the role. Its hard to nd
aws in this musical, which offers something for
everyone from silly and sexy entertainment to
a touching family drama. Certainly Signature has
done everything right here, from James Kronzers
adaptable stage to Frank Labovitzs all-over-the-map
costumes to Karma Camps showy choreography.
And through it all Jon Kalbeisch leads a 10-piece
Signature orchestra, which at times sounds twice its
size swinging through Stynes sharp, brassy score.
To Jan. 26. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave.,
Arlington. Tickets are $47 to $80. Call 703-820-9771
or visit signature-theatre.org. (Doug Rule)
MEENAS DREAM
Forum Theatre presents the world premiere of Anu
Yadavs fantastical play about a young Hindu girl
whose dreams may just save the world. Yadav shape-
shifts between characters performing this show,
which also features live music ranging from South
Indian classical to indie folk. Closes this Saturday,
Jan. 18. Round House Theatre Silver Spring, 8641
Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are $20. Call
240-644-1100 or visit forum-theatre.com.
MISS NELSON IS MISSING
Jennifer Nelson directs an Adventure Theatre
MTC production of a musical based on the popular
childrens books by Harry Allard, with book, music
and lyrics by Joan Cushing. Opens Friday, Jan. 17, at
7 p.m. To March 9. Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300
MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Tickets are $19. Call
301-634-2270 or visit adventuretheatre-mtc.org.
ONE MAN LORD OF THE RINGS
Yes, for this one-man show, which played for a
run four years ago at Woolly Mammoth, Charles
Ross spends just more than an hour playing every
character and teasing a surprising amount of the
music from the Peter Jackson lm trilogy. He only
stops periodically to grab a drink of water and joke
about the fact that doing the show might kill him.
Ross sprinkles his show with enough pop culture
references and side-jokes to keep the non-comic-con
crowd entertained, but this ones really for the Rings
fanatic. Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The Birchmere,
3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. Tickets are
$35. Call 703-549-7500 or visit birchmere.com.
THE TALLEST TREE IN THE FOREST
Moiss Kaufman (33 Variations, The Laramie
Project) directs Daniel Beatys new play, steeped in
soulful music and poetic storytelling, about the life of
Paul Robeson, once hailed as the best known black
man in the world before his performing career
tanked on accusations of disloyalty to America. A
co-production among Arena Stage, the Kansas City
Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse, Beaty
takes on more than 20 characters in the show. Now
to Feb. 16. The Kreeger Theater at the Mead Center
for American Theater, 1101 6th St. SW. Call 202-488-
3300 or visit arenastage.org.
TWELFTH NIGHT
Movement-oriented Synetic Theater presents
the 10th installment in its silent Shakespeare
series yes, the company has the chutzpah to
strip Shakespeare of his storied dialogue. And the
company has also set Twelfth Night in the roaring
20s, offering a tale twins, Viola and Sebastian,
separated in a strange new land. Synetic co-founders
Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili co-direct and star in the
continues on page 39
36
H
ES NOT GAY, BUT MEMBERS OF
the LGBT community will identify
straightaway with the character Billy
in Studio Theatres arresting produc-
tion of Nina Raines Tribes. From the way he intui-
tively feels different from the rest of his family
before coming out, to the sense of comfort and free-
dom he nds meeting others like himself immedi-
ately afterward many of us have trod a similar
path of increasing outgoingness, or at least increas-
ing self-condence. But Tribes is most poignant in a
scene late in the play, when Billy, performed with
beguiling power and conviction by non-hearing
actor James Caverly, confronts his family, asking
them to see and listen to him to understand, not
just tolerate.
The dramatic scene is very much like a gay
persons coming out. Billys father Christopher
(Michael Tolaydo) even makes reference to it, in a
characteristically ippant manner that only makes
things worse. Billys not gay, you see, but deaf, and
the only non-hearing member of a loud, gregarious
Jewish-British family. If only he were gay, maybe
maybe Billy would have a better shot breaking
through his liberal fathers sanctimonious shell, get-
ting him to nally hear, maybe even accept, his son.
But as it is, the family patriarch just wont allow him-
self to see how much he and the rest of his tribe
his wife Beth (amusingly played as a put-upon
diva by Nancy Robinette) and two other children
have made Billy feel not only like the black sheep of
the family, but also defective and totally dependent.
That is, until Billy meets a going-deaf girl, Sylvia,
who introduces him to Deaf culture, opening him
up to a whole new world, one in which he just might
thrive. Helen Cespedes as the strong-but-struggling
Sylvia almost steals the show. Billys family, mean-
while, they take a shine to her in a way that makes
Billy feel threatened.
Tribes covers a lot of ground and conveys much
about the strengths and weaknesses of a tribe of any
Far more than a play about being deaf, Tribes explores tribes of any kind, be they
family, community or culture
Noises off: Tolaydo (L to R), Robinette, Caverly, Funke and Cespedes
TRIBES
Studio Theatre
To Feb. 23
$39 to $75
202-332-3300
studiotheatre.org
Sounds of Silence
DOUG RULE STAGE
T
E
D
D
Y

