Volume 45, Issue 34, August 22, 2014

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WASHI NGTONBLADE. COM AUGUST 22, 2014 03
Bowser leads Catania,
but he wins police union
endorsement
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
Seven of the eight out gay or lesbian
candidates running for various positions in
the citys Nov. 4 general election are trailing
their opponents in the amount of money
they have raised to support their campaigns.
According to the latest round of candidate
reports led on Aug. 10 with the citys O ce
of Campaign Finance, D.C. Council member
David Catania (I-At-Large), whos gay, is
trailing Council member Muriel Bowser
(D-Ward 4) by nearly $2 million in money
raised in the race for mayor.
The reports show that Bowser, the
Democratic Party nominee, has raised
more than $2.7 million since she began
her campaign last year and had more
than $1 million in cash on hand. Catania
has raised just under $775,000 since
entering the mayoral race earlier this
year and had just under $464,000 in cash
on hand, according to his nance report.
Former Council member Carol
Schwartz, whos also running for mayor
as an independent candidate, has raised
$65,623 as of Aug. 10 and had $50,375 in
cash on hand as of that date. Schwartzs
report shows that $33,000 of the total
amount she raised came from a personal
loan she made to the campaign.
Gay mayoral candidate Bruce Majors,
whos running under the banner of the
Libertarian Party, has so far raised $6,549 for
his campaign and had $128 in cash on hand
as of Aug. 10, as shown in his nance report.
Most political observers view Catanias
fundraising eort so far as a respectable
showing in a city where Democrats
make up the overwhelming majority of
registered voters and where no non-
Democrat has ever won election as mayor.
Catanias campaign received a boost on
Wednesday when the citys police union
announced it has endorsed him over
Bowser and Schwartz.
In other city races, lesbian public relations
executive Courtney Snowden came in
second place in the fundraising department
for the hotly contested 15-candidate race
for two at-large D.C. Council seats up for
grabs in November. Snowden is running
as one of 11 independent candidates in the
race in which a Democrat is only eligible for
one of the two seats.
In the contest for the newly created
elective position of D.C. Attorney General,
lesbian attorney and former Gertrude
Stein Democratic Club President Lateefah
Williams appears to have nished last in
fundraising in a ve-candidate race, with
$9,685 raised and just over $9,000 in cash
on hand. Her opponents have raised
between $45,000 and over $200,000,
with some of them kicking in large sums
of their own money they earned as
attorneys for big name law rms.
Ward 1 school board candidate Scott
Simpson, one of two gay men running in a ve-
candidate race, is leading the pack in money
raised. His nance report shows he raised
$22,493, with close to $20,000 in cash on
hand. Rival gay candidate David Do has raised
$11,420 and has $5,000 in cash on hand.
Panico works as fellow for
LGBT Equality Caucus
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
EDITORS NOTE: The Blades regular news
pages are truncated this week to make room
for our special sports issue content. Visit
washingtonblade.com for updated news.
On a Friday morning in August when
most D.C. workers are either away on
vacation or coming into work in casual
attire, Ben Panico is dressed for business
in a dark suit over a crisp white shirt.
Two months earlier, Panico started work
in his yearlong fellowship at the LGBT
Equality Caucus as an appointee of the Gay
& Lesbian Leadership Institutes Victory
Congressional Fellow program, which is
funded by the David Bohnett Foundation.
The 22-year-old has the distinction of
being the only openly transgender staer
to serve in the U.S. House.
In an interview with the Washington
Blade at the o ces at the Leadership
Institute, Panico said his new job consists
of supporting the seven openly LGB
members of the House who are also
the co-chairs of the LGBT Equality Caucus
in advancing legislation.
In the fellowship, I am scheduling
briengs and writing letters to help
engage the sta on any number of issues
that are important for the LGBT and the
trans community, Panico said.
Panico said the issue of anti-transgender
discrimination is part of his work thats
personally important to him because it
persists despite recent LGBT progress.
Ive met a lot of trans folks whove
faced discrimination in a lot of areas,
Panico said. And I think that there are
a lot of ways that the caucus is doing a
great job addressing those problems and
working on what legislation the seven co-
chairs are interested in moving forward.
Panico declined to identify any specic
legislative vehicle that he thinks would best
address anti-transgender discrimination,
maintaining his job is to support the path
by which the seven openly LGB members
choose to move forward.
But Panico acknowledged the
signicance of being the only known openly
transgender staer in the U.S. House.
Being in this position allows me to utilize
my experiences and the experiences that
Ive heard from other trans folks to help
move legislation forward and improve the
community as a whole, Panico said.
Although Panico has been working with
the LGBT Equality Caucus since June, the
Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute just
announced his work and status as the
only openly transgender person in the
U.S. House on Thursday. Steven Thai, a
Leadership Institute spokesperson, said
the announcement was postponed until
August recess because the caucus has
been focused on legislation.
Chuck Wolfe, CEO of the Victory Institute,
said Panicos distinction of being the only
openly transgender person in the U.S. House
oers Congress a unique perspective.
Ben Panico brings a wealth of
experiences to this position, and as
Capitol Hills only openly transgender sta
member, he brings a much needed voice
to the table, Wolfe said. I am condent
Ben will be able to gain immense
experience and assist in advancing an
equality agenda in Congress.
The distinction of being the only openly
transgender staer in the U.S. House was
previously held by Diego Sanchez, who
worked for former Rep. Barney Frank
before his retirement. Now, Sanchez serves
as national policy director for PFLAG.
Sources familiar with Capitol Hill say
its uncertain whether another openly
transgender staer now works for the
U.S. Senate.
Originally from Connecticut, Panico
graduated from Johns Hopkins University,
where he studied English Literature and
Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
While in college, Panico took part in
LGBT activism, serving as director of
operations for the Diverse Sexuality &
Gender Alliance, lobbying university
administrators for an LGBT resource
center and leading the development of a
Safe Zone training program.
I know that the trans community faces
a lot of discrimination, a lot of problems
of inequality right now, and I feel very
passionate about helping address those
problems and improve the lives of trans
people in the future, Panico said.
Prior to his current job, he was an
intern on Capitol Hill who during his
junior year of college worked for Rep.
Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a supporter of LGBT
rights who has called on Michigan Gov.
Rick Snyder to stop defending the states
ban on same-sex marriage.
But Panico is keeping much of his
personal life private, declining to
comment, for example, on when he
transitioned. Panico also declined to say
whether he has personally experienced
anti-transgender discrimination, but said
he would argue, all trans people have
experienced discrimination in some form
or another.
WASHI NGTONBLADE. COM
04 AUGUST 22, 2014 LOCAL NEWS
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM
Meet the only openly trans U.S. House stafer
BEN PANICO is the only openly transgender
staer to serve in the U.S. House.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Mayoral candidate DAVID CATANIA this
week won the endorsement of the citys
police union.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
Gay candidates trailing rivals in money raised for Nov. election
DAVID BOIES and TED OLSON are asking the Supreme Court to deny a stay request on Virginia
same-sex marriages.
If justices refuse stay, gay
nuptials could begin this week
By CHRIS JOHNSON
The parties behind the lawsuit seeking
same-sex marriage rights in Virginia were
split in response to a request from Prince
William County Clerk Michele McQuigg
asking the Supreme Court to stop the
marriages from taking place as litigation
continues.
Attorneys representing plaintiff
same-sex couples in the case on
one hand, the legal dream team of Ted
Olson and David Boies, on the other,
Lambda Legal, the American Civil
Liberties Union and ACLU of Virginia
say the court should allow the
marriages to begin in Virginia following
a decision by the U.S. Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeals against the states
ban on same-sex marriage.
But the State of Virginia even though
its not defending the marriage ban in
court says a stay should be issued
because harm will be caused either
way. The case is known as Schaefer v.
Bostic.
If the Supreme Court denies a stay,
same-sex marriages could begin in
Virginia as soon as Thursday at 8 a.m.,
after this issue of the Blade went to press.
Thats when the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court
of Appeals is set to issue the mandate
on its earlier decision against the states
marriage law. Last week, a three-judge
panel on the Fourth Circuit determined
that a stay on Virginia same-sex
marriages is unwarranted as the litigation
is appealed. (Visit washingtonblade.com
for updates.)
Olson and Boies, who are representing
plainti same-sex couples in the case
on behalf of the American Foundation
for Equal Rights, argue in their 20-page
brief that a stay would prolong the
unconstitutional deprivation of the right
of same-sex couples to marry.
The Fourth Circuits decision directly
implicates the rights of tens of thousands
of gay and lesbian Virginians whose
fundamental right to marry has been
denied by the Commonwealth of Virginia,
the lawyers write.
Meanwhile, Lambda Legal, the ACLU
and the ACLU of Virginia make a similar
case in a separate 23-page ling, saying
a stay would cause harm to same-
sex couples. These groups represent
a certied class in the lawsuit that
includes all Virginia same-sex couples,
including Joanne Harris and Jessica Du,
who are named plaintis in the case.
The certified class represented
by the Harris Respondents consists
of approximately 14,000 same-sex
couples, who will suffer irreparable
harm if the mandate is stayed, the
brief states. While this case remains
pending in this Court, children will
be born, people will die, and loved
ones will fall unexpectedly ill. The
substantive legal protections afforded
by marriage can be critical, if not life-
changing, during such major life events
and personal crises.
The brief is signed by Paul Smith, a
co-counsel in the case and partner at
Jenner & Block LLP. Hes responsible
for successfully litigating the case of
Lawrence v. Texas before the Supreme
Court, which resulted in a 2003 decision
striking down state sodomy laws.
Both briefs make similar arguments
that a stay on the Fourth Circuit decision
should be denied because there is no
reasonable probability the Supreme Court
would reverse the ruling; the county clerk
defending the law wont be irreparably
harmed without a stay. Moreover, briefs
both argue that an earlier stay the
Supreme Court put in place in Utah isnt
binding on the Virginia lawsuit.
Olson and Boies make the case that the
situation is dierent between the lawsuit
seeking marriage equality in Utah, Kitchen
v. Herbert, and the lawsuit seeking
marriage equality in Virginiabecause the
attorneys general have taken dierent
approaches to the litigation.
Unlike in Kitchen, where the State
of Utah continues to defend the
constitutionality of its prohibition on
marriage between individuals of the
same sex, the Commonwealth has
conceded in this case that Virginias
Marriage Prohibition is unconstitutional,
which conclusively demonstrates that
the Commonwealth has no legitimate
interest in leaving these discriminatory
measures in place pending further
appeal, Olson and Boies write. The
Commonwealths concession
together with the unbroken line of
authority invalidating state marriage
bans since the Courts stay ruling
makes the stay analysis in this case
materially dierent from the one in
Kitchen.
That same argument isnt articulated by
Virginia Solicitor General Stuart Raphael,
who takes a dierent approach in the
19-page ling he submitted before the
Supreme Court, saying harm may occur
either way and a stay on Virginia same-
sex marriages is the best option.
Irreparable harm is threatened
whichever way the Court decides the
stay request, although determining
if the harm is irreparable depends
on whether Virginias ban is
unconstitutional, Raphael writes.
Under these circumstances, the
balance of hardships favors a stay. The
unintended consequences and injury
to third parties if this Court were to
permit the district courts injunction
to take effect prematurely and later
uphold Virginias ban are greater than
the injury to the named plaintiffs if
the stay is granted but the ban is later
invalidated.
The state takes this position against
same-sex marriages at this time in
Virginia even though Attorney General
Mark Herring has refused to defend
Virginias marriage ban in court on the
grounds that the law is unconstitutional.
Herring has already petitioned the court
to take up the case on its merits on behalf
of Janet Rainey, the Virginia Registrar of
Vital Records.
But each of the parties in the case makes
the same arguments that the Supreme
Court should treat the stay application
led by McQuigg as a petition for a writ
of certiorari and take up the case in an
expedited fashion. Although McQuigg has
pledged to take up the litigation with the
Supreme Court in terms of merits, she
has yet to take that action.
Raphael notes that both McQuigg
and Rainey believe the courts must
provide the denitive answer on
whether Virginias ban on same-sex
marriage, approved by voters in 2006, is
unconstitutional.
Rainey disagrees with McQuigg about
how the question presented should be
answered, Raphael writes. But they
agree that this Court alone can provide a
denitive answer, and that it should grant
certiorari to do that. There is no need to
require McQuigg to le a cross-petition
for certiorari when her stay motion serves
the same purpose. With the completion
of brieng on this motion, the table is
set and the necessary participants are
present.
Despite agreeing that a stay should
be put in place, the Virginia Attorney
General issued a statement on Monday
announcing that its preparing with the
governors o ce and client state agencies
in the event that the Supreme Court does
not stay the Fourth Circuits decision
before the order takes eect. This
includes drafting an updated marriage
license application through the State
Registrar of Vital Records, the statement
says.
The parties are responding to a stay
request that the anti-gay legal rm
Alliance Defending Freedom led on
Thursday before the Supreme Court
on behalf of McQuigg, whos defending
Virginias same-sex marriage ban against
litigation seeking to overturn it. Among
other reasons, the legal rm argued that
a stay would be consistent with earlier
decisions from the Supreme Court, and
withholding a stay would cause harm to
the state.
That stay request is pending before
Chief Justice John Roberts, whos
responsible for stay requests within the
Fourth Circuit. Roberts can decide the
issue on his own, or refer the matter to
the entire court.
06 AUGUST 22, 2014 LOCAL NEWS
Plaintif couples, state split on stay of Va. marriages
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Labor Secretary THOMAS PEREZ has issued guidance protecting transgender workers.
Kluwe settles case against Vikings
A lawsuit between straight LGBT ally Chris
Kluwe and his former football team, the
Minnesota Vikings, has been averted,theStar
Tribune, a Minneapolis paper, reported this
week. Kluwe has said the team wrongfully
released him last year because of his
outspoken support for same-sex marriage.
Under the deal, the Vikings will donate
an undisclosed sum of money to ve gay
rights-related charities over the next ve
years. Kluwe said he wont receive any
money as part of the settlement, the
Star Tribune article said. Read Kluwes
exclusive Blade op-ed on page 43.
This will help a lot of people that really
do need that help, Kluwe was quoted
as saying. He said he was convinced
the Vikings and owners Zygi and Mark
Wilf were committed to the cause, and
committed to being leaders on this issue
in the NFL, the article notes.
They want to make this a reality where
there is no discrimination in sports, there
is no homophobia, Kluwe said at a news
conference, according to the Tribune.
The Vikings said in a statement that the
deal resolves all issues related to Kluwes
departure from the team and his accusations
that a coach made anti-gay comments. Zygi
Wilf said he wished Kluwe the best.
In regards to this matter, our focus remains
on maintaining a culture of tolerance, inclusion
and respect, and creating the best workplace
environment for our players, coaches and
sta, Wilf said in the statement.
JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
LGBT group sues VA over
spousal benets
A prominent LGBT legal group led a
lawsuit against the Obama administration
this week to compel the Department
of Veterans Aairs to provide spousal
benets to married same-sex couples in
non-marriage equality states.
Lambda Legal, along with Morrison and
Foerster LLP, led the lawsuit on Monday
on behalf of the LGBT military group
known as the American Military Partner
Association. The defendant in the lawsuit,
which was led before the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit, is Secretary
of Veterans Aairs Robert MacDonald.
The litigation alleges the Obama
administrations decision to withhold certain
spousal benets to married same-sex
couples in states without marriage equality
runs afoul of the U.S. Supreme Courts
decision against the Defense of Marriage Act.
Having weathered the federal governments
past, longstanding discrimination against
them, lesbian and gay veterans and their
families nd themselves once again deprived
of equal rights and earned benets by the
government they served and the nation for
which they sacriced, the complaint says.
Susan Sommer, director of
constitutional litigation at Lambda Legal,
said the lawsuit is necessary to ensure the
country provides gay and lesbian veterans
the benets to which theyre entitled.
Married veterans and their spouses,
wherever they live, need critical veterans
benets, earned through years of often
perilous service, to take care of their
families, Sommer said. said. No member
of our community should be left behind
just because their home state continues
to discriminate against their marriage.
After the Supreme Court struck down
Section 3 of DOMA, which prohibited
federal recognition of same-sex
marriages, the Justice Department set
a goal to extend marital benets to
same-sex couples to the furthest extent
possible under current law.
In the case of spousal veterans benets,
the administration has determined it can
grant them to married same-sex couples
in states with marriage equality, but not
to such couples living in states where their
unions arent recognized. The section of
U.S. code governing veterans benets,
103(c) of Title 38, looks to the place of
residence, not the place of celebration, in
determining whether a couple is married.
In lieu of providing all spousal veterans
benets to same-sex couples in states
without marriage equality, the administration
developed a workaround so that these
couples would still be eligible for 1) transfer
of GI-Bill education benets to dependents;
2) access to group life insurance and family
insurance group life insurance programs; 3)
and eligibility for dependent and survivor
education assistance. Moreover, the VA
instituted a rule change to allow joint burial
for the same-sex partners of veterans in
domestic partnerships or civil unions.
According to the American Military
Partner Association, veterans in non-
marriage equality states still wont
have access to important benets like
ChampVA (health care for spouses of
disabled veterans), higher disability
compensation for disabled veterans with
dependents, full access to VA home loans,
and many survivor benets for widows.
For these benets, the Obama administration
has called for a legislative x in the form of a
change in law approved by Congress.
A spokesperson for VA declined to
comment on the basis that the department
cannot comment on pending litigation.
CHRIS JOHNSON
Labor Dept. issues guidance to
protect trans workers
The Labor Department issued guidance on Tuesday spelling out that the
Obama administration will interpret an executive order prohibiting gender
discrimination in the workforce to protect transgender workers.
The news was announced via White House blog post written by Patricia
Shiu, director of the O ce of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Its titled
Strength in Diversity.
It means honoring our commitment to upholding equality in Americas
workforce, Shiu writes. Being entrusted with taxpayer dollars is a privilege, and
with that privilege comes a promise to open doors to all of Americas workers.
I believe that success for OFCCP and for federal contractors isnt simply about
compliance. Its about creating a workplace culture that actively embraces
diversity.
The guidance is based o a 2012 decision by the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission in the case of Macy v. Holder, which determined that
transgender workers are eligible for protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964.
As a result of that decision, the Labor Department indicates in its guidance
that itll enforce Executive Order 11246 which prohibits federal contractors
from engaging in gender discrimination to protect against employment bias
based on gender identity.
But the guidance wasnt handed down from the Labor Department until more
than two years after the Macy decision. LGBT advocates had pushed the Obama
administration to clarify that transgender workers are protected under current
policy as Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said the matter was under review.
In June, Perez announced the review had come to an end and forthcoming
guidance would indicate gender identity would be covered under current policy.
Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, commended the Labor
Department for issuing the guidance and said companies without explicit
protections for transgender workers should update their policies.
We applaud Labor Secretary Perez and OFCCP Director Shiu for this
tremendously important stand in favor of workplace fairness for transgender
Americans, and the ball is now in the court of holdout corporations like
ExxonMobil and their defense lawyers at Seyfarth Shaw who should convince
that corporation that its long past time to update their workplace policies,
Almeida said. Todays announcement should give Seyfarth Shaw lawyers yet
another reason to persuade Exxon to do the right thing.
Still forthcoming from the Labor Department are regulations to implement
the Executive Order 13672, which President Obama signed in July to explicitly
spell out that federal contractors are unable to discriminate on the basis of
sexual orientation and gender identity. The order is expected to take eect early
next year.
CHRIS JOHNSON
08 AUGUST 22, 2014 NATI ONAL NEWS
CHRIS KLUWE has maintained he was red by
the Vikings for his support of marriage equality.
PHOTO BY JOE BIELAWA
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Maryland LGBT youth at
risk: report
The Youth Equality Alliance (YEA) issued
a report on Aug. 12 titled Living in the
Margins: A Report on the Challenges of
LGBTQ Youth in Maryland Education,
Foster Care, and Juvenile Justice Systems.
The report found that LGBTQ youth are at
a heightened risk of entering the school-to-jail
pipeline. Public institutions and systems
primarily the education, foster care, and juvenile
justice systemsare among the toughest
environments for LGBTQ youth. YEAs report
briey outlines the challenges facing LGBTQ
youth as they navigate these three systems,
and proposes specic recommendations for
addressing these challenges.
The bullying problem that often aects
LGBTQ students begins a spiral that places
these youth at risk. Often school personnel
fail to address the needs of the bullied
victims, and they are routinely suspended,
expelled and criminalized, pushing them
into the juvenile justice systems.
Statistics from GLSEN put the problems in
perspective. For instance, 64 percent of LGBTQ
students feel unsafe in their schools because of
their sexual orientation, and 44 percent because
of their gender expression. Approximately one
in four LGBTQ youth are kicked out or run away
from their living situations.
This statistic is disproportionate
and shocking, said Ingrid Lofgren, a
Skadden Fellow at the Homeless Persons
Representation Project, at the unveiling
ceremony of the YEA report held at the
Enoch Pratt Free Librarys main branch.
Jabari Lyles, who is with the Baltimore
Area chapter of GLSEN and a member of
YEA, added, People have to wonder what
is going wrong when they hear that as many
as one-third of LGBTQ youth never nish
high school and up to 40 percent of our
homeless youth self-identify as LGBTQ.
Dijohn Thomas, a Baltimore area youth
advocate, pointed out at the Pratt Library
presentation that while in school he was picked
on for being gay by his principal and teachers.
People fear what they dont know, he said. They
need education. He added, Foster homes are
the worst place to be in. I was attacked, beaten
up and things were stolen from me.
The report presents an array of
recommendations that would entail mainly
policy, regulatory and legislative changes
as well as mandatory training for direct
service professionals and administrators
and the conduct of needs assessments. YEA
urges that the o ce of the governor, state
government agency directors, legislators
and political candidates read this report and
decide what initiatives they will champion to
improve the outcomes of these youth.
When youth enter spaces in which they
are to be supervised as well as protected
by adults, they expect that professionals
will be knowledgeable about individual
youth rights and needs, as well as sensitive,
respectful, and eective in their interactions
with all youth, Diana Philip, policy director
for FreeState Legal Project, told the Blade.
LGBTQ youth in Maryland are no dierent.
Formed in May 2013, YEA is a statewide
coalition of various service providers,
nonprot organizations, government
agencies, and individual advocates that
seeks to identify policy and regulatory
solutions to problems faced by LGBTQ
youth in Maryland. Members include
ACLU of Maryland, The Public Justice
Center, Equality Maryland, PFLAG, Planned
Parenthood of Maryland, Homeless Persons
Representation Project, the Gay Lesbian and
Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Star
Track and the Baltimore Child Abuse Center.
Although the Maryland LGBTQ
community has recently secured several
new rights, including marriage equality
and the Fairness for All Marylanders Act,
there is much work to be done to protect
the rights of LGBTQ youth, said Aaron
Merki, executive director of FreeState Legal
Project, one of the founding members of
YEA, in announcing the reports release.
The work to achieve the goals and adopt the
recommendations in the report is expected to
take several years. To view the full report, visit
freestatelegal.org/what-we-do/policy/.
STEVE CHARING
There is much work to be done to protect
the rights of LGBTQ youth, said AARON
MERKI, executive director of FreeState Legal
Project.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY STEVE CHARING
10 AUGUST 22, 2014 BALTI MORE NEWS DI GEST
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Streaming live at wamu.org
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earned this year:
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Chicago women discuss AIDS impact
CHICAGO Health advocates and community members gathered last week in
Chicago at Little Black Pearl Workshop for the Red Pump Projects annual Condoms
and Cupcakes discussion and party, the Windy City Times reports.
The gathering aimed for a frank discussion about HIV awareness and prevention
among women of color. Red Pump Project is a national organization, based in Chicago,
dedicated to educating women and girls on the impact of HIV/AIDS as well as matters of
sexual and reproductive health. Their name is derived from their signature event, which
occurs each year on March 10, which is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness
Day: The organization asks all women to rock red shoes that day, since We use the
Red Pump as a symbol of empowerment to represent the strength and courage of
