MAL WEEKEND is here.

Details, PAGE 21
JANUARY

16

2015

VOLUME 46

ISSUE 03

AMERICAS GAY NEWS SOURCE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Probable cause that gay assistant chef was

harassed, forced out of job
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
The D.C. Oce of Human Rights has found probable cause that
the Willard InterContinental Hotel allegedlyforced a gay assistant
chef out of his job after he complained that he was repeatedly
subjected to anti-gay harassment and taunts by co-workers and
supervisors.
A 15-page Letter of Determination of Probable Cause issued
by the OHR on Dec. 17 says D.C. resident Alberto Vega, 43,
establishes a prima facie case that he was subjected to a hostile
work environment because of his sexual orientation and was
constructively discharged from his job in August 2013.
The OHR nding says the hotels alleged actions against
CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

ALBERTO VEGA claims he was harassed on a frequent, nearly daily basis by multiple members of the kitchen
sta at the Willard Hotel.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

Fifth Circuit seems poised

to strike down bans in 3
more states
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com
NEW ORLEANS It was yet another
eventful week in the ght for marriage
equality, as new developments make
it more likely the U.S. Supreme Court
will have to settle the question of
whether gay and lesbian couples
should be able to legally marry in all

50 states.
After more than three hours of
arguments last Friday, the U.S. Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals seemed
poised to rule 2-1 against bans
on same-sex marriage in Texas,
Louisiana and Mississippi.
The three-judge panel hearing the
challenges to marriage bans in those
states consisted of U.S. Circuit Judge
Patrick Higginbotham, a Reagan
appointee; U.S. Circuit Judge Jerry
Smith, another Reagan appointee;
CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

It seems more likely the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on marriage rights for same-sex
couples following recent rulings in lower courts.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

FULL OF IT

GOVT DIVIDED

JE SUIS CHARLIE

Mike Huckabee on
marriage: New tone
or same old bigotry?

Obama preps State of

the Union address as
GOP takes over Congress.

Mainstream media wont

show Charlie Hebdo
cartoons. But we will.

PAGE 8

PAGE 10

PAGE 16

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0 4 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

LO CA L N E W S

D.C. march to honor Leelah Alcorn draws hundreds

Advocates demand federal
conversion therapy ban
By MICHAEL K. LAVERS
mlavers@washblade.com
More than 300 people marched through
downtown Washington on Saturday to
honor a transgender Ohio teenager who
committed suicide late last month.
American University student Jes
Grobman; Rev. Wendy Moen of First
Trinity Lutheran Church and Lourdes
Ashley Hunter, co-founder of the Trans
Women of Color Collective, are among
those who spoke on the steps of the
Carnegie Library in Mount Vernon Square
during a pre-march rally. They proceeded
to march to the Justice Department where
they read a list of demands that include
a federal ban on so-called conversion
therapy to minors.
Leelah [Alcorn]s death is extremely
tragic, Grobman, who identies as a
gender queer trans person, told the
Washington Blade before speaking at
the rally. As a trans person I feel very
emotionally connected to it in the fact that
in an easily dierent set of circumstances
it could have been me.
A tractor-trailer truck struck and killed
Alcorn, 17, on an interstate outside of
Cincinnati on Dec. 28.
Alcorn wrote in her suicide note that her

Trans activists and allies held a moment of silence for Leelah Alcorn during a march through downtown Washington on Jan. 10.
WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

mother took her to Christian therapists

who were all very biased after she came
out as trans when she was 14.
Alcorn said she thought coming out
as gay would be less of a shock to
her parents. The trans teen wrote they
instead withdrew her from school, took
away her laptop and phone and did not
allow her to see her friends.
My death needs to mean something,

said Alcorn in her suicide note, which she

posted to her Tumblr page.
Grobman read a portion of the note
during the rally.
Her note was more than just a
description of a girl who was driven to feel
like life was so helpless that she couldnt live
on, said Grobman. Her suicide note was a
plea. It was a call to action. It was begging
us to come out here and to x society, to

make her death mean something. And

thats why we are out here.
Scarlet Tatro of Baltimore held a sign
during the rally that called for an end to
conversion therapy.
She told the Blade she was pissed and
cried a lot when she learned about how
Alcorns parents treated her.
Reading Leelahs note was kind of like
the tipping point, said Tatro.

Guilty plea in stabbing of trans teen

Metro attack listed
as hate crime
By LOU CHIBBARO JR.
lchibbaro@washblade.com
A Beltsville, Md., man charged with
stabbing a 15-year-old transgender girl on
a Metro train last July pleaded guilty in D.C.
Superior Court on Friday to a charge of bias
related assault with a dangerous weapon.
Reginald Klaiber, 25, who has been held
in the D.C. Jail since the time of his arrest
on July 30, faces a possible maximum
sentence of 15 years in jail under a
provision of the citys hate crimes law that
gives judges authority to issue enhanced
sentences in hate crime cases.
The maximum sentence for a non-hate
crime related charge of assault with a
dangerous weapon is 10 years in jail. Superior
Court Judge Juliet McKenna scheduled a
sentencing for Klaiber for March 11.
An arrest adavit prepared by Metro
Transit Police says Klaiber allegedly
taunted the 15-year-old victim repeatedly

REGINALD KLAIBER
PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO TRANSIT POLICE

with anti-trans slurs on board a Green

Line Metro train as it approached the Fort
Totten station in Northeast D.C.
The adavit says witnesses and the
victim told police that Klaiber told the

victim, among other things, you are a

boyyou got a dick before grabbing her
in a bear hug and stabbing her in the back
as the train entered the station.
One of the victims friends, a gay male
teenager, helped the victim break free from
Klaiber by spraying him in the face with Mace
or pepper spray, according to the adavit.
A 19-year-old female friend who was with
the victim and the gay male friend at the
time of the incident told the Washington
Blade that Klaiber followed them as they
ed into another train car. Klaiber shouted
the word faggot, and threatened to stab
them as they ran into the station.
Metro Transit Police apprehended and
arrested Klaiber just outside the station
after one of the friends pointed him out
to one of the ocers, a statement by the
U.S. Attorneys oce says. The statement
says ocers recovered a black folding
knife with a three-inch serrated blade
after searching Klaiber.
Police said the victim was treated at
Washington Hospital Center for a nonlife-threatening stab wound.
Court records show that Klaibers

guilty plea came just over two months

after Superior Court Judge Frederick
Sullivan ruled that Klaiber was mentally
competent to stand trial. The ruling
came after Klaiber underwent a 45-day
psychiatric evaluation at the request of
his defense attorney.
According to information released
by the U.S. Attorneys oce, Klaibers
guilty plea was part of a plea bargain
agreement. Under the agreement, in
exchange for the guilty plea,prosecutors
agreed not to indictKlaiber on additional
charges related to the trans teen
stabbing case. They also agreed to
ask the judge to place a cap in their
sentencing recommendation so that
the jail term would be at the bottom
one-third of the applicable, enhanced,
sentencing guideline range.
The agreement did not call for lowering
the charge or withdrawing prosecutors
request that Klaiber receive some form
of stricter penalty for the hate crime
designation. The agreement notes that
it is up to the judge, not prosecutors, to
make the nal decision onthe sentence.

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0 6 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

LO CA L N E W S

McAuliffe vows to veto conscience clause bill

Virginia Gov. Terry McAulie this week said he would veto in a nanosecond
a bill that would allow state licensed or accredited business owners to deny
service to someone based on their religious beliefs.
The comment against House Bill 1414 came in response to a question at a
Richmond press conference during which the governor discussed what he
described as his equal opportunity legislative agenda for the 2015 General
Assembly that began on Wednesday.
In a new Virginia economy, we need to be able to attract the best and
brightest entrepreneurs here, build a workforce for the 21st century, and ensure
that the next generation of Virginians has greater opportunity to succeed, said
McAulie. All that depends on having a business-friendly environment where
every Virginian is treated equally and fairly under the law, no matter their
background, gender or whom they love.
Equality Virginia and the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia are among
the groups that have sharply criticized HB 1414 that state Del. Bob Marshall
(R-Prince William County) introduced last month.
The so-called conscience clause measure specically cites same-sex
marriage or homosexual behavior.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Memorial for Calvin Steinmetz set for Jan. 17

A celebration of life gathering for Calvin Steinmetz, the former D.C. attorney
who died at his home in Wilton Manors, Fla., on Dec. 5, is scheduled to take place
Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at Town nightclub at 2009 8th St., N.W.
Steinmetz, 62, who was gay, practiced law for more than 30 years in D.C.,
Maryland and Virginia and most recently in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His partner of
30 years, Bryan Boyle, has invited members of the D.C.-area LGBT community
and others who knew Steinmetz during his years in Washington to participate in
the life celebration gathering.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Roger Ault dies at 85

Roger C. Ault, a long-time former resident of the D.C. area, but recently from
Rehoboth Beach, died Jan. 7 from kidney failure. He was 85.
Ault was born in Accident, Md., and after graduating in 1946 from Accident
High School, attended college at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel
College) in Westminster, Md. In later years, he attained a masters in drama from
Catholic University of America in the District.
He taught English for more than 25 years in his hometown and in suburban
Maryland junior high schools. Even after retiring to Rehoboth in 1996, he
periodically taught English as a Second Language.
A military veteran, he served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps in
Stuttgart, Germany from 1954-56.
Ault had a passion for theater. His home in Rehoboth Beach was lled with
plays and theatrical books, and even days before his death, he would watch
movies on Netix and then write reviews of the movies he had seen.
That passion was seen on stage in a theatrical career that spanned more than
ve decades. He performed on numerous stages in the D.C. area, including
Fords Theatre, Olney Theatre and Folger Theatre and toured with Players, Inc.
(now National Players) on a national tour and subsequent USO tour of Army
bases in Germany as an actor in The Merchant of Venice.
He continued to perform in theaters throughout Delaware and was an early
member of the Ad Hoc Touring Company of the Possum Point Players out of
Georgetown, Del., which focuses on bringing Old Time Radio to life, performing
at many senior facilities and other venues. According to Louise White, one of the
performers for Ad Hoc, One of his last endeavors was selecting a play to be read
at the monthly reading just days before his hospitalization.
Longtime LGBT activist Paul Kuntzler, who had a ve-decade friendship with
Ault, saw him as someone who was loyal and carried out responsibilities either
when he worked for my partners reporting company or on a personal level.
Kuntzler noted that although Ault said he was a Republican, that Roger would
help the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club out, if they needed assistance.
A memorial service is planned at Parsells Funeral Home in Lewes, Del.,
beginning at 11 a.m. on Jan. 24.
PETER SCHOTT

Phase 1 of Capitol Hill is temporarily closed.

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS

Phase 1 of Capitol Hill

closed temporarily
Owner says lesbian bar to
reopen after upgrades

By LOU CHIBBARO JR.

lchibbaro@washblade.com
The Phase 1 of Capitol Hill, a lesbian
bar that has been in business since
1970, closed its doors last Thursday for
an undisclosed period of time during
which renovations will be made before it
reopens, according to a message on the
clubs Facebook page.
Phase 1 will be closed temporarily as
we make some upgrades, the Facebook
message says.
Ellis Lane, who has worked part-time at
Phase 1 of Capitol Hill for 10 years as a DJ
and in other positions, said she and her
fellow employees rst learned about the
closing last Sunday night through a text
message from the manager who, in turn,
received the news from owner Allen Carroll.
Lane said she has since learned that
the renovations would include upgrading
the clubs lighting and sound system, but
she said she and other employees werent
sure why the renovation work couldnt be
done during the four days each week that
the club is closed.
Lane said the Phase 1 of Capitol Hill
has operated Thursday through Sunday
during most of the time she has worked
there. She said that several months
ago Carroll decided to close the club on
Sundays, limiting its days of operation to
Thursday through Saturday.

Carroll couldnt immediately be

reached for comment.
The announcement that the Phase 1 of
Capitol Hill was closing for renovation work
comes a little over a year after the Phase
1 of Dupont Circle, which is also owned
by Carroll, closed its doors for renovation
work in September 2013. The Dupont Circle
Phase has since reopened and, similar to
the Capitol Hill Phase, operates Thursday
through Saturday, according to its website.
It rst opened in February 2012.
Lane said that when the Phase 1
of Capitol Hill manager rst texted
employees about the closing the manager
wasnt told by Carroll whether the club
would be reopening, a development that
led to rumors circulating on social media
that the closing might be permanent.
I dont know if its true but there are a
number of us who would like to organize
around it and see if its possible to save
it or at least commune in lamenting its
passing, said Phase 1 customer Kelsey
Phipps in an email to the Blade on
Wednesday, before Carroll announced
the bar would be reopening.
Four D.C. gay bars with a mostly gay
male clientele have closed permanently
since 2011. They include the Dupont
Circle dance club Apex, which operated
in the same building as the Phase 1 of
Dupont Circle; the nearby tavern Omega,
which closed in 2012; the Capitol Hill
country western dance bar Remingtons,
which closed in April 2014; and MOVA,
a bar and lounge, which held its closing
party in December.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

0 8 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Huckabee moderates tone

on marriage in new book
Says harms of gay nuptials
greatly overstated
By CHRIS JOHNSON
cjohnson@washblade.com

CHAZ BONO says a church used his likeness for hateful purposes.
PHOTO BY KATHCLICK; COURTESY OF BIGSTOCK

Chaz Bono challenges Chilean church

LOS ANGELES Chaz Bono claims a Chilean church has misused his name
and likeness.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out to let me know that a church in
Chile has been using my picture for hateful and discriminatory purposes, wrote
Bono in a Jan. 10 post to his Facebook page. Trust me, it is very upsetting to see
someone using my picture for such vile propaganda. My lawyers have jumped
in and are doing everything they can to make sure I am not associated with such
bigotry.
Bono did not identify the church by name, but he thanked his fans in the
South American country for speaking out so strongly against this hatred over
the last few days.
Bono, whose mother is Cher, came out as trans in 2009.

Colo. church refuses to perform lesbians funeral

LAKEWOOD, Colo. The family and friends of a lesbian who died said a
suburban Denver pastor refused to allow them to hold her funeral in his church.
Vanessa Colliers loved ones told KMGH, a Denver television station, that Rev.
Ray Chavez of New Hope Ministries refused to perform her funeral because they
would not edit a video that showed her kissing her girlfriend.
Some of Colliers friends and relatives protested outside the church on Jan. 12.
I am against bigotry and stand with my friend Vanessa Colliers family in seeking
an apology and refund from Pastor Ray Chavez and New Hope Ministries, said
Colliers friend, Jose Silva, according to KMGH. The acts that took place at her
funeral were wrong and no family should ever have to go through that.
Colliers funeral took place at a funeral home across the street from the
church.

N.C. Catholic school res gay teacher

CHARLOTTE, N.C. A gay substitute teacher at a Roman Catholic high school
said he lost his job because he plans to marry his partner.
Q Notes reported administrators of Charlotte Catholic High School, which the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte operates, told Lonnie Billard last month
that he would no longer be a substitute teacher.
Billard told Q Notes that he announced on Facebook last fall that he plans to
marry his partner. The retired drama teacher said the decision to terminate his
employment did not come from school ocials.
The Catholic Church in recent years has come under re from LGBT rights
advocates who claim gay teachers have lost their jobs because they married
their partners.
Diane Wolfe, principal of an all-girls Catholic high school in Little Rock, Ark., in
2013 lost her job after she married her partner in New Mexico. The Diocese of
Rockville Centre in New York a few months earlier suspended Nicholas Coppola
from teaching religious education classes and removed him from public duties
at his Long Island parish after he and his husband tied the knot.

Potential
Republican
presidential
candidate Mike Huckabee seems to be
moderating his stalwart opposition to
same-sex marriage in his new book, but
LGBT advocates are unimpressed with his
new comments on the issue.
According to a recent report from
CNN, Huckabees new book, God, Guns,
Grits and Gravy, touches on his views
on marriage equality in addition to his
views of pop culture and other potential
Republican presidential nominees.
The claim that same-sex marriage
is destroying society is actually greatly
overstated,
Huckabee
reportedly
concedes in the book.
According to CNN, the former Arkansas
governor, who enjoys widespread support in
the evangelical community, faults Christians
for what he sees as the pervasiveness of
divorce and remarriages as well as LGBT
advocates for militantly seeking marriage
rights for same-sex couples.
Christians who themselves abandoned
the primacy of lifelong marriage to follow
the divorce and remarriage customs of a
secular society have as much to answer
for as do those who militantly push to
redene marriage, he reportedly says.
Those words mark a change in tone
for Huckabee, who announced this
month hes ending his show on Fox
News in a move that observers have said
demonstrates hes heading toward a run
for the White House in 2016. In October,
Huckabee threatened in an interview
with the American Family Association to
bolt the Republican Party if it capitulates
on same-sex marriage.
If the Republicans wanna lose guys
like me, and a whole bunch of still Godfearing Bible-believing people, go ahead
and just abdicate on this issue, and go
ahead and say abortion doesnt matter,
either, Huckabee said. Because at that
point, you lose me, Im gone. Ill become
an independent, Ill start nding people
that have guts to stand, Im tired of this.
Despite the apparent change in tone
from Huckabee on same-sex marriage
in his new book, advocates were
unimpressed with his remarks.
Stephen Peters, a spokesperson for the
Human Rights Campaign, said Huckabees
new thoughts on marriage equality dont
detract from what many consider an
abysmal record on LGBT issues.