W
O
L
F
F
continues on page 38
T
HIS WEEK, THE DETROIT MOTOR SHOW GETS
into full swing, with reveals, concepts and model
debuts coming thick and fast as the worlds leading
manufacturers compete for mindshare and column
inches. Among all the glitz and glamour, as show lights reect
off of beautifully polished chrome and swathes of painted plas-
tic, it can be difcult to stand out if youre not presenting a car
packed to the roof with future-proof technology and styling
that draws cues from science ction. There are, however, more
than a few models that foreshadow the ordinary, mass-market
models that will soon be dominating our highways.
Chrysler took to the Detroit stage to usher in the 2015 rede-
sign of its 200 sedan. The original 200 debuted a few years ago
you may remember an advert featuring a rather emotional
ode to Detroit during the Superbowl, with the citys own Emi-
nem driving a 200 but has since received a rather lukewarm
response at retail. Its Chrysler 300-lite looks didnt help; the
200 never seemed a fully realized vehicle, though it was far
from unattractive. With this new version, Chrysler has thrown
out every design restraint and taken its sedan in an entirely dif-
ferent direction.
With slim headlights and a smooth, restrained front, it
puts on a handsome face. This blends seamlessly into a coupe
At this weeks Detroit Motor Show, Chrysler unveiled a redesign of its 200 sedan, while
Ford added aluminum to its popular F-Series
A Chrysler with charisma
37
Reinventing the Wheels
C
H
R
Y
S
L
E
R
RHUARIDH MARR GEARS
prole, with subtle lines and gentle bulges, before swooping
down into a rear that draws more than a little inspiration from
Audis recent sedans. It all works, though, and the 200 offers
an interesting new direction for the Pentastar brand though
I miss the bluff, retro-inspired looks of 2004s 300. (Call me
nostalgic.) Under that glossy skin sits a new platform, which
comes with available all-wheel-drive a rst for this seg-
ment, with power derived from a 184 hp 2.4-liter four-cylin-
der or a 295 hp 3.6-liter V6, the latter of which has AWD as
standard and comes mated to a 9-speed transmission.
Inside, youll nd big seats, a vast infotainment screen
and uncluttered fascia, digital dials behind the wheel and, in
sporty S trim, paddles for shifting gear afxed to said wheel
as well as rmer suspension and some additional styling
cues inside and out. If the 200 is as good on the road as it is
to look at, Chrysler could be looking at a hit something the
company could denitely benet from. Production starts this
spring with a price of $22,695.
You could forgive Ford for playing it safe with the F-150,
part of the F-Series of trucks that have remained the U.S.s
favorite for a staggering 43 years. A nip here, a tuck there, a
small interior overhaul, maybe an increase in economy and
Ford would likely continue to have sold them by the bucket-
STAGE
continued from page 36
This F is the bomb
F
O
R
D
load. What the blue oval brand did, though, is reinvent the way
it manufactures its F-series, making the 2015 F-150 the most dra-
matic new addition to the brand yet.
What makes it so special? Aluminum. The strong, lightweight
material thats a favorite of luxury carmakers is being used as
part of an aluminum-intensive structure that sheds an incredible
700 pounds from the weight of the outgoing F-150. Paired with
the equally radical 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, the F-150 should eas-
ily deliver class-leading fuel economy. Its not just economy that
will benet, as driving dynamics, performance and towing capa-
bilities should all take advantage of the reduced kerb weight and
increased power-to-weight ratio.
Its not all aluminum, though. The trucks ladder frame is cast
in high-strength steel, which Ford says helps to make the F-150
the strongest and most durable F-150 ever. Bold words, yes, but
backed up by torture tested claims that the F-150 has endured
more than 10 million real-world and lab miles. To further allay
any worries about the aluminum construction, Ford also points
out that the military uses aluminum in many vehicles so pipe
down in back, naysayers.