women aected by HIV/AIDS, according to the groups website.
After a discussion of female condoms by Sara Semelka of AIDS Foundation of
Chicago, as well as a talk by Alaina Robertson of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, three local activists two of them HIV-positive discussed both the
importance of frank conversation about the HIV as well the need to reduce stigmatization
against HIV-positive individuals, the Times reports.
El Paso gets new LGBT community center
EL PASO, Texas The new OUTright Center, an LGBT community space made
possible from a $50,000 donation from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, has opened in
El Paso, Texas, the El Paso Times reports.
The gift helped the International AIDS Empowerment agency, which has served the
HIV community here for years, open the site.
The center will have a pharmacy and doctors space to see patients, a tness room, an
LGBT library and social activities geared toward gay youth. Desert View United Church
of Christ also will have services on Sundays at the center, the Times notes.
The International AIDS Empowerment has been oering testing and other social
services for the HIV/AIDS community since 1997. Those services include housing
opportunities for people with AIDS, the Times article said.
The building, which has two oors, will have plenty of space to gut out a small kitchen
and create a space for two exam rooms. Skip Rosenthal, Empowerment director, is
working with two medical residents from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
who are interested in seeing patients at the center.
Ultimately, Rosenthal is hoping to create a comfortable place for the LGBT community
as well as have visibility in the El Paso community, the Times reports.
Hornet app helps users
nd HIV testing sites
SAN DIEGO The Hornet Gay Social Network has launched a feature that
will help users locate HIV testing services and learn more about PrEP and other
topics, the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News reports.
The apps creators have partnered with aids.gov to power the feature, which
was used about 30,000 times its rst day, the article said. Hornet is a gay-owned
location-based dating and social network.
The gay community has made progress in reducing HIV infection rates, but
new trends among young people show that HIV rates are increasing once again,
132.5 percent from 2001-2011a much higher increase than older gay men and
a signicant contrast with the drop among the general population.
Studies show that public concern about HIV has decreased, yet the number of
people living with HIV in the U.S. exceeds 1.1 million and continues to increase,
the San Diego Gay & Lesbian News article said.In a news release, Hornet said
that in order to end the epidemic, help is needed to promote HIV services in
ways that are far-reaching and lasting. Traditional advertising does not reach all
users in need of health services.
Sophisticated geo-specic resources are powerful. Within the Hornet app,
social network members can use the tool to nd the 10 closest HIV locations.
The widget is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
is available for free, the article said.
Hornet now connects men with HIV services.
PHOTO COURTESY HORNET
12 AUGUST 22, 2014 HEALTH NEWS
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Team DC athletes medaled in 18 sports during this months Gay Games held in Cleveland/Akron.
A competition to remember
By KEVIN MAJOROS
CLEVELAND The week before I left
for the 2014 Cleveland/Akron Gay Games,
a friend of mine told me he hoped I didnt
get shot. I let the comment pass but
assumed it was about the assumption
that Cleveland is not gay-friendly.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. While the Gay Games in Chicago
and Cologne were incredible experiences,
the residents of those cities really didnt
give us a second glance. In Cleveland, we
were cheered as we walked down the
street, approached by locals on street
corners and chatted up on every public
transport.
One night I was leaving Festival
Village around 10 p.m. and an elderly
couple walked up to me. They wanted
to know about all my races, see the
medals I won and ask if I had a good
time. Then, the gentleman hugged me
and said he was glad I was there. It was
completely unexpected but typical of
my experiences during the 10 days I
was there.
For me, the Gay Games represent
a perfect world where everyone
is celebrated, everyone is equal
and everyone is important. The
camaraderie that exists between
athletes that have come from all over
the world to compete is a feeling that is
hard to describe.
With more than 7,000 athletes from 51
countries competing in 35 sports and two
cultural events, the sports venues were
jam-packed with action. The competitions
ranged from beginners to world record-
breaking performances.
Team DC was on re during the
week bringing home 246 medals in
18 dierent sports (see below). The
swimmers were especially hot bringing
home 111 medals. Neill Williams won
eight gold medals in the pool and broke
three Gay Games records, two of which
were IGLA world records. Williams
went directly from the Games to the US
Masters Swimming Nationals in College
Park where he earned ve top four
nishes. Several D.C. athletes in other
sports captured best overall nish,
which means they were faster than
everyone in the eld.
In the team competitions, the water
polo team, the mens soccer team and
the softball team went deep into the
draw only to come up short for a medal.
The sailing team, the basketball team,
the cycling team and the womens soccer
team all came home with medals.
It truly was a magical week and a
beautiful celebration of human rights. For
those of us who cant wait for the 2018
Paris Gay Games, we will be heading to
the EuroGames in Stockholm next August.
Of the many inspirational stories I
heard during the week, a gure skater I
met named David stands out in my mind.
He was cheering on his partner who
was skating in the pairs competition. A
6,000-pound machine crushed his foot
and he will be amputated below the knee
in three weeks. He was supposed to be
skating pairs with his partner. At the end
of the competition, he turned to me and
said, I will be on the ice in Paris.
At the closing ceremony as I was saying
goodbye to all of my new friends from
around the world, a Russian athlete said
to me, The world is getting smaller; we
will meet again.
Thank you Cleveland and Akron.
team dc wins
246 medals at gay games
Team DC swimmers brought home 111 medals at the Gay Games.
Local athletes praise
Clevelands Gay Games
D.C. lost bid to host LGBT sporting competition
By BRIAN BEARY
CLEVELAND D.C. athletes who competed in last weeks Cleveland-Akron
Gay Games had mostly positive things to say about their host cities, despite
Washington losing the bid to host the games.
Local media reported that the event generated tens of millions of dollars for the
economy with an estimated 40,000 visitors athletes and supporters from more than
40 countries making the trek to Ohio. Among them were about 200 Team DC-a liated
athletes competing in an array of sports including bowling, golf, rowing and water polo.
This was my rst Gay Games so I didnt know what to expect, said Kurt
Powers, a Mount Pleasant resident who won a gold medal in the mens doubles
tennis tournament with tennis partner Harrison Nguyen. It was obvious that
the gay community there was delighted to be hosting us.
The broader Cleveland-Akron community was welcoming for the most part,
Powers said, although he and his friends were the targets of anti-gay slurs one night
when a group of men shouted faggots after them as they were walking downtown.
Powers said the Festival Village, where entertainment was provided, was
really neat. The venues were nice too, he said, but unfortunately they were a
little spread out, which made it hard to attend multiple events. He admitted,
it was a bit of a strange feeling at times for the D.C. contingent given that
Cleveland beat out Washington to host the games.
Jerey Dutton, a long-time Logan Circle resident who won an age group medal
in the marathon, spoke highly of his Cleveland-Akron experience.
It was the best opening ceremony I have ever attended, said Dutton, who has
been to ve previous Gay and Out Games. The stadium was completely packed. It
gave you a strong sense of the whole LGBT community in Ohio uniting behind the
Games and being as welcoming as possible, he said. Dutton, who has run more
than 100 road races, was impressed by the attention to detail of the marathon
organisers. It was the rst time, for example, he saw volunteers wearing badges
indicating if they were holding out cups of water or Gatorade. Many of the events,
including the marathon, were held in Akron, an hours drive from Cleveland.
The Games were visible. Clevelands iconic Tower Terminal was oodlit in
rainbow colors at night and local bars and restaurants were festooned with
rainbow ags and welcome signs. Starbucks even outtted their sta in black
T-shirts emblazoned with a rainbow-colored coee cup. Weather was a factor.
Heavy rain early in the week caused some events to be postponed, which was
irksome for participants trying to plan their event schedules. On the positive
side, the unseasonably cool temperatures it was in the 50s some mornings
proved a boon for outdoor athletes like distance runners.
Overall, it was a positive experience. I would go to the next Gay Games in
Paris in 2018, said Powers. For him, the weeks highlight was the video message
that President Obama delivered for the opening ceremony. It was a very nice
and emotional moment, he said, especially when you think how gay marriage
has been used as a weapon against us in past elections.
Many athletes cited President Obamas welcome video message as a highlight of this
months Gay Games.
Following is a list of the medal
winners from the D.C. area:
SWIMMING
Lindsey Warren-Shriner 5 Gold
Eric Grasha Gold, 3 Bronze
Jay Calhoun 3 Gold, 4 Silver, Bronze
Lucas Amodio 7 Gold, Silver
Darek Sady 4 Gold, 2 Silver, Bronze
Neill Williams 8 Gold
Geoff Heuchling 3 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze
Mark Remaly 2 Gold, 3 Silver
Brendan Roddy 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
WonKee Moon 2 Gold, 3 Bronze
Eric Czander 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
Fred Dever 3 Gold, 3 Silver
Dawson Nash 6 Gold, 1 Bronze
Kyle Butts Gold
Matt Kinney 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze
Tom Qualey Gold, 2 Silver, Bronze
Sam Smedinghoff Gold, 2 Silver, Bronze
Brendan Garvin Bronze
Rob Jeter Silver, Bronze
Kei Koizumi Bronze
Craig Franz 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
Kevin Majoros 2 Gold, Bronze
Kevin Donlon Gold, Bronze
Open Water Swimming
Brendan Garvin Silver
Jay Calhoun Gold
Kevin Majoros Gold
Kevin Donlon Gold
Kei Koizumi Bronze
Craig Franz Gold
Dawson Nash - Silver
ROWING
Bach Polakowski 2 Gold, Silver, Bronze
Kirk Lang Gold
Leeds Nudd Gold
Gretchen OSullivan Gold, Silver, Bronze
Brian Fisher Silver, Bronze
Paul Heaton Gold, Silver, Bronze
Simon Muller 2 Gold, Bronze
Christian San Jose Gold, Bronze
Jeff Sims Gold, Silver, Bronze
Berin Szoka Gold, Bronze
Steve Lovett Bronze
Leigh Cover Silver, Bronze
Erini Anthopoulos Silver
Kendra Hunt Gold, Silver
Kendall Hillier Gold, Silver
Adrianna Riccio Gold, Silver
Brendon Burns Gold
Jarrod Shirk Gold
Steve OBanion Gold
Tony Liao - Gold
Jeff Morrison 2 Gold
Anthony Wisniewski Silver
Marvin Bowser Silver
Rick Ramsey Silver
Paolo De Matthaeis Silver
SAILING
Ward Morrison Silver
Eric Bolda Silver
Mark Hertzendorf Silver
Phil Gross - Silver
TENNIS
Robbie Cao - Gold, Silver
Tommy Lodge Gold
Jonathan OBrien Gold
Matt Feinberg Silver, Bronze
TJ Horwood Bronze
Harrison Nguyen Gold
Kurt Powers Gold
Quang Nguyen 2 Silvers
Brian Langdon Silver
Stephen Ford Bronze
Gorman Leung - Gold
SOCCER
Sami Holtz Silver
Sandra Villalobos Silver
Amanda Hackett Silver
Megan Kane Silver
Cara Mauldin Silver
VOLLEYBALL
Kent Hansen Silver
Mike Snyder Silver
Steve Post Silver
Adam Bocek Silver
Jason Tolton Silver
Alex Benjamin Silver
Jason Wiggins Silver
Kevin Galens Silver
Jack Fleming Silver
BASKETBALL
Gerard Burley Silver
TRACK & FIELD
Chris Coates Silver, 6 Bronze
FIGURE SKATING
Jay Walton Gold
GOLF
Skip Perry 2 Gold
Marty Ashley Silver
ROCK CLIMBING
Bryan Yamasaki Gold, Silver
Ben Smith - Bronze
ROAD RUNNING
Brian Beary 2 Gold
Jeff Dutton Bronze
Tom Boeke Silver
CYCLING
Marni Harker 5 Gold
Ann Steiger Gold, 4 Silver
Chuck Harney 4 Gold
Bryan Frank - 2 Gold
RACQUETBALL
Roy Hare 3 Silver
SQUASH
John Guzman Bronze
BOWLING
CC Ford Gold, Bronze
Wei Huey Gold
Vince Sacro Bronze
TRIATHLON
Cyrus Thompson Bronze
Cynthia Johnson Bronze
Bryan Frank Gold
Jeremy Stillman Bronze
Stacy Vasquez Silver
Leslie Hill Silver
Darin Slade Bronze
Christopher Vaughn Gold
Hunter Gaiotti - Gold
Compiled by KEVIN MAJOROS
PRESENTING
SPONSOR
BNY Mellon Wealth
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THE LOVE DREAMRETURN TO XANADU
Sister city eort,
fundraisers enable two
athletes to aord U.S. visit
By KEVIN MAJOROS
The Federation of Gay Games (FGG)
hosts its annual meetings in countries all
over the world, and in 2012 the meeting
was in Bulgaria. Les Johnson, vice
president of membership for the FGG
and a Team DC board member attended
that meeting two years ago and took
advantage of the situation to pursue a
Team DC goal.
At that time, Team DC was interested
in forging a sister city relationship with
a foreign city, says Johnson. Because
of the Cold War mentality we were
interested in partnering with Moscow,
but really any city was an option.At that
meeting in Bulgaria, we put feelers out to
multiple cities hoping to nd the one that
was a good t for us.
Because of the LGBT propaganda laws
that became international headlines at
the end of 2013, Team DC once again
began looking at the possibility of some
kind of relationship with Moscow. In
December of 2013, Konstantin Yablotskiy,
co-chair of the Russian LGBT Sport
Federation was in Washington D.C.
speaking about LGBT rights. The Team
DC Christmas Party became a fundraiser
to support the LGBT sporting event, the
Open Games, which were to be held in
Russia between the Sochi Olympics and
the Sochi Paralympics. Team DC raised
$2,000 that night, which was contributed
to the Open Games.
It then became Team DCs goal
to sponsor two Russian athletes
to compete in the 2014 Cleveland/
Akron Gay Games. The FGG maintains
a scholarship program that awards
athletes who are unable to fund
their travel to compete at the Gay
Games. For Team DC to raise the
$4,000 needed to sponsor two Russian
athletes, it partnered with Pride House
International, Human Rights Campaign
and the Gay and Lesbian International
Sports Association to host a virtual Pride
House, which was held on the night of
the opening ceremonies for the Sochi
Olympics at HRC headquarters.
The virtual Pride House was a success
and we were able to raise the funds
needed to sponsor two Russian athletes,
says Johnson. The FGG has guidelines
for their scholarship awards, which are
based on need and barriers, but because
we were contributing the money we were
able to designate the funds for one male
Russian and one female Russian.
The FGG scholarships are funded from
a variety of sources such as foundations
and individual contributions. Three
hundred forty athletes from around the
world, including 175 Russians, applied for
scholarships to the 2014 Gay Games. Last
week in Cleveland/Akron, recipients of
the awards from 13 countries competed
at their rst Gay Games.
To determine the recipients we use
a model that awards points in specic
categories, says Paul Oostenbrug, co-
chair of the FGG scholarship committee.
We target underrepresented countries
and award points for young, old, medical
conditions and to those experiencing
homophobia. The results are put into a
human development index to determine
the recipients.
The scholarship committee granted
awards to 60 athletes and the countries
represented were Croatia, Russia, South
Africa, Macedonia, Nepal, Sri Lanka,
China, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Brazil,
Slovenia, Philippines and Chile.
Twenty-one athletes from Russia
received the FGG scholarships, including
the two funded by Team DC. They
requested that the Blade not use their
last names. Margarita competed in
badminton and Slava competed in
volleyball. At the reception for all the
scholarship winners on the day of the
Gay Games opening ceremonies, there
were some language barriers but plenty
of smiles from everyone.
team dc helps russians
compete at gay games
KONSTANTIN YABLOTSKIY andELVINA YUVAKAEVA, co-chairs of the Russian LGBT Sports
Federation surrounding the Team DC-sponsored Russian athletes, MARGARITA and SLAVA.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY KEVIN MAJOROS
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ROBBIE LADD (left), whos straight and married to JEANIE BAKER LADD (third from left), plays
in the DC Gay Flag Football League. He says its the most organized intramural league hes
seen. (BRANDON WAGGONER, at right, is the DCGFFL commissioner.)
Finding fellowship in
addition to competition
By KEVIN MAJOROS
More than 30 years ago, in cities with
large gay populations, LGBT sports
teams and clubs began popping up. By
playing sports with members of their own
community, LGBT athletes were able to
compete in a safe space with no fear of
bullying or homophobia.
Over time, straight athletes began
participating in the LGBT sports
community.At rst, it was relatives of the
LGBT athletes showing up to compete at
events as a show of support; a mother, a
brother, a sister. About 10 years ago, a few
bold straight athletes began joining the
LGBT sports teams with no fears about
any suspicions or backlash from their
friends and family. Those people, such as
husband and wife John and Ellyn Vail of the
District of Columbia Aquatics Club became
the rst of a wave of straight sports allies.
Just in the past few years alone, the
number of straight people joining LGBT
teams and leagues is clearly noticeable.
Pick any one of the more than 30 LGBT
sports oered in the D.C. area and you
will nd straight players. The reasons for
joining are probably dierent for each
of them but it is safe to say that it is a
glimpse of things to come.
Robbie Ladd is active duty military and
he and his wife Jeanie Baker Ladd work as
Certied Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
He has always played organized sports in
civilian leagues and in the military. Earlier
this year, he was at a party and heard
about the DC Gay Flag Football League.
I went out for the spring season and was
drafted into the league and found it to be
the most organized intramural community
league I have ever competed in, says
Ladd. The players are down to earth and
show up ready to play ag football.
Ladd, along with his teammates, won
the spring season championships. He
was disappointed that he did not travel
to Pride Bowl in Chicago where the D.C.
players took the tournament title.
I thought I wasnt allowed to go
because I am straight, says Ladd.I found
out that I was welcome too late to join the
travel team in Chicago.
He did travel to Beach Bowl in Rehoboth
Beach this summer where he and his
teammates nished in second place.
I have been very impressed with the
incredible fellowship among the ag football
players, says Ladd. One of the players lost a
lot of his belongings in a house re this year
and all the players showed up with items to
help him get back on his feet.
Ladd and his wife are relocating to Fort
Lauderdale soon where he just might
look up the local LGBT ag football team.
Katie Lancos began playing water polo
in Montreal when she was 12 years old
and continued to play on her college
team at Notre Dame. Right after college,
she moved to D.C. and discovered the
Washington Wetskins.
I did a Google search and found about
four teams, but the Wetskins came up
rst in the search, says Lancos. One of
the frequently asked questions was: I am
straight. Can I still play?
Lancos joined the team and went on
to compete at the International Gay and
Lesbian Aquatic Championships when
they were held in D.C. and again last
year when they were held in Seattle.
Last week, she competed at her rst Gay
Games and was joined in the pool by her
brother Mike who is also straight.
My friends are pretty open and I have
never been challenged by anyone as to
why I compete on an LGBT-based team,
says Lancos.
According to Lancos, the Wetskins are a
very team-oriented group and she thrives
in that atmosphere.
The Wetskins are a wildly dierent
group of people who have formed a family
through the commonality of sports, says
Lancos. We all have a shared goal of
wanting to win, train and be better.
Kevin Donlon grew up in California and
played lacrosse at St. Marys College of
California. After college, he switched over
to U.S. Masters Swimming and began
competing in triathlons. In 2012, he went
with a friend to Darwin, Australia for
the Asia Pacic Outgames and last week
competed at his rst Gay Games.
My best friend is gay and I welcome
any opportunity to spend time and
compete with my friend, says Donlon.
Donlon trains in California and was
a popular addition to the District of
Columbia Aquatics Club contingent at
the Games. He says he found the LGBT
swimmers to be kind, welcoming, happy
and an easy group to integrate into.
People struck up conversations with me
more often than what I have experienced
at straight meets, says Donlon. And
for an unexpected added bonus, the
friendliness of the swimmers oered me
the opportunity to strike up conversations,
which is not something I usually do.
Donlon won a gold medal in open
water swimming and a gold and a bronze
medal at the pool.
An unexpected twist to the intermingling
of straight and LGBT athletes is that the ip
side of the trend is also happening. Gay
athletes are switching to straight leagues.
Kyle Suib started his rowing career
at the University of Delaware and still
wanting to compete beyond college, he
joined the DC Strokes Rowing Club. He
loved his time on the team and made
several new friends but realized his
competitive spark wasnt satised.
We were one unit in college and I just
couldnt identify as a gay rower, says
Suib. I live and die by the sport and I just
happen to be gay.
Suib decided to leave the Strokes and
had one of his college coaches give him the
needed recommendation to join Potomac
Boat Club rowing. He says his new
teammates dont focus on gay or straight.
Its all about the team. There are now four
gay men on the Potomac Boat Club team
and the four have been joined at Nellies
and Town by their straight teammates.
We are a family and now we are a
more diverse family, says Suib.
KEVIN DONLON has a gay best friend and
welcomes the opportunity to compete
against him in a gay swimming league.
more straight athletes
joining gay leagues
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DRH-A-14-261 SummerSavings_WBlade_9'75x11'5c_APPROVED.indd 1 8/6/14 2:37 PM
BRENDAN RODDY began coaching swimming at age 14 and currently coaches at an area high
school.
Building trust holds the
relationship together
By KEVIN MAJOROS
With the LGBT sports movement
receiving more national media
attention over the past several years,
there have been multiple headlines
about coaches coming out as gay to
their teams. Some of the names that
have made the news are high school
basketball coach Anthony Nicodemo
in Philadelphia and high school track
coach Micah Porter of Denver.
In the D.C. metro area, there are a
number of LGBT coaches who have
been instructing straight athletes for
years, even decades. When asked what
the obstacles have been for them, the
answers oer some surprises.
The relationship between a coach and
an athlete is a special one and often the
coach becomes a surrogate parent to the
athlete and a good friend to the athletes
family. The announcements of the above
mentioned coaches certainly prompted
many to wonder if the relationship
between a coach and an athlete is
dierent if a gay coach is instructing a
group of straight athletes.
Brendan Roddy began swimming
competitively at age 11 and continued
to do so through college at Salisbury
State University. As a 14-year-old he
became a junior swim coach forRockville
Montgomery Swim Club and then
coached at Salisbury State University
during grad school.
After returning to the area as a teacher
at Churchill High School, Roddy realized
he missed coaching and became the
swimming and diving coach at the high
school.
Parents that are with it caught on
quickly that I was gay, says Roddy. The
others gured it out eventually. The
kids would generally test the waters
with pronouns when asking about my
personal life. If they asked directly, I
would tell them.
Roddy says that his sexual orientation
rarely comes up in conversations with his
athletes or their parents and it has never
stood in the way of his coaching.
Building a level of trust and respect is
what holds the athlete/coach relationship
together, says Roddy. It is amazing how
much kids have evolved over the past
decade. The smiles on their faces are
what keeps me in it.
Je Nolt began his gure skating career
in New York and as it progressed, trained
in Pennsylvania and Delaware. In the early
1980s, he qualied for nationals as a pairs
team with his sister Susan. Following their
retirement from competitive skating, they
performed in the Ice Capades for two
years.
Nolt started coaching in Syracuse and
eventually his work brought him to the
Baltimore/Washington area. His students
range in age from six to 60.
The parents of my students trust who
I am and there is no fear of me being
gay, Nolt says. The bottom line is that
I get paid to teach people how to skate
choreographically and technically correct.
Kids can smell you a mile away; if you
are unprepared and have doubts about
yourself, the respect and trust will never
come.
He adds, I like being a mentor. It is
exciting to know that I can have an impact
on someones life and it is important for
me to give back what I have learned.
Sami Holtz grew up in Montgomery
County and began competing in
soccer and swimming at age eight. She
eventually changed over to softball and
took on rugby during her college years
at Johnson and Wales and Springeld
College. She also played full-contact
football in the Independent Womens
Football League.
She began coaching swimming in New
England, which led to a coaching position
in the Montgomery County Swim League
in 2007. She is now coaching swimming at
Forest Knolls and the Silver Spring YMCA.
In the community I work in, nobody
cares that I am gay, says Holtz. The only
discrimination I have encountered was
related to my religious beliefs.
Holtz says that one of her swimmers
has two moms and another teenage
swimmer recently came out as gay.
His mother thought it would be nice
if we connected at Capital Pride this past
June, Holtz says laughing.
Akil Patterson was a three-sport, all-
state athlete during his years at Frederick
High School and went on to play football
at the University of Maryland. He left the
Terps and played two years at California
University of Pennsylvania.
He later played for the United Indoor
Football League. After an Arena Football
tryout his weight ballooned to 380
pounds and he ended up back on the
University of Maryland campus where a
wrestling coach asked him to work with
their heavyweights.
He went on to become a coach with
the Terps wrestling program and the
Terrapin Wresting Club (TWC). The
TWC provides training and competitive
opportunities for the wrestling
community and for post-collegiate
wrestlers who have international
aspirations. They are an o cial
Regional Olympic Training Center of
USA Wrestling.
Patterson coaches athletes who range
in age from 13 to 22 and says that his
sexual orientation is also a non-issue.
I know that some people trash talk
me behind my back for being gay, but I
am not ashamed and I am not shy, says
Patterson. Anyone that knows me knows
that I am all about the athletes. I love my
kids.
Patterson has developed trusting and
respectful relationships with his athletes
and their families over the years. He has
been asked by parents to step in when
their children are not doing well in school.
I have an athlete whose father
is with the U.S. Marshals and he
volunteered to speak at diversity
training for the Marshals, says
Patterson. When he stepped up to
the microphone he simply stated; my
son loves his coach and my son looks
up to his coach .
Patterson adds, I believe that ones
sexuality transcends sports.
local gay coaches
find support from
students, parents
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How long have you been out and who
was the hardest person to tell?
I was one of those kids who never
really had to come out. My mother
always just knew.My mother and I are
very close and Ive been blessed with the
fact that shes so accepting. The hardest
people to tell were my grandparents. I
literally told them by sending them an
invite to my wedding and waiting for the
questions to follow.
Whos your LGBT hero?
Ellen DeGeneres. Shes butch and
adored by housewives everywhere. And
who doesnt love her dance moves?
Whats Washingtons best nightspot,

