APRIL 25 2014 VOLUME 45 ISSUE 17

CELEBRATING 45 YEARS AS AMERICAS GAY NEWS SOURCE WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

New book praising HRCs Grin assailed as travesty

By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com A new book on the advancement of marriage equality and the lawsuit that overturned Proposition 8 is stirring controversy over its lionization of HRC President Chad Grin and its depiction of the federal lawsuit he helped initiate against the California ban. The book, Forcing the Spring, was written by Jo Becker, a New York Times journalist who was embedded with Grin and the Prop 8 team as their lawsuit moved forward. The book hit shelves on Tuesday, but has already incurred the ire of many in the LGBT movement who say it heaps too much praise on Grin and ignores others who led the marriage equality eort for decades. The notion that Grin, a board member of American

Foundation for Equal Rights, is the hero who saved the marriage equality movement pervades the 437-page work. One part of the book that addresses his move to D.C. in 2012 to become head of the Human Rights Campaign includes a farewell discussion in which fellow AFER board member Rob Reiner says of Grin, If there ever is going to be and there will be at some point the rst gay president, youre looking at him. As noted by gay blogger Andrew Sullivan in his tirade against the book, Forcing the Spring opens with a comparison of Grin and civil rights icon Rosa Parks, saying a revolution begins when someone grows tired of standing idly by against the tide of injustice. It begins when a black seamstress named Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus to white man in the segregated South, Becker writes. And in this story, it begins with a handsome, bespectacled 35-year old political consultant named Chad Grin, in a spacious suite at the Westin St. Francis hotel in San
CONTINUES ON PAGE 19

HRC President CHAD GRIFFIN is depicted as a hero and compared to Rosa Parks in Forcing the Spring.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Homophobia, criminal justice system exacerbate problem

By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com Courtney, a 20-year-old transgender woman from Marylands Eastern Shore, has been trying to get a job for more than a year but has been unable to do so because of her gender identity and expression. She said during a recent interview that she has been able to work odd jobs and received some money from her parents. Courtney, who spoke on condition that her last name not be used, is working with Free State Legal Project, a Baltimore-based organization that advocates on behalf of low-income LGBT Marylanders,

to legally change her name. I dont have a job, said Courtney. I cant aord to do it myself. Courtney is among the estimated 50,000 to 75,000 Marylanders who live in poverty, according to Free State Legal Project Executive Director Aaron Merki. LGBT rights advocates with whom the Blade has spoken indicate the problem is most acute in Baltimore. The U.S. Census notes 23.4 percent of Baltimoreans lived below the poverty line between 2008-2012, compared to 9.4 percent of Marylanders during the same period. A Williams Institute analysis of the 2000 Census notes LGBT people of color are more likely to live in poverty than their white counterparts. The report notes black same-sex couples are
CONTINUES ON PAGE 18

It breaks my heart to know about the many challenges that our impoverished residents face, said Baltimore Mayor STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

KARMA
R&B star Chris Browns D.C. assault trial includes allegation of anti-gay slur.
PAGE 4

HOME & GARDEN

Spring is here and our special section helps you get ready for outdoor living.
PAGE 27

LEVIS LOVES
Actor, singer Kreis savors regional run in Smokey Joes Cafe.
PAGE 35

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04 APRIL 25, 2014

LOCAL NEWS

A 20-year-old Beltsville, Md., man was expected to testify in D.C. Superior Court this week that controversial R&B singer Chris Brown punched him in the face outside D.C.s W Hotel last October after making a derogatory comment about gays. Parker Adams, who pressed assault charges against Brown, was expected to appear as the lead prosecution witness at Browns trial, which was scheduled to begin on Wednesday. Browns trial was set to take place less than a week after Superior Court Judge Patricia Wynn found Browns bodyguard, Christopher Hollosy, guilty of simple assault stemming from the same altercation in which Brown allegedly assaulted Adams. D.C. police charged Hollosy with assault for allegedly punching Adams in the face seconds after Brown allegedly struck Adams. Hollosy, who didnt testify at his trial, has said he attempted to prevent Adams from entering a vehicle where Brown was about to enter after leaving the hotel. Adams was also the lead witness at Hollosys trial. He testied that he and his girlfriend, Howard University student Jaylan Garrison, 18, and another female friend arrived at the W Hotel after attending homecoming events at Howard. He said that when the three saw Brown standing outside the hotel on the sidewalk Garrison and her female friend asked Brown if he would let them pose for a picture with Brown, and Brown agreed. Adams said he then walked over, introduced himself to Brown with the intent of also posing with Brown in the picture. When Brown ignored him he moved into a position where he would be in the photo, which was being taken by Hollosy, the bodyguard. Thats when Brown objected and said, Im not into that gay shit, Adams quoted Brown as saying. Seconds later, after the two exchanged words, Brown punched him in the face, Adams testied. Garrison gave a similar account in her own testimony at Hollosys trial. At least one other witness testied that both Brown and Hollosy punched Adams in the face. With the courtroom packed with friends and fans of Browns, and with Los Angeles celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, who is part of Browns defense team, sitting in the audience, testimony about Browns gay comment appeared to be overshadowed by anticipation over Browns upcoming trial. When asked by the Blade outside the courthouse on April 18 whether he thought anti-gay sentiment could have played some role in Browns actions, Geragos said, I dont think anybodys even addressed that. I think that comment frankly I dont think that comment was ever made. LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Alleged anti-gay slur looms over Chris Brown trial

Lawsuit by Gallaudet diversity official dismissed

McCaskill suspended in 2012 after signing anti-gay petition
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com A federal judge has dismissed a discrimination and defamation lawsuit led by Gallaudet Universitys former chief diversity ocer against the university and two out lesbian faculty members who were accused of damaging her reputation by implying she held anti-gay views. The lawsuit stemmed from an October 2012 decision by the universitys president to suspend Angela McCaskill from her job as Associate Provost of Diversity and Inclusion after news surfaced that she signed a petition to place Marylands same-sex marriage law on the ballot in a voter referendum. McCaskill, a Maryland resident, stated at the time that she signed the petition when it was being circulated at her church. She said her intention was to allow Maryland voters to decide on the gay marriage question and that she had taken no public position on the issue. Some of the universitys gay students expressed concern that McCaskills decision to sign the petition was contrary to her role as chief diversity ocer, which they said called for her to be sensitive to students and faculty who supported marriage equality. The lawsuit, which was led in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accused Gallaudet faculty members Martina MJ Bienvenu and her partner Kendra Smith of pressuring Gallaudet President T. Alan Hurwitz into violating the D.C. Human Rights Act by illegally suspending McCaskill. The lawsuit called the suspension a form of retaliation against McCaskill for her decision to exercise her constitutional right to sign a petition on a pending civic matter. In a 24-page opinion handed down on April 14, U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg approved a motion by Gallaudets attorneys calling for the dismissal of the case on grounds that McCaskill has not suciently pled facts to support any of her claims of retaliation or discrimination. Among other things, McCaskills attorney, J. Wyndal Gordon, argued that the universitys decision to suspend McCaskill for signing the petition violated a provision of the D.C. Human Rights Act that bans discrimination based on political aliation. But Boasberg noted that the Human Rights Act denes political aliation as belonging to or endorsing a political

ANGELA MCCASKILL was suspended after she signed a petition to place Marylands same-sex marriage law on the ballot in a voter referendum.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Trial set for man charged in gay murder

A D.C. Superior Court judge on April 18 scheduled a trial in January for a man charged with fatally shooting gay District resident Randolph Scott Harris Jr., 31, before setting him on re in his Euclid Street, N.W. apartment last August. Jermaine Brown, 34, has been charged with rst-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Harris multiple times. A police arrest adavit says Brown allegedly set Harris on re while Harris was still alive and sitting on a wicker chair in the living room of his apartment. Brown was scheduled to appear in court on Friday, April 25, for a felony status hearing in which prosecutors were expected to announce his indictment by a grand jury on charges related to Harriss murder. Brown has been held in jail since the time of his arrest on Aug. 1, 2013. The adavit says homicide detectives linked Brown to the murder after discovering he was in possession of items missing from Harriss apartment, including iPhones and an iPad. According to the adavit, Brown told detectives shortly before his arrest that he regularly visited Harris, whom he knew was gay and who he said tried to establish a relationship with him. He denied ever going that way because something is wrong with it and he sees a problem with it, the adavit says in referring to Harriss sexual orientation. He described it as being nasty. The adavit says Brown has denied killing Harris but has admitted to stealing his car around the time of the murder. At the request of Assistant U.S. Attorney Holly Shick, the prosecutor in the case, Judge Robert Morin agreed last September to order Brown to provide saliva and tissue samples for a DNA test. Shick stated in a motion led in September that the DNA test was needed to conrm whether cigarette butts and a glove found at the crime scene could be linked to Brown. LOU CHIBBARO JR.

party. He said that provision of the act clearly didnt apply to the universitys action toward McCaskill. The judge similarly ruled that the universitys decision to suspend McCaskill because it believed her decision to sign a petition placing the gay marriage law before voters, where it could have been overturned, did not violate the Human Rights Acts ban on discrimination based on her religion, race, or marital status as she claimed in the lawsuit. McCaskill stated in her lawsuit that lesbian faculty member Bienvenu confronted her at a meeting and criticized her for signing an anti-gay petition. McCaskill attempted to shoehorn a First Amendment argument into her complaint against Gallaudet by dressing it up as an employment discrimination allegation, Boasberg said in his decision. While a citizen has an unfettered right to petition her government, such a constitutional claim aimed at Gallaudet cannot succeed here, as the university and its employees are private parties not subject to the First Amendments strictures, he said. Boasbergs ruling dismissing the lawsuit came several months after Gordon, McCaskills attorney, dismissed Bienvenu and Smith from the lawsuit while raising the possibility of ling a separate lawsuit against them in D.C. Superior Court. Gordon couldnt immediately be reached to determine whether he and McCaskill plan to le a separate lawsuit against Bienvenu and Smith. Justin M. Flint, the attorney representing Bienvenu and Smith, didnt immediately return a call from the Blade seeking comment.

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06 APRIL 25, 2014

LOCAL NEWS

LGBT groups rejected for D.C. grants

DC Center, HRC, others express deep disappointment
By LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com A foundation retained by the D.C. government to award city-funded grants to local non-prot organizations under a newly launched program turned down grant applications from six LGBT organizations and another three groups that provide services to LGBT clients. The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region announced on April 16 that it had approved grants of up to $100,000 each for 58 non-prot organizations out of a total of 315 groups that applied for grants under the $15 million City Fund program created by Mayor Vincent Gray. The six LGBT-oriented groups, including the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, Casa Ruby, and SMYAL, were among 257 of the 315 organizations applying for a grant that were turned down, according to information released by the Community Foundation. Casa Ruby is an LGBT community center based in Columbia Heights that reaches out to the Latino and transgender communities. SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) provides services for LGBT youth. The other LGBT specic groups turned down for grants were the Center for Black Equity, which, among other things, coordinates black LGBT Pride events and sponsors conferences for the black LGBT community; the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the LGBT advocacy group Human Rights Campaign; Us Helping Us, an AIDS service organization that reaches out to black gay and bisexual men; and Whitman-Walker Health, the citys largest AIDS service organization that provides health-related services to the LGBT community as well as other communities. Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS), which, among other things, provides services for transgender sex workers; and Food and Friends, which provides home-delivered meals and nutritional services to people with HIV and other serious illnesses, including LGBT people, were also among the groups turned down for grants under the City Fund program. Today, the D.C. Center for the LGBT Community, the Center for Black Equity, Casa Ruby, SMYAL, Us Helping Us, HIPS, and the Human Rights Campaign expressed their deep disappointment that not a single local LGBT organization received funding under the City Fund, organization might not be funded. In some cases its because they do not t with the guidelines or funding criteria or did not properly complete the application. Criteria listed on the City Fund website include a requirement an organization must have an IRS 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status; that it cannot be an advocacy organization; it must have an annual budget of at least $100,000; and it must submit an audited nancial report showing nancial stability. At the request of Mayor Gray, the D.C. Council in 2013 approved funding of $15 million for the grant program. A write-up on the funds website says the program is aimed at supporting eective nonprots that provide critical programs and services across the city. The goal of these programs, the write-up says, is to grow and diversify the Districts economy, educate and prepare the workforce for the new economy; and improve the quality of life for all.

D.C. Mayor VINCENT GRAY encouraged LGBT groups to apply for the grants.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY PETE EXIS

a joint statement by the groups says. Currently, very few services specically targeted to the LGBT community are publicly funded in Washington, D.C., the statement says. This lack of targeted funding is particularly problematic as the LGBT community is dealing with a variety of challenges around HIV/ AIDS prevention, treatment and stigma; youth homelessness; healthcare access including mental health services; disproportionate levels of anxiety, depression and substance abuse; and high levels of unemployment in the transgender community, according to the statement. We are hopeful that the Community Foundation will take a hard look at this issue and urge the Foundation to learn more about the needs of the LGBT community, the statement says. A dedicated public funding stream needs to be made available for programs and services for the LGBT community. Ruby Corado, founder and executive director of Casa Ruby, said she has called on ocials with the Community Foundation to meet with LGBT community representatives to discuss concerns that no LGBT specic groups were approved for a City Fund grant. Terry Lee Freeman, president of the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, told the Blade in a statement on Monday that last weeks grant awards were the rst of at least three rounds of grant awards that will be made this year and early next year. She said the Community Foundation is urging organizations that werent approved in the rst round to apply again for grants under the program. We received 315 applications totaling over $30 million in requests for this round alone, she said. We were able to fund 58 programs totaling over $3.5 million. That leaves over 250 applications that were unfortunately not accepted for funding in this round, including many wonderful organizations with important missions,

she said. The review committee carefully considered all applications and the process was highly competitive, she said. There are a number of reasons why an

obituary

J. TODD MILLER, 68 J. Todd Miller died April 12 at his home in Lewes, Del. He was 68. His family, through contacts at Parsell Funeral Homes, declined to give the cause of death. Miller was born Aug. 14, 1945 in Washington. He was preceded in death by his life partner, John Byron Kleminsky. He is survived by his son, Todd Adam and his wife Michele Frame-Miller; his grandson, Kevin Nolan Miller of Chicago; as well as his PHOTO COURTESY OF PARSELL FUNERAL HOME brother, Robert Miller. Following graduation from the University of Maryland in 1968, he joined Aetna Life & Casualty and was appointed brokerage general agent of its Washington oce in 1979. He founded J. Todd Miller, CLU & Associates, a general insurance rm, in 1982. Miller joined the rm in 1995 and it operates today as the Miller & Shook Companies of Washington, D.C. As a result of his life-long fascination with the Eastern Shore and the Delaware beaches, Miller and Kleminsky built their rst beach home in Lewes in 1980. In 1981, they founded beachaire, a small commuter airline oering ights between Washingtons National Airport and Rehoboths airport. The Air Trac Controllers strike in August 1981 forced the small new airline to cease operations. In 1984, beachaire reorganized and became BeachAire Environments, a builder of custom homes and developer of Beachwoods and Beachwoods II at Lewes. Miller retired in 1997 and shared his time between homes in South Beach, Fla., Washington and his beloved Beachwoods. He traveled extensively, visiting about 30 countries, gardened and enjoyed every moment with his grandson and his golden retriever, Joshua. A public viewing was scheduled for Thursday in Lewes, Del. Interment will be private. A memorial event is being planned. Memorial contributions in Millers memory may be made to CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 and/or Goldheart Golden Retriever Rescue Inc., P.O. Box 34, Phoenix, MD 21134. A memorial website is at parsellfuneralhomes.com. JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

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NATIONAL NEWS

APRIL 25, 2014 09

X-Men director accused of sex abuse

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. A former child model alleges in a lawsuit that X-Men director Bryan Singer sexually abused him on several occasions. Michael Egan III alleges in his lawsuit he led in federal court in Hawaii on April 16 that Singer and others began to abuse him when he was 15 years old. The Associated Press reported Egan said during a Beverly Hills press conference that he received drugs and promises of becoming famous as he endured threats and sexual abuse in Hawaii and Los Angeles during the late 1990s. Egan is seeking more than $75,000 in A former child model last week accused X-Men director BRYAN damages on each of the four accusations SINGER of sexual abuse in a federal he has made against Singer. He accused lawsuit he led against him in Hawaii. three Hollywood executives Garth PHOTO BY FRANZ RICHTER; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA Ancier, David Neuman and Gary Goddard of being involved in a sex ring in a second lawsuit he led on April 21. I could sit here as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and yet people want to rip into this, Egan told reporters during a second Beverly Hills press conference, as KCAL in Los Angeles reported. They want to spin dierent situations. It doesnt make it a very pleasant thing to stand up to. Egans mother, Bonnie Mound, told reporters during the April 21 press conference that she reported the alleged abuse to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She claimed the agency never investigated the claims. Egan last week said Mound also reported the abuse he said Singer committed against him to the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department. Singers lawyer described the allegations as completely fabricated. Singer, who is gay, has contributed money to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the group that successfully challenged Californias Proposition 8 before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Georgia Attorney General SAM OLENS said he would defend the same-sex marriage ban.
PHOTO COURTESY OF OLENS

Federal marriage lawsuit led in Georgia

State was among ve without challenge to gay nuptials ban
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com Lambda Legal on Tuesday led a federal lawsuit challenging Georgias same-sex marriage ban on behalf of three gay couples and a widow. Georgia is our home, said Christopher Inniss of Snellville, who has been with his partner, Shelton Stroman, for 13 years, in a press release before the group led the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta. We own a home together, we own a business together, and we are raising our son, Jonathan, together. We have done everything we can to protect and take responsibility for our family but marriage is the only way to ensure that we are treated as the family that we are. We need the protection that marriage aords. Eighteen states and D.C. have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples. Gays and lesbians in Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina and other states have led marriage lawsuits since the U.S. Supreme Court last June struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month heard oral arguments in two lawsuits challenging Utah and Oklahomas constitutional amendments that dene marriage as between a man and a woman. A federal appeals court in Richmond, Va., next month will hear oral arguments in a case that challenges Virginias gay nuptials ban. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott in February appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans a federal judges ruling that struck down the Lone Star States same-sex marriage ban. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania on Monday led a motion with U.S. District Judge John Jones in Harrisburg, Pa., saying oral arguments in a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvanias statutory gay nuptials prohibition are unnecessary because the commonwealth has said it will not call experts to counter the plaintis claims. Today we have provided the court with moving personal stories from all of our plainti families describing how this ban hurts them and their loved ones, Witold J. Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, told the AP. We hope the judge will see the profound harm caused by this law and strike it down. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, who opposes same-sex marriage, also seeks an expedited ruling and requested a judge rule on the case without going to trial. Georgia had been among the ve states in which same-sex couples had yet to le a lawsuit seeking marriage rights. Todays ling represents a critically important step in the ongoing work toward marriage equality in Georgia, said Georgia Equality Executive Director Je Graham. Georgia Equality stands with these inspiring couples in their ght to enable more than 21,000 samesex couples and their families living in Georgia the freedom to marry the person who they love. Lauren Kane, communications director for Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, said he will defend the same-sex marriage ban. The attorney general will fulll his constitutional obligation to defend Georgia law, Kane told the Washington Blade.