Theres no ofcial power or efciency ratings yet, but the 2.7
EcoBoost engine should rate higher than the base 3.5 V6 and de-
liver the same power as some mid-range V8s. On top of that, the
3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 is also available, as is the world-crushing
5.0-liter V8 if you need even more power and load-hauling ca-
pability. A light dusting of fresh tech has also been added to the
new model, including a 360-degree camera to aid maneuvering,
LED lighting and a generous, 8-inch LDC in the center console.
If Fords featherweight full-size truck is ticking all of your boxes,
youll want to watch for it as it hits showrooms later this year. l
kind, be it a family or a community or a culture. Far more than
a play about the experience of being deaf or an examination of
Deaf culture, though, Raines play ultimately pivots on the twin
issues of language and communication. Even the most minor
subplots relate to these fundamental human expressions. From
Christophers idle interest in learning Chinese, to the murder
mystery his wife Beth is now writing, to his daughter Ruths
(Annie Funke) opera all are expressive pursuits that in most
contexts would be considered noble or helpful or at the least
harmless. But here, they speak volumes about just how inex-
pressive tone-deaf members of this family are.
Studios interpretive production, helmed by the companys
artistic director David Muse, only enhances Raines points. Erik
Trester has designed colorful, generally amorphous images that
he projects periodically along with occasional subtitles onto
the three walls of Wilson Chins well-rendered set. What is he
trying to say? you may ask and that seems to be the point. And
both lighting designer Matthew Richards and sound designer
Ryan Rumery have a few moments to show what they can say
through their chosen medium. Most stunning is the moment
during a heated family argument when the two work together
to emulate what it might be like for a deaf person to stand amid
hearing people who are yelling at and, ultimately, not really
listening to each other.
Chances are youll be more impressed the more you learn
about how much time and effort Studio spent putting together
this production, including extensive work and outreach with
Gallaudet University and the many sign-language interpreters
theyve hired. All of it with an eye to try and accurately reect,
even in the smallest of details, the experience of deaf people.
Its apparently an unprecedented effort, even in the backyard of
whats considered the nations best school for the deaf. Maybe it
shouldnt have taken this long for such a collaboration. Certainly
its intriguing to think of what might result next. l
ticket purchase beneting Girls Rock! DC, the bill
also includes indie-rockers Young Rapids, The Sea
Life and The Raised by Wolves, plus tunes spun
by DJ Ryan Ulbrich. Saturday, Jan. 24. Doors at 10
p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $16.
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.
IBIS CHAMBER SOCIETY
Joseph Scheer of the Boston POPS Esplanade
Orchestra and Susan Robinson of the Kennedy
Center Opera House Orchestra founded the
IBIS Chamber Society with the intent of making
chamber music more accessible and exciting or
to use their words, informal, informative and fun.
The latest concert presented for free, though
goodwill donations happily accepted focuses
on music from the Americas, including works by
Canadians Ben Steinberg and Milton Barnes, U.S.
composers Robert Beaser and Katherine Hoover
and Argentinian Astor Piazzolla. Sunday, Jan. 26,
at 4 p.m. Clarendon United Methodist Church, 606
North Irving St. Arlington. Call 703-755-0960 or visit
ibischambermusic.org.
INTERNATIONAL GUITAR NIGHT
Billed as North Americas premier touring guitar
festival, the Barns at Wolf Trap welcomes an
international roster of guitarists for this jam, created
nine years ago by American Brian Gore. Also on the
bill: Italian steel-string guitarist Pino Forastiere,
up-and-coming English maverick guitarist Mike
Dawes and Argentine tango and folk-based Quique
Sinesi. Thursday, Jan. 16, and Friday, Jan. 17, at