past or present?
Phase. I love that place. Its a small,
gritty, no-frills type of bar. My kind of
place.
Describe your dream wedding.

I had my dream wedding in 2010. We
had a small ceremony with close family
and friends and followed that with an
amazing party with extended family and
friends at the HRC Equality Center.
What non-LGBT issue are you most

passionate about?
Race relations in America. As the
percentage of minorities in America
increases, it blows my mind that racism
still exists. Its everywhere, albeit subtle,
its there. RIP Michael Brown.
What historical outcome would you

change?
September 11.
Whats been the most memorable pop

culture moment of your lifetime?
Michael Sam being drafted by the
Rams and kissing his boyfriend in
celebration. That was awesome.
On what do you insist?

Honesty at all times no matter the
situation.
What was your last Facebook post or

Tweet?
Hooked up my original Nintendo
from the 80s and played Mario Bros
Double Dribble is next.
If your life were a book, what would

the title be?
No Subtitles Needed
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you
do?
Nothing
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
Nothing
Whats your advice for LGBT
movement leaders?
Keep doing what youre doing.
Its important work, especially their
education eorts. Education bridges the
gap between acceptance, indierence
and ignorance.
What would you walk across hot coals

for?
My wife and my mother.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you
most?
Not all lesbians U-Haul. Some of us
enjoy the fun of dating as well as our
space.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
Imagine Me and You
Whats the most overrated social
custom?
Apologizing for everything, even if the
person apologizing had nothing to do
with it.Drives me crazy.
What trophy or prize do you most
covet?
My marriage certicate.
What do you wish youd known at 18?