Street to be named after PFLAG founder

FLUSHING, N.Y. A New York City street on April 26 will be named in honor of the founder of PFLAG and her family. Ocials will formally name 171st Street between 33rd and 35th Avenues in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens Jeanne, Jules, Morty Manford PFLAG Way. The family lived on the block in 1972 when Jeanne Manford marched with her son in the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, the precursor to New Yorks annual LGBT Pride March. She, her husband and a handful of other parents held the rst meeting of what became known as PFLAG less than a year later at a Greenwich Village church. The Manford family home was a safe space and shelter for many LGBT young people for 30 years, so it is a tting tribute that the block on which it stands will be named for the family, said PFLAG in a statement. Jeanne Manford died at her California home in 2013. She was 92.

Cab drivers reject Gay Games ads

CLEVELAND Some taxi drivers who work out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport have said they will not drive cabs containing advertisements for the Gay Games that will take place in the city in August. The Plain Dealer on April 14 reported that two of the three taxi companies that operate from the airport said several drivers told them they will no longer take part in what the newspaper described as a dedicated taxi cab program. A third company said two of its drivers have also decided not to drive taxis with the ads. The Plain Dealer reported the drivers made their decision because of their religious beliefs. The Gay Games are scheduled to take place in Cleveland from Aug. 9-16.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 APRIL 25, 2014

NATIONAL NEWS

Two years later, praise for landmark decision on trans rights

Macy case provides avenue of restitution for bias victims
By CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com For Mia Macy, being part of a landmark decision that said transgender workplace discrimination is illegal under existing civil rights law is still amazing on the day of its second anniversary. Its weird, I have to set myself outside of it and look at it, Macy said. Its a blessing and great thing on one side. Now that weve had a couple years its kind of disappointing the LGBT community hasnt embraced the fact that lawyers and employment specialists around the country have known for the last couple years: We have LGBT workplace protection rights. The unanimous decision in Macy v. Holder, handed down by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on April 20, 2012, established for the rst time that anti-trans bias in the workplace amounts to gender discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From that time forward, it was clear the EEOC would represent trans victims in litigation. After a California-based Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives laboratory denied her a job as a ballistics technician when she announced she would transition, Macy led the complaint. She said at the time she had no clue the litigation would result in such a landmark ruling. I thought it would just have an impact maybe over maybe ATF or the Justice Department, Macy said. In no way did I ever imagine that it would be a federal decision. There came a part closer to when the decision came out that we knew there might be some bigger ramications with the decision, but until we saw the decision, we had no idea. Macy said prior to her ling the complaint, she and her wife were allowed to consider additional causes for seeking relief. They decided to add gender stereotyping to the complaint. That was the rationale by which the EEOC came to the conclusion that Macy experienced illegal discrimination when seeking a job. Thus, we conclude that intentional discrimination against a transgender individual because that person is transgender is, by denition, discrimination based on... sex, and such discrimination therefore violates Title VII, the decision states. LGBT advocates say since the decision was handed down, the ruling has helped other trans victims of workplace discrimination. The EEOC didnt respond that the organization helped Macy nd other representation following the initial stages of her lawsuit. We are very proud of the contribution we were able to make in Mias case, Turner said. After we represented her through her initial ling and appeal and won the historic EEOC decision establishing that Mia and all other transgender employees are protected under Title VII, we helped connect her with another rm to represent her through the next stage of the process. One issue that remains is whether Title VII also protects gay, lesbian and bisexual people from employment discrimination under the Macy decision just as the EEOC determined it aords protections to trans people. The view that LGB people are protected is espoused by Chai Feldblum, a lesbian member of the EEOC, who said earlier this month during an interview with the Washington Blade that anti-gay discrimination for the purposes of the law is sex discrimination. Just recently, a federal court in D.C. allowed a gay man, Peter TerVeer, to sue the Library of Congress for gender discrimination on the basis of his allegations of anti-gay bias on the job. Sarah Warbelow, legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, noted that Macy doesnt explicitly address sexual orientation, but looking at legal precedent, gay people should be covered under Title VII. We think there are claims to be made by LGB people under Title VII, Warbelow said. Its not as clear-cut based on the court decisions at this point as Macys case made it for trans people. But its the doubt on whether Title VII protects against anti-gay discrimination not to mention that lack of explicitly statutory language informing the courts that discrimination against trans people is unlawful that makes LGBT advocates say additional action is necessary. One is passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, legislation that would bar many employers from ring or discriminating against LGBT people in the workplace. The other is an executive order for LGBT people along the lines of Executive Order 11246, which bars federal contractors doing $10,000 a year or more in business with the U.S. government from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The Senate last year passed ENDA by a vote of 64-32 on a bipartisan basis, but it has stalled in the House as Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has continually said he opposes the legislation. And President Obama continues to withhold an executive order for LGBT people as the White House has said he prefers a legislative approach to the issue.

MIA MACY was the plainti in a case establishing transgender people are protected under civil rights law.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MACY

on short notice to provide information on damages won or the number of LGBT victims, but pledged to provide the information in the coming days. Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said the Macy decision was essential in reaching a settlement with a federal contractor for a Maryland trans victim of workplace discrimination represented by his organization and Lambda Legal. I was impressed with the EEOC sta for conducting such a thorough investigation and interviewing so many witnesses to the anti-transgender harassment, Almeida said. This case shows that the EEOC takes very seriously its role enforcing LGBT workplace protections and that the Macy decision is being implemented in a very real way. According to Freedom to Work, EEOC investigated the complaint under Title VII based on the victims complaint her coworkers regularly harassed her with slurs like tranny, drag queen and faggot. In September 2012, the agency issued a cause determination letter nding reasonable cause the company violated the law. The name of the plainti, the company and the damages won remain under wraps as part of the settlement. Its likely the rst time in history that the EEOC has investigated allegations of anti-trans harassment and ruled for the trans employee after the Macy decision. Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said the Macy decision has formed the basis for hundreds of cases of trans discrimination led since that time. Trans people really are standing up for themselves a lot, lot more with this tool, Keisling said. I dont mean they didnt have a spine before, I mean now they

have a tool, and thats empowered them to stand up for themselves with that tool. Keisling emphasized the Macy decision was the culmination of a trend started by courts ruling in favor of trans people in sex discrimination cases. That trend, Keisling said, continues with developments like the Department of Health & Human Services determining the sex discrimination provision in the Aordable Care Act covers gender identity. Despite the nature historic of the decision that her lawsuit produced, Macy said shes been unable to secure employment following the ruling and blames the Internet record of her case as the reason why companies are deterred from hiring her. Although as part of the settlement, Macy was supposed to be given the job at ATF, she said that ultimately didnt happen, but refused to say why. She said shes been unsuccessful in trying to nd other work despite what she says are hundreds of attempts, and instead has returned to school on a pre-law track with the intent to go to law school to study employment law. Further, Macy said the Transgender Law Center, which initiated the lawsuit on her behalf, red her as a plainti and other attorneys handled the litigation going forward. Macy was reluctant to go into much detail, citing attorney-client privilege, but mentioned she didnt want to continue the promotion side with them. I was terminated at the end of 2012, Macy said. They sent me a letter and said they would no longer be my attorneys and called me and said were no longer representing you. Ilona Turner, a spokesperson for the Transgender Law Center, said in response to Macys assertion she was terminated

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

APRIL 25 , 2014 15

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16 APRIL 25, 2014

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Zimbabwe president threatens to expel diplomats

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe last week threatened to expel foreign diplomats who promote LGBT rights from his country. We did not ght for this Zimbabwe so it can be a homosexual territory, said Mugabe in a speech that marked his countrys independence from the U.K. in 1980 as the New Zimbabwe newspaper reported. We will never have that here and if there are any diplomats who will talk of any homosexuality, just tell me. We will kick them out of the country without any excuse. We wont even listen. New Zimbabwe noted Mugabe also said his country would resist eorts to decriminalize homosexuality. The website reported the Zimbabwean president also criticized the U.S. and other Western countries that blasted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni for signing a bill into law in February that imposes a life sentence upon anyone found guilty of repeated same-sex sexual acts. The White House cut foreign aid to Uganda after Museveni signed the measure into law. The World Bank also postponed a $90 million loan to the Ugandan government that would

India high court to reconsider sodomy ruling

The Indian Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would consider a motion to revisit last Decembers controversial ruling that recriminalized homosexuality in the South Asian country. A three-judge panel agreed to hear oral arguments in the motion known as a curative petition the Naz Foundation Trust, an HIV/AIDS advocacy group that challenged Indias sodomy law, led after the court reinstated Section 377 of the countrys penal code. Voices Against 377, a group of LGBT advocates, teachers and mental health professionals and lmmaker Shyam Benegal also petitioned the Indian Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling in the Koushal v. Naz case. The curative petition is an opportunity for the court to apply a course correction and rethink a decision which has been universally condemned, Arvind Narrain of the Alternative Law Forum in Bangalore told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. LGBT rights advocates in India and across the world protested the December 2012 decision that overturned a 2009 Delhi High Court ruling that

Zimbabwean President ROBERT MUGABE

have bolstered the East African countrys health care system. They say they want you to believe that if a man gets another man and they have a homosexual relationship, they have human rights to do so, said Mugabe as New Zimbabwe reported. That act is inhuman. Its not human and human rights cannot derive from acts which are inhuman. That does not exist in jurisprudence.

decriminalized homosexuality in the worlds second most populated country. A two-judge panel in January rejected activists request to reconsider the ruling. Vikram Doctor of the Times of India newspaper described Tuesdays announcement as wonderful, like getting a second chance. We hope that this will turn out to be an opportunity for the court to admit the curative petitions and begin to correct a decision which perpetuated stigma and entrenched discrimination against LGBT persons merely for being who they are, added Narrain. The announcement to reconsider the re-criminalization of homosexuality comes a week after the Indian Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that recognizes transgender people as a third gender. Sapna Pandya, president of KhushDC, a group for LGBT South Asians who live in the Washington metropolitan area, told the Blade she hopes the justices will use precisely the reasoning it utilized in the aforementioned decision to strike down Indias sodomy law. It is impossible to empower and protect transgender Indians while declaring the sexuality of so many of them to be criminal, she said. MICHAEL K. LAVERS

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

APRIL 25 , 2014 17

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18 APRIL 25, 2014

LOCAL NEWS

Despite advances, poverty persists for Baltimores LGBT residents

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

signicantly more likely to be poor than African-American married heterosexuals. The Williams Institute also found these couples are three times as likely to live in poverty than white same-sex couples. Free State Legal Project handles several hundred cases each year. Merki told the Blade his organizations case load is growing at least 50 percent annually. Its a large population, he said. Merki said the concept that African Americans are more homophobic than white people is largely a stereotype. He acknowledged there are many black Baltimoreans who are members of homophobic religious congregations. New Harvest Ministries, Inc., in Baltimore in October 2012 hosted a rally against Marylands same-sex marriage law during which a California pastor described gay men as predators. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie RawlingsBlake, Congressman Elijah Cummings, Rev. Dont Hickman of Southern Baptist Church in Baltimore, Rev. Delman Coates of Mount Ennon Baptist Church in Prince Georges County and state Del. Mary Washington (D-Baltimore City) are among the prominent people of color who backed the gay nuptials law that voters approved in November 2012. Polls released before the vote indicated a majority of black Marylanders backed the same-sex marriage law that Gov. Martin OMalley signed. For many people, the church is the foundation of their livelihood and their family, said Rev. Meredith Moise, who has been an ordained minister in Baltimore for a decade. If youre hearing negative messages about homosexual persons or transgender persons, it is more likely to impact negatively how you see transgender people. Even if a black person is not religious, people may use religious texts or dogma to support their homophobia. Moise, an alumna of Morgan State University, told the Blade that President Obamas support of marriage rights for same-sex couples and the Baltimorebased National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples advocacy in support of the issue prompted sustained conversations around LGBT people in the black community. There was a lot of kitchen table talk, barber shop talk about this, said Moise, referring to black gay couples, a tom boy who lost her job when she came out or a gender non-conforming man whose neighbors only see him late at night on the stretch of East Baltimore Avenue known as the Block where prostitution is common. This literally changed the face of how we see gay and trans people.

Criminal justice system exacerbates poverty

Other advocates with whom the Blade spoke attributed LGBT poverty in Baltimore to the citys criminal justice system. A study that Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health graduate students conducted in early 2005 found 33 percent of the 148 female inmates at the Baltimore City Womens Detention Center surveyed identied as lesbian or bisexual; 70 percent of the respondents identied as black, compared to only 16 percent who said they are white. Five percent of those who took part in the Johns Hopkins survey said they are living with HIV; 7.4 percent of inmates at the Baltimore City Womens Detention Center had the virus in 2004. A fth of respondents who participated in the Johns Hopkins survey said they make less than $400 a month. More than a third of respondents said they had engaged in sex work for money, drugs or a place to stay within a month of their arrest. The study also noted bisexual women were four times less likely to have a place to live upon their release from jail than heterosexual inmates. Jacqui Robarge in 2001 founded Power Inside, an organization that serves more than 300 women each year who are either in jail or have had experiences with the criminal justice system. She told the Blade that a third of her clients are lesbian, bisexual or trans. Robarge referenced an American Civil Liberties Union report that black Baltimoreans were 5.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession. She noted some of the young lesbians with whom her organization works have been homeless for up to a decade because their families threw them out of their homes because of their sexual orientation. Robarge said they enter the criminal justice system because they engage in prostitution, shoplift, sell drugs and other survival strategies. In our experience, African-American women who are masculine expressing or transgender are disproportionately and specically targeted by law enforcement for harassment, searches, arrests and incarcerations, she told the Blade. Once released from jail, these women are routinely denied access to basic supports, driving them deeper into the street economy and often back to jail. Violence, whether interpersonal or institutional, is often ignored if the survivor is black and particularly if she is a lesbian or transgender, added Robarge. Carlton Smith, executive director of the Center for Black Equity-Baltimore

who founded Baltimore Black Gay Pride in 2002, noted young and older LGBT Baltimoreans remain particularly vulnerable to poverty. When parents and guardians nd out a young person is coming out, they tend to be thrown out and are not usually able to stay with relatives, he said. Smith said a low-income LGBT person may face discrimination in a city-run senior housing development in which he or she lives. If youre LGBTQ, theyll put you right back into the closet, he said. It makes people introvert and puts them back in the closet because they dont feel safe. Baltimore City is among the ve Maryland municipalities that have added gender identity and expression to their anti-discrimination laws. The Maryland House of Delegates last month approved a measure that would ban anti-transgender discrimination throughout the state. The Free State Legal Project and the Center for Black EquityBaltimore are among the members of the Maryland Coalition for Trans Equality that worked with Equality Maryland and other advocacy groups to increase support for Senate Bill 212 that state Sen. Rich Madaleno (D-Montgomery County) introduced in January. Robarge told the Blade there are more subtle forms of discrimination that take place against the backdrop of laws and other measures that ocially prohibit it. These include dress codes and criminal background checks. It protects you against outright discrimination, but most isms arent outright, she said.