8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road,
Vienna. Tickets are $25 to $27. Call 877-WOLFTRAP
or visit wolftrap.org.
MEKLIT HADERO
A unique blend of jazz, Ethiopia, the San Francisco
art scene and visceral poetry is how the NPR
program Tell Me More described the jazzy/soul sound
of Meklit Hadero, something of a cross between Joni
Mitchell and Nina Simone. Hadero, born in Ethiopia
and raised in the U.S., is a TED Global Fellow and
founder of an Ethiopian diaspora group Arba Minch
Collective. Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. Artisphere, 1101
Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Tickets are $18. Call 703-875-
1100 or visit artisphere.com.
NATIONAL BROADWAY CHORUS
As part of its Millennium Stage nightly series,
Luke Frazier leads a free concert at the Kennedy
Center featuring the National Broadway Chorus
singing Broadway standards and crossover hits.
This 32-member chorus was created to provide
performance opportunities for established and
aspiring Broadway performers. Wednesday, Jan. 22,
at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC
Victoria Gau leads Strathmores own orchestra in
Three Great Classics: Mozarts minor masterpiece
Divertimento K. 136; Bachs Piano Concerto No. 1,
one of the rst concertos written for the keyboard,
featuring pianist Garbiela Martinez; and one of
Schuberts most popular sacred works, the Mass No.
2 in G Major. Additional soloists include soprano
Julie Keim, tenor Robert Petillo and bass Kerry
Wilkerson. Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. Music
Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North
Bethesda. Tickets are $28 to $84. Call 301-581-5100
or visit strathmore.org.
production. To Feb. 16. Theater at Crystal City, 1800
South Bell St., Arlington. Tickets are $35 to $55. Call
800-494-8497 or visit synetictheater.org.
MUSIC
ARI HEST
More of a bass in a Bronx high school with too many
basses, the 34-year-old Ari Hests range now is
chiey baritone well suited to heavier sentiments
about life and love than the average. And his gripping
voice does stand out from the typical male singer in
pop or folk today. I guess I identify more with the
struggle whatever the struggle is in music, Hest
told Metro Weekly last year. Not to compare myself
to Leonard Cohen, but you know that kind of voice,
generally, you think of some kind of weighted song
coming from a voice like that. Sarah Siskind, whose
perceptive folk music has been performed on ABCs
Nashville, opens. Saturday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The
Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets
are $25. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org.
BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Nicholas McGegan conducts pianist Jeremy Denk
and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestras principal
bassoonist Fei Xie in a performance of Beethovens
Symphony No. 8, Haydns Symphony No. 30
Alleluja and two by Mozart: Piano Concert No. 25
and Bassoon Concerto. Thursday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m.
Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane,
North Bethesda. Also Friday, Jan. 17, and Saturday,
Jan. 18, at 8 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall,
1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $29 to $94.
Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org.
BRAZILIAN GIRLS
No one in the New York-based band Brazilian Girls
is actually from Brazil, and theres only one girl
among the quartet, vocalist Sabina Sciubba. Those
are only the most obvious mysteries about the
internationally minded band and its music, a chill-
out blend of reggae, electronica and jazz. Whats
not a mystery is the bands popularity around these
parts: Brazilian Girls returns to D.C. only seven
months after its last show. Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7
p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets
are $25 in advance or $30 day of show. Call 202-588-
5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com.
CHRISTIE DASHIELL
As seen on TV! This local jazz vocalist was a nalist