Nothing is guaranteed and can be
taken away from you at any moment.
Live in the moment.
Why Washington?
D.C. is my gay bubble. I love the
community.
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Nikki Kasparek has been active in the D.C. Gay Flag Football League, which is
co-ed, for two years but she and several other players sensed an opportunity
to do something unprecedented.
The just-formed Washington Senators, an all-womens team, will compete
against 11 other teams in the Gay Bowl in Philadelphia in October.
Wed been trying to do this for a couple years but everything fell into place
this year, says Kasparek, a Woodbridge, Va., native whos been back in the
area for about seven years after a stint in Cincinnati. Im really excited to go
out and win. The odds are in our favor.
Despite the Leagues co-ed status, special all-male and all-female teams
have formed for the Bowl. The League is sending three male teams. All the
Senators women are LGBT except for one. Most of the Bowl teams are all
male or all female, though a few mostly male teams have some women
players in cities where there arent enough women to form their own team.
Kasparek played basketball in college and had four surgeries for injuries.
She enjoys ag football because it gives her the excitement of team play with
a lower potential for injury.
She works as a service manager in the construction industry in Lorton, Va.,
by day. She and her wife, Sara, have been married for three years. They live
in D.C.s Brookland neighborhood. Kasparek enjoys sports and reading in her
free time.
NIKKI KASPAREK
The Washington Senators ag football team captain
answers 20 gay questions
202.747.2077
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Dieting and working-out
at the same time?
Tis advice is for you
By STACY ADAMS, Owner of Fitness Together
Chances are, there have been times in your life when youve changed your diet and then you follwed-
up by changing your exercise habits, or vise-versa. However, youve probably never changed them
both at the same time. Finally youve decided to make the commitment to both your diet and exer-
cise in order to achieve long-term results.
Before you begin developing your strategy, here is some advice when dieting and exercising at the
same time. before you get started, beware, following these tips may help you achieve the results
youve always desired!
DO DONT
Fuel Your Activity Strategically Cut Carbs or Calories Signifcantly
Eat Carbohydrates Try to Out-train a Bad Diet
Take a Day O to Recover Just Do Cardio
Focus on Resistance Training First Skip Meals
Hire a Professional Focus Solely on Calories
DO FUEL YOUR ACTIVITY STRATEGICALLY
Develop a plan that works for your lifestyle and nutritional needs.
Set up an eating schedulethat incorporates small, frequent meals
every two to four hours. Your strategy will depend on your indi-
vidual goals (fat loss, muscle gain, performance enhancement, etc).
Generally speaking, each meal would include a balance of lean
proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats through the day.
Most importantly, pre- and post-workout meals should always con-
tain a lean protein and carbohydrate combination, with little to no
fat. Tink of things that your body can process easily and utilize
quickly to fuel your workouts.
DO EAT CARBOHYDRATES
Yes, eat carbs! Carbohydrates are considered our brain and body fuel.
Without carbohydrates, our bodies lack glycogen, which is stored in
our muscles to fuel activity. Without glycogen, your body will manu-
facture its own glucose by converting protein to fuel your activity
through a process called gluconeogenesis. In turn, you will begin to
lose muscle tissue and worst of all, slow down your metabolic rate.
DO TAKE A DAY OFF TO RECOVER
Staying committed to your exercise and diet is important; however,
it is also extremely important to allow your body to recover. Recov-
ery is ofen the missing component in a proper exercise routine.
Sleep and days o from the gym are when the real results happen.
Working out breaks down muscle tissue, creating micro-tears in
the muscles. Rest allows your body time to repair and rebuild the
muscle fbers. Without rest, your body will continue to break down
muscle tissue and never rebuild, resulting in a loss of muscle tissue
(catabolism). Pushing through another workout when your body is
under a state of stress and fatigue will continue to put stress on your
adrenal glands, causing them to continuously overproduce cortisol.
Te quicker your cortisol levels decrease afer a workout, the better
results you will see and the better you will feel!
DO FOCUS ON RESISTANCE TRAINING FIRST
Resistance training is the secret sauce to long-term results. Resis-
tance training builds muscle tissue, which keeps your body strong,
supports your joints and ligaments and increases your metabolic
rate. As we age, we naturally lose muscle tissue. As muscle tissue
decreases, your bodys metabolic rate decreases as well. On average,
for every pound of muscle you lose, your body burns 50 less calo-
ries. Adversely, for every pound of muscle you gain, your body will
burn 50 more calories! Maintaining muscle tissue can be achieved
with as little as two days of structured resistance training. Tis is
easily one of the simplest things you can do to help maintain your
results long term.
DO HIRE A PROFESSIONAL
Consider hiring a professional to develop a customized resistance train-
ing and nutrition plan, specifcally designed for you Everyones body,
goals andabilities are dierent. Investing ina personal trainer andnutri-
tioncoachis aninvestment that will helpyounot onlyachieve your goals
safely, but also help you sustain your results for a lifetime.
DO NOT CUT CARBS OR CALORIES SIGNIFICANTLY
Cutting your carb and/or caloric intake below your BMR (or Basal
Metabolic Rate, the rate of which the body uses energy while at rest
to keep vital functions going) can not only be dangerous, but will
set your body up for a long-term struggle with maintaining your
weight loss. If your body does not receive adequate fuel, eventually
your metabolism will slow down and start to converse energy. In
addition, the weight that you lose is ofen a result of muscle tis-
sue and water weight loss rather than fat loss. If youre looking to
maintain your results, the last thing you want to do is lose muscle
and slow down your metabolic rate.
DO NOT TRY TO OUTTRAIN A BAD DIET
Regardless of how many calories you burn in a workout, your body
does not selectively target bad food to utilize for immediate en-
ergy. Your body will use what is readily available and easy to utilize.
Tat brownie sitting in your gut does not automatically get used as
fuel once you consume it. Remember, the glycogen stores in your
muscles are the frst to be utilized for energy and that brownie is
loaded with fat and sugar, which is dif cult for your body to digest
and utilize.
DO NOT JUST DO CARDIO
Many exercisers engage in cardio as their primary form of exercise,
thinking that cardio is the key to their fat loss goals. Cardio, which
is a shortened term for cardiovascular activity, conditions your
heart and burns calories. However, it does not build muscle. In fact,
if your cardio activity is not properly fueled, cardio can actually
work against your fat loss goals. If your energy output exceeds your
energy input, your bodys metabolic rate will slow down to accli-
mate to this higher demand in energy and it will begin to conserve
energy (calories). Your exercise and diet should make your body a
fat-burning machine rather than a fat-conversing machine.
DO NOT SKIP MEALS
Skipping meals is a sure-fre way to slow down your metabolic rate.
Ofentimes, dieters think that feeling hungry while dieting is a bad
thing and that not being hungry at all is a good thing. On the con-
trary, the feeling of hunger is a good sign of a healthy metabolism.
When your body is getting what it needs, every few hours, you will
begin to get a true sense of what the feeling of being hungry truly
means, rather than going from a feeling of famished to overstued.
With a strategic meal plan using a combination of protein, carb hy-
drates and fats, your blood sugar levels will stabilize all day and will
only dip slightly every few hours, when its time to refuel. Ofen-
times, dieters skip meals trying to cut calories. When food is fnally
consumed, many dieters ofen lose control of their fullness gauge
and hunger level, resulting in binge eating later in the day or afer a
couple days of strict dieting. Teir blood sugar level spikes rapidly
upon consumption of food and drops equally as rapidly, ofen caus-
ing the dieter to binge and feel out of control.
DO NOT FOCUS SOLELY ON CALORIES
At the end of the day, your total caloric intake is important for en-
ergy balance. However, to achieve a lean, healthy body, the type of
calories that you consume is even more important. Focus on eating
clean, unprocessed, wholesome food. Make sure your diet includes
lean proteins, complex carbohydrates (grains, fruits, vegetables),
and healthy fats. If you focus more on eating a clean, balanced diet,
you may be surprised how much easier it is to stick with your pro-
gram, how much more energy you have, and how much easier it is
to achieve your goals!
SUMMARY
Now its time to take these top 10 dos/donts and develop your strategy for success! When you fnd yourself
falling o your plan or frustrated with your results, remind yourself of these 10 key points. Re-focus and keep
moving forward. Deviations from your plan will happen; however, one bad meal or bad day will not derail
you. It is the continuous meals or days of deviations that will hold you back. Remember, maintaining your
health and ftness requires a long-term solution, not a short-term fx to a permanent problem. Forget the
quick fx gimmicks and focus on the permanent solution!
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe
on the importance of
coming out
By JUSTIN PELIGRI
Coming out is something Megan
Rapinoe hasnt regretted for a minute.
The professional soccer player and
Olympic gold medalist announced to
the world that shes gay shortly before
the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Shed been out to her family and team
members for years, but decided to come
out publicly after a yearlong thought
process because concealing a central
part of her identity seemed weird and
not authentic.
It started to feel like something
was being omitted purposefully from
my life and my public image, says
Rapinoe, a midfielder for Seattle
Reign FC in the National Womens
Soccer League, who prides herself
on being open with her personal
life. Before coming out, she hated
dodging questions about what it was
like to have a large LGBT fan base by
providing impersonal answers like
Well, yeah, we need diversity in the
sport.
For me to not be able to say Im gay,
and thats why it means a lot to me to have
my community supporting our team,
that didnt feel right to me, Rapinoe, the
29-year-old guest editor of this sports
edition, says.
It is important for professional athletes
to come out as gay, Rapinoe says, not
only for themselves, but because it helps
LGBT fans realize they have someone to
identify with on the eld or the court. She
lauds Michael Sams high-prole coming
out earlier this year, a move that she calls
courageous.
Im sure there are plenty of gay men
and women out there who love football
but maybe didnt always feel welcome,
she says. Now they can go support
one of their own. I think thats really
special.
But Rapinoe admits that for men,
sports are still hetero-dominated, and
being honest about sexual orientation
is difficult. That toxic climate wont
change, she says, until homophobia
in sports is finally considered
unacceptable.
The fact that were even still having
this conversation about, Is Michael Sam
gonna be good for the locker room? is
absurd to me. In 2014 there are incredibly
larger problems people should really
worry about, she says. If nobody ever
comes out, then I dont think that any of
these issues were ghting for ever get
solved or become better.
Rapinoe has enjoyed considerable
time in the limelight as a top player
for the Womens National Team at the
2011 Womens World Cup and the 2012
Olympics. Theres more work to do, she
says, before womens sports earn the
same level of visibility as mens.
Shes been particularly vocal about
FIFAs decision to permit Canada to use
mostly turf elds for the upcoming 2015
Womens World Cup, quoted in SB Nation
as calling the decision a slap in the face
to womens football.
Going forward, she hopes to see more
funding and exposure for womens sports.
But shes proud of steps that have already
been made by ESPN, for example, which
stuck their neck out on broadcasting
womens soccer despite skepticism about
whether it would be popular. (It was,
Rapinoe points out.)
Men s sports is ingrained in
the culture of the country, she
says. They are multi-billion dollar
industries and it s already in the
media. But women s teams still need
that initial funding and willingness to
hedge your bets that it s going to be
something that s popular.
In recent years, Rapinoe has
emerged not only as a star player but
also as an activist through groups
like the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network (GLSEN) and
its Change the Game campaign,
geared toward preventing anti-
LGBT bullying in sports and physical
education programs.
Growing up, Rapinoe never had role
models of her own because fewer women
in sports were openly gay. For her, being
someone others look up to is an honor,
not a burden.
I dont feel like just because Im a
soccer player and Im out I have to be
a role model. Its something that really
means a lot to me, she says, recalling
countless times where shes connected
with fans expressing their gratitude for
being out and proud.
Its an amazing feeling, she says. It
just rea rms over and over how right I
was to come out and say, This is who I am
and Im totally fucking proud of it.
And despite potential blowback, she
makes her advice clear for closeted
LGBT athletes contemplating coming
out: Do it.
Its one of the best decisions I ever
made in my life. You rarely nd when a
person comes out that they regret it, she
says. Being true to yourself is a really
beautiful thing.
being true to yourself
is a beautiful thing
MEGAN RAPINOE says women athletes have led the way for being out in sports.
BILLY BEAN is Ambassador for Inclusion for
Major League Baseball.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BEAN
Billy Bean on his new role
as sports Ambassador for
Inclusion
By CHRIS JOHNSON
Billy Bean has a goal in his new job
as Ambassador for Inclusion at Major
League Baseball: Make the league an
accepting environment for any openly gay
player who may come out of the closet.
Baseball has a great history of social
responsibility and understanding that
indeed there are players who are playing
in the major leagues without disclosing
their private life, and theyve made that
choice, Bean said. But were going to at
least let them know as well as every other
player that if and when that time comes,
then theyre ready to have a support
group behind them.
The former Padres outelder
who came out as gay in 1999 after his
retirement became a high-prole
gure in the gay rights movement upon
disclosing his sexual orientation.
Bean, 50, was named in July as the
leagues rst Ambassador for Inclusion
and talked about his new position in an
interview with the Washington Blade.
In addition to ensuring the environment
within the league is accepting of an openly
gay player, Bean is set to undertake
community outreach to encourage LGBT
people to consider a career within the
league. Just last week, Bean participated
in a tour of Hetrick-Martin Institute - a
New York-based social services agency
dedicated to helping at-risk LGBT youth
- to get them excited about potential
careers in the league.
But Bean doesnt envision his role as
being solely aimed at enabling a gay player
to feel comfortable about coming out. Its
also geared toward demonstrating for
other players the potential for playing
with an openly gay teammate.
Were trying to nd the way that works
best with their timeline, so that players are
not going to feel like this is a burden on
them, but a way to create opportunities
for education, create opportunities for
them to be role models, to be heroes to
their fans, Bean said.
Bean may have help in fostering this
new atmosphere now that the league
has chosen a new commissioner, Rob
Manfred, whos currently serving as
Major League Baseballs chief operating
o cer. Known as an LGBT ally, Manfred
has worked to form a strategic alliance
with Athlete Ally.
When the time comes for a baseball
player to come out of the closet, Bean
said he absolutely believes Manfred
would be supportive. Bean said he had a
conversation about his role with Manfred
upon meeting him two months ago.
He seems elated that the
commissioners o ce is putting time
and eort, and resources, into creating
an environment that is going to let the
players know, the coaches know, the
management, the front o ce personnel,
the league is supportive of everyone,
Bean said.
Two major American sports made
headlines this year for accepting openly
gay players into their ranks. In February,
Jason Collins signed with the Brooklyn
Nets, becoming the rst openly gay player
in the National Basketball Association. In
May, the St. Louis Rams drafted Michael
Sam as a defensive end, making him the
rst openly gay player in the National
Football League.
But no openly gay person has played
for Major League Baseball. Bean came
out after retirement, and Glenn Burke,
who played for the Dodgers and Athletics
in the 1970s, came out formally in 1982
after he stopped playing baseball,
although he was reportedly open about
his sexual orientation to teammates,
managers and sportswriters.
Bean said he couldnt make a prediction
on when baseball would boast an openly
gay player, but acknowledges the chances
are better given the positive experiences
in other sports.
Im not banking on the decision of
one player or two players to make it
look like Im doing my job, Bean said. I
think I need to do my job in and around
all of the players and then when that day
comes I can lay my head on my pillow and
know that hes going to have the same
workplace environment and succeed just
the way he has before.
Bean said its logical to assume that
a player would come out in a major
metropolitan area such as New
York City or D.C. as opposed to a
conservative area in the South, where
he said gay people often dont come out
until later in life.
Some observers have suggested that
a player has yet to come out in baseball
because so many of them are from
religious and conservative areas, like the
Caribbean and the Deep South.
You look at the percentage of Latin
American players, and also, many players
are supporting more than just their
immediate family, Bean said. Theres
responsibility because some of them are
making lots of money.
That environment, Bean said, is but
one factor a player may consider when
deciding whether to come out and the
decision is just an individual situation
where everything lines up and the player
feels safe.
The leagues non-discrimination
policy was amended to include sexual
orientation in 2011 and bolstered last
year by being distributed as a code of
conduct to every major and minor league
player.
One reason Bean said baseball has yet
to see an openly gay player is because
players in that sport, unlike in football,
generally have to rise through the ranks
in the minor leagues before signing a
contract with the majors.
Theres an interesting dynamic for a
young player in those two sports where
they jump right into the big leagues and
highest level of competition, Bean said.
In baseball, that doesnt always work that
way, it takes a long time to get there, and
it takes about ve or six years of being in
the big leagues before you have leverage
to make a living.
Collins was cheered when he took to
the court for the rst time after coming
out, and all eyes will be on Sam this fall
when he takes the eld. Bean, who said
he personally knows Sam, said the best
advice he can oer the player is to remain
focused on his game and to maintain his
health.
He has a huge network of support, the
problem is we cant play for him, Bean
said. And its up to him to keep all those
things that are possibly distracting him to
a minimum, and just focus. Because, of
course, there are going to be people who
want him to fail so they can live in those
antiquated stereotypes, but whether he
succeeds or fails, whether he wins the
Super Bowl with the Rams or plays one
game, he is one of the bravest people Ive
ever met in my life.
Asked how he thinks the fans of the
opposing team will react to Sam in the
stadium, Bean acknowledged that its the
inherent nature of all sports that those
people will be predisposed to disliking him.
In the end, Bean said the decisions for
Collins and Sam to come out as gay will
make it easier for someone in baseball to
make the same choice and the trend
will only continue.
There needs to be some kind of
compassion and understanding for why
someone hasnt made that choice yet,
but like I said, Im going to try to make
it a better environment each and every
day so that choice is easier for the rst
guy, Bean said. And if the rst guys
experience is good, that will make the
second one twice as easy.
when will a gay
major league baseball
player come out?
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a detectable viral load to participate in clinical
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Financial compensation is provided.
To volunteer, call 1-866-833-LIFE (toll-free) or TTY
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feaTuring shea van horn
900 U Street NW Washington, DC
Gay NBA player continues
to inspire others
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins was
at an event in D.C. in June when someone
approached him and said his story as the
rst openly gay man to actively play for
a major professional sports team helped
him repair his relationship with his mother.
Ive heard other stories along those same
lines, Collins told the Washington Blade last
month during an interview. Its just really
great to see when you have an impact.
Collins said his life is exponentially
better since he came out in a Sports
Illustrated op-ed in April 2013.
The California native who briey played
for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before
coming out has taken part in a U.N. panel
on homophobia and transphobia in sports,
marched in Bostons annual LGBT Pride
parade and spoken to the Point Foundation
and other advocacy groups. Collins has
also appeared in a campaign against
homophobia in soccer that YouTube
broadcast during the 2014 World Cup.
President Obama in April appointed
Collins to the Presidents Council on
Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
There are a lot of dierent avenues we
can use to tackle homophobia and really
stress the importance of inclusion and
diversity in sport, Collins told the Blade.
Collins, 35, in February became the rst
openly gay man to play in a game for a major
American professional sports league when
he played 11 minutes during a Nets game
against the Los Angeles Lakers. He wears
jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew
Shepard, a gay college student murdered
outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins received a standing ovation from
the fans inside the Barclays Center when he
took the court during his rst playo game.
The atmosphere was incredible, he told
the Blade. Even my rst game back during
the regular season when I entered the game
and getting a standing ovation from the
crowd in Brooklyn is something that I will
never forget. This amazing moment shows
the character of the fans in Brooklyn.
Collins further noted the 1969
Stonewall riots that became a watershed
moment in the modern LGBT rights
movement took place in New York.
This is where the Stonewall riots
happened, he told the Blade. Flash forward
to when I entered a game and got a standing
ovation when I took the court for my team.
As a society were on the right path.
A number of other athletes have come
out since Collins publicly disclosed his
sexual orientation.
St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael
Sam, who made his debut with the team on
Aug. 8 during a preseason game with the
New Orleans Saints, in February came out
as gay during a series of interviews with the
New York Times and ESPN.
Collins is among those with whom Sam
spoke before coming out.
The Nets center told the Blade he was
very proud of the acceptance speech the
former University of Missouri defensive
end gave when he accepted an award
during ESPNs annual ESPY Awards that
took place in Los Angeles last month.
I continue to tell him just how proud of him
I am, said Collins, noting he met Sams partner
and his parents at the ESPY Awards. Its really
cool to see how everything is progressing.
jason collins: life
exponentially
better since
coming out
30 AUGUST 22, 2014 WASHI NGTONBLADE. COM 30 AUGUST 22, 2014 WASHI NGTONBLADE. COM
JASON COLLINS took the court for the Nets this year, making it to the playos.
Out player causing buzz
beyond usual football circles
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
With the football pre-season in full
swing, many eyes are on Michael Sam,
the defensive end for the St. Louis Rams
who in February became the rst out gay
player to be drafted by the NFL.
Though the Rams have lost their rst two
pre-season games (they face the Cleveland
Browns Saturday), buzz is strong for their
prospects this year. ESPN analysts said they
could emerge as a sleeper for the NFC West
this year, theyre primed to explode and this
fall is, in an ironic choice of words, looking very
much like their coming-out party. Their rst
regular season game is Sept. 7 when they play
the Minnesota Vikings at Edward Jones Dome
in St. Louis at noon. It will be televised on Fox.
With Sam in the mix, the team is
garnering attention beyond the usual
sphere of fans. Almost everyone agrees,
regardless of how Sam or the Rams do
this year, his presence is a big deal.
Bruce Hobson, a St. Louis attorney and
Rams fan, says the February news resonated
strongly with him since he, like Sam, competed
for the University of Missouri (Hobson swam).
I was just sort of shocked, said
Hobson, whos gay. I remember I was in
the airport waiting for a connecting ight
and watching the ESPN alert on my iPad
and I was like, Oh wait a minute, thats
the guy from University of Missouri. I
thought this was really cool that he would
do that. I had played for University of
Missouri in scholarship. I was not really
out but not really in either, so it had even
more of a resonance for me having been
a University of Missouri gay athlete.
Hobson said buzz about Sam has been
strong in St. Louis and that although
the Cardinals dominate the local sports
discussion there, Sams presence is high
in the public consciousness.
There was lots of, Oh, isnt this
wonderful, and people talking who
dont have much interest in football
suddenly were interested, he said.
A.J. Bockelman, executive director of
PROMO, Missouris statewide LGBT rights
group, agreed.
Theres an incredible amount of buzz
coalescing around the idea that St. Louis
has its rst gay celebrity in Michael Sam,
Bockelman said. When he made his
debut in a practice game, it was very well
received and from what I understand,
whenever he walked on the eld, the
entire crowd shouted his name so I think
what that shows is that for St. Louis, were
ready for someone like Michael Sam to be
on the stage and probably bring a lot more
attention. Its a lot dierent than if hed
been picked up by, say New York or Los
Angeles. Lots of people think of Missouri
as just some place you y over, and this
will help us break down that perception.
Matt Berger, a crisis communications
consultant and football fan who lives in
Washington, said Sams coming out is historic.
It just felt to me like a tougher barrier
than a lot of other sports, said Berger, whos
gay. It felt more signicant to me than Jason
Collins and thats what I liked about it. Here
was this guy who wasnt just an ancillary
player. He was a star. He had played on a
major team, he had won defensive MVP
honors. It wasnt just a guy on the sidelines.
This was somebody people could really look
up to and that made a big dierence for me.
Hobson said the nature of football as a team
sport adds to the magnitude of the moment.
Its a culture that can be very tough,
he said. Not just the physical nature of
the sport but with the ostracization factor
that can occur. Its not like swimming
where you only have to rely on yourself.
You might get tackled harder, you could
be seen as the weak link on the team
and they could make your life hell. You
might pay a price and Im sure there are
many who would say its not worth the
risk. Thats why this is so important and
a much bigger deal than, say, a womens
basketball player or somebody who
comes out at the end of their career. Its
easy to say, Oh, Im gay, on your way out
the door when youre already established.
But to do this when theres still so much
at stake in your career, when nothings a
done deal, thats why its so historic.
WASHI NGTONBLADE. COM AUGUST 22, 2014 31 WASHI NGTONBLADE. COM AUGUST 22, 2014 31
MICHAEL SAM was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in February. The teams regular season starts
Sept. 7.
PHOTO BY MARCUS QWERTYUS; COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
LEAGUE OF WOMEN BOWLERS
NEW LOCATION!
Potomac Lanes/Join Base Anacostia-Bolling
Washington, DC Sundays, 4:30 p.m.
Women only, 3-person teams, 8 teams
League meeting: August 10, 4:30 p.m.
Season begins: August 17
Season ends: March 22, 2015
Contact: Julia at jj3394@aim.com

METRO ROLLERS Duo teams in DC!
Potomac Lanes/Join Base Anacostia-Bolling
Washington, DC Sundays, 5 p.m.
Mixed teams, 2-person teams/10 teams
League meeting: August 17, 3:30 p.m.
Season begins: August 17
Season ends: April 5, 2015
Contact: Stephanie at smoniow@aol.com

CARA SUNDAY NIGHT MIXED
One of CARAs biggest leagues with a great
variety of bowlers at all skill levels!
Bowl America Shirley
Alexandria, VA Sundays, 6 p.m.
League meeting: September 7 at 5 p.m.
Season begins: September 7 at 6 p.m.
Season ends: May 2015
Contact: Walt at wreichenbachjr@cox.net

TEN-PIN PRIDE
A great "starter" league, very social in nature
AMF Annandale Lanes
Annandale, VA Mondays, 8 p.m.
League meeting: August 25 at 8 p.m.
Season ends: December 22 (Just 15 weeks long!)
Contact: Jay at tpp.secretary@gmail.com

CAPITOL AREA MATCH POINT
Bowl America Falls Church
Falls Church, VA Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.
Match-point (in addition to teams bowling
each other, each bowler bowls in direct com-
petition with a bowler on the opposite team)
Season begins: September 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Jef at campbowling@gmail.com
CENTREVILLE PRIDE
Bowl America Chantilly NEW LOCATION!
Chantilly, VA Tuesdays, 8 p.m. NEW NIGHT!
Season begins: September 2
Contact: Patrick at cvpridesecretary@gmail.com

PRIDE OF ALEXANDRIA
One of the largest gay leagues in the country!
AMF Annandale Lanes
Annandale, VA Wednesdays, 8 p.m.
Mixed teams, 4-person teams, 34 teams
Contact: Kim at prideofalexandria@gmail.com

WE ARE EVERYWHERE
AMF Annandale Lanes
Annandale, VA Thursdays, 7:45 p.m.
League has monthly theme nights and
giveaways!
Season begins: September 4 at 7:45 p.m.
Contact: Steve at arl.drummer@verizon.net