CARLTON SMITH, executive director of Center for Black Equity-Baltimore said young and older LGBT Baltimoreans remain particularly vulnerable to poverty.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SMITH

who are HIV-positive like myself and LGBTQ who are struggling to get housing for themselves and their families, said Smith. Even though we have marriage equality, the laws are slowly coming through. If youre not aware of what the policy is as an LGBTQ person, you dont know.

Mayor: Poverty in Baltimore breaks my heart

Rawlings-Blake told the Blade it breaks my heart, in general, to know about the many challenges that our impoverished residents face. It is even more complex when it involves a member of the LGBT community, as they often times face extra challenges, she said. Rawlings-Blake said her administration is focused on improving the quality of life for all residents and ending homelessness in Baltimore altogether. She noted she supported a bill the Maryland Senate approved earlier this month that would raise the states minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018. Rawlings-Blake pointed out to the Blade she hired a new director and recruited a new board for Baltimores 10-year plan to end homelessness. She noted her administration also partners with city agencies and non-prots to expand access to health care, employment and housing for low-income Baltimoreans. Although a lot has been accomplished, the LGBT community still has many barriers to overcome, said RawlingsBlake, acknowledging racial disparities often exacerbate the problem. I remain a committed, vocal supporter of the LGBT community and it is my desire that everyone has a roof over his or her head and is able to provide for his or her family.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

5 percent of Baltimoreans with HIV homeless

A survey of the metropolitan area that includes Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard and Queen Annes Counties the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Council conducted last year found 85 percent of the 374 people with HIV/AIDS who responded identied themselves as non-Hispanic black. Nearly 60 percent of those who took part said their annual income that was less than the federal poverty line. Slightly more than 5 percent of respondents said they were homeless. The study also noted the Baltimore metropolitan area in 2010 had the third highest rate of HIV among U.S. cities, with only Miami and New York having higher infection statistics. Maryland in the same year had the fourth highest HIV rate among states and territories that include D.C. There are men, many other persons

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

NATIONAL NEWS

APRIL 25, 2014 19

New book on marriage equality assailed as travesty

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Francisco on election night 2008. Its this comparison between Grin and the iconic gure of the black civil rights movement that Sullivan, who helped pioneer the idea of same-sex marriage in the 1990s, says is only the start of jawdropping distortion throughout the book. Andrew Lane, a prominent New Yorkbased gay donor, called the book a travesty and said Becker knew that was the case as she was putting the book together. She chose to give us a shallow and incomplete history that fetishizes the role of celebrities and PR hacks and either trashes or ignores the real heroes who fought for years to help make the moment possible, Lane said. That vapid gay men are attempting to re-write history by centering themselves is not news. That they conscripted a New York Times reporter to do the heavy lifting for them certainly is. HRC didnt respond to multiple requests for comment on the perception that Grin and the Prop 8 case are given undue credit in the book for their role in the marriage equality movement. A signicant portion of the book is devoted to the behind-the-scenes action leading to President Obamas announcement in favor of marriage equality in 2012. Although Obama campaigned in 2008 in opposition to same-sex marriage (despite supporting it in 1996), he later said he could evolve on the issue, leading to his announcement in favor of same-sex marriage during his reelection campaign. According to the book, when Vice President Joseph Biden appeared to endorse same-sex marriage on NBCs Meet the Press just days before Obamas announcement, the White House reacted furiously. In a chain of emails sent through the White House, senior adviser to the president Valerie Jarrett through an intermediary accused Biden of downright disloyalty. Grin gets credit as a key voice for moving these evolutions forward. A passage in the book recounts Grin briey asking the president during a fundraiser, How can we help you evolve more quickly? Obama gave a noncommitted response, but pointed to his work on Dont Ask, Dont Tell repeal and the Defense of Marriage Act as evidence of his commitment to LGBT rights. Further, it recounts Grin attending a Los Angeles fundraiser with Biden prior to his appearance on Meet the Press. After Grin asked Biden what he really thinks about marriage equality, the vice president said being against it in the future will be a political liability. A top Biden aide is quoted as saying it was a

Blogger ANDREW SULLIVAN criticized the new book Forcing the Spring for its depiction of HRC President Chad Grin as a hero and for ignoring the contributions of many others to the marriage ght.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

moment when his hard drive got erased. John Aravosis, editor of AMERICAblog, criticized the depiction of Grin as being a driving factor in Obamas evolution, especially because others who contributed to the eort like his own blogger who got Obama to say he could evolve on marriage are absent from the book. I had high hopes for Chad taking over HRC, and said so publicly, but I dont honestly know what Chad did to get the president to evolve on marriage, Aravosis said. You wouldnt know it from Jo Beckers self-proclaimed denitive account of the gay marriage battle these past ve years, but the president used that word in response to a question from thenAMERICAblog deputy editor Joe Sudbay, who questioned the president in the White House in October of 2010. Becker gives neither Joe, nor AMERICAblog, any credit, for the now-famous answer. Also depicted as contributing to Obamas evolution on marriage is Ken Mehlman, the former head of the Republican National Committee who came out as gay in 2010. Mehlman attended Harvard with Obama, so the two had known each other for decades. According to the book, Mehlman e-mailed Obama senior adviser David Ploue some talking points and suggested soft lighting for the interview and that it be conducted by a female reporter (it ended up being Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, who was closeted at the time). Its not the rst time the events leading up to Obamas announcement in favor of same-sex marriage have been reported. The 2013 book Double Down, which chronicles Obamas re-election

campaign, also discusses the lead-up to the endorsement. The book similarly recounts the fervor in the White House after Bidens words on Meet the Press and Mehlmans advice to Obama for his interview, although Grin makes no appearance in that narrative. While praising Grin, the book doesnt present as favorable an image of other leaders in the marriage equality movement. Among them is Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, who spoke out on marriage equality when it was much less popular even among LGBT rights groups in the 1990s. One portion of the book disparages Wolfson for having unkind words for Milk screenwriter and AFER board member Dustin Lance Black after he pledged in his Oscar acceptance speech that equal rights will come very soon for gay people across America. Wolfson had berated the younger man over his Oscar speech, explaining as though to a willing but ignorant child his ongoing, twenty-ve year plan to build support for marriage equality, Becker writes. Twenty-ve years? Black had practically gasped. But he had said little; it was intimidating, to say the least, to be dressed down by a pioneer of the marriage equality movement. In response to a Blade inquiry on whether hes given a fair shake in the book, Wolfson spoke in holistic terms on progress made on marriage equality and future goals to advance it further. As a movement, we have secured a strong majority of public support for the freedom to marry and a critical mass of Americans living in marriage states, Wolfson said. Together, we gutted the

so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and,as we again head toward the Supreme Court, have built irrefutable momentum showingAmerica is ready. But we are not done. Freedom to Marry is going to stay focused on nishing the job and achieving the goal weve long been aiming toward: winning marriage nationwide. Another person whose role is minimized in the book is Mary Bonauto, the civil rights director at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, who successfully argued the case almost 11 years ago that brought marriage equality to Massachusetts, making it the rst state in the country with same-sex marriage. She has also led eorts against the Defense of Marriage Act. Her role in Forcing the Spring is reduced to commending the Prop 8 lawsuit for enabling a trial of the issue of marriage equality. They turned that trial into a truth commission, Bonauto is quoted as saying of the attorneys behind the lawsuit. Carisa Cunningham, a GLAD spokesperson, dismissed the omission of Bonautos work on marriage equality by saying the book was meant to capture the narrative of another eort to advance the cause. This book wasnt Marys story, and its clearly not a history of the movement, Cunningham said. Someday someone will write a book about Mary, and in the meantime, Marys story has been told in plenty of public ways and she and GLAD get a lot of well-deserved credit. Were in it for the work on principle and how it makes a dierence in peoples lives. Cunningham also criticized the depiction of Grin in the book, saying although he oered signicant contributions to advancing marriage equality, the book may do a disservice to those contributions by portraying him as a savior of the movement. But the crux of the book is that the lawsuit against Prop 8 litigated by Ted Olson and David Boies restructured the marriage movement. The title itself, Forcing the Spring, suggests the Prop 8 case was responsible for bringing marriage equality to the entire country or at least getting the ball rolling for successes in other states besides California. But it was the decision in the DOMA case not the Prop 8 case that established legal precedent enabling courts since that ruling to rule in favor of marriage equality in now 10 states. The U.S. Supreme Court on the Prop 8 case sidestepped the merits of whether a state can ban same-sex marriage, ruling that proponents of the law had no standing to defend the ban in court after California state ocials declined to do so.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

20 APRIL 25, 2014

Batts appeared before two-dozen LGBT community activists and city residents at a town hall meeting on April 14 at the Northwest District Community Action Center in Baltimore to provide the status of progress in police-LGBT relations. It was the second such meeting the other occurred last October organized by the 10-member LGBT Advisory Council that was formed at the behest of Batts following the beating of a gay man, Kenni Shaw, then 25, in East Baltimore on 5:02 PM Christmas night of 2012. Audience members brought up specic concerns, such as mistrust between the police and transgender residents, police response to domestic violence, need for policies that protect gender variant individuals when interacting with the police, dispatch policies, a reporting mechanism for negative interactions between the police and the community and fear of reprisals if such interactions are reported. Batts said he would meet more frequently with the LGBT community and would work hard to resolve the issues.

BALTIMORE NEWS DIGEST

Batts seeks to change culture of police dept.

Acknowledging that some members of the Baltimore City Police Department are not as sensitive to LGBT issues as they should be, Commissioner Anthony W. Batts pledged to add tools to the toolbox to remedy the situation. He was referring to stepped-up training to CommonDobros_Blade.pdf 1 4/22/14 change the culture in the department.

Jewish group to talk marriage equality

The second installment of a conversation about same-sex marriage to be presented by the Keshet and Family Connection (keshetonline.org) will take place on May 4 from 10:30 a.m.-noon at the Kol Shalom Synagogue, 9110 Darnestown Rd., Rockville, MD 20850. The previous panel discussion took place in Baltimore last month and was copresented by JQ Baltimore. Keshet is a national organization that works for the full inclusion of the LGBT community. The discussion will include the process and experience of same-sex marriages and weddings in the Jewish tradition. The panel will consist of three same-sex couples that have been married, two parents that are in the process of planning a wedding for their daughter and her anc, a mom whose daughter was married, and two Rabbis: Jonathan Maltzman from Kol Shalom, in Rockville and Laurie Green from Bet Mishpachah in D.C. The program is free and open to the public. Further information can be found at DCKeshetParents@keshetonline.org.

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C M Y CM MY CY CMY

AIRS celebrates 25th anniversary

AIDS Interfaith Residential Services (AIRS) will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a fundraising gala at the M&T Pavilion and the Hippodrome Theatre on Saturday. The organization was founded in 1987 (IRS established AIRS as a 501c-3 in 1989) by the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council as the faith communitys response to the AIDS epidemic. The rst Don Miller House, which opened in 1988, served four men with end-stage AIDS. Through strategic planning and community support, during the last 25 years AIRS has expanded its programming to provide vital services to the most vulnerable populations throughout Baltimore City and county. Programs and services include subsidized housing, assistance accessing healthcare, job training and placement and support for disabled individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities. Included at the gala will be a performance of West Side Story. A cocktail reception and dinner will take place between 5-8 p.m., and the show will be presented at 8 p.m. Tickets are $200 per person for general admission and can be purchased by calling 410-576-5070, ext. 31 or visiting Airsevents.com. Proceeds will benet City Steps, an AIRS program that supports projects for homeless at-risk youth. For more information about AIRS, please visit airshome.org. STEVE CHARING

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HEALTH NEWS

APRIL 25, 2014 21

Transgender health disparities studied

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Transgender individuals are medically underserved and their health care needs incompletely understood in part because they represent a subpopulation whose health is rarely monitored by U.S. national surveillance systems, Health Canal reports. To address these issues, a new study compared methods of collecting and analyzing data to assess health disparities in a clinical sample of transgender individuals, as reported in an article published in LGBT Health, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the LGBT Health website. Sari Reisner and coauthors at the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts General Hospital, and Fenway Health in Boston, compared transgender and non-transgender patients on health measures such as substance abuse, HIV infection, lifetime suicide attempts and social stressors including violence and discrimination. They report their ndings in the article Transgender Health Disparities: Comparing Full Cohort and Nested Matched Pair Study Designs in a Community Health Center. Clinic-based samples and patient-related data are under-utilized sources of information about transgender health, particularly in community-based, urban health centers that typically serve large numbers of transgender patients, says Dr. William Byne of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Men in a new study reported practicing safer sex while cutting back on methamphetamine use. They had fewer anal sex partners and were less likely to engage in other risky behaviors like not usingcondoms.

Research nds meth reduction has health benets

SAN FRANCISCO Methamphetamine users who focus on cutting back or practicing safer methods of getting high instead of trying to quit the drug altogether are also able to reduce risky sexual behaviors that can make them vulnerable to HIV, according to San Franciscoresearchers as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. In a paper released April 18, researchers from the University of California at San Francisco and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation looked at a harm reduction program for gay and bisexual men who use methamphetamine or other stimulants. The program, called the Stonewall Project, does not require participants to abstain from using, but encourages them to consider behavior changes that can improve their health in more subtleways, the Chronicle article said. The researchers, who studied 211 gay and bisexual men enrolled in the Stonewall Project, found that over a period of six to 12 months the men cut back on the amount of stimulant drugs they used. They also reported less severe symptoms of addiction and improvedemployment, the report found. Plus, the men reported practicing safer sex while on methamphetamine. They had fewer anal sex partners and were less likely to engage in other risky behaviors like not usingcondoms, the report said. Harm reduction programs have been widely accepted and used in San Francisco for more than a decade and the Department of Public Health requires its contractors to practice harmreduction, the Chronicle article said. But its still controversial in the addiction eld, where many proponents of 12step programs and other treatment protocols focus on drugabstinence. The idea behind abstinence programs is that no level of drug use is acceptable, and that may apply especially to stimulants like methamphetamine, which are closely tied to extreme risk-takingbehaviors, the article said.

Lawsuit claims trans woman denied hormone therapy

URBANA, Ill. Lambda Legal last week led a lawsuit claiming that an Illinois health care services group denied medical care to a transgender woman who requested hormone replacement therapy, LGBTQ Nation reports. The lawsuit, led April 15, alleges a violation of the Aordable Care Acts nondiscrimination provisions that require clinics receiving federal funds treat trans patients the same as others, the article said. According to the suit, Naya Taylor requested hormone replacement therapy as part of her medically necessary, transition-related health care to treat her gender dysphoria but was refused by her primary care physician, the article said. Taylor asserts that her doctor rst claimed she was not experienced in providing hormones to transgender people even though hormone therapy is regularly provided to non-transgender patients in a variety of settings every day. Later the clinic told Taylor that it does not have to treat people like you. When they said, we dont have to treat people like you, I felt like the smallest, most insignicant person in the world, Taylor told LGBTQ Nation. The doctor and oce provide hormone replacement therapy for others at the same clinic, they just refused to do that for me.