on NBCs The Sing-Off as a member of the a cappella
ensemble group Afro Blue Vocal Band. Now Christie
Dashiell kicks off a new season of artist-in-residence
concerts at Strathmore singing jazz favorites old
and new as well as a Strathmore-commissioned
work. Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Mansion
at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North
Bethesda. Tickets are $17. Call 301-581-5100 or visit
strathmore.org.
DROP ELECTRIC HEADLINES
DC MUSIC DOWNLOAD SHOW
Celebrating locally grown music: The music website
DC Music Download offers a two-year anniversary
show at the 9:30 Club toasting some of D.C.s best
bands. The headliner is PhaseFest regulars Drop
Electric, a multi-culti, Radiohead-inspired eccentric
electronic band comprised of children of immigrants
and featuring vocalist Kristina Reznikov. A concert
presented in partnership with the social change
nonprot Raise Your City, and with $1 from every
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Sir Mark Elder conducts the NSO in a program
of Liszts Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring Stephen
Hough, plus R. Strausss Don Quixote showcasing
NSO principals cellist David Hardy and viola player
Daniel Foster. Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.; and
Friday, Jan. 17, and Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $10 to
$85. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
DANCE
31ST ANNUAL CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE
The University of Marylands Clarice Smith Center
offers this annual showcase that the Washington
Post has called a rite of passage in the D.C. area
dance community since the dance program
at UMD is rst-rate and has churned out many
of the leaders in the regions dance community.
Presented in collaboration with the Maryland-
National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the
showcase features about a half dozen choreographic
works in a range of dance styles. Saturday, Jan.
25, at 3 and 8 p.m. Clarice Smith Performing Arts
Centers Dance Theatre, University of Maryland,
University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College
Park. Tickets are $30. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit
claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.
PEARSONWIDRIG DANCETHEATER
As part of the nightly Millennium Stage
programming series, the Kennedy Center presents
the contemporary dance of local company
PearsonWidrig DanceTheater, led by Sara Pearson
and Patrik Widrig. Friday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. Kennedy
Center Millennium Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600
or visit kennedy-center.org.
COMEDY
ARLINGTON DRAFTHOUSES OPEN MIC NIGHT
Every Saturday night, the Arlington Cinema and
Drafthouse offers the chance for up to 15 budding
stand-up comics to show their skills at the venues
new Old Arlington Grill. Every Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia
Pike, Arlington. Free admission. Call 703-486-2345
or visit arlingtondrafthouse.com.
PAUL MOONEY
Paul Mooney got his start in comedy as a writer
for Richard Pryor and went on to write for Redd
Foxxs Sanford and Son, Good Times and In Living
Color he created the character Homey D. Clown.
Ultimately, though, hes probably best remembered
for his work writing and acting on Chappelles Show.
Who could forget his sketches as Negrodamus?
Certainly Wayne Brady cant. Saturday, Jan. 18,
at 7:30 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW.
Tickets are $37.50 in advance or $42 day of. Call 202-
588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.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. l
OUT ON THE TOWN
continued from page 35
NIGHT
LIFE
41 METROWEEKLY.COM
t
THURSDAY, 01.16.14
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
Centaur MC MAL Bar
Night Meet the Meat
Club Bar: Former MAL Title
Holders
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 49
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
PHASE 1
DJ Styalo Dancing
$5 cover
PHASE 1 OF DUPONT
1415 22nd St. NW
For the Ladies DJ Rosie
Doors at 9pm 21+
FRIDAY, 01.17.14
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+