FREE STATE MIXED
Bethesda Naval Bowling Center (only league on
a Metro line and our only league in MD!)
Bethesda, MD Fridays, 8 p.m.
Contact: Mike at mbogumill@hotmail.com
Bring a full team to a
league and receive a
FREE coaching session!
Complete details available
at www.carabowling.org
FALL LEAGUES NOW FORMING!
9 GLBT bowling leagues for you to choose from!
PROOF #2 ISSUE DATE: 08.222.14 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: DERECK HARMON dharmon@washblade.com
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Oriental Cafe - 1636 R St NW
McDonalds - 1619 17th St NW
Subway - 1613 17th St NW
Pizza No 17 - 1523 17th St NW
Little Serow - 1511 17th St NW
Sushi Taro - 1503 17th St NW
Legendary Yankees catcher YOGI BERRA is
an Athlete Ally ambassador.
PHOTOBYMARTYNABORKOWSKI; COURTESYWIKIMEDIACOMMONS
Straight allies partnering
with LGBT groups to
combat discrimination
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
In a little-noticed development,
famed New York Yankees catcher Yogi
Berra agreed last year to become a
ceremonial ambassador for Athlete
Ally, an organization that partners with
big name sports gures to advocate
for full acceptance of LGBT athletes in
professional sports.
In addition to allowing Athlete Ally to
use his name in promoting LGBT equality,
the nationally acclaimed baseball Hall of
Famer embraced a proposal to include an
LGBT exhibit in the Yogi Berra Museum
and Learning Center located on the
campus of Montclair State University in
New Jersey.
Yogi is a wonderful example making
good choices, said David Kaplan,
executive director of the Berra Museum.
All of our programs and exhibits are
about fairness and respect. And our
involvement with Athlete Ally and
shedding some light on this cause was
just so consistent with our mission, he
said.
Berra declined an interview request,
due to health issues.
Athlete Ally is among at least a dozen
organizations that have either sprung
up or expanded their mission in the past
several years to take on the cause of
LGBT athletes in American sports, both
on the professional level and on the high
school and college level.
Sam Marchiano, Athlete Allys outreach
director, said Berra is one of 100
professional athlete ambassadors the
group has lined up to advocate on behalf
of LGBT equality. She said another 100
college athlete ambassadors have been
recruited.
Photos of many of them, including
Berra, are prominently featured on the
groups website along with the text of a
pledge that Athlete Ally asks all of its allies
to sign.
I pledge to lead my athletic community
to respect and welcome all persons,
regardless of their perceived or actual
sexual orientation, gender identity or
gender expression, the pledge says.
Beginning right now, I will do my part to
promote the best of athletics by making
all players feel respected on and o the
eld, it says.
Cyd Zeigler, co-founder and editor of
Out Sports, an online publication that
reports on LGBT people in sports, said
Athlete Ally is the only organization
that currently operates exclusively as a
straight ally group.
He noted that all the others, including
longtime existing groups like Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) and the National Center for
Lesbian Rights, have sports-related
programs that work with straight allies
but are focused mostly on LGBT athletes.
According to Zeigler, the growing
number of professional athletes that
have come out as gay or lesbian in recent
years has begun to change the focus of
what he calls the LGBT sports movement
from supportive allies to LGBT athletes
themselves.
I come from the perspective that
straight allies are fading very quickly into
the distance of this movement because
there are so many LGBT athletes and
LGBT people who are joining the sports
movement that straight allies just arent
needed anymore, he said.
David McFarland, executive director
of United for Equality in Sports and
Entertainment, and Wade Davis,
executive director of You Can Play
Project, two recently formed groups that
advocate for LGBT athletes, each agree
that the growing number of LGBT athletes
coming out publicly is an encouraging
development.
But the two also said the number of
LGBT athletes coming out is far less than
what it should be and that most LGBT
athletes on the high school, college and
professional level remain reluctant to
self-identify as LGBT.
While many of the most powerful
sports institutions have made great
strides to publicly support and embrace
LGBT equality such as the National
Football League, the National Basketball
Association, Major League Baseball, the
National Hockey League, etc., the truth
is that sexual orientation and gender
identity remain problematic for many of
these organizations within sports at all
levels, McFarland said.
Thats the reality, he said. If this were
not the case we would see hundreds if
not thousands of LGBT athletes on the
playing elds, said McFarland. And we
would see many more coaches and sports
administrators that felt safe enough to
come out without the risk of losing their
jobs.
Davis is gay and a former NFL player
who, among other teams, played for the
Washington Redskins. He said he knows
of a number of professional athletes in
several dierent sports that are out to
their teammates but are not out publicly.
Davis and McFarland said their
respective groups either currently
provide or plan to provide educational
resources, including training sessions,
for players and coaches to dispel myths
about LGBT people and lessen the fears
and underlying feelings that make it hard
for LGBT athletes to come out.
Another of the newer generation of
advocacy groups for LGBT athletes is Go!
Athletes, which consists of a nationwide
network of mostly LGBT student athletes
and their straight allies. With members in
cities throughout the country, the group,
which was founded in 2008, has been
spreading the word about LGBT athletes
and our experiences with coming out,
receiving support, ghting homophobia,
transphobia, racism, sexism, and other
anti-LGBT discrimination in the world
of athletics, a statement on the groups
website says.
The website says Georgetown
University student Craig Casey Jr., whos
gay and was elected as an Advisory
Neighborhood Commission member,
serves as a Go! Athletes Collegiate
Ambassador for Washington, D.C.
The group Br{ache the Silence also
works with LGBT student athletes in
its mission to shift the focus from
homophobia to inclusion, it says on its
website, freedomsounds.org.
Br{ache the Silence (BST) advances
LGBTQ inclusion in sports through
professional college campus integration
initiatives and public awareness
campaigns, a message on the website
says.
The New York-based Gay, Lesbian
& Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
advocates for LGBT youth in school
sports programs beginning in grades
K through 12 through its Changing the
Game Project. Among other things,
the project works with gym teachers
and school athletic programs to curtail
and eliminate anti-LGBT bias targeting
students.
What you see at the pro level really
starts in kindergarten and on the
playground in recess time, GLSEN o cial
Robert McGarry told the Blade in a past
interview. Weve been doing training
across the country with mostly high school
coaches and physical education teachers
who seem very receptive and anxious to
have this kind of training because its not
something they get in their preparation
and they dont know what to do.
GLAAD spokesperson Rich Ferraro
said GLAAD for several years now
has worked closely with major league
sports organizations to persuade them
to adopt internal non-discrimination
polices protecting LGBT athletes. Virtually
all of them have done so, including
Major League Baseball, the National
Football League, the National Basketball
Association and the National Hockey
League.
yogi berra lends name
to sports equality
movement
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Provi di ng an i ncl usi ve, l ow- cost, and hi gh
FUN sports ENVI RONMENT si nce 2010
w w w . s t o n e w a l l s p o r t s . o r g
PAT GRIFFIN, HELEN J. CARROLL and SUE RANKIN agree queer women in sports face unique
challenges that stem from societal ills.
PHOTOS COURTESY GRIFFIN, NCLR AND RANKIN & ASSOCIATES RESPECTIVELY
Pioneering women coaches
and researchers share
decades of insight
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
With Athlete Ally, the You Can Play
Project, GO! Athletes, Break the Silence
and dozens of others organizations and
even gay representation at last in the
NBA and NFL, its easy to think the era of
homophobia in sports is behind us. But
three LGBT women whove had long and
pioneering careers in the eld stress two
main points: one, it aint over yet and two,
even in the apparent victories, shades of
sexism and stereotypes remain.
Helen J. Carroll, a lesbian, was an
acclaimed national championship
basketball coach from the University of
North Carolina-Asheville before joining
the National Center for Lesbian Rights in
August 2001 to launch its Sports Project,
which works to eliminate discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender
identity in sports through advocacy,
outreach and litigation. The project works
on all levels of athletic competition to
ensure that LGBT athletes can compete
and participate open and equally.
After retiring as associate professor
of education from Pennsylvania State
University in 2013, Sue Rankin runs
the consulting rm Rankin & Associates
in which she does climate assessment
work for universities. Shes the author
of several LGBT books such as The
Lives of Transgender People, Campus
Climate for Sexual Minorities: a National
Perspective and Our Place on Campus:
LGBT Services and Programs in Higher
Education. For 17 years, Rankin, who
identies as queer, was head coach for
womens softball at Penn State.
Pat Gri n is the founding director
of Changing the Game, a GLSEN sports
project that focuses on K-12 school athletic
and physical education programs. Shes
professor emeritus in the Social Justice
Education Program at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst and former
director of the It Takes a Team! Education
Campaign for LGBT issues in Sport. Shes
a two-time Gay Games medalist and the
author of Strong Women, Deep Closets:
Lesbians and Homophobia in Sports.
If theres anybody in the country
qualied to discuss the nuances of LGBT
people in sports, its these three. During
lengthy and wide-ranging interviews last
week, they talked freely about the impact
of having out players like Michael Sam
(the St. Louis Rams) and Jason Collins (the
Brooklyn Nets), why out women are often
shortchanged by comparison and what
hurdles the country is still grappling with
on these fronts.
One thing weve realized in the Sports
Project is that we still have a large number
of people out there who are still being
discriminated against in individual cases
and certainly with transgender players,
Carroll says. Were doing a lot of work in
that area right now because youll often
see policies that are adopted against trans
players that are in eect for an entire
state. Thats going to continue if you dont
have a [National Center for Lesbian Rights]
that can back up people legally and work
with them pro bono. I cant tell you how
many times weve seen [coaches come
out] and get red on the spot.
Gri n says, so much change has
happened in the last ve years, it boggles
the mind Its very exciting, but were
certainly not home free.
Although in some ways she longs for
a day when an athlete coming out will
not be considered newsworthy, she also
laments the wildly disproportionate
amount of coverage Sam and Collins got
compared to, say, Brittney Griner, the
Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) center who
came out in 2013. She says the reasons
are multi-layered.
The piece I always pick up is that it has
so much to do with gender expectation
and how society reacts if nobody thinks
youre gay, Gri n says. If youre Michael
Sam, he could have gone in as a closeted
gay man and nobody would have said,
Oh, I wonder if hes gay, but if youre a
woman and an athlete, youre already
going against heterosexual orthodoxy
because youre sweaty, competitive,
strong, so youre breaking all those gender
expectations and people automatically
go, Oh, she must be a lesbian. Any
woman who exhibits strength and
leadership ask Hillary or any woman
who tells some guy shes not interested,
they go, Oh, you must be a lesbian. Its
reserved as a way to let women know
theyve stepped out of bounds and its
used very eectively to make women
have to apologize. It aects men a little
dierently because of sexism.
Variations of this phenomenon can also
be seen, Rankin argues, in the varying
reactions seen in the coming out of, say,
gure skating Olympic gold medalist Brian
Boitano, whose 2013 coming out at age 50
was seen as wildly overdue, versus still-
active players in other sports such as Sam.
Its again that sexism and heterosexism
coming into play, Rankin says. If youre
Brian Boitano in gure skating or even Greg
Louganis in diving, these are considered
gay sports so having a gay man in them is
not seen as a big deal. But in pro football or
pro basketball when you have gay players
its not really that theyre considered
more macho because all sports are
grueling but we see in those sports that
we traditionally assign to men, if you will or
what we think of as a man in our culture,
then that sends a dierent message.
The three women all say, based on
personal experience and their research,
that signicant numbers of lesbian
players on teams for which they played
and coached in years past, did provide
opportunities for community.
Upon moving to Massachusetts for
graduate school in the 70s, Gri n
noticed a community of lesbian friends
and a discovery process on the womens
swim team she coached. She says being
fully out at sports conferences as early as
1982 made her feel like a lone voice in the
wilderness and a pariah.
Id have women walk out of workshops
at conferences after 10 minutes because
they were just too scared to stay, she
says. Scared that if their administrator
knew they were seen at a session on
homophobia and sports, theyd lose their
jobs. Its amazing how uncomfortable it
was in those years.
Rankin, who coached softball at Penn
State until 1996, remembers a denite
underground within the athletic world
for lesbians, she says. If you played, you
were automatically pegged as being gay.
And Carroll who says basketball has
pretty much been my life, remembers
the wonderful experience she had
coaching many years in North Carolina
where a kind of dont ask, dont tell-type
policy took hold.
So if those kinds of experiences
at least for women were relatively
common, has homophobia in sports
really been that big of a problem?
This really gets into stereotypes,
Carroll says. Is it easier for lesbians in
sports than gay men? The answer is no,
its not easier, its just dierent. If its so
easy, why do we not have more women
coming out? Even if people on the
teams know, the women dont talk about
it in the media or do anything to help the
movement or help the situation. From
the outside, it may look like its this culture
where everybody knows, its not really a
big deal but again, its that combination of
sexism and homophobia at work.
Gri n argues that just because some
women may not have been castigated
for their perceived sexual orientations,
that phenomenon probably had a scary
downside for gay men.
If we really knew, there probably are
more lesbians playing pro sports than gay
men and Id say the reason for that is that
in some ways, when youre a little boy, you
get the femininity beaten out of you or the
gay, she says. Theres actually research to
back this up. Its less likely that you would
nd young gay men who have persevered
who identied themselves as gay early
on to get to the professional ranks. That
would be one way to explain that.
Regardless of the challenges that
remain, Carroll says the work she, Rankin
and Gri n are doing is pioneering and
important.
What Pat and Sue have really done is
theyve laid a groundwork for people who are
doing media articles and research to go back
and look at, she says. People in media are
always asking for statistics and asking, What
does this look like? What little has been done,
for years it was Pat and Sue who were doing
it and that was really important. Theyve
been working on this for decades to we have
people who really know the lay of the land
and how the attitudes have changed from
the 70s and 80s up until now. People often
say, Well, everythings changed in the last
ve years, and thats just not true. Its been
changing for the last four decades but just
reached a tipping point in the last ve years
where we started seeing some movement
really, really fast. That never would have
happened without all that work in the past.
game changers
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STEPHEN ALEXANDER played basketball
for two years at Stone Hill College before
stepping away from sports to transition.
Many thriving despite
obstacles to competing
By KEVIN MAJOROS
Over the past several years, many anti-
bullying programs have been established to
address the issues facing athletes who are
unable to compete because of discrimination.
In the LGBT community, transgender
athletes often face the biggest obstacles in
competing openly and being treated fairly.
In the past decade, non-discrimination
policies have begun to be established but
they are inconsistent and confusing.
There were no sports organizations with
guidelines regarding the participation of
transgender athletes until the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) developed the
Stockholm Consensus, which went into
eect at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Since that time, other sports governing
bodies such as the United States Golf
Association, the United States Soccer
Federation and USA Track & Field have
developed policies that use the IOC
standards as a guide.
Pat Gri n, founding director of Changing
the Game, has written many educational
guidelines for transgender inclusion in
sports and said, There is no uniformity
among the guidelines being established.
The NCAA policy is nationwide, but in high
schools the language varies by state.
For transgender athletes who have
stepped forward to compete, many face
a di cult road lled with rules, scrutiny
and harassment.
Garret Garborcauskas identies
as male and attends Smith College, a
womens liberal arts college where he
competes on the womens swim team.
Growing up, he played eld hockey,
basketball, lacrosse, cycling and softball.
A rugby injury led him to competitive
swimming and last year he competed at
the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics
Championships in Seattle.
If I begin the hormone injections
now, I will lose my NCAA eligibility, said
Garborcauskas. I love the camaraderie with
my teammates and belonging to a team. I
am entering my senior year and dont want
to miss out on being on the swim team.
He added that he has always been
athletic and being part of a team and
going to practice is calming when it feels
like the whole world is against him.
I dont know what sport I will compete
in after I transition, he said. If I am fully
recovered from my injury, I would really
like to get back to rugby.
Chris Mosier was athletic growing up
and played basketball, softball, volleyball
and basketball. In college, he played
recreational sports.
Sports were a big part of my youth
experience and character development,
said Mosier. Being an athlete actually
delayed my transition.
Before his transition, Mosier had begun
competing in running and triathlon
events and had completed the Chicago
Marathon and the New York Triathlon.
My times were getting better and I
kept saying to myself that I would train
for one more year before beginning the
injections, said Mosier. I was worried how
the transition would aect me in sports.
People were actually yelling at me during
races saying I was in the wrong category.
Mosier realized that it was more important
to align his identity and began the injections.
Two weeks later, he was competing as a
male and subsequently won his rst event
at the Staten Island Duathlon.
He is now a sponsored athlete and
a USA Triathlon coach and his ultimate
goal is to make the Team USA roster as a
triathlete. He won a silver medal last week
in his age group in the mens Olympic
length triathlon at the Gay Games.
I want to prove to myself and other
people that trans athletes can be
competitive, said Mosier.
Savannah Burton took a break from
sports during her transition and returned
to sports this year to train for the Canadian
Sculling Marathon in Ottawa where she
will compete in the 21K event on Aug. 24.
I played baseball and ice hockey
growing up and sports have always been
a big part of my life, said Burton.
Burton will be rowing in a quad sculls with
a coxswain and her team includes another
trans woman, Enza Anderson. They are
part of a pilot program of the Hanlon Boat
Club in Toronto to introduce members of
the trans community to the sport of rowing.
Burton and Andersons participation in
the event marks the rst time in Canadian
history that a trans-inclusive rowing team
will participate in a sanctioned regatta.
We are hoping to develop a youth
program to attract trans youth to the
sport of rowing and to encourage Row
Canada to reevaluate their rules on
transgender inclusion, said Burton. I
want to be a role model for trans youth.
Stephen Alexander lettered in ve sports
during high school and played basketball
for two years at Stone Hill College before
stepping away from sports to transition.
Playing sports took me away from
myself, said Alexander. It gave me a
heightened sense of focus and there was
a goal in front of me. You can see so many
things when you are competing; all of
your senses come into play.
Alexander is now a pitcher in a softball
league and has coached ve sports for
middle school and high school athletes.
He was recently at the Gay Games as
a panelist and spectator and went to
watch as many sports as he could. He
mentioned that the event may have
stoked his competitive res.
The greatest act in sports is passing
a ball, said Alexander. There is nothing
like setting someone up for success.
trans athletes face
harassment, confusing rules
and warranties.
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HUDSON TAYLOR, founder of Athlete Ally, said Michael Sam has inspired many collegiate athletes to come out.
Despite progress,
homophobia persists in
locker rooms
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
A number of collegiate athletes have
come out as gay in the months since
former University of Missouri defensive
end Michael Sam publicly declared his
sexual orientation.
Parker Camp, a member of the
University of Virginia swim team,
began coming out to his family and
friends earlier this year as he told
Outsports.com, an LGBT sports
website. He and four other teammates
held a handwritten sign that read 2
of us gay. The other 3 dont care as
part of an ad campaign promoting
diversity.
Derrick Gordon of the University of
Massachusetts in April became the rst
member of a NCAA Division 1 basketball
team to come out as gay. Connor
Mertens, a kicker for the Willamette
University football team in Oregon,
in June publicly acknowledged his
bisexuality.
Edward Chip Saran, a backup
senior oensive lineman for Arizona
State University, earlier this month
told Compete, a Phoenix-based sports
magazine, that he began coming out to
his teammates last year.
It was really personal to me, and it
beneted my peace of mind greatly, he
told Compete.
Hudson Taylor, founder of Athlete
Ally, a group that advocates for LGBT
athletes, told the Washington Blade
during a recent telephone interview he
feels Sam has inspired many collegiate
athletes.
[He] has walked in the shoes of
every closeted athlete and every
closeted athlete is walking in Michael
Sams shoes, he said. As Michael has
a successful career and has come out