MIKE HUCKABEEnow says harms of gay

nuptials were greatly overstated.
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

In keeping with the majority of

Americans, we expect the next president
of the United States to support nationwide
marriage equality, Peters said. Mike
Huckabee has clearly established himself
as an extreme, anti-equality politician.
One sentence in a book is not going to
change that.
Ian Sams, spokesperson for the
Democratic National Committee, also
criticized Huckabees record, which
includes support for an Arizona bill
vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer that would
have allowed individuals and businesses
to refuse services for same-sex couples.
For years, LGBT Americans and their
allies have known that marriage equality
leads to a stronger, fairer society and
now that 70 percent of Americans live in
states where marriage equality is reality,
the forces for progress are stronger than
ever, Sams said. Unfortunately, Mike
Huckabee hasnt seen it that way. Instead,
hes been one of the loudest anti-gay
voices within a Republican Party that has
opposed LGBT equality for decades.
Sams added, His recent comments beg one
simple question: If you dont think marriage
equality is harming society, then why do you
continue to oppose it so intensely?
Also in the book, Huckabee reportedly
describes a memory he has of a Boy Scout
troop leader molesting members of his
troop as his introduction to gay people.
To be clear, I am not equating all gay
men with pedophiles; Im just relating
how this particular person was my
introduction to the then-unfathomable
concept
of
same-sex
attraction,
Huckabee is quoted as saying.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 0 9

Keep your promise to protect each other.

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

The National LGBTQ Task Force builds power, takes action and creates change to achieve freedom
and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families. As a progressive
social justice organization, the Task Force works toward a society that values and respects the
diversity of human expression and identity and achieves equity for all.
We are currently seeking a Human Resources Manager to be responsible for all aspects of
personnel administration and human resource development, including the Task Forces programs
for recruiting, orientation, workplace training, and employee performance evaluation.

Wills & Trusts

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Partnership & Prenuptial Agreements

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Responsibilities include:
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Oversees compliance with state and federal laws (incl EEO/Affirmative Action, ERISA) and other
relevant regulations and policies
Prepares required filings with federal, state and local government agencies for workers
compensation, unemployment, census and similar requirements
Manages the employee performance review process
Maintains regular working knowledge of comparable compensation scales
Supports management working with the employees bargaining unit and District 1199E, SEIU
Advises management on matters related to best practice in human resources, personnel
administration
Receives and process reports of employee misconduct or violation of the Code of Ethics as the
Task Forces Compliance Officer
Coordinates staff-wide training programs on workplace conduct and other topics
Works with Finance and Administration staff to design and deliver employee benefits, time &
attendance reporting and payroll services.

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Please submit a cover letter and resume addressing your experience with the above responsibilities
and describing your interest in being a member of the Task Force staff. If possible, please submit the
names and affiliations of three references. Apply via email at hr@thetaskforce.org; please write HR
Manager in the subject line.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 0 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

NATIONAL NEWS

Obama urged to address

LGBT issues in SOTU
Amid expectations President Obama will address access
to education and cybersecurity in his upcoming State of
the Union address, LGBT advocates are seeking a call in the
speech for passage of federal non-discrimination protections
as well as discussion of other progressive causes.
Obama is set to deliver the speech on Tuesday beginning at
9 p.m.before a joint session of Congress. Itll be the seventh
time at the start of a new year hell address lawmakers as
well as his Cabinet, justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and
members of the Joint Chiefs of Sta.
LGBT advocates had varied responses on what theyd like
to hear from Obama at the start of the 114th Congress, but a
general theme was taking the opportunity to urge for passage
of federal LGBT non-discrimination protections.
Currently, no federal law bars discrimination based on
sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace,
although the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
has interpreted the gender provisions in existing civil rights
law to protect transgender people.
Stephen Peters, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign,
expressed condence Obama would lay out a path to enshrine nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people into law.
President Obamas legacy of progress for the LGBT
community is unmatched in history, Peters said. As the
president lays out his vision for the next year, we are eager
to continue to work with him and Congress on important
steps that still need to be made for full LGBT equality. From
administrative actions that still need to be made, to important
federal legislation providing non-discrimination protections
to LGBT people, we are condent the presidents vision will
include continued progress toward full LGBT equality.
PRESIDENT OBAMAs SOTU Address is set for Tuesday.
In the previous Congress, the U.S. Senate under Democratic
WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY
leadership passed on a bipartisan vote of 64-32 a version of
the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have
barred employers from discriminating against LGBT workers, but the bill never came up in the House.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he saw no basis or no need for the legislation and support for the bill crumbled
over its religious exemption, which many LGBT advocates said was too broad.
In this Congress, the plan is to introduce a more comprehensive bill to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination not only in
employment, but education, federal programs, credit, housing and public accommodations. However,the chance such a bill
could pass is even more unlikelynow that Republicans control both chambers of Congress.
CHRIS JOHNSON

State Dept. considers phasing out DP benets

The Washington Blade has learned the State Department is considering phasing out domestic partner benets for unmarried
gay employees in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courts 2013 ruling that struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act.
Patrick Kennedy, under secretary for management at the State Department, told representatives of Gays and Lesbians in
Foreign Aairs Agencies during a Dec. 22 meeting that the agency plans to move forward the proposed elimination of the
Same-Sex Domestic Partner (SSDP) program.
GLIFAA President Selim Ariturk told the Washington Blade that many of his organizations members come from states that
have yet to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. He said their partners could also lose their jobs simply for getting
married to someone of the same gender.
Ariturk further noted that legally married foreign-born partners of GLIFAA members could face additional threats in their
respective homelands.
A diplomat from the embassy of an anti-gay country could walk into D.C. City Hall today and ask to see the marriage records
of such a couple, Ariturk told the Blade. Those records could then be used to convict the foreign partner of homosexuality
the next time he travels home. The danger is real.
A gay entry-level Foreign Service ocer who sought to remain anonymous told the Blade the State Departments domestic
partner program was the thing that really made him feel welcomed in the agency.
While its great that we can get married much more easily now, my partner and I are not looking forward to being forced
into a shotgun marriage due to a policy change that takes away the benets we were promised, he said.
Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009 announced same-sex partners of Foreign Service personnel were eligible to
receive a variety of benets. These include diplomatic passports, access to medical facilities at overseas posts and coverage of
emergency travel to visit ill or injured relatives or employees.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

LARRY HOGAN

Larry Hogan
to take office
on Jan. 21
Larry Hogan on Jan. 21 will ocially
take oce as Marylands next governor.
The Republican said during his
campaign against Lieutenant Gov.
Anthony Brown to succeed outgoing Gov.
Martin OMalley that he would not seek
to repeal the states same-sex marriage
law that voters approved in a 2012
referendum.
Hogan told the Baltimore Sun ahead
of last Junes GOP gubernatorial primary
that he opposes Marylands transgender
rights law. It remains unlikely he will seek
to repeal the statute once he takes oce,
in part, because the General Assembly
that passed it remains under Democratic
control.
Im going to be governor for all
Marylanders, Hogan told reporters
during an Annapolis press conference
after his surprise win.
Blair Lee, a Silver Spring developer
who Hogan tapped as a member of his
transition team, in 2012 described gay
sex as a mortal sin in a column against
Marylands same-sex marriage law that
he wrote for the Gazette newspapers. The
Montgomery County Democrat in a 2006
column compared gays to pedophiles
and serial killers.
State Sen. Chris Shank (R-Washington
County) claimed in a 2012 op-ed he
wrote for the Herald-Mail newspaper
that marriage rights for same-sex couples
would jeopardize religious freedom in
Maryland.
Hogan earlier this month appeared at
an event in Williamsport that Shank and
state Del. Neil Parrott (R-Washington
County) hosted.
Parrott last spring spearheaded an
unsuccessful eort to collect enough
signatures to prompt a referendum on
Marylands trans rights statute that took
eect in October.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

I N T ERNA TI O N A L NEWS

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 1 1

Ban Ki-moon: Anti-sodomy laws breed intolerance

PRESIDENT OBAMA and rst lady MICHELLE OBAMA greet Gambian President YAHYA
JAMMEH at the White House on Aug. 5, 2014.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT

Gambian president rails

against gays in speech
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh last week used a speech to again rail
against homosexuality.
Gambia Aairs, a Gambian news website that operates independently from
the countrys government, reported that Jammeh told soldiers in the countrys
capital of Banjul that the Bible that came rst condemns homosexuality and the
Bible is the book of the Almighty Allah and the Quran. The Gambian president
also appeared to sharply criticize the U.S. and other countries that have attacked
his governments LGBT rights record.
Let me make it very clear that if they think that they can be homosexuals and
want to impose homosexuality on the globe, they are doomed, said Jammeh,
according to Gambia Aairs. They say I am intolerantand that homosexuals
are a minority that is being oppressed in this country.
All the religious books condemn homosexuality and there is a so-called power
of democracy that says that homosexuality is a right, he added. All empires
before collapsed not at the time they were weakest, but at the peak of their
might and when they equated themselves with the Almighty Allah. So this evil
empire of homosexuals will also go down the dirty drain and garbage of hell.
Jammehs speech came roughly two weeks after two U.S. citizens allegedly led
a failed coup to overthrow his government.
Let me warn those countries that think they are powers, said Jammeh,
according to Gambia Aairs. They may be evil powers, but the Gambia is a
righteous power protected by God. We will prevail by the grace of the Almighty
Allah. All forces of evil that have bad intention towards the Gambia will perish.
We will not change our way of life.
Jammeh came to power in the small West African country in a 1994 coup.
Jammeh last fall signed into law a bill under which those convicted of
aggravated homosexuality face life in prison. Reports indicate Gambian
authorities subsequently arrested more than a dozen people they accused of
being gay.
Jammeh last year described gay men as vermin during a speech that
commemorated Gambias independence from the U.K. He said during a 2013
speech at the U.N. General Assembly that homosexuality is among the three
biggest threats to human existence.
Homosexuality is un-African, said Jammeh during an interview with an
Iranian television station that Gay Gambia, an LGBT newsgroup, posted on its
Twitter account on Monday. Even if the whole world accepts it, I, Yahya Jammeh,
will not in accept it in the Gambia.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week rearmed his opposition to laws that
criminalize homosexuality.
I staunchly oppose the criminalization of homosexuality, said Ban during an event in
the Indian capital of New Delhi that marked the 70th anniversary of the U.N.s founding.
I speak out because laws criminalizing consensual, adult same-sex relationships violate
basic rights to privacy and to freedom from discrimination.
Ban during his speech stressed anti-sodomy laws breed intolerance, even if they
are not enforced. He also said he is proud to stand for the equality of all people
including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
We have to ght for the equality of all members of our human family regardless of
any dierence, including sexual orientation, said Ban.
India is among the more than 70 countries in which consensual same-sex sexual
relations remain illegal.
The India Supreme Courts 2013 ruling that reinstated the countrys Colonial-era
sodomy law sparked widespread outrage among LGBT rights advocates in the South
Asian country and around the world. The tribunal last April accepted a motion to
reconsider the controversial decision.
India is grappling with the legacy of an archaic British colonial-era law that treats
gay people not as equals deserving of respect but as criminals deserving of contempt,
Charles Radclie, a senior human rights adviser for the Oce of the U.N. High
Commissioner, told the Washington Blade on Tuesday. Its a monstrous law and
every day it remains on the books it only reinforces stigma, shame and discrimination
experienced by millions of Indians who happen to be gay.
James Robertson, executive director of the India HIV/AIDS Alliance, welcomed Bans
comments.
His statement is welcomed and keeps this issue of LGBT rights in the spotlight,
Robertson told the Blade. He is part of a growing chorus of international leaders raising
this concern, and his advocacy may provide additional pressure to support the ongoing
eorts within India working to decriminalize homosexuality.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

Egyptian court acquits 26 men charged with debauchery

An Egyptian court this week acquitted 26 men who were charged with debauchery
last month after police raided a bathhouse.
The Associated Press reported those who were inside the Cairo courtroom began
cheering and wailing after the judge announced his verdict. Scott Long, a former Human
Rights Watch staer, told the news wire he was shocked and delighted by the acquittal.
Police on Dec. 7 arrested the 26 men during a raid on a bathhouse in Cairos Ramses
neighborhood.
Mona Iraqi, a reporter for a pro-television station, came under re for tipping o
authorities after she and a cameraman tried to enter the bathhouse.
She posted a picture to her Facebook page that shows her inside the bathhouse
lming the detained men with her cell phone. Iraqi described it as the biggest den of
group perversion in the heart of Cairo before her program broadcast video of the raid.
Iraqi did not immediately response to the Washington Blades request for comment
about the verdict.
Human rights advocates with whom the Blade has spoken in recent weeks say the raid
is indicative of the ongoing persecution of LGBT Egyptians that has only increased since
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi ousted Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in
July 2013.
In Egypt since the coup, there hasnt been a single other high-prole human rights
case of any kind thats ended in acquittal on the rst instance, Long told the Blade
on Monday. This is an unprecedented victory for Egyptian activists. I only hope it also
sends a message to police that judges will no longer rubber-stamp their fake evidence,
and that the crackdown on LGBT people has to stop.
An ocial with the State Department also welcomed the acquittal.
We welcome the courts decision that brought this case to a just conclusion, the
ocial told the Blade. We continue to stress the importance of protecting the basic
rights of all Egyptians.
MICHAEL K. LAVERS

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 2 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

CO V E R ST O RY

New developments in
ght for marriage rights
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

and U.S. Circuit Judge James Graves Jr.,

an Obama appointee.
Higginbotham, whos considered a
swing vote because he has a reputation
for being moderate on social issues,
suggested he found arguments from
state attorneys arguing in favor of
marriage laws unsatisfactory.
At one point, Higginbotham talked
about sexual orientation as an
immutable characteristic and having
no bearing on a persons contribution
to society. Higginbotham also asked
Kyle Duncan, the special counsel
representing the state of Louisiana,
why sterile couples should be allowed
to marry if the objective of the
states ban on same-sex marriage is
procreation.
Higginbotham recalled the recent
decision
against
Wisconsin
and
Indianas marriage bans by U.S. Circuit
Judge Richard Posner, saying the judge
found such procreation arguments
ridiculous.
At another point when the benefits of
marriage came up, Higginbotham said
the idea that marriage is exclusively
under the jurisdiction of the states
ignores the fact that many benefits
afforded to married couples are
derived not from the state government,
but the federal government.
Notably, when Camilla Taylor, an
attorney with Lambda Legal arguing
against Louisianas marriage ban,
delivered
her
initial
arguments,
Higginbotham, as if he agreed with her
position, asked no questions until her
time came for rebuttal. On the other
hand, Higginbotham grilled Duncan
throughout his arguments about his
case in favor of Louisianas prohibition
on gay nuptials.
Smith was the lone judge on the
panel apparently leaning toward the
idea that the court should uphold
bans on same-sex marriage. In fact,
his questioning seemed like he was
advocating his colleagues rule with
him in favor of the laws.
Throughout the arguments, Smith
made numerous references to the 1972
U.S. Supreme Court decision of Baker
v. Nelson, a marriage equality lawsuit
the court refused to hear for lack of
federal question. Also mentioned by
Smith was judicial precedent that a law
can survive scrutiny by the courts if it

serves a rational basis, even if its an

imperfect fit for the rationale.
They might not be the best fit, but
that may not mean theres no fit at all,
Smith said.
When Roberta Kaplan, the attorney
representing same-sex couples in
Mississippi, argued before the bench,
Smith asked why one of the final lines
in the Supreme Court decision against
the Defense of Marriage Act was that
the ruling only applies to existing
same-sex marriages.
Smith said he finds it unusual that
sentence would be included at the end
of the decision, suggesting the DOMA
ruling shouldnt be applied to overturn
state bans on same-sex marriage.
They very rarely do this, Smith added.
In response to the question, Kaplan
said the Supreme Court included the
line because, in her capacity as an
attorney who argued against the law,
she only briefed against DOMA and not
state laws at the time.
Questioning Louisianas defense
of its marriage ban, Graves asked
whether passing a law out of such fears
amounts to saying, Because we dont
know, we should fear the unknown
and therefore we should ban it.
At one point, Smith said striking
down a statute under rational-basis
review would suggest the state acted
irrationally by passing the law. Graves
said the rational-basis test instead
means a state must show a connection
between a law and a legitimate
rationale.
I just dont think finding a law
unconstitutional is tantamount to
saying the people who passed it are
irrational, Graves said.
After one reference to the Baker
decision, Graves, whos black, took a
jab at recurring talk of the 1970s case,
saying it made him nostalgic for his
afro and eight-track tapes.
The Fifth Circuit is under no deadline
to render a decision in the case. But
if it acts quickly, the panel may make
a decision before the Supreme Court
decides on whether itll accept a
marriage case to make a nationwide
ruling on the issue.

Court declines to hear La. case

In related news, the U.S. Supreme
Court announced Monday it has

declined to hear for the time being a

lawsuit seeking marriage equality in
Louisiana that is still pending before a
federal appeals court.
That case, Robicheaux et al v. George
et al, was docketed for the Supreme
Courts conference on Jan. 9 along with
four other cases in which the U.S. Sixth
Circuit Court of Appeals upheld bans
on same-sex marriage.
Orders from the conference that
came down on Monday indicate the
Supreme Court denied certiorari in
the Louisiana case, but has yet to take
action on the other marriage cases.
The next opportunity for the court
to consider whether to take up one of
the Sixth Circuit cases is an upcoming
conference on Jan. 16. The Supreme
Court has already re-listed the marriage
cases for Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky
and Tennessee on that day. Visit
washingtonblade.com for updates.
In
November,
Lambda
Legal
announced in an unusual move it
had filed a writ of certiorari before
judgment in the Louisiana marriage
case. Its not surprising the Supreme
Court would refuse that petition at
this time because the U.S. Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals has yet to rule in
the case.