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PO Box 53352 Washington DC 20009 202-747-2077 E-MAIL news@washblade.com INTERNET www.washingtonblade.com PUBLISHED BY Brown Na Pitts Omnimedia, Inc. PUBLISHER LYNNE J. BROWN lbrown@washblade.com ext. 8075 EDITORIAL EDITOR KEVIN NAFF kna@washblade.com ext. 8088 FEATURES EDITOR JOEY DIGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com ext. 8081 SR. NEWS REPORTER LOU CHIBBARO JR. lchibbaro@washblade.com ext. 8079 NEWS REPORTER CHRIS JOHNSON cjohnson@washblade.com ext. 8083 NEWS REPORTER MICHAEL K. LAVERS mlavers@washblade.com EDITORIAL INTERN MARIAH COOPER PHOTO EDITOR MICHAEL KEY mkey@washblade.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS PETER ROSENSTEIN, MARK LEE, LATEEFAH WILLIAMS, KATE CLINTON, KATHI WOLFE

New book elevates Griffin, Mehlman, Olson, but ignores true pioneers

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

Jo Beckers book Forcing the Spring, which lauds the work of the American Foundation for Equal Rights has generated much debate in the LGBT community. Andrew Sullivan trashed the book and its author and claimed some major credit for himself in the ght for marriage equality. Elizabeth Birch, former president of the Human Rights Campaign trashed Sullivan in her Hungton Post column. But they apparently agree on one thing: The book by Becker is far from an accurate history of the ght for marriage equality. Reading the excerpt published in the New York Times, it was easy to accept both Sullivan and Birch were right even if their language was harsh. Michael Calderone in his Hungton Post piece quotes Sullivans comments on Beckers book in which he said it is truly toxic and morally repellent, and that it includes instances of jaw-dropping distortion and statements so wrong, so myopic and so ignorant it beggars belief that a respectable journalist could actually put it in print. I guess Sullivan and Becker wont be going for brunch anytime soon. Birch calls Sullivan insuerable, and notes, While it is true that the struggle for marriage equality predates the Proposition 8 case and its aftermath, it also predates Andrew Sullivan. (Did anyone else notice no less than four of Sullivans books are pushed in the opening paragraphs of his diatribe against the Prop 8 team? So much for collective credit). But why is anyone surprised that Sullivan thinks the world revolves around him? I remember his New York Times magazine cover story on the AIDS epidemic, When Plagues End, in 1996 when he declared the AIDS epidemic over because the new medications worked for him. The millions who have died and been infected since may not see them-

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selves in the same light. Both Sullivan and Birch oered strong statements about what was left out of Beckers book and after reading the excerpt, I was left wondering how much money AFER paid her to write it. It clearly is not a history of the ght for gay marriage but rather a book trying to create heroes of a select few. This is not to denigrate the work of Chad Grin or the actual work of attorneys who fought the Prop 8 ght or the real heroes of that ght, the couples who brought suit. But in the excerpt (I havent read the full book) she portrays Ken Mehlman as a hero, glancing over his personal responsibility for the anti-gay rhetoric and devastating policies of the Bush administration. She never mentions that while Olsen was one of the lawyers for these couples he was at the same time supporting the Romney/Ryan ticket that was promising to repeal all gay rights advances and to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who would be guaranteed to rule against this case. There are so many people and organizations deeply involved in the struggle for marriage equality. The fact is the case brought by AFER to the Supreme Court was a partial victory instead of a possible total loss because Walter Dellinger, former acting solicitor general in the Clinton administration, submitted a brief oering the court what some called an o-ramp. It was his brief quoted in Chief Jus-

tice Roberts opinion that allowed the court to reject the case and return it to the Appellate Court in California where the ruling would only impact that state. The Becker book apparently leaves out nearly all the activists who have spent a good part of their lives ghting for full human and civil rights for the LGBT community. Many have spent the years working for marriage equality that Mehlman and Olsen spent developing and supporting policies to prevent it. From Hawaii, where the Supreme Court rst ruled in 1993 that marriage equality was constitutional beginning the long ght there, to Massachusetts, which became the rst state to legalize marriage equality in 2004; to Iowa that legalized it in 2009 to D.C., the ght for marriage was an eort by thousands. D.C. advocates spent 20 years preparing the stage and working to elect a City Council that would vote yes when the right time came. The question Becker says Grin put to Obama about when he would evolve was asked by many others at those small $37,500 a couple fundraisers. I myself put him on the spot with the same question, and got the same answer, at one of those events on Sept. 30, 2011. I hope that when marriage equality becomes a reality across the entire nation that someone will write the real history of the ght that won it. That book will be benecial to future generations in a way that the Becker book will never be.

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VIEWPOINT

APRIL 25, 2014 23

Loyalty to party or progress in mayoral race?

This lifelong Democrat supports independent Catania to lead city
My involvement with the Democratic Party began nearly 30 years ago and I have worked to elect Democrats for that entire time. The possibility of not supporting a Democratic nominee is someplishments and the other cannot. The argument against David Catania is pretty much summed up by he used to be a Republican. Thats a pretty weak argument when you consider that he left opposing sides of an issue together when no one else could. Since he was rst elected to Council in 1997 at the young age of 29, the people of D.C. have watched him grow in oce and become one of the most eective and highly regarded members of the Council. It is because of all of these reasons that I have decided to go outside of my loyalty to the Democratic Party and choose to support the candidate that is far more qualied to lead our city, Councilman David Catania. This is a decision I have put much thought into and am comfortable with. Over the next seven months leading up to the election, I hope people will insist that this election will be about issues and qualications. Our city is on the cusp of even greater change than we have already seen and this election may very well determine the direction that we will take. It will certainly determine the next mayor to preside over it and make the tough decisions that will come along with holding the oce. If you look at the issues and the candidates, I am condent that David Catania will oer you the most substance by far. Dont be bullied into voting for an unqualied Democrat just because of a party label. Our city deserves better from its voters.

Dont be bullied into voting for an unqualied Democrat just because of a party label.
LANE HUDSON is a D.C.-based Democratic activist and writer.

I was a supporter of Vince Gray and was highly disappointed that the Democratic primary campaign had very little to do with the issues facing our city. It was a unique election in that an overwhelming majority of people felt that the city was being run well and things were headed in the right direction, approved of the job the mayor was doing, yet voted him out of oce by a large margin. For many LGBT supporters of Mayor Gray and the other mayoral candidates, we are now faced with choosing between loyalty to the Democratic Party or deciding which candidate to support in the General Election based on the issues, experience and qualications.

thing I do not approach lightly. I supported Gray for re-election as mayor because he had a solid record of accomplishment on a broad set of issues that I cared about. He was also accessible to the LGBT community, including the trans community, which has often been shut out in the past. As I look at the choice between David Catania and Muriel Bowser, the decision comes down to the same reasons I supported Gray. One candidate has a solid history of accomplishment as a member of the D.C. Council and the other does not. One candidate has demonstrated a solid understanding of how to improve government and the other has not. One candidate makes it clear where he stands on issues and the other does not. One candidate can rattle o a list of accom-

the party 10 years ago. When you add that with his work to expand health insurance to a higher percentage of people than any other state, his support of the transgender community, his work on marriage equality, his work on HIV/ AIDS and his work to improve education, I think critics making that argument are hugely underestimating the intelligence of D.C. voters who are looking for someone who can continue the progress weve made. Catania has long been a voice for change and progress in D.C. From his at-large seat on Council and committee chairmanships, he has brought professionalism and structure to the agencies he has overseen. He has been the architect of countless deals among his Council colleagues. He has also been able to bring

YOUTH VOICES

Black youth must unify, get educated on HIV/AIDS

Virus continues to take devastating toll on community
By KG There is a disease in us that powerfully chains our minds, devastates our spirits, and controls our decisions. It lives in and grows in us like weeds in a beautiful garden. We, the young people of the Diaspora, have been diagnosed with an illness called stigma. Youth of African descent strikingly have become critically unaware of the devastating eects of HIV/AIDS on our community. Without a doubt, African-American youth in the United States are disproportionately aected by HIV/AIDS. We are the 59 percent aected 59.5 percent of all newly infected youth were African American in 2010.We are plagued with the separation of our people with this misconception that solely LGBTQ, specically bisexual/gay male persons of color are responsible for this epidemic. However, this is not the case at all. Yet, this alone has placed heterosexual blacks on the backburner of not being educated on the issue and leaves room for an increase in infection rates. It is a must that we remember Umoja, which means unity. It is imperative that we lean spread the word, not the virus. African Americans represented 44 percent of all new HIV infections in 2010, despite representing only 12 percent of the overall U.S. population, according to the CDC. We are all responsible to decrease that number. As part of that statistic, we can be motivated to ght the stigma of HIV/AIDS by nate. First, educate. It is imperative that we learn more about HIV/AIDS and how we can remain in solidarity to know our status and encouraging other people of color to do the same. Secondly, we have to notify one another of the statistics and remember that we are all at risk of contracting this virus. Lastly, donate your time, mind, and eorts to advancing awareness. Monetarily invest in resources that support all of our people aected by the virus as well as those who arent. National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was the beginning and denitely not the end of our struggle to enhance our mindsets and promote love for one another by diminishing the stigma and taking steps to lower the statistics. Peace and love my sisters and brothers and remember E.N.D: Educate, Notify, and Donate.

African Americans represented 44 percent of all new HIV infections in 2010, despite representing only 12 percent of the overall U.S. population.
not on our own understanding and open up the oor to conversations we tend to avoid and suocate ignorance in its entirety. We all are humans and HIV aects everyone worldwide, especially African Americans of all backgrounds and sexual preferences We must unify ourselves in education and let us take our sisters and brothers by the hand and go out and get tested. We need to have conversations and recognizing the facts. National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which was held earlier this month, reminds us that we cannot allow this virus to continue to plague the community. As we black youth observe Youth Pride this weekend in D.C., we must love ourselves and our people by carrying the importance of black love. So, I came up with this acronym: E.N.D., which stands for Educate, Notify and Do-

KG is a native of Brooklyn and has lived in D.C. since 2010 pursuing a communications degree. She aspires to write on the behalf of LGBTQ youth of color and establish her own magazine of black, queer youth interest.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

24 APRIL 25, 2014

LIFE IN THE INTERSECTION

Lesbian Nigerian immigrant on struggle to come out

I wondered if I was the only African lesbian in the world
ager. She attended college and graduate school, lives in the D.C. area, and is employed in a professional capacity. Im doing this anonymously because being Nigerian and gay, its a safety issue, she said. I also want to spare my parents. Her parents have not been accepting of her sexuality. When I rst came out to someone in my family, it didnt go well, she noted. I broke up with my girlfriend, retreated, and started dating men. I didnt expect the extreme reaction from my family. When my family learned about my being gay, there were threats. My source also discussed her internal struggle with being Nigerian and lesbian. When I came to America, I had no idea I was a lesbian. When I was in college, I saw a womans body and started thinking and fantasizing about it. Because I didnt have these feelings when I was younger, I thought it was something America did to me. She went through periods of identifying as bisexual, then lesbian, and, subsequently, taking it back before embracing her identity as a lesbian. She dated men and explored her feelings for women in college, but her rst serious relationship was with a woman, while she was in graduate school. She has also been in a longterm relationship with a man, but did not feel the same level of passion and attraction that she does with women. Where I come from, my value as a woman is tied to getting married and having a kid, she told me. Most people believe that being gay is an idea that came from America, from the West. I have struggled with the idea that I cant be lesbian and African. I didnt have a frame of reference. She asked herself, How am I lesbian and African and an immigrant. I wondered if I was the only African lesbian in the world. My source has been disowned and reowned and disowned again by her parents. When her family gets together for the holidays, they usually do not invite her. When she sends her parents texts, they often do not respond. She also was fearful of disappointing my parents so bad that they would want to hurt themselves. Part of her growth process has been that even when my parents act like they dont love me, it doesnt cause me to act like I dont love them. They helped me out so much. She believes that they feel betrayed that I chose something else over them and if I really love them and wasnt so selsh, I would suck it up and marry a man. To cope, I have grown a lot spiritually. For years, I thought about hurting myself. Thats the damage that this has done. The lying, the hiding, the fear. I did some therapy, but what has really helped me is my spirituality. Im seeing in the eyes of God, I am gay and African and a woman. My approval rests less and less with my family and more with God. She has also been burdened by relatives who have told her that she can never go back to visit Nigeria. Over the years, she has come to realize that this is not true. One of her cousins in Nigeria knows that she is a lesbian and has said she can stay with her family. Another aunt has expressed support and wants to meet her girlfriend, who is also a rst generation African immigrant. She now realizes that she has some support if I live in my truth. She did this interview because she wants people to know they are not alone. Its possible to be lesbian and African and out. [She is out to family and friends, but has safety concerns about identifying herself in print.] I have a really good life. Who knows whats going to happen next? I dont have to choose between being African and my sexuality or between being African and being in a relationship. She is willing to talk directly to other LGBT immigrants who are struggling with similar circumstances. She can be reached by sending a request to me or to the Blade.

LATEEFAH WILLIAMS biweekly column, Life in the Intersection, focuses on the intersection of race, gender and sexual orientation. She is a former president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. Reach her at lateefah4@ hotmail.com or follow her at twitter @ lateefahwms.

There are many challenges for LGBT people whose sexual orientation or gender identity intersects with other identities, such as race, gender, or nationality. In addition to the challenges that many Americans face when coming out, rst generation immigrants often face additional hardships. I recently discussed this topic with a lesbian, Nigerian immigrant, who agreed to speak with me under the condition of anonymity. She is a 34-year-old woman who immigrated from Nigeria as a teen-

OUR BUSINESS MATTERS

Dont be fooled by D.C. tipped wage ballot initiative

Union organizers spread misinformation and hurl false charges to confuse voters
ing an additional one-dollar hike in the minimum wage, to $12.50 an hour, but also require restaurants and bars to pay tipped workers the full amount. Ironically, they would bestow those already well compensated and highestearning a special supplement of nearly $10 an hour. All while threatening the nancial viability of local bars and restaurants, forcing sta reductions and cutbacks in work hours, and eliminating jobs through technology. The truth is, employees at almost all independent community bars and restaurants earn above the new minimum wage. Outside fast food, retail and other specic industries employing the vast majority of minimum wage workers, its of nominal impact. Except when it comes to trashing the traditional customer tipping system that is the long-established American standard. Knowing how the system actually works is important to understanding the real facts. In D.C., tipped employees are paid $2.77 an hour in base pay. In the highly unlikely event that total pay including tips is less than the local minimum wage during a pay period, the employer makes up any dierence. As most familiar with or who have friends working at local hospitality businesses know, tipped worker earnings are typically double or triple or more the minimum wage. But you wouldnt know that from listening to the agitators pushing a radical change in the law. To hear them tell their tale, greedy restaurateurs and bar owners are engaged in what they casually refer to as slavery. And thats one of their more innocuous retorts. They also cavalierly toss about false statistics, unfounded and unsubstantiated random accusations that employers are cheating employees through elaborate wage theft schemes, and claim without evidence that employers dont compensate tipped workers for any dierential in base-pay-plus-tips and the minimum wage. In fact, you can count on less than one hand complaints led during the past several years with the D.C. Department of Employment Services. But a big lie makes for a better sound bite. What they wont admit is that restaurants and bars, operating on the thinnest prot margins in commerce, would be required to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in duplicate pay. Look around and do the math the next time youre out dining or drinking or dancing. Local restaurateur Geo Tracy calculates increased costs for two restaurants at nearly half-a-million dollars an unsustainable surcharge. Salaried managers joke of quitting to sign on as servers for the extraordinary extra bonus pay under this scheme. Unions think they can mislead the public regarding the tipped worker wage system. There is, however, one big problem they wont admit and a goal they hope to hide. First, their main obstacle: Bar, restaurant and nightclub employees oppose them. Ask if they would prefer to be paid an hourly wage with tipping reduced or eliminated as a result. The latter is what the AFL-CIO Washington Metropolitan Council president revealed in D.C. Council testimony. Second, their ultimate objective is to end tipping altogether with the cynical desire to compel unionization. Eorts to cajole hospitality professionals to join a union have been a miserable failure over many years, due strong opposition from the preponderance of tipped employees. Unions think they have a better chance if pay is reduced by their trickery and misery replaces the majesty of customer satisfaction. You may soon see special interest hires straddling city sidewalks soliciting your signature to qualify their initiative for the fall election. They need only 23,000 to do so. Dont be one of the fooled.

MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur and community business advocate. Follow on Twitter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at OurBusinessMatters@gmail.com.

Union organizers have continued spreading misinformation and hurling false charges, hoping to confuse D.C. voters about a likely November ballot initiative. They failed in fooling the D.C. Council to scrap the tipped worker wage system during debate last fall that raised the local minimum wage in three stages to $11.50 an hour beginning July 2016. They suspect theyll have better luck befuddling residents by contorting facts. They plan to qualify a ballot question push-

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Buds, blooms and blades

Spring is in full swing in the region with wide bounty of garden events
By MARIAH COOPER

APRIL
Georgetowns Book Hill neighborhood holds its annual French Market today (Friday) and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Shop at local antique stores and visit art galleries. There will be crepes, sandwiches, French pastries and discounts on wine. Live music, strolling mimes and a Parisian face painter will all be part of the entertainment for the weekend. Dumbarton House and Tudor Place, Georgetowns historic house museums, will also be open for children arts and crafts activities. For more information, visit georgetowndc.com. United States Botanic Garden (100 Maryland Ave., S.W.) holds its Celebrate Earth Day Festival today (Friday) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Watch cooking demonstrations with seasonal produce and meet with representatives of local environmental organizations. Admission is free. For details, visit usbg.gov.

Flower Mart at National Cathedral.