without incident, I think it shows that
next generation of athletes that sport is
a welcoming environment for them to be
themselves.
Helen Carroll, director of the National
Center for Lesbian Rights Sports Project,
agreed.
They can see positive things happening
with those people, said Carroll. That can
even be just a college student coming
out, their coming out story and their
teammates accept them and their coach
is accepting.
Challenges remain for collegiate
athletes who are considering coming out.
Carroll said homophobic comments
in the locker room persist and may
deter collegiate athletes from publicly
disclosing their sexual orientation or
gender identity and expression. She
also referred to what she described as
old-school coaches who discourage
their players from coming out until
they graduate.
Theres still that out there in a lot of
places, Carroll told the Blade.
The case of former Penn State womens
basketball coach Rene Portland remains
among the most high-prole examples
of anti-LGBT discrimination in collegiate
sports.
A former player, Jennifer Harris,
accused Portland in a 2005 lawsuit of
having a no-lesbian policy and trying to
force her to quit the team, even though
she is not gay.
Harris also sued then-Penn State
Athletics Director Tim Curley, who
is among the former university
administrators facing charges for
allegedly covering up sex-abuse
allegations against former assistant
football coach Jerry Sandusky.
She reached a condential settlement
with Portland and Curley in 2007.
Penn State later ned Portland $10,000
and ordered her to take a diversity-
sensitivity class after the university
settled with Harris.
Portland resigned in 2007 after 27
seasons.
Were not as likely to see a case like
that, but I am sure somewhere across the
nation there are more Rene Portlands
out there, said Carroll.
Other cases have generated headlines
over the past year.
Anthony Villarreal, a former track runner
at William Jessup University, a Christian
university outside of Sacramento, Calif.,
said school administrators expelled
him last year because he is gay. Leah
Johnson last month told Outsports.com
an assistant coach at the University of
Richmond in Virginia told her to break up
with her girlfriend, Miah Register, before
she steps foot on this campus to play for
the team.
In spite of these cases and others
like them, Carroll and Taylor maintain
more collegiate athletes will come
out. And they both look to the way the
University of Missouri handled Sams
decision to publicly disclose his sexual
orientation as an example of how they
feel administrators and coaches should
handle it.
Michael Sam was out for a good
period of time before the world knew
about it, Taylor told the Blade. It
seemed like it didnt matter one bit
to his teammates, to his coaches or
to the Missouri family. Missouri did
a great job and really showed that
they are a welcoming environment for
LGBT athletes.
sam inspires c ollege
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DC F14_Blade Ad_Layout 1 8/20/14 11:21 AM Page 1
Athletic careers thrive
when we live openly and
authentically
BY MEGAN RAPINOE
The past 18 months have truly been
groundbreaking in the LGBT sports
landscape. The likes of Jason Collins,
Michael Sam, Derick Gordon, as well
as Olympians Sally J Shipard, Callan
Chythlock-Sifsof, Caitlin Cahow and Belle
Brockho have all come out so loudly
and so proudly! And understandably
the gut reaction is to xate on that
culminating moment, the proverbial, I
am gay. Looking back to 2012 and the
weeks and months leading up to my
coming out, it strikes me as important
not to lose sight of the culminating
factors that made the decision in that
moment even possible.
As an athlete, only about 1 percent of
what you do is actually seen: the critical
pass, the lifting of the trophy or the
ball in the back of the net. What is not
seen by the public by and large is the
incredible journey that goes along with
that incredible moment. I will spare you
the cheesy details, but the 90 minutes I
am out on the pitch is just the icing on
a seven-layer cake. And anyone who
has ever been lucky enough to play in
a championship match knows that it is
about much more than just the game, it is
actually about everything that has led you
to that moment.
Similarly, while coming out remains an
individual act of courage, and although
LGBT athletes should be recognized
and commended for their leadership, I
think that it is important to acknowledge
and celebrate what makes coming out
moments possible. The LGBT sports
movement is about more than LGBT
athletes its also about what makes it
possible for LGBT athletes to come out
and be accepted as part of their teams
and sports. It is incredibly inspiring to
witness historic moments playing out
across the major sports leagues, but I
continue to be moved by the small and
not-so-small actions taken by individuals
and communities, shaping a more
inclusive environment across America
and beyond.
I came out to contribute to the
broader cultural shift that reects
growing support for LGBT equality. We
need athletes at all levels to continue
to come out to courageously stand
in who they are and show that athletic
careers survive and thrive when we live
openly and authentically. Both through
the U.S. national team and the Seattle
Reign I have the opportunity to interact
with thousands of fans. People older
than I am, younger than I am, men,
and women have told me, Youre the
reason I came out, or, Seeing you live
who you are has given me the strength
to be true to myself. These interactions
and conversations have given me
tremendous perspective regarding how
hard it can be to come out and come to
terms with your sexual orientation and
or gender identity and how important
it is to have support around you, and in
the broader culture.
Back in 2012, I was graciously given
the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Centers Board
of Directors Award, for becoming one
of the few out Olympians at the 2012
London Games. It was overwhelming and
humbling to be surrounded by people
who do so much to support the LGBT
community, especially the youth, day
in and day out. In the domain of LGBT
activism and advocacy, while perhaps
I have been able to serve as a catalyst
for courage, ultimately, change happens
when family, friends, and society create
inclusive and supportive environments
where all people, gay, straight, bisexual
and transgender stand together for
equality.
As a member of the U.S. womens
soccer team that won gold at the 2012
Olympics, we spoke of our success as
a victory made possible not only by the
players on and o the pitch, but also
our coaches, trainers, U.S. Olympic
Committee sta, family members, friends
and fans.
Change takes courageous LGBT people,
but it also takes a lot of courageous people
who are not gay, straight or otherwise.
The fact of the matter is that everybody
in my life is not gay, and yet everybody
in my life has played a role in creating a
supportive and inclusive environment for
me to simply be who I am.
When athletes come out, we need to
be sure that we take the opportunity to
recognize, appreciate and sustain the
critical, cumulative contributions that
lead up to those critical moments. My
family, Lori Lindsey, and Dan Levy are
just a few of the incredible allies who
have journeyed with me and continue
to inspire and support my advocacy.
Im an Athlete Ally Ambassador
because when it comes to ending LGBT
discrimination in and beyond sport,
the responsibility for creating inclusive
environments does not rest solely with
members of the LGBT community.
Equality is a team sport.
MEGAN RAPINOE nds inspiration in the small actions taken by individuals and communities
that help shape a more inclusive environment across America and beyond.
PHOTO BY ERICA MCCAULLEY/USED WITH PERMISSION
equality is a
team sport
VI EWPOI NT
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V O L U M E 4 5 I S S U E 3 4
MEGAN RAPINOE is guest editor of the
Washington Blade. She won a gold medal at
the 2012 Olympics as part of the U.S. Womens
Soccer Team and plays for the U.S. National
Team as well as the Seattle Reign.
VI EWPOI NT
KEVIN NAFF is editor of Washington Blade and
can be reached at kna@washblade.com.
Sam, Collins among pro-gay
progress in sports world
By KEVIN NAFF
Much has changed in the 12 short
months since the Blades inaugural
sports issue last August. Jason Collins
made the playos for the NBAs Nets as
an openly gay man. Michael Sam kissed
his boyfriend on national TV after being
selected by the Rams in the NFL draft.
In addition to those high-prole
pro cases, change is happening at the
collegiate level, with Arizona State
Universitys Chip Saran coming out the
rst active Division I college football player
to do so. Meanwhile, at beleaguered
Penn State University, a woman was
recently named athletic director. This
may seem like a small thing to outsiders,
but as an alumnus who wrote extensively
about womens basketball coach Rene
Portlands anti-lesbian reign of terror in
the 80s, its a stunner. And a sign that the
good old boys club of Penn State sports is
nally a thing of the past.
One of the women who stood up to
Portland and bravely fought for LGBT
visibility in sports for decades is Sue Rankin.
Im proud to call her a friend. She and other
pioneering women in sports are proled
in this special issue of the Blade, which
was edited by our special guest, Megan
Rapinoe, an out lesbian who won gold in
the 2012 Olympics in womens soccer.
Many thanks to Megan and the folks
at Athlete Ally for their help in putting
together this issue, and especially to
Laura Clise. Theres a lot to chew on.
Collins continues to win fans thanks
to his down-to-Earth accessibility and
friendliness. Hes probably taken more
seles with fans than any player in the
game this year and he endures all those
fan intrusions with a perma-smile. We
catch up with Collins in this issue to see
how life has changed since coming out.
Chris Kluwe, who bravely endorsed
marriage equality while playing for the
Minnesota Vikings, lost his job shortly
after doing so. He writes in this issue
about moving on with his life even as
negotiations continue with the Vikings
over a settlement to his claims of unfair
treatment. Kluwes activism continues; he
served as grand marshal of D.C.s Capital
Pride parade in June and stopped by the
Blades after-party to mingle with locals.
We also catch up with Billy Bean, who
took a new role with Major League Baseball
just before the league named a new gay-
friendly commissioner last week. With
Beans help and visibility, we just might be
writing about baseballs rst out gay player
in next years sports issue. Enjoy it.
what a difference
a year makes
VI EWPOI NT
I was red after advocating
for LGBT rights in the NFL
By CHRIS KLUWE
I came out on Sept. 7, 2012, when a piece
I wrote in support of same-sex rights for
Deadspin went viral. Now, dont get me
wrong, Im a heterosexual white male, so
my coming out wasnt anywhere close to
what members of the LGBTQ community
face, especially in the many parts of the
country where its still viewed as a sin, or
unnatural, to be non-heterosexual, but
there were ramications nevertheless.
Many of my teammates were interested in
why I chose to take a stand on this issue. Some
disagreed with my position, most agreed, but
all had no problem with how I expressed my
views. They understood that when we were
in the locker room, if they wanted to have a
conversation on this issue, Id be more than
happy to talk to them about it, but if they
didnt, I wasnt going to shove it in their face.
Most of them did want to have that
conversation, even some of the ones
that disagreed. They felt it was worth
talking about, which I thought was a good
sign. Players are part of the younger
generation, and the majority of them
get it. They have a gay friend, or family
member, or acquaintance. They know
this shouldnt be an issue.
My coaches werent quite so keen to have
that discussion, details of which I wont get
into here (theyre pretty easy to nd on
Google), but the result was that I was red
from my job the following year. Coaches
and management tend to be primarily older,
white men, so I cant say I was too surprised.
Viewpoints in that demographic tend to be
somewhat stagnant, shall we say. I had
hoped for better, but it happened, and now
Im dealing with it. Life goes on. Hopefully
one day theyll gure out some things are
more important than a childrens game.
I also had some very interesting
interactions with fans of the team. I got
a lot of mail, an overwhelming amount
of which was supportive, and I noticed
a distinct correlation between proper
formatting, spelling and grammar, and
the likelihood of the letters author
supporting rights for same-sex couples.
There were a couple crazy letters, some
Chick Tracts, and a few angry letters that
were REALLY angry. Like, I had run over
their dog, lit their house on re, and then
barbecued grandma over the smoldering
ashes instead of just speaking out for
basic human rights. I dont know if those
people will ever get it, but thats why its
so important for all of us to come out and
support each other, no matter what your
sexual orientation or skin color or religion.
When active members of the NFL, MLB,
NHL, NBA, or any other major sport, act
to support the LGBTQ community, we
make it clear that the kind of attitude that
would write a single-spaced, ve-page
letter stained with mouth froth and bile
is no longer welcome in a civilized society.
We make it easier on those who face
discrimination within their communities
for their sexuality or gender identity, to
nd allies and friends. We help someone
to openly live with the person they love,
an employee to work without fear of
harassment, a parent to understand
that their kid isnt weird, or tainted, or
damned, but simply a human being, just
like everyone else, and that they need to
be loved and cared for, not despised or
cured. It may cost us, but if you dont
stand for someone else, who will stand
for you?
I came out on Sept. 7, 2012, and I do
not regret it for an instant.
no regrets about coming
out for equality
CHRIS KLUWE is a former NFL punter who
played for the Minnesota Vikings.
CHRIS KLUWE, seen here at the Blades Pride
party in June, served as grand marshal of the
Capital Pride Parade.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS
VI EWPOI NT
open love letter to soccer
Thank you for the laughter and
tears, condence and fears
As I sat at a local coee shop, reecting
and reminiscing on my soccer career, many
memories came ooding in, but one in
particular kept coming back. In 2003, my
second year playing professional soccer, I
picked up a copy of the Washington Post
and in it appeared Michael Jordans Open
Love Letter To Basketball. I remember
being brought to tears. It wasnt because an
amazing athlete was retiring, but the fact
that everything he felt toward basketball
summed up perfectly the way I felt about
soccer. I still have that open letter and
have often referred back to it whenever I
needed a reminder of why I play and why
I love this game. So without further ado,
heres my Open Love Letter To Soccer.
DEAR SOCCER,
Its been 30 years since weve met.
30 years since my older brother, Chris,
shoved you in my face. 30 years since my
dad built a goal in our backyard.
If someone would have told me then the
journey we would embark on, the love I would
feel for you, I would not have believed them.
For years I tried to ignore you. Only
practicing when I had to, only when my
dad made me. But you wouldnt go away,
you kept showing up. So I gave in. I gave
you my all. I trained harder, I ran faster
(sort of), I lifted weights, I played with the
boys, I studied players better than me.
Anything to show you I cared.
And then there were the moments when
I knew you loved me back. You became my
job, my livelihood, and allowed me to know
what it means to represent my country
at the highest level. I feel so honored to
have had those opportunities. And you
kept loving me, teaching me lessons of
strength, hope and perseverance.
In many ways you were my one true
companion, the one thing I could count
on. The countless hours we spent alone
together. The days dribbling in the rain,
juggling in the snow, passing in the heat.
You had become much more than a game
to me. In many ways you had become my
life, my driving force, my re, my hunger.
And, as Michael would say, my biggest
fan and my harshest critic.
Now as this part of the our journey
comes to an end, and our relationship
changes yet again, I thank you Soccer for
all that you have given me.
Thank you for the players who came
before me; thank you for all of my
teammates, past and present; thank you
for the wins and losses, the championships
and the playos. Thank you for the
University of Virginia, San Diego Spirit,
Washington Freedom, Philadelphia
Independence, Washington Spirit,
Canberra United, and the US Womens
National Team. Thank you for all the
trainers, strength coaches, and assistant
coaches. Thank you for Coach Heinrichs,
Coach Swanson, Coach Gabarra, Coach
Watson, Coach Riley, Coach Parsons
and Pia. Thank you for the laughter and
the tears, the condence and the fears.
Thank you for the travel and the friends.
Thank you for Megan roomies for life
and the Wild Turkey. Thank you for Kris,
Mike, Dawn and Dave. Thank you for the
countless hours on our own. Thank you
for lifting me up and breaking me down.
Thank you for the memories. Thank you
for Becky, Jill, Yael, and my partner Sally.
Thank you for Nike. Thank you for the
nerves and the excitement. Thank you for
Germany 2011. Thank you for humbling
me and building me up. Thank you for all
of the doubters and non-believers and last
but not least, thank you to all the fans.
I have learned so much through you,
and I know theres so much more. I love
you, and I always will.
Thank you, soccer. Thank you for
everything.
Most importantly I would like to thank
my family; Larry, Susan, Carol, Susan, Chris,
and Dana. You have given me so much and
for that I am forever in debt to you all.
LORI LINDSEY is a midelder with the Wash-
ington Spirit and has played professional
soccer for 13 years.
I learned importance of allies
as a girl on an all-boys team
By YAEL AVERBUCH
I know what it feels like to be dierent.
As a tall Jewish girl on an all-boys team,
from age 11-14, I never t in. I showed up
to every game anticipati ng my opponents
strange looks and questioning whispers.
Sometimes they didnt even bother being
discreet. They have a girl on their team!
They would point and laugh.
I also know what it feels like to be
accepted and supported. My teammates
at the time were a rag-tag bunch of young
guys. Our games were strewn with yellow
and red cards, vulgar comments and all
kinds of shenanigans. But they were always
the rst to defend me. They respected me as
a player, valued my contribution on the eld,
and committed to having my back should
anyone from the outside pass judgment.
I have played with LGBT athletes
throughout my career. From growing
up in Montclair, N.J., to attending the
University of North Carolina, to my
professional experiences throughout
the U.S., Russia and Sweden, I have had
teammates of dierent races, religions
and sexual orientations. I have played
for spectacular teams that have won
National Championships, professional
championships, and competed in the
UEFA Champions League in Europe.
What Ive found is that the best, most
successful, and most enjoyable team cultures
are cultures of unconditional inclusion. When
everyone feels supported o the eld, the
focus can shift to what goes on on the eld.
Thats when a team can enjoy extraordinary
chemistry. One of the most beautiful elements
of soccer is the sports diversity. The teams
that can best mesh that diversity of player
personalities and talents on and o the eld
are able to make the most of each individuals
strengths, which in turn strengthens the team.
As the only girl on a boys team, I couldnt
hide that I was dierent (well, I could have
opted for the then-in-style bowl cut, but my
ponytail was too sacred). Although I played a
sport with all boys, I didnt feel the need to look
like everyone else in order to t in on the eld.
The fact that my teammates accepted me, as a
girl, and supported my role on the team made
me feel comfortable to just be myself.
When I think of my LGBT teammates
across cultures and my career, I know that
in a lot of places it remains much more
acceptable or even necessary for LGBT
athletes to keep their personal lives a
secret. Although there has been signicant
movement toward greater equality, both
here in America and globally, there is room
for progress when it comes to these issues.
I dont claim to be an expert. I am simply a
teammate who knows what its like to feel
dierent, and who knows what becomes
possible when everyone on a team is
supported in spite of their dierences and
embraced for what makes them unique.
Dierent cultures treat LGBT issues
dierently, yet the need for team members
to feel supported is universal. As athletes,
we all want the same basic thingsto be
respected, continue to improve our abilities
and to win. Its very simple. I do my best
to respect each of my teammates as a
human being, with a unique set of tools and
personal battles. It is on the platform of this
respect and openness that we can work
together to accomplish our mutual goals.
There are LGBT athletes in every country,
and the need for progress transcends
country borders. I understand the
importance of being an ally because, like
every one of us, I have desperately needed
an ally from time to time, on and o the eld.
Creating an environment of support for
LGBT athletes is about more than wearing a
shirt with a rainbow ag or sending a tweet.
It is about participating in an open dialogue,
and seeing teammates as individuals. We
cant change the world all at once, but the
soccer eld is a great place to start.
need for team members to
feel supported is universal
VI EWPOI NT
YAEL AVERBUCH is a midelder with the
Washington Spirit and a member of the United
States Womens National Soccer team.
LINDSEY PHOTO BY ASHLEY PALMER
VI EWPOI NT
BRENT MINOR is executive director of Team
DC. Reach him at brent@teamdc.org.
There are many ways fans
can support LGBT athletes
In last years Blade sports issue I wrote,
Many athletes who come out in the
future will likely be met with a collective
shrug of the shoulderpads. Yes, it is still
big news when a pro player comes out
and there is still homophobia in the locker
room, albeit less vocal. Fortunately, much
like with marriage equality, the dialogue
is changing quickly. Thanks to specic
directives from the various leagues, the
focus is becoming less about the athlete
coming out and increasingly on the
reaction of owners, teammates and fans.
Large nes are automatic now for anti-
gay slurs, something unheard of even ve
years ago.
Like a typical fan, we sit back and watch
the pros battle it out on the eld and the
airwaves. Yet, what can the average fan
do to make sports more hospitable for
the gay athlete? Quite a lot actually.
Speak OUT. Use social media to
congratulate the Rams for selecting
Michael Sam in the NFL draft. All teams
and many owners (like Ted Leonsis of
the Washington Wizards and Capitals)
monitor social media sites vigorously and
respond to comments. Dont be afraid to
go on fan blogs and support openly gay
players. You dont need to respond to the
negative comments, but if negativity is all
teams see, it gives a skewed sense of who
really cares about the issue.
Watch OUT. When an advertiser hires
an openly gay player (and it is inevitable),
go to their website and thank them. Even
if you dont use that brand of deodorant or
eat that kind of soup, let them know you
are watching. The fear of lost revenue from
fans and advertisers is why teams have
been afraid to draft a gay player. Thanks
to eorts in the corporate world, most
businesses now know that LGBT-friendly
policies are actually good for the bottom
line and sports are ultimately a business.
Buy OUT. Believe it or not, one of the