DC EAGLE
Club Bar: Spartan MC
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, 01.18.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
5-9pm $5 Absolut &
Titos, $3 Miller Lite after
9pm Expanded craft
DC EAGLE
Empire City MC Join
our Friends from NYC for
their Bar Night $2 Off
for Men with Club Mugs,
Leather Vests, Harnesses
or Chaps
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
Pop Goes the World
Global Pop Music Video
Party VJ Wes Della
Volla Open 5pm
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
UK DJ Moto Blanco DJ
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, 01.19.14
9 1/2
TVs showing movies,
43
For addresses, phone numbers and locations of individual clubs, bars, parties,
and special events, please refer to our Destinations on page 49.
t
scene
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
Mixtape
Saturday, January 11
9:30 Club
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
WARD MORRISON
DC EAGLE
NFL Playoffs, Bar Opens
1pm Hot Ash DC, 2-5pm
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
TOWN
WTF: Body EveryBODY
is Welcome! Music
by Justin Morse, Aaron
Riggings, Ed Bailey
Performance by Pussy
Noir, Jaxknife, BaNaka,
Hula Hoop Girl, gogo boys
No cover, 10-11pm and
$5 after 11pm 21+
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Decades of Dance DJ
Tim-e in Secrets Doors
8pm Cover 21+
MONDAY, 01.20.14
9 1/2
Open at 5pm Happy
Hour: 2 for 1 on any
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, 01.21.14
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
No Cover
PWS SPORTS BAR
Laurel, Md.
301-498-4840
75 cents off bottles and
drafts Movie Night
WED., 01.22.14
9 1/2
Habibi: Gay Middle
Eastern Party DJ IZ
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
Last Chance to get 639
Nickels 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
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
New Meat Wednesday DJ
Don T 9pm Cover 21+
THURSDAY, 01.23.14
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
Black Out Night
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
ZIEGFELDS/SECRETS
Shirtless Thursday DJ
Tim E in Secrets 9pm
Cover 21+
46 SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE
FRIDAY, 01.24.14
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
Final Friday!
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
48 SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE
49
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
51 PURCHASE YOUR PHOTO AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE/
scene
scan this tag
with your
smartphone
for bonus scene
pics online!
Sunday Oneday:
A Onesie Party
Sunday, January 12
Number Nine
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
CHRISTOPHER CUNETTO
collectively helped move
the bear ball forward, so to
speak, Mould says.
After this Saturdays
Blowoff, Mould, who moved
to San Francisco a few years
ago, will focus most of his
time on a 25th anniversary
reissue of his debut solo
album Workbook and a
tour in support. Morel will
continue his increasingly
busy schedule with his D.C.-
based alt-rock band Deathx,
currently touring the West
Coast. In fact, Morel will y
home Saturday for Blowoff
then y right back to
California Sunday. And it is
the duos increasingly hectic
individual work schedules
that have provoked this
moment in time.
We just thought this
would be a good time to
take a break and focus
on our other careers, as
Morel puts it. Thats right,
he only called it a break:
Both Morel and Mould stop
short of calling this the end
of the party. Never say
never, Mould says. But
right now, probably nothing
in the future.
So for now, Blowoff will
go out in the same place
where and when it
rst ofcially blew up and
became a true dance party
eight years ago: the main
oor at the 9:30 Club, the
Saturday of Mid-Atlantic
Leather Weekend.
We really wanted to
do MAL, Morel says,
because thats always
been a big night for us, and
its been a lot of fun.
Blowoff is this Saturday,
Jan. 18. Doors at 11:30
p.m. Nightclub 9:30, 815
V St. NW. Tickets are $12.
Call 202-265-0930 or visit
930.com or blowoff.us. l
C
L
U
B
L
I
F
E
B
Y