PHOTO BY WENDY STECK MERRIMAN

MAY
Ladew Gardens (3535 Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton, Md.) oers numerous events throughout the month. Its Garden Festival is on May 3 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Shop from about 40 vendors, tour the Gardens and Manor House and also enjoy a nature walk. There will

be a Priority Preview and lecture from garden ornament and antiques expert Barbara Israel. Tickets for this are $75 for members and $100 for non-members. Price includes a continental breakfast and rst chance to shop from vendors. General admission entry begins at 10 a.m. General admission tickets range from $15-50 and are available at the door. The garden also hosts Spring Storytime in the Gardens on May 6 and May 21. On May 6, read about owers while sitting in the garden for the gardens Flower Power storytime. On May 21, Blue Bird Blue Sky will focus on reading about all things blue. Spring

Storytime in the Gardens is for children ages 2-6. Tickets are $5 per child/adult pair for members and $15 per child/adult pair for non-members. Additional siblings are $5 each. As part of the gardens In the Garden Series learn advanced gardening skills from professional gardeners on pond maintenance May 21 at 9:30 a.m. Admission is free for members and $10 for non-members. Ticket includes admission to the Gardens and nature walk. Reservations are required. For more details, visit ladewgardens.com. All Hallows Guild holds its 75th annual Flower Mart at The National Cathedral

(3101 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) May 2 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and May 3 from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. There will be oral and horticultural displays, more than 80 gift vendors, food, folk dancers and live music. Ride an antique 1890s carousel, climb to the bell tower and much more. The festival also includes a used book sale tent, white elephant tent and childrens rides, games and face painting. For details, visit cathedral.org. United States Botanical Gardens presents Celebrate HerbDay! Festival May 3 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Learn all about herbs and celebrate their signicance through demonstrations, activities and information tables. The garden also holds a few lectures throughout the month. Native Perennials with Bling, a lecture by The Perennial Diva Stephanie Cohen, is May 9 from noon-1:15 p.m. Cohen discusses perennial plants and what makes them a good support for wildlife and their sustainability. The Fascinating World of Carnivorous Plants, a lecture by United States Botanical Gardens science education volunteer Todd Brethauer, is on May 24 from 10 a.m.-noon. Brethauer discusses 700 carnivorous plant species that capture and digest insects and small animals. Pre-registration is required. For more details, visit usbg.gov. Green Spring Gardens (12000 Government Center Pkwy., Fairfax, Va.) has Spring Garden Day: The Big Plant Sale May 17 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. More than 40 vendors selling rare and unusual plants will be on display. For more information, visit fairfaxcounty.gov/ parks/greenspring.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM 28 APRIL 25, 2014 HOME & GARDEN

Challenges & Solutions

Challenges:

Flooding in basement. Water from adjacent properties draining into backyard. Neglected yard.

Solutions:

Technical and appealingcreating a dry well along the neighbors boundary, drainage around basement window well with dry well treatment. Patio with walkways create a dynamic relationship between the house and backyard.

Highlights:

Landscape beds accredited by Conservation Landscaping Rainscapes Montgomery County. Plants and materials installed: native cultivarsto the U.S. Plantings to attract butteries, birds, and wildlife
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

APRIL 25 , 2014 29

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM 30 APRIL 25, 2014 HOME & GARDEN

AsianInspired

The rear of this Northwest DC Palisades neighborhood home is very open and contemporary, which inspired a more simplistic Asian-inuenced look, with the steel arbor, separating the parking court from the home and raised patio space. A low stone wall with a built-in rebox adds warmth to the courtyard space during the cooler parts of the year. For more info, please contact GardenWise. DC 202.543.3422. VA 703.243.5982. http://GardenWiseInc.com

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We are your independent, local, neighborhood realtors. Call or stop by today to see how we can help you buy, sell, or rent your property.
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Stunning condo in boutique building ideally located in heart of 14th and U St corridor. Open oor plan, hardwood oors, modern kitchen and baths, balcony, and parking! $650,000

1523 EAST CAPITOL ST., SE 4BR/2.5B

Beautifully renovated three-level home on the Hill. Open oor plan, nished basement, replace, ample closets, deck, fenced yard, off-street parking. Lincoln park, Metro, and Eastern Market nearby. $749,000

UNDER CONTRACT

6316 2ND STREET, NW 4 BR/4 B

Open concept with beds and baths galore! Expanded second story with stunning master suites. Chefs kitchen with stainless and granite, original hardwoods, deck, fenced yard, off-street parking. $625,000

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Built in 2005 this like-new studio has it all! Modern kitchen and bath, ample closets, expansive windows, WD in unit, Metro one block. Ideally located in the redeveloping SW Waterfront! $239,000

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Complete renovation on corner lot! Original wood oors, chefs kitchen, master-suite, lower level rec room, nished third oor bonus room, new deck, off-street parking. $569,000

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Property information deemed accurate but not guaranteed. Equal Housing Opportunity.

WWW.SLATEPROPERTIESDC.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM HOME & GARDEN APRIL 25, 2014 31

Capitol Hill House Fabulous & Garden Tour Lives

A Mothers Day Tradition
By JANET QUIGLEY The Capitol Hill House and Garden Tour oers an enjoyable afternoon touring spectacular homes and gardens, renovations by prominent designers, antiques galore and an escape into history. The tour, now in its 57th year, attracts 1500 visitors to Washingtons largest historic district every Mothers Day weekend. Proceeds support the historic preservation eorts of the Capitol Hill Restoration Society. This years route highlights twelve homes dating from the 1860s to 1917, on and near the grand East Capitol Street in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. The tour showcases an area that developed in the mid to late 1800s around the US Capitol and Washington Navy Yard. Residents of the period ranged from politicians to craftsmen, writers, musicians and socialites. Notable this year are two Civil War-era homes, built in the wood frame style before re codes mandated brick construction. One striking home on East Capitol was designed for entertaining in 1885 by the architect of the Vice Presidents mansion at the Naval Observatory. Featured in House Beautiful, it oozes casual elegance from the carriage house to the chefs kitchen. Another East Capitol grand dame, now a Quaker Center, features large curved windows, inlaid wood oors and a carriage house with a green roof. An 1893 home, lled with a remarkable collection of antiques, also possesses the third largest observatory in the city after the Naval Observatory and Georgetown University. Anyone with an interest in renovation will not be disappointed. An 1860s home with stable/carriage house is spaciously renovated and redecorated in the French country style. An 1884 house, restored after a re, was redone in the arts and craft style and features a top of the line kitchen. Two houses from the 1870s were joined into one; the new bath is done in a Pompeian theme with tile and artwork. The gardens include a green roof garden atop a carriage house, a large and fully stocked koi pond, a garden professionally designed by the owner/ landscape designer, a large garden behind two combined homes and several smaller, pleasant spaces. The homes also tell stories of the lives of former residents. Miss Lizzie, the rst owner of an 1870s home and former operator of a house of questionable character,

Where

LaPlacaCohen Publication: Insertion date: Size:

212-675-4106 WASHINGTON BLADE APRIL 25, 2014 4.75" x 11.5" 4C NP

A legendary home. Spectacular gardens. And youre invited.

PHOTO BY JUDITH V. MAY

The 1907 William Penn House on the 2014 Capitol Hill House and Garden Tour features curved windows, inlaid wood oors and a green roof.

disappeared mysteriously and was never found; her husband continued residence in the home. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft lived in an 1870s home with an enormous kitchen and a view of the Supreme Court; his piano playing could be heard from the street. Another home was renowned for social gatherings in the 1910s-20s; its new owner is an interior designer. For more than a half century, tour goers have used this opportunity to check out restorations and renovations, to see what is new in interior design, to gather ideas for their own homes, enjoy stunning views and to spend quality time with their families and friends. Many have made it a Mothers Day tradition and return every year. The event begins with a twilight tour of homes from 4-7 pm on Saturday, May 10 and continues 12-5 pm on Mothers Day, Sunday, May 11. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 on tour weekend, available at www. chrs.org, the Hill Center at Old Naval Hospital (921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE), the Eastern Market on weekends, and area shops. Sponsored by Washington Fine Properties, National Capital Bank, The Smith Team at Prudential PenFed Realty, Riverby Books and Schneiders of Capitol Hill. Details: CHRS at (202) 543-0425. METRO: Union Station, Capitol South and Eastern Market.

Where Fabulous Lives

For more information call 202.686.5807 or visit HillwoodMuseum.org 4155 Linnean Ave. NW, Washington DC Free parking
HIL-0024_Blade_4.75x11.5_Apr25_v2.indd 1 4/22/14 5:43 PM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM 32 APRIL 25, 2014 HOME & GARDEN

Annuals, Hanging Baskets and Container Gardens Azaleas Rhododendrons Redbuds Columbine Salvia And potted Roses are arriving!

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Azaleas and rhododendrons are a big part of what makes spring so special here in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. These popular shrubs dazzle us with their prolic blooms of vivid color that are focal points in the landscape. As a testament to their popularity, theyve been extensively hybridized, making it possible to nd one in almost any color or size to t any landscape. With the introduction of repeat blooming azaleas, there has been a resurgence of interest in this classic owering shrub. The repeat blooming azaleas, under the trade names and Bloom-A-Thon and Encore Azaleas, put on a big display of color in spring and will continue to ower, though not as prolically, in late summer and fall. The most notable dierence between azaleas and rhododendrons is the arrangement of their owers. Azaleas have one ower on each owering stem, but produce so many stems that they appear

to be covered in blossoms. Rhododendrons produce dense clusters of owers. Although they thrive in shady areas, azaleas tolerate some sun, but not hot afternoon sun. Rhododendrons can be planted in sun or shade, but prefer a little of both. Morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal. The best time to prune and fertilize your azaleas and rhododendrons is soon after owering. That way, you wont interfere with ower buds that are established in late summer in preparation for next years blooms. Shearing the plants detracts from their natural grace and form. Selective hand thinning of individual branches is preferred. Fertilizing with Merrield Flowering Plant Food will encourage strong growth with plenty of blooms for you to enjoy the following spring. We invite you to stop by Merrield Garden Center today, talk to our gardening experts and let us help you choose the perfect azaleas and rhododendrons for your garden!

mgcblade4-24-14.indd 1

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM HOME & GARDEN APRIL 25, 2014 33

PHOTO COURTESY OF MISS PIXIES

Miss Pixies Now Open In Rehoboth

Miss Pixies of Rehoboth is now open and will be open every day for the season starting May 18th! Pixie will be doing free consultations for rental properties. The store By The Sea includes mostly the same style of fun, functional, aordable pieces as the D.C. location, but more of the whatnots and small nds: Garden furniture, lamps, and local art, as well as Lancaster farm tables available for order! There will be a design consultant on sta to work with clients in the beach area. Fun weekend events will be held in the store. Check the Miss Pixies Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/Pixiesbythesea and https://www.facebook.com/misspixies - and Web site http://www.misspixies.com/ for more details on events, inventory, and store hours!

* Manufacturers mail-in rebate offer valid for purchases made 4/1/14 - 6/13/14 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. Offer excludes NantucketTM Window Shadings, a collection of Silhouette Window Shadings. Rebate offers may not be combined; for each qualifying purchase, the higher applicable rebate amount will apply. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 7 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. 2014 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas. SPG14MB1

34 APRIL 25, 2014

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A feast for the eyes, a feast for the ears a masterpiece of conception and execution!
Opera Today

THE MAGIC FLUTE

May 318 | Opera House
Performed in English with projected English titles.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

(202) 467-4600 kennedy-center.org

Tickets also available at the Box Ofce | Groups (202) 416-8400
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of WNOs 2013-2014 Season. The Magic Flute is a production of the Clarice Smith Opera Series.

Tickets on sale now!

Photos by Cory Weaver for San Francisco Opera

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM VOLUME 45 ISSUE 17 APRIL 25 2014 PAGE 35

LEVI KREIS Smokey Joes Caf Through June 8 Arena Stage 1101 6th St., S.W. $50-99 202-488-3300 arenastage.org LEVI KREIS says singing and recording are his rst love. His passions collide with Smokey Joes Caf, the Broadway hit re-imagined at Arena Stage.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Actor/singer savoring regional run in Smokey Joes Caf

By PATRICK FOLLIARD Levi Kreis will be the rst to tell you that his heart does not belong to Broadway. But that doesnt mean the out singer/actor has turned his back on musical theater. Currently hes starring in Arena Stages production of the Broadway hit Smokey Joes Caf, and loving every minute of it. At a sit-down in one of Arenas aquarium-like conference rooms, Kreis shares his thoughts on life, career and working in D.C. Settling into his chair, he takes in the view sailboats glide past on the calm Washington Channel and pink blossoms move in the breeze. The sun is bright. He squints slightly and says, Really beautiful. This is my rst time seeing this. Ive been in rehearsal all day. The longest-running musical revue in Broadway history, Smokey Joes Caf is a hard-driving tribute to the legendary rock n roll songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. With almost 40 songs, it features huge hits like Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Stand By Me, Love Potion #9 and On Broadway. Though hed never seen the show, Kreis was eager to be a part of this production.

Id heard great things about our director Randy Jackson (who staged the terric One Night with Janis Joplin that played at Arena before moving to New York). Also my representatives were enthusiastic about me starting relationship with Arena. But mostly it was because I feel a special connection to Leiber and Stollers music. Theres a story behind this, says Kreis putting on a strong Tennessee accent. As a teenager in small town Oliver Springs, Tennessee, my mother, Connie Lee, was president of the Brenda Lee fan club. They met, and by the time I was born they were really good friends. At 8 or 9, Id seen 36 of her performances. She sang Leiber and Stoller songs like Kansas City and Saved. I cut my teeth on this stu. So its a real thrill for me to be doing it now. Working with Johnson has proved to be even better than hed hoped, says Kreis, 32. This version of the show is denitely not the same show that people saw in New York. Randy has re-imagined a sexier, edgier, more soulful version, assigning songs to dierent characters. Hes really created his own vision. Kreis adds that Johnson carefully selected a nine-person cast whose three leads (Kreis, E. Faye Butler and Nova Y. Paton) know how to make a song their own. Randy and our musical director Victor Simonson have been very generous in allowing us to nd our own

interpretations of these well-known songs. Its very challenging and exciting to make songs like Stand By Me your own, but thats exactly what were doing here. Hes equally stoked about sharing a stage with the versatile Butler and bigvoiced Payton, two Helen Hayes Awardwinning D.C. favorites: I have to make myself stay in the moment on stage. When Im facing o singing with either of these women I want to forget Im an actor and simply enjoy them. Theyre so good. I have to resist to getting totally enamored. His favorite moment of the show is a singing Kansas City with Butler and Payton. Kreis says theyve created a great sound with a Manhattan Transfer vibe. Another favorite is his solo I Keep Forgettin, a tune about lost love. Finding where that is from an emotional standpoint has been really intense, he says. And I like intense. Whether gospel, rhythm and blues, rock or show tunes, music has always come naturally for Kreis. He tells a story about coming home from kindergarten graduation back in Oliver Springs, and picking out Pomp and Circumstance on the familys old upright piano. Family lore says he got it from his great grandmother who played banjo by ear. At 12, he was performing in a dierent church every weekend, and by 15, he was touring the south with his own gospel album.

After college in Tennessee, Kreis left for Los Angeles to pursue a music career. Recording companies didnt quite know what to do with the good-looking, charming southerner whose strong voice was soulful yet versatile. But the musical theater world happily snapped him up. At a casting call for the West Coast tour of the musical Rent, he landed the plumb part of ex-junkie Roger. He got into lm too. He played Matthew McConaugheys troubled brother in the 2001 indie thriller Frailty and had a big part in 2002s Dont Let Go with Katharine Ross. But Kreis is best known for originating the role of rock and roll wild man Jerry Lee Lewis in the rockabilly musical Million Dollar Quartet. For his eorts, he won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. I initially got involved because I needed grocery money, he says. It started out as workshops that seemed to go on forever. Then there were runs in Seattle and Chicago. Over time I really got into the role. When we learned the show going to Broadway, I was shocked. But winning the Tony was a real eye opener. It taught me that musical theater was something that even if it wasnt my ultimate goal, it was something I needed to take seriously.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

36 APRIL 25, 2014

QUEERY: 20 QUESTIONS FOR MIKE LARSON

MIKE LARSON
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? Twenty-seven years, my paternal grandparents. I knew they thought being gay was wrong. They always loved me unconditionally and eventually my grandmother became supportive of me being gay. When I divorced four years ago, I think she was more upset about my partner not being part of the family any longer than the fact that I was getting divorced! Whos your LGBT hero? I have two Frank Kameny, for his early, strong, unwavering voice for the LGBT community and Dana Beyer who is an intelligent, well-spoken, strong woman who helps keep our community focused on equality for all. Whats Washingtons best nightspot, past or present? Nellies. I am not much of a late night guy, but always enjoy watching a Caps game or hanging out with friends at Nellies. Describe your dream wedding. My wedding back in 1995 wasnt legal, but it was an incredible celebration with family and friends. I was the rst of my siblings to marry, so my mom had a ball with the planning. What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about? Helping to build a vibrant community in the Petworth neighborhood. I serve on the board of Friends at Petworth Library and have worked on various neighborhood beautication projects. What historical outcome would you change? The death of my mom. She died way too young! Losing her as a mom was horrible, but the LGBT community lost an incredible advocate who touched so many and helped to make the Pittsburgh and Chicago LGBT communities much better places for all parents, friends and LGBT folks. Whats been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime? The death of Steve Jobs. He impacted so much of how we live today through technology. On what do you insist? Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. One of the best lessons I learned from a childhood of going to church. What was your last Facebook post or Tweet? Missing the kids but the boat is beautifully clean and almost ready for the season! at Hartge Yacht Harbor. It was accompanied by pictures of my beautiful niece and nephews and one of my friends boat that I help him maintain. If your life were a book, what would the title be? Fabulous! As my co-worker says, Thats your word. If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? Nothing. As Frank Kameny said, Gay is Good. What do you believe in beyond the physical world? A greater force that helps center my life and gives me peace in turmoil. Whats your advice for LGBT movement leaders? Dont forget any of our brothers and sisters in the ght for full equality. Sometimes its not the popular thing to do, but it is the right thing. What would you walk across hot coals for? To protect my family and friends from danger. Or a great piece of key lime pie. What LGBT stereotype annoys you most? That all gays are wealthy. Not true and sometimes the legal inequality of being gay cannot be righted for those with less means than others. Whats your favorite LGBT movie? Beautiful Thing Whats the most overrated social custom? Thank-you notes What trophy or prize do you most covet? Yard of the month. I have a brown thumb, so it will never happen until I pay someone to landscape. What do you wish youd known at 18? The importance of a healthy diet. Why Washington? So much green space, incredible architecture and a vibrant LGBT community.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Washingtons LGBT business community will be mingling tonight as CAGLCC (Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce) holds its annual awards dinner Indulge in Business Excellence at the Mayower Renaissance (1127 Connecticut Ave., N.W.). The Chamber (caglcc.org) created the awards to showcase the achievement and impact of LGBT business and community leaders in the region. Mike Larson, a sales executive at Spectrum Printing and Graphics and a former Chamber president, is slated to receive the Distinguished Service Award, only the second time its been given. Im very humbled, the 46-year-old Pittsburgh native says. The award is wonderful, but what I really treasure are the relationships Ive developed in the Chamber. Larson got involved in 2005 and eventually chaired a community service committee for the Chamber. Theres a lot of business we can do with one another and its nice to keep those dollars within the community, Larson says. Ive done a huge volume of business through contacts Ive made directly related to the Chamber. Larson came to the area 18 years ago after stints in both Virginia and Pennsylvania. He and Pippa, his 10-year-old schnauzer, live in Petworth. Larson is single and enjoys baking, working on his house, boating and gaming in his free time.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

APRIL 25 , 2014 37

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38 APRIL 25, 2014

OUT & ABOUT

ANDREA
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KATIE HERZIG
SAT, MAY 3

W/ ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT

PRISCILLA AHN
Youth Pride is May 3
THEHAMILTONDC.COM

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY PETE EXIS

PHOTO COURTESY OF LOGO

Youth Pride Day is May 3 from noon-5 p.m. in Dupont Circle. All LGBT youth in the region and allies are welcome. This years theme is Be bold, be beautiful, have pride. Youth Pride Alliance handles the event. Visit youthpridealliance.org for details.