most reliable ways to gauge a players
worth is by the sale of their jersey. Look
for sports clothing of openly gay players
and wear it outside of your home,
especially at sporting events. The more
people see such overt signs of support,
the better.
Attend OUT. Team DC sponsors the
annual Night OUT Series, which includes
LGBT community nights with all local pro
teams. Not only is the Night OUT at the
Nationals the largest such event in the
country, but it has helped spawn similar
events with other teams. This success
has raised LGBT awareness with all
sports teams to the potential of an LGBT
fan base while lessening the possible
negative impact of having an openly gay
player on the team.
While we all love the Night OUT at the
Nationals, go to other Night OUT games
like the United Night OUT on Sept. 27 with
the DC United Soccer Club. Attendance at
these events has an enormous impact on
the mindset of each of these teams.
Support OUT. The next generation of
openly gay athletes will almost certainly
compete in a very dierent and, I hope,
supportive world. Yet, the pressures of
coming out will still fall on younger, less
mature shoulders. Team DC created a
College Scholarship Program for openly
LGBT student-athletes as a way to support
them nancially and highlight that there
is a place for LGBT youth in sports. The
program has had the secondary benet
of opening a dialogue with parents,
educators and coaches about the issues
facing these student-athletes. More
information about this program, including
making a tax-deductable donation can be
found at teamdc.org.
Each of us should get o the sidelines
and into the game.
get off the sidelines
and into the game
VI EWPOI NT
Consider what we can do as
individuals, engage others
to make progress
By LAURA CLISE
My LGBT activism and advocacy date back
to high school, when as a Latin-studying nerd,
I started a gay-straight alliance with a lengthy
acronym CHIASMUS (Creating Heightened
Interest in Advocating for Sexual Minority
Understanding and Support). However,
beyond playing soccer and tennis in college,
its only over the course of the past couple
of years that I have had the opportunity to
become increasingly involved in support of
the LGBT sports movement.
I recently joined the board of Athlete
Ally, an organization focused on ending
homophobia and transphobia in sport. I
was initially drawn to the organizations
recognition that as members of the LGBT
community are the forefront of a broader
societal shift toward greater acceptance
and inclusion, straight allies also play a
critical role in eecting change. Leading
up to, and during the 2014 Sochi Olympics,
I had the opportunity to collaborate with
Athlete Ally, All Out, American Apparel,
ESPN and a variety of athletes in support
of the Principle 6 campaign that mobilized
Olympic and professional athletes to
stand in support of LGBT equality.
In the spirit of celebrating all of those
working to advance equality and the
forthcoming Athlete Ally Action Awards,
I would like to acknowledge a sampling
of the athletes and allies, whose courage
and advocacy serve as an inspirational
example and represent an important
contribution to furthering LGBT equality.
My work with Megan Rapinoe
dates back to her support of the 2012
Maryland Marriage Equality campaign
that culminated in a successful voter
referendum that legalized same-sex
marriage in the state of Maryland.
Throughout the Principle 6 campaign,
Megan, Lori Lindsey, and Australian
Olympian, Sally Shipard stood up for
equality, engaging their fans around the
world. A longtime advocate, Lori led her
teammates from Australias Canberra
United in support of the campaign,
modeling the Principle 6 apparel.
In an interview earlier this year, Sally spoke
of her evolution regarding LGBT activism as
a shift from being an LGBT athlete to an out,
LGBT athlete and an active ally to the LGBT
sports movement. Most recently, Megan,
Lori and Sally participated in YouTubes Pride
Month Proud to Play campaign, which used
sport as the platform to deliver messages in
support of LGBT equality.
I am a beginning snowboarder, with one
lesson under my belt. The only explanation
for this newfound hobby is the time I was
able to spend getting to know and work
with Olympic snowboarders, Belle Brocko,
Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, Simona Meiler and
Seth Wescott. From Belles coming out ahead
of the Sochi Games, to her and Simonas
participation in the upcoming documentary,
To Russia With Love, to Callan and Seths
ESPN Outside the Lines feature, these
snowboarders were and are incredible and
authentic athletes and advocates.
Caryn Davies and Esther Lofgren are
members of the U.S. Olympic womens
rowing team that won gold at the 2012
Olympics. In addition to lending their
support to the Principle 6 Campaign,
Esther authored an article articulating
passion for sport as a platform for
inclusion and the importance of allies.
Finally, there are the non-athlete, allies
Susan McPherson, Alice Korngold, Neil
Hawkins and Tim Mohin. As leaders in
the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
eld, Susan, Alice, Neil and Tim have
supported the evolving dialogue regarding
LGBT equality from the domain of human
resources to a broader conversation about
the business case for greater inclusion.
Its important to recognize that progress
takes all of us. It means that we each must not
only consider what we can do as individuals,
but also engage those around us, increasing
the number of athletes and allies in action,
and scaling support for LGBT equality in and
beyond our immediate communities.
athletes and allies in action
LAURA CLISE is a board member of Athlete
Ally. Reach her @lauraclise.
VI EWPOI NT
Iconic American institution now
on board with LGBT equality
By RYAN WAGNER
Picture this.
Youre in a ballpark. Your team is losing.
Big. Its the kind of game that would have
made you leave in the fth inning if you
were one of those fans who doesnt believe
your team will pull it out until the very last
out is recorded. If you were one of those
people who gives up.
All of a sudden your team gets a hit. And
then another. Nothing special. A ground ball
with eyes here, a dying quail there. But the
buzz has started. You know the one Im talking
about. When 50,000 people all seem to begin
to whisper simultaneously? The buzz.
Another hit, and this one scores a run or
two. Now the buzz is a low rumble. Your
team is still down, but theres a glimmer of
hope. This one aint over yet.
Now comes the big hit. The one that
makes the sportswriters who have already
written 90 percent of their game recaps
stop, sigh and hit the delete button. The low
rumble is now a roar. The game hasnt been
won, but the opponent is already defeated,
and theyre not sure how it happened. The
stars realigned, and that ighty temptress
momentum changed her uniform.
In short, the narrative changed.
The ght for LGBT equality has undergone
a similar change in narrative recently. For a
long time, those battling in the trenches felt
as though we were ghting a losing battle
always meeting with a loud, outspoken
opposition that either didnt care or simply
didnt understand. We werent exactly
losing, but we certainly werent winning.
And then, all of a sudden, we got a couple
of hits. Nothing big. A ground ball with eyes
here, a dying quail there. Massachusetts
became the rst state to legalize gay
marriage. Connecticut would follow, with
Iowa and Vermont not far behind. The buzz
started. You know the one I mean. When
100 million people all begin to whisper
simultaneously? The buzz.
Dont Ask, Dont Tell, Prop 8 and DOMA
were all struck down. The buzz became a
low rumble.
The ght began to spill over into other
areas of society, including the world of
sports. Jason Collins came out. In light of
inammatory anti-LGBT policies in Russia,
President Obama skipped the 2014 Sochi
Olympics, opting instead to appoint tennis
legend and gay rights champion Billie Jean
King to lead the American contingent at
the Opening Ceremonies. Michael Sam
announced hes gay prior to the NFL draft
and in doing so, became the rst openly gay
man to sign a contract with an NFL team.
The low rumble became a roar, and the
narrative had changed.
As a professional stage actor who also
decided to pursue a career in the world of
professional sports, Im somewhat of an
anomaly.
The relationships I forged with my friends
in the theater world led me to assume
that the ght for LGBT equality was on the
forefront of the American social agenda.
I assumed this because, for those of us
traveling North America with a musical, it
was simply a part of the vernacular.
In 2011, I was on the road with that musical
when I learned I had been hired by Major
League Baseball. I would be leaving the
bubble that theater had created, and would
be making the long, fascinating walk to the
other side of the spectrum. In a span of three
days, I went from a cocoon where my most
important issue was the same as everyone
elses to a world where that issue was never
even discussed. It wasnt that LGBT equality
was on the back burner for Major League
Baseball. It had yet to make it onto the
stove. Professional sports, particularly those
considered the Big 4, are in many ways
the last great bastion of masculinity and
demonstrative heterosexuality. Anything
that can be deemed a weakness is a liability.
Any distraction is removed as quickly and
quietly as possible. Which is why the three
years that have passed since I rst began my
career in baseball have been so remarkable.
In a span of just a few years, I have
had a front row seat for one of the most
astounding, and most important, ideological
shifts in social history. Thanks to the
immediacy of information and (seriously)
the power of social media, LGBT equality
has gone from an issue on the periphery
of the American agenda to one that nds
itself front and center. And the catalyst
for that tectonic shift has been sports.
When the issue of homosexuality began
showing up on the football eld and the
basketball court, the everyday, blue-collar
American sports fan was forced to deal with
it. As I watched Jason Collins and Michael
Sam announce their homosexuality, my
immediate thought was, When will this
tidal wave reach Major League Baseball?
Baseball is Americas pastime. As James
Earl Jones once remarked in Field of
Dreams, Baseball...has marked the times.
It has gotten us through some of the most
tumultuous times in our nations history:
World War II, the Civil Rights Movement,
9-11. It stands to reason that baseball would
take the lead in this time of great struggle.
But when was that going to happen? When
was baseball going to realize the opportunity
it had to make a statement to not only the
rest of the sports landscape, but to the
country and the world as a whole?
A few weeks ago, I got my answer. On
July 15, Major League Baseball o cially
announced its partnership with Athlete Ally,
an organization dedicated to fostering an
environment of acceptance and inclusion
for all LGBT athletes, coaches, and fans
across all sports, professional and amateur.
When MLB announced that partnership
even Commissioner Bud Selig signed a
pledge to become an Athlete Ally himself it
trumpeted a major victory for the entire LGBT
community and their allies. Major League
Baseball is not just a professional sports
league. It is an organization that is American
as American gets. It represents all that we
hold dear in our most patriotic of hearts, and
if something that American can say that being
gay is not only OK, but is something worth
ghting for, who would dare say otherwise?
There may be nothing more di cult
than the growing pains of a transitioning
social issue. Most people who have strongly
held beliefs derive those beliefs from years
and years of indoctrination. Change only
comes when those screaming for change
outnumber those who are plugging their
ears and waiting for the din to quiet. With
Major League Baseball now adding its voice
to the roaring winds of change, the din may
nally be too much to overcome.
In short, the narrative has changed. And
now, at long last, maybe, just maybe, that
ighty temptress momentum has changed
her uniform.
mlbs support is a
real game changer
EDI TORI AL CARTOON
RYAN WAGNER is the PA announcer for the
Baltimore Orioles.
OUR BUSI NESS MATTERS
MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur and
community business advocate. Follow on Twit-
ter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at OurBusi-
nessMatters@gmail.com.
Gay college, amateur and
professional athletes slow
to come out
Initially unaware of the potential
timing, I coincidentally happened to be
at a sports bar in a small town in the
Midwest when Michael Sam was picked
up in the NFL draft by his college home
state St. Louis Rams in May.
The crowd of drinkers and diners
watching live sports network coverage
on monitors ringing the room were
cognizant yet nonplussed about the
historic announcement of the NFLs rst
out gay player. Even Sams passionate
and exuberant celebratory-cake-smeared
ESPN-televised kiss with boyfriend
Vito Cammisano was relegated to a
communally blas reaction.
America, it seems, is more accepting
of gay professional athletes than some
might have anticipated or still think.
Surprisingly, though, few gay professional
athletes have acknowledged their sexual
orientation. Those in major sporting
leagues, especially among men and until
recent notable exceptions, have remained
in the closet while still active competitors.
Sports are proving to be the nal
frontier for gay acceptance.
A decade ago, most considered it
improbable that entrenched attitudes
about military service and civil marriage,
as well as employment equality and
cultural acceptance, would allow
advancement in those arenas prior to
the advent of acknowledgment by gay
athletes. Nor would many have expected
that broad and strong support for all
would become the dominant societal
standard so soon.
Yet progress in sports has proven
more elusive. In fact, in a national survey
of LGBT Americans conducted last year
by the Pew Research Center, only four
percent considered professional sports
leagues friendly to gays, while 59 percent
saw them as unfriendly. Only two percent
mentioned athletes as important gures
in advancing gay rights on a national level.
While a small number of athletes in a
variety of endeavors have revealed their
sexual orientation, the high-prole major-
money-making sports have, until recently,
remained devoid of out athletes.
Following the conclusion of the 2012-
13 NBA season, 12-year pro basketball
player Jason Collins came out in a
column he penned for Sports Illustrated,
subsequently becoming a free agent. In
February, after signing with the Brooklyn
Nets, Collins became the rst publicly gay
athlete playing in any of the Big Four pro
sports leagues of baseball, basketball,
football or hockey. At the time, NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver indicated in
interviews that it was disappointing it
took this long for this moment to nally
happen in the sports world.
Silver went on to say that this is an area
where no one in sports should be too
proud. Im cautious about celebrating it
too much because where sports has led
in so many ways, this is one of the places
where weve trailed. This should have
happened long ago, he added.
Silver noted that he looks forward
to the day when its no longer news for
a team to sign an openly gay player
while understanding why Collins signing
was such a big deal. It is a big deal for
this league, and hopefully, in the way
that sports can uniquely impact society,
that this is an area where, for the next
Michael Sam, they feel that much more
comfortable coming out.
When Sam came out in February,
delaying a public announcement until
nishing his college career, sports
observers anticipated that several
prominent professional football players
would reveal that they are gay. That has
yet to occur.
Only last week did Arizona State
Universitys Chip Saran become the rst
active Division I college football player
to come out publicly, in an interview
published in Compete magazine. Sarans
announcement closely followed Division
I basketball player Derrick Gordons
likewise groundbreaking revelation at
U-Mass.
Despite the hesitation of gay athletes
to come out, every high school, college,
amateur and professional athlete that
does so swings the closet door open a
bit wider for others to follow. The now
commonplace support of teammates,
coaches, institutions and, importantly,
fans has also oiled the hinges.
Despite delay, the day is near when it
wont matter. Even to us.
are sports the final
frontier for gay
acceptance?
In a national survey of LGBT Americans conducted
last year, only four percent considered professional
sports leagues friendly to gays.
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PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights
and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.
Disappointment at losing to
Cleveland but hope for an
LGBT museum
The beginning of this years Gay Games
reminded me of the eorts a small group
of dedicated individuals undertook trying
to bring the Gay Games to D.C. There
were years of hard work and too many
7:30 a.m. meetings to count as we tried
to make it happen. We know and respect
that there were groups like ours working
just as hard to bring the games to their
city. Despite not winning the games for
D.C. we are immensely proud that there
was such a large contingent of athletes
from metropolitan Washington at the
Games and that they brought home a
boatload of medals.
When we incorporated Metropolitan
Washington, D.C. Gaymes Inc. in October
of 2003 we did so with the idea of making
the nations capital the home of LGBT
sports. We wanted to prepare for an
eventual bid for the Gay Games which is
the worlds largest sporting and cultural
event organized by, and specically for,
LGBT athletes, artists and musicians.
The idea was to bring numerous LGBT
sporting events to the nations capital
and prepare for the Gay Games. The
initial board of directors of the group
included Lynne Brown, Taneen Carvell,
Vincent Micone, Brent Minor, Clark
Ray and me. Tony Anderson, a partner
at Thompson, Coburn LLP was our
general counsel. We eventually added
another six members to the board and
worked closely with Team DC to garner
the support of the city, both the mayor
and the D.C. Council, to move our vision
forward.
As the year a decision to choose the
site for the 2014 games approached
we felt we had a real chance to make
the nations capital the host city. The
Gay Games is run by a group called the
Federation of Gay Games (FGG) and
it chooses the host city. By 2008 we
were ready and responded to their call
for bids. At that time we enlisted the
help of the Greater Washington Sports
Alliance, the group that had been initially
organized to help D.C. prepare a bid
for the Olympics. We worked diligently
and were excited as we submitted our
proposal. At the FGG meeting in Cape
Town in October 2008 we were one
of ve cities selected to make a formal
bid. It turned out only three: Cleveland,
Boston and D.C. actually submitted nal
bids.
Preparing a nal bid was no easy
task. Our bid was well over 60 pages
and included everything from a detailed
budget to plans for recruiting volunteers;
sta ng the games; a proposed program
and venues; and the ability of the
city and surrounding jurisdictions
to accommodate the thousands of
athletes and guests with hotel rooms,
transportation, insurance, interpreter
services and more.
As we prepared the nal presentation,
which was to be made in Cologne,
Germany in September of 2009, we
had commitments from the District
government for $1 million to support the
Games. We had conrmed venue sites
for all the sports and commitments from
surrounding jurisdictions to support the
event. A large contingent went to Cologne
to make the nal presentation of what we
proposed to call the FREEDOM GAMES.
Putting on a Gay Games is no easy task.
The proposed budget for the event was
just under $10 million.
Clearly there was major
disappointment when it was announced
that Cleveland was the chosen city. Then
came another little urry of activity in
2010 when the group that had won the
bid for Cleveland appeared to go into
bankruptcy and once again it seemed
that D.C. had a chance to host the
games. But in 2011 all that was settled
and Cleveland remained the location for
the 2014 Gay Games.
There is one vision of the group that
formed Metropolitan Washington, D.C.
Gaymes Inc. still alive in some of our
hearts and that is to have an LGBT
Athletes Hall of Fame here in the District
of Columbia. As more professional
athletes come out and we understand the
i mpact of sports on the general culture,
that is something that could have a direct
impact on the lives of many people. Just
imagine how dierent the world will be
for young people, both gay and straight,
who have LGBT sports heroes as role
models.
When heroes like Billie Jean
King, Martina Navratilova and Greg
Louganis wont be the rarity but more
Michael Sams will be out and proud
and show the world that we are truly
everywhere. A Hall of Fame in the
nations capital would be the perfect
place to honor them.
looking back at d.c.s
effort to host gay games
I NSI DE LGBT WASHI NGTON
Imagine how diferent the world will be for young
people, both gay and straight, who have LGBT
sports heroes as role models.
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Janis actress to play solo set
Broadway star Mary Bridget Davies performs at the Birchmere (3701 Mount
Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
Davies is best known for her portrayal of Janis Joplin in A Night with Janis
Joplin. Her role earned her a Tony nomination. Davies will be performing a mix
of selections from the musical as well as blues classics and original songs.
Tickets are $25. For more details, visit birchmere.com.
Drink your Milk!
RuPauls Drag Race season six contestant Milk performs at Town (2009 8th
St., N.W.) Saturday night at 10:30 p.m.
Milk gained attention on Drag Race for her unconventional looks including
sparkly mustaches and bright outts. Doors open at 10 p.m. Cover is $8 from 10-
11 p.m. and $12 after 11 p.m. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over.
For more information, visit towndc.com.
Annual Rehoboth event is
next weekend
CAMP Rehoboth hosts Sundance 2014:
Rainbow XXVII the Love Dream Return
to Xanadu at Rehoboth Beach Convention
Center Aug. 31 from 8 p.m.-2 a.m.
The dance party, part of CAMP
Rehoboths Sundance weekend, will have
an open bar and food. From 7-10 p.m.
there will also be an auction. Tickets for
the dance party or auction are $45 and
$80 for both events.
For more details, visit camprehoboth.com.
50 AUGUST 22, 2014 OUT & ABOUT
PHOTO COURTESY BIRCHMERE By MARIAH COOPER
PHOTO COURTESY TOWN
PHOTO COURTESY CAMP REHOBOTH
LIVE
UPCOMI NG PERFORMANCES
THEHAMILTONDC.COM
THURS, AUG 21
THE NINE
SINGER SONGWRITER SERIES
SAT, AUG 23
RED WANTING BLUE /
THE ALTERNATE ROUTES
TUES, SEPT 2
YOU ME & APOLLO
W/ ELIZABETH & THE CATAPULT
TUES, SEPT 9
FRUITION
WED, SEPT 10
AN EVENING WITH
TERRY BOZZIO
WEDNESDAY AUG 27
FRIDAY AUG 29
SWEAR
& SHAKE
W/ PAUL PFAU
JACKOPIERCE
W/ EMILY HEARN
An evening of lm, ballet, and indie
rock from the Paci c Northwest
O
REGO
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BAN
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A
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PAC
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Pink Martini
&
Te von Traps
STEVEN REINEKE, conductor
Thu., Sep. 11 at 7 p.m.
Fri. & Sat., Sep. 12 & 13 at 8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
Hugely approachable music,
utterly cosmopolitan yet utterly unpretentious
The Washington Post
David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of NSO.
Additional support for the 2014-2015 NSO Pops Season is provided by
The Honorable Barbara H. Franklin and Mr. Wallace Barnes.
2014-2015 season
Tickets on sale now!
(202) 467-4600