Court strikes down S.D. ban

Meanwhile, a federal judge in
South Dakota became the latest
to rule against a ban on same-sex
marriage on Monday, striking down
the states law on the basis that it
violates rights under the Fourteenth
Amendment.
In a 28-page decision, U.S.
District Judge Karen Schreier, a
Clinton appointee, grants summary
judgment to plaintiff same-sex
couples in the case, saying South
Dakotas marriage ban runs contrary
to their rights to equal protection
and due process under the U.S.
Constitution.
In Loving, the Supreme Court
addressed a traditionally accepted
definition of marriage that prohibited
Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving
from marrying, Schreier writes.
Because Virginias laws deprived
that couple of their fundamental
right to marriage, the Court struck
down those laws. Little distinguishes

this case from Loving. Plaintiffs have

a fundamental right to marry. South
Dakota law deprives them of that
right solely because they are samesex couples and without sufficient
justification.
Although plaintiffs in the case
have opposed a stay, the decision is
halted for the time being, so same-sex
couples wont be able to marry at this
time in South Dakota.
Because
this
case
presents
substantial and novel legal questions,
and because there is a substantial
public interest in uniformity and
stability of the law, this court stays its
judgment pending appeal, Schreier
writes.
South Dakota Attorney General
Marty
Jackley,
a
Republican
whos been defending the states
marriage ban in court, has the
option of appealing the decision
to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of
Appeals. Two other cases seeking
marriage equality are already
pending before the federal appeals
court, one from Missouri, the other
from Arkansas.
It remains the States position that
the institution of marriage should be
defined by the voters of South Dakota
and not the federal courts, Jackley
said. Because this case presents
substantial legal questions and
substantial public interest the federal
court has stayed its judgment allowing
South Dakota law to remain in effect
pending the appeal.
The lawsuit was filed by private
attorneys in South Dakota and the
National Center for Lesbian Rights on
behalf of six same-sex couples living
in the state. Three of these couples
are seeking to right to wed in South
Dakota and other three want the state
to recognize their same-sex marriages
performed elsewhere.
Christopher Stoll, a senior attorney
with the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, commended Schreier for
writing a detailed and powerful
analysis against the ban on same-sex
marriage in South Dakota.
We are thrilled for our clients and
for all same-sex couples in South
Dakota, who have watched and waited
as progress has been made in so
many other states, and who can now
see light at the end of the tunnel in
their own state, Stoll said.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

C O V ER STO RY

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 1 3

Gay man claims discrimination by Willard Hotel

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

Vega violated the D.C. Human Rights

Act, which, among other things, bans
employment discrimination based on
sexual orientation.
The
U.S.
Equal
Employment
Opportunity Commission denes a
constructive discharge as an illegalform
of forced resignation brought about
by making the work environment so
intolerable a reasonable person would
not be able to stay.
OHRs probable cause letter says its
investigation into Vegas complaint found
that he was harassed on a frequent,
nearly daily basis by multiple members
of the kitchen sta. The jokes were
oensive, and supervising chefs laughed
about them, compounding the impact of
the ridicule.
The probable cause letter notes that
the discrimination complaint that Vega
led with the OHR alleges that the
harassment began around September
2012, about six months after he began
his job at the Willard in March of 2012.
It says fellow kitchen workers made the
anti-gay comments in both English and
Spanish. Vega is a native of Puerto Rico
and speaks uent Spanish and English.
Some of the Spanish speaking sta
constantly called the complainant
a culero, meaning fag and burro
which means donkey indicating that
homosexuals are sub-humans, the
probable cause document quotes Vegas
complaint as saying.
Other alleged comments made by
Vegas co-workers and quoted in the
probable cause document include, God
punches faggots; If Obama wins we
would have to tolerate seeing faggots
getting married; and Real men have
children; why dont you have any?
The probable cause letter says that
since the entire kitchen sta worked
together closely in a small space in the
kitchen, complainant could not escape
the harassment. Complainant credibly
asserts that the comments caused
him signicant stress and aected him
personally in such that he sometimes
had to leave work early or was out of
work sick.
The letter says personnel ocials
at the hotel, to whom Vega repeatedly
reported the alleged harassment, told
him they investigated his allegations and
could not substantiate them.
The probable cause letter was signed
by Monica Palacio, the OHR director who
was appointed by former Mayor Vincent
Gray and asked to stay on as director by
Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Eric Janson, an attorney representing
the hotel, told the Blade on Tuesday that
he would have no comment on a pending

case except to say that on behalf of the

Willard his law rm of Seyfarth Shaw
led a motion for reconsideration of the
probable cause nding.
Under
procedures
established
by the OHR, parties charged with
discrimination have the option to request
a reconsideration of a nding of probable
cause. If the OHR reverses its nding the
case is dismissed.
If it upholds the nding after reviewing
its initial decision it then certies the case
to be sent to the D.C. Commission on
Human Rights, which conducts a trial-like
evidentiary hearing open to the public
that includes testimony by witnesses.
Under the D.C. Human Rights Act, the
Commission is authorized to make a nal
decision over whether discrimination
occurred and what, if any, penalty should
be handed down to the accused party.
Also prior to certifying a case to be
sent to the Commission, the OHR says
it makes a nal eort to persuade the
complainant and accused party, referred
to as the respondent, to negotiate a
reconciliation agreement in which the
case could be settled without the need
for a hearing.
OHR spokesperson Elliot Imse said the
oce never acknowledges whether it is
considering a case until it certies the
case for consideration by the Commission
on Human Rights, regardless of whether
a nding of probable cause has been
made. He said no case involving the
Willard Hotel had been certied as of
this week so his oce would have no
comment.
Ocials at the Willard Hotel did not
respond to a request by the Washington
Blade for a comment on the allegations
made by Vega. But in a statement
released to the Blade, a Willard
spokesperson discussed the hotels
policy on discrimination.
The Willard InterContinental hotel
holds the safety, comfort and well-being
of our guests and employees as our top
priority and concern, and condemns
unlawful discrimination in all of its
forms, said Barbara Bahny, the hotels
director of public relations. At this time,
the hotel is unable to comment further
since the litigation is ongoing.
The Willard is considered one of the
most prestigious hotels in the nations
capital and has a history that dates back
to when Abraham Lincoln stayed there
prior to being inaugurated as president
in 1861.
The InterContinental Hotels Group,
which owns the Willard and dozens of other
hotels in the U.S. and abroad, received a
perfect score of 100 in the Human Rights
Campaign Foundations Corporate Equality
Index, which rates Fortune 500 companies

on their personnel policies aecting LGBT

employees.
We are monitoring this case, said Deena
Fidas, director of the HRC Foundations
Workplace Equality Program and coauthor of the Corporate Equality Index
after the Blade informed HRC about the
case. Whenever allegations of harassment

or discrimination surface, it is distressing,

and we take them very seriously.
Fidas said HRC Foundation would
continue to monitor this and other
cases and make determinations when
appropriate.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

Gay Republican wins race for D.C. GOP chair

Jose Cunningham, a local gay
Republican activist and prominent
GOP fundraiser, won an upset
victory in his race for chair of the D.C.
Republican Committee last week,
beating incumbent chair Ron Phillips
by a vote of 74 to 41.
Cunningham ran on a platform
calling for the DCRC to take more
aggressive steps to expand the
membership of the D.C. Republican
Party and recruit more qualied
candidates for public oce in a city
with an overwhelmingly Democratic
electorate.
Jose Cunningham won his bid to chair
Phillips said he and his team of
the D.C. Republican Party.
party leaders in each of the citys
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSE CUNNINGHAM
eight wards were working toward
those goals. But Cunningham and his
supporters argued that the partys membership, visibility and recruitment of
candidates declined during Phillips two-year tenure in oce.
The DCRC, which serves as the D.C. Republican Partys governing body, has
been supportive of LGBT rights, including marriage equality, for a number of
years, placing it at odds with the national Republican Party.
With Phillips expressing support for LGBT equality, appointing gay Republicans
to leadership roles in the local party, and becoming a member of the D.C. Log
Cabin Republicans, the contest between him and Cunningham centered more
on other issues such as which of the two were better qualied to strengthen the
D.C. GOP.
I think that one of the reasons weve almost become irrelevant is that we
dont have a steady stream of advocacy and opinion out there, Cunningham
said during the campaign. And as the voice of opposition in Washington, D.C.,
we should be talking about housing and the economy and corruption and the
budget and those kinds of things. And we just havent been doing that for the
last couple of years.
Cunningham works as chief marketing and business development ocer
at the D.C.-based international law rm Crowell & Moring. He has hosted
fundraisers for the D.C. and national Republican Party for many years.
He was credited with breaking new ground when he persuaded Republican
National Committee Chair Reince Priebus in 2011 to be the guest of honor at his
Dupont Circle home for a DCRC fundraiser, where participants paid $500 each
to attend.
D.C. Log Cabin Republicans, a local gay GOP group, remained neutral in
the Cunningham-Phillips race but the groups president, Chris Allen, a voting
member of the DCRC, said the group was thrilled to welcome Cunningham as
the new chair.
As a fellow member and as the rst gay Latino to chair a local Republican
Party, Jose will continue the inclusive policies that many of our members helped
advance within the party, making it a model for other urban Republican parties
across the country, Allen said.
Continues at washingtonblade.com.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

14 J A N U A R Y 16, 2015

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Baseball is still a few months away, but author Linda Fausnet will be talking
baseball and a ctional gay Baltimore Oriole at the next general meeting of
PFLAG-Westminster on Sunday. Fausnet, an LGBT ally who lives in Westminster
with her husband and two children, will discuss her book Queen Henry, which
was published last July.
The novel tells the ctional story of a homophobic baseball player from the
Baltimore Orioles who took a drug for asthma treatment that mysteriously
transformed him into a gay man. It provides the hero with an opportunity to
see how it is to be gay where he nds love but must, at the same time, endure
homophobia. All proceeds from the book go to the Harvey Milk Foundation.
The meeting will take place from 5-7 p.m. at St. Pauls United Church of Christ,
17 Bond St. in Westminster. For more information, visit www.pagwcc.org.

Foster parenting session on tap

In an eort to consider the needs of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system,
three organizations will co-sponsor an information session for potential foster
parents. Hearts & Homes for Youth (heartsandhomes.org), a non-prot that
works to help victimized youth become independent, productive adults through
a variety of residential and supportive programs; PFLAG-Howard County; and
Equality Maryland have teamed up to co-host the session on Jan. 28.
The event, which will take place from 7-9 p.m. at the Owen Brown Interfaith
Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way in Columbia, will feature a panel discussion with
a current foster parent, an LGBT adult who was in foster care, and Hearts &
Homes sta who will speak about opportunities to get involved and to be a
foster parent. The panel discussion will last an hour followed by Q&A.
Foster youth face many challenges; the challenge of being in foster care alone
is very dicult but being an LGBT youth in foster care presents an additional
challenge, Caitlin Buckley, director of community relations for Hearts & Homes,
told the Blade. Being able to live in a foster home where a parent not only
accepts them but understands the specic challenges they face as an LGBT
youth in foster care helps them heal and feel supported on an additional level.
The session is free, and all are welcome to attend. For more information, visit
the events Facebook page LGBTQYouthFosterParentInformationSession.

Focus group for Baltimore trans men planned

A focus group has been scheduled aimed at exploring HIV risk factors among
female-to-male transgender individuals.
This is part of an eort by researcher Brenda J. Hicks of Morgan State University
who has partnered with Black Transmen, Inc.-Maryland/D.C. In dealing with HIV/
AIDS issues, Hicks noted there are little or no data concerning trans men and
that more needs to be done. Questions will center on health-related issues and
gender identity.
The partnership is key because one of Black Transmen Inc.s advocacy focus
areas is HIV in trans-masculine communities, Vann Michael, president of
Transmen, Inc.- Maryland/D.C. chapter, told the Blade. This initiative is sure to
produce great insight into an underserved population.
The focus group session will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
at Hearts & Ears, 600 Park Ave. in Baltimore. For more information contact Vann
Michael at vmillhouse@blacktransmen.org.
STEVE CHARING

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

HE A LTH NEW S

J A N U A R Y 16, 2015 15

Illinois ad targets gay couples

WASHINGTON An Illinois ad targeting same-sex couples advising them
to get enrolled in health care under the Aordable Care Act aired in the state
during the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night, the Washington Post reports.
Get Covered Illinois paid for the ad, which showed residents Jake and Allen
a real couple who are friends with the commercials director, the Post reports
recount how they were able to get coverage prior to Jake getting appendicitis.
Having aordable care was sincerely a life-saving moment, Jake said in the ad.
The ad ran during prime time in Chicago last week and is also slated to run in
other markets throughout the state, the Post article said. Its part of the National
LGBT Outreach and Enrollment Week eort from the Obama administration
and its allies that was scheduled to launch this week. Several agencies such as
Out2Enroll and the Center for American Progress are collaborating on the eort,
the Post said.
Nationally, LGBT advocateswill be touting a new Health and Human Services
policy that took eect Jan. 1, which states that legally married same-sex couples
have access to the same plans a straight couple would in every state, even if
the state doesnt recognize the couples marriage, the Post reports. Out2Enroll
has also launched a new Web tool during the laws second enrollment period
where individuals can put in their zip code and identify trained LGBT-friendly
assisters in their region.
Recent research from CAP shows the uninsured rate among low- and
middle-income LGBT people who are potentially eligible for federal subsidies
declined by almost a quarter between 2013 and 2014, from 34 percent to 26
percentuninsured, the Post article notes.

Gay Florida couples urged to enroll

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Florida is extending retirement and health insurance
benets to the spouses of gay and lesbian public employees just as the state began
issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
The Florida Department of Management Services issued memos Jan. 6 (the
same day most clerks in the state began issuing licenses) that said married samesex couples now have a qualifying status change and can enroll in the family
health plan and become beneciaries of their spouses retirement benets, the
Democrat article said.
In some cases, the change is expected to save couples with health issues
thousands of dollars in care, the article said.

Study nds bi UK women troubled

LONDON Bisexual women in the UK are more likely to experience poor
mental health and mental distress than lesbians according to new research
published in the Journal of Public Health and reported by MedicalXpress.
Bi women were 64 percent more likely to report an eating problem and 37
percent more likely to have deliberately self harmed than lesbians, the research
found. They were also 26 percent more likely to have felt depressed and 20 percent
more likely to have suered from anxiety in the previous year than lesbians. Using
data from the 2007 Stonewall UK Womens Health survey, researchers from the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine analyzed responses from about
5,700 bi women and lesbians living in the UK ages 14 and older.
The study found that bi women were less likely to be out to friends, family
and co-workers and were less likely to be in relationships. They were less
likely to experience sex-based discrimination at work, in health care services
and in education and family than lesbians but were more likely to experience
discrimination from their friends, researchers found.
Bisexual people are at particular risk of invisibility and marginalization
from both gay/lesbian communities and mainstream society, said Dr. Ford
Hickson of the London School. Although bisexual women in our study reported
experiencing less sexuality-based discrimination than lesbians, this did not
benet their mental health. Mental health services should be aware of both the
dierences and the similarities in bisexual and lesbian womens mental health
care needs and tailor the services they provide accordingly.

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 6 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

VIEWPOINT

VOLUME

46

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03

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Paris attack a tragic

reminder that freedom
of speech comes
with high price

KEVIN NAFF is editor of Washington Blade and

can be reached at kna@washblade.com.

Last weeks cowardly attack on the oces of Charlie Hebdo in Paris and the ensuing drama are a painful reminder that freedom of speech often carries a heavy price.
Its not the rst time that Islamist extremists have targeted their critics
who ght with pens and paper and video
with deadly violence. And it certainly
wont be the last.
The sheer horror of the attack should
resonate with journalists everywhere.
When journalists become the target of
attack, the intent is to silence critics. Its
more important than ever that journalists give voice to those standing up to
this heinous behavior. The reaction at
least from Europeans has been reassuring and overwhelmingly arming. An
estimated one million people marched
peacefully in Paris over the weekend.
Among them were world leaders, including Angela Merkel of Germany and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. But conspicuously missing from the march was any
senior member of the Obama administration. It was a mindboggling mistake for
the United States to be absent from such
a high-prole show of support for our
oldest ally.
And Americas mainstream media
arent faring much better. The Washington Post, New York Times and Associated
Press have declined to publish the Charlie Hebdo cartoons that helped inspire
the attack. Those same outlets have gone
into great detail describing the cartoons,
so why not publish them?
None of the images distributed by AP
showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, an AP spokesperson said. Its been
our policy for years that we refrain from

For distribution, contact Lynne Brown at 202-747-2077,

ext. 8075. Distributed by MediaPoint, LLC

Charlie Hebdo in 2011 published a cartoon on its cover that featured Stephane Charbonnier
kissing a man dressed in traditional Muslim clothing under the headline Love is stronger than
hate.
IMAGE COURTESY OF CHARLIE HEBDO

moving deliberately provocative images.

This sudden hyper-sensitivity to Muslim sensibilities is hypocritical at best.
From images of Andres Serranos Piss
Christ to photos of Westboro Baptist
Churchs virulently anti-LGBT protests,
the AP has never shown such restraint
before. The blackout on these cartoon
images extends to broadcast and cable
TV, with all major networks refusing to
show them. Mainstream media outlets
are infantilizing American audiences with

this misguided policy rooted in fear. The

entire world is talking about these images. Its the story. So show them!
In 2011, Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon on its cover that featured Stephane
Charbonnier kissing a man dressed in
traditional Muslim clothing under the
headline Love is stronger than hate.
Charbonnier was the magazines editor
and was killed in the attack last week. We
republish that image here in solidarity
with Charlie Hebdo and those who died.

All material in the Washington Blade is protected by federal copyright law

and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Washington Blade. The sexual orientation of advertisers, photographers, writers
and cartoonists published herein is neither inferred nor implied. The
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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

V I E W PO I NT

A terrorist attack in the City

of Light tests our values

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL is a writer and activist.

Reach him at rrosendall@starpower.net.