Laganja Estranja makes D.C. debut

RuPauls Drag Race season six contestant Laganja Estranja performs at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. Estranja has performed alongside Christina Aguilera for the American Music Awards as well as performing extensively at popular nightclubs all over the country. Cover is $8 from 10-11 p.m. and $12 after 11 p.m. Drinks are $3 before 11 p.m. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit towndc.com.

GREAT, PROFITABLE, FLOWER SHOP FOR SALE! (DC, NW)

Asking $150k
Unique opportunity to own this 20 years ower shop, located in trendy area of NW, DC! Motivated seller is ready to retire! Inventory, equipment and van are included in the price! Owner will train. Please contact: IRINA, 202-255-3112 or Irina432@aol.com

Miss Gay Maryland this weekend at the Hippo

Miss Gay Maryland America holds its annual pageant at the Hippo (1 W. Eager St., Baltimore) tonight. It runs through Sunday. The host hotel is the Tremont Plaza Hotel (222 Saint Paul St., Baltimore). Categories include male interview, solo talent, evening gown, on-stage question and talent. Prizes include cash, a necklace set and paid hotel accommodations. Deadline has passed to enter the contest but the proceedings are open to the public. Tonight is the Miss Gay Maryland revue show. Doors open at 10 p.m.; the show starts at 10:30. Saturday is preliminary night. Doors open at 7; pageant at 8. Final night is Sunday with doors at 6; pageant at 7. For information on ticket prices and table reservations, e-mail to srubleactor@ yahoo.com. For more details, visit missgayamerica.com.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY PETE EXIS

CERTIFIED ARBORISTS

GLAA honors local activists

Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) hosts its annual reception to present Distinguished Service Awards at Policy Restaurant and Lounge (1904 14th St., N.W.) on Wednesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Jerry Clark, Earl Fowlkes and Alison Gill are the three activists being honored. There will be hors doeuvres, happy hour bar specials and a complimentary champagne toast. In the photo above, GLAAs Rick Rosendall (center) at last years event with various colleagues. Tickets are $55 and considered a donation. For more details, visit glaa.org.

301.589.6181

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

THEATER

APRIL 25, 2014 39

FREE SHIPPING. FREE DELIVERY.

FREE PICK UP.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

The PROOF is in the ROOF

www.leakproofroof.net
Serving MD, DC, VA

Helen Hayes-winning actor/singer WILL GARTSHORE at this years awards Monday night.

Mormon, Bird among Hayes winners

Ceremony more irreverent and entertainment-based than in previous years
By PATRICK FOLLIARD Invites leading up to Mondays 30th annual Helen Hayes Awards promised a good time. They didnt disappoint. Held last night in the cavernous National Building Museum, the fast-paced, open bar event was more a loud and lively cocktail party than a traditional awards ceremony. Divided into the three acts with intermissions, the awards show featured three sets of hosts backed by three singers (local actors Rachel Zampelli, Sam Ludwig and Ashleigh King) who broke into song when winners acceptance speeches surpassed 30 seconds. It was a funny gimmick that t the evenings cheeky tone. Audience members were encouraged to tweet, eat, drink, mill around and generally misbehave. This years big winners were the Kennedy Centers The Book of Mormon, Round House Theatres Glengarry Glen Ross and Hello, Dolly!, which was presented by Fords Theatre and Signature Theatre and staged by Signatures gay artistic director Eric Schaeer. Woolly Mammoths Stupid F---ing Bird, (an irreverent adaptation of Chekhovs The Seagull by Aaron Posner) won outstanding resident play and outstanding new play or musical. The award for outstanding resident musical was a tie between Olneys A Chorus Line and Hello, Dolly! The Book of Mormon

301-230-7663

took honors for best visiting production. Out actor Bobby Smith won for best supporting actor in resident musical for Signature Theatres Spin. Other winners included the very deserving out musical director Jon Kalbeisch for outstanding music direction, resident production, for Signatures Gypsy; the fabulous Rachel York for outstanding lead actress in visiting production for the Kennedy Centers Anything Goes; and Christopher John ONeill for outstanding lead actor in a visiting production for the Kennedy Centers Book of Mormon. The prestigious Helen Hayes Tribute was presented to Victor Shargai, theatreWashington founding chairman. In a heartfelt acceptance speech, he thanked local audiences for making the D.C. theater scene so special. Past recipients include Kevin Spacey, Mary Martin and Stephen Sondheim. The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, DC A D V E R T I S I N G The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Organist Series presents PROOF #1 (named for ISSUE DATE: 04.11.14 Distinguished SALES REPRESENTATIVE: ERIN WOMMACK ewommack@washblade.com Emerging Theatre Company Shargais late partner, an avid supporter REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered nal and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of of D.C. theater) went to Pointless Theatre the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts REVISIONS omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is Company, a group dedicated to performing responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users REDESIGN can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or TEXT theater. REVISIONS any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any innovative and exuberant puppet copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, Without a doubt, the evenings or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the ADVERTISER SIGNATURE NO REVISIONS washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all By signing this proof you are agreeing to your cont highlight was a hot rendition of Aretha liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred washington blade newspaper. This includes but is n by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations payment and insertion schedule. and warranties. Franklins I Knew You Were Waiting sung by hosts E. Faye Butler and out actor Will Gartshore. In previous years, the longer seated ceremony at the Warner Theatre featured numerous corny production numbers. They werent missed. When the show ended, a tuxedoed theater fan commented, It was a lot of Reception Free valet fun, but with all the noise and the shorter following parking speeches I dont feel that I got to know performance available the winners.

HECTOR OLIVERA

Sunday, April 27, 2014 Four oclock p.m.

1328 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 www.rstbaptistdc.org

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

40 APRIL 25, 2014

THE GUIDE TO ARTS & CULTURE

HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS

FROM CULTURECAPITAL.COM YOUR LINK TO THE ARTS IN METRO D.C.

THEATRE
Fiasco Theaters The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Thru May 25. Folger Theatre. 202-544-7077. folger.edu. Shear Madness. Thru Jun 30. Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Thru May 17. Fords Theatre. 800-982-2787. fords.org. Tender Napalm. Thru May 11. The Threepenny Opera. Thru Jun 1. Signature Theatre. 703-820-9771. signature-theatre.org. Living Out. Thru May 18. GALA Hispanic Theatre. 202-234-7174. galatheatre.org. Two Trains Running. Thru Apr 27. Round House Bethesda. 240-644-1100. roundhousetheatre.org. Once On This Island. Thru May 2. Olney Theatre. 301-924-3400. olneytheatre.org. The Love of the Nightingale. Thru May 25. Constellation. Source Theatre. 202-204-7741. constellationtheatre.org. Tango Turco. Thru May 18. Teatro de la Luna. Gunston. 703-548-3092. teatrodelaluna.org. Elling. Thru May 18. Washington Stage Guild. Undercroft Theatre. 240-582-0050. stageguild.org.

Thru Jul 31. 202-337-3050. kreegermuseum.org. National Archives. Making Their Mark: Stories Through Signatures. Thru Jan 5. 202-357-5000. archives.gov. National Gallery of Art. Garry Winogrand. Thru Jun 8. Modern German Prints and Drawings from the Kainen Collection. Thru Jun 29. The Monuments Men and the National Gallery of Art. Thru Sep 1. 202-737-4215. nga.gov. Museum of Women in the Arts. Workt by Hand: Hidden Labor and Historical Quilts. Thru Apr 27. 202-783-5000. nmwa.org. The Phillips Collection. Made In The USA: American Masters From The Phillips Collection, 1850-1970. Thru Aug 31. 202-387-2151. phillipscollection.org.

MOMIX APR 25-APR 26. GW LISNER AUDITORIUM. 202-994-6800. LISNER.ORG.

With an eclectic score ranging from birdsong to Vivaldi, Botanica shows o the endlessly renewable energy of the superb MOMIX performers, with costumes, projections, and custom-made props and puppetry adding an extra dose of fantasy to the elixir. This is dance at its most organic and inventive. Copresented with WPAS.

THE INTERGALACTIC NEMESIS APR 25-APR 26. ARTISPHERE. 888-841-2787. ARTISPHERE.COM.

A live-action graphic novel in celebration of 1930s radio serials, comic book culture, Star Wars and every other adventure story you loved as a child (or adult)! Three actors, a Foley artist, a keyboardist and 1,250 two-story-high, hand-drawn, blow-your-mind comic-book images.

GALLERIES
Artisphere. An Artistic Discovery: Congressional Art Competition. Thru May 4. Jessica van Brakle: Industrial Paradise. Thru Jun 7. Coast to Coast. Thru Aug 3. Fermata. Thru Aug 10. 703-875-1100. artisphere.com. Flashpoint Gallery. Emily Biondo & Bradford Barr: Touch Me. Thru May 10. culturaldc.org. Gallery Plan b. New Paintings by Kevin H. Adams. May 1-May 4. 202-234-2711. galleryplanb.com. Goethe-Institut. Gute Aussichten: New German Photography 2013-2014. Thru Apr 25. 202-289-1200. goethe.de. Neptune Fine Art. Jimmy Miracle: Yantras. Thru May 10. 202-338-0353. neptuneneart.com. Robert Brown Gallery. Oleg Kudryashov. Thru May 10. 202-338-0353. robertbrowngallery.com. Target Gallery. Identication. Thru May 26. 703-838-4565. torpedofactory.org. The Art League. Natalie Shudt: Sway. Pop Art. Thru May 5. 703-683-1780. theartleague.org. Zenith Gallery. 36 Years on a Creative Journey. Thru Apr 26. 202.783.2963. zenithgallery.com.

MOTH THRU MAY 4. STUDIO THEATRE. 202-332-3300. STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG.

Unfolding in pitch perfect teenspeak by one of Australias provocative young writers, this US premiere is directed by acclaimed DC actor Tom Story. A visceral exploration of the intimate, devastating betrayals of adolescence.

DANCE
Wayne McGregor: Random Dance. May 1-May 3. Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org. Peter Pan. Thru Apr 27. The Washington Ballet. Kennedy Center. 202-362-3606. washingtonballet.org. 5th Annual Move Me Festival. Apr 26. Bowen McCauley Dance. Kenmore Middle School. 703-910-5175. bmdc.org.

OPEN STUDIOS APRIL 26 & 27. JACKSON ART STUDIOS. 202-342-9778. JACKSON ART CENTER.COM.
More than 30 working artists studios will be open to the public in this old DC Public School Building.
IMAGE COURTESY OF GW LISNER AUDITORIUM

MUSIC
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano. Apr 29. WPAS. Kennedy Center. 202-785-9727. wpas.org. Tom Paxton. Apr 26. The Barns at Wolf Trap. 877-965-3872. wolftrap.org.

MUSEUMS
Corcoran Gallery of Art. American Journeys - Visions of Place. Thru Sep 21. Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawing #65. Thru Mar 15. 202-639-1700. corcoran.org. Kreeger Museum. K@20 Kreeger.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BOOKS

APRIL 25, 2014 41

FREE SIMULCAST!
PRIZES! MUSIC! FUN!

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONVERGENT

Author MATTHEW VINES says scripture must be considered from a historical context.

Gay author hopes new book will resonate with evangelicals

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO joeyd@washblade.com Coming to terms with being gay was especially dicult for Matthew Vines, as it is for many who not only grew up in conservative Christian households, but who also had embraced that kind of faith on their own. It was such a heart-wrenching experience, in 2010 Vines took a leave of absence after nishing his second year pursuing a philosophy major at Harvard University and went back home to his native Wichita, Kansas, to study the issue of the Bible and homosexuality in depth. His parents at the time were both lay leaders at a local evangelical Presbyterian church, a church that would eventually, Vines says, break ties with the Presbyterian Church-USA denomination because members found it too liberal. While the issue has certainly been written about by others, Vines says he was frustrated by what he says was a decit of resources that addressed the matter while also maintaining the high level with which U.S. evangelicals hold scripture. In March 2012, Vines gave a speech in another church in Wichita he says merely nding a church willing to host the event took signicant eort in which he relayed his ndings. A video of it was posted on YouTube as The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality, which now has nearly 700,000 views. A New York Times prole led to a book deal. Vines God and the Gay Christian, essentially his 67-minute speech in book form, was released last week from Convergent. The 224-page book retails for $22.99 in hardcover.

The vast majority of resources I came across were either just too academically esoteric and inaccessible or they were written in more of a mainline or progressive kind of theological language that can be subtle, but have a big impact on the way people receive what youre saying, the 24-year-old says. Its not so much that the facts, evidence and data are new, its not. A lot of this has been out there for decades. I think a lot of people (who saw the video), it was the rst time they had encountered anything like this that explained it in a way that t in with their broader approach to the Bible. Among his ndings, Vines contends that: The issue of complementarity the notion that homosexuality is wrong because of the way male and female bodies supposedly t together is not in the Bible and therefore should be a non-issue for those who subscribe to a sola scriptura (by scripture alone) brand of theology. The bizarre story of Lot and his guests in Genesis 19 (Sodom) was really an issue of hospitality and male honor, not sexual orientation as its understood today. New Testament passages such as I Corinthians 6 seem to be talking more about people who are overwhelmed by lust and desire to the point that they seek out samesex activity but who are really straight. Vines calls it a negative moral judgement thats really about the subversion of patriarchal gender norms that should have no bearing on gay Christians today in committed, loving relationships. The book is already drawing controversy. Anti-gay blogger Matt Barber calls Vines a homosexual activist and Bible revisionist known for manipulating Christian terminology to advance the counterChristian homosexualist agenda. Vines chuckles at the charges and says he thinks the backlash and vitriol is probably just getting started.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

THE MAGIC FLUTE

Saturday, May 3 at 7 p.m. Nationals Park
Gates open at 5 p.m. for fun and prizes!

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

More information at OperaInTheOuteld.org

David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of WNO. General Dynamics is the proud sponsor of WNOs 2013-2014 Season. M&MS Opera in the Outeld is brought to you by American Heritage Chocolate. M&MS Opera in the Outeld is presented in partnership with the Washington Nationals. The Magic Flute is a production of the Clarice Smith Opera Series.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

42 APRIL 25, 2014

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade. com two weeks prior to your event. Space is limited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events or those with LGBT participants. Recurring events must be re-submitted each time.