kennedy-center.org
Tickets also available at the Box Office
|
Groups (202) 416-8400
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300 Montgomery St., Suite 201 Alexandria, VA 22314
(entrance between Wheel Nutz and New York Nail Salon)
571.218.2161 riversedgecenter@yahoo.com www.riversedgecenter.com
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HOT HI TS & HI DDEN J EWELS
FROM CULTURECAPI TAL. COM
YOUR LI NK TO THE ARTS I N METRO D. C.
SUNDAY I N THE PARK WI TH GEORGE
THRU SEP 21. SI GNATURE THEATRE. 703- 820- 9771.
SI GNATURE- THEATRE. ORG.
In the intimate MAX Theatre, Sondheim and Lapines stunning masterpiece
merges past and present into beautiful, poignant truths about life, love and the
creation of art. Written by the team behind Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park
with George is a special 25th Anniversary celebration of Sondheim.
J AZZ I N THE GARDEN: SETH KI BEL
AUG 22. NATI ONAL GALLERY OF ART. NGA SCULPTURE
GARDEN. 202- 737- 4215. NGA. GOV.
Seth Kibel is the leader, clarinetist, and composer for The Alexandria Kleztet, a
genre-bending klezmer band he founded in the Baltimore/Washington area.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET/BAND OF HORSES/OREGON
BALLET THEATRE: A FACE OF AMERICA PRODUCTION
AUG 27. WOLF TRAP. 877- 965- 3872. WOLFTRAP. ORG.
Contemporary ballet, indie rock, and stunning lm from Pacic Northwest
Ballet, Band of Horses, and Oregon Ballet Theatre.
ALTERED EGO
THRU AUG 23. J OAN HI SAOKA GALLERY. 202- 483- 8600.
SMI THCENTER. ORG.
Altered Ego features the work of seven visionary artists who alter discarded
fragments of our everyday livesused clothing, valet tickets, tattered cookie
boxes, bobby pins, etc.into thought-provoking works of art.
IMAGE COURTESY OF SIGNATURE THEATRE
52 AUGUST 22, 2014 THE GUI DE TO ARTS & CULTURE
THEATRE
National Players presents: As You Like
It. Aug 27-Aug 31. Olney Theatre. 301-
924-3400. olneytheatre.org.
Legally Blonde - The Musical. Thru Aug
24. Workhouse Arts Center. 703-584-
2900. workhousearts.org.
Shear Madness. Thru Dec 31. Kennedy
Center. 800-444-1324. shearmadness.com.
She Kills Monsters. Thru Sep 14.
Rorschach Theatre. Atlas. 202-399-7993.
rorschachtheatre.com.
Shining City. Thru Sep 21. Molly. Aug
23-Sep 21. SCENA Theatre at Atlas. 703-
683-2824. scenatheater.org.
DANCE
Art on 8th: Hand Dancing with
Smooth & EZ. Aug 22. Dance Place &
Monroe Street Market. 202-269-1600.
danceplace.org.
Gina Ling Chinese Dance Chamber.
Aug 26. Footworks. Aug 28. Kennedy
Centers Millennium Stage. 800-444-
1324. kennedy-center.org.
MUSI C
Lyle Lovett & His Large Band. Aug 22.
Boston. Aug 24. The Band Perry. Aug 28.
Wolf Trap. 877-965-3872. wolftrap.org.
Singing Sergeants. Aug 23.
Workhouse Arts Center. 703-584-2900.
workhousearts.org.
Art on 8th: Cheick Hamala Diabat.
Aug 28. Dance Place & Monroe Street
Market. 202-269-1600. danceplace.org.
MUSEUMS
National Gallery of Art. Sep 14. Degas/
Cassatt. Thru Oct 5. Titians Dana. Thru
Nov 2. Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out,
Looking In. Thru Nov 30. Celebrating
Van Gogh. Thru Sep 7. The Color of
Nature. Thru Sep. 14. Film Series: Canyon
Cinema 16 mm: Archival Finds. Aug 23.
Cin-Concert: The Big Parade. Aug 23.
Broadcast Culture: Late at Night: Voices
of Ordinary Madness followed by Silence
Radio. Aug 24. Film Event: Watermark.
Aug 27. National Gallery of Art. 202-737-
4215. nga.gov.
National Geographic. Peruvian Gold
Ancient Treasures Unearthed. Thru Sep
14. Wildest Weather in the Solar System
3D. Thru Sep 7. National Geographic.
202-857-7000. nglive.org.
National Archives. Making Their
Mark: Stories Through Signatures.
Thru Jan 5. Afternoon of a Faun:
Tanaquil LeClercq (Film). Aug 28.
National Archives. 202-357-5000.
archivesfoundation.org.
Corcoran Gallery of Art. American
Journeys - Visions of Place. Thru Sep 21.
American Metal: The Art of Albert Paley.
Thru Sep 28. NOW at the Corcoran
Mark Tribe: Plein Air. Thru Sep 28. 202-
639-1700. corcoran.org.
Museum of Women in the Arts. Half-
Price Summer Sundays. Thru Aug 31.
Total Art: Contemporary Video. Thru Oct
12. 202-783-5000. nmwa.org.
Dumbarton House. Five Generations of
Nourse Family Artists. Thru Nov 2. 202-
337-2288. dumbartonhouse.org.
GALLERI ES
Strathmore. Fine Artists in Residence. Thru
Aug 24. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
Artisphere. Melanie Kehoss: Glow
Tableaux. Thru Aug 23. Gina Matchitt:
Being There. Thru Sep 21. 703-875-1100.
artisphere.com.
The Art League Gallery. Structures.
Thru Sep 8. Scapes. Thru Sep 8. 703-683-
1780. theartleague.org.
The Athenaeum. Inuence &
Inspiration: The Art League Faculty
Celebrates 60 Years. Thru Sep 21. 703-
548-0035. theartleague.org.
Washington Project for the Arts. Lobby
Project: Anthony Palliparambil Jr. Thru
Aug 29. 1200 First St. NE. 202-234-7103.
wpadc.org.
Goethe-Institut. ApocalyptiCAT. Aug 27-
Oct 1. 202-289-1200. goethe.de.
DCCAH. Visual Arts Exhibition featuring
2015 Artist Fellowship Program. Thru Sep
1. 202-724-5613. dcarts.dc.gov.
Gallery plan b. The General Public. Thru
Aug 24. 202-234-2711. galleryplanb.com.
Target Gallery. Transient States. Thru Aug
31. 703-838-4565. torpedofactory.org.
Torpedo Factory Art Center. Penelope
Barringers FLORA{L}. Thru Aug 31.
Aquatics. Thru Aug 31. Dog Days of
Summer. Thru Aug 31. 703-838-4565.
torpedofactory.org.
Arlington Arts Center. Reprise: 40 to
the Fore. Thru Oct 5. 703- 248-6800.
arlingtonartscenter.org.
ff
= Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children
The Senegal St. Joseph
Gospel Choir
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 AT 8 P.M.
These extraordinary West African singers speak to the soul as
their glorious voices rise in the polyphonic sounds of traditional
African songs, Gospel spirituals, and magnicent masses.
Experience an evening of life-afrming global music and stirring
Gospel music from one of Africas most admired vocal ensembles
in their rst appearance at the Center for the Arts.
$46, $39, $28 ff
Alonzo King LINES Ballet
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 8 P.M.
King has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of
the few bona de visionaries in the ballet world today. Using
principles of science to develop the language of movement further,
his choreography also imbues classical ballet with many deeply
rooted cultural traditions and synthesizes diverse inuences,
creatingexplosive movements that have a sinuous grace.
(Pointe Magazine)
$44, $37, $26
Patti LuPone
COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA...
Played That Part
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 AT 8 P.M.
Songs from musical roles that she could have played, would have
played, or should have played, along with some she did! Enjoy
Ms. Lupones singular stage force and knockout punch (The
Washington Post) on songs from, among others, Hair, Bye Bye
Birdie, West Side Story, and, of course, Gypsy and Evita.
This concert is part of the ARTS by George! benet.
$100, $85, $60
VISIT US AT CFA.GMU.EDU
TICKETS 888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU
Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit 54 at
the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.
and warranties.
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TODAY
Women in Their 20s, a social
discussion group for LBT 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.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) provides
free and condential HIV testing today
from 3-5 p.m. For more information, visit
smyal.org.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear
Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m.
There is no cover charge and admission
is limited to guests 21 and over. For more
information, visit towndc.com.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)
hosts Kicko featuring DJ Matt Bailer
tonight from 10 p.m.-closing. For more
information, visit nelliessportsbar.com.
Artist Al Lachman brings a new
gallery of artwork to Philip Morton
Gallery (47 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth
Beach, Del.) through Sept. 9. Lachman
has been featured in Whos Who in
American Art and has been painting
for 57 years. For more details, visit
philipmortongallery.com.
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.
SATURDAY, AUG. 23
Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) hosts
Bearracuda, a dance party, tonight
from 9 p.m.-3 a.m. DJs Matt Consola and
Mike Babbitt will spin tracks. Doors open
at 9 p.m. Admission is $7 before 10 p.m.
and $10 after. For more information, visit
cobaltdc.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Town
and Country tonight at 7 p.m. Learn
to line dance or watch the festivities.
Lesson is at 7 p.m. and open dance is
from 8-10:30 p.m. Cover is $5. Admission
limited to guests 21 and older. For more
details, visit towndc.com.
American Military Partners Association
D.C. hosts a Military Spouse Brunch
at Beacon Bar and Grill (1615 Rhode
Island Ave., N.W.) today from 11 a.m.-
2 p.m. The event aims to connect LGBT
veterans, military service members,
spouses and allies. Tickets are $29
and include a three-course brunch
with unlimited champagne and
mimosas. For more information, visit
ampadcbrunchaug2014.eventbrite.com.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer
organization, volunteers for Food and
Friends (219 Riggs Rd., N.E.) tonight from
8-10 a.m. Volunteers will chop vegetables
and pack groceries. To volunteer, email
jonathan@burgundycrescent.org. For
more details, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Adventuring, an LGBT outdoors
group, hosts its Big Meadow Weekend
at Big Meadows Lodge today and
Sunday. Today there will be a 9-mile hike
at Moormans River Loop. On Sunday
there will also be a 4.4-mile hike at
South River Falls. There is a $75 deposit
and covers lodging. Bring beverages,
sunscreen, bug spray, a swimsuit and
towels. They will be carpooling at 8:30
a.m. this morning from the East Falls
Church Metro (2001 N. Sycamore St.,
Arlington, Va.). For more information,
visit adventuring.org.
SUNDAY, AUG. 24
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer
organization, volunteers today for the
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation
at the Potomac Yards PetSmart (3351
Jeerson Davis Hwy., Alexandria, Va.) from
12:15-3:30 p.m. today. You will be paired
with a dog on a leash to walk around and
play with. Wear casual clothes. For more
information, visit burgundycrescent.org.
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.
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.
MONDAY, AUG. 25
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
meaningful conversations. For details,
visit uhupil.org.
Nellies Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.)
hosts poker night tonight at 8 p.m. Win
prizes. Free to play. For more information,
visit nelliessportsbar.com.
The Bachelors Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.)
hosts happy hour from 5-7:30 p.m. today.
All drinks are half price. Enjoy pool, video
games and cards. Admission is free. For
more details, visit bachelorsmill.com.
TUESDAY, AUG. 26
Drag performer Birdie LaCage
performs a live cabaret performance at
JR.s tonight at 10 p.m. For more details,
visit jrsbar-dc.com.
Bachelors Mill has half price drinks
all night long from 5 p.m.-2 a.m.tonight.
They also have pool, video gaming
systems and cards. Admission is free.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27
The Lambda Bridge Club meets
tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Dignity Center
(721 8th St., S.E.) for duplicate bridge. No
reservations required and new comers
welcome. If you need a partner, call 703-
407-6540.
Green Lantern has a happy hour
from 4-9 p.m. tonight. At 9 p.m. dancers
perform for its weekly The Boys of
HUMP show. For more information, visit
greenlanterndc.com.
THURSDAY, AUG. 28
Gays and Lesbians Opposing
Violence (GLOV) hold a meeting at the
D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.) tonight
from 7-8:30 p.m. GLOV works to reduce
violence against LGBT individuals through
community outreach, education and
assisting members of anti-LGBT violence.
For more details, visit thedccenter.org.
Whitman Walker provides free and
condential HIV testing at Glorious
Health Club (2120 West Virginia Ave., N.E.)
tonight from 10:30 p.m.-1 a.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.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIP MORTON GALLERY
Floral by AL LACHMAN, on display now at the Philip Morton Gallery.
E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.
com two weeks prior to your event. Space is lim-
ited so priority is given to LGBT-specic events
or those with LGBT participants. Recurring
events must be re-submitted each time.
54 AUGUST 22, 2014 CALENDAR
New book explores same-
sex love in another era
Sometimes, you wonder how Grandma
coped.
For most (if not all) of her life, she lived
without computer or cell phone. She made
meals for her family without a microwave,
sewed her own clothing and enjoyed each
of the four channels she got on her small TV.
So how did she do it? Conveniences
aside, was her life really all that dierent
from yours? Or, as in the book Charity
& Sylvia by Rachel Hope Cleves, is
everything old, new again?
Born in the midst of the American
Revolution, Charity Bryant was destined
from the outset to have an interesting life:
she was a sickly infant birthed by a sickly
mother who died days after Charity entered
the world. Before she passed, though,
Silence Bryant christened the baby after her
spinster sister, an act that may have pointed
(Charity) to a model of womanhood that
diered signicantly from her (mothers).
Somewhat coddled by her elder siblings
but detested by her stepmother, Charity
grew with a passion for making friends
with other young women. At this time,
intimate romantic relationships among
same-sex friends was lightly encouraged
by parents and carefully watched at least
until the couple gave reasons for concern.
And Charity wholeheartedly oered
exactly that. She was the cause of
tensions in a number of communities and
since she was a mannish-looking teacher
of young women, was the victim of vicious
gossip that kept her on the move. Girls,
you see, had only recently been allowed
an education and their schools had
reputations for an erotic atmosphere.
It didnt help that Charity was a bit of
a female rake and left a string of broken
hearts in the wake of her escapes. A
renowned poet, and she and her amours
lled stacks of letters with romance and
steam, love and longing, though Charity
seemed to want to remain footloose. She
believed in marriage, just not for herself.
But then, in 1807, while on the run from
yet another sullied reputation, Charity left
Massachusetts and moved to Vermont.
There, she met Sylvia Drake, a relative of
her hosts, and there was a spark.
OK, so I have to admit that, with its
teeny-tiny print and erudite look, I was
expecting Charity & Sylvia to be dry as
a dead creek bed. Im likewise happy to
admit I was dead wrong.
Starting with the birth of the woman on
whom author Rachel Hope Cleves focuses
most, this book opens with a slice of life during
the Revolutionary War. We then move back
and forth in narrative, but Cleves never lets
us forget the time and space that her subjects
inhabited, the social mores, the historical
aspects, nor the seemingly-inconsistent
attitudes toward romance and sex that our
forebears held and that which weve been
led to believe they had. I found that deeply
fascinating and highly entertaining.
I think that if youre a fan of history
(LGBT or otherwise), this is something
youll relish. With chaste retelling and its
abundant details, Charity & Sylvia is your
grandmothers book and yours, too.
TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER has been reading
since she was 3 years old.She lives in Wisconsin
with two dogs and 12,000 books. Reach her at
bookwormsez@yahoo.com.
BOOKS AUGUST 22, 2014 55
IMAGE COURTESY OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
CHARITY & SYLVIA: A SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
IN EARLY AMERICA
By Rachel Hope Cleves
Oxford University Press
$29.95
267 pages
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Logan Circle, Anacostia,
Brentwood boast big gains
By TED SMITH
Last month we looked at active vs. sold list-
ings for D.C. overall. This week, well look at
the median price over the past seven months
for D.C. neighborhoods based on zip code.
Washington, D.C. overall experienced
growth in median price from 2013 to
2014, both in July (1.90 percent) and year-
to-date (4.20 percent). Keep that in mind
as a background against which to view
the stats for individual neighborhoods.
Who were the biggest winners and los-
ers in the month of July? The three zip
codes with highest median price growth
were 20020 (Anacostia/Hillcrest + 37.80
percent), 20024 (SW Waterfront + 35.90
percent), and 20032 (Congress Heights
+ 22.80 percent). This is not surprising:
property is still fairly inexpensive in 20020
and 20032, and foreign investors are buy-
ing it up for rent and renovation. The
growth in median price for SW Waterfront
is also not surprising given the imminent
development along the waterfront there.
Biggest losers in July were 20008 (Wood-
ley Park, Cleveland Park 42.30 percent),
20036 (Downtown 19.70 percent), and
20019 (Benning Heights, Deanwood
18.20 percent). The fgures for Woodley
Park, Cleveland Park, and Downtown are
not surprising given the mix of houses and
apartment-style condos and coops in those
areas: in any given month the median price
could represent a higher or lower propor-
tion of sold houses (more expensive) over
apartment-style condos and coops.
Biggest winners for the year overall in
median price growth are 20020 (Anacos-
tia/Hillcrest again + 22.10 percent), 20005
(Logan Circle/Thomas Circle + 20.30 per-
cent), and 2018 (Brentwood/Lincoln +
15.70 percent). Weve already mentioned
why Anacostia is hotforeign investment.
Logan Circle continues to be a desirable
location for young professionals, and is
still one of the markets where multiple of-
fers on a sale or even rental property are
standard. 20018 (Brentwood/Lincoln) is
an area where afordable housing is still
available. As gentrifcation continues to
move east in the neighborhoods to the
south of Brentwood (NOMA, Trinidad, H
Street Corridor), the middle class homes
of Brentwood become more attractive.
And the biggest losers in median price
growth for the year overall? Woodley
Park/Cleveland Park (-15.40percent) for
the reasons mentioned above, 20012 (Co-
lonial Village/Takoma DC 4.40percent),
and 20003 (Capitol Hill South). The lat-
ter two are zip codes where the median
price is still relatively high ($684,000 and
$710,000 respectively), so its not surpris-
ing for their price points to be a little soft.
What does all this mean for sellers? The
answer involves a consideration of price
point and median growth.If you are sell-
ing a property in a zip code with high me-
dian price and positive growth, you can
probably expect a sale price close to your
asking price. Similarly, if you are selling a
property in an area with low median price
but positive growth, you can probably ex-
pect home prices to rise, lifting yours with
them. If you are selling a property in a zip
code with high median price but negative
growth, you can probably expect to sell
your home for a price several percentage
points lower than asking. If you are selling
a property in a zip code with low median
prices and negative growth, you can also
probably expect to sell for a price several
percentage points lower than asking.
For buyers, your best buy is probably in
neighborhoods that ft your price qualif-
cation and with low or even negative me-
dian price growth. Thats where you are
going to fnd your best deals.
Happy hunting!
REAL ESTATE
TED SMITH is a licensed Realtor with Real Living
| at Home specializing in mid-city D.C. Reach
him at TedSmithSellsDC@rlathome.com and
follow him on Facebook.com/MidCityDCLife ,
Youtube.com/TedSmithSellsDC or @TedSmith-
SellsDC. You can also join him on monthly tours
of mid-city neighborhood open houses, as well
as monthly seminars geared toward frst-time
homebuyers. Sign up at meetup.com/DCMidCi-
ty1stTimeHomeBuyers/.
This years winner and loser neighborhoods
Logan Circle and Thomas Circle continue to be hot neighborhoods for buyers.
and warranties.
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PRIVATE HORSE FARM DCS CLOSEST
10101 Livingston Road, Fort Washington, MD. 4.5 acre farm in secluded
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and warranties.
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Valerie M. Blake
Associate Broker, GRI
Dupont Circle Offce 202.243.7700 (o)
202.246.8602 (c) Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com
www.DCHomeQuest.com
MIS
S
PELLINGS
Dwellings with
Recently remolded basement.
(The basement didnt
have enough to start with.)
Entrepreneur at heart discerns
opportunity, develops unique
business enterprise
By MARK LEE
When mechanical engineer and Vander-
bilt MBA graduate Ryan Stitt discovered that
sweating out the corporate workday in a
cubicle didnt ft his personality, the West
Coast native and fve-year D.C. resident began
ruminating on an alternate career path. The
only things he knew for certain were a desire
to work independently and hoping to not end
up living under a bridge.
The 35-year-old entrepreneur-at-heart would
wind up discerning an opportunity and a little
more than two years ago set out to develop a
unique business enterprise from personal obser-
vation of an unfulfilled need. Its the type of idea
that causes observers to slap their foreheads
while exclaiming, Why didnt I think of that!
Following a short stint between college and
graduate school as a nuclear fuel engineer,
Stitt had subsequently begun working post-
degree in a marketing position in the airline
industry and later as a strategic development
and marketing executive for a major telecom
business. He found little fulfllment in the jobs,
eager for a new direction.
Stitt ruminated on being the guy at house
parties casually chatting with other guests about
health, fitness and nutrition topics. It was a natu-
ral avocation and potential professional disci-
pline meriting closer examination. He decided to
pursue certification as a fitness trainer, figuring
he could train clients part-time while deciding on
a longer-term undertaking. He would eventually
work for more than a year as training and pro-
gramming manager at a premier local fitness
company, learning valuable lessons.
Stitt noticed that the fully equipped gym
available for use at the apartment building
where he lived at the time with his now part-
ner of 11 years and husband of four years
marrying Steve Lang in D.C. shortly after local
legalization was often unused and without
ftness training assistance.
Stitt realized this was common at area rent-
al properties. Rather than simply utilize this
tenant amenity to train personal clients, the
observation sparked him to network his way
to management personnel at prominent local
housing developer JBG.
His proposition was simple adding value
to an existing resource standard at many new
rental housing developments and encourag-
ing building residents to make use of it.
By promoting resident utilization of a sig-
nature feature, Stitts KICK Fitness ofers a
strong value proposition for both tenants and
landlords. Eliminating tenant anxiety regard-
ing amenities not accessed and allowing build-
ing managers to coordinate external vendor-
driven asset-utilization by appreciative tenants
presents mutual three-way benefts.
Under exclusive arrangement at select JBG
developed or managed residential buildings
at three current locations in the District, Vir-
ginia and Maryland, Stitt and four employees
are available for personal training by appoint-
ment on a fee-for-service basis, along with
creating scheduled workshops and group
classes based on community interest, includ-
ing among non-tenants at some properties
by special arrangement. KICK enlivens the
well-appointed ftness facilities resulting in a
more conducive and energized environment
for workouts and increasing usage. Stitt hopes
to add additional new rental buildings once
completed in coming months.
Stitt has additionally developed a compan-
ion business model designed to ofer service at
workplaces representing a signifcant growth
opportunity. Similar to apartments, many large
ofce buildings feature on-site gyms available
for tenant business employee use. Supporting
popular corporate health and wellness pro-
grams, Stitts recently formed afliate company
LIFT Fitness Center ofers the same personal
training and auxiliary services provided to resi-
dential tenants. The frst service property is the
landmark One Franklin Square building at 13th
and K streets, N.W., managed by international
real estate frm Hines.
The early success of both endeavors bodes well
for continued expansion. Stitts robust enthusiasm
and able leadership portend muscular growth.
For additional information, connect via
KICKftness.com or LIFTftnesscenter.com.
MARK LEE is a long-time entrepreneur and
community business advocate. Follow on Twit-
ter: @MarkLeeDC. Reach him at OurBusiness-
Matters@gmail.com.
RYAN STITTS KICK Fitness ofers a strong value proposition for both tenants and landlords.
PROOF #2 ISSUE DATE:08.22.14 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: JERYL PARADE jparade@washblade.com
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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.
KEVIN MCDUFFIE, GRI, MANAGING BROKER
kmcduffe@cbmove.com cbmove.com
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J JAMES BRAEU
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beautiful property boasts great views and a recently
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will be available for showing Thursday, September 4th.
JUST SOLD! JENKINS ROW
1391 Pennsylvania Ave. SE #465
1BR+Den $435,000
Experience endless sunsets through south-facing oor to ceiling
windows at one of Capitol Hills favorite condo communities.
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39 Bates St. NW $625,000
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J.T. POWELL
202.465.2357
JTPOWELL@CBMOVE.COM
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J JAMES BRAEU
202.215.2240 (C)
202.387.6180 (O)
J JAMES BRAEU
202.215.2240 (C)
202.387.6180 (O)
PROOF #1 ISSUE DATE: 06.06.14 SALES REPRESENTATIVE
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THE
RUTSTEIN GROUP
MARK RUTSTEIN & STEPHEN RUTGERS
Voted 2013 Best Realtor
MARK RUTSTEIN
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
1606 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20009
202-498-1198 Mobile 202-387-6180 Offce
mark@iknowdc.com www.IKnowDC.com
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and warranties.
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and warranties.
PROOF #1 ISSUE DATE: 8.30.13 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: (jparade@washblade.com)
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Lambda DanceSport DC (Afliate of Team DC)
www.LambdaDanceSportDC.org Dance@LambdaDanceSportDC.org
TO ALL OF THE DC AREA DANCERS
WHO PERFORMED DURING
GAY GAMES DANCESPORT,
CLEVELAND, 2014!!
Laurissa & Sarah - International Ballroom
Amy & Susan - International Ballroom
Matt & Keith - C/W
Terry - International Ballroom & Gala opening group performance.
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the NEXT Gay Games in PARIS, FRANCE, 2018!
In the meantime, please join us annually in Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia,
Ohio, and other upcoming same-gender DanceSport events, in addition to
semi-monthly DC Rawhides Town & Country at Town Dance Boutique.
MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
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COUNSELING
A MINDFULNESS-BASED MENTAL
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in a holistic approach to anxiety,
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20 years experience helping people
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Kirkendall MA LPC, 202.550.3589, www.
dclpc.com.
LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY at
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families, adolescents. Over 15
years serving the community. Mike
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LEGAL SERVICES
CONGRATULATIONS, VIRGINIA!
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a.m., indulge your body. $70 for 1 hour.
Bill 202-728-0238.
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or Deep Tissue. Appts 202-486-6183,
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ESCORTS
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TED 5 11, 155LBS, 30yo, 9X6, Versatile
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ADULT PARTIES
SHARE / VA
MBR FOR RENT Large master bedroom
with big closet for rent in Woodbridge,
VA single-family home owned by
professional gay couple. Home is half-
way between Quantico Marine Corps
Base & Ft. Belvoir. Beautifully renovated
walk-out basement bedroom with
private full bath and whole house
privileges. Cable, internet, trash and all
utilities included. One owner works late
night for a law enforcement agency,
and the other works regular daytime
hours, so there is always someone
at home. This room is for one single
person only. Lease term negotiable!
$1000/month. Call 703-798-3955.
ALEX KING ST METRO MBR 4 Rent.
Furnished. Share 3 BR condo w/ 3 gay
men. Non-smokers. 50s, 40 yo deaf
man. $1200.00. Brian 703-981-5896.
RENT / DC
MODERN CAPHILL LUXURY. 2BR/2BA
condo. Available Sept 1. $2800/
mo. Parking & Storage as additional
rent. Registered DC legal rental unit.
Potomac Ave Metro across street. Two
walk-in closets, upscale kitchen granite
counters, stainless steel appliances,
large bathrooms. Hardwood floors, tile,
carpet. Overlooks quiet landscaped
courtyard. Washer/dryer. Secure 6
-yr old building with 24-hr concierge.
Fitness center, business center, pub/
entertainment space, three roof-top
patios. Harris-Teeter in building. Non-
smoking. Cats case-by-case. Steven
703-300-1359.
SALE / DC
BEAUTIFUL PETWORTH ROWHOME
- Fabulous 3BR and 1.5BA, freshly
painted, modernized kitchen, finished
attic, semi-finished/walkout basement,
closet room, sitting room with MBR. Off
street parking , near metro, shopping,
and more. 4615 9th St, NW. $525K with
closing help. 215-888-2575.
SALE / MD
MONTGOMERYVILLAGE
TOWNHOMES
* $265,995 - 3 Bedroom ! Deck
overlooks trees !
* $269,995 - 3 Terrifc Levels
! Party Room Basement!
2 Full Bathrooms + 2 Half-
Bathrooms!Custom-Built Deck!
* $219,995 - 3 Levels ! Master
Bedroom Suite ! 3 Bedrooms!
2 1/2 Baths !
* $304,995 - 3 Level! End Unit!
Garage! 4 Bedrooms! 2 - 1/2
Baths! Huge Family Room!
Request OnlinePhotos !
LARRY PERRIN REALTOR
(301) 983-0601
LJPerrin@aol.com.
REVISIONS
REDESIGN
TEXT REVISIONS
NO REVISIONS
Washington
202.822.1666
24/7 Friendly Customer Care 1(888) 634.2628 18+
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Arlington
703.373.1000
Baltimore
410.468.4000
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A

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