The military-style murder of a dozen people

at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo by
brothers Chrif and Sad Kouachi in Paris was
the latest bloody episode in a long struggle
over freedom of expression. A deadly incident at a kosher supermarket a few days later
pointed to the common humanity that transcends the ght.
Reactions to the Hebdo attack ran the gamut. CNNs Don Lemon, whose gift of gae won
him a Dart for worst journalist of 2014 from
Columbia Journalism Review, asked international human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar,
Do you support ISIS? Conservative author
Dinesh DSouza said, Liberals coddle this Islamic radicalism, despite having sympathized
with conservative Muslims himself. Rudy Giuliani told Fox & Friends that the U.S. should
station police in every mosque.

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 1 7
Bill Donohue of the Catholic League said
of Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, It is
too bad that he didnt understand the role he
played in his tragic death. In fact, Charb knew
the danger he faced. After receiving death
threats two years ago, he said, Id rather die
standing than live on my knees.
Conservative pundits indignantly asked
why there were no condemnations by Muslim leaders of the attacks, when in fact there
was a ood of them. On the other hand, it was
jarring when several despotic regimes sent
representatives to a massive Paris march for
the murdered cartoonists despite their own
repression of journalists.
Any facile sorting of friend from foe was
refuted by news reports. The last victim in
the Charlie Hebdo attack was Muslim police
ocer Ahmed Merabet. During the kosher
market incident, Muslim employee Lassana
Bathily saved several hostages from terrorist Amedy Coulibaly by hiding them in a
walk-in freezer.
A news report referred to Coulibalys uent French and broken Arabic. Having come
home to roost, the Wests imperialist chickens are less likely to t the prole. Only cooperation across faiths and cultures can save
us from endless retributive justice. Defending
secular freedoms against racism and sectarianism is the best response to Marine Le Pen.
Author Salman Rushdie responded to the
attacks by calling religion a mediaeval form
of unreason and adding, I stand with Charlie
Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been a force for liberty
and against tyranny, dishonesty and stupidity.

Religions, like all other ideas, deserve criticism, satire, and, yes, our fearless disrespect.
Some say that people have no right to offend other peoples religions. But freedom of
speech and of the press mean nothing if not
the right to oend. Some assert Christendom
would never tolerate blasphemy that hits closer to home. But Western art and literature are
replete with blasphemy, from Nobelist Gnter
Grasss The Tin Drum to South Park to Kanye
West. (Heretics won the Reformation.) Irreverence may oend, but its banishment would
make us hostage to the most delicate sensibility. What the mainstream media censors goes
viral on social media.
Neither public servants nor clergy nor
holy books nor heroes are infallible. Battling
obscurantism does not mean we are saints
of any kind. It means we will not accept a tyrants bogus paradise, and are free to form
our own words and images and make up our
own minds.

Words like these are my only weapons. I am

free to choose them because of sacrices by
prior generations, and, perhaps ironically, due
to NSA surveillance. Tools are less important
than what we do with them. We do not know
from whom our problems solutions may come.
Our future innovators might have included a
child slaughtered by Boko Haram in Nigeria, or
a Pakistani student murdered by the Taliban, or
a football-playing boy killed on a beach in Gaza
or a murdered Jewish hostage. We must think
ourselves rich beyond measure to squander so
extravagantly our dearest resource.
If we have a future, it lies in what Jeerson
called the illimitable freedom of the human
mind. I support the right to oend not for its
own sake, but because we do not all worship
the same, and because breaking old vessels is
part of creating the new. We take many rugged paths to the stars.

In the same year, a cartoon on Charlie

Hebdos cover depicted Charbonnier kissing
a man in traditional Muslim clothing with the
headline Love is stronger than hate. (The
Blade published this cartoon in both its print
and online editions.)
As a journalist, as a citizen, as someone
who believes in progress, its almost a personal oense, Paul Parant, editor of the
website of Tetu, a French LGBT magazine,
told the Blade in an email, I hold dearly
many of their cartoons.
In decrying the attacks, I dont want to
fuel anti-Islamic bigotry. In the wake of
the recent killing, its vital not to scorn or
discriminate against the worlds 1.2 billion
Muslims. The policeman who was shot protecting Charbonnier was Muslim and mainstream Islamic leaders have condemned
the killings.
I would never pretend to be in such danger or as brave as the slain Charlie Hebdo
editors and cartoonists. Yet, the killings are
a sobering reminder to all journalists and

creative artists: Our words, satire, cartoons,

images, news stories put us at risk for not
only hate mail and online harassment, but
violence or death.
Sometimes art whether in a blog post,
poem, movie or any form is oensive to
some people. Ive been oended by everything from the anti-gay remarks of Duck Dynastys Phil Robertson to faux Hitler rants in
the blogosphere.
Yet, at its best, satire from Jonathan
Swifts Gullivers Travels to Charlie Hebdos
cartoons is often oensive. Drama and
the other arts from Tony Kushners Angels in America to Robert Mapplethorpes
photographs frequently make audiences
and viewers recoil in discomfort.
Sometimes friends tell me not to use a
word, such as dyke, or to write about a subject, say, lesbian sex, in a poem, because
I might oend some readers. Theyre well
meaning. But I have to ignore such concerns. If I didnt, Id never write a poem.
We are all Charlie.

Copyright 2015 by Richard J. Rosendall.

All rights reserved.

V I E WPO I NT

Making sense of senseless

tragedy in Paris

KATHI WOLFE is a writer, poet and regular

contributor to the Blade. She can be reached
through this publication.

Words fail. My pen falters.

Yet, as a writer, after the recent terrorist
attacks in France by Islamic extremists that
killed 17 people, I must, however haltingly,
speak. On Jan. 7, editors, prominent cartoonists (and police ocers who protected them)
with the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo
were gunned down. Two days later, four people were murdered at a Jewish grocery.
The slaughter, fueled by virulent antiSemitism, at the kosher grocery was unspeakable. All of us, of any faith and atheists alike, must deplore this act of violence.

Its horrifying to think that synagogues in

France now require police protection. The
emerging wave of anti-Semitism in Europe
should shock everyone especially the LGBT
community. As a group that encounters homophobia throughout the world, we must
decry anti-Semitism.
Like other journalists, satirists, cartoonists, poets and creative artists, Im appalled
that 12 people, among them Stephane Charbonnier, Charlie Hebdos editor, were killed
at the tabloids editorial meeting. The weekly, known for its satire of religious gures,
including Jesus Christ, has frequently published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The magazine has been attacked
by terrorists before. In 2011, though no one
was killed, the tabloid was rebombed after
it published a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. After the rebombing, Charbonnier had police protection.
Some of Charlie Hebdos cartoons have
mocked anti-gay religious leaders, as the
Blade reported. In 2011, the weekly published a Charbonnier cartoon aimed at Sharia law and homosexuality. Its caption said,
Soft Sharia law allows homosexuality.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

1 8 J A N UA RY 1 6 , 2015

VIEWPOINT

Jeb Bushs dog whistle on gay rights

Call for respect rings hollow
from LGBT rights opponent
By JOE FALK
Florida has become the 36th state in
the union with marriage equality for all
couples. Floridians have marked this
momentous occasion with celebrations
across the state, as loving, committed
couples were nally able to have their relationships viewed in the eyes of the law
with dignity and respect. With the addition of Florida, more than 70 percent of
Americans now live in states with marriage equality.
Not everyone has shared in the joy
that has radiated across the Sunshine
State. Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi are still working on legal
options to re-impose the states unconstitutional marriage ban. Clerks in several
Florida counties have also decided to do
away with courthouse marriages for all
couples, just to prevent LGBT couples
from getting married. In times like these,
you take note of who stands up for equal-

ity and progress and who does not.

When politicians invoke the states
rights argument to disagree with court
decisions (school integration, interracial
marriage), you know they are resorting to
dog-whistle politics. It is especially cynical when they use it to refuse for others
what they themselves enjoy like voting
rights and marriage.
Recently, Jeb Bush decided to whistle.
Bush is trying to change his tone on
marriage equality. He urged respect for
all sides of the marriage equality debate
(presumably including the LGBT community), but he never oered to change
his longstanding opposition to rights for
LGBT couples.
How can Bush respect the pursuits
of the LGBT community when he wont
aord couples who have been together
for decades the same rights, privileges
and responsibilities that he has? When
his brother, President George W. Bush
fought for a constitutional amendment
to ban gay marriage nationally, Jeb Bush
was right in line.
How can he respect this community
when time and again he supported keep-

ing LGBT Floridians from being able to

adopt children who need loving homes.
He said he personally believed gay couples shouldnt be able to adopt and, while
governor, rejoiced when a ban on adoption was upheld.
This is the same Gov. Bush who said he
believed LGBT Americans were looking for
special treatment, for the government to provide handouts, and classied LGBT activists
as leading a modern victims movement.
We dont want a handout, governor.
We want fair and equal treatment under
the law. We want to be able to visit our
loved ones in the hospital, raise our children, receive Social Security benets for
our loved ones (that we paid for, by the
way), and share our lives together with
dignity. This isnt a victims movement,
governor, its a civil rights movement.And
in 2015, it shouldnt be this hard.
If Jeb Bush were to actually change his
position on same-sex marriage, it would
be a welcome shift. A Republican who
comes out in support of the LGBT community on issues like marriage, adoption
and employment non-discrimination
would be a valuable voice in the 2016

Republican presidential primary and a

welcome counter to those who disguise
their bigotry in the language of religious
freedom and states rights.But thats not
what just happened with Gov. Bush.
Like his brother, Jeb Bush is trying to
win over voters by painting himself as a
compassionate conservative. But theres
nothing compassionate about continuing to deny Floridians or any Americans
the opportunity to express their love like
weve seen in Florida this week.
If Jeb Bush wants to show compassion for
Americans who simply want freedom from
legal discrimination and equal treatment
under the law, he will need to do more than
change his tone. He will need to embrace
policy positions that expand rights, not tread
on them.He will need to embrace the Constitutions guarantee of equal protection under the law forall Americans.
If he wants mutual respect, Gov. Bush
should show us some.
JOE FALK is a Florida LGBT activist and board
member for SAVE, a South Florida organization
dedicated to protecting LGBT people from
discrimination.

VIEWPOINT

We already had the pill debate

Fight over PrEP mirrors
1960s concerns over
birth control
By RAY WARREN
When PrEP (taking the drug Truvada or another drug to prevent rather than treat
HIV infection) rst became a subject of discussion I was inclined against the idea. But, having
listened, read and considered, Ive changed
my mind. Not only does it seem like an acceptable alternative for certain men, it can be a
denitive plus for the community as a whole.
One of the keys to my change of heart was
the realization that the debate about PrEP very
much mirrors the 1960s debate about the
birth control pill something that happened
in my lifetime. And once one makes that connection, the arguments against using PrEP for
prevention make no more sense than did the
arguments about another pill several generations ago.
One argument against PrEP is that it does
not protect against other sexually transmitted
diseases, including highly dangerous hepatitis C. But the same argument could be used
against the birth control pill. It oers no pro-

tection against STIs (including HIV). That has

never been deemed a reason to prevent or
discouraging people from using it.
Another argument against PrEP is that
anti-HIV drugs have known side eects. But
so does the pill. Moreover, when the pill
was rst approved the side eects were far
more severe than with the formulations used
today. Some women died from the side effects (strokes, for example) and others faced
increased risks of certain cancers and increased blood pressure. Importantly, however, women were allowed to decide for themselves whether the physical and mental risks
of an unplanned pregnancy outweighed the
risks of the pill. So long as the side eects and
risks of PrEP drugs are properly explained
there is no reason not to allow individuals the
same ability to weight the risks.
Another argument against PrEP is that the
touted theoretical eectiveness is not as high
as the actual usage eectiveness. But there
are counter arguments to that contention.
Condoms also only work when used consistently and properly. In fact, the dierence between the real world eectiveness
of condoms and oral contraceptives in preventing pregnancy is almost entirely due to
the dierences in adherence and proper
usage. In laboratory conditions they both

work almost perfectly. Unfortunately, the

real world is not a laboratory and condom
adherence is not perfect.
In addition, the pill itself only works when
taken properly and consistently. It isnt possible to pop a birth control pill now and
then to avoid pregnancy. Public education
about that is fact has ensured that women
actually do take the pill faithfully, whether
or not sexual relations are on the menu for
any given day. There is no reason why similar public education could not work with
gay men perhaps using the birth control
pill as an illustrative example.
Potential inconsistent adherence does
present an issue not present with the birth
control pill. Inconsistent adherence to any microbe suppressing drug (whether antibiotics
or HIV treatments) increases the risk of inadvertently culturing a resistant strain of the microbe. There is a legitimate fear that inconsistent PrEP adherence could provide a breeding
ground for drug resistant strains of HIV.
The resistance argument should give us
pause. Thousands of people take Truvada
and even more depend on other once-a-day
formulations that are essentially Truvada with
the addition of other drugs. Widespread resistance to the drugs in Truvada (itself a combination of two drugs) would wreak havoc on

HIV-positive patients.
But ultimately, the worries about drug
resistance should not trump the benets
(both to individuals and the public health)
of PrEP. Hundreds of thousands of people
already take Truvada or similar formulations
as treatment. Widespread resistance has
not occurred, despite what must be some
cases of inconsistent adherence.
Opposition to PrEP sounds a lot like religious opposition to the pill in the 1960s. Michael Weinstein of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation fumes that PrEP is a party drug. That
sounds an awful lot like the dire warnings of
preachers that women on the pill would become wanton and promiscuous.
If condoms were the perfect answer to HIV
transmission we would not have an HIV epidemic in this country. Clearly, the wondrous
theoretical eectiveness of condoms in preventing HIV doesnt hold up in the real world.
People take risks or make mistakes.
Weve already had the conversation about
a pill to prevent an unwanted outcome of
sexual intimacy. There is no need to re-invent the wheel.
RAY WARREN is the legal counsel for a local
government in Northern Virginia. He and his
partner live in Arlington.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

I N S I DE LGB T W A S HING TON

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 1 9

Killing conversion therapy a worthy LGBT goal

Gay, trans youth dont need
to be xed society does

PETER ROSENSTEIN is a D.C.-based LGBT rights

and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly
for the Blade.

As Republicans take over Congress and

we move toward spring and start getting
serious about the 2016 presidential race,
the question must be asked: What should
the LGBT community focus on?
There are two areas needing immediate
attention and in some ways they are connected yet not the focus of the community.
They both require society to look at itself
and become more accepting of dierences. Currently the Human Rights Campaign
is committed to supporting and championing the introduction of comprehensive
LGBT civil rights legislation in this Congress.

HRC has begun work on its southern strategy and we know work is still needed to
ensure same-sex marriage is legal in every
state. Progress on marriage will now come
through the courts. We know there are still
issues with regard to gays and lesbians in
the military, allowing transgender persons
to serve, and ensuring they all have every
right accorded to others.
Today you can be married in 36 states
and the District of Columbia yet in many
of those states you can marry on a Saturday and be red from your job on Monday. You can be married and kicked out
of your apartment and not have access to
adequate healthcare. All the ghts for our
individual rights must continue while we
work to pass that comprehensive LGBT civil
rights bill.
But other ghts we must take on are
jumping out from todays national headlines and we can no longer ignore them.
One is the issue of conversion, or some call
it reparative, therapy. This is the discredited therapy some young people are still
forced to undergo by their parents trying to
change them from gay to straight.
Recently D.C. became only the third jurisdiction in the United States, joining Cali-

fornia and New Jersey, to prohibit reparative therapy for those under 18. It was an
honor to witness Mayor Vincent Gray sign
the bill. At the signing I had the chance to
chat with a young man, Samuel Brinton,
who I rst noticed when he performed an
amazing solo with the Gay Mens Chorus
at a Christmas concert. He is hard to miss
with his bright red Mohawk. But when you
get to know him you realize quickly his hair
is really the least amazing thing about him.
Among other things Sam is taking a lead in
bringing the issue of banning conversion
therapy to national attention traveling the
nation to do so.
Last Saturday, I joined the D.C. rally in
remembrance of Leelah Alcorn, the young
transgender woman from Ohio, who committed suicide by stepping in front of a
truck. Her story is tragic but she left a suicide note saying her death wouldnt be in
vain if it led to making a dierence for other
transgender persons. At the rally a number
of people observed the Trevor Project uses
the line, It Gets Better to help young people deal with their sexuality and bullying,
but added through personal experience
they knew for a transgender person it often doesnt. Others spoke words that reso-

nated with me about conversion therapy:

While we can now get married in 36 states
and the District of Columbia in 48 states
parents can still put their children through
torture in an eort to turn them into something they are not.
On Sunday night at the Golden Globes,
the award for best TV series, musical or
comedy went to Transparent. The show
was created and is directed by Jill Soloway.
It revolves around a Los Angeles family and
their lives following discovery that father
Mort is transgender. One review in the Jewish Daily Forward by Debra Nussbaum Cohen said, Transparent is a television series
about a transgender father coming out to
his three young adult children. It weaves
together the tragicomic family dynamics
of ve unbelievably narcissistic people. So
while this comedy won an award, Leelah
Alcorn wasnt alive to see it because her life,
in school and at home, was so unbearable
it led her to suicide.
The time has come for the entire LGBT
community to focus on ending conversion
therapy. We dont need to x or change
LGBT people. We need to x society. Together we can make a dierence, we can
make it better and we need to do it now.