D
O
U
G

R
U
L
E
Blowoff Bows Out
S
52
Rich Morel and Bob Moulds nationally popular bear dance party will take a break after MAL
T
O
D
D

F
R
A
N
S
O
N

/

F
I
L
E

P
H
O
T
O
just wanted to have a
party, to get together and
meet people and play
music we like. Even on
that more basic level, the
two succeeded beyond
anything they could
have dreamed. Nobody
could have predicted it,
Mould says. Its just one
of those things where
everything lines up to
create something, and
then it takes on this life
of its own. Both Mould
and Morel are quick to
give credit to others who
helped make the party
so successful, most
immediately the quirky
lighting and visual designs
by Nick Lopata and sexy
promotional artwork by
Linas Garsys. Everybody
D
id Rich Morel and
Bob Mould come to
blows a few months
back? Is that why the
Blowoff this Saturday, Jan.
18, is the last one?
Theres no dirt. Theres
no feud or anything like
that, Morel says, laughing
at the mere thought.
Seconds Mould: It was
so great to have 11 years
without any kind of drama,
so to speak.
And what an 11 years
it was. What started as a
small weekly gathering at
Velvet Lounge of a few
dozen friends and friends
of friends, many of them
bearded and burly, blew
up to a regular dance
party at the 9:30 Club and
various other hotspots
around the country, from
New York to San Francisco
to Provincetown, Mass.
You could call Blowoff the
original bear dance party:
Among its other successes,
the party proved the
concept worked, inspiring
others to start regular bear
dance parties, including
several in D.C., at the
Green Lantern and Cobalt.
Not to mention regular big
events catering to the same
crowd, such as the runaway
success of DC Bear Crues
weekly Friday Bear Happy
Hour at Town.
Of course, Morel and
Mould have never called
Blowoff a bear dance
party. That was never our
intent. Thats the funny
part, Morel says. We
Morel (L) and Mould
Its been a long and difcult process. Only in the last few years have
I realized that I preferred living together with a man.
German soccer star THOMAS HITZLSPERGER, in an interview with German paper Die Zeit, making him the most high-prole
player in the sport to come out. A former German international who played for several major U.K. and German clubs during his
career, Hitzlsperger retired from the game in September, but felt the time was right to be open with his sexuality so as to help
move the discussion about homosexuality among professional sportspeople forwards.
(Die Zeit)
Having been through a similar situation with Proposition 8 here in California,

we could really empathize with the frustration and sadness
of those who supported and fought for marriage equality.
Modern Family star JESSE TYLER FERGUSON announcing that he will donate $10,000 to help ght for same-sex marriage rights
in Australia, following a recent move by the countrys High Court to strike down a law legalizing it.
(Tie The Knot)
I get called an ugly lesbian a lot more than one would think. Or maybe not.
Can u at least call me an interesting lesbian.
I hate the U word.
Longtime LGBT ally MILEY CYRUS tweeting about a frequent insult hurled at her by detractors. The singer has the equality
symbol tattooed on her middle nger, helped Facebook start its LGBTQ Pride Month, actively supports same sex marriage and
previously stated that being called a lesbian is a compliment compared with many of the other insults thrown at her.
(Twitter)
When you have two men raising a young child,

that child grows up learning dysfunction and
a sexual perversion
as normal.
PETER LABARBERA, head of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, in an interview with Alan Colmes on Fox News Radio in
which he claimed that children are better off in a single-parent household than being raised by same-sex parents.
(Right Wing Watch)
Some people do not believe that Im from a loving family because my moms are gay
they are wrong.
RILEY HACKFORD-PEER, a 12-year-old boy from Utah, in a speech to marriage-equality supporters outside the state Capitol in
Salt Lake City. His speech was part of a rally to protest Utah Gov. Gary Herberts decision to
not recognize same-sex marriage in the state.
(YouTube)

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Metro Weekly - 01-16-14 - Pre-MAL

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2 JANUARY 16, 2014 METROWEEKLY.

Having been through a similar situation with Proposition 8 here in California,

When you have two men raising a young child,

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