CALENDAR
that deal with LGBT families depiction in the media. Registration is now only open to adults. Tickets are $50 for members and $60 for non-members. For more information, visit rainbowfamiliesdc.org. Stonewall Kickball hosts its spring Stonewall Kickball All-Stars Tournament at Stead Field (1625 P St., N.W.) today from 2-4 p.m. Participating leagues include JR.s, Cobalt, Level One and the Thursday League. Matt Beck from the Washington Gay Mens Chorus and DJ Chord Bezerra will provide music throughout the afternoon. For more details, visit stonewallsports. leagueapps.com. The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts a free relationship workshop for lesbian couples today from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. This workshop is led by professional relationship coach Jayne Kelly and focuses on family. Bring your lunch and learn how to address spoken and unspoken needs and how to strengthen your bond with your partner for a healthy family. For details, visit thedccenter.org. Celebrazione della Cura, a celebration of caring benet is tonight at the Embassy of Italy (3000 Whitehaven St. N.W.) to mark the 125th anniversary of Washington Home & Community Hospices from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets are $250. Visit thewashingtonhome.org for information. meaningful conversations. For details, visit uhupil.org. Author Je Chu will be speaking at Calvary Baptist Church (755 8th St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. Chu will be discussing his book Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christians Pilgrimage in Search of God in America. In the book, Chu discusses his own experiences along with interviews from more than three hundred other Christians of dierent sexual orientations. For more details, visit calvarydc.org. Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party from 7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com. The Lambda Bridge Club hosts duplicate bridge at the Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. No reservations needed and new comers welcome. If you need a partner, call 703-407-6540. SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) provides free and condential HIV testing today from 3-5 p.m. For more information, visit smyal.org. The D.C. Center and Pros in the City host speed dating for gay men at Chi Cha Lounge (1624 U St., N.W.) tonight from 7-9 p.m. Dating is approximately one hour. After enjoy a mixer with fellow speed daters. Cash bar. Check in is at 7 p.m. and dating begins at 7:20 p.m. Cost is $30. For details, visit thedccenter.org. Whitman Walker provides free and condential HIV testing at Miriams Kitchen (2401 Virginia Ave., N.W.) today from 4-6 p.m. For more information, visit whitman-walker.org. Rude Boi Entertainment hosts Tempted 2 Touch, a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.) Doors open at 10 p.m. Drink specials $5 and vodka shots $3 all night. No cover charge. Admission limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit rudeboientertainment.wordpress.com. MARIAH COOPER

TUESDAY, APRIL 29

The Real L Words Kiyomi Valentine performs an acoustic solo show at Phase 1 (525 8th St., S.E.) tonight with opening band Frankie and Betty. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Frankie and Betty perform at 9 p.m. and Valentine performs at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For more details, visit phase1dc.com. Women in Their 20s, a social discussion group for lesbian, bisexual, transgender and all women interested in women, meets today at the D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) from 8-9:30 p.m. All welcome to join. For details, visit thedccenter.org. Number Nine (1435 P St., N.W.) hosts a happy hour today from 5-9 p.m. All drinks are half price. Admission is free. For more information, visit numberninedc.com. Vision Solutions Gallery presents Fade 2 Grey, an art exhibit by artist Adrian Loving that focuses on androgyny and gender roles in 80s pop music, runs its last week at Anacostia Arts Center (1231 Good Hope Rd., S.E.). The exhibit explores the visual identity of popular 80s musicians including Boy George, David Bowie and Prince. It runs through Thursday. For more details, visit vividsolutionsgallery.com Rainbow Families D.C. holds its 2014 family conference Creating Our Families, Building Our Community, Celebrating Our Strength, at Georgetown Day High School (4200 Davenport St., N.W.) today from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Keynote speaker is comedian Judy Gold. Parents can receive information on topics relating to LGBT families including legal and nancial planning issues and topics relating to LGBT families in schools. Children ages 2-and-a-half to 11 can play games and activities like drumming and outdoor games. Meanwhile children in middle and high school can participate in activities

TODAY

PHOTO COURTESY OF VSG

This piece depicting Grace Jones by artist Adrian Loving is part of the Fade 2 Grey exhibit at Vision Solutions Gallery. It run through Thursday.

SATURDAY, APRIL 26

Perrys (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buet. For more details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com. JR.s Bar and Grill (1519 17th St., N.W.) hosts #Sele Project today from 1-5 p.m. There will be shot boys to take seles with, a photo booth and more. For more information, visit jrsbar-dc.com. Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts a drag brunch today with two shows at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. For more information, visit nelliessportsbar.com. The GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Maryland (GLCCB)

SUNDAY, APRIL 27

MONDAY, APRIL 28

hosts a town hall panel on the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PReP), an HIV prevention method, in the Mason Lord room of the Waxter Center (1000 Cathedral St., Baltimore) tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit glccb.org. AIDSWatch, the largest national annual advocacy event for HIV/AIDS, is at the FHI 360 Conference Center (1825 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) today from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. HIV-positive advocates and their allies learn how to educate Members of Congress and their sta about HIV/ AIDS. Participants receive training on current science, legislative agendas and how to conduct eective meetings. Meetings with Congressional oces take place throughout the day on Tuesday. Registration is free. For more information, visit aidsunited.org. The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) hosts coee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) holds a support group for gay black men to discuss topics that aect them today, share perspectives and have

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30

THURSDAY, MAY 1

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

APRIL 25 , 2014 43

CoNgratulatioNS to the folloWiNg top-produCiNg aSSoCiateS from the dupoNt offiCe!

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Absolutely charming brick colonial on an extra large lot. Gleaming hardwoods, updated kitchen, all new bathrooms. Near parks, shopping, Metro, CUA and all that Brookland has to offer. Call me to list your home TODAY! J JAMES BRAEU 202.215.2240 WWW.JAMESBRAEU.COM

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Congratulations to these top-producing associates for their oustanding sales performance! With local expertise and global onnections in more than 50 countries, these trusted associates have the right tools to help you with your real estate needs. We thank our clients for making Coldwell Banker residential Brokerage their real estate company of choice in the Washington, d.C. area.

Stunning end unit townhome featuring 4 luxury levels of living space! 4BR, 2BA incl. en suite master bath, 2 Half baths, huge family room, entire top oor loft, LR, banquet size DR, dazzling gourmet kitchen, private backyard patio, 1 car garage......this property shines with all the bells & whistles!! DEFINITELY A 10++. Located in the soughtafter enclave of LANDMARK MEWS, discreetly tucked away near 395 & Duke Street. A commuters dream! JOHN LUMSDEN 202.288.3185 JLUMSDEN@CBMOVE.COM

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WELCOME!
We would like to extend a warm welcome to the following experienced agents that are new to our Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Dupont Team this year!

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Bright 3 level row house with legal, separately metered rental unit! Full renovation in 2011. Features open main level with living area, modern kitchen with ample cabinet space & half bath. The master suite includes abundant closet space and ensuite bathroom. Plan your summer BBQ on the expansive private rear patio. Two car secure parking and extra storage complete the package. Do not miss this one!! JOHN PETERS 202.230.8791 (C) JOHN@JOHNPETERSDC.COM WWW.JOHNPETERSDC.COM

The most tools, the most technology, the most leads, the best working environment. Sound interesting? Call me to discuss the advantages of Coldwell Banker. We offer more so our agents can do more for our clients.
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

44 APRIL 25, 2014

SPORTIN IN D.C.

Baltimores Burley has basketball bronze

By KEVIN MAJOROS
EDITORS NOTE: Gerard Burley also writes a tness column for Washington Blade.

Leading up to the 2010 Gay Games in Cologne, Gerard Burley was traveling through Europe working as a model and competing in a low-level professional basketball league. Burley met up with his basketball teammates from the D.C. Sentinels in Cologne and together, they won a bronze medal. It was Burleys rst Gay Games and looking back on it, he says all his focus was on winning. The D.C. Sentinels just wrapped up season two of the Washington, D.C. Gay Basketball League and used that momentum to claim the tournament title at the Coady Roundball Classic in Chicago earlier this month. A Baltimore native, Burleys sports background includes football, baseball

and basketball. After competing on his high schools baseball and basketball teams, he went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he played on the scrimmage team against the varsity players. The path to becoming a formidable basketball player included some life lessons early on in Burleys basketball career. One time at a game in high school, we lost 105 to 20, says the 30-year old tness coach. It was horrible. A commissioner for the League, Burley remains dedicated to the sport of basketball for a number of reasons. I love being part of a team, he says. Also, basketball is a combination of so many skill sets such as quickness, strength and hand-foot coordination. It really keeps me motivated. In preparation for the 2014 Cleveland Gay Games this August, Burley will continue to play twice weekly with his Sentinel teammates and will include some additional training to be in peak form. I am also going to be competing in ag football at the Cleveland Games, Burley says. My extra preparation will focus on

PHOTO BY KEVIN MAJOROS

GERARD BURLEY is approaching his second Gay Games with a dierent attitude.

explosion training, biometric jumps and body work. Burley says he was wide-eyed at his rst Gay Games in Cologne and he hopes to take in more of the overall experience this summer in Cleveland. His work as a tness coach also shines through as he reects on what he wants to accomplish in August.

I have matured since the Cologne Games and plan to appreciate these Games more. My focus this time will be on meeting and enjoying people from all over the world. If you dont win a medal but still have a six-pack at the end of it, then you have accomplished something, right? Plus, I am single this time so its game on.

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PHOTOS BY DA MIEN SALAS

APRIL 25, 2014 45

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ADVERTISING PROOF #1 ISSUE DATE: 04.25.14 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: BRIAN PITTS bpitts@washblade.com

REVISIONS REDESIGN TEXT REVISIONS IMAGE/LOGO REVISIONS NO REVISIONS

REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered nal and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

ADVERTISER SIGNATURE

By signing this proof you are agreeing to your contr washington blade newspaper. This includes but is n payment and insertion schedule.

Whitman-Walker Health held its annual Be the Care event at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on April 17.

46 APRIL 25, 2014

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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ADVICE

APRIL 25, 2014 47

WAYNE McGREGOR | RANDOM DANCE

WAYNE McGREGOR, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Gay men often deal with cheating dierently than straight world

MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who works with gay individuals and couples in D.C. He can be found online at personalgrowthzone.com. All identifying information has been changed for reasons of condentiality. Have a question? Send it to Michael@personalgrowthzone.com.

MICHAEL, My husband, whom I have been with for 16 years, has been cheating on me. I found out accidentally through a mis-sent text. This has been going on for at least several months. I am heartbroken, angry and feel totally betrayed. Dan says that his relationship with Bill meant nothing except fun sex. He swears its over and that he really wants to stay with me. But he also says that he sometimes just wants to have sex with someone else and that he thinks monogamy is unrealistic. That said, he says he will try to be monogamous if I insist on it as a prerequisite to staying in the relationship. Well, I know that I do not want to have an open relationship. But I wonder if I am being realistic to expect that two men can really have a monogamous relationship. I also have no idea how to trust Dan if we stay together. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. MICHAEL REPLIES: Two men can have a monogamous relationship if they want to. The question is, does Dan really want to? Relationships push people to gure out whats most important to them. Dan has an opportunity to decide if he would rather be with you and be monogamous or end the marriage and enjoy playing the eld. Just as you face the decision of leaving Dan or tolerating his hooking up from time to time.

These decisions may be excruciatingly hard for each of you to make. No one else can tell either of you what to do. Before deciding, talk together about why monogamy is important for you and about what Dan feels he would be giving up and why he might not want to commit to monogamy. The more you understand each others position, the more thoughtful a decision you can come to. If youre hoping to trust that Dan wont hurt you again, know that its inevitable that people hurt each other from time to time in relationships. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. If youre hoping to trust that Dan will never lie to you again, understand that you cant know for sure. Has he explained to you why he didnt tell you about his aair? Did he think it would hurt you or did he want to avoid your asking him to choose between outside sex and marriage? Knowing his reasoning might help the two of you gure out what it would take to have an honest relationship in the future, if you both want this. Some questions for you: Can you count on yourself to start paying closer attention going forward to what you are seeing, hearing and sensing, so that you are more likely to know if Dan steps out again? As a matter of self-protection, that would be a very good skill to have. If youre not good at picking up on whats really happening, how could you get better at this? While being a great husband is no guarantee that your partner wont cheat on you, can you identify any part you might have played in Dans decision to step out? Is there anything you might do to make it less likely that hell hook up with someone else if you stay married? Were you doing your best to keep your relationship and your sex life vibrant? Any big or bitter conicts that youve been sweeping under the rug? Because youve had a bad shock, give yourself some time before making any big decisions. While your anger and heartbreak are unlikely to disappear, youre more likely to think clearly about your future when everything is less raw. If you decide to nd a therapist to help you decide how to move forward, seek out someone who will not demonize Dan. That would not be helpful to your healing or to the possibility of your staying in your marriage.

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Tickets also available at the Box Ofce | Groups (202) 416-8400
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PHOTO BY RAVI DEEPRES

48 APRIL 25, 2014

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

BRIGHTON PLACE
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
REAL ESTATE

APRIL 25, 2014 49

Be sure to read your condo documents

Failure to follow building rules can lead to conict
By VALERIE M. BLAKE Its Friday at 6 p.m. and your work week has nally come to an end. Thirty minutes spent with your favorite news anchor while going nowhere on a treadmill, a quick shower, a shave and spritz of cologne and a change of clothes later, youre ready to meet your friends for dinner and drinks when, on your way out, you spy the envelope that has been slipped under your door. Hmmm, you think aloud, should I open it? After all, who shoves a note under the door anymore? Was it there when I came in? Did someone get my mail by mistake and is kindly returning it? Could it be a note from that cute guy down the hall? As your curiosity gets the best of you, you pick up the envelope, tear it open, unfold the letter inside and there it is. Dear Unit Owner, the note reads, It has come to our attention that you are in direct violation of Paragraph 10, Part D, Section 2, subsection (f) of the condominium association rules and regulations. Accordingly, you must cease and desist within the next 30 days or a ne will be forthcoming. Failure to adhere to this notice or to pay said ne may result in something terribly embarrassing or nancially debilitating happening to you, including but not limited to ejecting you from your residence with the help of my Uncle Guido and his steroid-laden associates. Have a nice day. the policy that will be needed by your lender. Dont confuse this with your requirement to obtain homeowners insurance on your property and its contents. The articles of incorporation show how an association is structured and when it was recorded in the appropriate courthouse. These articles are usually prepared by a law rm when a housing complex is conceived and form the basis for the association as a legal entity. The by-laws are procedures to be followed in governing the association, such as how elections are held, the duties of each board ocer and the formation of committees to handle the associations business. There may be amendments added over the years, so read them all the way to the end. Finally, the rules and regulations are of prime importance as they will tell you what you can and cant do on the premises without incurring a penalty of some sort. So if you want to know that you can keep three dogs and two cats, remove that wall between the kitchen and the dining room, grill steaks on the Juliette balcony, rent your place out as a shortterm hotel suite and dance the amenco on your hardwood oors at midnight while playing Pharrell Williams Happy at an ear-splitting decibel, consult your associations rule book before Uncle Guidos cohorts show up at your front door.
VALERIE M. BLAKE is with Keller Williams Realty; each oce is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity. Reach her at 202-246-8602 or Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com.

Sincerely, Your Condominium Board President. *$%*&! (translation: I dont care about) your stinkin rules, you shout at the door. Youre not the boss of me! Oh yeah? When was the last time you read your condominium documents? In the D.C. metropolitan area, when youre under contract to purchase a residence governed by a homeowners or condominium association, the seller of the property must give you a set of documents known as a Resale Package or, in the case of new construction, a Public Offering Statement (POS). You then have a limited amount of time to review the contents of the package and opt out of the contract if you discover something you nd problematic.