V I E WPO I NT

Blood ban underscores enduring anti-gay stigma

New FDA policy falls short
of xing discrimination
By JUSTIN PELIGRI
For years, college campuses across the
District have been prime locations for blood
drives sponsored by the American Red Cross.
Thats ironic because at these schools
home to hundreds of gay students in a famously gay city sizeable portions of their
student populations wont ever be able to participate.
American, Georgetown and George Washington universities have all previously hosted
blood drives, some as recently as just a few
months ago. So have Howard and Catholic
universities, as well as the University of D.C.
But the Food and Drug Administrations new
rule change for donations, which changed
a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay
men to requiring one year of abstinence from
sex, doesnt make much of a dierence for
men with male partners at these schools.
The FDAs rule change still reinforces negative stereotypes and stigmas about gay men
and the seemingly dirty nature of our sexual

practices. This stigma is not a fact of life the

LGBT community should complacently discount or downplay.
Supporters of the status quo who argue
that gays are respected as equals need look
no further than their television sets: For better
or for worse, the bottom line is that, heading
into 2015, theres still so much more to accomplish on the gay rights front. The blood ban
deferral is just a symptom of a larger problem.
For every show featuring openly LGBT
actors like Orange is the New Black, with
transgender activist Laverne Cox, theres an
equally oensive portrayal out there getting
just as much play. Take, for example, TLCs
My Husbands Not Gay. The show features a
series of Utah-based Mormon women working through marital issues with their husbands
all of whom admit they are attracted to men,
but place their bets on conversion therapy.
The bigotry we see on TLC isnt an isolated incident.
Last summers The Normal Heart, a playturned-HBO special written by Larry Kramer,
which powerfully captures the AIDS crisis of
the 1980s, has won numerous awards and
accolades. But unfortunately, so has HBOs
Looking. Its a decisively boring sitcom back
for its second season featuring a lead char-

acter ghting a losing battle with his internalized homophobia.

In one particularly disturbing episode,
Patrick Murray, played by Jonathan Gro,
snaps at his friends who accuse him of having a gay laugh as if even minor displays
of femininity are somehow repugnant or
culturally unacceptable.
Is Looking,hailed as one of the rst shows
featuring an almost entirely gay cast, what our
community wants to showcase to closeted or
self-hating teens?
Inexplicably, even many young, progressive
members of the gay community have been
thrilled with the one-year deferral policy on
donating blood. Theyve cited a Williams Institute press release estimating the new rules
could lead to 317,000 additional pints of blood
donated annually by 185,800 additional gay
male donors.
But new technology can detect HIV in blood
within nine days. So, beyond perpetuating
stigma thats already so pervasive in the media, whats the point in mandating celibacy for
a full 365 days?
Yes, for young gays today, life is better than
perhaps its ever been before. Still, society as
a whole is not collectively where it should be
and the one-year deferral on blood dona-

tions from gay people does not do enough to

move us forward.
Instead of putting gay men in the same
category as prostitutes, the federal government should have looked to countries like Italy and Spain, both of which rely on detailed
background checks of all potential donors
to determine whether their blood is suitable
for donating.
A policy along those lines would account
for instances of HIV contracted through
frequent sex with multiple partners, but it
wouldnt unfairly discriminate against one
segment of the population.
In other words, it doesnt assume as the
current one-year deferral does that a gay
person in a monogamous sexual relationship
is more likely to have HIV/AIDS than a promiscuous straight person.
So if you are a student in the D.C. area
looking to donate blood perhaps through
Georgetown Donors or the GWU Red Cross
Club, student organizations geared toward
hosting campus blood drives be aware: The
FDAs rules help cement long-held stereotypes
against gay people.
JUSTIN PELIGRI is a student at George
Washington University.

2 0 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

ARTS

AND

ENTERTAINMENT

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

VOLUME

46

ISSUE

03

JANUARY

The Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest is

Sunday from 1-4 p.m. at the Hyatt.
The Reaction Dance is at the 9:30 Club
Sunday from 9 p.m.-4 a.m.
Tickets are available to individual events

16

2015

PAGE

and though the Hyatt is sold out, weekend

passes to all events are still available for
those who want to stay elsewhere. Visit
leatherweekend.com for a full list of activities,
times, prices and more.

Leather scene active despite Eagle limbo

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY DAMIEN SALAS

Annual BDSM/leather
gala features contest,
dances and more
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Because Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend
evolved over time, its signature events have
varying anniversary dates.
The big news this year is that its the 30th
anniversary of the Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather
contest, a popular annual event that nds
a group of contestants usually between
six and 10 competing for the title. A
database of past winners is available at
leatherweekend.com and several former
titleholders are expected at this weekends
events, the 44th annual MAL weekend (last
year, the signature event Leather Cocktails
celebrated its 40th anniversary).
Were excited as always, says Patrick
Grady, event chair again this year. Theres a
lot of good energy online and people coming
from all over, even four from Australia.
MAL weekend, presented by the local
Centaur MC club, runs today through Monday
with many ocial events and several others,
such as the popular CODE fetish party at
Glorious Health Club (2120 West Virginia
Ave., N.E.) with installments both tonight
and Saturday night, that time their events to
coincide with the thousands of out-of-town
leather lovers who will be here.
Grady says about 3,000 are expected at the
various events. He doesnt know how many
buy full weekend passes each year, but says
the 836 rooms at the Hyatt Regency Capitol
Hill (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.), the ocial

host hotel, sold out in November, slightly

earlier than in other years.
Hyatt sta, who have hosted the event in
four previous years and have a contract with
MAL organizers through 2018, say theyre
excited to host the event again. Because
attendees book the hotel in its entirety,
theres no issue, they say, with leather events
oending other Hyatt patrons.
Weve done this a number of years now
and weve come to understand the group
and work with them on everything they
need to make their convention successful,
says Bob Jacobs, Hyatt director of marketing.
We allow them to literally buy out the hotel
for the weekend, every room. Its great
because it really becomes their hotel for the
weekend and its a good format for what
they want to do.
He says the long-term contract is indicative
of the good relationship the two entities have
with each other.
Its a great convention for us on a holiday
weekend when many other businesses are
taking a long weekend, so were happy for the
business, Jacobs says.
Grady says the local leather scene is
somewhat in ux because of the Eagle being
closed, but says overall the scene is strong
and active.
Green Lantern has picked up some, he
says. We miss the Eagle, but the leather clubs
are as strong as ever and the scene is still
wonderful. We had a good showing at Pride
its still a vibrant, warm and loving community.

MAIN EVENTS
Leather Cocktails is Saturday from 7-9 p.m.
in the Regency Ballroom at the Hyatt.

21

Leather enthusiasts from the LGBT community in the D.C.-Baltimore area are
expected to turn out in force for the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend events
this weekend.
Due to delays in its reopening, the D.C. Eagle, the popular gay leather bar that
has been in business more than 30 years and has been an active participant in
the annual MAL event, is not listed as a venue in any of the ocial events this
year.
But according to postings on the D.C. Eagles Twitter page, the club expects to
reopen soon at its new location at 3701 Benning Rd., N.E. The Eagle closed last
year after being displaced fromits home of many years at 639 New York Ave.,
N.W., due to the planned construction of a new oce building.
According to leather scene observers, the Eagles Twitter page description of
itself most likely denes many of those who participate in that scene: Bar for
D.C.s rough, gru, tough, hairy, pierced, tattooed, cigar-smoking, leather-clad,
bear-ish, colored handkerchief-wearing men.
Mark Clark, an ocial with the Chesapeake Bay Bears, whose members live in
D.C., Maryland and Virginia, said the leather scene is often used as an umbrella
term to include organizations and individuals associated with the gay male
bear scene for hairy, heavy-set men and those who like them; as well as the
bondage, S&M, kink-fetish scene.
Brother Help Thyself, a D.C.-based charitable organization founded in
1978 by four gay motorcycle clubs associated with the D.C. Eagle, includes
representatives of some of the areas most popular leather scene organizations
on its board of directors. Among them are the Atlantic States Rodeo Association;
the Centaurs, Defenders and Spartans gay motorcycle clubs; the Chesapeake
Bay and D.C. Bear clubs; and SigmaDC, which describes itself as an all-male
private membership organization for bondage-S&M-kink enthusiasts.
SigmaDC, which was founded in 1984, recently moved into a second-oor
space at 1636 R St., N.W., across the street from the 17th Street gay bar Cobalt.
It is hosting at least three events associated with Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend,
including a demo event at the Hyatt Regency on Saturday afternoon.
Another local organization founded by gay event organizer Jacob Pring called
CODE holds monthly parties and events for what the group says are gear,
rubber, skin, uniform and leather enthusiasts. CODE holds monthly events at
the Glorious Health Club and Art Gallery at 2120 West Virginia Ave., N.E.
The group was scheduled to hold events associated with Mid-Atlantic Leather
Weekend at Glorious Health Clubon tonight (Friday)andSaturday.
All of these dierent groups started out as leather groups but sort of morphed
into a broader thing, said Clark, who noted that many of them work with Brother
Help Thyself to raise money to support LGBT and AIDSorganizations.
LOU CHIBBARO JR.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 2 J A N UA RY 1 6 , 2015

QU E E RY : 2 0 Q U E ST I O N S F O R LO U RD E S A SH LE Y H U N T E R

LOURDES ASHLEY HUNTER

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Trans activist Lourdes Ashley Hunter knows how to put her convictions into action.
Upon moving to Washington three months ago and being introduced to
many in the LGBT world here through her friend and colleague Ruby Corado,
Hunter asked David Mariner, director of the D.C. Center (thedccenter.org),
about trans representation on the Center board. Last week she became the
rst trans woman of color to sit on the board.
Although shes excited to be involved there, she puts most of her energy
into her work launching a national headquarters of the volunteer-led Trans
Women of Color Collective (twocc.us), a group she and other activists in New
York started in 2013.
The Detroit native is a speaker, educator and consultant on transgender
issues. She lives in Adams Morgan and enjoys walking her dog, Cashmere, in
the park and cooking for friends in her free time.

202.747.2077

How long have you been out and who was

the hardest person to tell?
I never came out. I have always lived my life
in my authentic truth. Coming out is a socially
constructed narrative that really doesnt
apply to trans people. Not being out can be
seen as an act of survival for trans folk. The
average income of a trans person is less than
10k, 12 trans women of color were brutally
murdered last year in this country. Being out
can get you red, denied housing, health care
and many other opportunities in this country.
Trans folk are usually outed. I prefer to use
the framing of inviting in (I learned from
Wade Davis). That way, I control my narrative.
Whos your LGBT hero?
My LGBT heroes are every trans woman
of color who has lost her life due to violence,
hate and transphobia and every trans person
who lives in their authentic truth in a society
that says we dont deserve breath. My sisters
are brutally murdered for living in their truths.
I honor their sacrices.
Whats Washingtons best nightspot, past
or present?
Im not sure yet. I dont hang out much. But
I do love that there are so many restaurants
and hookah bars in my neighborhood. Even
though I have lived here three months,
I travel most of the time and so I am still
exploring.
Describe your dream wedding.
I dont dream of getting married. I dream
of days where there is no expectation to be
married.
What non-LGBT issue are you most
passionate about?
I live through an intersectional lens. All
issues are LGBT issues. I am most passionate
about dismantling structural oppression and
violence as it manifests in every aspect
of our lives.
What historical outcome would you
change?
The creation of Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
along with the invasion of my native lands by
colonists.
Whats been the most memorable pop
culture moment of your lifetime?
The emergence of the Black Lives Matter
Movement that has revolutionized the
expansion of global social justice networks
has been the most memorable
moment for me.
On what do you insist?
Aside from honesty, loyalty and
accountability, I insist on telling my own
narrative.
What was your last Facebook post or
Tweet?
My last Tweet was, Theres no other
feeling like when mom call you just to say
how shes so proud not bc shes mom but bc
shes invested in me and my works!

If your life were a book, what would the

title be?
Dragon Slayer
If science discovered a way to change
sexual orientation, what would you do?
Critique the hell out of it.
What do you believe in beyond the
physical world?
Life in abundance.
Whats your advice for LGBT movement
leaders?
I would encourage all of us to intentionally
make time for self care. To LGB movement
leaders, if your organization doesnt center
its work around the most disproportionately
marginalized groups (black trans women,
youth, seniors, undocumented folk and
those who are disabled) then you are actively
engaging in erasure, which is an act of
violence.
What would you walk across hot coals
for?
If it was part of some healing ritual I would
be down.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
All stereotypes annoy me equally. If I had
to chose the one I hear the most, when
asking LGBT organizations why they dont
have trans women of color in leadership roles
and on their boards, I usually hear that trans
women of color cannot be found, that we
do not show up, that we not qualied and
cannot lead our movements. When in fact,
we are more than qualied and have been
leading our own movements
for quite some time.
Whats your favorite LGBT movie?
All movies are LGBT. I dont have a favorite
movie but my favorite genre is science ction.
Whats the most overrated social custom?
The performance of gender. Can we just
divorce gender roles already?
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
Freedom
What do you wish youd known at 18?
I wish that I knew that all my dreams and
ambitions would come true.
Why Washington?
It is critical that the narratives, lived
experiences and leadership of trans women
of color are visible in our nations capital. For
far too long, decisions have been made for
our lives without any regard to our leadership
or our needs. We have been told that we
cannot lead. We have been told that trans
women of color never show up and speak
for themselves. We have been told that there
is no funding or that we are not qualied
to lead our movements. I moved to the
District not only because it is one of the most
beautiful places I have ever lived, but to also
dispel these myths.

W A SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 2 3

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1920s Harlem: the heart of the African-American community in
Broadways finest vocalists Bring your sweetie for a delightful
contains his retirement speech in Prosperos memorable
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ff = Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children

TICKETS 888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU

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24 JAN U A R Y 16, 2015

O U T & A BO U T

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

COREY
SMITH

W/ THE WIND AND THE WAVE

SATURDAY JAN 17

SPIRIT
FAMILY

REUNION
W/ 19 STREET BAND
TH

WEDNESDAY

JAN 21

SAT, JAN 24

FLOW TRIBE W/ DEAD 27s

SUN, JAN 25

THE STEEL WHEELS

THUR, JAN 29

BARNSTAR!

W/ JIMMY AND MOONDI

FRI, JAN 30

KAKI KING W/ JANEL AND ANTHONY

SAT, JAN 31

SLEEPY LABEEF

W/ STONE HILL ALLSTARS

PHOTO COURTESY OF BUSBOYS AND POETS

THEHAMILTONDC.COM

Monthly lesbian poetry event planned

Zami and Honey Groove present Hot Cocoa, a night of poetry focusing on
gender and sexuality, at Busboys and Poets (1025 K St., N.W.) in the Cullen Room
on Wednesday from 7-9 p.m.
Lesbian songwriter Be Steadwell will perform her music that focuses on love
between women. Steadwell has toured internationally and composed music
for lm. Musician Huggie Huggster and poet and vocalist Samatha G will also
perform.
Tickets are $10. For more details, visit busboysandpoets.com.

Ross Tree Service

24 Hour Emergency Services
Certified Arborist
Licensed & Insured
Tree Removal, Stump
removal, Pruning, Crown
maintenance, Fertilization
& pesticides

Capital Pride to reveal

15 theme
Capital Pride hosts its third annual Pride
Reveal party at Malmaison (3401 Water St.,
N.W.) Thursday from 7-11 p.m.
The party will reveal the 2015 theme
for the 40th celebration of Capital Pride.
There will also be announcements about
other 2015 events from Capital Pride and
Pride Partners. Each ticket includes hors
doeuvres, three-drink tickets and one
rae ticket.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $40 the
day of the party. For more information,
visit capitalpride.org/reveal.

Wedding Experience expo

is Sunday

PHOTO COURTESY OF RAMS HEAD

Notaro coming to Annapolis

(703) 583-TREE
(8733)
www.rosstrees.com

By MARIAH COOPER

Out comedian Tig Notaro will perform at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis (33
West Street) Monday at 8 p.m. (doors at 7).
Notaro has made a name for herself with dark, sometimes self-deprecating
comedy. She has also been open about her battle with breast cancer.
Tickets are $25. Visit ramsheadonstage.com for details.

The Wedding Experience brings its

tour to the Patriot Center (4500 Patriot
Cir., Fairfax, Va.) on Sunday from 11
a.m.-5 p.m. and is inclusive for same-sex
couples.
Featured exhibitors include bridal
gowns, caterers, ceremony locations,
disc jockeys, orists, honeymoon travel,
tuxedos, wedding cakes and much more.
Entry includes a copy of The Book of
Wedding Deals and entry into prize
drawings including a chance to win a free
honeymoon and more.
Tickets are $10. For more information,
visit weddingexperience.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

T HE ATER

V I C TO R I A C L A R K

J A N U A R Y 16, 2015 25

C O R E Y C OT T

D E E H OT Y

H OWA R D Mc G I L L I N

AND

VA N E S S A H U D G E N S

PHOTO BY IGOR DMITRY; COURTESY STUDIO

JAYSEN WRIGHT, JONATHAN BURKE, ERIC LOCKLEY and JELANI ALLADIN in Choir Boy at Studio Theatre.

By PATRICK FOLLIARD
It begins with a hissed gay slur.
Pharus Young, the central character
in out playwright Tarell Alvin McCraneys
Choir Boy, is living his nest hour
hes singing his prestigious prep schools
anthem at commencement ceremony.
But his glowing moment abruptly ends
when a fellow student and choir member
insults him from the audience, prompting
Pharus to lose concentration and blow
his solo performance.
While Pharus refuses to name his oender,
maintaining that squealing would be a
breach of the ctional Charles R. Drew Prep
School for Boys honor code, the condent
and clearly gay junior doesnt take the aront
lying down. As selected leader of the schools
choir, Pharus boots Bobby, the culprit, from
the elite singing group an especially bold
move since Bobby is a legacy student and the
current head masters nephew at a school
where most of the African-America student
body including Pharus is on scholarship.
These unpleasant tit-for-tat slights position
Pharus and Bobby as enemies for the
following school year.
School-set plays (The Childrens Hour,
History Boys, etc.) typically present a
metaphor for the larger outside world.
Choir Boy, now at Studio Theatre, does
the same but with a black perspective. It
prompts a conversation about masculinity
and queerness in both African-American
community and the church.
Playwright McCraney splendidly uses
spirituals sung by the ve-man choir to bring
together his plays many and sometimes
meandering subplots. Sung beautifully,
these old songs are performed a cappella
and infused with new meanings. And out,
African-American director Kent Gashs
vibrant and elegant staging gives new
interpretation to the music too. Sometimes
I Feel Like a Motherless Child is performed
in evocatively lit, steamy showers by a
mostly naked cast adding an element of
vulnerability not present otherwise.
When dressed, the characters are
uniformed in standard issue prep wear:
Oxford shirts, khakis, navy blazers and
striped ties. But uniforms and a love for
singing is where their similarities end.

As Pharus, Jelani Alladin exudes both

condence and a sense of embarrassment
surrounding his sexuality. Hes an explosion
of witty repartee and orid mannerisms,
whereas Keith Antones angry and entitled
Bobby, who recently lost his mother, is
consistently mean and generally miserable.
Reactions
to
Pharus
perceived
homosexuality range from Bobbys overt
hostility to the acceptance demonstrated
by AJ, Pharus jock roommate. In a shower
scene, Pharus admires AJs impressive
body. Comfortably straight AJ (the
excellent Jaysen Wright) makes it clear that
hes into women. When Pharus replies that
hes saving himself for Jesus, AJ responds,
I dont think Jesus interested. Its a quiet
scene lled with caring and humor.
Jonathan Burke plays uptight David,
the most religious of the students whos
dealing with bad grades and a stern father
at home. Eric Lockley adds humor as
Junior, Bobbys faithful sidekick. Rounding
out the cast are Marty Austin Lamar as
the harried headmaster and Alan Wade
who plays Mr. Pendleton, a square, but
well-meaning, white teacher who knows
nothing about music but is named choir
director for his peace-keeping skills.
Jason Sherwoods set a compact rotunda
echoing the classical architectural elements
associated with an established prep school
seamlessly morphs from dorm room to
showers and auditorium to classroom. Along
the domes base hang portraits of subjects
taken from the pantheon of great black men
(including Malcolm X, Mohammed Ali and
Barak Obama).
McCraney is best known for his acclaimed,
autobiographical trilogy The Brother/Sister
Plays: The Brothers Size, In the Red and
Brown Water and Marcus: Or the Secret of
Sweet, all of which have been performed
at Studio. While Choir Boy continues the
playwrights fusion of street slang and lyrical
prose, its more accessible than the trilogy.
And though not biographical, this account
of gay youth guring out how to be a whole
and self-accepting gay man is told with
undeniable insight.
CHOIR BOY
Through Feb. 22
Studio Theatre
1501 14th St., N.W.
$44-88
202-332-3300
studiotheatre.org

jan. 16-- feb. 12

eisenhower
theater

Photo by Matthew Murphy

Studio production explores

prep school tensions

limited engagement
pre-broadway premiere!

Tickets on sale now!

(202) 467-4600 kennedy-center.org

Tickets also available at the Box Office | Groups (202) 416-8400

Musical Theater at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Adrienne Arsht Musical Theater Fund.
Kennedy Center Theater
Season Sponsor

Comedy at the Kennedy Center

Presenting Sponsor

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

26 JANUARY 16, 2015

HOT HITS & HIDDEN JEWELS

F RO M CULTURECAP I TAL. CO M Y O U R LI N K TO T H E A R T S IN M ET R O D . C .

CHOIR BOY
THRU FEB 22. STUDIO THEATRE.
202-332-3300. STUDIOTHEATRE.ORG.

When Pharus, an ambitious and talented student, is told to ignore a gay slur to
take his place as the choirs leader, he has to decide who he is and what hes
willing to ght for.

GIL SHAHAM, VIOLIN

JAN 16. WASHINGTON PERFORMING ARTS AT STRATHMORE.
202-785-9727. WASHINGTONPERFORMINGARTS.ORG.
Gil Shahams interpretation of Bachs complete Sonatas and Partitas,
coupledwith his personal warmth and musical intelligence,continues to
endear him to audiences.

LISA FISCHER
JAN 17. HOWARD THEATRE.
202-803-2899. THEHOWARDTHEATRE.COM.

Lisa Fischer is known for her astonishing range, her spot-on intonation, her
mastery of the stage, and the way her tone wraps itself around your heart and
wont let go.

THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL.

THRU JAN 24. DOMINION STAGE AT GUNSTON ARTS CENTER.
571-377-4697. DOMINIONSTAGE.ORG.

Explores the relationships between the tenants at the Armadillo Acres Trailer
Park in Florida, particularly between Pippi, the stripper on the run, the Dr. Phil
loving, agoraphobic Jeannie, and Jeannies tollbooth collector husband, Norbert.
IMAGE COURTESY OF STUDIO THEATRE

ARTS & CULTURE

THEATRE
Gigi. Jan 17-Feb 15. Shear Madness.
Ongoing. Kennedy Center.
202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.
Diner. Thru Jan 25. Signature Theatre.
703-820-9771. signature-theatre.org.
FouseyTube. Jan 22. Howard Theatre.
202-803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com.
Life Sucks (Or the Present Ridiculous).
Jan 21-Feb 15. Theater J. 800-494-8497.
theaterj.org.
Rabbi Sam. Jan 17-Jan 18. JCCNV.
703-537-3000. jccnv.org.
Anna Deavere Smith - Snapshots:
Portraits of a World in Transition.
Jan 18. Reston Community Center.
CenterStage. 703-476-4500.
restoncommunitycenter.com.
Rehearsal for Murder. Jan 16-Jan 31.
Reston Community Players. CenterStage.
703-476-4500. restonplayers.org.
In Praise of Love. Thru Jan 25.
Washington Stage Guild. Undercroft
Theatre. 240-582-0050. stageguild.org.
Bastian & Bastianna. Thru Jan 17. La
Sonnambula. Thru Jan 25. In Series. Source
Theatre. 202-204-7763. inseries.org.
In Love And Warcraft. Thru Jan 25.
No Rules Theatre Company. Signature
Theatre. 703-820-9771. norulestheatre.org.
Crime and Punishment in America.
Thru Jan 31. American Century
Theater. Gunston. 703-998-4555.
americancentury.org.

DANCE
Step Afrika! Step Xplosion. Jan 18.
Strathmore. 301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
KanKouran West African Dance
Company. Jan 17-Jan 18. Dance Place.
202-269-1600. danceplace.org.

MUSIC
Jennifer Koh, violin: Bach & Beyond
Part III. Jan 22. AIR: Invoke String
Quartet. Thru Jan 28. Strathmore.
301-581-5100. strathmore.org.
NSO: Berliozs Symphonie fantastique.
Jan 16. NSO: Christoph Eschenbach,
conductor: Tzimon Barto, piano.
Thru Jan 17. The Kennedy Center and
Georgetown University present Let
Freedom Ring! featuring Natalie Cole.
Jan 19. NSO: Tchaikovsky Masterworks:
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor,
Nurit Bar-Josef, Concertmaster. Jan 22Jan 24. Kennedy Center. 202-467-4600.
kennedy-center.org.
DJ ?uestlove. Jan 16. Rare Essence
& Trouble Funk. Jan 18. The Johnny
Artis Band. Jan 21. Sunday Gospel
Brunch with The World Famous
Harlem Gospel Choir. Thru Feb
22. Howard Theatre. 202-803-2899.
thehowardtheatre.com.
The 9 Songwriter Series. Jan 16.
Artisphere. 888-841-2787. artisphere.com.
Cathedral Sings! Vivaldi Gloria. Jan 18.
Cathedral Choral Society. WNC.
202-537-2228. cathedralchoralsociety.org.

The Iguanas. Jan 16. Livingston Taylor.

Jan 17. Dave Mason. Jan 21-Jan 22.
Wolf Trap. 877-965-3872. wolftrap.org.
The United States Marine Band. Jan 18.
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall.
703-845-6156. schlesingercenter.com.
What I Wanted to Sing. Jan 18-Jan 24.
In Series. Source Theatre. 202-204-7763.
inseries.org.

MUSEUMS
National Gallery of Art. Modern
American Prints and Drawings from
the Kainen Collection. Thru Feb 1. From
Neoclassicism to Futurism: Italian Prints
and Drawings, 18001925. Thru Feb 1. El
Greco: A 400th Anniversary Celebration.
Thru Feb 16. 202-737-4215. nga.gov.
Folger Shakespeare Library. Decoding
the Renaissance. Thru Mar 1. folger.edu.
National Geographic. Food: Our Global
Kitchen. Thru Feb 22. Spinosaurus: Lost
Giant of the Cretaceous. Thru Apr 12. Sea
Monsters 3D & Flying Monsters 3D. Thru
Apr 1. National Geographic.
202-857-7700. nglive.org.
Museum of Women in the Arts.
Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea
- Exhibition. Thru Apr 12. Doris Lee:
American Painter and Illustrator. Thru
May 8. 202-783-5000. nmwa.org.

GALLERIES
DCCAH. Full Spectrum: The Prolic
Master within Los Mailou Jones. Thru Jan
30. 202-724-5613. dcarts.dc.gov.
The Art League Gallery. Exhibit: 2015
Solo Artist Preview. Thru Jan 22.
703-683-1780. theartleague.org.
WPA at Capitol Skyline Hotel. South
Capitol Skyscape: Amber Robles-Gordon.
Thru Jan 31. Hothouse Video: Marina
Zurkow. Jan 16-Mar 15. WPA at 1200
First St. NE. Lobby Project: JD Deardour.
Thru Jan 30. wpadc.org.
JCC of Greater Washington. From
Beyond the Arch. Thru Jan 28.
301-881-0100. jccgw.org.
JCCNV. Synesthetic Landscapes:
Photographs by Andy Ilachinski.
Thru Feb 9. 703-323-0880. jccnv.org.
Torpedo Factory Art Center.
5x5(x5). Thru Jan 18. 703-838-4565.
torpedofactory.org.
Goethe-Institut. Light and Dark:
Photographs from Germany by Barbara
Klemm. Thru Feb 27. 202-289-1200.
goethe.de.
Flashpoint Gallery. Tai Hwa Goh: LullPrint Installation. Jan 16. 202-315-1305.
culturaldc.org.
Joan Hisaoka Gallery. Bought & Sold:
Voices of Human Tracking. Thru Mar 7.
202-483-8600. smithcenter.org.
Arlington Artists Alliance at Gallery
Underground. The Wonder of
Winter. Thru Jan 31. January Members
Show. Thru Jan 31. 571-483-0652.
arlingtonartistsalliance.org.
Publick Playhouse. Black Artists of DC. Thru
Mar 13. 301-277-1710. arts.pgparks.com.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

O UT & A B O UT

J A N U A R Y 16, 2015 27

The doctor of the future will

give no medication, but will
interest his patients in the care of
the human frame, diet and in the
cause and prevention of disease.
- Thomas A. Edison

We Treat People Not Disease using homeopathic and botanical medicine,

clinical nutrition, vitamin, mineral, enzymatic and amino acid supplementation, colon
hydrotherapy and stress reduction techniques for people who are anxious or depressed.

Specialized laboratory and saliva testing for more common concerns like
Diabetes, Hypertension, Insomnia, chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, autoimmune
conditions, fatty liver, eczema, asthma and obesity.

Specialized testing for more specific concerns like MS, Parkinsons,

HIV, Cancer, infertility, hepatitis, menopause (treating with bio identical hormones).

Genetic variant testing and treatment plans.

WASHINGTON BLADE PHOTO BY MICHAEL KEY

From left are KURT GRAVES, JON RADACOVICH and SEAN MORRIS, the promoters of Flashy.

Monthly dance party

returns this weekend
By JOEY DiGUGLIELMO
joeyd@washblade.com
Flashy Sundays is gearing up for its
biggest event of the year this weekend.
Dovetailing with Mid-Atlantic Leather
Weekend, this months event goes headto-head with MALs own Reaction Dance
Sunday night.
Held at Flash Nightclub and Bar (645
Florida Ave., N.W.) just o the bustling U
Street corridor in Shaw, the party kicks o
at 9 p.m. The cover is $10 and comes with
a free coat check. The party is for ages 21
and up and drink specials will be in eect
all evening. Sasha Adams hosts. DJ Sean
Morris and DJ TWiN spin upstairs. DJ Mike
Babbitt is on the rst oor. It goes until 4
a.m. Monday morning.
Flashy Sundays started about a year ago
shortly after the trendy club be sure to
check out the retro photo booth opened.
Taking advantage of the clubs elaborate
LED light-lined upstairs club walls, the
promotional team of Morris, Kurt Graves
and Jon Radacovich all gay say the
event oers an experience unlike others
in the D.C. gay nightlife world.
The draw we have has been pretty
surprising, Morris says. Its the only club
in D.C. that has walls and ceilings lined
with thousands of LED lights, so even
beyond the music and everything else, its
a pretty good draw just for that.
The venue is in a hot area for nightlife
in general. Its neighbors U Street Music
Hall and Tropicalia were all named on a
recent DCist list of eight dance clubs and
nights in D.C. that arent awful.
Morris met Flash owner Afshin
Mottaghi through a mutual friend and
heard there was interest in hosting a
gay event of some kind at the typically
straight venue. It started as a weekly
event, but the promoters found there was

more excitement generated by having it

Sullivan & Associates
monthly, which they switched to after a
Center for Natural Healing, Inc.
few months. Flashy not always the same
Naturopathic and Homeopathic Physicians
weekend each month and not always a
4601 Connecticut Ave, NW, Suite 6
Sunday are typically pegged to holidays.
Washington, DC 20008
This weekends is dubbed Flashy Sundays
202 244 4545 centerfornaturalhealing@gmail.com
MLK Weekend! Holiday Flashy was held
www.drandreasullivan.com
Dec. 28. Flashy Monday Veterans Day
Weekend was held Nov. 10.
Morris says the event typically draws
between 400-500 music lovers. There are a
few women but its about 95 percent men,
he says. The crowd is mostly 21 to mid-30s
and he says he notices its a dierent group
Historic four-bedroom home w/guest house,
than those who frequent other gay dance
on private 10-acre estate. Less than 25
clubs in the District such as Cobalt, where
minutes from DC, makes it perfect for weekend
he spins every Thursday night.
getaways, and close enough for full-time living!
We have our regulars and theres a lot
Contact your licensed real estate agent today,
of draw from Maryland and Virginia too,
or call 703.402.0629, to
he says. But its a little dierent crowd
arrange a private showing!
from the people you see at Cobalt and
other venues.
$849,000
Morris says he and Graves were
initially looking into doing their own
michael makris
events before deciding to collaborate at
Realtor - Licensed in DC, MD, VA
the venue. Graves says having the party
McEnearney Associates, Inc.
monthly makes more sense.
109 S. Pitt Street, Alexandria, VA
By doing it with the holidays, people
(703) 549-9292 / (703) 402-0629 cell
anticipate it more, he says. It makes it
www.MikeMakris.com / Like Me on Facebook
something new and fresh every time.
ADVERTISING
They both spin but also bring in guest
PROOF
#1 a house
ISSUE DATE: 01.16.15
SALES REPRESENTATIVE: SHEILA REID (sreid@washblade.com)
DJs. Morris says its
mostly
sound tribal and circuit, but tends to

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REVISIONS
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Its a big, wide range of music,
he says.
responsible for any legal liability arising out of or relating to the advertisement, and/or any material to which users
REDESIGN
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any rgihts of third parties, including, but not limited to, such violations as infringement or misapporpriation of any
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competition, defamation, invasion of privacy or rights of celebrity, violation of anti-discrimination law or regulation,
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and
warranties.
he saw each day across
(900 U St., N.W.) gives patrons options.
We get a lot of the same crowd of
the hall, so I helped him
people who go back and forth, he says.
buy the place next door
We try to be sensitive to them.
Graves is excited.
to listen through the wall.
MLK weekend is usually our biggest
weekend so were very excited to do it again
this year, he says. Its unlike any other club
experience in D.C. The music, the lights, the
Dupont Circle Office 202.243.7700 (o)
crowd the combination of all three is just
202.246.8602 (c) Valerie@DCHomeQuest.com
www.DCHomeQuest.com
unmatchable in the gay community.

315 Farmhouse road, accokeek, md

Prime Time reALTOr

Valerie M. Blake

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

2 8 J A N UA RY 1 6 , 2015

CA LE N D A R

E-mail calendar items to calendars@washblade.

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

TODAY
The D.C. Tattoo Arts Expo is at the
Crystal Gateway Marriott (1700 Jeerson
Davis Hwy., Arlington, Va.) today from
9 a.m.-9 p.m. through Sunday. Various
tattoo artists and vendors will be
featured at the expo. There will be live
tattooing, body piercing, Miss D.C. Pin-Up
contest and a tattoo of the day contest.
Tattoo Magazine photographer Billy
Tinney will be photographing the entire
weekend. Tickets are $25 for a day and
$55 for three days. Children under 12 are
free with a paying adult. There is also a
military discount. For more information,
visit dctattooexpo.com.
Achieving Joy presents Undressed, a
queer intimacy conference for women,
is at Impact Hub (419 7th St., N.W.) today
from 6-9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.6 p.m. Topics will include relationships,
sex and self. Tickets are $125. For more
details, visit achievingjoy.com.
Ziegeld/Secrets (1824 Half St., S.W.) hosts
Growl, a bear party, tonight. Doors open at 8
p.m. There will be a happy hour until 11 p.m.
There will also be drink and draft specials. DJ
Jerey Eletto will provide music for the night.
For more details, visit secretsdc.com.
The Ladies of Lure present a celebration
of Bares sixth anniversary and a tribute to
Phase at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight from
10 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ Rosie Hicks and DJ Keenan
Orr will spin tracks for the night. The D.C. Kings
Brolo will also give a special performance
honoring the Phase 1 sta. There will also be
a dance competition at 1 a.m. for cash prizes.
Those who can prove having previously
worked at Phase 1 will have free entry. For
details, visit facebook.com/luredc.
Grunt: 1 Nationa Under Gods MAL
2015 is tonight from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. at
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct. N.W.) with
DJ Jack Chang spinning and appearances
by models Francois Sagat and Pablo
Hernandez. Tickets are $12. Find the
event on Facebook for details.
CODE, a gear and fetish party, is
tonight and Saturday at Glorious Health
Club (2120 West Virginia Ave., N.E.) and
runs from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. both nights.
Rubber, skin, uniform, leather or naked
dress code is enforced. Admission is $40
per night or $60 for a weekend pass. Visit
codedc.com for details.