The following documents will normally be included. The resale certicate serves as a cover sheet or summary of information, most notably, the monthly fees, delinquencies among the ownership, a description of any litigation the association is facing and a list of board ocers. The nancial statement includes the previous and current years budgets, anticipated capital expenses or special assessments and the amount of reserve funds available for the future, as well as any other documents attesting to the nancial stability of the association. The insurance certicate provides the name of the master insurance carrier, the amount of insurance for the building and grounds and general information about

Dwellings with

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50 APRIL 25, 2014

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

To remain competitive its important for stylists to keep current, says FRANKIE SANDERSON of his business.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Salon owner talks about the road to owning his own business
By PATRICK FOLLIARD My style is glamour and grit, says Frankie Sanderson, hairstylist and owner of TheStudeo, a recently opened salon in Dupont. That taste is echoed in his shop. The walls are a serene ice blue. Sleek white chairs face outsized mirrors with elaborate white frames. But the concrete oors are covered in grati, and the waiting areas long, narrow window seat is strewn with funky, multihued pillows. Its an inviting atmosphere, both calming and fun. Sanderson who studied design before getting into hair enjoyed creating the salons look, and says he didnt mind helping with the renovations throughout the months leading to the TheStudeos opening in late January. What he wasnt prepared for was the all the red tape involved in starting a business. By far, the most frustrating part of the process, he says, was dealing with the D.C. Department of Consumer Regulatory Aairs: Each visit to their oces was like going shing. You never knew what you might get. Over the last dozen years, Sanderson was employed by top salons around town and later became his own boss working at home and more recently renting a booth in another salon, but TheStudeo (1742 Connecticut Ave., N.W., thestudeo.com) is Sandersons rst brick-and-mortar business. And as any new business owner will attest, the rst months are particularly stressful. Sandersons experience has been no exception. When youre working for yourself, in the end its you who are responsible. Its you who has to make sure the bills are paid. But despite the responsibilities, the satisfaction involved is amazing. Located on a busy block of Connecticut Avenue north of Dupont Circle (just next door to the popular Bistro du Coin), TheStudeo holds an enviable position. Of course that kind of location doesnt come cheap, but according to Sanderson its already paying o. Weve got foot trac passing by from

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early in the morning to sometimes night. We get lots of walk-ins. When I work late people will pop in and ask whats happening here. Ill give them a card and they often come back. In Washington, the salon competition is erce: D.C. is denitely a tough market. To remain competitive its important for stylists to keep current, says Sanderson who frequently travels to New York City to update his skills. What sets TheStudeo apart from other salons is our sta [seven hairdressers including him and a nail person who also does full body waxing] of talented, educated stylists. We regularly take classes to seek new trends and relearn basics. And were a very friendly, very open, full-service salon. TheStudeos clients range from conservative to edgy, says Sanderson. He credits his long roster of beautifully coied, seemingly natural blonde clients to a recipe of bleach, sweat, and know-how. Its important to listen to your clients, but a stylist must be intuitive at the same time. Sanderson was born in Washington and raised in West Virginia around Charles Town and Shepherdstown. Growing up I went through New Wave and goth phases, so there was lots of big hair. I got a lot of stares. He studied design at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond before apprenticing at a salon in Richmond and taking classes at TIGI in New York. Sanderson lives with his partner of six years in Logan. Hes in nance so he understands long hours, he says. We appreciate each others professions and work ethics. Id like us to spend more time together than were able to now, but the time we do spend together is that much more valuable. A new business owner must make concessions. Sanderson has had to cut back on travel and his passion for shopping, but not entirely. After all, a salon owner needs to look good, he says grinning devilishly. For now, Sanderson says the focus is on getting through the rst year. I want TheStudeo to be the kind of professional, creative, friendly salon that Ive dreamed of owning. Ill think about opening a second shop later.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

APRIL 25 , 2014 51

New Choices for Great Living at National Harbor

Townhomes
Announcing the rst release of ve luxurious new Integrity townhomes at National Harbor! Join us this weekend for the opportunity to reserve yours. 3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 1-Car garage 1,911 Sq. ft. of living space From the upper $400s

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An impressive collection of luxurious, 4-story townhomes. Fine detailing, spacious interiors and exquisite architecture are just some of the features you can look forward to, bringing unparalleled convenience to this sought-after location. Up to 5 bedrooms Up to 4 full baths 2-Car garage Enviable terraces Convenient loft spaces Oversized great rooms From the low $700s

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home! Your Washington D.C. representative, Brian Anger, can easily help you transform the beauty and energy efciency of your home. With over 13 years of experience, Brian can help you nd the right window and door solution for your home. Pella offers more options including wood, berglass, or vinyl windows and doors. We can help bring your inspiration to life, thats The Pella Promise! Contact Brian Anger to schedule your FREE in-home consultation and enjoy special savings for Washington Blade Readers!
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52 APRIL 25, 2014

LEGAL NOTICES
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 14 ADM 89 EVELYN GOGGANS, NAME OF DECEDENT MATTHEW R. BARNES, ACKERMAN BROWN, PLLC, 2101 L STREET, NW, SUITE 440, WASHINGTON, DC 20037 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs Wanda Goggans, whose address is 3609 Silver Hawk Drive #201, Suitland, MD 20746, was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Evelyn Goggans who died on June 16, 2002 without a Will and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be led with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th St, NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on or before October 25, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or led with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 25, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of rst publication: April 25, 2014. Wanda R. Goggans, Personal Representative. A True Test Copy. Anne Meister, Register of Wills. SUPERIOR COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PROBATE DIVISION 2013 ADM 1302 CLARA E. BYRD (A/K/A CLARA E. STRONG), NAME OF DECEDENT MATTHEW R. BARNES, ACKERMAN BROWN, PLLC, 2101 L STREET, NW, SUITE 440, WASHINGTON, DC 20037 Notice of Appointment, Notice to Creditors and Notice to Unknown Heirs Tina M. Plunkett, whose address is 12514 Turtle Dove Pl., Waldorf, MD 20602 was appointed Personal Representative of the estate of Clara E. Byrd (a/k/a Clara E. Strong) who died on November 17, 2006 without a Will and will serve with Court supervision. All unknown heirs and heirs whose whereabouts are unknown shall enter their appearance in this proceeding. Objections to such appointment shall be led with the Register of Wills, D.C., Building A, 515 5th St, NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20001, on or before October 25, 2014. Claims against the decedent shall be presented to the undersigned with a copy to the Register of Wills or led with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned, on or before October 25, 2014, or be forever barred. Persons believed to be heirs or legatees of the decedent who do not receive a copy of this notice by mail within 25 days of its publication shall so inform the Register of Wills, including name, address and relationship. Date of rst publication: April 25, 2014. Tina M. Plunkett, Personal Representative. A True Test Copy. Anne Meister, Register of Wills.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
ROSSLYN / ADAMS MORGANImprove your workouts and refresh your body. Massage available in Rosslyn Sun-Wed, 301-704-1158 and at TuSuva, Adams Morgan Thur-Sat 202-299-9005 (ask for Gary). http://www.mymassagebygary. com/ Gary 301-704-1158. COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN. Individual/couple counseling w/ volunteer peer counselor. Gay Mens Counseling Community since 1973. 202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling. org. No fees, donation requested. CHANGES ARE EASIER WITH HELP. Small, private practice group of experienced, caring therapists. Safe, confidential setting. Offices in Woodley Park & Takoma Park near Metro. Licensed professionals. Insurance reimbursable. Washington Therapy Guild. Call 202-483-2660. www. therapyguild.net.

LEGAL SERVICES
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM Representing the GLBT community for over 30 years. Family adoptions, estate planning, immigration, employment. (301) 8912200. Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.SP-Law. com. ADOPTION & ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer Fairfax represents clients in Maryland & D.C. interested in adoption or ART matters. 301-221-9651, JFairfax@ jenniferfairfax.com.

ITS NICE TO BE KNEADED! For quality, consistency & trust; choose an experienced, intuitive masseur. For appts. 703-402-6698. You wont regret it!
BEST MASSAGE BY male certified therapist. Soothing Swedish; deeptissue; stress & pain release. Safe Atmosphere in Annandale, VA, almost right off I-395. Days/Eve/Wkend. In/Out calls. Hotels welcome. Call Marval (703) 568-6348. CAPITOL HILL MASSAGE Excellent bodywork, deep tissue my specialty, 15 years self-employed, Eastern Market Metro, $70/Hr, $95/1.5hr, 202-5433265, Mark. FEEL GOOD NOW! Massage and bodywork by experienced professional massage therapist. VISA/MC/AMEX. 202-695-9663, tracemassage@gmail. com, www.tracemassage.com.

EMPLOYMENT
SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS RECORDINGS seeks a proactive, creative, organized marketing assistant with experience in current music marketing techniques. Visit folkways. si.edu/jobs. The Smithsonian Institution is an equal opportunity employer.

PETS & SUPPLIES

ADOPT AN ADORABLE PUPPY OR DOG All-breed, non-profit rescue. 100% volunteer run. Donations welcome & needed. www.aforeverhome.org.

LOOKING FOR THAT special someone? Loving vet-checked cats & kittens waiting to meet you. Feline Foundation 703920-8665. Application & adoption fair schedule online at www.gw.org. PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVE OTOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY Fine Art Photographer for portraits, weddings & dating photos for the internet. Call (703) 532-3031. www. steveotoolephotography.com.

COUNSELING
A MINDFULNESS-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICE specializing in a holistic approach to anxiety, depression, careers, & relationships. 20 years experience helping people identify & overcome impediments to a fulfilling life, satisfying careers, & healthy relationships. Jonathan Kirkendall MA LPC, 202.550.3589, www. dclpc.com. LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY at Dupont Circle Individuals, couples, families, adolescents. Over 15 years serving the community. Mike Giordano, LICSW. 202/460-6384 mike. giordano.msw@gmail.com. www. WhatIHearYouSaying.com.

ENHANCE YOUR AD WITH OUR UPGRADES PICTURES BOLD TEXT LARGE TEXT COLOR AND MORE!

LOCKER ROOM ATTENDANTS NEEDED! The Crew Club, a gay mens naturist gym & sauna, is now hiring Locker Room Attendants. We all scrub toilets & do heavy cleaning. You must be physically able to handle the work & have a great attitude doing it. No drunks/druggies need apply. Please call Richard at (202) 319-1333. from 9-5pm, to schedule an interview.

WEDDINGS
CANTOR JINNY - YOUR Wedding Your Way. Well work together finding the right vows, blessings, & expressions to make the ceremony flow with your personal touch. Cantorjinny@gmail. com 703-282-6505.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED ONLINE

RESTAURANT OR RETAIL/OFFICE SPACE FOR SALE

35 Centre St., Cumberland
GREAT Downtown Cumberland location!!! Equipped Restaurant, but could be great retail/ofce space. Renovated restaurant space and facade by current owners. Beautiful recent ceramic ooring, two bars, stage, sprinkler system on main and 2nd oor. Third oor ready to covert to loft living space, Seller says Bring us an Offer Reduced to $247,000.

65 Baltimore St., Cumberland

Located right on Cumberland Malls Town Square with outdoor cafe. There is no better location to have your business. Fully Equipped restaurant, outdoor caf and beautiful bar with 150+ seats. Banking, insurance, medical and legal workforce can all walk to lunch here. 2 nished luxury apts. on upper levels with room for more. $123.5K price cut to Only $427,500, Motivated Seller, Make an Offer. John Macy Associate Broker 301-501-0763 Melanie Pratt Dimaio REALTOR MD, WV 301-268-7295 Long & Foster THE REAL EDGE IN REAL ESTATE 138 Baltimore St., Ste. 100 Cumberland, MD Office: 301-722-4700

35 CENTRE STREET

65 BALTIMORE STREET

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
PLUMBING, HEATING, COOLING

APRIL 25, 2014 53

MOVERS
OUR GUYS AROUND TOWN MOVERS. Professional Moving & Storage. Let Our Guys Do The Heavy Lifting. Mention the Blade for 10% off of our regular rates. Call today 202.734.3080. www. ourguysatmovers.com.

TREE SERVICE
BRANCHES - FULL SERVICE Tree Expert Company. Certified Arborists, pruning, insect & disease diagnosis, treatment & removal. 301-589-6181. www. BranchesTreeExperts.com. Angies List Award Winner 09, 10, 11, 12.

REAL ESTATE
GALE STORM TEAM - Realtors The Realtors you refer to your Friends & Family! Looking to sell or buy a home? Call us! 202-355-4316. www. gayrealtors.us.com. Licensed in DC, MD & VA.

GENERAL CONTRACTING
AWARD WINNING BUILDER, serving DC, MD, VA, new homes, remodel & renovation. Saratoga Construction, 703-734-6350.

SHARE / DC
NW RECENT GRAD Seeking Roommate by Cathedral. Fun, outgoing 22 yo, email: ae6618a@american.edu.

MONTGOMERY VILLAGE $135,995 Sensational Balcony-Level Condo! 2 Bedrooms! 2 Baths! Totally Remodeled! LARRY PERRIN REALTOR (301) 983-0601 LJPerrin@aol.com. GREENBELT CONDOS $129,995 3 Bedrooms! 2 Baths! Separate Family Room! Sunken Living Room! 1 BEDROOM, AS-IS CONDITION, $59,995 LARRY PERRIN REALTOR (301) 983-0601 LJPerrin@aol.com.

SALE / MD Takoma Park Condo. Big, bright, affordable. 3 bdrs, 2 baths, 1225 sq. ft., 8 blocks to Metro. Granite/ stainless kitchen, updated baths. $184,900. 301-4485861; Robbi@LNF.com.

CLEANING
MK CLEANING SERVICES Cleaning DC/ MD/VA for 12th Years Free Estimates, Excellent Prices, Great References One time, Move in / out, Office, Frequency ( your choice ) cell # 301-327-8994 maico@mkclean.com www.mkclean. com TOO NEAT GUYS INC. Residential & Commercial cleaning in DC & Northern VA. Over 20 years experience, gay owned, licensed, bonded & insured. Email: tooneat@comcast.net, (703) 622-5983. FERNANDOS CLEANING: Residential & Commercial Cleaning, Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates, Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out. (202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183. MAID TO CLEAN. Rated #1 in Metro DC. Gay owned. Serving DC/VA. DC & VA (703) 299-0101. Visit www.maidtoclean. com.

PAINTING
JOHNNY HOLSTEIN PAINTING Quality Interior/Exterior Specialize in Color 22 Yrs Exper. Free Estimates Excel Refs.202-546-5790, holsteinj@aol.com. CUTE BUTCH LESBIAN PAINTER over 17 yrs exp. in interior/exterior & faux paint. Free estimates/highest quality, references. Please call Claudia 703898-8835.

SHARE / MD
COLLEGE PARK room w/ large closet, computer access, bus & metro 5 to 10 mins away. $650.00/mth, incl. utils. Call Kit 240-604-3843. ROOM 4 RENT Clean, Quite, Safe. 3 blks 2 Suitland Station 1/2 blk. 2 bus. $200.00 a Wk includes utilities. Please Call 301-503-4263.

SHARE / VA
FALLS CHURCH, $500/mth + 1/3 utils. Share w/ 2 men & cat in 4 BR 3 BA. Convenient 495, 66, 50 29, 7, & WFC & Dunn Loring Metro. Jeff 202-230-1106.

ROOFING
ROOFING, REPAIRS, GUTTERING SLATE, SHINGLE, TILE, TIN, MODIFIED BITUMEN, RE-ROOFING, ROOF COATINGS, RUBBER ROOFS! Residential, Commercial Wood & Whitacre Contractors Roofing Systems, est.1985. 301-674-1991. MHIC-25881.
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SHARE / REHOBOTH
REHOBOTH SUMMER Private room in house, quiet setting, approximately equal distance between Rehoboth & Lewes w/ easy access to beach, outlet shopping. Memorial-Labor Day. rbflamingo@comcast.net.

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WOMENS PERSONALS
GWF, SOFT BUTCH, attractive, blue eyes, brown hair. I walk five miles everyday. I like movies, music, playing cards, tv and pizza. ISO GWF, feminine, attractive for friendship, and a long term relationship. If you are interested, call Debbie, 703-368-3618.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
MASSAGE SILVER SPRING est 2004. Where some of the nicest guys in town come for one of the best massages in town... sensuous erotic naked. Days/Evenings $70 one hour..parking/metro BRUNO 301 580 2716.
EROTIC SWEDISH MASSAGE - healthy clean cut guy, 61, 160 lbs, Dupont Circle, massage table, noon to 1:00 a.m., indulge your body. $70 for 1 hour. Bill 202-728-0238. AFFORDABLE MASSAGE BY friendly & intuitive Latin male, in relaxing, priv. studio just 15 min from DC inArlington. Plenty of Parking.Same day appts, 703401-9093 or a2006mx@yahoo.com. THE MAGIC TOUCH: Swedish, Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts 202-486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

MENS PERSONALS
ATTRACTIVE, ITALIAN, GWM, 40s Inshape. Seeking down to earth guy for dating & more. Have many varied interests. Serious replies only. Call 202306-0288. DC HAPPY HOUR, Fri & Sat, dining. Masculine, non-scene 50s guy here. Seeking DC happy hour/dining friend of any (adult) age, must be masculine, non-affected, genuine. Contact: wmsinva@hotmail.com.

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APRIL 25 , 2014 55

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS AND DOORS PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED

Spring got you thinking about new WINDOWS and DOORS?

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REVIEW AD FOR COPY AND DESIGN ACCURACY. Revisions must be submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Proof will be considered nal and will be submitted for publication if revision is not submitted within 24 hours of the date of proof. Revisions will not be accepted after 12:01 pm wednesday, the week of publication.Brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) is not responsible for the content and/or design of your ad. Advertiser is responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users can link through the advertisement. Advertiser represents that its advertisement will not violate any criminal laws or any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, music, image, or other proprietary or propety right, false advertising, unfair competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation, or any other right of any person or entity. Advertiser agrees to idemnify brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) and to hold brown naff pitts omnimedia llc (dba the washington blade) harmless from any and all liability, loss, damages, claims, or causes of action, including reasonable legal fees and expenses that may be incurred by brown naff pitts omnimedia llc, arising out of or related to advertisers breach of any of the foregoing representations and warranties.

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*Valid through 5/31/14 and may not be combined with other offers or prior purchases. 20% savings applied to the purchase of 7 or more installed windows. Discount applies to retail product purchase only. Offer subject to change. Call for details. **Financing available with approved credit. Hammer and Nail Exteriors, Inc. is neither a broker nor a lender. Financing provided by third-party lenders unafliated with Hammer and Nail Exteriors, Inc. 0% Interest and No Payments for 12 months assumes payment in full prior to end of 12 month promotional period. License numbers available upon request. 2014 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. Registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors. License numbers available upon request.