SATURDAY, JAN. 17
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer
organization, volunteers today for the
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation at
the Falls Church PetSmart (6100 Arlington
Blvd., Falls Church, Va.) at 11:45 a.m. You
will be paired with a dog on a leash to
walk around and play with. Wear casual
clothes. For more information, visit

WASHINGTON BLADE FILE PHOTO BY HENRY LISNER

Local legend ELLA FITZGERALD celebrates her 60th birthday Saturday night at Ziegfelds/Secrets.

burgundycrescent.org.
Local drag queen legend Ella
Fitzgerald hosts her 60th birthday party
at Ziegfelds/Secrets tonight at 11 p.m.
Fitzgerald and her Ladies of Illusion
perform every Saturday night. For more
details, visit ziegfelds.com.
Bistro Bistro (1727 Connecticut Ave.,
N.W.) hosts the third annual Let Freedom
Ring, a ladies dance party, tonight from
11 p.m.-3 a.m. DJ Mim and DJ L Stackz will
play music for the night. Admission is $10
before midnight and $15 after midnight.
For more details, visit facebook.com/
mimsolentertainment.

SUNDAY, JAN. 18
Chick Chat, a lesbian 50-and-over
singles group, hosts a free rap social at
the Politics and Prose Bookstore (5015
Connecticut Ave., N.W.) today at 2 p.m. To
RSVP, email woernerc@yahoo.com.
Ziegfelds/Secrets (1824 Half St., S.W.)
has extended hours tonight in celebration
of Martin Luther King Day. DJ Time-e will
provide music. For more details, visit
secretsdc.com.
The NeedlExchange, a gay DJ group,
presents Honco, an MLK dance party,
at Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.)
tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $9 in advance
and $12 at the door. For more information,
visit tnxandhoncho.eventbrite.com.
Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts WTF?!
All You Can Heat, a dance party, tonight at
10 p.m. BaNaka, Pussy Noir and Jaxknife
will perform. Sam Glodgett, Aaoron
Riggins and Ed Bailey will DJ the party.
Cover is free until 11 p.m. and $5 after.
For more information, visit towndc.com.
BLUF D.C. (Breeches & Leather

Uniform Fanclub), a D.C. Leather Pride

event, is today from 4-10 p.m. at Cobalt
(1639 R St., N.W.). Admission is $10 in
gear; $15 without. Look up details on
either Facebook or eventbrite.com.

MONDAY, JAN. 19
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.

TUESDAY, JAN. 20
Overeaters Anonymous, an LGBT
focused meeting, will meet at St.
Georges Episcopal Church (915 Oakland
Ave., Arlington, Va.) tonight at 7 p.m.
Newcomers welcome. For details, call
703-521-1999 or 703-307-9517.
Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.)
hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party from
7-9 p.m. tonight. For more details, visit
thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.
The D.C. Center (2000 14th St., N.W.)
hosts its Bi Round Table today tonight
from 7-9:30 p.m. The group will discuss
issues concerning bisexuality For more
information, visit thedccenter.org.
SMYAL (410 7th St., S.E.) hosts a
rap group, a support group for LGBT

youth, today from 5-6:30 p.m. For more

information, visit smyal.org.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21
Bookmen D.C., an informal mens
gay literature group, discusses selected
essays from Love, Christopher Street:
Reections of New York City edited by
Thomas Keith, a collection of stories
by LGBT writers about LGBT life in New
York City, at the D.C. Center (2000 14th
St., N.W.) tonight at 7:30 p.m. All are
welcome. For details, visit bookmendc.
blogspot.com.
The Tom Davoren Social Bridge
Club meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the
Dignity Center (721 8th St., S.E.) for social
bridge. No partner needed. For more
information, call 301-345-1571.
Woman to Woman, a support group
for HIV-positive women who love women,
meets at the Womens Collective (1331
Rhode Island Ave., N.E.) today from 5:30-7
p.m. There will be light refreshments. For
details, visit thedccenter.org.

THURSDAY, JAN. 22
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 Health provides free
and condential HIV testing outside
the Verizon Center (601 F St., N.W.) today
from noon-2 p.m. For more information,
visit whitman-walker.org.

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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EVAN COBB came out as a varsity swimmer at Oberlin College years before it was trendy.

Pioneer athlete Evan Cobb

recalls college career
By KEVIN MAJOROS
The LGBT sports movement has
gained a lot of steam over the past few
years. With diversity training and support
coming from athlete outreach programs
such as Changing the Game, Athlete
Ally, You Can Play and Go! Athletes, the
evolution of accepting an out athlete into
a team situation has progressed rapidly.
A lot of the new dynamic has been
accomplished through the changing
attitudes in sports leadership. Coaches,
athletic directors and sports team
managers are feeling the social
responsibility to create safe environments
for their athletes.
The result of these changes is that more
athletes are starting to come out, but we
wouldnt be where we are now without the
athletes who stepped forward in the past.
In the collegiate setting, one of the
early athlete pioneers was Evan Cobb, a
varsity swimmer from Oberlin College
who voluntarily came out during the rst
few months of his freshman year in 1997.
Cobb, from Fredonia, N.Y., was directed
to the small liberal arts college in Ohio
by an aunt who was involved with the
Conservatory of Music at Oberlin.
She believed that the left- leaning
countercultural atmosphere of the campus
would oer Cobb the opportunity to thrive.
His aunt was right about the vibe on
the Oberlin campus and Cobb decided to
come out to his coach, Dick Michaels, in
October of 1997.
I knew it was going to be tough, Cobb
says. When I walked into his oce, he
looked up at me and said, You have been
missing practices. Whats up?
Cobb went on to have a positive
athletic college experience and still thinks
of Michaels as one of the most important
mentors in his life. What he didnt know at

the time was that Michaels own son had

come out just a few days earlier.
A year later, in Cobbs sophomore
year, Michael Muska was hired as athletic
director at Oberlin College and was
quickly outed by the Chronicle of Higher
Education. It is believed that Muska was
the rst openly gay athletic director in a
collegiate setting.
Westboro Baptist Church threatened
to protest at the college but once again
the tradition of openness and tolerance
at Oberlin prevailed as the college stood
behind its new athletic director.
The incident drew the attention of
ESPN, which included Muska in a segment
of its series Outside the Lines. Cobb also
appeared in the segment along with high
school football player and wrestler, Greg
Congdon, who received terrible backlash
after being outed.
I appeared in the segment talking with
my face blurred out, Cobb says. It felt
incongruous to appear that way, but my
younger brother had not been told yet
that I was gay and I didnt want him to nd
out on television.
One thing that hasnt changed as a
result of the LGBT sports movement is
the questions that are being asked by the
media the same questions Cobb was
asked 17 years ago.
Is there sexual tension? Is there
homophobia? What is it like in the
locker room?
For Cobb, there was never a problem
in the locker room at his own college. He
says he did experience stress when the
team competed at away meets, but he
attributes that more to the heightened
feeling of jock culture at the other colleges
than to gay stigma.
At the time, the ESPN segment didnt
receive much buzz and there wasnt the
expected ripple eect. The media frenzy
over the Michael Sam kiss last year points
to how things have changed over the years.
CONTINUES AT WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

A D V I CE

Resentment builds in
expanding relationship

MICHAEL RADKOWSKY, Psy.D. is a licensed

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

MICHAEL,
The letter from the gal who didnt want
to bring her girlfriend home for Christmas
struck a chord with me. Almost a year ago
I joined Jon and Kevin in their 12-year
relationship and for the holidays this
year, they went home to Kevins parents,
leaving me behind.
Background: Jon and I hooked up,

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 3 1

which was allowed by the rules he and

Kevin had for outside play, and we really
connected on multiple levels. We were
getting together a few times a week (not
OK by the rules) and this created a strain
between them. Jon told Kevin that he
wasnt going to stop seeing me, which led
to my starting to get together with both of
them. Im OK with Kevin, but always feel
like he resents me a little. He and I never
play together without Jon even though Im
now living with both of them.
Anyhow, its their holiday tradition to go
home to Kevins parents and Kevin said that
his parents would never understand our
relationship or accept me. So I stayed here.
Im angry at Jon for not taking a stand
for me and Im angry at Kevin for making
me feel like a second-class member of
the relationship. While I am about 15
years younger than either of them, Im
not some twink or airhead I have an
advanced degree and a serious job and
am in this because I really love Jon and
want to share my life with him. I accept
that Jon also wants to be with Kevin so I
am trying to make the best of things and

get along as best I can with Kevin, but

his excluding me from the family holiday
celebration is very upsetting and makes it
hard for me to like him.
I know you cant twist someones arm
to make him accept you but isnt it a basic
that everyone should be treated as equal
in a relationship?
MICHAEL REPLIES:
Its hard enough for just two people to
agree on how their relationship is going
to be run. For three people who love each
other, it is harder still because there is yet
one more opinion to contend with.
But yours is not at all a loving triad. You
and Kevin want very dierent outcomes.
You want to be with Jon, not Kevin; and given
that Kevin wants to be with Jon, not you; you
actually are a threat to him. It makes sense
that Kevin does not want to embrace you as
an equal partner in his family.
Even if you do your best to be a great
partner both to Jon and to Kevin, no matter
how conciliatory a stance you take, Kevin
will likely view you as an interloper and
not want you present in the relationship.
Period. No surprise that your asking for
equal treatment by wanting to go home
with them for Christmas would feel to Kevin
like you were further horning in on his turf.

You are engaged in a war of attrition,

with both you and Kevin creating discord
between the other two, even simply by
your presence. Do you love being with Jon
enough to tolerate this state of aairs for
the long term? Know that you cannot count
on this situation changing for the better.
Whats needed for all relationships
to work, be they monogamous, open or
triad, is a willing agreement by all parties
about what the rules are. Accepting
conditions under duress or because you
are afraid of consequences for saying
no is a recipe for disaster.
Not going home to meet Kevins
parents is the least of your worries.
Your main problem is that your current
relationship wasnt established by mutual
agreement. It was established coercively.
Jon pressured Kevin to accept you or lose
the relationship; Kevin gave in to your
presence because he didnt want to lose
Jon and you have agreed to the situation
because you dont want to lose Jon.
The three of you should begin a
series of conversations about what it
would mean to collaborate on creating
a better relationship. If this is a nonstarter, you can either continue to live
in a relationship based on coercion and
resentful compliance or move on.

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AUTOS

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2014 PASSAT S

2015 BEETLE 1.8L

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Hear all that exhaust rumble? Its music

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the Washington auto show is rolling into
town next week. Look for the latest hot
models, with high-revving engines, hightech safety features and enough gee-whiz
gizmos to rival the Starship Enterprise.
Heres a look at some of the best cars
that are (or will be) in showrooms this year.

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TOYOTA CAMRY
$23,000
Mpg: 25 city/35 highway
0-to-60 mph: 8.4 seconds
The Camry has been the best-selling car
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because Toyota played things safe, churning
out a reliable midsize sedan, but, alas, one
with no soul. Now competitors are nipping
at Toyotas heels or tires, actually
with spier fare, such as the Ford Fusion,
Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. So Toyota
responded by upping Camrys game with
a major refresh, just three years after the
last redo. The result: more curves and more
nerve, especially with the all-new XSE sport
model, which comes with 18-inch wheels, rm
shock absorbers and tight steering. The cabin
is quieter now, full of higher-quality t and
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OURISMAN VW WORLD AUTO CERTIFIED PRE OWNED

29 Available...Rates Starting at 1.64% up to 72 months

2004 Passat GL.............V005047A, Blue 80,791 Miles......................$5,995

1999 Mustang...............V279152A, Green, V8 5Spd, 124,140 Miles. . .$6,591
2005 Toyota Wagon.....V608066A, Gray, 90,560 Miles.....................$6,771
2003 Mini Cooper S.....V050660A, Black, 110,006 Miles.................$6,971
2006 Jetta Sedan.........V021107A, Black, GLI, 106,666 Miles......$9,992
2011 Jetta Sedan.........VLP0105, Black, 47,803 Miles.................$10,703
2012 Beetle...................V0621679A,Silver,22,689 Miles...............$12,294
2012 Mazda3................VP0117,Black,31,363 Miles.....................$12,752
2012 Jetta Sedan.........LP0118,Silver,33,694 Miles.....................$12,752
2009 Mini Cooper........V008158A, White, 72,319 Miles, Clubman.....$12,991
2012 Jetta Sedan.........VP0106, White, Conv, 32,563 Miles..........$13,503
2010 Jetta Sedan.........V542666A,White,109,915 Miles..............$13,991
2013 Passat..................V002558A, Black, 33,912 Miles...............$14,871
2013 Kia Optima LX.....VP0119, Red, 39,215 Miles.........................$15,991
2012 Jetta TDI...............V615887A, Silver, 26,804 Miles....................$17,254
2010 Jeep Wrangler....V051155A, Silver, 94,301 Miles...............$17,591
2012 Golf TDI................V406892A, Red, 51,111 Miles.....................$17,611

2014 Jeep Patriot........VP0102A,White,9,359 Miles....................$17,991

2014 Jetta Sedan.........VPR0114,Platinum,6,705 Miles................$17,992
2014 Jetta Sedan.........VPR0113,Silver,5,825 Miles.....................$17,992
2014 Jetta Sedan.........VPR0112,Black,6,921 Miles.....................$17,992
2011 GTI........................V040108A,Black,45,589 Miles................$18,251
2013 Golf Sedan...........VPR0098, Black,7,392 Miles....................$16,499
2011 Tiguan..................V520327A,Pearl, 69,623 Miles................$18,993
2013 CC Sedan.............V011054A, Black, SPT, PZE, 40,066 Miles...$19,591
2013 Jetta TDI...............V275938A, Gray, Nav, 30,575 Miles..............$19,991
2014 Passat..................VPR0110,Silver,7,578 Miles.....................$20,592
2014 Passat..................VPR0109,White,5,375 Miles....................$20,592
2014 Passat..................VPR0111,Black,10,500 Miles..................$20,522
2014 Passat..................VPR0108,Silver,9,040 Miles.....................$20,772
2013 Tiguan..................V006405A,Gray,17,099 Miles..................$21,953
2014 Passat..................V044301A,Gray,15,182 Miles..................$23,991
2013 Honda Accord.....V035061A, Silver, V6 EX, 21,234 Miles. . . .$24,850

All prices exclude tax, tags, title, freight and $300 processing fee. Cannot be combined with any previous advertised or internet special. Pictures are for illustrative purposes only.
Special APR financing cannot be combined with sale prices. Ends 01/20/15.

Ourisman VW of Laurel

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3371 Fort Meade Road, Laurel

CROSSOVER
BMW X4 xDrive
$46,000
Mpg: 20 city/28 highway
0-to-60 mph: 6.0 seconds
Yes, the X4 is one step removed from a
wagon and looks like the ospring of a sexy
Bimmer coupe. But its actually a sporty
crossover, since it shares the same platform
as the X3. The X4 is lower, wider and shorter,
which means it has a more muscular prole
and handles curves better, but sacrices
a bit of passenger space (in other words,
it comfortably seats four, not ve). Yet
theres still plenty of cargo room, even with
the sloping rear rooine. All-wheel drive is
standard on the two trim levels, which come

with either a four- or six-cylinder turbo. And

there are various driving modes from
eco to vroom along with lots of luxury,
including paddle shifters, power tailgate,
head-up windshield display, 360-degree
(birds eye) camera and self-parking system.
GREEN MACHINE
VW GOLF TDI
$26,000
Mpg: 31 city/43 highway
0-to-60 mph: 8.7 seconds
With the Golf hatchback, the more things
change, the more they stay the same, at least
on the outside. Thats because this re-skin
looks like previous models except for new
headlights/taillights and some tweaked body
panels. But the chassis, cabin and engine
are new, providing a smoother suspension,
quieter cabin and better fuel economy. One
thing that should have changed, though, is
the clunky nav/infotainment system, which
is less than intuitive for most users. Still, the
interior is Audi-like, with bolstered seats
(front and back) and an easy-to-use clutch/
shifter that makes almost any commute
fun (and yes, there is an optional automatic
transmission). Though it feels airier inside,
the Golf is only a bit larger than before and
ts in almost any parking space.
MUSCLE CAR
FORD MUSTANG GT PREMIUM
$36,000
Mpg: 16 city/25 highway
0-to-60 mph: 4.5 seconds
The new Stang is nally in showrooms
with choice of a base V6, peppy four-cylinder
turbo or balls-to-the-wall V8 (in the GT
models only). For big-time thrills, of course,
youll want the throaty V8 preferably with
the spirited six-speed manual. For boo
features, youll want the GT Premium with
blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-trac
alert, 12-speaker stereo and large-screen
nav system. A GT performance package
adds even more macho cred, with 19inch painted aluminum wheels, rmer
suspension and better brakes. All this ups
the price an extra $14,000, but thats still
less than most Euro competitors. And while
theres plenty of muscle here, all the safety
gear helps keep you and other drivers
in check. This is the quintessential American
pony car, with a taut (yet nimble) ride, a
sparse (yet comfortable) cabin and all the
latest (yet unobtrusive) tech gadgetry.

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ideal for House + Guest House +
Garage. Cottage is being sold
AS IS. Value is in the land. Just a 5
Minute Boat Ride to City Dock!
$560,000

Dave
Luptak

REALTOR, SFR
Cell: 202-841-9084
DaveLuptak@gmail.com

Richard
Curtis

Broker
Cell: 410-320-5227
RichardMCurtis@hotmail.com

W A SH I NGTO N B LA D E.C OM

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 3 5

REALESTATE

2014 winner and

loser zip codes
Southeast neighborhoods
show large gains
By TED SMITH
The books are closed on 2014 real estate and its a good time to compare what
happened in Washington overall, as well
as in the city zip codes with residential
property.
Overall, the median price for Washington homes in 2014 rose 5.1 percent over
2013, from $475,000 to $499,000. This gure is not as high as in previous years, but
is still a respectable appreciation for any
investment in 2014.
Now lets take a look at winner and
loser zip codes. The terms winners and
losers depend, of course, on your perspective. If youre thinking about selling
a property, you will be happy to see appreciation in the median price of homes
in your zip code. If youre looking to buy,
however, you may well look for opportunities in loser zip codes where median
prices have fallen, or not risen as much.
And its important to remember that median prices in more expensive zip codes
(20015, 20007, 20016) may not rise as
much (or at all) percentage-wise, but still
experience huge jumps in median price
dollar-wise.
So, where were the big gains in median
prices? Not surprisingly, neighborhoods
in Southeast D.C. showed large gains: Zip
codes 20020 (Anacostia and Hillcrest),

20032 (Congress Heights), 20019 (Benning Heights and Deanwood) all showed
double-digit gains, with 20020 having the
largest increase (21 percent) of any D.C.
zip code. Anacostia has been targeted for
development by the city and federal government, as well as by foreign nationals
buying up investment property.
Other winner zip codes in percentage
of improved median price were 20018
(Brentwood and Lincoln) and 20016 (West
End, Foggy Bottom).
And loser zip codes? Those include
20008 (Woodley Park, Cleveland Park),
20036 (downtown), and 20007 (Georgetown, Burleith). There might be some
good bargains for house-hunters to pursue in 20036 and 20008, but even with 0
percent appreciation over 2013, median
prices in Georgetown are among the
highest in the city.
A nal way to look at the data would
simply be to compare 2014 median prices
in D.C. zip codes. This is obviously a good
place for sellers to start in thinking about
the market value of their own homes.
And for buyers, it might reveal some surprise zip codes where property just might
be more aordable than you thought
Happy hunting!
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, Youtubeor Twitter. You can also join him on monthly tours of
mid-city neighborhood open houses, as well
as monthly seminars geared toward rst-time
homebuyers. Sign up at meetup.com.

40
PRIDE IN THE NATIONS CAPITAL

PRIDE REVEAL 1.22.2015

PRESENTED BY MALMAISON
7:00PM MALMAISON
3401 K STREET NW

MUSIC BY WTF DJS ED BAILEY & AARON RIGGINS

ONLINE TICKTES

CAPITALPRIDE.ORG/REVEAL

CELEBRATING 40

YEARS OF PRIDE

3 6 J A NUA RY 1 6 , 2015

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M

Sid Binks, PhD, ABPP-CN

CLARK CONSTRUCTION GROUP, LLC

Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Invites you to submit for your scope of work for the following project:

Individual & Couples Therapy

for the LGBTQ Community
20 years experience!

SQUARE 37 - CBE Subcontracting Employment Opportunities

Your bid is due to us on or before January 26th, 2015 @ 5:00 PM

3000 Connecticut Ave. NW 202.255.5187 SidBinks@aol.com

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Redevelop the West End library into a new 11-story building with
library, retail and larger condominiums above. A mix of one-bedroom/den, two-bedroom/den
and three-bedroom/den are planned with an average size of approximately 1,500 sq. ft. with one
garage parking space per unit. Approximately 7,000 sq. ft. of retail is planned for the street level.
PROJECT SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS/EMPHASIS FOR THE ABOVE REFERENCED PROJECT:
Subcontractors and suppliers will be asked to furnish labor and/or materials and equipment to
accomplish work required by the contract documents for the various areas of work listed below.
DIVISION 2-- SITEWORK
DIVISION 4-- MASONRY
DIVISION 6-- WOOD & PLASTICS
DIVISION 8-- DOORS AND WINDOWS
DIVISION 10-- SPECIALTIES
DIVISION 12-- FURNISHINGS
DIVISION 14-- CONVEYING SYSTEMS
DIVISION 16-- MECHANICAL

LGBTC.com/html/sid_binks.html

DIVISION 3-- CONCRETE

DIVISION 5-- METALS
DIVISION 7-- THERMAL & MOISTURE
DIVISION 9-- FINISHES
DIVISION 11-- EQUIPMENT
DIVISION 13-- SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION
DIVISION 15-- ELECTRICAL

EFT, Emotionally Focused Therapy for

couples specializing in gay couples.

DRAWINGS AND SPECIFICATIONS MAY BE PURCHASED FROM:

American Reprographics: Ken Karbeling, 301-231-5200

Robert Hartford LICSW

202.412.0253

BID DOCUMENTS CAN BE VIEWED AT:

The Clark Construction Plan Room, 7500 Old Georgetown Road,
Bethesda, MD 20814

1426 21st St. NW (21st & P) Dupont Circle Washington, DC 20036

roberthartford.com robert@roberthartford.com

Address all correspondence to: Clark Construction Group, LLC,

7500 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.
Contacts: MATT VILLA, DUSTIN MCCRACKIN, JOSH SLOCOMB

PROOF #1

ISSUE DATE: 01.09.15

SALES
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DAVE
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& ASSOCIATES
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ADVERTISING
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PROOF #1
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Makeover Your Crib

Alexandria - Dulles

SARATOGA CONSTRUCTION

Falls Church - Winchester

REMODELING & RENOVATION SPECIALISTS

beyerauto.com

Licensed in DC, MD & VA...We also do New Home Construction

703.734.6350 I saratogaconstructioncorp.com

AwardWinning
Builder

AD

By si
wash
paym

DEADLINES

SHARE ADS ARE FREE

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and the ad prints free in the paper and online.*
*25 words or less prints free - anything more is $1/word.

WA SH I N GTO NB LAD E.C OM

MASSAGE / CERTIFIED
BEST MASSAGE by male certified
therapist. Soothing Swedish; deeptissue; stress & pain release. Safe
Atmosphere in Annandale, VA, almost
right off I-395. Days/Eve/Wkend. In/
Out calls. Hotels welcome. Call Marval
(703) 568-6348.

REFRESH YOURSELF.
Certified Massage
Therapist in Rosslyn. Call
or text Gary at 301-7041158 or visit http://www.
mymassagebygary.com/.
Most major Credit Cards
Accepted.
Massage Therapy: Swedish,
Sports, Deep Tissue, Reflexology,
Body Scrubs. Sugaring Hair Removal.
Male and Female Therapists.
703-672-1613 307 Maple
Ave W, L, Vienna VA
www.waterfallswellnesscenter.com.

BODY & SOUL

GOT PAIN? GET RELIEF FAST
INTRODUCING! (RTPR) Holistic
topical analgesic provides fast
relief from Arthritis, Muscle Strains,
Sprains and more. http://www.RTPR.
com/01b10620. Office: 301.883.3661.

BULLETIN BOARD
Singer for weddings,
birthdays, anniversaries,
other special
occasions. Repertoire
includes Broadway,
American songbook,
classical - just ask!
Contact Maureen Roult at
maureenmezzo@yahoo.
com or 301-832-2036.

COUNSELING
COUNSELING FOR GAY MEN.
Individual/couple counseling w/
volunteer peer counselor. Gay Mens
Counseling Community since 1973.
202-580-8861. gaymenscounseling.
org. No fees, donation requested.

CHANGES ARE EASIER WITH

HELP. Small, private practice
group of experienced, caring
therapists.Safe, confidential
setting. Offices in Woodley Park &
Takoma Park near Metro.Licensed
professionals.Insurance
reimbursable.Washington
Therapy Guild. Call 202-483-2660.
washingtontherapyguild.com.
LGBTQ AFFIRMING THERAPY at
Dupont Circle Individuals, couples,
families, adolescents. Over 15
years serving the community. Mike
Giordano, LICSW. 202/460-6384
mike.giordano.msw@gmail.com.
www.WhatIHearYouSaying.com.

EMPLOYMENT

ADOPTION & ASSISTED

REPRODUCTIVE Law Attorney Jennifer
Fairfax represents clients in Maryland
& D.C. interested in adoption or ART
matters.301-221-9651,JFairfax@
jenniferfairfax.com.

OPPORTUNITIES
SEEKING FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONALS for Series 3
Brokerage Positions, Flexible Hours,
Great Payouts. Potential to make
$100k in first year. Please call Ivan at
703-759-3204 info@alarisfinancial.
com.

REHOBOTH GETAWAY
SUNNY REHOBOTH 2BR, 1 BA
condo, sleeps 4, w/ parking 4 blocks
to beach. Sorry no smoking or pets.
$180/night, 2 night min. email:
mschef43@gmail.com.

LEGAL SERVICES
FULL SERVICE LAW FIRM
Representing the GLBT community
for over 30 years. Family adoptions,
estate planning, immigration,
employment. (301) 891-2200.Silber,
Perlman, Sigman & Tilev, P.A. www.
SP-Law. com.

HEATING / COOLING

LIMOUSINES / DRIVERS
KASPERS LIVERY SERVICE BMW
740LI Luxury Sedan Service; Hourly,
Point to Point and Special Airport
Transfer Rates! Gay and Veteran
Owned! http://www.KasperLivery.
com Phone 202-554-2471 or 800455-2471.

PETS

POTOMAC RESTAURANT STAFF,

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

J A N U A RY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 3 7

PHOTOGRAPHY
STEVE OTOOLE PHOTOGRAPHY
Fine Art Photographer for portraits,
weddings & dating photos for the
internet. Call (703) 532-3031. www.
steveotoolephotography.com.

CLEANING
TOO NEAT GUYS INC. Residential
& Commercial cleaning in DC
& Northern VA. Over 20 years
experience, gay owned, licensed,
bonded & insured. Email: tooneat@
comcast.net, (703) 622-5983.
MAID TO CLEAN. Gay owned.
Serving DC/VA since 1996. We
provide 1x, move/in, move/out,
recurring service. We love pets &
your dirt! (703)299-0101. Visit us at
maidtoclean.com.

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE

WASHINGTONBLADE.COM

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AD WITH OUR
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CONTACT US AT
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FERNANDOS CLEANING:
Residential & Commercial Cleaning,
Reasonable Rates, Free Estimates,
Routine, 1-Time, Move-In/Move-Out.
(202) 234-7050, 202-486-6183.

HOME
IMPROVEMENTS
BRITISH REMODELING HANDYMAN
Local licensed company with over 25
years of experience. Specializing in
bathrooms, kitchens & all interior/
exterior repairs. Drywall, paint,
electric & wallpaper. Trevor 703-3038699.

MOVERS
OUR GUYS AROUND TOWN
MOVERS. Professional Moving &
Storage. Let Our Guys Do The
Heavy Lifting. Mention the Blade
for 10% off of our regular rates.
Call today 202.734.3080. www.
ourguysatmovers.com.
GREAT SCOTT MOVING INC. Local
& Long Distance, Pianos!Call us For
a Great Move at a Great Price (301)
699-2066.Highly rated in Consumer
Check Book, Better Business Bureau,
Yelp & Angies List.

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

WINDOW
TREATMENTS
CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS
Blinds, shades and more. Free
home shopping. Serving the LGBT
community for over 25 years. Call
Andy at Environmental Concepts
Design. 202-397-7909.

SHARE / DC
CAPITOL HILL (2-1/2 blocks
eastern mkt) small bright furn/unfurn
BR share w/ 3 gay friendly men,
$700+utilities. Available immediately.
Pete 202-544-5688.
ADAMS MORGAN/DUPONT CIRCLE
available now. Non-smoker, semifurnished, own BR. Shared use of
W/D, kitchen. $850/month+$850
security deposit. Carol (202) 2656809.

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3 8 J A N UA RY 1 6 , 2015
GWM w/ 2 cats has cozy fully
furnished room available in NE DC.
No Pets, no children, non-smoker
preferred. Metro, Parking, all
amenities. 202-306-0288. Serious
responses only, no texts.

SHARE / VA

W A SH I N G T O N BLA D E . CO M
BALTIMORE 2 BR, 1 BA $900/MONTH
+, 2nd fl., quiet, with W/D, D/W, A/C,
hdwd., commute to work in DC. $
900.00 mo + utilities. call 443 4678507.

SALE / DC

Alexandria/ Del Ray Large BR,

w/ good closet space in a 3BR, 2.5BA
TH w/ 2 gay men. Great location walk
to Braddock Rd Metro. $900 utilities
incl. seeks responsible NS, GM. email:
runner206@gmail.com.
WOODBRIDGE,MBR single-family
home between Quantico & Ft. Belvoir.
Beautifully renov. walk-out bsmt. BR
w/ priv. full bath. Singles only. $1000/
month.703-798-3955.

RENT / DC
GORGEOUS, BRIGHT & SUNNY
House on the Hill - 2.5 BR, 1.5 BA,
2 blocks from H St., freshly painted.
Modern Kitchen, all Bosch appliances.
$2200 monthly + util. + dep, 14TH & F
STS, NE. Call Thomas 202-397-7132.

Gorgeous Logan Condo

Beautiful 2-BR, 2-BA condo located
in boutique building near Logan
Circle & Verizon Center. Fabulous
private elevator! Great layout with
split bedrooms for privacy, gourmet
kitchen by Bulthaup with Subzero
fridge and Miele appliances (including
fantastic built-in steam oven). Other
amenities include balcony, steam
shower, jetted tub, walk-in closet and
hardwood floors throughout. A must
see! https://www.redfin.com/DC/
Washington/1124-10th-St-NW-20001/
unit-3B/home/10189700.
Ann Worley, Realtor.
McEnearney Associates.
703-738-9593.

SALE / MD

MOUNT RAINIER HOMES

REQUEST ONLINE PHOTOS!
-$299,000 - Totally
Renovated!! 2-Car Garage!
2 BR Cottage! LARGE
Fenced Yard!
-$219,995 - Lovely doublelot!Sweet Bungalow,
needs your creativity!
-$299,995 - Sears
Craftsman Cape Cod!3- 4
BRs!1 1/2 Baths! Sauna!
Hot Tub! Garage!
LARRY PERRIN REALTOR
(301) 983-0601
LJPerrin@aol.com.
MONTGOMERYVILLAGE
TOWNHOMES
REQUEST ONLINE PHOTOS!
-$349,995 - Garage!3 BRs!
2 - 1/2 Baths! Terrific
Basement Family Room!
-$259,995 - 3 Level!3
Bedrooms! 2 - 1/2 Baths!
Huge Basement Family
Room!
LARRY PERRIN REALTOR
(301) 983-0601
LJPerrin@aol.com.
COLLEGE PARK
REQUEST ONLINE PHOTOS!
-$277,000 - Walk to
METRO! Corner Lot Home!
3 BRs! Full Basement!
Deck!
LARRY PERRIN REALTOR
(301) 983-0601
LJPerrin@aol.com.

THE MAGIC TOUCH: Swedish,

Massage or Deep Tissue. Appts 202486-6183, Low Rates, 24/7, In-Calls.

Victorian style home $3300.00

per month. Beautifully renovated
3 Bedroom/1bathroom/w office
Hardwood floors Washer/
Dryer,Crown Molding Fire place (living
room and master bedroom) High
ceilings. Call Marjorie Jackson (202)
468-4578.

RENT / MD
GERMANTOWN 1BR large
basement apartment. Private
entrance, fenced in yard, full kit.,
laundry room with storage and full
bathroom. $1200 includes utilities.
Please email me: whitencer@aol.com.

Baltimore Stunning
renovation $299,900 Classic
Ashburton colonial with all the
original charm. Near 95S for
Washington commuters! 3BR/2.5BA,
New gourmet kitchen w/42 cabinets,
granite & stainless. Inlaid wood floors.
Formal dining room. Fireplace in living
room. Fabulous Speakeasy bar from
1920s in lower level rec room. Central
air. 2-car detached garage.
Dora Wolfe
Cell (410)733-4686
DORA.WOLFE@longandfoster.com
The Dora Wolfe Team of
Long & Foster Real Estate, Pikesville
Licensed in MD & PA
Office (410)653-1700
Equal Housing Opportunity

BLONDE GI 511 165 lbs 32 waist,

8 & cut. Can do in calls & will do out
calls depending where you are. I am
located near 395 & King St. Plenty of
free parking. Call 703-599-2668 ask
for Eli.

MASSAGE SILVER
SPRING...sensuous erotic
naked. Bruno $70 per hr.
301 580-2716.

National service) http://

BlackListedJohn.com.

ADULT SERVICES

WHITE HOUSE ATHLETIC CLUB

masseur (former) Custom bodywork!
Quality massage by a nationally
certified masseur. Exceptional deep
tissue & sensual bodywork for total
stress relief in private studio. 4 Hand
Massage Available. (Shower & parking
available, 2.5 blocks to Metro on
for one of the best. No texts. In
calls only. New Year Special $79.00
SPECIAL Reg. $130.

SPECIAL LATINO
TOUCH

5 9, 170 lbs, Offering full body

relaxing, release on my professional

table, in a private atmosphere. In/out.
Parking Available, hotels welcome,
DC/MD/VA, 24/7. Call Lucas, 240-4628669, fromlucas@yahoo.com.

EROTIC SWEDISH MASSAGE

healthy clean cut guy, 61, 160 lbs,
Dupont Circle, massage table, noon
to 1:00 a.m., indulge your body. $70
for 1 hour. Bill 202-728-0238.

ESCORTS
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